Chapter Four


Meg: I have to admit, "Phantom" isn't one of my best stories. Oh well, it makes sense when you read the rest of my Meg Sarentis stories.

JWJ: Well I don't like any of your stories!

Meg: You don't like anything except politics. Oh, and your girlfriend. Your away messages are so sickeningly sweet. (mimicking JWJ's away message) 'Manda- I love you soooooooooo much!'

JWJ: You're just jealous because you don't have a boyfriend!

Meg: No, I'm not. Being single is FREEDOM!


"He sent you letters, and you didn't tell us?" Basil asked angrily.

It was hours later. I was still coughing from the smoke inhalation I had received. Josh was sporting a few cuts and bruises he had received from one of Ratigan's thugs. ("You should have seen the other guy," he replied when I got upset over it.)

"He threatened to kill Josh," I said. "Besides, I wasn't quite sure it was him. I thought I had killed him in Copenhagen. And besides, you never told me the truth about why Josh moved into your flat, Basil!"

"Well, now we're faced with a problem. Now that we know that Ratigan is definitely alive and ready for revenge, your days are going to be numbered. He most definitely was the one upsetting scenery in fits of jealous rage, and I have reason to believe he caused Kaminski's accident."

Something suddenly became clear to me. "Of course he did!" I exclaimed. "Kaminski had been insulting my reputation, as well as Ratigan himself, right before the accident! And the scenery only fell during the kissing scene."

"You should go into hiding."

"But where would we go?"

"Meg," Josh said, "I think I have an idea where you could go, at least for a little while. We could disguise you as a poor, deprived bum and put you with contacts in my old neighborhood."

"What?"

"I like this idea," Basil said. "That'd be the last place Ratigan would look for you!"

Josh took me to his room, and he, Basil, and Dawson fitted me up in some raggedy old clothes of Josh's. I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt so strange in male's trousers. I felt so wicked. I looked so trashy†except for my hair. The long brown locks flowed down my shoulders.

"What should we do about those?" Dawson asked.

"Guess we'll have to cut it," I sighed.

Basil paced around me. "No. I wouldn't do that," he said. "We may need your hair if, say you're caught by the police and need to identify yourself. Yes, keep the hair. Just pin it up."

Josh applied a cap to my head, and rubbed some soot on my face. "Perfect."

"Why can't I be a girl?" I complained.

"Because you'll either be found out by Ratigan, or taken advantage of by some low-life idiot." Josh packed some things for me in a sack. "Basil, I'm taking her to Iggie's now. I'm not too safe in that neighborhood anymore."


As we approached Iggie's house in the twilight hours, Josh gave me some quick tips. "Don't talk much. Silence is a lifesaver here. Don't make promises to anybody, and don't get involved in other's affairs. If they go drinking, pretend to be drunk. If they go stealing or commit some other crime, help them. They'll get suspicious if you don't." I nodded in agreement. "And sweetheart," he whispered, slipping me his switchblade. I looked at him. "Please be careful."

Josh knocked on the door to Iggie's apartments. A hefty, tattooed mouse appeared. "Havers!" he exclaimed. "Old buddy, whacha doin' here?"

"Iggie!" The two mice did a quick, strange handshake and patted each other on the back. "Ig, I gotta ask you for a favor. My mucker here, he's in a bit of trouble with the coppers right now. He smuggled a bunch of dope from New York over here, and got caught selling it. He needs a place to lie low for a couple o' weeks. Can you do it?" I noticed Josh had started speaking more like an uneducated bum as soon as he started speaking to Iggie.

"Sure!" Iggie shook my hand vigorously. "Any buddy of ol' Havers here is a buddy of mine! New York, eh? Grand old place, ain't it?"

"Ah†yeah, real grand," I mumbled, trying to disguise my voice.

We followed Iggie up the stairs to his living area. A surly looking woman sat in a chair in the corner, glaring at us. I could tell she was pregnant. "Havers, ya know my girl Gerrie, doncha?" Iggie said.

"Yeah, how ya doin', Gerrie? Haven't seen you in a long time."

She slowly rose to her feet. "What are you doing here, Josh Havers? I have half a mind to kick you out right now, you thinking you're so much better than us, leaving all your friends! I can't believe how low, conceited, rude- "

"C'mon, we'll leave 'em to fight for now," Iggie whispered, pulling my arm. He showed me to a room with six mattresses on the ground. "This here is your quarters, mister†mister†what do they call ya?"

"Ummm" I hadn't thought of that. I quickly racked my brain for a name. "Jimmy." I thought of an American outlaw. "James. Jimmy James." After I said it, I regretted picking such a name. Jimmy was a nickname for James. Another thought made me sick to my stomach. Ratigan's first name was James. "Oh, but they call me the Rattler back in the States," I added.

Iggie hadn't seemed to notice my sudden nervousness. "Well, Rattler, I got three other boarders 'ere now. They'll be coming in soon enough from work."

A glass shattered as Josh darted into the room. "That girlfriend of yours, she's a real thorn," Josh grinned. "Well, I gotta get going, Ig. Thanks, mucker. Watch yourself, pal," he said, patting my back.

Iggie walked him to the door. I listened to their conversation from the bedroom.

"That Rattler, he one toughie?" Iggie asked.

"Rattler?" Josh was confused. "Oh! Yeah. Best dope dealer around."

Iggie dropped his voice. I strained to hear what he was saying. "Uh, Havers? You best not come around for a whiles. In fact, don't even know what you're a doing here. Boss's been looking for you and that gal of yours, and he ain't sniffing the roses 'bout it."

"I know."

"Why don't you just give him the gal? He's gonna get ya sooner or later. Just hand the wench over, and you'll get a reward. Heck, Boss might even find ya another gal."

I heard a thud, but didn't dare look to see what had caused it.

"Ig, I would never hand my Meg over to that beast, even if it costs me my own life!"

"You need to get far away from here. You're a gonna end up like Hank."

"Don't bring my brother into this!"

"Well, see why my baby got so crazy there at you? She's afraid. Me too, s'matter of fact. The Boss's making it an obsession to get even wit you."

"That's why I should really leave, Iggie. I don't want you to get into trouble." I heard the door shut.

Hank. His brother. The one Ratigan murdered. How many lives will he ruin before his reign of terror ends?

Exhausted, I laid down on one of the mats and fell fast asleep.
JWJ: The Rattler? That's the best that you could come up with?

Lizz: I like it!

Meg: At least someone isn't criticizing me.