The Plan

It was the nine o'clock of the morning as the door of Keating's kitchen flew open. Jack Warrik bursted in: he had a newspaper in his hand, and he seemed terrified.

"PATRICK!" he exclaimed "did you read the newspapers?"

"No, I didn't" Keating answered quietly, drinking his tea "why?"

Warrik put the newspaper on the table. "She tried to climb down from the orphanage's roof the last night. Somebody found her jacket in the Thames."

Keating smiled."Oh, yes, I've heard of it. So what?"

Warrik looked at his as he was mad. "My God, Patrick, don't you understand? She's surely fallen into the river and drowned!"

Patrick, Fidget and Nuts looked at the each others, then they began to laugh. Warrik was stunned.

"Good Lord, what's happening here? She's dead, and you..."

"Well, that's rather odd" said a voice behind him "dead people doesn't talk!"

Warrik turned to see a little girl about nine years old standing next the door, whit an ironical smile on her face. He gasped. She was the spitting image of Ratigan!

"You...you are...Ginevra Ratigan?"

Ginny smiled and bowed in a little theatrical way. "Ginny" she said in her clear contralto voice "the one and only, at your service."

Warrik smiled, looking at the daughter of the woman he once had loved. "Well, well...what a lovely little thing" he said "Patrick..."

"Yes, old boy?"

"You were right" Warrik said in a whisper "she has Theresa's same voice."

About ten minutes later, they were all in Keating's sitting room.

"Tell me, Jack" Keating said "do you already have a plan?"

"Yes, I do. I only need some time to develope it."

"But we have not time!" Fidget exclaimed "they'll execute him within..."

Warrik gave him an annoyed look. "I know it, Midget."

"Fidget."

"Whatever. Anyway, we must wait for the day of his execution to act."

"WHAT?"Nuts almost jumped from his chair"are you joking, aren't you?"

"I'm not joking. Now shut up and sit down, brat."

"I'm not a brat! I'm a spy!"

Warrik's eyes widened. "You, a spy? You're just a boy!"

Nuts smirked. "Exactly, and I'm a good spy. Nobody suspects of a cute little boy!"

Ginny looked at the little bat. "Cute?" she mocked.

"Oh, don't start!"

Warrik cleared his troath. "As I was saying before somebody interrupted me" he said, looking at Nuts "we'll try to free him the day of his execution. Somebody must inform Ratigan about this. He must be ready."

"Inform him?" Keating asked "and how?"

"We'll use the piping" Warrik explained, taking a paper from his poket and putting it on the table. "This is a map of Newgate's piping. Ratigan's cell is here"he signed a cross on the paper "and there is the entry. The piping aren't large enough for a grown mouse, but a kid would easily get in."

"And thus you want a kid get in and inform the Professor that we're going to free him the day of the execution, don't you?" Fidget asked.

Warrik nodded. "Exactly" he said, then he looked at Nuts "are you ready, spy?"

Before Nuts could say anything, Ginny cut him off. "He's not going anywhere. I want to go."

"You what?" both Nuts than Fidget exclaimed. Keating said nothing, quietly looking at her.

"You heard me."

Warrik shook his head. "Ginevra..."

"Ginny." she almost snarled.

"Ginny, it's not so easy. It will be very dangerous, expecially for a child..."

"I'm not a child anymore! And I don't care if it's dangerous, I can take care of myself!"

"I can't let you..."

Ginny stood up and looked at him straight in his eyes. "Go on, try to stop me!" she exclaimed defiantly.

The mouse sighed. "You're as stubborn as your father, aren't you?"

Ginny smiled. "Oh, yes, I am" she said "and I'm proud of it!"

Warrik looked at Keating. "Parick? What do you think about this?"

He laughed. "Let her go, Jack. You wouldn't be able to stop her not even tying her down. Trust me: she can take care of herself."

The mouse sighed. "Very well, Ginny. Here's what you have to do..."

The door of the cell closed again as Basil and Dawson entered. Ratigan was still chained to the wall, and the doctor winced as he saw his expression: he would never expect to see a such anguish on the professor's face. Basil stopped a few feet from Ratigan. "You know why I'm here, don't you?" he said quietly.

Ratigan nodded: he had already heard the news from the guards. "Tell me she's fine" he almost begged "please, Basil...tell me she's not dead!"

Dawson took a step forward, astonished to see that Ratigan was truly begging his worst enemy. Basil didn't seem surprised. "I don't know if your daughter is dead or alive, Ratigan" he said coldly "anyway, I guess you deserve that. You threatened Mr. Flaghershab..."

"Flaversham." Dawson corrected him.

"Whatever. You threatened him to hurt his daughter, remember?"

"Of course I remember that! But it had been MY fault! I did this, not her! Ginevra did nothing, Basil! She's not guilty of my crimes! I did this and I will pay for it, but..."his voice broke, and he finished in a whisper "...she doesn't deserve to die."

"And what about Olivia Flag...Flen...well, what about Olivia? She didn't deserve to be kidnapped and almost killed, but you did it all the same!"

Ratigan tiredly closed his eyes. "Did you come here only to torment me, Basil?"

"I'm here for your daughter."

"You said that you don't know if she's dead or alive."

Basil's voice softened as he spoke again. "And I don't. I can't know it...but I personally think that she's alive and kicking."

Ratigan looked at him. "Why do you think that?"

"Her body hadn't been found, and I don't think she drowned. She's a half-rat, and rats are generally excellent swimmers. Maybe she tossed her jacket into the Thames on purpose, to make the people think she was dead...just as they did. She's a smart girl."

Ratigan smiled a little. "Of course she's smart. She's my daughter."

"Anyway" Basil said "there is only a way to be know if she's alive or not...I must find her."

"I can't see the point, Basil."

"You're liyng, professor. You can see the point, and how" he looked at him straight in his eyes "if she's still alive, she's hiding somewhere. The question is: where?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ratigan lied.

Basil sighed. "If there is a place where she could be hiding, I'm sure that you know where it is. I'm waiting for your answer, Ratigan."

Basil was right, he knew it damn well: if Ginny was alive, she only could been in Keating's home. "Well, get ready for a long waiting!"

"I have time."

Ratigan snarled. "You have beaten me. I'm going to be executed. Aren't you satisfied, Basil? Why don't you just leave her in peace?"

"If I won't find her" Basil said slowly, staring at Ratigan "you'll never know what happened to your own daughter. Are you sure that you can deal with it?"

Ratigan said nothing.

"Where is that place, professor?"

Ratigan shut his eyes, clenching his fists. "I can't say it."

"I'm still waiting for your answer, Ratigan."

No, I can't say it. I would betray Patrick, and maybe I would betray my own daughter. I can't tell. I won't tell.

"Leave me alone, Basil!"Ratigan cried, forcing himself against the chains "I'm not going to tell you anything! You're only wasting your time!"

Basil took a step forward, then he nodded. "Very well, I guess that you'll have to stand the anguish of not knowing you're daughter's fate. I'm sorry for you, Ratigan. No one deserves a such thing, not even a criminal. Let's go, Dawson."

As they left the cell, the heavy door closed again. Ratigan sighed and shut his eyes, wishing to be already dead.

And chapter seven is finally up! Sorry for so long update, but I had been kinda busy. R&R!