Penny breathed a heavy sigh as she parked her car at the staff parking spot at NIMH, taking the key out of the transmission and gripping the steering wheel. She wore her lab coat and her usual uniform but her hair was unkempt, and she'd neglected to wear her makeup. She felt as if those things didn't matter much anymore.

She worked up the willpower to open the door and step out of her vehicle, closing the door behind her. She couldn't think of another time in her life where she'd been filled with more dread. But she knew just what she was going to do when she got in. Penny walked up to the entrance of the building, and swiped a key card through a slot at the door to enter. Once inside she headed straight for the lab with the test subjects.

She passed by Dr. Clark, who began to greet her, "Oh, Dr. Stacy, how are you-"

"Sorry, I have business in the lab," she replied hastily, walking past the scientist.

She slipped her keycard into another slot beside the laboratory door and walked in. She looked around, the room was empty of any other human being. Good. She closed the door behind her and locked it. Scanning the wall of cages, she decided to walk up to the old badger, the one who she'd spoken to before. Eyes scanned her from inside the other cages, but the prisoners said nothing but a few whispers. Perhaps they didn't want to scare her off again like last time. But Penny wouldn't be scared off again. She knew she wasn't going crazy now. As horrible as the events of the past Saturday were, at least she came away knowing that.

"Hello, Cornelius is it?" she began timidly.

There was a short silence before she heard groans, and slow footsteps inside the cage, and his face peering through a slit in the door.

"Yes. Is that you, Penny?" he asked sleepily.

Penny nodded, "Yes, it is. I've thought a lot about what you said the other day. And…what he said."

She looked to the cage above his, where Chip was watching silently.

"About letting us go?" Chip asked.

Penny nodded silently, and whispered, "I could get into a lot of trouble if I'm caught. I'm afraid it's not as easy as opening the cage doors and sneaking you outside, but I'll think of some way."

"Such a curious species," said Cornelius, "Just when I start to think you're purely irredeemable, an act of kindness changes my perception."

He coughed again, and rubbed his bloodshot eyes.

"What's the matter with you? What have they been doing to you?" Penny asked with concern.

"Those pills for my rheumatism are making me fatigued, but my symptoms are worsening instead of improving. All of my joints ache, and I'm becoming feverish."

Penny put her hand over her mouth, "That's awful…you said willow bark works best right? I need to try and bring some in."

"It would be appreciated, but I'm far from the most needy around here."

Penny nodded, and replied in a whisper, "I had another question. Did you see six new test subjects added this weekend?"

"We have heard the scientists talk about them, but we haven't seen them,' said Cornelius.

Penny didn't see that as a good sign. Where were they being kept?

"What do you know about them?" Chip inquired.

Penny hesitated, rubbing her temples, "Something horrible happened Saturday. And I…I feel like it's all my fault."

"I'm sure you didn't mean it," said Cornelius, "Just tell us."

"Okay. First I've got to explain something. I never got the chance to tell any of you this, but I was kidnapped when I was a little girl. I was rescued by two mice who were members of the Rescue Aid Society, Bernard and Bianca."

"The Rescue Aid Society?" Chip asked in surprise, "I know about them."

"Do you?"

"Yes, well…they're sort of our competition, the Rescue Rangers I mean," Chip replied with a nervous chuckle, "But Bernard and Bianca are famous for their work. They're the kinds of rescuers we all aspire to be like."

Penny smiled, having finally had their existence fully confirmed for her.

"I knew they were real," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Come again?" Chip asked.

"Oh, sorry, it's just that…for the rest of my childhood I was told by adults that they were only imaginary. And after a while, I started to believe that. I started to believe that mice and other animals were just unfeeling, simple creatures. That's why I ended up working here. But I was wrong…"

Chip and Cornelius both felt for her. They could understand how she became what she was today.

"As long as you realize that, it's never too late for redemption," said Cornelius.

"Not every human can talk to us," said Chip, "You have a gift. Anyway, so what happened Saturday?"

"Well, I decided to go to the UN building in New York, to see if the Rescue Aid Society, and Bernard and Bianca, really existed or not. That was going to help me prove to myself that I wasn't going crazy. And…and they were real. But I was followed…Nimnul and Strauss were there too, and they had exterminators with them. They gassed them all, and took six as prisoners."

Chip gasped, as did many other rodents. None of the ones from Dapplewood knew anything about the Rescue Aid Society, but they knew well enough about the dangers of poison gas.

"You don't suppose two of the prisoners could have been Bernard and Bianca?" Penny asked, almost pleading.

"We don't know," replied Chip.

She looked down sadly, "I'll find out sooner or later…"

"Forgive yourself, dear girl," said Cornelius, "You had no way of knowing that would happen."

"They must have been spying on you,' said Chip, "They could be spying on you right-"

Chip was interrupted by banging on the lab door.

"Dr. Stacy? Strauss wants to see you ," came the voice of a scientist.

Penny cast a glance at the two rodents she'd been talking to.

"I promise to do anything in my power to save you. All of you." she said.

This was met with cheers of gratitude from the cages. Penny gave a bashful smile, before turning around and exiting the lab.

Nimnul was waiting once again at Strauss' office, all alone this time. Penny was puzzled not to see Strauss at his desk as usual. He was nowhere to be seen. Along the desks were six cages, each with a rodent inside.

"So nice to see you again," he said with a smug grin, "I do hope you checked your phone messages."

"Yes I did," Penny replied angrily.

"Well then you know exactly what I want," he said, reclining in the cushy chair with his arms folded behind his back, "Here are the only survivors of the raid. See any old friends of yours?"

Penny walked up, desperate to see Bernard and Bianca in two of the cages. But, as she looked closely at each frightened, naked mouse, she didn't see a single one she recognized. The final cage housed an orange-haired squirrel, huddled in the corner and covering her body. She didn't feel like shedding tears in front of that monster Nimnul, but inside her heart had shattered. She'd gotten Bernard and Bianca killed.

"Aww, they aren't there, are they?" Nimnul gave a chuckle, "Oh well. Being gassed is a quick death, hm?"

Penny clenched her fists and stared at Nimnul with bitter contempt.

"Don't look at me, I hoped they'd be there too," Nimnul said, "If only to help jog your memory. But, back to the old drawing board I guess. Now then are you going to be cooperative and tell me everything else you know? Because I know you're keeping more from me."

"Where is Dr. Strauss?" she demanded.

"Oh, him. I suppose he's thinking of retiring. It's not important. What is important is that you tell me more about those rodents. Now then, about this Rescue Aid Society."

"I don't know anything else about it," Penny snapped, "And if I did, why would I tell you?"

"These may not be your friends here on the desk, but surely you wouldn't want me to dissect them alive, would you? I know how soft you are. Still letting childish empathy get in the way of scientific research. You'd be better off at PETA than at NIMH."

Penny was close to leaping over the desk and pounding his face in. But it was true. She had too much compassion to simply let the creatures on his desk die. But what could she do?

"Look, I've already told you everything. The Rescue Aid Society was the only group of intelligent rodents I knew of. I never saw another one…or if I did, I'd blinded myself to it."

"Hmm…" Nimnul studied her face, "Very well, I'll believe that. But, I know something else you're not telling me about."

Penny frowned, "Yeah, what?"

"I know that you've been talking to them."

Her eyes widened, "What?"

"I've been reviewing the security tapes from the lab for the past couple days," Nimnul said, leaning back in his chair again, "I heard your little one-sided conversations on Friday and today."

Penny stayed silent.

"Now, either you have some fantastic gift to talk to animals like a real life Dr. Doolittle, or, you're completely mad. Which is it?"

"I'm not mad," she snapped.

"What do those rodents tell you?" Nimnul persisted, "When I had my body switched with a fly I could understand what they were saying. I know you must be able to hear them too. Tell me what they're telling you, and we'll do business. We can rid the world of these pests."

"Never!" Penny yelled

"Talking to rodents shows all the signs of a nervous breakdown you know, do you really want to test me on this? I could have you in a padded room within the hour."

"I'm not going to let you hurt any more rodents, it ends now!" Penny said, getting ready to attack him.

"Tell me everything you know, or I'll tell a mental asylum about your recent sanity slippage. Deal?"

"No…" Penny stepped back from the desk, clenching her fists. Could he really do that?

"Then you've left me no choice," Nimnul said with mock-disappointment, as pressed a button under his desk, "In fact, I already have some medical personnel from Glenbrook Mental Asylum waiting right outside, just in case my little 'mental evaluation' we just had proved you to be insane. You're a very sick woman, Dr. Penny Stacy. I'll see to it that you're well taken care of."

"I'll kill you!" she screamed, but the doors opened, and medical personnel in white coats tackled Penny to the ground. She struggled, but the muscular orderlies subdued her and fitted her into a straightjacket, "I'm not crazy! Nimnul, you're dead!"

"She's a violent one, boys. It'll take a lot to cure her," Nimnul called out, as the men dragged Penny away and closed the door. Nimnul rubbed his hands together and laughed, getting up from his desk, "Now with her out of the way, nothing's stopping me."

He walked to the office's supply closet and opened it, where Dr. Strauss sat, in a total daze.

"And with you under my total control…we'll get rid of all of those pests, won't we?"

"We'll get rid of all those pests won't we," he repeated. His pupils were completely dilated.

"Hehe! Slip a couple of those experimental mind control pills into his drink, and NIMH is mine. I love it when a good plan comes together." Nimnul slammed the door, walking to the desk and looking at the rodents, "I suppose I'll put you with the others, but don't get too comfy. We'll find out just what makes all of you tick, and we'll put it all to good use. For me, that is…"