Chapter 9: The Destruction Of The World...Or Just Me?
Back at the castle, Danger Mouse had managed to grab onto a stray pipe coming out of the wall. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer and he also knew if he lost hi grip he'd die. In his current situation, he began to think back over the past 4 days.
He sighed. "Maybe it would of been better if we'd never met...". He shook his head and took it back. "We would of met no matter what and feeling sorry for myself isn't helping".
Suddenly he heard a creak. He looked up to see the pipe was about to snap.
"Good Greif, this is not how I wanted to go...oh well I guess this is it"
The pipe finally gave way and DM braced himself for impact...
"Cor! Good catch Professor!"
...which never came. He opened his eye to see that instead of the ground he had landed in the Mark 4. Relief washed over him and he was thankful that he got to live another day.
"Professor! And...PENFOLD!" DM smiled and hugged his friend as tightly as he could. "I'm so glad your alright".
"I won't be if you keep squashing me"
"Oh right" he let him go. "Sorry about that"
The Professor then joined the conversation. "What were you doing in here anyway? And where are the others?" she asked.
"Good Grief! I forgot about them. Professor, did you see a giant ship headed towards London on your way here?"
"Well I don't know if it's heading towards London, but we did see one" she replied.
"Move over, I'm driving! We have to go after them and stop this Baron Ratcliffe from whatever he's doing!".
The Professor got in the back and DM sped off, trying to get to London before the Baron.
Meanwhile, me and Jeopardy where tied up in a corner and we were trying to come up with a plan. Well, Jeopardy was anyway. I was too busy thinking about DM.
"Just a little longer and I can finally put my plan into action. In the meantime..." Ratcliffe turned to look at me. "Danielle!"
My head shot up and I glared at him. "What!" I spat.
He laughed. "I'm going to take what I need from you while I still can". He walked towards me and Jeopardy tried to shield me. He grabbed her by the neck and threw her across the room.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" I yelled.
"Be Quiet! Now this won't hurt a bit"
He pulled a syringe out of his pocket and stabbed it in my arm. I hissed in pain and started crying again. He then pulled it out when he had enough blood and walked away.
"What "sniff" are you going to do with that?" I asked while drying my eyes.
"You'll see..."
"(I don't like where this is going...)" I thought.
"You have arrived at your destination" said a voice, which I'm guessing is his navigator.
Ratcliffe smiled and went to get the formula from his safe. I managed to get up and check on Jeopardy while he was distracted.
"Are you ok?" I whispered.
She coughed, regaining her breath. "I'm fine, but don't worry about me...he didn't hurt you did he?!" she said as she checked me over.
"No, he just took some of my blood. I don't know what he plans to..."
I couldn't finish my sentence because a warning signal went off.
"Warning! Strange flying object approaching ship at a fast pace!" the navigator said.
"WHAT! HOW DID HE SURVIVE?!" Ratcliffe yelled. "He's crossed me for the last time!"
He was just about to try and shoot them down, when suddenly they came bursting through the door. I was completely surprised to see DM standing there.
"DM..., but how? I thought you were dead" I gasped.
He answered me without looking my way. "The love of my life is in danger...there's no way I'm going to die without saving her"
The joy and love I had for him overwhelmed me to the point where I just wanted to kiss him and never stop. Unfortunately, that would have to wait till later as he was getting ready to fight.
"Baron, stop this now and we can all forget it ever happened" DM said.
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you. You get to go home with your precious princess and I go back to being the outcast I used to be before I got here..."
I couldn't hold myself back anymore. "Please Michael, just listen to him! And what are you talking about being an outcast?"
"You know as well I do that nobody cared about me besides you! As soon as my parent's died everyone I thought were my friend's pushed me away. You were all I had!"
"And yet that still wasn't enough to make you stay!" I screamed at him as tears started to form again. "For god sakes what will it take for you to be happy?!"
DM wanted to cut in, but couldn't think of anything to say. Penfold and the Professor freed Jeopardy and she ran over to help him.
She stared at him confused. "What are you doing?! She's distracting him, making him an easy target and your just watching them!"
"They were good friends once so I think it's only fair to leave them to it for now" he sighed.
"If you say so...". She cautiously stayed alert though, just in case anything happened.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! You think you had it bad, I gave up the past six years to depression! It got so bad at one point I didn't even know if I could live anymore!" I kept on yelling at him and before anyone knew it he finally snapped.
"NO MORE! I HAVE COME TO FAR TO TURN BACK NOW! I don't need you anymore Danielle and since your home is normal again..."
He ran over to a machine and fired it up. Everyone gasped in horror.
"Wait! Stop Baron! Don't..." DM shouted.
"GO BACK TO WHENCE YOU CAME!"
And then it hit me and I disappeared from this world the same way I had from mine.
It was all over.
"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
In the background the Professor had given Penfold one of her gadgets and threw him into the light screaming.
As soon as the light vanished, there was an empty spot where I used to be. DM collapsed to the floor on the verge of tears.
"Danielle..." he said quietly.
Ratcliffe laughed like a maniac. "Aww, what's the matter Danger Mouse? I thought you were going to stop me! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
This was it. The poor mouse had been through so much in his life, but living without his love was more than he could take. Jeopardy knew this was a big blow to him, but she also knew that they still had a planet to save.
"Danger Mouse you need to get up! Without you our world is done for" She said while trying to get him to stand.
He pulled his arm away and yelled at her. "Why don't you save it then?! Aren't you a secret agent to?!"
"Yes, but I..."
"I've had it up to here with "Danger Mouse the world needs you" or "Danger Mouse go stop Baron Greenback"! Are you so useless and pathetic that you can't..."
His sentence was cut short by a slap to his face. He stood there in shock and slowly turned his head around to see Jeopardy with her arm pulled back and tears in her eyes.
"You have got to get a grip! You think your the only one who misses her?! I've only known her for a few hours and yet it feels like I've known her my whole life!" she yelled at him. "Please Danger Mouse...don't throw your life away like this".
He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry..., but I can't do this anymore" he headed for the door, "Come on Penfold, Professor, lets go"
"Penfold's gone with her" the Professor stated bluntly.
"Your joking! Why is this all happening?!"
At the front of the airship, Ratcliffe was losing his patience. "Are you all finished? Yes? Good, because if your not going to stop me then I have a world to conquer!" he turned back around and pressed a button. "Just to make sure though"
A bunch of robots burst into the room and each of them grabbed hold of one of three friends.
"Let go of me you stupid tin can!" Jeopardy yelled at it.
"Robots!" they all stood to attention, "Take them back to my castle and lock them up!"
"Bzzzt...YES BARON RATCLIFFE...Bzzzzt!"
The robots left the ship and did what they were told. Jeopardy Mouse and Squarkencluck tried to fight out of their grip, whilst Danger Mouse dropped his head in defeat. So much had happened in one day and he feared he would never see his best friend or his (self proclaimed) girlfriend ever again.
"Bzzzzt...WE ARE HERE...Bzzzt...TAKE PRISONERS TO CELL...Bzzzt" one of the robots said.
The others sped off down a hallway, threw the friends into the open cell and locked it. Jeopardy ran up to the door and demanded to be set free.
"Let us out! I know you can hear me Ratcliffe! Answer me!"
"Heh, fools! All of you come back at once!" Ratcliffe ordered.
"YES BARON RATCLIFFE...Bzzzt!"
And they left, leaving our heroes to themselves as Ratcliffe's plan was almost complete.
"Damn it!" Jeopardy banged against the cell, "This is all your fault Danger Mouse! If you had just intervened when they were arguing instead of leaving them to it then maybe she would still be here and maybe we would of..."
She stopped mid sentence, hearing faint sobbing coming from the corner.
"Danger Mouse?" she said, concerned.
"I know it's all my fault...I try to do the right thing but it always backfires on me..."
Suddenly she didn't feel like shouting anymore. "Oh...I'm so sorry". She tried to go and hug him, but the Professor held her back.
"Hear him out and leave him. It's probably for the best right now"
Jeopardy nodded. "Your right. DM we're listening if you want to tell us"
Still sobbing, DM stared at the ground and told them everything.
"Ever since I took this job I've tried to do what's right by everyone, but no matter how I try something always goes wrong...". His sobs got louder. "I can't keep blaming Penfold for everything even if most of it is his fault..."
"Hey, at least you keep trying and no-one can fault either of you for that" Jeopardy said.
"But at what cost? All I've wanted in life was to be a hero, even if it meant I had to be alone for the rest of my life...I was ok with that".
"What changed?" she asked.
"I met Danielle. As soon as I saw her I fell in love and I desperately tried to get her to love me back". He started to cry again. "I would do anything just to see her again. I'd even quit this job!"
The girls sighed and sat down. Back on the ship, Ratcliffe was getting ready to set off his plan.
"It's almost time now. As soon as tomorrow night comes and the full moon rises, this world will cist to exist as it is now! Muhahahaha!"
"Prisoners have been locked away...BZZT...Baron" one of the robots said, returning from the castle.
"Good, now go finish setting up!" he yelled.
"As you...Bzzt...beep...BZZT...wish sir"
"WILL YOU STOP WITH THAT INFERNAL BEEPING! Anyone would think you were made by animals". He took a minute to laugh at his own joke, "Now then, where was I? Oh yes...now that all three mice are out of my way NOTHING CAN STOP ME!"
At the same time, the two girls and Ratcliffe both said in unison: "I wonder how Danielle is doing?"
And how was I doing indeed.
Finally waking up after what felt like forever, my eyes were adjusting to my current surroundings.
"Ow...my head. Seriously just how many times am I going to keep doing this?!" I said to myself.
Looking up, I saw the familiar faces of humans, not animals, but actual people walking up and down the streets of the London I was born in.
And then I had a thought, one that struck me like a hammer in the head. "Oh my gosh!...he did it..."
I'm home.
(A/N: Sorry, not one of my best chapters)
