Continuation from the last... so I decided to continue it now that I have an idea as to what Ratigan is doing. Heh

The Great Human Detective

"The Fifth of November, Holmes?" I complained as the thug bound my hands painfully together behind my back causing me to wince. Our fight in the warehouse had been a short one the moment someone took advantage of my old war wounds and I had went down with a cry. Holmes, to give him credit, managed to bring down several of them before he was subdued with an immediate threat to my life. Remembering that moment made my cheeks flush with indignation and regret. If it had not been for my weakness, Holmes and I could have fought our way out of the warehouse.

"I felt that it was appropriate for what Ratigan had in mind for London," my companion muttered from behind me as the last of our binds were secured about us. We were tied together in two chairs, back to back, and sitting next to the device that would change our world as we knew it and remove any trace of our existence from the face of this Earth.

"Where are we exactly anyway?" I asked as I tested my bonds, but before Holmes could reply someone else answered for him. That someone being Professor Ratigan.

"You are presently underneath Buckingham Palace, Doctor Watson," said our nefarious companion at present. My expression must have been one of shock as the realization of what he was planning dawned on me for he smiled in delight that we understood his game.

"You're crazy!" I exclaimed. I should not have, though, for his temperament quickly changed from that of a cheery mood to an slowly enraging one. He reached for my shirt collar and if I had not been tied to the chair and Holmes, I would have surely been lifted out of my seat and into the air, so angry was he.

"Did you say... crazy?" he growled as he glowered menacingly at me. "Never. Call. Me. That. Word!"[1]

"No, he did not," soothed my companion behind me. "He merely means that you are eccentrically insane."

"Holmes, you are not helping," I groaned and Ratigan, seemingly pacified by his outburst and that I was actually quite terrified of what he might do, let go of my shirt collar and took a few steps back. He cleared his throat and dusted off the sleeves of his coat before looking at us.

"Yes, well... As I was saying," he continued and walked away from us toward the device nearby.

It was merely a simple contraption of barrels marked with various labels of food products ranging from apples to ale and explained how Ratigan was able to get them underneath the palace without arousing suspicion from the Royal Guard or the staff. The barrels, however, did not contain what they claimed to possess, for the wiring attached to them easily told that the contents were quite explosive. Sitting on top of the stack of barrels, however, was the most complicated part of the bomb, for the lack of a better word. It was a strange device of cogs and whirly-gigs with a spidery web of wiring feeding outward toward each of the barrels and a clock slowly ticking downward.

"You are underneath Buckingham Palace and if you strain your ears, you might just hear tonight's entertainment as the Queen entertains her Court and a few world-leaders currently attending the Grand Royal Ball." He smiled wickedly at us as he tapped the contraption attached to the barrels of explosives with one slim finger. "At eight o'clock sharp when everyone will be all together in the Ballroom, dancing and talking, this little device of mine will send an electrical current through the wires and into the barrels of gunpowder and creating the largest fireworks the Royal Family and all of London has ever seen. No more Royal Family and Prime Minister, as well as a few Lords and Ministers, but in addition, several European countries will suddenly find themselves headless."

"All for what, Ratigan?" Holmes inquired once the madman had finished.

"Why, money of course, Mister Holmes," he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and then walked back over to us. "Britain will find Herself suddenly being threatened by several nations at once as they quickly move to lay blame upon Her shoulders. She will need revolutionary weapons and technology if She wishes to keep her Sovereignty on this soil. I can provide all of that for a hefty sum."

"Of course, a brilliant plan. War is always a profitable frontier," said my friend, feigning dejection as if he realized that Ratigan had won. "But I am curious, Ratigan, what is to keep Britain from turning you over to the wolves?" I knew what he was doing but Ratigan seemed to be blind to the fact. Holmes was fishing for information, using the man's own ego against him by praising his brilliance. Even if we did manage to stop his plan, we both knew that Ratigan would not be anywhere near here once the bomb went off. Where he would go, neither of us knew and Holmes, I knew, was trying to find that out.

"Quite simple, really, Mister Holmes," the tall rat-faced man replied airily. "While the world is trying to recover from such a dramatic loss in leadership and prepare for war, I will be half-way across the world basking in the profits this plan will have blessed me with and be long out of the reach of Europe's grip before they even realize the truth."

"Well then... it seems you have covered ever possible avenue of probable failure and capture, I must congratulate you, Ratigan," falsely praised the detective behind me. "I do hope that your retirement in the Caribbean will be an unpleasant one. If not, I'll personally see to it one way or another."

Ratigan laughed and smiled eerily pleasant at us. I craned my head around in time to see him arrogantly pat Holmes on the cheek and I knew my friend's expression darkened at the gesture. "Yes, I am certain you will come and haunt me in my sleep, Mister Holmes."

He laughed again before gesturing to his men to leave with him. Not another word was exchanged between us as the door slammed shut and was bolted on the outside, plunging us into darkness. Once the footfalls of Ratigan and his men had disappeared from our ears and the tick-tocking of the clock grew louder in the silence of the blackened chamber we were in, we both began struggling to get out of our binds.

"Holmes...?"

"Yes, Watson?" Holmes paused in his struggling for a moment to glance over his shoulder at me.

"I do hope you have a plan."

"As a matter of fact, I do," said he in reply. "Remember what I had said in the warehouse?"

"Yes, but what does remembering the Gunpowder Treason plot have to do with this, even though it is quite similar but different in location?" asked I and for a moment I thought I could slip my hand free of the rope cords binding us but all I received from it was a chaffing of my skin.

"Quite simply, my dear Watson," said he just before he gave a cry of triumph as one of his hands slipped free. "When will the common criminal ever learn how to properly tie a knot?"

"Holmes..."

"Right." As he quickly worked to untie the rest of the ropes binding us, he explained his plan to me. "We were not alone when we went to that warehouse, Watson. Although we originally intended to go there alone, we had picked up a very small tail along the way. One of my Irregulars followed us and had seen the entire exchange inside. By now he'll have gone to Lestrade and given him my last warning before we were subdued."

"That warning being?"

"Remember, remember the Fifth of November," repeated he as he finished untying me from the chair.

"But... that happened at Parliament," I argued while I rubbed circulation back into my wrists.

"Except Parliament is currently empty right now. The only important building left in London that is currently hosting several key members of our government and those of foreign nations is Buckingham Palace. Lestrade may fault in creativity here and there from time to time, but he does not lack intelligence. He will figure it out and realize that the Grand Royal Ball is Ratigan's target. Now, Watson, lets see if we can defuse this bomb."

"Only one problem, Holmes," said I.

"And what is that, old chap?"

"We have no light." My friend was silent for several long seconds and in that silence the clock continued to tick downward.

[1] This quote is taken directly from Tale Spin, another Disney cartoon show set in the world of Jungle Book. Don Karnage, a wolf pirate captain with a Spanish accent, often says "Did you say...crazy? Never. Say. That. Word!" whenever someone calls him crazy. Since Disney's Ratigan hates it when someone calls him a Rat and this Ratigan is human, I decided to make it so that he hates it when he's called "crazy" instead to keep him in character.

Well well. Ratigan seems to have a thing for disposing of the Queen, doesn't he? His rat-self tried to take over the country, now his human-self has decided retiring in luxury from war profiteering his much more profitable in the end. At least it doesn't involve falling off of Big Ben, or so he thinks. ;)