Hey everybody! Sorry for being three days late. Not only did I had to post a lot of these chapters on DeviantArt, but I had to take frequent breaks in order for my mind to recuperate from all the excitement.
Now that this chapter is finally finished and posted, let's get this show on the road!
Chapter 19: Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?
My journey towards freedom was about to reach its end. Now all that was left was to head to the rendezvous point where I will soon meet others who will do anything for freedom. Even if it means they would give their lives up for others like me who want to be free.
However, there was going to be a slight detour. And I will soon meet an ally who will fan the flames a little as feelings for one special person have already begun to bloom.
November 27, 2018 10:00 a.m.
The chaos at Kingsland had managed to die down, but the damage was already done. Not only was the security blimp destroyed by the rebels. Now the museum was completely in ruins. To add salt to the wound, the Royal Guards had failed on catching The Masked Phantom and his followers along with the rest of the rebels. The prisoners inside King Ratigan's castle had escaped last night right under his nose and even Anna was taken from him. A very calm King Ratigan sat on his throne before a council who were not only leaders of their own land, they remained loyal to him as they swore their allegiance to only him while others who could not make it on time had to use their holographic projections to appear before him. However, behind that calm fasade, he was absolutely furious after what happened in a single night. Everything that he had planned for, had all gone right down the drain.
Standing before him were three individuals who were bowing on one knee while having a single arm placed on their chests and their eyes gazing downwards away from the king. One in the middle was a male grey wolf with a Royal Guard uniform. What stood him out from the rest of the other Royal Guards was that he had a white sash that went from his right shoulder all the way down to his left waist, white gloves on both of his hands, and a military cap with a gold star insignia attached to it. His name was General Conrad Scornsby, leader of the Kingsland Royal Guard Unit and one of the several elite general echelons of Britannia as he was one of the lucky ones to be chosen to be stationed here in the king's capitol.
The next one on the left was a male red fox as he had glasses over his green eyes. He wore a white lab coat, magenta turtleneck, blue trousers, and black dress shoes. He was Professor Franklin Fox, director of research and development, and a clever genius who King Ratigan trusts. The last one on the right was a male field mouse with ashen grey fur. He wore a black bowler hat with a grey band, black dress coat, black dress shirt, black trousers, and possessed the same black dress shoes as Professor Fox does. He was Chase Miles, one of King Ratigan's top spies and head security guard stationed in Kingsland.
"General Scornsby," Ratigan addressed the General calmly while his right hand fingers tapped the armrest of his royal chair. "You do understand why you're here?"
"Yes sire."
Ratigan clenched his right hand hard as it shook with anger. "Then why don't you explain how you FAILED ON CATCHING THE REBELS ALONG WITH THE MASKED PHANTOM AND BRINGING ANNA BACK TO ME!" His angry voice echoed through the hall as the council members either jumped or gasped.
"Sire, with all due respect," General Scornsby looked at his king. "If anyone should be blamed for failing on bringing back your bride is Captain Dereks. According to what he said, he had both her and two Masked Phantoms in his sights, but something went wrong and they escaped by blowing up half of the train which carried armament supplies for the troops along with the new armor unit that was created by the research and development group."
"What!" Ratigan became shocked by what the general just told him.
"Yes sire," the general sighed as he looked down to the floor with disappointment towards himself. "I'm afraid that we have lost all of our weapons to the rebels."
Ratigan knew that this was not good. If the rebels somehow were to discover how to utilize the armor, then the tides would turn to the rebels' favor. Not only were they getting bolder and bolder every year. It was only a matter of time before they would literally turn their own weapons against him and point it straight towards his kingdom. Exactly how The Masked Phantom promised his rule would fall. Hearing his proclamation replaying over and over in his head made the fires in his mind burn into an inferno as he needed to destroy that masked man before more of the flames of rebellion could be created.
"Sire, I shall see to it that the Captain will be punished for his failure and to ensure a failure like this will not happen again. As for those Masked Phantoms who are with your bride, word has already gone out and there will be no safe haven for them until we-"
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES OR WHAT YOU PLAN ON DOING, GENERAL!" Ratigan's voice roared as he stood up with a scowl on his face. "THE POINT IS YOU FAILED ON YOUR TASK!" He turns his attention to Chase as he walks towards him and speaks in a normal but angry tone, "And as for you Mr. Miles. Wasn't it your job as head of security to ensure no intruders were allowed to the pre-wedding celebration? Yet, you somehow allowed a masked rebel into my castle."
"Sire, forgive me," Chase said as he looked at his king. "I did not know who The Masked Phantom was as all of the entertainers wore masks which I specifically instructed for both my security unit and the Royal Guard to check to see if they were invited."
Ratigan leans down and said sarcastically to him, "Well, it's clearly obvious that The Masked Phantom possesses a cloak and a mask which any fool would notice."
"Sire, with all due respect. Before we learned that there are other Masked Phantoms, we learned that he could somehow blend in with the other aristocrats by changing the color of his cloak. If it's possible, then others like him could do the same. I can assure you that before the day is out, I will send word to every spy available to make sure if anyone is wearing a cloak to be thoroughly checked. That way if we find a Masked Phantom, we could-Ugh!"
He didn't finish his explanation to the king as Ratigan already sneered angrily at him and his right eye twitched, then backfisted him as Chase was knocked down and his bowler hat fell off his head while clutching his face and giving a small groan of pain. "Again," the rat said. "I will not hear anymore excuses or what you plan on doing." He walks away from the downed field mouse. "The one thing I will not tolerate…" He then hits the grey wolf on the side of his face, but unlike the field mouse, the General stood his ground. "...is incompetent fools…" He hits the General again on the other side of his face with his backfist. "...who serve under me!" As the king walked back to his royal chair, the General spat out a small glob of blood before wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "The only thing I want…" Ratigan whirls around to face them as his royal cloak billowed behind him. "...is resolve and neither of you have given me that! And now because of both of your incompetencies, I was made a fool of in front of an audience on the night of my soon-to-be wedding, The Masked Phantom who continues to be a thorn in my side has now stolen my bride and has taken her to The Freedom Lands, the prisoners I've kept in this castle have escaped from me, and on top of that, not only has my security blimp been destroyed along with my museum which held the history that I alone created, chaos had run rampant in my kingdom!" The rat king sat down on his chair. "Much as I'm tempted to have both of you executed for your failures, the two of you are still useful to me despite your incompetencies. So let this be a reminder that I can be merciful, but fail me again and I will not give you a second chance." He turned his attention towards the fox. "As for you, Professor Fox. You too understand why I summoned you here as well?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," Professor Fox said in a polite British voice.
"Then you not only know that I trust you since you're the least imcompetent one. Why don't you show them what real resolve is by explaining to me what actually happened before the chaos began." He leans forward a little. "And I trust you have good news with your research and development of my elite army we discussed along with anything else that would lighten my mood. So you better not disappoint me."
"Of course not, sire," the fox looked at the king. "The last thing I want is to disappoint you. Which in turn, disappointed myself as I failed to exceed your expectations. But may I please stand so I can explain?"
Ratigan waved his hand.
"Thank you." Professor Fox stood while clearing his throat. "Before I begin my explanation on how your men failed in catching your elusive masked rebel and bringing your bride back. Allow me to explain your dilemma of your stolen armor unit that I designed." He pushed his glasses up. "I had anticipated that something like this could happen if the rebels were to catch wind of this. So…" He gives a smug grin. "I have made a second one which is safely kept in my base of operations."
"Ah...perfect." Ratigan said with a contented but wicked smile. At least now the field has been leveled and he could tell that this battle will get interesting sooner or later. "And my elite army?" He tapped his fingers.
"The first-half of your army is finished." Professor Fox smiled as he spread his arms. "With it, you now have a stronger army which will break the rebels' resolve to fight as they'll have no idea what sort of battle they will soon face."
"Excellent!" Ratigan beamed. "And what about the other half of my elite army? My group of supersoldiers who will be led by me."
Professor Fox sighed and answered, "Unfortunately, we made only several of your supersoldiers which is taking a very slow time to make them, and according to my calculations at this rate it'll take years to build a big army." His hands clenched tightly as he gritted his teeth while looking down at the floor. "If only those damned rebels hadn't taken my factory last year, the process would've been faster. If there was another factory somewhere where the rebels hadn't either taken or destroyed, I would've finished what I've started."
"It doesn't matter," Ratigan said calmly. The fox looked back at him, seeing a wicked smirk on his face. "A small army is enough." He brings out his right hand. "As long as they possess the same power as I…" He clenched his hand. "The rebellion will be crushed." He gave a small chuckle.
He could almost imagine it. A powerful army, second to that of his Royal Guard Army, would never be defeated that easily. With the power they were given and with him leading the charge. No one can stop him, not even The Masked Phantom or his rebellious army. The thought of it almost made him tempted to revel in delight, knowing that his powerful army would soon be complete. Keeping himself composed, he placed his hands together and said, "I will give you a week and a half to make me my small army along with the armor unit for them. And I expect your results, Professor Fox."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Professor Fox said as he placed his arm on his chest and bowed. "And you shall have it before the week and a half is up."
"Excellent! You see General Scornsby and Mr. Miles." He turned his attention to the General and Chase, who the field mouse had managed to get his hat back on and back into his bowing position while still feeling the sting of the king's strike. "This is the kind of resolve I want to see and not a single excuse. Learn this from him and see to it that next time there will be no mistakes. Now then…" He turned his attention back to the red fox. "Professor, your explanation if you please."
"Yes sire." He pushed his glasses up again. "Now, according to the information I've gathered through resources. It seems that the rebels were already here before the events of what happened tonight transpired. I believe that they somehow made a secret base within the walls of this very city. A nest if you will where they were planning on their next move. That next move was to gather as much information within the city as much as they can before the true goal. And that goal was to send their message to the citizens of this city, demonstrating what they could do so they can inspire others to follow them. To do that, they needed to destroy not only that blimp that was designed by me and cripple the security measures from above, but also to destroy your museum. Thereby showing their own power to use against you while showing off their little celebration in the form of fireworks and a bit of music called Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture."
"Put that music on the blacklist," Ratigan said. "I never want to hear that music again and I don't want to risk inspiring more rebellion against me."
"Of course." Professor Fox places his arms behind his back before continuing on his explanation, "Now to backtrack a bit about what I said about them planning on their next move. There was, however, a small wrench thrown into the gears of their plan."
"Anna Johnson, I presume?"
"Exactly, Your Majesty." Professor Fox smiled as Ratigan got it right. "Which, I give you my heartiest congratulations on finding your bride-to-be. Anyway, the moment she appeared and was brought before you, the rebels had no choice but to change their plans a bit. So they had to send in a single person to steal your bride and that was undoubtedly The Masked Phantom. And of course…" He looks at General Scornsby and Chase. "I for one also agree that due to their incompetence they allowed him to wander inside the castle during the pre-wedding celebration. If the Royal Guards under the orders of General Conrad Scornsby would've paid more attention, he wouldn't have come here." The General clenched his left hand as it shook in anger. "As for Chase along with both his security guards and spies, it is true that The Masked Phantom's cloak can change color and blend-in with the other aristocrats, but what they actually failed to notice is that these Phantom's possess gadgets in the form of a utility belt. However, that also means that they could easily remove said belt along with their masks in order to better hide themselves. So what they should've done is thoroughly check on all the guests who arrived here in this castle. Be it their luggage, invitations, or even their clothes, so they could find anything related to The Masked Phantom or anyone under suspicion of being part of the rebellion. Better yet, he could've sent a team of spies to check everywhere across the city to find this secret base and report to the guards immediately before Anna arrived here and have these rebels dealt with. If he would've done his job properly it wouldn't have come to this." Chase gritted his teeth and growled a little while glaring angrily at the fox. "Nevertheless, as the saying goes 'Shit happens for a reason'. They clearly overestimated the rebel's capabilities and that's what cost them the king's bride to be taken, and the prisoners of this castle along with the rebels who were here to escape." Professor Fox looked back at Ratigan. "Unfortunately, I also think that we've all overestimated these rebels."
This confused the rat king. "What do you mean by that?"
"Forgive me for not telling you this sooner, due to my…" He clears his throat. "Year-long absence, it took me awhile to think. At first I thought it to be a hypothesis, but over time something connected. Just hear me out on this. How could a single masked rebel gain so many people to start this rebellion in the first-place? Not to mention, how did he get the tools necessary to become The Masked Phantom? I've managed to search everything through the research and development files, trying to find if anyone was sending any sort of gadgets to somebody during the five years this rebellion first began. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say, no such information was found. That's when it occurred to me. Someone else developed these gadgets as a way to create their first masked rebel in order to create that spark which made the rebellion."
Ratigan's eyes widened when the professor said "someone". "What're you saying?"
"To put it simply, Your Majesty, someone else must be pulling the strings in guiding these rebels. The Masked Phantom is just the tip of the iceberg as he is probably the fall-guy in order to fool people into thinking that he's the true leader of the rebellion, but the real mastermind is the true leader of the rebellion."
There were murmurs within the council. The Masked Phantom not being the leader of the rebellion. If he wasn't the leader, then who was? Ratigan became shocked as he figured out who the leader was...and his teeth clenched while his shocked look changed to anger. There was no doubt about it. It was him. That no-good interloper had decided to play rebel in his world. He was the real leader and the one who made that masked rebel who became a thorn in his side in the first-place...Professor Jonathan McKenley. The mere thought of his name made him clench the armrests of his royal chair so hard it formed cracks around it. However, he wondered about this Masked Phantom. Was it possible that McKenley was The Masked Phantom and he stole Anna just to taunt him? No, McKenley was more middle-aged. There was no way he'd be that foolish as he would've known who he was since he's seen him before. So who was this Masked Phantom that McKenley created?
The cracks of his royal chair didn't go unnoticed by the three individuals standing before him as Professor Fox said, "My lord, is there something troubling you?"
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves for now, Ratigan used his power to make the cracks disappear. "No, nothing is troubling me," he lied as the rat king didn't want anyone to know what he knew. Speaking about that, he then said to the fox, "Tell me, does anyone else in this room know about this?"
"No sire," Professor Fox nods. "Not that I'm aware of yet."
"Good, keep it that way." His eyes then directed towards the council. "That goes double for you the rest of you along with anyone else who hasn't attended. See to it that every general who is assigned to you and every spy you have to find anyone who is linked to this rebellion. If anyone wears a mask and calls themselves a Masked Phantom, see to it that they are made an example of, capture them if you can, or execute them. I don't care. Do what you must and bring me your own resolve." He turned his attention back to Professor Fox. "Now then, is there anything else you wish to tell me?"
"Yes. There is, however, something you must know." He pushed his glasses up for the third time. The fox then turned his attention back towards the General and Chase, this time with his eyes narrowed. "There is a traitor in our midst. A spy who works for the rebellion."
There were more murmurs in the council while Chase stood up first and said, "Are you implying that we're the traitors to the empire?"
"No…" Professor Fox smiled at them. "But I do have my suspicions for the both of you."
"That's bullshit!" General Scornsby became the second to stand up. "I would never betray my king as my loyalties are only to him!"
"Yeah, like he said!" Chase agreed.
"True," Professor Fox said. "Your devotions to the king are undoubtedly loyal, but what's to say of any of your men who work for the both of you? Better yet…" He gives them both a sly smile. "I think both of you might be hiding something that not even the king knows."
Both of them glared darkly at the fox. The General was the first to make his move as he grabbed the front of his turtleneck and said through clenched teeth, "Why you son of a-"
"ENOUGH!" Ratigan shouted. "Take your hands off him, General! There will be no bickering in this council!"
The General's glaring eyes didn't leave the professor, who still showed him that cocky smile of his, and took his hand off of him. "Were not done here, Fox," he whispered.
"Indeed," Professor Fox whispered, remaining calm while fixing his turtleneck and keeping that smile on his face.
"Now, Professor," Ratigan said. "How do you know there's a traitor in our midst?"
"Because, think about it, Your Majesty. How did the rebels manage to infiltrate into the city undetected? And how did The Masked Phantom get into the castle without anyone noticing?" His eyes look back at the General and Chase. "Someone within your army or maybe one of your own spies who turned double-agent gave the information to the rebels within the city." He then turned his attention towards the council, arms raised. "Better yet, anyone within the council must be working with the rebellion and supplying them with the information, even the ones who haven't arrived here and are still using their holographic projections could be a part of the rebellion for all we know."
The murmurs within the council began again. Each of them wondered who was the traitor within the council, then it slowly erupted into an argument while some accused one another for working with the rebels. Many of them denied working with the rebels as they were not fools into instigating King Ratigan's wrath. Others even feared being executed for treason.
Ratigan's eyes darted left and right at the council, annoyed at their bickering. "SILENCE!" His authoritative voice ceased the council's voices. He returned back to his thoughts after it was interrupted by the council, his mind thinking about what Professor Fox said. Then...something made sense. He knows that Professor Fox was a genius in his own right and his words were never wrong. Despite not making him his right-hand man since he was more of a scientist seeking knowledge which was something that he could relate to and not a politician, he still trusts him with his very life. With narrowed eyes he stood from his royal chair and said, "General Scornsby! See to it that every soldier stationed here must be checked and inspected. If there are any rebels in your ranks...kill them."
"It'll be my pleasure," the General bowed, smiling in delight.
"Mr. Miles! I want you and every spy to search every nook and cranny within this city. Take any soldier you want and make sure that no place is left unchecked. If there're any rebels in this city or if anyone attempts to join the rebellion, inform General Scornsby at once."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Chase bowed.
"To the rest of you lot," his eyes directed to every member of the council. "See to it that word gets out that Anna, my bride, has been taken to The Freedom Lands by the rebels. I want her found alive and unharmed." His eyes then glared. "If any of you are the traitor, I will see to it that your towns will be burned to the ground and all of your people executed without mercy. Remember who you serve and remember your place." He raises his arm diagonally with his palm flat. "For the glory of the empire! Long live Britannia!"
The council members stood up and they too, along with General Scornsby, Chase, and Professor Fox, raised their arms diagonally with their palms flat and cried out in unison, "For the glory of the empire! Long live Britannia!"
Ratigan sat down on his royal chair. "This council is adjourned."
With that, he pressed a button on the side of his armrest and the chair hums to life as it floats and turns around, then moves forward as doors slide open and close behind him. While he remained alone in the hall, his face darkened into a scowl, then he clenched his armrests once again. Only this time they shattered like glass, he screamed in anger as the right and left sides of the hall were filled with either small craters or claw gouges from the rat king. As his anger subsided, he used his powers to erase the damage and fix the armrests. Lying back on his chair, he said, "So after all these years, you've been making a move on me and I never even knew about it." He chuckles a little amusingly. "Well played, McKenley. Here I thought that you were having trouble trying to deal with my other self." He chuckles again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Professor Fox was right, I have overestimated you and I let the power of being king blind me for a while." He arrived in a dome shaped room as the door behind him closed. "Well, no matter. You've forced my hand for this."
He presses another button on the other side of his armrest and a circular tray opens up. He took the silver watch out of the front pocket of his uniform and placed it there. The tray closed, then white lines appeared here and there on the royal chair as more humming empowered it further. A white dome surrounds him and screens appear all around him, but each of them were filled with static.
"What!" he cried shockingly before slamming a fist on his armchair.
Before he could find out what was going on, a screen appeared as he saw Professor McKenley.
"You!"
Professor McKenley smiled as he waved a naughty finger at him and said, "Your move, Ratigan."
The last thing that Ratigan saw before the screen became static was McKenley's cane. With an aggravated sigh, he said while bringing up his fingers ready to snap them, "Do this the hard way then."
With a snap of his fingers, he vanished in a flash of light as he went to The Outskirts of Time Itself to find a clue to Anna's whereabouts. He will get her back one way or the other.
Meanwhile, most of the council members left the castle. However, three men were alone in another hallway as General Scornsby had already shoved Professor Fox towards the wall with a single hand gripped to his turtleneck, a very pissed-off look plastered on his face while the fox's smug grin didn't falter. "What the hell are you trying to pull, huh? Are you trying to make us look worse than we already are in front of the king?"
"Why of course not," the fox said. "All I did was state the facts."
"Bullshit!" Chase snapped. "First you rub our failures in our faces, then you accuse us of being traitors! That's not stating the facts, that's making yourself look good in front of the king!"
"Believe what you want," Professor Fox said. "I only said what I had in mind. It's not like I know both of your secrets. Oops!" He covered his mouth with a single hand.
"What!" The General and Chase said in unison, shockingly.
"What're you saying?" The General asked.
"Oh dear, oh dear," Professor Fox dramatically placed the back of his hand to his forehead. "Looks like I've gone and spilled the beans." His smile returned as he straightened his turtleneck after it was released by the General. "Oh well, no point in keeping it hidden now. It would've came out eventually. However, if things would've been different if the king was here now…" His smile turned to a toothy grin. "He would've been disappointed even further and might've changed his mind in having you both executed."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Chase asked.
"Simple," his eyes turn to him. "For you Chase, I have a few of my own spies who I have the utmost confidence that they are the best." Chase was shocked to find out that Professor Fox had his own spies. "And do you know what they told me?" Chase shook his head. "You've been slacking off a little during your security runs and have been drinking along with the other spies."
"Bullshit, you're lying!"
"Am I now?" He taps the side of his head as he was trying to think. "What was the name of my spy?...Oh, yes, Jimmy. I believe you know him since you think he works for you, but in actuality he works for me. And do you know what he told me during the chaos that's happened around here?"
Once again, Chase shook his head.
"You and literally half the security group were out partying and drinking until you passed out drunk. What was even worse, most of the security group assigned by you were too drunk to help in dealing with the rebels. Because you ordered them to party till dawn."
The General scowled darkly when his eyes turned to Chase. The field mouse shook both hands while saying, "Wait, General, I can explain."
The General grabs him by the throat and picks him up, making the small mouse grab his wrist with both hands while he gags. "You damn fool! It was no wonder The Masked Phantom got out of the castle so easily! We're just lucky the king didn't execute us both because of your mistake! Give me one good reason why I'm not wringing your scrawny neck for this?"
"Don't forget, General," Professor Fox said. "You too played in your own mistake."
"Yes," he admitted. "It's true that I played the part in overestimating both The Masked Phantom and the rebels, but unlike this pipsqueak here, I learn from my mistakes. However, after what happened today, I will not be dragged down to death because of his mistake, so maybe I'll just snap his little neck now and ensure that a mistake like that will never happen again."
"Go ahead, General, kill him if you want. But I wasn't talking about your recent mistake last night." He goes to his ear and whispers, "I was talking about your other mistake that you have yet to rectify, and that's your...pleasures with the women."
The General's eyes widened in shock, then dropped Chase as he gasped and coughed while rubbing his neck. The General's scowl returned as he turned his attention towards the fox. "How the hell do you know about that?"
Professor Fox smiled as he answered, "Let's just say I've been gathering a bit of your men. And yes, like my own spies, they too work for me as they are now part of the king's elite army."
"What!" The General yelled, shockingly for the second time. "Why was I not informed of this?"
"Because I was given special royal permission by the king himself to do what I see fit in order for his army to be complete. So, I told your men who I have carefully chosen to keep their mouths closed. Other than that, I've even gathered extra people who are not from the Royal Guard to become King Ratigan's elite soldiers. You should rejoice, you're about to soon witness a powerful army with the king at the helm." He shrugs as he adds, "But it's too bad you won't be a part of it unless the king says otherwise." He pushed up his glasses while continuing, "Anyway, not to go off-topic, I do commend you on your work when it comes to interrogating prisoners and you've even done splendidly in breaking them so could reveal what they know. However, when it comes to women, you have a...tendency for not keeping it in your trousers."
The General was panicking a little. On one hand, he thinks that this fox was lying just to sike him out. On the other hand, if he was telling the truth, how much does he know? That was when his heart skipped a beat when the fox said this...
"The soldiers who work for me told me what you've been doing to the women, and I've even visited the place myself where you've been collecting them in order for you or your men to do as you see fit to them."
The General didn't know what to say. If word got out, his career was over. Worst of all, his life was forfeit because he knew there was a line he never should've crossed.
Professor Fox knew that he managed to strike a blow to his nerve as he thought what he was thinking and crossed his arms. "I don't know whether to be displeased or disgusted by your actions, or maybe a mixture of both, but from what I learned from the women and my men, you've been doing this for years." He gave an amusing chuckle, seeing the frightened look from General Scornsby's face. "You've been a very naughty boy, and you're supposed to be the king's top generals. Yet you've been abusing your own power to do what you saw fit. Knowing that it was illegal unless you've put them through the process of being your slaves, then you can keep as many of your sexual harlots for all I care." He pats the General's shoulder and stands next to him. "Don't worry though, I won't tell a soul. Although, I do suggest you start improving yourself and rectifying your mistake right away or else the king will know about this sooner or later. Because the king only wants soldiers who follow his orders and uphold the law, not uncivilized savages and bloodthirsty barbarians." He starts to slowly walk away from him while Chase is now on his knees, breathing heavily after nearly being choked to death by the General. "The last thing that the king wants, which I intend to agree with him, is dead men who are of no use. As they are only good at being dead."
General Scornsby couldn't take the anger anymore as it was welling up inside him. He didn't trust that fox and thought that he would try to snitch on the king just so he could destroy his life and rub it in his face with the king doing nothing but let him do as he pleased. He wasn't going to let that happen. So before the professor could take another step, he roughly grabbed his shoulder to turn and face, fist raised towards him yelling, "You're the one who's dead, Fox!"
The moment his fist connected to the side of the professor's face. THUNK! General Scornsby howled in pain as his knuckles cracked and collapsed to his knees while clutching his hurting hand. When Chase heard that noise, he knew that was not normal. Was that the sound of metal he just heard? Out of fear, he slowly crawled away as he put a little distance between the General and himself.
Professor Fox straightened his coat, as if he wasn't remotely affected by the hit he received from the General and said calmly, "Well, that was a bit unexpected." He looks to the floor where his glasses fell and picks it up, only to see that one of the lenses cracked. "Oh well," he shrugged as he pocketed his broken glasses. "Good thing I always bring a spare." He digs from the inside of his coat and pulls out another pair of glasses and puts them on. "Be grateful that I'm not a snitch. I'm not the type to hold pitiful grudges like that. So consider yourself lucky that I won't say a word about this to the king."
He starts to walk again, only to stop as General Scornsby said, "Hey! What the hell are you? Are you even the same man you were before or are you someone else?"
The professor didn't say a word as he placed his arms behind his back, then he broke his silence and answered, "Oh, I'm still the same, General…" He looks at him with a mad grin, almost like he was smiling like the devil himself. "Just a bit improved since I faced death once before. It's quite liberating really. You should think of it as...therapy. And if it were up to the king, I would've improved you as well so you can be more useful than you already are."
The General growled as he stood up. "You're sick, you know that?"
"We're all sick, General, but it's all a matter of how long our sane minds can handle before we lose ourselves completely. For me though, my mind is still sane but can be considered mad by some. However, madness is the greatest genius of all."
He walks away from them, laughing evilly as his voice echoed throughout the empty hall. General Scornsby shook his hand, trying to get rid of the still lingering pain while saying behind the professor's back, "The hell have you been spending your nights?"
November 28, 2018 10:45 p.m.
The next two days for the three mice became nothing short of boring. All they did was lie there either by the passenger car while watching the scenery as the train continued towards their destination, ate some food they managed to scrounge at the dining car, or simply slept in the sleeping quarters car. In short, there was barely anything to do when you're on half of a train with the other half already left behind. However, as nightfall had arrived on the second day, they finally arrived at Dalesville where the train managed to arrive at the trainyard.
Before the three mice stepped off, Basil called the rebels from his hidden communicator and told them that he had placed a tracker on the town's trainyard while also explaining why he was two days late, after already placing it inside the weapons cache during their two-day stay on the train. He wanted to surprise them with what he, Dawson, and Anna had discovered. The red-head thought about taking one of those platinum watches with her just in case they needed its power, but the detective refused. The reason why was because one: It was too big to fit in her pocket and carrying it would be too risky, especially if either him or Dawson were to hide it in their cloaks someone would eventually notice. And two: There was a possible chance that these watches were probably being tracked as well, just like what happened with the previous watch that she had. So for now, they had to remain cautious until the rebels checked to see if it was safe to be brought to The Freedoms Lands to be used for them.
Instead, Basil took a snub-nose revolver from out of the crate along with several speed reloaders for Anna to use since they were small enough to be hidden in her pocket. He knew it was necessary because she needed something to defend herself other than using the power of time and space whenever they run into trouble. However, Anna never shot a gun before in her life, much less used one, so Dawson taught her how to properly hold the pistol while also giving her the most practical advice she could use when holding a weapon. "When you aim with your weapon, don't aim with just one eye. Keep both eyes opened for better accuracy."
With that said and done, Anna pockets her pistol with her ammo and the three mice leave the train to town. On their way to the next part of their destination, Basil had already changed the color of his cloak from blue to grey and the underside from red to white. He and Dawson still kept their hats on, but had to keep their masks hidden in their suits along with their utility belts and gauntlets behind their cloaks. When they arrived in town, nobody seemed to notice them or Anna as she had already put her oval-shaped sunglasses back on and her headscarf along with the hood of the shawl over her head. Not even the Royal Guards who are on high-alert for The Masked Phantoms as they were prepared when those two masked rebels arrive in town with the king's fiance. Unfortunately, they never realized that they were already here and were right under their noses.
When they finally arrived at their next destination, Anna was a little surprised that she was standing before a building with a white star on the top and neon blue lights with the sign of it saying Shining Star, and right below it, it also said: Night Club and Pub. Open From Dusk Till Dawn. Standing next to the entrance was a male German Shepherd with a black coat, tan shirt, blue trousers, a brown bowler with a black stripe on top of his head, and black boots. No doubt he must be the night bouncer. Basil went towards him and whispered into his ear, then the male German Shepherd looked at Anna and smiled. He chuckled and motioned his arms to the entrance while saying in a Texas voice, "Come inside y'all, the party will begin shortly." As Basil and Dawson went inside first, Anna got her hand shook by the male German Shepherd. "Welcome to the Shining Star, Miss. Hope you enjoy this pleasant night." He leans down and whispers, "Glad you're here with us, Anna. We need all the help we can get."
Before Anna could even ask, Dawson took her hand and brought her inside while she caught a glimpse of him tipping his hat at her. The hell was that all about, and how does he know my name? She thought. That was when her slightly enhanced mind began to quickly piece together that answer. However, there was a small lingering doubt telling herself otherwise, but she had to know herself to confirm her thought right, so she asked the doctor, "Dawson, by any chance is he a rebel too?"
"Of course," he answered truthfully. "In fact, there are some rebels who are here in this building." He tilts his head. "Just like that one over there with Basil."
Anna looked and saw Basil whispering with an orange male tabby cat who wore a fancy waiter outfit consisting of a long-sleeved white buttoned-up shirt over a red vest with black trimming, black dress trousers, a white apron tied around his waist, and polished black dress shoes. After he finished, the male tabby cat jogged off somewhere, then Basil looked at them and tilted his head to follow him. As the two mice followed the detective, Anna kept her eyes peeled while looking around the place. So far, she's seen several tables with barkeepers in them as they were serving alcohol of all kinds, gambling consisting of craps, roulette, poker, blackjack, and even computerized slot machines, much to her shock that something like that from her time actually exists in this new world.
At the very center of the building, there were fancy tables covered in white cloth while at the front of those said tables laid an empty smooth floor with a stage that had steps right in front of it. No doubt it was the dance floor. As Dawson took his seat, Basil being the gentlemouse he was, scooted the chair for Anna to sit in and pushed the chair up before he too took his seat. A male beagle came to their table with a tray filled with three empty glasses and a green bottle. He placed the three glasses in front of them, then placed the green bottle in the center. "Nice to meet you, Anna," he whispered to her and left.
Basil was the first to take the bottle and pull the cork, then he offered it to Dawson and the doctor let him pour a clear sparkling liquid to his glass before the detective poured some into his own. He offered to pour some on Anna's glass while telling her, "Sparkling water? It's non-alcoholic."
"Eh, sure," she shrugged as she let him pour her glass.
The three mice raised their glasses as Basil toasted, "To freedom and hope for a better future. Long live the freedom revolution."
"Cheers!" Dawson said as all three of them clanged their glasses together.
Basil and Dawson took a sip of their glasses, but when Anna's lips touched the liquid and started swallowing it, she couldn't help it but guzzle down the rest as she tasted lemon-lime. This wasn't sparkling water, it was soda and it tasted just like Sprite! It's been a while since she tasted soda and she thought she would never get the chance to taste another one in this new world again. Placing the now empty glass on the table, she gave a small burp and covered her mouth. "Sorry."
"It's quite alright," Basil said, giving a small chuckle. "You seem to enjoy that."
"Damn straight," she admitted as she took the bottle and filled her glass with soda. "It's better than drinking all that water back on the train."
Basil nods in understanding of wanting to drink something else. In fact, it was true what she said. All there was to drink on the train was rum and vodka. Something that she didn't want to drink, which he and Dawson couldn't blame her for. Those seemed to be more like vile drinks meant for scoundrels and cutthroats, and there weren't any fancy alcoholic drinks either. Even if there was, they didn't need to drink it. The last thing they wanted was to become drunk and have their guards down, so they had to remain sober for the rest of the ride. Luckily for them, they managed to find some water to drink and ice to go with it for the last two days.
Before Anna could take a sip of her drink, the lights dimmed as she, Basil, and Dawson looked towards the stage. On top of the steps with a spotlight shining on it, a floor opens up as someone was rising while a male voice said on a speaker, "Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together for, Miss Kitty!"
As applause erupted with excitement, Anna's eyes widened in shock when she heard that name. The last time she saw her was when she was in Basil's world before the merge. She was different this time as Miss Kitty didn't have her blue bow at the back of head, but still had that same lavender eye-shadow makeup and red lipstick on her mouth. What made her look more like a star performing tonight's show was a dark-red glittering dress with her leg exposed that showed her wearing black high-heels, dark-red gloves that went past her elbows that also glittered, a microphone that was on her ear, and a black umbrella that she was carrying. At the middle part of the steps, two more floors open side by side away from one another. Instead of the twins that came up, there was a pianist who was a male mouse with white fur, a drummer who was a white-furred tabby cat, and a male dalmatian who had a trumpet as each of them had the same black dress suits and black trilby hats, much to Anna's surprise that the twins weren't there. So what happened to them?
However, Anna's eye caught something the moment she turned her head to the left. Sitting at the bar were two Royal Guards who were watching Miss Kitty. One on the left was a timber wolf and the other on the right was a panther. "Oh shit!"
"What's the matter?" Basil asked.
"We gotta problem over there," she tilts her head to where the Royal Guards were.
Basil smiled and said, "I see. Well, in that case…" He takes off both her sunglasses and veil, then pulls her hood down, exposing her face and her red hair that was still tied to a bun. "No need for you to wear these then."
"Wait!" She protested while watching him pass the items over to Dawson, who folded her sunglasses and put it in his suit pocket, then folded the veil until it was square shaped and was put inside his suit. "What if they were to notice?"
"Not to worry. Even if they do notice, it'll be the least of our problems."
"What're you saying?" she raised an eyebrow.
"You'll see."
As the dalmatian started to play his trumpet, the tabby cat followed suit with his piano while Miss Kitty said, "To all of you lovers and romantics, come on down. Bring someone you care or love and let that someone treat you right." She unfurls her umbrella, starts to slowly walk down the steps with each light coming on and sings, "Love makes me treat you the way that I do. Gee baby, ain't I good to you?"
While many men and women came to the dancefloor to dance, Basil got up from his chair, offered his hand to her and asked, "Anna, would you care to dance with me? It'll take your mind off of them."
Anna sighed, this was the second time Basil asked her to dance. However, she was bored after staying on that train for two days and she had prior experience when she danced with him back at Kingsland. What's to say she can't dance here before heading off to The Freedom Lands? "Ah, what the hell?" she shrugged. "Might as well." She takes his hand and leads her away from the table and Dawson, who watches them with a smile. "I sure hope you know what your doing if they see me."
"I already told you not to worry. Everything will be fine, I promise."
There's nothing too good for someone so true
Gee baby, ain't I good to you?
As Basil brought Anna to the dancefloor, he placed his hand on her waist while the red-head placed her hand on his waist. However, the two Royal Guards that Anna mentioned earlier noticed her in the crowd of dancers. "Look, it's her!" the timber wolf whispered. "The king's fiance. And who's that she's dancing with?"
Someone brought you a fur coat for Christmas
A diamond ring
"Who cares," the panther said. "I'll go this way, you go around and try to cut her off."
With a nod from the timber wolf, the two men went off in separate directions. However, they didn't notice that Miss Kitty saw them as her eyes followed while she continued singing, "A sweet good car and everything. Love makes me treat you the way that I do." She walks over to the dalmatian and poked him with the tip of her umbrella, then points at the two guards who were going their way and making it look like to the audience that she was dancing. "Gee baby, ain't I good to you?"
Getting the gist of what she was telling him, he moves his trumpet up and down while still playing it as he does a little dance. In actuality, he nods to her and keeps the charade up in front of the audience. Miss Kitty placed the umbrella in front of her to cover her face as the dalmatian followed her. She tilts her head to the guards and points left and right to the pianist. The mouse nods as he scoots over and lets her sit right next to him. "Love makes me treat you the way that I do. Gee baby, ain't I good to you?"
The dalmatian goes to the drummer and stops playing just for a second to whisper something to him. The tabby cat nods and stops tapping the drums as he gets up with the mouse following him. Miss Kitty closes her umbrella and sets that to the side, then takes over playing the piano while continuing where she left off to her song, "There's nothin' too good for someone that's so true. Gee honey, ain't I good to you?"
While the dalmatian and Miss Kitty were doing their musical numbers, the mouse and tabby cat went in two separate directions. The tabby cat quickly went around through the crowd until he was close to where the timber wolf Royal Guard was coming his way. When he got close, he acted as if was drunk and said in a slurred voice. "Hey there my friend," he hugged the guard, surprising him. "Great party, ain't it?"
"Get off of me, you drunk!" The timber tried to push him away, but the tabby cat kept a good hold on him.
"Don't fight me, asshole!" He hits him hard in the gut, causing the timber wolf to groan. He brings him over to a chair where there was a table that had an empty brown alcohol glass and a plate that had scraps of food that was left behind by someone. Sitting him down, he quickly took out a hidden pistol with a silencer from out of his suit, pointed it at the timber wolf's chest and said in his normal voice, "You look drunk yourself…" He pulled the trigger two times as nobody heard the silent shots over the music. The arms of the guard laid limp and his head slumped over to the side. "So why don't you sleep." He puts his hands over the now dead timber wolf's eyes and closes them, then looks in both directions to make sure nobody saw him before hiding his pistol back in suit. Taking a napkin off the table, he tied it around the timber wolf's neck to hide the bullet holes, so people would think that he passed out drunk while eating. Looking over to the stage where the dalmatian would see him, he gave him a thumbs-up and the dalmatian moved his trumpet up and down.
Meanwhile, the mouse also went around through the crowd until he was close to where Dawson was. The doctor had his head leaned on his hand while watching the romantic scene of Basil and Anna. The white-furred mouse taps on his shoulder, getting Dawson's attention as he whispers in a posh medieval accent, "Royal Guard coming your way. Care to give me an extra hand?"
"Of course," the doctor whispered back. He quickly finished his drink before taking the bottle with him.
As the two mice went towards the panther, the white-furred mouse went around until he was behind him and Dawson drank the soda bottle until his cheeks were full. When the panther got close, the doctor spat an entire cheekful of soda right at his face, surprising him as he yelped a little and covered his face with both arms. Dawson fakes a cough while patting his chest with a fist and saying, "I'm terribly sorry, it went down the wrong pipe."
The panther aggravatingly grunted while shaking away the soda that was on his arms. As he was rubbing his face with both hands to get the soda off, he was completely unaware of the other mouse that was behind him. The white-furred mouse knocked the back of his leg, forcing him to go down on one knee before wrapping his arm around his neck and bringing his hand on the side of his head. Then with a forceful turn there was a sickening snap and the panther's arms and legs went limp.
Dawson puts his hand over the dead panther's eyes and closes them, then he takes an arm as he and the white-furred mouse led him over to Dawson's chair and placed him there. They leaned him down until his head touched the seat and placed a single arm on the table and the doctor placed the soda bottle in front of him, so people would believe that he had too much alcohol to drink and tried to drown it out with soda but passed out before he could take a sip.
"Backstage is to the far right," the white-furred mouse whispered to Dawson. "Will meet you there after the party."
"Good lad," Dawson said. "I'll see you soon."
As Dawson left for the backstage, the white-furred mouse looked to the stage where the dalmatian could see him and gave a thumbs-up. The dalmatian moved his trumpet up and down the second time, then danced his way over to Miss Kitty and lightly tapped her high-heel with his dress shoe, signaling her that the boys had taken care of the guards. With a small nod from her, the white-furred tabby cat returned to playing the drums while Miss Kitty sang, "I know how to make someone happy. I'll treat you right with lots of lovin' just about every night."
Meanwhile at the dancefloor, Basil and Anna kept dancing slowly, their eyes not leaving one another. Then the detective picked her up and spun her, making her squeak in surprise before twirling her and putting her back to his chest while keeping his arms wrapped around her.
Love makes me treat you the way that I do
Gee baby, ain't I good to you?
Basil nuzzles her neck and Anna gasped a little as her ears couldn't help but turn red. "Are you enjoying this?" he asked her.
Anna didn't answer, but did nod her head.
Someone served you candlelight dinners
Some breakfast in bed
Then took your car to be serviced when your engine went dead
The mouse came back and sat next to Miss Kitty, taking her place on the piano as she took her umbrella, stood up, and unfurled it. "Love makes me treat you the way that I do." She puts the umbrella over her head and starts to slowly walk to the center part of the stage while the lights blinked as the song got stronger. "Gee baby, ain't I good to you? They got me paying taxes for what I gave to you."
Basil twirls her again, then dips her while keeping his arms on her.
Gee baby, baby, baby, baby, ain't I good to yooooou
Miss Kitty leans back and raises a single arm, and the lights shine brightly behind her, giving her a silhouette appearance. While that was happening, Basil leans down and pecks Anna's lips, making her ears turn even redder. He winked at her and they stood up, and the audience applauded Miss Kitty's performance. As the lights dimmed, Miss Kitty took a small bow and said to the audience, "Thank you everyone and have a good night."
Miss Kitty leaves the stage with the mouse, tabby cat, and dalmatian following her. Basil takes Anna's hand and tells her, "Come Anna."
He led her out of the crowd until he came to the far right where the backstage was. It was there they met up with Dawson, then the three mice made their way to the star door where the white-furred mouse, the white-furred tabby cat, and the dalmatian stood at the front of the said door. They waited for several minutes until Miss Kitty came out. She was now wearing a pink dress and a collared purple cloak with a pink underside while still carrying that umbrella. However, when Anna's eyes notice the same hat, gloves, utility belt, gauntlet, and boots that Basil and Dawson possess. She knew right away that Miss Kitty was a Masked Phantom, the same as the detective and the doctor.
Miss Kitty smiled as her eyes looked at Anna and she said to her, "So you must be Anna Johnson I heard about?" She brings her gloved hand in a greeting manner. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Anna said as she shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Miss Kitty."
"Please, 'Miss Kitty' is only my stage name. Outside the stage, call me Katherine or Katie, either way sounds fine. I want you to meet my boys…" She looks at the dalmatian and introduces him, "This here's Johnny."
Johnny tips his hat to her.
Katie motions her hand to the white-furred mouse and introduces him, "This is Benjamin, but we call him Benny."
Benny took Anna's hand and said to her, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady." He politely kissed her hand.
Anna had a look of familiarity, she recognized that same posh medieval accented voice, but it wasn't the same as the woman's voice she heard in her vision awhile back before the merge.
"This cat behind him," Katie said as Anna came out of her thoughts and saw her point at the white-furred tabby cat with her thumb. "That's Davie."
"Nice to meet you," Davie said.
"There's supposed to be the fourth member coming back to the rebel base with us soon. He should be-"
"I'm already here, Miss Katie," a Texan voice said. They turn their attention to the German Shepherd, the same one that Anna met at the entrance as he was walking towards them. "Howdy, howdy, everybody," he tips his hat at them. "Looks like I arrived just in time." He placed his hands at the back of his head. "My shift's already over, so I thought about calling it in and heading home. Gonna need some shut-eye after a long night like this." His eyes turn their attention to Anna. "Oh, pleasure to see ya again, Anna. The name's Jesse."
"Um, nice to see you again too."
"Well, now that we're all here," Katie said. "Shall we?"
Katie led the group to the backstage exit where the outside of the building was completely empty. Not a single Royal Guard or anyone else except them were outside. For about nearly an hour of walking through alleyways and empty streets, they came to an abandoned building that hadn't been used for years. For Anna though, she could automatically tell that this must be where the underground train was hidden.
The moment they arrived at the elevator, Johnny and Jesse opened the cage door. "Ladies first," Basil said as he motioned his arms to the elevator.
Anna went in first before Katie, then the other men joined them before Davie and Benny closed the cage door. Dawson pulls a lever, activating the elevator as it starts its descent. While the elevator continued its descent, Anna had a few concerning thoughts. The first was about Katie's sisters. Normally she would just jump straight to the point and ask what became of them, but thought against it as it would sound too personal. Not to mention, it would've been confusing as to how she would know and then explain how she knew. So instead she tried a different approach and hopefully would get a positive reaction before asking that question. "So, um, Katie. What made you want to become a Masked Phantom? It can't just be about taking down Ratigan."
Katie sighed and looked at her in the eye. "My sisters."
"What're their names?"
"Their names are Betina and Belina, identical twins. One of them is right-handed and possesses a black spot on the left wrist, and the other is left-handed."
Seeing that she got a positive reaction, she asked the question, "What happened to them?"
With another sigh, her eyes gazed downwards and answered, "A man named General Torrence took them as slaves four years ago. Since then, I don't know where he's taken them or where they are." She clasped her umbrella tightly. "But I will find them eventually, then I'll make that general pay for what he might've done to them."
Anna nods in understanding. If she too had a sibling that was taken, she would've done anything to find them. However, she felt partially to blame for what happened to them as there was no telling what became of them for the past four years. Putting that to the side, she then turned towards her second thoughts, and it concerned Benny. His voice was the same as the woman's voice from her vision but different since he was a man. Getting a little curious, she asked him, "Hey Benny, call me crazy but by any chance are you a human from a different timeline before you transformed into what you are now?"
Basil looks at her oddly. Now why would she ask such a question? That was when Benny answered, "Not exactly, I was always a mouse."
Basil looked at him while Anna asked another question, "Then are you from the same world as Basil and Dawson are from the old days?"
"Not exactly," Benny shook his head. "This might come to you as a surprise, but I'm from a different world altogether."
This got him the shocked looks off all the passengers on the elevator. Basil was the first one to shake off his shock as he asked, "If you're not from either of the worlds, then where are you from?"
"Britannia."
This raised an eyebrow from him.
"Not the Britannia you know now," Benny explained. "This land was beautiful. Filled with forests and landscapes that had villages and kingdoms. Not these towns that we know or Kingsland that was created by that mad rat king." He placed his hand on the elevator wall. "Nor these machinations or any of these weapons that I've seen so far. Which I will admit, I always thought it to be sorcery that was connected to everything that's happened. But I was wrong when the professor told me that it wasn't sorcery, it was alchemistry that was far more advanced that I could've imagined."
"Umm…" Dawson placed a finger under his chin. "Alchemistry?"
"It's science, Dawson," Basil told him. "Alchemist or alchemistry is the study of anything science."
"Oh," Dawson understood while smiling. "That's very interesting."
"That leads me with another question, Benjamin. What were you before the merge?"
"I was a knight in the Kingdom of Anastasia and so were you, Sir Basil."
Everyone's eyes except Benny and Dawson looked at him while Basil looked at them. Yes, he won't deny that he was knighted along with the doctor by the queen herself back in his world. He wasn't an actual knight wearing fancy armor, it was just a title given to him as a reward for saving the queen's life.
"You were the greatest knight in history. Your strategies and cleverness against many struggles were exemplary, and I was made your apprentice at such a young age when you saw my potential to become not only the best strategist but a great knight as well." He sighed and shook his head as his face turned sad. "Alas, ever since that day happened when the kingdom fell by a sudden earthquake that destroyed nearly half of the entire land, I heard that the royal family were murdered by someone. Then, there was a blinding light and everything changed. That was when I was reunited with you. At first I thought that you would greet me with open arms, but when our eyes met you didn't recognize me. That was when I realized that you're not the same Sir Basil that I know."
"Really now," Basil crossed his arms. "How so?"
Benny pointed a thumb at Dawson. "Because of him?"
"Me?" Dawson said as he placed both hands on his chest.
"Yes," Benny answered. "I've seen many of Sir Basil's friends and I don't recall seeing you or even joining any Royal Army that I know about. The moment I saw you with him, that's when I knew that it wasn't him."
"Impressive," the doctor said astounded.
"Well, I was trained by Sir Basil and he did tell me to always pay attention to certain details, even the slightest-"
"Even the slightest detail may be important," Basil said as he recognized his own words.
"Yes!" Benny's eyes widened as they turned to Basil. "Those were his exact words!"
The detective placed a finger under his chin, remaining silent. "Basil," Dawson said.
Basil was in his thoughts. He has heard of multiple worlds thanks to Professor McKenley, but he hasn't heard of another world merging other than Anna's and his own. He knew that Ratigan had something to do with this. The question was why? There was an even bigger question. Was it possible that there was another him in this new world? If so, then where is he? The one that Benny knows. Looking back at him, he asked, "How come you never told me about this sooner?"
"You never asked," Benny shrugged. "That was when the lass asked me." He gave an odd look and crossed his arms while asking the red-head, "Speaking about that. How come you knew that I was from a different timeline?"
All eyes turn to Anna. "Well, um…" she slowly explained. "This might sound strange, but I had a vision once and it was faint. I heard a woman's voice along with Ratigan's, and her accent was the same as yours. So I assumed that you must've been someone who's from either Basil's world or mine that came from the middle ages."
"Ah, clever girl," Benny nods, impressed at noticing that detail. It took him years to fix his own wording when he spoke, but his native accent never left him.
Basil couldn't agree more. It was more than likely to assume that he did come from the middle ages because of the accent and it was possible that he came from either world from the far past. Although, come to think of it, he has heard of different accents from different countries, but hearing the accent that was similar to Benny's, he assumed that they were probably either British or Scottish and just dismissed it. Now that Anna mentioned it, he was more curious than ever to find out the truth and maybe figure the mystery of Ratigan's grand plan.
"Benjamin," Basil said. "I need you to tell me where the other Basil is."
Before Benny could answer, the elevator finished it's descent and Katie said, "I think you might wanna hold off on your questions and answers boys, we're here."
Johnny and Davie opened the cage door while the dalmatian said, "I'm still finding this hard to believe."
"You and me both," Davie said.
"Well, this ain't no surprise," Jesse said as he stepped off the elevator first. "I'd believe anything after all the crazy shit I've seen so far in this world."
Before the rest stepped off the elevator, Basil said to Benny, "Will discuss this later after I have a talk with the professor."
Before them stood an unusual train that was sleek and shaped like a big bullet. The painting was silver with a blue light line that was turned off and surrounded it. The seats were black and not only had seatbelts, it also had over the shoulder restraints and carried eight people in total. To Anna, this looked more like a roller coaster than an underground train. This is the new world, so she shouldn't be too judgemental over appearances.
Climbing in the seat with Basil next to her as he, Dawson, and Katie tucked in their cloaks, then buckled up and pulled down the shoulder restraints. Sitting at the front were Katie and Jesse, Johnny and Davie were behind Basil and Anna, and behind the dalmatian and the tabby cat were Dawson and Benny. Katie taps away on the buttons and a glass lid closes over them with a hiss, then the computer targets the location of where the train should go. "Um, this train is safe, right?" Anna asked sceptically.
"Of course, it's perfectly safe," Basil assured her. "Although you might want to hold on since this is your first-time."
"What?"
Next thing she knew, Katie pressed the big red button, then like a bullet coming out of a barrel of a gun, the train zipped through. The blue line turned on while Anna yelped and grabbed a hold of the restraint, watching with wide eyes as the train twisted and turned. She had no idea how fast this train was going, but could only mentally pray that this crazy train ride would stop. Somehow her prayers were answered as there was a light at the end of the tunnel and the train slowed down. Coming out of the tunnel, they arrived at the inside of a train house that was completely empty yet the lights were on. The glass lid opens and everyone except Anna unbuckles and pulls up their shoulder restraints.
Anna was panting a little, trying to calm her racing heart after going through that crazy ride. Basil looked at her and asked, "You alright?"
"I'm fine, just please get me out of this thing before I puke my guts out all over you."
Basil unbuckles her seatbelt, then places his hands on top of hers and gently pulls up the shoulder restraint. Anna quickly wraps her arms around his neck and lifts her up due to her legs shaking from the ride while saying, "Up we go."
He helps her out of the train while Anna rubs her stomach, feeling green in the middle and was lucky enough not to puke on the train. "First-time, Miss?" Jesse asked.
Anna groans and nods her head.
"Well, you'll get used to it eventually."
She sighed and thought, I hope to God I don't go through this again.
Shaking it off, she and Basil managed to catch-up with the others where Katie had her hand to the doorknob. With a smile from her, she said, "Miss Anna Johnson…" she opens the door. "Welcome to The Freedom Lands. This is one of our bases, The Town of Phoenix."
Anna could only give an astounding look and a small gasp. She had finally arrived.
So now Anna has finally reached The Freedom Lands. However, the mystery depends as Basil and the others discovered that Benny comes from the real Britannia before Ratigan merged it with his and Anna's worlds. What is Ratigan's true endgame to his grand plan and why merge more than one world? That's to be discovered by reading the story. Anyway, the song "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?" (hence the title of the chapter) belongs to various artists who sang that song, but I changed the lyrics a little to fit in this chapter. I hope y'all liked it!
Before I close off this chapter, let me answer some reviews:
Lilgrimmapple: I'm glad I managed to crack you up and get to hear a little of your weird side. I guess we're all weird in our own way. Anyway, I did not know I was insulting Dawson's character, and I wasn't trying to. Good God no! Thanks for telling me this and I managed to fix that in the previous chapter on this site and on DeviantArt. Not to mention, I did not know that nodding was considered yes. Honestly, I always thought that nodding meant yes or no, but after you explained that I immediately fixed that as well while making last-minute corrections and changes to this chapter. Thanks for the reviews and the constructive criticism as I will incorporate that to help me better my writing skills.
bookandfilm2823: Good to know your no longer a guest and now a writer of this site. I'm glad you liked my chapters so far. As for who is Professor McKenley, your going to have to read the story to know.
Aili-chan: Well, I had to incorporate that reference of V for Vendetta and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, because it was fun to write it and hear the music as the background. But I'm glad you like them!
FirecrackerWolf: Thanks for pointing out that one flaw as I will incorporate that to help better my writing skills. As for the nodding part, that's already taken care of, but sooner or later I'll have fix it with the other chapters. Also, the armor will come in handy somewhere in the story once the rebels figure out how to use it. Trust me when I say this, it's going to get epic somewhere in the story. Now for Anna, if anyone other than you has noticed, there is something wrong going on in her head. For what it is, that's to be expected somewhere in the story.
Well, until I return to this story with more chapters. I'll see y'all later for now!