Dedicated to the victims of the Virginia School Shootings and their families. May they be blessed by God's love.
Disclaimer: I don't own Flushed Away or any of its characters. They belong to DreamWorks entertainment, as well as Aardman.
Once again my time has been cut short by end-of-the-school-year-syndrome and very severe writers block. (And a week without this computer didn't help either) Inspiration just hasn't been coming as it has for the last eight chapters. I'm sorry for keeping you guys waiting, and I really hope that these next chapters will entertain and amuse you all. Also, if you check my profile, you can find some pictures related to my fic and also of Firefall Bangenthump's "A Change in Scene" series. I must thank him for the inspiration I needed to continue my fic. Another thing (I know these interruptions are probably annoying), I wanted to say that a lot of the background information I got for the baddies is from the commentary on Flushed Away. I did not make up those ideas on my own, that's all courtesy of Aardman and DreamWorks (Brilliant minds there, that's for sure). Now (finally), I am pleased to present:
Chapter 9: The Underground
Rita woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon on the makeshift stove. Her mouth began to water from the succulent scent as she heard the food sizzle and pop within the pan. When she pushed herself up to a sitting position, she saw Mr. Malone with his back turned to her. His tail flicked back and forth as he hummed to a song that the slugs were singing on the wall above the Dodger.
As her father cooked, Rita stole a glance over his shoulder to watch the oil boil over the food. Next to the bacon were four small eggs, obviously from a bird smaller then a chicken, which were also bubbling from the heat.
"It looks great, Dad!" she exclaimed while smacking a hand against his back, "and I thought you said you couldn't cook. The smell reminds me of home."
Mr. Malone grinned and flipped an egg over, "I didn't say I couldn't cook, I merely implied that I couldn't. There's a big difference between the two." He elbowed her gently to push her back, "I think you took after my Mum. She can't tell the difference between a sandwich and a handful of sand."
"Was that supposed to be funny?" Rita's eyebrow lifted, "I know my cooking's bad, but it's not that horrible."
"You're right." Mr. Malone said, lifting his head in realization, "nothing is that bad."
They both laughed, but Rita smelled something unpleasant and she cleared her throat, "Erm, you might want to take the bacon out. I think you're burning it."
Mr. Malone gasped and threw the crispy meat onto a plate and shoved it into Rita's hands, "Hold this for me, would ya?"
"You don't give me much of a choice." Rita murmured in reply as she held the chipped plate. As it began to warm up in her hands, she set it on the couch and smirked, "Well, what was that you were saying about my cooking?"
Mr. Malone held his hands up in surrender. One was still grasping the coffee-filter tongs that he used for handling the food.
"You got me there." He said in defeat, "I guess bacon isn't my friend…"
"And neither are eggs." Rita interrupted as she pointed to the other food items, the yolks of which were dripping into the grease left over from the bacon.
"Augh! Them little blighters! I can never seem to cook them like your mum does!"
The younger rat shook her head in sympathy as Mr. Malone flipped the eggs haphazardly onto another plate. From the disappointed look on his face, she realized he really wanted to help her out, so she took a piece of bacon between her thumb and forefinger and popped it into her mouth.
She chewed the bacon quickly and allowed the flavor to spread within her mouth. Even though it was quite burnt, she could still taste the thin meat within, and she licked her lips to show her approval.
"Mmm, that was real tasty." She said with a smile as she gave her father a thumbs up, "Great bacon, Dad."
He smiled uncertainly but grabbed a strand and gnawed it. He swallowed the meager bite and smiled before throwing the rest in, "It's definitely not that bad. A bit crispier then I wanted it, but that's all right."
Rita smiled. No matter what, her Dad could always look on the bright side of things. It was a quality she wanted to take on for herself, which was hard considering all of the trouble she got herself into.
"So, where are heading to now?" She inquired as she placed an egg and some bacon on an empty plate (made from a dented coin), "To that Underground place, right?"
Her Dad nodded and spread the sheet before him, "Yes, the friend of mine I told you about, Neil is his name, and I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."
Rita stuffed a chopped bit of an egg white into her mouth, chewed it quickly, and swallowed. "I'll be glad to see him too. It would be great to meet the rat who came up with the word "Toilock."
Once again, Mr. Malone elbowed her, a bit more gently this time, and he chuckled softly, "Okay, I admit that it is quite a strange name, but you can't blame the man. He's more interested in mechanics and collecting strange trinkets than in creativity."
"I can see that." After the words came out, she threw her hand over her mouth, allowing a secret smile to curl beneath.
"Okay, okay, that's enough of that." Her Dad said as he too ate a bit of his food, "Mmm, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be."
"Wait a minute." Rita said as she placed her fork down and held up her hand, her palm facing him, "Are you saying that you didn't plan this food to be good? Are you trying to have a mutiny against your new captain already?" she asked, grinning, "Now I have to worry about you poisoning me as well? How fun is that?"
Mr. Malone chuckled and asked, "As well? Who else would you have to worry about?"
Rita coughed, "French Frogs."
"Ahh…I see. Well, you won't have to worry about mutiny on board this ship. You're doing a great job so far." He smiled, "Soon you just might be better than your old man."
"Is that a challenge?" Rita asked, smirking as she took another bite and swallowed, "I accept!"
Her father smiled and he looked up and around at the tunnel that they had stopped in, "We aren't too far from the lock. Surely we'll be there within a few minutes, as long as you can follow my directions."
Rita gasped, as if he made fun of her, "What do you mean if?" She folded her arms over her chest and stuck out her lower lip in a pout, "I thought you said I was doing a great job. Why don't you ever just make your mind about these things?"
Laughing, Mr. Malone set aside his plate, "You know I'm just teasing ya'. But I do warn you, the locks can be pretty hazardous if you're not careful. You can easily bend the bow of the ship or scrape the sides on the narrow walls."
"Well, I'll keep that in mind then." Rita said as she finished off the last of the food. She softened up a bit and leaned across the ship, giving her Dad a small hug, "Thanks a lot, Dad, for the meal." She released her grip, seeing a satisfied glint in his eye, and added, "It was really sweet of you."
Waving the comment aside, Mr. Malone grew humble, "It was nothing, and if it wasn't so burnt it would've been much better."
"No, it was fine." Rita backed away and started to stride to the bike spokes that were the components of the Dodger's ignition. With a quick pull of the cord, the Jammy Dodger roared to life. Rita took the wheel and put her in full throttle, cherishing the sound of the motor as it churned and boiled the water. As soon as the turbine started spinning, the boat was off, slicing through the waters at a heightened angle.
As the ship rounded a corner, another vessel pulled into the cavern. The submerged, fish-like figure floated slowly forward, as if it was built more for muscle than for speed. The antique scuba mask that crested the top of it shone a light through the tunnel, dispelling the shadows that were cast as the sun began to rise in the world Up Top. As it turned the same corner, the light flickered off, and the group of rats riding the strange ship lifted their hands above their eyes to peer into the darkness, trying to keep an eye on the V-shaped trail that led to their targets. Perched on the top of the mask was a figure garbed in a trench coat. He too listened carefully to the growl of the Jammy Dodger's engine, and made sure that they stayed hot on the trail of the pesky rats.
The lock itself was a simple structure, being located in a small dead end within a separate tunnel. A gate before them rose as the Dodger nosed its way into the channel. Rita eased up on the throttle so that the boat came to a stop, but still continued to run. The dripping cement wall behind them slowly came down and a muffled thud sounded beneath the water. The sound of water rushing from the enclosure took over and the water around the ship sloshed against its sides as the water was released from a pipe deep beneath the surface.
As Rita looked down below the side of the ship, she gave a start as she realized how unfathomable the water was. She couldn't see the bottom of the lock, and when she looked back up again, she saw that the Jammy Dodger was sinking lower and lower, so that the gate they passed through was lost in the darkness above.
It felt as if they had fallen for a half an hour when the pipes below were covered and the water stopped before a black gate, this one appearing as if it were made from stainless steel. Clanking noises revealed unseen gears which enabled the great door to rise. Rita increased the Dodger's speed and steered it forward as they entered a world completely different from the sewers further above.
The streets were lit with strange lichen which covered the walls above and along the sides of the deep underground city. The moss and toadstools cast a faint, but efficient green light upon the city. The streets themselves were very quiet. Only a few rats walked upon them, and the ones that did were characters that Rita thought would be the last people she would want to meet in an alley on a dark night. She felt her father wrap his fingers around her wrist, though whether it was for her comfort or from fear, she wasn't sure.
"Alright, my girl...turn right at the next turn, and keep sailing until you see a building with a wrench-shaped sign above it."
Rita complied, and made the turn as it was coming along, her eyes darting towards another ship, one of which was painted to look like an eel in the water. She shuddered and continued to navigate the boat through the waters, wondering what kind of place her father brought her to. Everywhere she looked made her uncomfortable, and she felt grateful for having the deck of the Jammy Dodger safely beneath her feet. She was beginning to question in her mind what sort of rat this friend of her father was.
When she saw Neil's business, lit eerily by the green lichen, she pulled the Dodger to the side of the walk and stopped it. However, she refused to shut the ship down, and smiled uncertainly to her Dad, "If it's alright with you I'd like to stay on the ship." She winked, "I'm sure Neil wouldn't like me lurking about while you take care of some things."
Mr. Malone rolled his eyes, "Ye' bloomin' coward." To show he had no hard feelings, he smiled and pat her on the shoulder, "That's fine, just guard the boat. Neil may be a very descent and sophisticated guy, but I wouldn't trust anyone else here with my life."
"That's a good idea." Rita said, "Because looking at these rats on the street, it looks as if that's just the thing they're after."
With a hearty chuckle, Mr. Malone leapt out of the boat and landed gently on the ground, "Now stay safe, if you have any problems, just holler." With a quick wave, he ran into the store and slammed the door behind him, leaving Rita to fend for herself in the dark streets of the Underground.
"You'd think I'd learn…every time I'm on my own something terrible happens." She murmured while pacing the length of the boat, keeping track of everything loose nearby that she could use for a weapon, "Sometimes you really need to use your head, Rita, and try to stop looking for trouble."
"Great…" an afterthought occurred, "Now I'm talking to myself in third person…"
She sighed.
Then she heard the dull hum of a boat motor, a large boat motor.
Once again, paranoia came over her and she leapt to the back of the Dodger and peered over the edge, watching as the strange ship came into view. It wasn't one that she'd seen before, so her heart slowed its beating. She sighed and stood up, brushing her hands across her pant legs as she did so. No crazed henchrats were going to ruin her already suspenseful day. At least, that's what she thought.
She turned and went to the side of the boat, rubbing the back of her head as she looked at the green streets. Her foot tapped at a metal rod that rested on the floor. To ease her boredom, she nudged the stick with her bottle cap-tipped shoes and let the steel slide over her foot.
Suddenly, the Dodger bobbed as something fell onto the deck behind her. With lightning-quick reflexes, she kicked up her foot, flinging the bar in mid-air while doing so, and caught it in her right hand before she swung around and thrust the weapon in front of her. It clanged against the mini screwdriver in the enemy's hand. Upon closer observation, she saw that it was Thimblenose Ted, one of the Toad's henchrats.
"I should've known that you creeps would never give me a break." Rita breathed angrily as she lashed the pole upwards, parrying another strike from the dark rat.
"Why would we?" the zombie-like rat asked as he took a step back and lunged, aiming the screwdriver carefully, "The boss was very clear on his orders to get rid of you, and we won't stop until we do!"
Rita twisted to the side so Ted's weapon barely grazed her stomach and threw her rod downwards, pushing the driver down to the ground. She then stepped onto his weapon and made a 90 degree turn with her leg out, striking the henchrat right in the face.
The scene seemed to go into slow motion as Rita righted herself and Thimblenose Ted flew back from the kick. The metal thimble upon his snout had been flung off from the blow, and what Rita saw startled her. Where she had expected to see a long snout upon his face, there was instead a flat surface, covered in dark grey fur. There was no nose, not even a hint of one, beneath that thimble. Rita was stuck between having the urge to laugh, and to spill the contents of her stomach. The former sounded much nicer, though she was too shocked to say anything.
"No! You fool! You revealed my deformity, my nose…the one I lost in a knife fight!" Thimblenose grasped at his missing snout, trying to hide the blank surface from view.
"A knife fight?" Rita laughed, noting the uneven growth of hair on his face, "It looks more like you lost it from sticking your nose where it doesn't belong…shall I say, a lawnmower?"
Ted's grey fur turned a bright shade of pink and he growled, "How did you guess that?"
"From an intelligence that you lack." Rita kicked up the metal rod once again and noticed that Ted's eyes darted very quickly from her to something over her shoulder. She ducked down as something long and hard swung overhead and she twisted around on the ground before shoving the tip of the pole against the large stomach of the striped-suited henchrat.
"So, you're coming to join in the fray?" she smirked, swiftly rapping the end of her weapon against his wrist, causing him to drop the needle he was holding, "You should realize that two of you guys versus one of me are very uneven odds. You need at least a whole army of rats of your caliber to stop me."
Fat Barry, the larger rat, backed away in shock, looking around right and left as if hoping he had that army ready for him. He smirked, pointed towards the strange scuba-capped ship that rested next to her own, and leapt onto it as three more rats fell onto the Dodger.
Rita groaned. She knew she couldn't fight off those three by herself, and now LeFrog even jumped down to join them. She recognized Spike and Whitey, and the third rat she wasn't so sure of, though he had a match resting within his mouth, and dark shades covered his eyes.
She decided to go with her instincts, and leapt out of the ship onto the streets. She felt like she could deal with any other creepy rat on the street then with the group that was chasing her now. As she looked around, she realized that she would stand a better chance if she took them out one at a time.
She turned a corner just as the sunglass-wearing rat was running close behind. She quickened her pace, hearing the ground beneath her creak and groan beneath her weight. She didn't have time to look down, however, for the alley ended.
"Not again…" she groaned as she turned, seeing the smaller rat walking slowly behind her.
"LadyKiller's the name." the rat said as he stopped before her, taking the match from his mouth to twist slowly in his hand, "No female can resist my wonderful charm and good looks, not even you." He said, flashing a very unattractive smile.
"Umm…riiight…" Rita murmured in disgust and sarcasm as she gazed around for some sort of escape. A quick plan came to mind and she pointed up at the sky, "What's that up there?"
"What, where?" the rat looked up, only to have a solid punch right in his face which sent him reeling and which broke the lens of his sunglasses. As he stood up, cross-eyed and dizzy, he reached out for something to steady himself. When he shook it off, Rita snickered and then laughed out loud when she saw that his eyes remained in their crossed positions. They were really quite goofy looking, and apparently, LadyKiller knew so, for he was scrambling around the floor, trying to find his lost lens.
"No, no woman must see my eyes! They're an embarrassment to my dashing good looks!"
Rita felt like she should stay and humiliate him a bit longer, but she could now hear the other rats scrambling to get out. Below her, the ground creaked and groaned, and as she gazed down, she saw that she was standing on the cover of an air shaft that went further below ground. While LadyKiller was preoccupied with searching for his sunglasses, Rita threw open the hatch to the shaft and fell in, landing lithely on her feet below. A chain attached to the hatch dangled down and she leapt up, grabbed onto it, and let it close above her. She thought that she would be thrown into darkness, but a line of blue lights ran along the bottom of the shaft. Apparently, it had been in use before.
"Well, Dad probably won't be out for a while, so I might as well see what's down here." Rita mused as she started her trek down the long, metal tunnel.
Things seemed to go smoothly, she couldn't hear any of the henchrats behind her, and the tunnel hadn't branched off, so she knew she was going in the right direction. The blue rope lights illuminated the path for her, even though she knew she was far below the ground, where it was impossible for any real light to poke through.
She felt as she had been walking for a half hour when she heard some voices. She slowed her pace, mentally hushing her footsteps as she crept towards a grate within the air shaft. She could see a flickering light cast against the metal walls, revealing a fire in the room below.
As she crawled stealthily to the thin metal bars, she gazed down into what appeared to be a cavern, lit by a makeshift fireplace. As she sniffed, she realized that the smoke was filtering through the shaft, though it was so large that she had hardly noticed the smell.
She saw a well-dressed figure sitting in a chair below, and her heart skipped a beat as she thought of the resemblance to The Toad. However, this figure looked nothing like a toad, being covered in sleek, brown fur. Its impressively tall, thin body showed that it wasn't a rat.
Rita squinted her eyes and leaned closer over the grate to get a closer look, feeling the barred light fall upon her face. The furry creature had company. A large centipede lay curled before the hearth like some sick variation of a dog, its many legs twitched and clicked against the stone floor as it dreamed centipedial dreams. Two large, burly bats hung as sentries before the entrances of two tunnels that led to this main cave, their leathery wings folded tightly to their muscular bodies. Both wore a pair of sunglasses, as if it would help them to keep their blind eyes safe from the fire's crackling glare. Their short snouts wore serious expressions. From their lips poked two sharp, thin fangs which gleamed dangerously in the flickering firelight. Rita couldn't help but shudder from the slight.
The beast on the chair stood up and walked past the huge insect on the floor, walking towards the wall below the air shaft. Rita leaned closer to see if she could see more distinguishing characteristics of the creature, who now stood directly below her. A creaking sound caused him to whip his head quickly to the side, as he tried to see what the sound was. Rita was curious too, but was unaware that it was the grate she was leaning on that was making the noise.
Everything seemed to happen all at once. The grate broke, causing Rita to fall, shouting in surprise, towards the furred creature below. The beast cried out, drawing the attention of the centipede, which reared up, clicking its pincers in surprise, before it crept swiftly towards the confused duo on the floor.
The bats also went into action, spreading their great wings to fly after the intruder, who was trying to disentangle her tail from their master's form. Their wings batted at each other, and the three other critters, who were trying to break away from the confusion and chaos that ensued.
Unfortunately, when Rita managed to break away, she was swatted aside by one of the bats and she landed painfully to the ground. When she pushed herself onto her elbows, she gasped as the centipede reared above her, its legs flinging wildly about as it looked at her with beady, soulless eyes.
"WHAT is the meaning of this?!"
The barking voice of the Boss silenced the entire room. Rita could hear her own heart furiously beating against her chest.
"I…I accidentally fell in sir…" she murmured, hoping that the creature would understand. However, when she saw what the creature was, she was about to have second thoughts.
The furry aristocrat was indeed tall and lithe, his hair was silky and glossy. However, his black, beady eyes which peered over a long, pointed snout seemed almost lifeless, just like the insect which now circled around him and the young rat, who was desperately looking around for an escape. Certainly a weasel would not give her a warm welcome…
"Mr. Weasel, sir..." One of the bats muttered, seeing the stern expression on his boss's face, "What would you like us to do with the intruder?"
The Weasel smirked, a haunting, dangerous smirk. "This is obviously the rat that my friend has been talking about." He turned around, flicking his tail softly back and forth as if he were a giant cat, "The Toad told me that I'll have an unexpected guest coming to my territory."
Rita leapt to her feet, earning her a hiss from the centipede as she startled it, "You're friends with The Toad?! How could you be on the same side as that bloated, slimy mudsucker?"
The Weasel paused, lifted his hand up to the firelight, and examined the long, sharp claws at the tips of his fingers, "We go back quite a ways. I helped him get his bearings after he was flushed into the sewers." He turned his dark eyes to her and grinned, "He isn't the only one that has a dislike for rats. Why in the world humans would pick you little creatures, instead of weasels like me, is beyond my understanding." He sighed, as if recalling a lost, cherished memory, but his eyes snapped open with fire gleaming deep within them, "Together, we decided to slowly, but surely, rid ourselves of you useless creatures."
Rita was about to bolt for it, when she felt the claws of the bats resting upon her shoulders. The Weasel bent down to look her in the eye, and a grin formed on his face.
"It's time for a little game. If you win, you're free, though I highly doubt that you will survive the ordeal of Tooth and Venom. It's about time we show you rats where you belong in this world," His lip curled up to reveal rows of vicious, sharp teeth, "…Crushed beneath the power of those superior to you."
Another note(I know you're sick of these), the Weasel also doesn't belong to me. I also got the idea for him from the commentary on the movie. I just gave him life in this story since it was such a brilliant idea from those companies (Dreamworks and Aardman are awesome!). Also, I'm open for requests on drawing scenes from this fic, if any of you wish. I won't guarantee that they would be the best, though I'll try my hardest. Just PM me if you'd like to request one .
