Being Book Three of the Time Waits Trilogy.
Chapter I.
Life is a funny thing.
It consistently throws challenge after challenge your way, seeing just how far it can stretch your boundaries-yet it can be beautiful, bright and filled with love, and dreams...when handled rightly. There's always a choice, in how you live-and the one you make decides the way that all the days of your life will flow, the way they will be remembered. A memory to savor, or best left forgotten.
How did I spend it?
This thought among others raced through the mind of Lawainie Lait, in her final moments. She pondered the course that had brought her here-the scheming of Corylus Banastre...the long game of Desiree D'Allure...and the ever-present threat to society that was Birchbriar Bakerstreet. It seemed now inescapable that the allied league of these three, these ever-skilled rogues would bring down the very foundation of society...and she and her family would now leave this world in a much more dangerous condition than they had found it in.
Even if we did live...how would we get past this?
The revelation that Dannflor Reguba had made sat like a cinder block on her chest, even as she waited for her end. Her sister-alive? It seemed almost unreal, but yet now in these final moments, she allowed her mind to sift the contents of the preceding days, breathing in the facts, the clues, the conclusions that had been staring the Rescue Rangers in the face, had they not been too consumed with grief and anger to see it. From the beginning, she should have known. She should have known! And that fact was now one she must live with, in whatever time was left her. Alive...her sister was alive.
And in the midst of all my grief and sorrow...I made off with your husband. I just can't stop myself, can I, Gadj.
It seemed ever this way between them. The more Lawainie tried to make up for her past misdeeds-the more things seemed to go wrong. Although to date, this had to be the biggest pile of wrong that had ever yet occurred. The outcome of it was what should prove the most interesting...the most vital, and telling. And that was whether Gadget might survive her own firestorm, and perhaps be able to rally what was left of the Rangers' allies, to finish the mission.
"Law?"
Tammy's voice was low and soft against the backdrop of shrieking noise, but Lawainie was still able to pick it up, mostly. Her old friend had never given in to hysterics, and Lawainie found it commendable, although she couldn't say that much for her own feelings. Never would she admit this to another living creature...but Lawainie was afraid. She was afraid to die, no doubt-the unknown beckoned, and she still clung to life with hope, that something might save them. Something had to turn up, it just had to-it couldn't end this way. Not now...not here.
"Lawainie!"
"What! I'm trying to reflect, here-give me at least that, will you?"
"I would, but I thought I ought'a point something out."
"What could possibly be so important that you have to interrupt my life flashing before my eyes?"
"Ahem."
Tammy shook her friend by the shoulder, and pointed upward.
"That might qualify, maybe."
"Oh...my."
Above them, the great beam that had crashed through the ceiling hung mere inches from their faces, swaying as if buffeted by a sea gale. Somewhere between the building's floors, a bundle of high-tensile cabling had wrapped itself around the steel girder snugly, arresting its' fall and stopping it just short of the target-at least for the moment. Be that as it may, Lawainie Lait never looked a gift seahorse in the mouth.
"We're alive."
"Astute observation, would you like to do a celebratory hula for us next?"
"Shush you, and help me up."
Leaning on Tammy's arm, Lawainie climbed slowly to her feet, fighting the urge to be sick as the spinning in her head took hold. The blow Banastre had landed had been a solid one, and she knew she needed a med-scan as soon as it could be had.
"One problem at a time," she gritted out, forcing herself to stand up straight. "How's Gadget?"
"You tell me..."
Across the way, the mouse formerly known as Blank lay in a heap, draped across the teenaged squirrel she had tried so hard to help. The shadows hid her face, but the dim light flickered across a bright shock of glowing, titian-blonde hair. Tammy ducked under the groaning beam, and held out her hand.
"Come on, I'm not leaving any patients behind."
Throwing Lawainie's arm around her neck, the squirrel picked her away across the top of the locker, shivering as the chilly water began to lap over the sides, nipping at her footpads like trickling, icy fingers. The sensation reminded her of days when she was a child, swimming in the Park lake, when the minnows would nibble at her tail. The only difference was the fact that one couldn't drown in minnows.
"Chipper! Is everybody okay?!"
"For the moment!" came the call from the darkness. "My leg's pinned under something-Reg is workin' on it."
A corresponding grunt of victory reached her ears, followed by a loud splash as Reguba pushed the shard of debris off into the swirling water, freeing Chip to crawl to his feet as the Rangers took stock of each other, trying to ascertain who all was among the living. Fortunately, it seemed that all had escaped reasonably intact.
"See about Blank if you can, Tammy-I think she went through a rougher time than any of the rest of us."
The name didn't escape Tammy's notice, but she paid it no mind for the moment. Let Chip deal with things in his own way, to a point-it would be best for him. If Reguba was correct, as she was certain he was, the coming days would be an immense period of adjustment for the chipmunk-and that was putting it mildly.
"Incredible..."
Lawainie reached down, easing Gadget's head back as she sank herself into a sitting position by her sister's side, pushing the waves of errant hair away from her face.
"Nui ka pele," she breathed, forcing her brain to accept the image that her eyes sent to it. "Nui ka pele..."
The face that looked up at her was undeniably Gadget's-and her own. It was like gazing into a mirror that bridges the ages, reaching into the far past to the days when the both of them were still wild and young, full of life and vigor. The bright hair contained no silver, and the smooth, unlined face belonged to a Gadget that might have been eighteen, perhaps twenty. It was a face that Lawainie had never thought she'd see again, and circumstances aside she found herself dealing with a small dose of envy.
"How did this happen?"
"I think I can answer that," Mariel mused thoughtfully, crossing her arms as Tammy checked Gadget's vitals. "Or at least, I think I can answer part of it. It all adds together-the irradiated DNA she injected herself with...the pit chemicals...great golly-poggles...they must have created some sort of emergency routine in her genes, rewriting them every time her body perceived a catastrophic injury of some kind. Except-"
"Except in true Hackwrench form, the system is fouled up," Lawainie added, thinking back over the laundry list of changes her sister must have been through. "No wonder we didn't recognize her-she could never get the reference right to format her face back to the original. Or anything else, for that matter."
"Which begs the question why she was able to get a correct reset this time," Tammy pondered. "Was it just by chance? A flash of memory? Or does she really have any control over it at all?"
"I'd wager toward the latter," Mariel replied, sitting down and gently laying her mother's head in her lap. "Some external factor must have influenced the restructuring of the DNA, to even make this whole thing possible. Something had to be a catalyst."
"Which leaves us back at ye olde square one," Lawainie sighed, forcing her fatigued brain to work. Her head ached abominably, but she kept the fact to herself-it was nothing compared to what Gadget must be feeling.
"Are you all right?"
Chip's hand was on her arm, and she wasn't quite conscious of just when he had crossed the distance between them. His dark eyes were deep pools of worry, as he ran his fingers over the rapidly spreading bruise that circled her eye and her cheekbone, evidence of Banastre's almost unnatural strength.
"If I get my hands on that monster..."
"You will get yourself killed," she stated flatly. "And you will be no use to me or Gadget."
His expression turned stony, and he looked away quickly.
"I was no good to Gadget already...that's why she's gone now. I don't intend to make the same mistake twice."
"Chip..."
"Besides...if I can't stay focused on the case, how can I expect anybody else to?"
"Chip!"
"What?!" he snapped irritably. "What is it, Lawainie? Are you about to ask me about that?"
He jerked his thumb toward Gadget's prone form, his mood turning stormy as he stared at the ring of Rangers around her.
"You heard what Reguba said."
"He's wrong."
"Are you absolutely sure about that?"
Her blue eyes probed the depths of his being, or so it seemed, and she placed her hands along the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her. He winced at the black and blue streaks, but didn't break his gaze.
"Are you absolutely closed down to the possibility that we might just have a scientific miracle on our hands?"
"I have to be."
Chip turned his blank stare toward his feet, drawing his arms around himself as she glared at him in disbelief.
"I have to be, Law."
"And why is that, Mister Know-It-All? How many impossible things have we seen in our time?"
Scowling, he withdrew further from her, keeping his eyes firmly locked on his feet.
"I have to be," he repeated hollowly, "because if I'm not...then I'm not sure I can face up to what that makes me. I don't think I can bear that."
"Bear what? That you're a lonely old chipmunk who lost everything, and jumped at the chance to have it again? That you took a shot at having a little happiness in the middle of this mess?"
"I am not HAVING this conversation right now!"
The uncharacteristic roar brought everyone up short, and the other Rangers looked to their tasks nervously, doing their best to keep their attention locked on what they were doing. Lawainie on the other hand was a different matter, and her voice turned frosty.
"Don't you raise your voice to me, Chip Maplewood."
His shoulders sank, and she regretted calling him out, now. But it was done, and it had to be faced. Faced and dealt with, lest the wounds that were now so raw be allowed to fester, spreading an infection of bitterness throughout.
"Please, Law...don't make me do this."
"Make you do what? Admit the possibility that your wife's alive?"
"Yes!"
Falling to his knees in the dirty water, Chip put his hands over his face.
"Don't you understand? If she really is Gadget...that means she's alive. Not just alive, but she's been alive, all this time. All this time, and I didn't know."
His voice cracked sorrowfully.
"I should have known! Not only does that make me guilty of being blind...but something worse. Far, far worse."
"Chip...I didn't ask you to be this hard on yourself..."
"It means I was unfaithful. Don't you see? I broke a promise that I swore to her I'd never break. And I haven't!"
He heaved a long, ragged sigh.
"Not until now."
"Not until now...with me."
"That's-that's not how I meant-"
"I know what you meant," Lawainie said flatly. "D'you think this is easy for me? That I'm jumpin' for joy inside, knowing I almost took my sister's husband? News flash, detective-it feels rotten. If I was still the person I was when you met me I probably wouldn't have blinked. But I'm not...it's different now."
Wringing her hands, she turned her back to him, screwing her eyes shut. The feeling of joy and euphoria she'd felt with him had fled, replaced by a slow-burning guilt that refused to be assuaged, sitting in her chest like a heavy, smoldering ember.
"Lawainie, I-I don't know how to-"
"Neither do I. I have no idea how to fix this, how to make it right between us, or with anybody. I don't know if I'll ever know. And you know what's worse?"
She looked up at the ceiling that was still unbroken, trying to contain the tears that threatened to spill through the dirt and grime that she wore, and took a deep breath.
"It makes it worse 'cause of the fact that I still love you-I can't just switch it off! Not after it's grown and fed on this situation and bloomed like a Maui sunset! I just...I just can't."
"I know."
Chip hung his head.
"I know. I understand more than you think. I spent my life with Gadget. I only ever loved her, all my life-nobody else. I was true to her every day, every second. I was never tempted to walk alongside anyone else, ever...until now."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," he exhaled softly, "that none of this is simple, for either of us. I'm saying that Gadget Hackwrench has been the love of my life, the only love I've ever known...but now, after everything we've been through together...I cannot deny the fact that I am in love with you. There, I said it. There's no way I can deny it, any more than I can deny that I'm a chipmunk. But if that is her lying over there...I can't turn my back on her. I still love her, and it's so strong..."
He took Lawainie by the shoulders, and turned her to face him.
"Tell me what I'm supposed to do...please."
"I wish I knew. I so wish I knew."
Lawainie turned her head away.
"I know the right thing to do. I just never thought doing the right thing would feel so bad."
"It might at the moment," Tammy spoke up gently, putting a hand on her arm. "But what would you rather have-a relationship that's not guaranteed? Or a second chance to help your sister, who loves you."
"Is that supposed to make this easier?"
"No. But I was hoping it would help, at least."
"Thanks. I... that is...that is..."
She looked down, alarms ringing at the back of her mind.
"I just realized my feet are very, very wet."
"The water's rising again-I noticed it a minute ago. We didn't get smashed, but it looks like we're still going to get waterlogged."
"The first option would've been faster," Lawainie opined morbidly. "But I'll take every minute I can get, at this point."
Turning the developments over in her mind, she watched as Chip knelt by Gadget's unconscious body, gently stroking the side of her face as he gazed down in wonder. Abruptly, he closed his eyes and turned away from them, his shoulders heaving. She yearned to go and take him in her arms, to comfort him as she had dreamed of so many times in the preceding days...only that was no longer her place. But then, had it ever really been?
"I wonder."
"You wonder what?" Tammy asked.
"If what we had was ever really 'real'...or were we both so lonely and desperate that we were willing to chase ghosts?"
Tammy felt a deep, heartfelt sadness for her friend. She had never been in this position, but she'd had a few hard relationships and breakups in her life...nothing like this, but a few. Only one other time in her life had she felt she'd found 'the one'...and he had turned out to be an undercover agent for Rat Capone's organization, looking for information to move the Rangers out of his boss's way. That incident had taken a very, very long time to get over...she only hoped that this one had done no lasting damage to Lawainie's heart, that time could not mend.
"Don't worry about me...I'll be all right."
"Is everybody in this outfit turning into a mind reader today?"
"No. But I've played plenty of poker with you on Friday nights. Plenty enough to know your face won't hide a secret worth a hill of Honolulu string beans."
A giggle rose in the squirrel's throat, and she realized that even if it was a battle, even if it was a long road...Lawainie would make it. It might take a while to heal-but she would come out on the other side whole. As for the rest of them...
"I say...Tamara my love, d'you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
Reguba pointed up into the dark confines of the twisted ceiling plates.
"Fresh air."
Tammy looked at him blankly for a moment, trying to process one more mystery in the midst of this waterlogged cesspool, but as understanding abruptly dawned a smile lit her face.
"There's an opening up there somewhere. To the outside."
"Aye," he replied, lifting his nose upward and breathing deeply. "It comes from above, no doubt. Tis not much, but the aroma of a cool night is certainly there. Foxglove, you auld winged temptress! Are the two of ye still well up there?"
"Stop with that silver-tongued nonsense and make way. I'm comin' down, but I think I've strained a wing."
"I toldja not to do it!" Dale yelled from nearby. "I told her so!"
"Dale, sugar?"
"Yes dear?"
"Shut it."
"Yes, dear."
Out of the darkness Foxy descended, the scalloped outline of her wings almost foreboding in the artificial night the disaster had created, the soft beating of fur against air a welcome sound to those who knew it well. She was grimy, and worn down and worn out-but she was in one piece, which was more than the other Rangers had dared hope. Mariel threw her arms around the bat's neck.
"I thought we'd lost you guys, for a minute."
"Oh come on now, little love. It takes more than that to knock me out of the air."
"I won't ever doubt that again."
"Nor I," Reguba said somberly. " Foxy my dear, could you mayhaps locate yonder hole by way of radar?"
"Echo-locate it? It'd be a hard job, in here-this place is a worse mess than the Batcave or anywhere else I've ever tried it. I don't think it'll work."
"Scratch that idea. Ah well, it was a thought, at least. Do any of you chaps happen to have a life preserver?"
"Stop that," Tammy admonished. "Just because one way didn't work doesn't mean we're out. Somebody'll just have to run up there and have a look."
"Run..." Chip started.
"...up there," Dale finished, swallowing hard.
"Oh for the love of my great aunt's brush-you chipmunks are nothin' but a couple of scaredy-cats, every time the stuff hits the fan! Seriously. Never send a lesser climber to do a squirrel's job. Reg, will you pop up there and scope out the situation?"
The warrior tugged at his collar, smiling nervously.
"I am...ah...afraid that whilst my combat reflexes are still well sharp-my climbing skills are not quite what they once were. It appears, my dear, that the only one who can do the job...is you."
"Which is typical. All you big, strong males hanging around, and who gets sent into the great unknown? The brave, defenseless doctor, risking life and limb to save the day."
Tammy thought for a moment.
"Then again, one a' you guys might break a hip, and then there we'd be."
Reguba felt his urge for battle rising, but at the final moment he caught sight of the twinkle sparkling in his wife's eyes.
"Oodelally, woman-don't do that! We can brawl later, just see if we have a way out of here!"
"On my way, back in a flash."
Stretching joints that hadn't been properly used in more years than she cared to count, Tammy slowly crawled over the end of the fallen beam, and eased her way upward, keeping her every sense and instinct firmly trained on the task should the twisted slab of steel decide to move. The ascent through the breach in the ceiling plunged her into oppressive darkness, but it was immediately evident that her husband was right-the sweet smell of fresh night air slipped gently through the tangled maze, and her nose told her the source was close. It was so close in fact that she could feel the gentle ripple of the evening breeze brushing its' soft and supple fingers across the velvety fur at the bridge of her nose. She was close-so close!
"I know it's here, guys-does anybody down there see starlight?"
"Nary a thing," Reguba responded, "but that may be interference from all the smoke. Keep searching!"
"I'm tryin', but it's getting a little tight up here! My hips are not exactly my best feature these days, y'know."
Tammy rolled her eyes, regretting her words immediately-but still, they had the ring of truth. The squirrel had kept herself lithe and reasonably free of the proverbial middle-aged spread for years, but lately the march of time had begun to produce a noticeable widening of her lower half, and it irritated her to no end. The teasing from her sister Bink was bad enough, but this-this was mortifying.
"Do you need a hand, my love?"
"Errff...no, no thank you. Give me a minute, I think I'm almost on it."
"Aunt Tammy, are you all right? You sound a little flustered."
"I am flustered! I'm not exactly fond of close places, especially dark ones."
"Is she claustrophobic?" Mariel whispered. "That's the last thing we need is for her to get stuck up there!"
"If she is, she has never shared it with me," Reguba replied. "But I suppose anything is possible."
His fists clenched in frustration.
"I should have bitten the bullet and gone up myself, rather than send her into harm's way-I am the male of the house, the responsibility is mine."
"Oh Uncle Reg. Maybe yours, but never alone. You know that."
"Perhaps. But it does not change how I feel about causing her distress. True love is a powerful force when it compels the heart, my little one. Especially when couple with a desire to do true good by the one you love."
"I know. But you gotta remember, Aunt Tammy is a Rescue Ranger. She knew what she was getting in for when she joined up."
"You sound rather like a recruitment poster."
"Perhaps," she said with a grin, echoing his deep accent. "But then, I've got an excuse to be in a great mood right now."
"Aye, tis true-although I believe there shall be a long road ahead, ere you may enjoy the complexity of relationship that you once knew. There is yet much more to discover."
Much more than the old warrior knew yet lay to be discovered, as fact would have it. The unconscious form of Gadget lying before Chip's knees weighed heavily on all of them, and even now Mariel's thoughts wandered to it. Was her mother's memory truly gone? Or was there some way, some token by which they could stir it to life? The question troubled her down deep inside herself, but not as deeply as the first question-how had she not known? It was the same question that now plagued her father, even as he struggled to keep them all alive for the next brief moments.
"Errr-errrff! Oh come on, will you-I-erff. I just, errfff-ohhhhh. Cruddermuffins."
"That can't be good."
"What?"
"That," Reguba explained, pointing upward. "Anytime she says that, nothing good ever comes of it. Not a thing, I'm quite afraid."
He climbed gingerly up onto the swinging beam, peering up into the darkness.
"I say, dear one-are you quite all right?"
"I, unnfff-I suppose that depends on your definition of 'all right'."
"I take it that something is amiss, then."
"Just a little. Just a trifle really, a-um-is Lawainie listening?"
"Not that I am aware."
"In that case, I guess I should tell you that I, um..."
There came a heavy sigh.
"I'm a little stuck."
A loud snort sounded across the locker, and Tammy shouted down the dim passageway.
"I thought you said she wasn't listening!"
"I was in error, I neglected to remember the ears, my love! Do you need a spot of help?"
"That would be preferable to staying wedged where I am."
"I'll go," Mariel sighed. "Keep an eye on the rest-I'll try and be quick."
"Aye, two eyes, as much as I can spare them."
"Hang on, Aunt Tammy, I'm comin' up!"
Watching his friend's daughter disappear into the darkness, Reguba turned his attention back below. In his heart he felt a deep burden for Chip Maplewood. They had served alongside one another for so many years, through so many trials and tribulations. To see him brought so low was almost an insult he felt himself. Still...miraculously, beyond all hope, another friend had been restored to him, and he vowed to bring them both back into the light of happiness, if it fell within his power to do so. What if it had been his own beloved who had suffered such an ordeal? Chip would have given his all to help. How could any of the rest of them do less?
Grooaaannn...
The big squirrel startled as the beam rumbled beneath his feet, straining at the bonds that had held it in check on the journey down. Somewhere within the wreckage of the ceiling, a cable snapped, and the slab of steel slid downward, before jerking to a stop again.
"I say, Mariel-a little speed if you please, my dear! This behemoth is announcing itself as decidedly unfriendly!"
Life is a funny thing.
It continually throws more and more challenges one's way, almost as if seeing how far you can stretch without breaking or buckling-but yet it can be so, so beautiful, in so many ways a reward and a privilege just to walk on the face of Creation. A life well lived...it is a thing to aspire to, to desire in the darkness that can seem to almost consume the world. A life of peace, joy, love and good will toward others. That is a life to aspire to.
Did I have that?
The thought materialized from the ether almost unbidden, floating in the state of gray consciousness-yet unconscious, alive-but with a feeling of being almost away. Was there a way out of this place? Where was it, anyway-somewhere in the mind? Or was it possible, that finally...
"No, no I am afraid you're not dead, my dear. Not yet, in any event."
"Unnnghhh...what? Where am I?"
"You tell me. It was your prodigious mind which created this landscape. Mind you...I have seen vermin prison cells with better decor. What's happened to you, lass?"
"Whoever you happen to be...I was hoping you could explain that."
A lone mouse sat up, gingerly rubbing the back of her head, and desperately trying to massage away the atrocious ache that assaulted her senses. Either someone had dealt her one very serious haymaker-or something was very, seriously wrong. Nothing should feel like this, normally. But then, how long had it been since her life-or lives-had been normal?
"I say, dear girl...you don't look well at all. Not at all as hale and hearty as our previous encounters...granted, it has been some years. Are you quite yourself?"
"If I knew what myself was supposed to be like, that'd be an easy question. Where are you?"
"Over here, child. Come, sit! Talk with an old mouse, and perhaps we shall discover why we have been brought together again."
"Okay...where is 'here'?"
"Here, lass! Use your eyes!"
Shaking her head lightly, Blank-or so she had nicknamed herself-peered into the wisps of grey fog and mist. The voice seemed distant-yet not so far away, and she pulled herself up to her feet, almost immediately wishing she hadn't done so as the landscape seemed to lurch. Her hands reached out in search of something-anything-to steady herself, and from the murk a strong set of fingers emerged, clasping her arm in a firm, purposeful grip.
"Here now-up we come! We'll have none of that. This way, my dear."
Taking the proffered hand gratefully, Blank raised herself to her feet, and allowed her mysterious benefactor lead her to a somewhat less gray, misty area a short distance away.
"Allow me to assist with something a bit more comfortable, perhaps."
Out of the layers of drifting fog and cobwebs emerged a strange, unexpected sight, completely out of place in the situation-a genteel, finely appointed sitting room, full of warm, inviting light that glowed softly from a low burning fireplace. Richly carved and upholstered easy chairs sat before the fire, and it was to one of these that her shadowy companion guided her, easing her gently down by the shoulders until she was resting comfortably, a pillow at her back and a small ottoman under her feet.
"Ah, that's somewhat better now, eh what! Let me stoke this little blaze a bit and we'll have summat from the kettle, when it gets to boiling. Spot of warm tea always calms the nerves, as they say."
He thrust a poker into the grating and rattled it among the coals, rousing the fire into a more merry and crackling state as he added kindling and several small logs, banking the flames to keep them drawing from the new fuel and burning brightly.
"I say, yes-that's quite a lot better."
Slowly but surely the light in the hazy room rose, and Blank's unknown host reached for a candlestick, lighting the tall taper with a twig from the hearth. A bright glow suffused the 'room', and even though the tendrils of fog still drifted lazily through the air it created a somewhat cozy feeling against the deepness beyond.
"Where...are we?"
"You've asked that question before, child. Though not in quite some time."
The figure stood from the fireplace grate, and drew back the hood of the mossy green monastic habit he wore. An ancient mouse, old beyond seasons, his wiry frame bent but still an air of strength and authority, he looked over the antique crystal spectacles perched on his nose, peering at Blank curiously.
"My dear girl...you've no idea where are you, have you? Or more to the point...why you are."
"I'm afraid you've got me at a disadvantage."
The old mouse blinked, and sat down softly in the armchair across from her, considering her with some deep thought as he laced his hands together in his habit sleeves, leaning back in wonder. His twinkling eyes seemed to search her every molecule, and despite the relative comfort of her surroundings Blank found herself shrinking inwardly as if being inspected. Her companion shook his head suddenly, and sat up.
"What has happened to you, child? I sense some great disturbance, but beyond that your thoughts seem...jumbled."
"You're very perceptive, sir."
"I've been called much worse, in my time. Are you hurt, in some way?"
"Yes-well, yes and no. I've changed my face so many times in the last few months it's hard to remember where this all started."
The other mouse's brows rose.
"Changed your-oh. Oh, my word. Oh my word, indeed..."
"What is it? Do you know something about me?"
His eyes widened.
"A question, my dear. Do you know me?"
It was Blank's turn to become pensive, turning her thoughts inward as she searched the boiling mass of memory fragments that churned just out of reach.
"The face is familiar...but I can't place it. I'm sorry-you're very kind, but know you? I-I'm afraid not."
"Hrrmph...well now. That is a wrinkle, indeed. And it explains a great many things. A great many, yet it leaves even more questions unanswered."
"Do you always speak in riddles?"
A smile creased the old mouse's face, and for the first time since he'd appeared a genuine chuckle escaped his throat.
"You asked me that very thing, when first we met. The selfsame question-and that is encouraging, in a way. The inquisitiveness of your mind has not been dulled by whatever has befallen you."
"Can you explain just what did befall me?"
"Would that I could, child. There is much that I know-yet much is hidden from me. I am but a watcher and a guardian, set as a guidepost for those of my kind who would oppose darkness and evil. I give what guidance I can, and I am glad of it."
"A guardian?"
Blank's gaze grew surprised.
"Are you-are you a ghost?"
Her host's laughter boomed around the smoky room.
"A ghost? Oh my, no-no indeed, dear girl. Ghost, my old aunt-that is a good one, quite."
Wiping a tear from the grayed fur around his eyes, the wizened mouse worked to control his mirth, and found himself having a good deal of trouble with it.
"What? What is so funny?! Over the last three weeks I've almost died, changed my body structure, my face and my hair color seventeen times, and I can't remember the first two letters of my own name! Now what is so funny? Do tell."
"I-I beg your pardon, my girl. It's just rare I find a moment of amusement to truly hold onto. It is an uncommon treat for me-I do ask your forgiveness."
The look of remorse on his timeworn face was genuine, and Blank found herself regretting her angry outburst, if it had hurt this kindly ancient. He had been nothing but generous of heart to her, even if he tended to be somewhat cryptic.
"That's...that's all right. I've found myself with a little shorter fuse than I'm used to, lately. Even though I'm not even sure how I know that."
"Memory can be a challenging thing. It seems that its' substance and flavor conspire to slip from our grasp...but its' warmth and comfort cannot be stolen away."
"You sound sure a' that."
"I am not sure of it. I know it. Just as I know that you will never stop until you have done what you know to be right. It is your way."
"You keep saying you know me. It sounds as if this has been a long acquaintance."
"Quite long, though visits be infrequent."
"And you say you know what I'm like...what I would do?"
"Most certainly, child. As well as I know myself."
"Then...do me a favor, please? Just one."
"Anything, if I may."
"I just...please. Please."
Putting her face in her hands, Blank sobbed softly.
"Please tell me who I am."
"Oh, dear child. Dear, sweet child."
A gentle hand rested on the back of her head, and she sensed the old mouse's presence as he knelt beside her. The gnarled fingers stroked her unkempt titian tresses, and a sigh echoed as her newfound friend eased himself down beside her.
"There is much in which I am not allowed to dabble, nor interfere. My role has ever been to warn, to advise, to give words of encouragement to those who would face great peril. I have lost count of the seasons for which I have done so...they seem timeless, now. But for what small service I am able to give unto the cause of righteousness, I am grateful."
"Does...everyone get a mission like yours?"
"Somehow I do not think so. But I am uncertain about a great many things. We are not like the humans you see, who are both fearfully and wonderfully made in the Creator's own image*. Our lives are somewhat more of a mystery-but then, perhaps it is better left that way. The One who made all is just, and will administer according to His nature."
"I...remember hearing something about that as a kid. I think. I think I remember?"
"Your confusion consumes you, Gabrielle. I would help you, if I can."
"I'd appreciate that, any help you can give. I fell like I've chased shadows for more miles than I can see in the distance, and I-"
Blank stopped short, looking up into the old one's eyes in wonder.
"What-what did you call me?"
"Gabrielle. I called you Gabrielle-for it is and always has been your given name, little as you may have used it. You were ever more fond of the honorific given you by your father, the name by which our small world knew you. The name that was forever upon the mind of the one who loved you. These precious ones only ever knew you...as Gadget."
"...Gadget? Like a kitchen appliance?"
The old one chuckled.
"Dear me no, child. It was the name your father gave you to mark your great genius, a love and talent for all things mechanical and of electronic works. It has ever been your strength, more than weapons or guile, with which your friends are skilled-your strength has always lain in your great and prodigious intellect-and in your kind and generous heart."
"I don't feel particularly kind or generous, right now."
"Well, that is to be expected, I suppose-you do seem to have had a rough go of it. Perhaps we can sort a bit of it out together, ere we part ways again."
Blank-or Gadget, now-looked pensive.
"Could I-could I stay here, with you? Just rest from it all, for a while?"
"Oh no, my dear...I am afraid not. I will try to help you, what I can-but shortly you must return to face all of this yourself. There is much yet for you to do, to accomplish, I think."
"Story of my life-always on the go."
She blinked.
"Did I just remember that?"
"Perhaps! Perhaps indeed-sometimes all one needs to find one's way out of a locked room, is to attain the proper key."
"Another riddle. Something tells me I should just expect that, from you."
The other mouse's eyes twinkled.
"See? Perhaps you do remember me, after all."
"I'd like to...you're very kind, and I do appreciate it. I appreciate it a lot."
Gadget paused, thinking for a moment.
"Oh, golly and a half...did I ever ask your name?"
"I wondered if you might get around to asking that. I had wondered, yes I had."
The bent, crooked shoulders straightened slowly, and from out of the wiry frame the ancient one's voice spoke with a newfound strength of authority, on which Gadget had not heard before.
"I am called Martin, child. Sir Martin, de Haquerench, surnamed the Warrior. Squire of Mossflower Country, brother of Redwall Abbey. First Knight to the Queen of all Mousedom...and your kin. It is through me, that all of your family proceeds."
"You mean, you were the first of us?"
"No, not the first, certainly-but the first to carry the banner as we do and have done. Many of our line have done great and heroic things, and are not remembered as they should be. Their stories have been lost to the ages."
Martin considered her for a moment, his gaze seeming to penetrate the uncertainty that painted her face like a shadowy halo, shrouding her eyes in disillusionment.
"You doubt yourself. And you should not."
He took her trembling hands in his own, and clasped them warmly.
"Your story is yet being written. Now come, let us take tea, and talk-before anon you must be returned to it."
"Mmmmm...do you feel it, my avaricious friend? Do you feel ze raw power surging from ze matrix? Ze pure cold warms my bones just standing near it...it is invigorating."
"I-ah-I think I'll take your word for it."
"Zuit yourself, waterhound. My plans continue to come to fruition, even as we zpeak."
"I don't got any doubt about that. What about his lordship, though? D'you think he smells anything afoot?"
"If he does he is zo drunk upon his own perceived power he cannot zee it past his nose. His kind are all ze same-if you dangle ze carrot before zem, zey will follow it to whatever end."
Desiree D'Allure might be in the throes of utmost insanity, but Corylus Banastre had observed one thing in the time in which his interests had bee melded with hers-whatever the crazed Frenchmouse wanted, she would get, either by bribe, blackmail or murder, whichever tool suited her best at the time. It was one of the few things he found himself grudgingly admiring in her, despite his best effort to the contrary. Any creature who would go to such lengths of absolute, abject, disgusting villainy to reach the goal was one he could at least respect, differences notwithstanding. D'Allure's desperate, terrifying quest to bypass the forces of death still escaped Banastre's complete understanding, but each day he watched, he plotted-and he learned. Knowledge was the greatest asset in his considerable portfolio, and it was a treasure he hoarded with absolute gluttony and greed. Knowledge is power, and this fact propelled the kingpin to obtain as much of it as possible, for it would turn enormous dividends in profit, at one time or another.
"So, pluggin' in that gizmo is the last step for this contraption, then?"
"Zis 'contraption' as you so crudely put it, is an incredibly delicate miracle of zientific ingenuity-and no, zere can be no test, yet. Ze proper chemicals and nutrient zolutions must be acquired, first. I have already dispatched a group of our associates to investigate."
"Uh-huh. An' did you think ta ask me if these 'associates' were already assigned? Like on other heists-the ones that PAY for this whole booby hatch?!"
"Always with ze money! How many times must we have zis talk? Money is no good to you, if ze time allotted to you should expire before you are able to use it! What we are doing here requires patience. Patience, Banastre! Besides ze matter, it is not you who should be worrying-you who are in your prime! Almost I can feel ze icy fingers reaching for me...my time grows short, shorter every hour! Only now do I have ze chance, ze chance to restore life to zese arthritic limbs, to zis weakened, worn out body! It is a race for me, Banastre-a race zat I intend to win."
Whether victory was within Desiree's grasp or not, Banastre had no way to be sure. What he was sure of, was the fact that if she was right, if her crackpot science proved sound-he had to find a way to deprive her of it, at the right moment. It had to be just the right moment, to ensure the outcome, and to give the win the flair and panache that he desired. He could be sly, devious, and murderously clever, but Banastre loved to make a production out of his victories. .His humiliation of the dearly departed Gadget Hackwrench gave him a particularly delicious warmth in memory, and he smiled wickedly and often, when thinking of it.
"How long d'you think it'll take your team to get the right juices t'get this thing up and runnin'? I wanna see if we got our money's worth."
"If zey are as good as zey seemed in ze simulations, zey should be back in a few hours. Zen a day for testing to ensure we burn out no parts...and we should be ready to proceed."
"That's good. That's real good. Especially if it works."
"It WILL work!"
"An' just how d'you get to be so sure of that? You've never even shown me how the stupid thing works."
"As if you could possibly underztand."
"Humor me."
The ice in his voice actually seemed to strike a nerve in Desiree's deluded psyche, and she regarded him with an uncertain expression, her eyes suddenly filled with distrust. Inwardly, the big otter cursed himself-had he allowed too much to slip through the surface veneer he'd practiced for so long? Had the mouse's instincts detected him, on some internal level? He couldn't be sure, and the slip-up galled him. D'Allure had to be strung along in his plans for the time being, and if the goal was to be achieved, he must now be that much more careful, for she was a sharp one, was Desiree D'Allure...so very sharp.
"Very well..if you must be humored, zo be it."
"Thank you. You're so gracious."
"Zpare me your sarcasm and pay attention, whelp. I will not repeat myzelf."
Considering the holographic display on the wall, she tapped several controls lightly, inputting her own private security code, which she had insisted upon. Desiree trusted no one with this, and she had no intention of beginning now.
"Watch and learn. What you zee here is just the beginning of years of research."
The screen flickered, and abruptly a grainy, black and white video coalesced, something that might have come from an ancient videotape security system, struggling to display properly on the modern technology in the lab.
"My name is Doctor Victor Fries. I am recording what I pray could be mankind's first step toward immortality..."**
Banastre watched in fascination and disgust as the scene played out before him, armed security guards attempting to shut down the experiment. The doctor's subsequent bath in the steaming cryogenic chemicals gave him a brief wave of nausea, but he pushed any sign of it away from his face as the recording drew to a close.
"Zis man discovered ze foundation of zis great science," D'Allure said quietly, toggling off the static-hissing screen with a flourish. "Even now he lives yet, imprisoned in ze Gotham City penitentiary. Zose who examined him said zat he might yet live for centuries, without change."
"Yeah, but...to live like that? I dunno. You'd have to be crazy."
"Do you take me for ze fool? I am not insane, my friend-I am desperate. I have much left to accomplish on my own dark agenda, and I cannot do zis with ze time allotted in one life. Zere must be more-and the continued research my team has put into zis project has greatly improved its' result."
"Mmmmm...that's good, then. What is it they say...so much to do, so little time."
"Exactly. Without ze time my master plan shall come to naught, and I shall not allow zis if any way can be found to avoid it. I will have vengeance upon my enemies, and ze victory over all who oppose me. I shall rule all of our kind, in a landscape cleansed of all predators...wiped clean of all zose who would stop me."
Banastre swallowed, the realization of what Desiree was implying striking him full in the face with the force of a hammer blow.
"You mean to wipe the humans out. Down to the last of them."
"You remember. I am quite proud zat you were paying attention."
"I remembered. It's just-well, it's ambitious, I'll say that."
"You doubt my ability."
"I didn't exactly say that. But ya gotta admit, it's a big undertaking. This is somethin' different than just stealin' their money. If even one a' their scientists gets a bright idea..."
"Zey will not have ze time, once ze plan is in motion. Fries once brought winter to an entire city, for a day."***
The aging debutante smiled cruelly, the jagged edges of her worn teeth glinting in the laboratory's soft lighting.
"I shall bring it to ze world. For as long as it takes."
"An' just how d'you propose the rest of us are gonna survive that, buy a lotta snowshoes?"
Her low chuckle chilled even Banastre's spine, the disturbed giggle echoing low and thick in the silence.
"Wait and zee, my doubting great oaf. Wait and zee."
She seated herself at the console, steepling her fingers and muttering darkly as readings played across the screens. Banastre watched impassively, suppressing his inner loathing as Desiree picked at her nails, gazing with obsessed intent at the information scrolling before her eyes. He gave a soft grunt, and headed back toward the lower level entrance, where his transportation waited.
"You better believe I'll be waiting to see, 'ol girl. Believe it...I will see."
*Psalm 139, KJV.
**Batman: TAS "Heart of Ice".
***Batman & Robin (1997).