The next morning, Maika and Ema went with Mrs. Brisby to find the rats. At the Fitzgibbons' farmhouse front yard, Mrs. Fitzgibbons was hanging out the wash. Unnoticed by her, a baby's baptismal gown suddenly came to life and headed off across the yard towards the rosebush. It pausec as it passes Dragon who was on his back, asleep. The figure pulled the hood back, revealing to be a certain clumsy crow, pausing to suppress a sneeze or two before continuing on. He paused to suppress a sneeze or two, and continued. "Mrs. Briz! Maika! Ema!" Jeremy called out, reaching to the rosebush and tripped over a low branch. "Oh, excuse me, pardon me." "Jeremy?" Maika whispered. "What on Earth?!" Mrs. Brisby added. "I'm in disguise!" Jeremy replied theatrically before cackling diabolically. "Jeremy, please, not now!" Ema told the crow firmly. "We're trying to find the entrance, and these thorns are very dense. "Here, let me help you-" Jeremy replied, sticking his head against the thorns, touching them, and so... "OW, YEOWCH!" Mrs. Brisby jumped up and wrapped her arms around Jeremy's beak, shutting him up, making him make muffled sounds. "Will you be quiet?" she scolded. "They'll hear you!" "We've got to find this Nicodemus before the farmer gets that tractor fixed" Maika added. "I'll keep a look-out!" Jeremy offered, trying to take off, but his disguise got caught on the bush, ending up hanging upside-down. "Ugh." Maika groaned. "Will you-!" Mrs. Brisby warned. "You're going to get us all killed!" "I don't see anybody coming." Jeremy said before falling to the ground with a thump. "If you really wanted to help us, you'd go away." Maika glared. "Why that's very brave of you, Maika, but I can't... I can't leave you here alone," Jeremy replied. "Why, if anything were to happen, think... Think of the children!"
Ema soon got an idea by the mention of the children. "That's it!" he then said out of inspiration. "Huh? That's what?" Jeremy asked out of confusion. "Jeremy, someone strong should be protecting Mrs. Brisby's children," Ema suggested as Maika soon caught on what was going on. "In case that tractor starts up again." "Oh, in case the tra-Hey! How 'bout me?" Jeremy replied. "Oh, would you?" Maika asked, fluttering her eyelashes at the crow. "Yeah, sure! That'd be terrific practice!" Jeremy beamed. "Girls can't resist a guy who's good with kids, you know, domestic type. Play games, help out, domestic!" "Exactly." Ema smiled. "Yes. Yes, domestic," Mrs. Brisby agreed. "Now whatever you do, don't tell them where I am." "My lips are sealed, Mrs. Briz." Jeremy promised. "Bye." Maika, Ema, and Mrs. Brisby told the crow. "Good luck with the rats!" Jeremy saluted sharply and pulled the gown back around himself. Mrs. Brisby turned back to the bush, but Jeremy came back one last time. "What?" Maika asked through her teeth. "Oh! Where do you live?" Jeremy asked the widowed mouse. "By that big stone in the garden." Mrs. Brisby replied. "Just stay out of trouble?" "Not to worry, Mrs. Briz. I love kids and kids love me," Jeremy replied before he rapped to himself. "Kids love me and I love kids, I a-love-a kids, and-a kids a-love-" Not watching where he was going, he tripped over Dragon's leg who was still asleep, until he immediately wrapped around him. "Come on, let's go." Maika told her best friend and the widowed mouse. "Agreed." Ema nodded. Suppressing sneezes, Jeremy tried to pull the gown out of Dragon's grasp. Finally, he sneezed, inflating the gown, and propelling himself into the air. "Dragon! You lazy kitty!" Mrs. Fitzgibbons complained, retrieving the gown. "Go catch some of those rats out in the barn!" Dragon opened an eye, then fell asleep again. "I've never seen a cat sleep so much." Mrs. Fitzgibbons then mused to herself. Mrs. Brisby watched this, then returned to her search with Maika and Ema.
Ema opened a small branch, which moved under her touch. A cleverly disguised door opened with a creak. The three mice went in before the door closed itself behind them. "Well, here we go." Ema said. "No turning back now." Maika added. Inside the rosebush, weird lights flickered and crackled. Electrical current s to seemed flow all around the three mice. They narrowly escaped being caught by some sort of animated vines that tangle together, drawing the thorns across the entrance tightly. Their escape was soon blocked. They can now only go forward. They proceeded through the bush, past sights wondrous and frightening, finally reaching a curtain across the way. Mrs. Brisby peered through it. On the other side, was a brightly lit space in the center of the rosebush, with an elegantly wrought footpath over a small pond, leading to an elaborate arch with a tunnel opening leading underground. The three mice entered the open space, looking left and right at the beautiful landscaping, when suddenly a massive metal object crashed down to the ground directly in front of them. Then they looked up into the eyes of an enormous rat with a battle ax! "H-Hey, now, buddy, we don't want any trouble." Maika gulped a bit. "Yeah, we're just here to talk with Nicodemus." Ema told the rat as she tried to look brave. The rat didn't say anything. "Erm... Are you Nicodemus?" Mrs. Brisby spoke up. The rat lunged, striking at the trio with his ax. "Please, we need help!" Mrs. Brisby cried out to the rat. The rat struck again, and again, chasing the three of them out the way they had come. He slashed the curtain behind them for good measure before turning back to the entrance before they ducked to a hiding place, but immediately an ominous shadow approached. "Please stop!" Ema begged while crying a bit.
"Who goes there?" A voice demanded. "Us!" Maika, Ema, and Mrs. Brisby replied. The voice was shown to be Mr. Ages. "Oh! Oh, Mr. Ages..." Maika smiled, relieved to see a familiar face. "Mrs. Brisby? Girls?" Mr. Ages asked. "What are you-What are you doing here?" "Oh! Oh thank goodness it's you!" Mrs. Brisby said to him. "How in thunder did you get in here?" Mr. Ages asked. "The plow has come early to the field-" Maika tried to explain. "Well, you had better march straight back out the way you came!" Mr. Ages said firmly. "We can't leave." Ema said. "I can't bring Timothy out," Mrs. Brisby explained. "The chill in the air will kill him!" "That's another matter," Mr. Ages replied. "That doesn't explain what you're doing here." "And that big rat chased us away, but we must see Nicodemus!" Ema begged. "The Owl told us to see Nicodemus!" "Well, yes, perhaps you should-" Mr. Ages replied before his voice trailed off at first. "The owl said?" Hesitantly, Mrs. Brisby nodded. "Here now, what owl?" Mr. Ages asked. "What are you talking about?" "We went to see the Great Owl." Maika said. "The Owl?" Mr. Ages asked. "You say you saw... The Owl? "Is there an echo in here?" Ema asked. "He said we should ask for Nicodemus." "Er, yes, I know Nicodemus." Mr. Ages replied. "You do?" Maika asked. "Aye." Mr. Ages nodded. "Apparently he lives with the rats." Ema said. "More specifically, he is the leader of the rats," Mr. Ages replied. "No one has ever seen the Owl, and lived to tell about it!" "Please, could you take us to see Nicodemus?" Mrs. Brisby asked. "Well, ye-e-ess, yes," Mr. Ages said before struggling for a moment. "But for your sake, I hope you're telling the truth! Come on." "What about the large rat at the entrance?" Mrs. Brisby asked nervously. "I can't go back there. I can't." "Oh, that's just Brutus," Mr. Ages said calmly. "Follow me." Mrs. Brisby still hung back. "Well? Come on!" Mr. Ages told her as Maika and Ema already followed him. Reluctantly, Mrs. Brisby followed the three other mice back through the curtain.
"Jonathan, your wife has come at last. Perhaps now I can repay you for your kindness to me," An unfamiliar voice said as the group traveled together. "Yet Mrs. Brisby, who served the rats of NIMH far more than we her, Jenner I fear may do her harm, possibly also those young ones who are not from our world... Jenner is consumed by a lust for power. Thus far, the amulet has remained safely hidden, but if he finds it, Heaven help us." "Did anyone else hear someone talking?" Maika asked. "I sure do. I'm not sure who or what it is, but it's talking about someplace called NIMH." "Why do I have a bad feeling about that name?" Maika asked. "What? NIMH?" Ema replied. "Yeah... It sounds... Ominous..." Maika said. "Well, we don't know anything yet, better keep going." Ema replied. Mr. Ages led the way, though he seemed to be limping a bit. "What happened to your foot, Mr. Ages?" Ema asked. "That's none of your affair," Mr. Ages told him. "Now, to what you are about to see and hear, you must swear absolute secrecy." "Yes, we unders-" Mrs. Brisby began. "Swear it!" Mr. Ages glared. "We promise." The other mice replied. "If any of this ever got out, we'd have humankind bulldozing their way down here to blow the place apart." Mr. Ages warned. "Is it always so dark?" Mrs. Brisby asked. "We're down three feet." Mr. Ages told her. Suddenly, the tunnel was lit with several electric lights of different colors. Mrs. Brisby gasped at the sight. "It's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen!" "This is amazing." Ema said. "Wow." Maika agreed. "It's like a little city down here."
The chamber was revealed by the lights was quite large, and filled with a remarkable assortment of junk, most of it appearing to be children's toys. For example, a row of toy soldiers is lined up against the wall. Mrs. Brisby glanced at them briefly, then moved on. Behind her and Mr. Ages however, one of the soldiers opened its eyes. It was actually a large rat. He crept up behind them, finally reaching out and grabbed Mr. Ages around the throat. "Reveal thy name!" The rat hissed. "Justin, you feather-head!" Mr. Ages glared a bit. "Get your hands off me!" "Alright, alright, just a joke!" The rat chuckled a bit. "I didn't mean any harm. The meeting's already in progress. We also have a new member who insisted on joining in." Then he noticed Mrs. Brisby, Ema, and Maika. "What's this all about?" Mr. Ages demanded. Mrs. Brisby, Ema, and Maika already had noticed quite a bit about Justin. "Who, may I ask?" Justin asked. "Yes, yes, they can be trusted," Mr. Ages replied. "This is no stranger. My friends, may I present Justin, the Captain of the Guard. Justin, Mrs. Brisby. Also Ema and Maika who seem to be far from home." "Not... Mrs. Jonathan Brisby!" Justin gasped about the widowed mouse. "I believe she said her name was Elizabeth." Maika commented. "I think he's referring to who Mrs. Brisby was married to." Ema told her. "Yes, the same." Mr. Ages soon told Justin about who Mrs. Brisby was. "It is an honor and a privilege, mi'lady." Justin said with a grand bow to the widowed mouse. "If we could dispense with the formalities...?" Mr. Ages suggested in a sarcastic way. "How beautiful..." Mrs. Brisby said as she seemed to focus on the male rat. "Ma'am?" Justin replied. "Oh! Er... The lights!" Mrs. Brisby covered up. "They're quite lovely." "Yes, they are." Justin smiled to Mrs. Brisby. "We've had electricity for four years now." "Five." Mr. Ages corrected. "Jonathan often spoke of electricity." Mrs. Brisby memorized. "But you see, our shame is that we're stealing it, from Farmer Fitzgibbons." Justin said. "That makes sense of where all of this came from." Ema said. "Stealing?" Mrs. Brisby's face-palmed. "All of that is going to change." Mr. Ages informed. "He means we're working on a plan." Justin explained. "I mean, that we have a plan," Mr. Ages replied. "And this stealing will stop." "That's good." Ema smiled.
They were soon leading over to a deep hole in the ground. A lantern suspended from a cable was moored at the edge. Everyone entered as Justin cast off the cable and leapt onto the lantern as it swung away from the edge. Then it dropped, into water, and continued down. "Now... Oh, yes," Mr. Ages said to Justin. "Why did you send for me?" "It's Jenner," Justin replied. "He's at it again." "Hmm... There blows an ill wind." Mr. Ages said. "I'm guessing this Jenner fellow isn't exactly a pleasant guy." Maika said. "He's a big traitor is what he is." Mr. Ages nodded. "He's before the Council now," Justin then told him. "This time he's attacking Nicodemus openly." "And the plan, no doubt." Mr. Ages replied. "Nothing will come of it," Justin reassured. "It'll pass." "Beware, boy, he's dangerous," Mr. Ages warned him. "Jenner will be the undoing of the Rats of NIMH." "Maybe we came at a bad time." Ema said. "No, sweet girl, you are welcome here," Justin told her. "We tend to take ourselves a bit too seriously." "Oh." Ema replied simply. The group proceeded towards the Council chamber. The caverns were huge, arching, with extensive brickwork and rich appointments. The floors were paved. As they neared the chamber, the sounds of argument could already be heard. "The Plan is nothing but folly!" A councilman complained. "A doddering old fool's fantasy! Nicodemus would have us destroy this colony only to lead us to starvation in some wilderness!" "Ahem. Good ol' Jenner." Justin remarked. Mr. Ages paused outside the door. "Wait. Listen." he then told the group. The group began to do just that. After listening to the council members' conversation, Jenner suddenly turned and saw Justin and the others standing in the doorway before chuckling sarcastically. "We were just talking about you." "That's refreshing, Jenner, usually you're screaming about us." Justin smirked. After hearing what Justin said caused the council to chuckle. "Who is that?" Jenner soon asked once he spotted the widowed mouse along with Ema and Maika. "You know the rules, there are no visitors allowed here." "May I present... Mrs. Jonathan Brisby along with Ema and Maika." Justin declared. Mrs. Brisby curtsied shyly while Maika and Ema also curtsied. The council began to murmur to each other after they heard Mrs. Brisby's married name.
"You said her name was Brisby?" A short, burly spoke up about the widowed mouse. "Yes?" Maika and Ema replied. "Jonathan Brisby is dead!" The rat said. "This is his wife!" Maika told the rat while gesturing to Mrs. Brisby. "She's not one of us," Jenner glared. "What's the meaning of this?" "Send her away." A councilman suggested. "Let's get back to business!" Another councilman added. "Wait, wait! She has been to see the Great Owl along with these younger mice!" Mr. Ages spoke up. "He has told her that we could move the Brisby home to safety." "Her home was Jonathan's home." Justin added. "We have urgent problems of our own," The big rat soon said. "Let the lower creatures fend for themselves!" Then a loud argument broke out in the council. "Order!" The head council rat demanded. Jenner's closer colleague known as Sullivan was about to do something until he was stopped. "Wait, my friend," Jenner smirked eagerly. "I smell an opportunity." "What?" Sullivan and Ratigan asked. "Maneuvers of this nature are dangerous," Jenner hinted. "Accidents could happen..." "Accidents?" Sullivan replied from Jenner's statement. "I'll explain later," Jenner replied before beaming to the widowed mouse. "Mrs. Brisby! A thousand pardons, my dear! Forgive the ill temper of my colleague. It would be an honor to assist Jonathan's widow in any way. We are but your humble servants." "Does that go for us too?" Ema asked referring to herself and Maila. "Of course" Sullivan replied. "Th-Thank you." Mrs. Brisby said shyly. The other councilmen of rats soon agreed to letting Maika, Ema, and Mrs. Brisby stay and be taken cared of from Jenner's word. "He's're up to something," Mr. Ages said to Justin about Jenner. "Take Mrs. Brisby and those girls to the library. We'll approach Nicodemus when the meeting's over." Justin moved the mice into the other room while Mr. Ages remained, eyeing Jenner suspiciously. "Motion carried." The councilmen decided.