*Chapter 18: Queen's Abduction and Escape*

Many of mouse citizens dressed in their finest outfits were making their way to the entrance of the palace to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Within the palace, Queen Moustoria was sitting in her royal chambers humming to a content tune as she is powdering her face in front of her vanity. She is dressed in her royal gown for her presentation and she straightened out her crown. Unaware that two of her guards outside her door were being ambushed by Ratigan's goons in disguise.
Then, a loud knock is heard, causing the queen to jump. She regained her posture and turn to the doors.

"Come in." She called. The door opened to reveal a disguised henchman popping his head out of the doors.

"Uh, begging your majesty's pardon." He said. He came in and a present was brought in by the rest of the disguised goons. "A present has just arrived in honor of your jubilee."

"A present? Oh, how wonderful!" The queen said excitedly. She stood up from her vanity and walk over to the present. "Ah, I just adore jubilees." Fidget grinned maliciously and grabbed a note, and handed it over to the queen.

"Here you are, sweetheart." Queen Moustoria took the note, taking out her spectacles to read the note. She turned to the bat, feeling uneasy about him.

"Have you been with us...long?" She asked suspiciously. Fidget didn't answer and continue to grin. The queen turn back to the note. "To our beloved queen, this gift we send, as her sixty year reign..." She stops reading as her expression changed to confusion. "Comes to an end?" Fidget and the disguised henchmen began to pull on the ribbons of the package and rip them off. The package fell apart to reveal an exact replica of Queen Moustoria. The queen came up to the robot, amazed that someone made a figurine to look exactly like her. "How extraordinary." She said, studying the robot with her spectacles. Suddenly, the eyes of the robot queen open and turn to Queen Moustoria, lifting its' arms up. In alarm, the queen began to run away from the robot. "Goodness gracious!" She cried out. She hid behind the disguised goons as the robot halted.

"Amazing likeliness, isn't it, your majesty?" Ratigan's voice spoke from the doorway, giving the queen a cunning grin. Mr. Flaversham is operating the controls against his will. Robyn and Gustave stood by Ratigan with guilty expressions.

"Professor Ratigan!" Queen Moustoria exclaimed in anger. "Guards! Seize this despicable creature!" But the fake guards didn't move. Fidget let out a maniacal laugh. Ratigan grabbed a speaker and spoke into it, and out came the queen's voice coming from the robot. He repeated her command.

"Guards! Seize this despicable creature!" Then, Ratigan let out a wicked evil laugh in a speaker. Robyn covered her mouth with one hand, horrified by this. The henchmen caught a hold of a queen, making her realize they are not her real guards.

"Oh, how dare you?!" She shouted.

"Take her away!" Ratigan ordered as he walked inside the chamber and ring his bell, signaling to Felicia that the queen will be her special treat. Fidget and the rest drag the poor queen out of the chambers.

"Let go of me, you ruffians!" The queen shouted.

"Move along, honey!" Fidget said, cackling.

"You fiends! Traitors!" The queen continues to shout. Sadly, no one around to save her. Robyn and Gustave watched the distressed queen being taking away. They can't do anything to help her. Zoe walked up from behind Robyn, holding her hand. Ratigan turned to Robyn and pulled her inside the chamber with a grin.

"Now that the queen is out of the picture, you may take off your cloak now. I want to see you in a dress." Ratigan said. Robyn looked up at him, hesitating.

"But, isn't it bad luck to see a bride before...the wedding?" Robyn asked.

"I don't believe in bad luck." Ratigan said with a smirk. Robyn removed the cloak and reveal her wedding gown. "Ooh! So ravishing!"

"Thank you..." Robyn said, trying not to sound upset or form any tears in her eyes.

"Now, Miss Ginny, please give my bride a crown. I shall be getting ready myself. But don't take too long." Ratigan said, about to leave the girls alone. But he turned his head back to face Gustave. "Gustave, come along now. Let the bride have some time to get ready." The young rat faces Robyn and Zoe, then he followed the professor out of the chambers. Once the door is closed, Robyn sat by the queen's vanity, breathing in and out. She is very scared. Zoe got the crown with a veil and came over to Robyn.

"I'm so sorry, Robyn." Zoe said.

"Zoe, in case this is goodbye after the matrimony, I want you to know that you are the best friend I ever had. You're like a sister to me." Robyn said. Zoe wanted to cry. She hugged Robyn as tears fall from her eyes.

"Oh, Robyn! I love you like a sister as well." She said, sobbing a little. "But, we can still try to get out of this."

"No. There is nothing we could do now. There is no chance." Robyn said. Suddenly, she remembered what Basil had said before. "There's always a chance. As long as one can think." She muttered to herself.

"What?" Zoe asked.

"Zoe, do you still have Gustave's dagger? I think I have an idea..." Robyn said as she got up and went over to the queen's wardrobe. She got out a white dressing robe. Zoe blinked at her as Robyn is forming a risky plan.

Back in Ratigan's lair, the song continued to play on the record. Basil and Dawson are still tied up in a mousetrap. Basil was in misery, feeling sorry for himself, losing faith. Olivia was struggling to push the cork out to get free, but she slipped and will never try to get out. Dawson decided to try to talk sense to the detective.

"Basil? Basil!" Dawson cried.

"Oh, how could I have been so blind?" Basil said in melancholy.

"We all make mistakes." Dawson said, slightly giggling. He is trying to make the detective feel better. "But we can't let that stop us. We have to..."

"Ratigan's proved he's more clever than I..." Basil continued, feeling blue. "He would have never walked into such an obvious trap. And he has Robyn. She will be the wife of the mastermind..."

"Oh pull yourself together!" Dawson snapped. "You can stop that villain! Why-" Dawson was cut off when the record player skip and repeat the line over and over. "Basil...the record!" Dawson said.

"Oh, it's finally happened. I've been outwitted." Basil said, not noticing the record player skip.

"Oh Basil, please!"

"Beaten, duped, made a fool of." Basil continued. "Oh, ridiculed! Belittled!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Dawson yelled, not wanting to hear more of Basil's laments. From the moment the doctor shouted, the record player went back and played the song normal. Dawson flinched at this. He turned to the depressed detective in anger. "Dash it all, Basil! The queen's in danger, Olivia's counting on us, Robyn is marrying Ratigan against her will, we're about to be horribly splattered and all you could do lie there and feeling sorry for yourself! Now I know you can save us, but if you given up then why don't we just set it off now and be done with it!" Dawson turned away with a pout. Basil looked at the angry doctor, and looked away. He let out a weak chuckle.

"Set it off now." He said. Then, his eyes shot open as an idea form in his mind. "Set it...off...now..." He repeated slowly. Basil let out a strange laughter, making Dawson turn his head to him. "Yes! We...we'll set the trap off now!"

"Basil, wait!" Dawson cried out. The detective had thought of a crazy idea which is suicidal to both of them. "I didn't mean that we ought to..." Dawson let out a gasp as the song on the record player had ended. He looked up to see the rope pulling on the tiny glass and the ball rolled down the pipe. Basil started to mutter a plan to himself. The ball was rolling closer and closer. Dawson was horrified by this.

"Dawson, at the exact moment I tell you we must release the triggering mechanism!" Basil said. His hand reached over the trigger.

"What?" Dawson cried out.

"Get ready, Dawson." Basil said as he watched the ball coming down towards them. The time must be right. "Steady..." Dawson shuts his eyes, his hand shaking over the trigger. The ball came closer and closer. "NOW!" Basil cried out. Dawson let out a scream as he and Basil pressed the trigger together. The lever was released and the caught the ball.
The hook sprang up and activated the gun, and the gun fire in the air. The bullet shot at the crossbow and it released a arrow. The arrow went through the air and shot through the axe. The blade twirled in the air. Dawson shuts his eyes, praying that the weapon won't chop them to pieces. The blade landed right in the middle of the trap, freeing Basil and Dawson flew the opposites as the mousetrap was chopped in half. Lastly, the heavy anvil landed on the ground, causing the ground to shake. The green bottle shook and Olivia popped out of the bottle, flying in the air. Dawson stumbled back in shock, placing his hand over his chest, looking at Basil who quickly ripped his disguise and he is wearing his detective outfit. He placed his deerstalker hat on his head with content. He brought Dawson close with a smile.

"Thank you, Dawson." He caught Olivia with his free hand and held her close to him as he faces the camera with a grin. "Smile, everyone! The camera flashed, with Basil giving a wide grin. Dawson and Olivia had baffled expressions. They couldn't believe Basil's crazy suicidal plan actually worked.
Now the mice must go to Buckingham Palace to save Robyn and stop Ratigan once and for all.