It was incredibly dark in the underground sewer that Basil, Dawson and Relda found themselves in. They heard the raspy voice of Fidget ahead and saw the light of a lantern as the crippled bat sang Miss Kitty's song to himself as he jumped into an opening of a watery pipe and danced away.
Basil waved the others to come along and follow him led to the pipe where he could still make out the glimpse of Fidget's lantern. Dawson and Relda arrived, just in time to see Fidget still skipping and singing merrily ahead down the tunnel, seemingly oblivious of their pursuit.
"Basil..." Dawson spoke, but the detective quickly shushed him before he jumped into the drainage pipe.
Basil poked his head out to whisper, "Follow me."
Relda hoisted herself inside the pipe. It took the two mice to help the overweight Dawson inside as they began their walk through the pipe.
The pipes proved to be quite darker than the sewer, but Basil led them with assured confidence as a result of the distant light of Fidget's lantern.
"Great scot! I can't see a thing!" exclaimed Dawson.
"Neither can I," added Relda.
"Shh! Grab onto my coat, Miss Relda. Dawson, grab onto her coat, and follow along," Basil instructed.
"Ouch! That's my tail!" cried Relda.
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Dawson apologized sheepishly.
"Quiet! Now, follow me," Basil interrupted firmly, but the doctor started to wander in a different direction. "No, no, no! Not that way! Dawson, look out for your-"
"OW!" Dawson exclaimed in pain. "Confound it!"
After that episode was over, the trio of mice started their journey again.
"Do you have any idea of where we're going?" asked Dawson.
"Of course," Basil responded confidently as he instructed which direction they should go to follow the lantern's light. "Left turn... right turn here, chaps..."
It would have seemed like forever of climbing pipe ladders or odd turnings here or there, the trio of mice had finally reached the surface. Basil pushed the grate open and examined their surroundings.
Around them, the mice saw loads of crates loaded everywhere and a distant light in a single barrel with a golden single R painted on it.
"Aha! Dawson. Miss Relda. We found it!" Basil whispered excitedly. "Ratigan's secret lair!" He crawled out and lifted the grate for Dawson and Relda to get out, adding, "And it's filthier than I imagined."
"Well, what did you expect from a rat who lives in a dirty sewer?" Relda said half-jokingly.
Ignoring her comment, Basil cautiously crept up ahead with Dawson and Relda behind him. The trio peered around the corner to make sure no guards are in sight. It was strange the whole hideout was quiet and empty which felt strange for there was only one light on within the barrel which had to mean someone was here.
"Look! The bottle!" Basil gasped.
The three mice spotted a little figure laying curled up inside an empty green champagne bottle. Basil and Dawson knew for certain it was Olivia, and they raced silently towards the bottle.
Relda had a look of doubt that said she knew something was wrong. Nevertheless, she followed the boys and remained hidden with them making sure not to be spotted.
As soon as the three mice made it to the bottle, Basil jumped on its neck to try and pull the cork out and free Olivia from her prison. "It's stuck!" he strained.
"Olivia." Dawson called softly, knocking on the glass.
But when the figure turned its head the figure was revealed to be none other than Fidget, wearing Olivia's clothes and he grinned at them before he blew a kiss, stunning Dawson.
"SURPRISE!"
The next moment, the entire chamber was lit up brightly as there came mock-happy shouts of Ratigan's goons.
Basil fell off the bottle's neck in surprise.
Confetti rained from the ceiling, balloons drifted into the air and a large banner unfurled to reveal the words 'Welcome Basil' like the entire trap was a birthday party.
Ratigan stepped out of the wine keg, clapping his hands. "Bravo! Bravo! A marvelous performance," The rat chuckled evilly as he danced down the barrel's steps and approached the disarmed detective.
Basil stared at his hated adversary in shock, until angry eyes and gritted teeth spread across his face that his enemy had managed to gain the upper hand upon them.
"Though frankly, I expected you fifteen minuted earlier. Trouble with the chemistry set, old boy?" Ratigan jeered, as he pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it, smirking.
Basil was affected by this jester, but he covered his outraged expression with a cool calming smile. "Ratigan, no one can have a higher opinion than you than I have..." his expression changed as he spat out the best insult he rummaged, "and I think you're a slimy, contemptible, sewer rat!"
Gasps sounded from the crowd.
But Ratigan's face was frozen in a smile. He snapped his pocket watch closed and put it away, chuckling amusingly, "Oh, by the way, Basil..." he reached forward to stroke Basil's fake moustache, "I just love your disguise." With that he harshly ripped it off his face, causing Basil to cringe in pain slightly as he scowled at him.
Then Ratigan held Basil's chin making him loop up at him as he continued mockingly, "Really, one would hardly recognize you." He lifted his hat to get a better look before he placed it back on Basil's head. Giggling, he shoved Basil's figure mocking, "The greatest, detective, in all Mousedom!" He broke into a fit of sinister laughter making a huge joke about the whole thing, and his henchmen joined in.
"Leave him alone, you fiend!" snapped Relda.
"You've caught all of us, so there's no need for this foolish mockery!" Dawson yelled.
Basil whirled his head back, his concerned face told he didn't want his companions to get involved should Ratigan attempt to harm them.
"And where is Olivia?" Relda demanded.
"Not to worry, Miss Relda, the girl is safe for now," Ratigan said rather dismissively, before he put on a cruel smile. "And I want to thank you for playing your part so well, my dear. You truly are a credit to your craft as an actress."
"What are you talk about?" Dawson was confused.
A look of extreme shame came over Relda's face.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ratigan chortled. "She played you gentlemen for fools. I didn't let her escape, she was working for me to lure you here, Basil, on my instructions!"
"What?" Basil gasped in shock.
"Miss Relda...?" Dawson looked at her with disappointment.
"No, it's not like that," Relda tried to explain desperately to save their trust. "He threatened Olivia and her father if I didn't do it."
"I should've known," Basil seethed bitterly. "You were working with him this entire time! It's always women who are the least suspected."
"No! I was trying to help you!" Relda protested, but her words fell of deaf ears as Basil scowled darkly at her, as if feeling his heart breaking to pieces.
Relda was about to grab his arm to try and reason with him, but Doran shoved the end of a rifle at her and Dawson to keep them from doing anything stupid.
"Uh-uh, don't move." Doran grinned maliciously.
"You see, Basil?" Ratigan mocked cruelly. "Women can't be trusted, and I knew you care for Miss Relda. Your emotions cloud your judgment... they make you weak."
Basil started heaving heavily. His temper rising and his teeth gritting. "Ratigan... so help me... I'll see you behind bars yet!" He finished with a shout in his voice.
"You fool!" Ratigan shouted straight into Basil's face. "Isn't clear you?" He shook him in the air getting across the point of his strength and power. "The superior mind has triumphed! I've won!" Ratigan announced triumphantly as he dropped him and fell into hysteria of laughter.
Fidget joined in as he rolled on the floor and his legs dangling in the air. Doran howled manically as he kept his rifle pointed at his two prisoners. The rest of Ratigan's cohorts joined in, pointing and jeering at the detective.
Basil shook with fury trying to steel himself against all of their jeering being aimed at him, but then his mind locked onto something as the thought broke him, deflating his ego in seconds making him feel hopeless and his body gesture slumped in defeat as he gave in to despair under the cruel resounding laughter.
Dawson gave a worried look to him as he wanted to help his friend, but he didn't know how to help him. Relda wanted to reassure Basil, try to show she was only trying to help, but she immediately understood and knew it was her fault this was happening.
Ratigan grasped his chest as he pointed a teasing finger at the defeated detective, his victory laughter echoed throughout the chamber, "Oh I love it, I love it! How I love it, I love it, I love it!"
A little later, Ratigan had his henchmen lift the back of the snapping mechanism of a mouse trap that Basil, Dawson and Relda were tied down to, bound down tightly with thick heavy ropes to make sure there was no form of movement (Dawson is on the left, Basil is in the middle, and Relda is on the right).
"You don't know what a delightful dilemma it was trying to decide on the most appropriate method for your demise," Ratigan mused it all to his three helpless victims.
Dawson was really worried and Relda (her red hair had been let loose, no longer in a bun) looked really horrified.
Fidget carefully set the trigger in place and he squirmed when it jiggled, but the device was stable and the bat left after finishing the job.
"I had so many ingenious ideas I didn't know which to choose," Ratigan explained, as he leaned in toward Basil, who never put up resistance as he kept his blank vacant face. "So, I decided to use them all."
The trio of mice was surrounded by deadly weapons spread all over the room; an anvil over their heads, an axe held to the left, a crossbow and arrow laid in front, and a pistol to their right aimed directly at them.
"Marvelous, isn't it?" Ratigan chuckled heartily, showing off his ingenious plan of killing the heroes. "Hear, let me show you how it works." He turned to make a shift picture frame with his hands, proceeding, "Picture this. First, this sprightly tune I recorded especially for you."
At a human-sized record player, Fidget bowed in a polite manner as the professor continued, "As the son plays, the chord tightens..." Fidget moved the needle forward slightly showing the rope tied to it and the other half tied to a mechanism that held a black ball, with his boss explaining about the made up turning passage created for the ball, "and when the song ends, the metal ball is released, rolling along it's merry way until..."
Dawson scowled at the professor while Relda frowned at him as well.
"SNAP!" Ratigan clapped his hands together displaying the result of the mousetrap. "BOOM!" He pointed to the pistol. "TWANG!" Gesturing to the crossbow and arrow. "THUNK!" Thrusting his arm down showing the axe. Finishing with the anvil hovering over them, "SPLAT!"
Dawson flinched at the horrid thought of being crushed to death that would occur to them, and Relda's body trembled in terror.
As Ratigan took off his top hat and placed it over his heart, he said cunningly, "And so ends the short, undistinguished, career of Basil of Baker Street."
His words didn't seem to have reached him, or if they did, poor Basil remained shell shocked as he stared at the ceiling.
"You're despicable!" Dawson spat angrily.
"Yes," Ratigan sneered gleefully at his words. Fidget returned, dressed in a fairly decorative red uniform, cackling evilly. "Everything's ready, Fidget?" he asked.
"All set, boss!" Fidget informed his boss.
Pleased by this news, Ratigan smiled with glee as he tiptoed excitedly over to a white package tied down with a pink ribbon and a bow on top, guarded by a few of his thugs.
Opening the top of present, Ratigan grinned evilly at his wonderous creation. "Oh, this is wicked. So delightfully wicked." He ushered the thugs to move the gift along.
Afterword, the evil rat walked over to Hiram Flaversham, who was tied up and gagged next to a green champagne bottle where Olivia remained for now.
"Mr. Flaversham, let me congratulate you on a superb piece of craftmanship." Ratigan tapped on the side of the bottle, on the spot where Olivia stood. Her life was the reason her father was forced to cooperate in this wicked scheme and Ratigan knew it. "See what you can do with the proper motivation." He chuckled as he pinched the poor toymaker's cheek, while his daughter looked at him longingly.
"You won't get away with this for long, you filthy vermin!" Relda had found her voice at last, and she was infuriated. "The police will arrest you!"
"Hmm, I almost forgot about that bumbling fool, Lawless," Ratigan purred darkly, and he glanced over at Doran.
The thick-mustached rat smirked dangerously in understanding, polishing his air gun, as if telling the doomed mice what was to happen to anyone in the law enforcement who tried to interfere in Ratigan's plot. "If we happen to run into any police... BANG!" Doran chortled icily, and then he forced Hiram to get going.
The rest of Ratigan's cohorts, all dressed in the red uniforms of the dolls Fidget had stolen, climbed up onto Felicia's back so she could give them a ride to their destination.
"You all know the plan?" Ratigan reminded his henchmen.
"Right, Professor!" The thugs replied as they saluted.
With a meow, Felicia turned and left with her passengers.
"It was my fond hope to stay and witness your final scene," as Ratigan spoke, he stroked Basil's chest up to his chin. "But you were fifteen minutes late," he flicked open his pocket watch to show off the time before putting it away, "and I do have an important engagement at... Buckingham Palace."
Hearing this, Dawson and Relda were puzzled.
"Now you will remember to smile for the camera, won't you?" Ratigan smiled, indicating an old fashioned camera nearby, aiming right at the trio of mice. "Say cheese."
Basil only sighed, either bored of this banter or sighing in his depression.
"You fiend!" growled Dawson.
"Sorry chubby, you should've chosen your friends more carefully," Ratigan answered, climbing up the ladder to the record player and set the record off playing.
Seeing this, Dawson's eyes widened in fright and Relda gasped in terror as a mock-cheerful tune sung by Ratigan began to play. At that time, a small dirigible came flying out of the shadows, propelled by pedals at the back and the cyclist was Fidget. Doran was steering the helm wheel, while poor Hiram remained tied up behind him, and the package was tied to the back of the airship.
Goodbye so soon
And isn't this a crime?
We know by now that time knows how to fly
Ratigan grabbed a rope ladder that Doran threw down for him as the dirigible sailed by, he waved farewell to his adversaries, "Adieu, allvedarzane, arebadeuchi, farewell!"
To add more of his wicked humor, Ratigan waved, "Bye-bye Basil." With that, the professor took over for the helm and drove the dirigible up the chimney as they proceeded on their journey to the palace.
So here's goodbye so soon
You'll find your separate way
With time so short I'll say so long
And go
So soon
Goodbye
You followed me, I followed you
We were like each other's shadows for a while
Now as you see, this game is through
So although it hurts...
Now that the mice were completely alone surrounded by deathly weapons, Olivia peered through the glass bottle helplessly, and Relda struggled against her bonds to try and free themselves but it proved futile.
"What did he mean an engagement at Buckingham Palace?" Dawson asked, his gaze landed on the depressed detective.
"Oh..." Basil sighed before he answered him tiredly, "Haven't you figured it out yet, doctor? The Queen is in danger and the Empire is doomed."
"The Queen?!" Dawson and Relda grew alarmed, now understanding Ratigan's true goal was to eliminate the Queen and crown himself ruler of all Mousedom.