Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Dangermouse and characters are property of Cosgrove/Hall productions, and I don't own them. This fiction and the characters of M6 Lori L'Amour and her assistant and other craziness the other side of the pond is my own insanity, property of me, Trynia Merin. Like the story that Sabertooth Kitty wrote with celebrities, I'm sure this has some similarities, but instead of dealing with pop stars I'm delving off the deep end into classic seventies rock, and you might notice the similarities between the two bands that I am giving animal type names to, and I'm leaving it up to guess which two I'm poking fun at here J . It's all in fun, and in good humor. Hope it's not TOO much like the story Pop Culture Shock, but it will have a LOT of differences… J
"Just Push Pause, Or the Rock All Night Stops…"
By Trynia Merin
Part 4
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Penfold whimpered and screamed as he cradled Danger Mouse's head and shoulders on his knee. Torn between protecting his chief and running, he chose to stay by his boss. Stiletto grabbed Penfold, who kicked and shouted, tearing him away from Danger Mouse as he carried him toward a small iron cage to one side. He popped the hamster inside, and locked the door with a combination lock, then returned to stand by Greenback.
"What do we do with the White Wonder, Baroni?" asked Stiletto, turning to the Baron. He was prodding Danger Mouse with his foot, and the agent was barely breathing as he lay there.
"I'm savoring the moment, Stiletto. At last we have defeated him. Put him in a cell nearby, because we can't be TOO careful…" Greenback laughed. In his hands he had a camera and was snapping pictures of the fallen agent before Stiletto picked up DM and threw him over his shoulders as if he were nothing but a sack of potatoes. He carried him to the metal cage by Penfold, and tossed the agent inside.
"Hey, that's NO way to treat a mouse when he's down!" Penfold cried.
"Says-a you, coward, and-a I'm-a not-a the one behind-a the bars,' Stiletto jeered.
"Cor, you rotten creep," Penfold gritted. "If only I could… if I wasn't such a coward, I'd SCRAG you good and proper for hurting the Chief!"
"You can't-a do-a anything, you-a little-a fool," Stiletto laughed wickedly, for added emphasis. "BOO!"
Penfold jumped back as Stiletto pulled a face and jumped towards the bars, rattling them with a club he was carrying. Huddling in the corner of the cage, Penfold hugged his knees and whimpered. He waited till Stiletto left him alone, and then allowed himself to cry as he moved to be close to Danger Mouse, laying so still in his cage.
"Please, Danger Mouse, wake up!" he pleaded, reaching out his small hand to try and at least reach the agent. However he couldn't, and he clung to the bars, struggling. As if his mere touch would at least let DM know he was there. The only thing he could do was to keep talking to Danger Mouse, knowing and hoping his friend would still stay awake and alert in the land of the living. Still his chest rose and fell, but only slightly as he lay on his back, and Penfold hoped, no prayed hard that he would be alive long enough for help. He continued to scream loud for help as much as he could, hoping someone would hear.
"Shall-a I-a stifle that-a noise, Baroni?" asked Stiletto as they heard Penfold's pathetic cries for help.
"No, don't' bother. It only sweetens my revenge," the Baron laughed. Still, even though Stiletto was a criminal, he couldn't help but feel a BIT sorry for Penfold, sitting there so helpless and sounding so pathetic. It truly did sound like he had lost his best friend
"Cie Baroni… and what-a-you-a-gonna do with those-a pictures, eh?"
"I'm going to broadcast them around the world. Who cares about tampering with rock bands when I can send them photos of Danger Mouse's ultimate demise. It will demoralize them even more!" Greenback laughed as he lifted his arms, and Nero purred as he rubbed against Greenback's cheek.
"So… we-a use-a the device on-a other targets?" Stiletto asked.
"Yes," he nodded. "If we could drain the single demands of a rock concert, we can drain the ENTIRE city of London, and show the poor fools that Danger Mouse will NOT be around to protect them. They MUST make me KING of England, and then we will threaten each country in the world!"
"But-a Baroni…"
"Silence, I am savoring my triumph…" he waved Stiletto away.
"But-a what-about Agent M6?" he asked.
"Pah, that fool… I have only to use the same weapon to drain her as well, and then my triumph is complete. No doubt she is on the way here…"
"Cie Baroni!" he laughed.
"TO the END of Dangermouse, and the dratted M6!" laughed Greenback. Crow and toad laughed together in triumph, as a miserable Penfold wiped away tears, taking off his glasses and burying his face in his arms.
"Oh DM… oh no… this CAN'T be the end…" he sobbed.
*****
The sounds of someone crying alerted Petey Katt, and he looked up at the SuperStar and the Dragon. Closing his eyes he relayed his thoughts to the SuperStar, and Saul rested a hand on his head, then broadcasted them mentally to the Dragon. He whispered to Lori, "Petey hears someone crying… it sounds like something horrible has happened to someone named Danger Mouse…"
"OH no!" she gasped.
"I sense sadness, and great evil triumph…" said Saul sadly. "We HAVE to hurry… but we must be discrete… Petey, see if you can sneak and free whoever's crying. And see if they know where Danger Mouse is…"
"Oh no… what could they have done?" asked Lori.
"Don't worry sweetheart," Gila promised. "We'll save him… and get rid of that Greenback Bum for good.."
"Look at that!" Lori gasped as she pointed to a huge tower. Petey Katt ran on ahead, stopping his aura and dancing from place to place as he rushed ahead, and the SuperStar and Dragon stopped, hovering in midair as they cased the place.
"Man that looks EXACLTY like a tower the inventor Nicolai Tesla invented years ago to broadcast free energy around the world,' Gila said. He was a student of trivia from many horror, SF films and history.
"Gila, what does that mean… that somehow he's figured out how to STEAL energy?" Saul asked.
"Exactly…" said Gila. "And we're gonna DESTROY the mother…"
"You said it," said Saul. Suddenly he put his hands to his head and gasped.
"What?" she asked.
"A life force… fear, sadness, desolation, and someone exhausting in a near death… and I sense the life forces of one who is close to passing on…" Saul gasped.
"Dangermouse… oh no!" Lori cried.
"Gila, you and Lori take out the tower and stop Greenback," said Saul. "Petey's scoping out the area… and I sense the two evil ones near the tower… and the two other life forces, one of fear, and the other close to death in a few cages nearby…"
"You can BET we're going to stop that fiend," said Lori angrily.
"Hang on sweetheart," Gila said as he suddenly blazed into fire. He tossed Lori over to Saul, who caught her as his body suddenly lengthened and merged into another shape. Dark wings spread many feet, and his neck lengthened into a long sinuous curve. His hands formed sharp claws, and his tail lengthened as black and silver scales merged together, and the spikes on his arms and back became rows of spikes down the back of a long sinuous body. In short, he had turned into a Dragon, at least twenty feet long. Throwing back his head he roared as he approached the tall tower, sparkling with energy. It was only a quarter mile away, and he ran quickly, flapping his black wings as he approached.
"Great Scott!" Lori gasped.
"Gila's specialty, when he's PISSED, look out," Saul said as he flew with Lori toward the source of the anger and fear.
***
Penfold stopped whimpering when he heard a sound that sounded like a small meow. Gasping he saw a large black and white tuxedo cat walk up to the cage, and poke at the bars. "Crumbs!" he cried.
"Shh, I'm here to help you and Dangermouse. I'm a friend of Lori's," he said in a low growl.
"Cor… are you sure?"
"He's hurt, isn't he? Are you okay?" Petey asked.
"Yes… but oh crumbs you gotta help DM… something's sapped his strength…"
"Stand back," said the Alley Katt as he raised his claws, and swiped at the lock. In a single movement the lock broke, and he tore it off with his jaws. Penfold still huddled in the cage as the Katt turned to DM's cage and broke it open. Carefully he slipped DM over his back and motioned to Penfold to join him.
"Get on, let me get you out of here…" he said.
"But DM…"
"We have to get him away from here… I know someone who might be able to help him," said Petey as Penfold rode astride his neck, steadying Dangermouse on the Alley Katt's back as he bounded away.
"Baroni!" Stiletto shouted, as he heard the alarm go off. "The prisoners are escaping…"
"That's IMPOSSIBLE!" Greenback cried.
"No it isn't, you black hearted monster!" shouted a voice filled with anger.
"B…Baroni!" Stiletto pointed at a purple hovering shape, bearing a white mouse in his arms.
"WHAT?" he gasped, as purple laser bolts slammed into the grass, sizzling it as they stood and ran. Lori leapt down and tackled Stiletto, as Greenback raced across the stretch of grass to the frog's head flier. He managed to press a button, and was swept up inside before Lori could go after him, or the floating purple mouse with the laserbeam vision could stop him.
"Baroni, don't leave me!" Stiletto cried as Lori twisted his arm behind his back.
"What did you do to DANGERMOUSE!" Lori snapped, popping cuffs on stiletto.
"I don't-a know!" he denied, and then grabbed a remote control from his coat, punching a button. Lori gasped as she felt her body energy draining, screaming as she backed away, and Stiletto ran. Saul's eyes flashed, and he felt Lori's energy flame crackling low. Soaring over he flew toward where she was, and saw the smaller version of the giant tower there, siphoning her life's energy. Widening his brown eyes, he directed a laser beam right from the star covered one at the tower, reducing it to slag. Lori gasped, coughing as he picked her up and held her in his arms.
"It's all right," he whispered, and slowly began to hum, sending some of his lavender energy into her, to deplete what was lost.
"Danger Mouse… the Baron… he's getting away…" she gasped as the Katt rushed up with DM on his back. Setting Lori down, the Super Star moved up to where Penfold sat astride the neck of the great cat, and slid off the back.
"Cor… Lori… what's goin' on?" he asked. "Who are these blokes?"
"Friends," she said.
"Let me see DM," said Saul as he walked up and leaned by Danger Mouse.
"But the Baron…"
"He wont' get far," laughed Saul as they glanced at the frogs head flier plugged to the tower. It had detached itself, energy sparkling as it began to drain everything for miles around. The houses and other lights flickered on and off. Penfold shivered as he heard a loud bellowing roar like thunder, and a blast of fire slam into the huge tower.
"Crikey!" he cried as he saw the large dragon with silver scales suddenly reduced the tower to a melted puddle of twisted slag with the heat of his fire breath. Whirling about he swiped it with his tail, knocking it over. Seeing the menace, the Frogs Head flier suddenly rose from the ground and began to fire. The Dragon turned and swiped with his long tail, knocking the flier hard. However the flier only tumbled a bit and righted itself, then sped headlong at the Dragon, machine gun blazing. The Alley Cat bounded up, and suddenly lancet itself at one of the large shoes, ramming it as bullets bounced off the Dragon's armor. Its fire blasted the Flyer, which barely managed to hold off as its gun was reduced to slag, and two blows of mighty claws and a spinning blow of the Dragon's tail knocked it over like a cheap toy.
Leaping up into the cockpit, the Alley Cat smashed the glass, and tore into the metal like it was paper. Stiletto and Greenback screamed in fear as a large black and white creature snarled, pinning them down. Shirking in size, the Dragon became Gila again, and grabbed the Baron and Stiletto by the front of their shirts, his black wings flapping as he held them off the ground, and brought them towards where DM and the others were standing.
"D… don't hurt us!" the Baron cried.
"I ought to smash you to pulp!" the Dragon, Gila roared. "Or drop you."
"N-no…" Greenback and Stiletto cried as the Dragon flew to a great height, and suddenly released his grip. Both the crow and the toad screamed loudly as they hurtled to the ground. But at the last moment the Dragon swooped down and caught them up again, his wings hovering 10 feet from touching the earth.
"But since I'm a HERO, I'm going to put you someplace safe, against my better judgement…" Gila hissed, his tongue lashing at them as green slime dripped from it, and the Baron and Stiletto fainted from shock.
***
In the meantime, Saul stood over DM, slowly bathing him with his radiance. As he had done for Lori, he reached out, and began to try and reach the mind that was between this world and the next. He pressed his hands to DM's head and softly began to talk to him, "Danger Mouse… are you there? I want you to come back… come back from the light…"
Somewhere between this world and the next Danger Mouse slowly drifted through a tunnel. He could see the light at the other end, and feel very little pain. It would be so easy to forget his duty and pass on, but he could hear frantic cries. In a second he could look down the tunnel to the other end, where Lori and Penfold held his hands, and a strange being was over him, slowly urging him to hang on. Energy flowed from the star at his throat to DM's body, trying to replace what had been lost mentally. The electricity and the impulses from a telepathic mind were at a higher frequency, and it was like charging a battery… or so he thought.
"His soul is split from the body," said the SuperStar. "I can see it… going to the next life… on to his final reward…"
"Danger Mouse, please come back!" cried Penfold anguished. "Don't leave me alone!"
"DM, please… oh please dear God bring him back!" Lori cried, breathing a silent prayer.
"Please, come back… your work isn't done… if there are ANY messengers of the Author of all things, and the Master of the Universe, let them guide his soul here… back to its body," said Saul slowly. He looked up and started to speak in a different language that Lori had recognized from Bagel's shabbat services.
Danger Mouse felt incredibly light as he drifted up, torn between going onto the white radiance where he saw people he thought long lost to him, and saw the strange beings in white reaching out to him. He saw that they had no sex or race, but were just beings of pure light, and the most beautiful people he had seen standing there.
"You have a choice," said the one, looking at him with a very kind face. "Those who love you are here… but also there. It's not your time to come to Heaven yet…"
"I know…" he sighed. "I'm sorry… they need me… but yet…"
"Go back, you still have work to do, in the great plan, and your page is not yet written in Life's great book,' said the man, whose face was very kind, and DM could swear he'd seen it somewhere before.
"Wait, what's your name?"
"Many people know me," he said. "I was once a living mortal being like you, but my time on Earth was limited to only a few decades before I had to make a great sacrifice, so those like you could go on to Heaven. Please make sure you tell people I said hello, and want them to know me better…"
"Wait a moment, who are you?" DM shook his head, wondering WHO that was, but felt the hand reach out to shake his, and then slowly push him back to his body. He coughed and gasped as the Super Star pulled back, and he looked up into the eyes and faces of his friends.
"Danger Mouse, we thought we'd lost you!" Penfold cried as he hugged DM.
"Oh DM, thank God you're back," Lori sniffed as she kissed his hand, and DM looked up confusedly into the painted face of Saul Stann, who had ceased his transformation and was again an ordinary mouse. To his left were a Lizard, and a Cat, all with painted faces.
"Who are THEY?" he asked. "Good grief, the baron…"
"Is locked up, Danger Mouse," said the lizard gruffly.
"We thought you were a goner man," said the Alley Catt. "But they're passed out…"
"Someone please tell me what's going on?" DM asked slowly as Lori helped him to sit.
"Oh Dangermouse, you almost DIED!" said Penfold, hugging him tightly.
"Steady on, old friend… I met someone… and he sent me here… and said… my work wasn't done… how extraordinary,' DM mumbled, wondering the name of the person who had helped him.
"We'd better get back to the concert…" said Saul as he turned to Gila and Petey.
"You well enough to drive the Mark III?" asked Lori as she looked at Saul and the others.
"Yes, I believe so… are you to thank for my recovery?"
"Yes, and no," said Saul with a smile as DM shook his hand. "You'd best get some rest. Our fans need us now…"
"I'll see you back at home, DM," Lori said as she hugged Dangermouse. "There's something I got to do…"
"Good Grief, what extraordinary people," DM mumbled as Penfold helped him to the car.
"Oh DM, thank goodness your all right," Penfold hugged him. Together they watched Saul as he picked up Lori and flew away as the Dragon spread his wings and the Alley Cat bounded off after the two flying figures. He scratched his head, wondering if it were a dream… but something extraordinary had happened to him… and he figured he wouldn't be quite the same…
***
to be concluded…