Abigail and the Rats of NIMH ~ Chapters 31-36 (end)

 

Part Three 

The furlings and the Rescue Rangers (sans Gadget for the moment) gathered at the entrance to Thorn Valley, accompanied by Justin, Brutus and the Brisby kids, for their departure. Brutus begrudgingly opened the door and ushered them through the dark flight of dirt stairs underneath the tree, and they emerged into blinding daylight for the first time in days. Abigail shielded her eyes and winced, but Michelle gave a happy gasp, gazing at the world once again without having to do so behind a pair of glasses. Justin took a deep breath of fresh air and gave a satisfied smile, enjoying being outside again.

"I always hate this part," said Edgar, rubbing his irritated eyes as he came through the hidden door.

"You seeing alright Michelle? asked Willy.

"Yep! Everything looks so pretty!" she answered happily.

Nearby they saw Gadget, who was looking over the newly refurnished Ranger Wingamathing. The rats had reinforced the wings and added a few extra new features. It wasn't hard to journey to the nearest road and find litter; the hull for example seemed to have been elongated by the shell of another plastic container of some kind. Gadget was adept at finding discarded human garbage and making it into something else.

"The plane should be in working order," said Justin, "We've fitted the plane with batteries so it'll move faster, and we've elongated it and put in some extra seats."

"Does the radio work?" Dale asked.

"Dale, we don't want to waste batteries again," scolded Gadget as she tightened another screw on the hull, having worked long into the night, "It's fine when we're just flying around town with it, but we can't use it on long trips. New rule."

"D'awww," Dale sighed, "Y'know this trip hasn't been very fun."

"It's not a vacation," said Abigail.

"Ah well, we'll rescue everyone soon," said Dale, "But by then Chip will be back and he won't let me use the radio either."

"What's our plan exactly?" Abigail asked Justin.

"You'll need to locate the human who can help you in," said Justin, "I think you'll find she lives not very far from NIMH."

"What was her name again?" Gadget asked.

"Her name was Penny Stacy I believe," said Justin, "Note that my visions aren't exactly accurate, yet. I'm still trying to get to the level Nicodemus was at. But I'm certain that this woman will give you the help that you need."

"Golly, that name sounds awfully familiar," said Gadget, "Wait a minute, isn't she who I chatted with online? I looked her up on the NIMH website too."

"I think you're right!" Dale exclaimed.

"That's where I'd heard it before," said Abigail, "And when Justin showed her to me she looked like one of the scientists we saw at Dapplewood."

"Really? That one with the blonde hair?" asked Edgar.

"Yes her."

The memory of that day sent chills down his spine.

"You sure she's good now?" asked Russell.

"She has realized her calling," said Justin, "From now on she will be a friend to all rodents. Your fates have been intertwined from the beginning. Go now, and together you may stand a chance against NIMH."

"Looks like we may need to find another computer and figure out where she lives," said Gadget.

"You said you were sending someone with us?" Abigail asked, looking at Martin and Teresa, expecting it to be one of them.

"Oh yes, I did," said Justin. He turned around toward the door, "Brutus?"

Brutus stepped out, disliking the sunlight, and speaking a forcibly respectful tone that did little to mask how irritated he was, "Yes, Justin? How may I serve you?"

"It is your sworn duty to protect Thorn Valley, is it not?"

"That it is."

"And you know the stone is the greatest protection we have, do you not?"

Brutus narrowed his eyes and stared at the necklace Abigail wore, "Yes, it is."

"And nothing would make Thorn Valley safer than NIMH's defeat, right? If you want to protect Thorn Valley from danger why not eliminate the source of that danger entirely?"

"You're sending me?" Brutus asked, surprised.

"It's a mission only fit for someone of your caliber," Justin said, folding his arms behind his back, "I appoint you Abigail's bodyguard during this dangerous mission. Their team already has much wisdom, heart, and extraordinary courage, but one thing I notice they lack is brute strength. That's where you come in."

"Why him?" Abigail asked, glaring at Brutus suspiciously, who glared right back at her.

"It'll be good for him," said Justin with a smile, "He could really use a bit more sun and fresh air, might aid that temperament of his."

Brutus just growled, "You take advantage of my loyalty to you, Justin."

"All kidding aside, you are the only rat for the job," Justin said, putting his hands on Brutus' shoulders, "Consider this your life's fulfillment. If this goes as I hope it will, you won't have any more reason for that fear and anger that you cling on to. NIMH will be history. Or at least, not a threat anymore."

Brutus shook out of Justin's grasp, "Bah. Fine, I'll do it, but only for the safety of Thorn Valley, and to make those humans pay for the things they did to me and everyone else."

"So that big palooka is coming with us?" Dale asked, "Does anyone remember the time he almost took Abigail's head off with that electric spear thing, or am I the only one?"

"I don't think I trust him either," said Willy, "My body is still sore."

"I'll be doing that to your enemies from now on, idiots. Think of that," Brutus said.

"I guess a little defense wouldn't hurt to have around," said Gadget, "But honestly, from what I've seen he doesn't seem too in control of his emotions. Bringing him seems a little risky."

Brutus scowled, "The girl wears the amulet. I am her protector now. Before, when I attacked you, I viewed you as trespassers, and enemies. But as wearer of the stone whoever is this girl's enemy is also the enemy of Thorn Valley, and is therefore also my enemy. As much as it irritates me to be protecting the likes of you, I will do so with my life. Is there a part of this process that escapes your feeble minds?"

"No, we get it," said Gadget, "I guess he'll temporarily replace Monty as our team's muscle, huh Dale?"

"Yeah, if Monty were on steroids, complete with the 'roid rage," Dale mumbled.

"So our first mission is going to a human for help, I overheard?" Brutus asked, "I think you've finally gone insane, Justin. I'll never trust a human. Much less one that works for NIMH."

"Understandable sentiment," Justin replied, "But I'm sure about this one."

"If, by some astronomical chance, this does all go well, I will never question your outlandish logic ever again," said Brutus.

"I guess this is good bye," said Teresa to Abigail, "Good luck out there."

"Yes, come back to us," said Martin, "You should see our ma again after this too."

"We will, I promise,' said Abigail, hugging them both, "We might even resettle near her farm. It's safe there as long as we stay away from the fields."

Gadget finished tightening a screw in the hull, and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Everything's all set," said Gadget, "Come on in everyone."

One by one they climbed into the newly refurnished flying machine, complete with an extra row of seats. Dale and Gadget took the front, with Zipper in Dale's lap.

"I wanna be by Abigail," Michelle said.

"Oh that's right, you don't need to sit on my lap anymore," said Abigail, "I'll sit in between you and Willy."

"Guess that leaves us with him…" Russell said, looking over at Brutus, who climbed into the middle row simply by lifting a leg and getting in, being the tallest of the group. Everyone else had to climb in with their arms.

Edgar and Russell climbed in through the other side of the plane, Edgar getting the middle. Even with just the three of them it was a tight squeeze. The middle row also sported the winder-uppers, which Brutus looked down at with curiosity.

"Move those cranks you see in front of you to get it started," Gadget explained to Brutus.

Russell began turning the crank first, though once Brutus began the muscular rat could easily have lifted the whole plane by himself. Russell gave it his best try but he hardly ended up putting any muscle into cranking the winder-uppers at all. Gadget flipped on a switch and the popsicle-stick propellers whirred to life again. The furlings waved farewell to everyone below as the aircraft took to the air.

"Goodbye everyone! I'll come back with your amulet!" Abigail called out.

"I am confident that you will!" Justin replied, before they hovered above the tree and flew on above the forest, headed south-east toward the Atlantic coast, the general direction of Bethesda and NIMH.

"So, where to now?" Dale asked as they reached a high enough altitude to begin gliding.

"First we make it to the city of Bethesda by following a road," said Gadget, "From there we find out where this Penny Stacy lives, and go there to ask for help."

"I sure hope you guys are right about this scientist," said Dale, "I know humans aren't all bad but when was the last time one actually helped us? I mean what have we got to go on, Justin's crystal ball thingamajig?"

"I wasn't expecting an intelligent question out of you," said Brutus as he cranked the winder uppers, nearly all on his own, "I agree. If you ask me Justin has gone off the deep end."

"You agree with me? Should I take that as a compliment?" Dale wondered.

"I see it more like a broken clock being right twice a day," Brutus replied.

"What about everything else Justin said that came true?" Abigail asked, "I trust his judgment. And I saw the visions myself in his…future-seeing…thingy."

"He may be able to predict some things, but even Nicodemus never saw it coming when Jenner decided to drop a house on him," Brutus said, "Justin relies far too much on his visions. He's gone mad with overconfidence. Hopefully it’s not going to lead to a death sentence for all of us."

"Nicodemus got a house dropped on him?" asked Abigail, her curiosity piqued.

"Justin probably skimmed over that whole fiasco when he told you our history, didn't he? Only because it goes to show that his prophecies aren't 100 percent. They can't be, if Nicodemus' weren't."

"I don't know how Justin could have pulled that same name out of thin air," said Gadget, "I'm all for logic and reason, but it does seem uncanny. I'm not going to say I fully believe in his supposed powers, but I think it warrants further investigation. If he can predict things, there must be some rational explanation for it that science hasn't fully grasped yet."

"You've gotten a lot more open-minded since this stuff happened," said Dale, "I hate to say it but I almost agree with the grumpy rat. This might not just be a wild goose chase, it's more like a wild cat chase because what we're chasing could kill us."

Michelle held onto Abigail tightly and whimpered, and Abigail stroked her head to comfort her.

"Don't worry Michelle," she said, "I won't let anything harm you."

"You're scaring the children with your metaphors, Dale," said Gadget.

"And why not?" asked Brutus, "Young or not they should know what we're getting ourselves into."

"We'll probably keep Michelle someplace safe when we go into the human's house anyway," said Gadget.

"As usual," Michelle said, disappointed despite her fear of humans.

"What do the rest of you think?" asked Abigail, "Is following Justin's prediction a good idea?"

"I hope it is," said Russell, "We all know there's good humans too but…well…I can't lie, I am pretty nervous about going to see one. And it's that same lady who was in charge of kidnapping everyone from Dapplewood."

Abigail's ears went down, Russell's position made sense when factoring in that fact, "I guess you're right about that. But…people can change, right?"

"I'll never forget the human who helped me out of that trap after the gas leak," said Edgar, "He helped me when he just as easily could have killed me. Maybe this one will help us too. She could have just not realized what she was doing before, she didn't know we were smart, right?"

"Justin said something like that," Abigail agreed, "That she didn't realize we had real feelings, something like that. He said she used to know when she was a kid but something made her forget."

"I'm not sure I like this idea, but I'm always behind you, whatever you do," Willy replied, giving Abigail's hand a squeeze and making her blush. She kissed his cheek.

"Zipper?" Gadget asked.

Zipper gave a confident nod and pointed forward, indicating that he supported the plan they had.

"So those in this plane who are for going to a human for help outnumber those against it,' said Gadget.

"We're not the council of Thorn Valley," Brutus grumbled, "And anyway, I'm sworn to follow Justin's orders whether or not I think they're a good idea. But it just so happens that because of my oath of loyalty I've been forced into a suicide mission with a group of imbeciles who I don't like."

"Aw, I think he's warming up to us," Dale joked, "Before he hated us, now he just doesn't like us."

Abigail couldn't help but giggle as Brutus silently glared at Dale and kept cranking the winder uppers, with a little more ferocity than before. At their speed it wasn't long before they finally came to a paved road, and followed it toward Bethesda.

Chapter 32

A car pulled over at the side of a road near a stop sign, the area at the side of the road covered by foliage. It was around 7 in the morning, the sun low in the sky. A couple exited the car, and Penny peered through the bushes.

"Mom! Dad!" she called out, with Bernard and Bianca sitting on her shoulders.

"Penny?" her mother, Darla, searched and then saw her, running to hug her adoptive daughter. However, she gasped and drew back upon seeing the mice she had on her shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?" her father, a tall man in a coat and fedora hat named Ted Stacy, demanded, "You're supposed to be at the institution!"

"I had to leave," Penny said, "Look, I'm going to need to you to trust me on this. I know it's going to sound crazy. I need a ride to Bethesda."

"What you need is help! What's with those mice?"

"Maybe we should listen," said Darla.

"These mice helped me escape," Penny explained, "They undid my straightjacket. They're names are Bernard and Bianca, and they're the same mice who rescued me from Madame Medusa."

"You're a sick woman, Penny," said Ted, "You need help. I thought we'd agreed those mice were in your imagination. Even if there were mice they'd have died years ago."

"Please, listen to your daughter Mr. Stacy!" Bianca pleaded.

Penny studied her parent's faces. But all her parents heard were small squeaks. She sighed a little, and picked Bernard and Bianca up in her hands.

"Look, Mom and Dad. They're standing on two legs. They're wearing clothes."

"You must have dressed them up," Darla said, looking closely at the two mice.

"Where would I have gotten doll-sized clothes? I've been hiding in bushes for the past few hours."

"I'll try writing something," said Bernard.

"Hold on, do you two have a pen in your car? I'll show you," said Penny, taking a receipt out of her pocket which she'd found on the ground near the gas station where she had used a pay phone to call her parents.

"A pen? What's the meaning of this?" Mr. Stacy demanded.

"There might be one in the glove box," suggested Darla.

Penny opened the car door and rummaged through the glove box, finding a pen and then placing Bernard and Bianca on the hood of the car with the receipt. Bernard grabbed the pen, which was rather large for him and put it to the paper as Penny's parents watched.

"What in blazes is it doing?" asked Penny's father.

Bernard held the paper up. It read 'Penny is telling the truth.' Penny's parents simply stared, mouths agape.

"I think we've all gone crazy, all three of us," Ted Stacy muttered as they rode down the freeway in the car, Penny and Bernard and Bianca riding in back as Wilbur hitched a ride on the roof of the car, "Why do you want to go back to Bethesda anyway? What do these rats want from you?"

"Let's just say there are reasons I'm not allowed to talk about everything that goes on at work," said Penny, "We've been finding more and more intelligent rodents, not all of them created by our scientific meddling either, and this brought back memories from my childhood. Ones I'd tried to bury."

"We should have believed her back then." said Darla Stacy, still in disbelief.

"I'm not sure I would have believed myself either," said Penny, "But things are just terrible at NIMH. Knowing that these rodents are sentient, just like you and me, I can't let the experiments go on."

"You're not going to do anything that'll get you arrested, are you?" asked Penny's father.

"I'm not going to lie, it might. But all I need you to do is take me back to my apartment. I won't hold you responsible for anything else."

"Do you really want to throw everything you've worked and gone to school for away for this?" her dad asked.

"I have a promise to keep," said Penny, "I've been hurting these smart rodents for a long time. Now I know what I've done wrong, and I need to save them. Even if it means I get in trouble for it. Besides, they would just send me back to the psychiatric ward if worse came to worse. Which is just where I'd be right now anyway if not for Bernard and Bianca."

"I don't like this," said Darla, "You'll be breaking the law."

"I'm doing what I feel is right, law or no law," said Penny, "I have my keycard at my apartment somewhere. I'll go in at night and free all the mice, and that will be that."

"Then what?" asked Ted.

"Then…maybe I'll flee the state. I don't know. But Bernard and Bianca will be looking out for me no matter what happens."

"What can a bunch of rats do?" asked Ted.

"You'd be surprised. They rescued me before, didn't they? I'll be alright…I know I will, in the end."

Penny's parents didn't like it, but were too bewildered by the entire thing to say no. So they followed the highway to Bethesda, unaware that there were more mice looking to join their mission to liberate NIMH.

The woods gradually gave way to a suburb as the Ranger Wingamathing followed the road. This time the furlings had a better idea of what they were looking at; cars, houses, telephone poles. It may in fact have been the exact same suburb they'd seen upon leaving Dapplewood for the first time. Yet now they had an idea of where to go, following the green signs on the freeway. Brutus shuddered at seeing human civilization for the first time since escaping NIMH.

"Look at them down there, like little ants. Thinking they're so powerful. Thinking we're nothing but vermin to be trounced upon. We'll show them what we're really made of."

"That's the spirit, Brutus," said Abigail, thinking it would be best to try and be friendly with the rat who was supposed to be her bodyguard now.

"I don't think we should stop at rescuing your friends," said Brutus, "We need to send them a message that they can't do this anymore."

"Not sure how that's gonna work," said Gadget, "Our priority should be rescue first and foremost."

"I'll let you peons be in charge of that," Brutus said, "We have all the power we need in that stone."

"I'm not sure the stone is meant to be used to cause destruction," said Abigail, "Didn't Mrs. Brisby just use it to save her family? It's meant to be used in emergencies."

"We'll see about that. The stone will do what it needs to protect its wearer."

They continued on for some time, until finally reaching the city of Bethesda. It wasn't a huge city, but just about every city was huge to the furlings. Gadget surveyed the landscape until finding what looked to be a library, and she landed the Ranger Wingamathing on the roof.

"You guys stay put," said Gadget, "Zipper, Dale and I will go in and find a phone book in here."

"Me?" Dale asked.

"As you wish," said Brutus, unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the plane, stretching, "I'll make sure these imbecilic brats stay safe."

"Hey!" Michelle said angrily.

Brutus drew his spear and practiced, jabbing and slashing imaginary enemies, as Gadget found an air vent for them to enter. It would be around a two hour wait before the Rescue Rangers had any success in locating a phone book, and then succeeding in locating Penny's apartment. Edgar and Russell moved to the front and played with the radio, listening to different stations; they weren't sure if Gadget would object to this, but reasoned now that they were in civilization again, it was safer to use the batteries.

"How did you get so good at that?" Abigail asked after watching Brutus practice for a good while.

"Lots of practice," he answered, "You could do with learning some self defense yourself. The way you bested me you might be a natural for it."

"I've never used a weapon on anyone," Abigail said, twirling her hair meekly. It was true, she'd never been in a real fight like that, though she did know how to throw a mean punch as Willy could attest to.

"This thing's probably too heavy for you. You strike me as someone who'd be good with a dagger, or maybe even a one-handed sword if you got good enough."

Brutus unstrapped the dagger from his hip and tossed it at Abigail, who made a clumsy grab for it in the air, being caught off guard.

"Woah," Willy said, staring at the sheathed blade, "Is he giving that to you?"

Abigail inspected it for a moment, before sliding the dagger out of its sheath. The blade shone in the sun, and tapered to a razor sharp point.

"We forge our own blades at Thorn Valley," Brutus explained, "Using melted down materials from human scrap metal. That thing probably wouldn't do much to a human though, unless you stab them in the right place. But who knows what else we might go up against."

"I don't know much about fighting with these," Abigail confessed.

"Before that scientist comes back maybe I can teach you a little," Brutus offered, "Come on out here."

Abigail climbed out of the plane, and the rest of the furlings watched.

"Alright, show me a fighting stance," said Brutus, "Pretend I'm the enemy."

Abigail held onto the dagger with two hands, pointing it at Brutus, standing up straight.

"Oh please, is that what you think of as a fighting stance? Here," Brutus took one of Abigail's hands off the hilt, shoving one of her ankles back with his foot so that she had one foot forward, making her wince and stumble a little, "There, now chamber your fist, but keep it open a little so you can grab."

Brutus grabbed her left wrist and pulled it back, her dagger still in her right hand. She made a loose fist as she was told, and looked up to Brutus for further instruction.

"Good good, now when I grab the strap of your overalls like so, what do you do?"

He grabbed the left strap of her overalls and nearly picked her up by it. She tried to struggle for a moment but he wouldn't let go. Finally she grabbed onto his bicep with her left hand and pretended to slash his arm with her dagger.

"Not bad," Brutus said, going down to one knee and clutching his arm, "So you've got me down, paying more attention to my arm than you. What now?"

"I run?" she asked.

"You could do that. But you have a dagger. Why not finish me?"

"You'd no longer be a threat." she answered.

"No longer be- what is it with you?" Brutus shook his head, "Well if you actually wanted to eliminate the threat, you could jab the dagger into the throat, sidekick them in the jaw, or anything but run."

At this time, Gadget climbed up from the air vent, pulling Dale up with Zipper flying out himself. Edgar shut the radio off quickly and they moved to the back seats again, hoping Gadget wouldn't notice.

"We'll practice more later perhaps, hm?" Brutus said, climbing back into the plane.

"Golly, what are you doing with that?" Gadget asked Abigail.

"Brutus gave it to me," she said, sheathing the dagger and trying to get the belt around her waist, having never worn a belt before.

"The girl needs to learn to defend herself," said Brutus.

"There are ways of defending yourself without killing," Gadget said, getting into the driver's seat, "I prefer using plunger weapons, for instance."

"Are all you mice like that?" Brutus scoffed, "No wonder you're having so much trouble."

"What did you guys find out?"

"I think we found her. She lives really close to NIMH. We were gonna head over now, you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Abigail replied.

"I still think this is a stupid idea," Brutus grunted.

"We better not end up in a rat trap or worse," Dale sighed.

Gadget disregarded the nay-saying and started the engine. The plane took off following the streets, Gadget paying attention to the street names and consulting a small map drawn on a piece of paper she'd made herself. But then they finally came upon the humble apartment complex they were looking for, none of them took notice to the black van parked along the sidewalk outside. They flew on, searching for the correct building number, and hoping that whoever was inside would help them.

Chapter 33

Upon the roof of the apartment complex, the Ranger Wingamathing finally came to rest. Gadget strapped her goggles back onto her head and hopped out, followed soon by the others. Most were excited; they were finally close to NIMH. Dale and Brutus were still the most apprehensive of the bunch.

"Okay, here's how we'll do it," said Gadget, "Zipper, you stay up here with Michelle and the airplane."

"Awwww," Michelle sighed, knowing complaining about being left behind was pointless.

"The rest of us will head through the air conditioning vents," Gadget continued.

"Thank goodness buildings have those, or else we'd never get into anywhere." Dale quipped

"NIMH's won't be so easy," Brutus remarked, "Only two of the mice survived the air vents."

"We'll have to come up with a work-around for that, maybe putting plungers on our feet…but we'll discuss that later," said Gadget, "As long as the air conditioning isn't going here, we'll be okay. And it's not too hot out. We may be in luck. It's on the top floor too so we won't have to go far."

"And when we get in…then what?" Willy asked.

"I'll open the vent up," said Gadget, "And we'll see if Penny's home. If not, I guess we can wait for her."

"I'll have my spear," said Brutus, "It won't do much to a human, but it could give us time to escape."

"S-sure, just in case," Gadget said, scratching her head and looking down at the vent. A fan spun relentlessly below.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Abigail asked.

"All right then," Gadget said, "Hm, mind if you use your spear here, Brutus?"

"I suppose not," Brutus said, lowering his spear. The fan stopped with a clang.

"See, it makes a useful tool too," said Gadget, hopping down into the vent. The others followed, and Gadget grabbed the other end of the spear to hold the fan in place as Brutus jumped down with a loud thud, the heaviest of the gang.

"Sure is dark in here," said Russell.

"Nah, this is fine, follow me," said Edgar, walking down the windy corridor.

The furlings trailed closely behind Edgar, with the adults taking the rear.

"Any idea when we'll know we've reached the right room?" asked Dale.

"It's apartment H8. We entered at H2, so if I'm right, we'll pass three vents on our way to the correct one. The even numbered apartments are all on the top floor."

They soon passed their first vent, then their second. Before long, they reached what they believed to be the correct vent.

"Wow…it's a mess down there," said Edgar.

Abigail peered through the vent, seeing a messy bedroom with a broken mirror and debris strewn about.

"It looks like what I saw in Justin's vision," said Abigail, "This has to be the right place."

Gadget took a small wrench from her pocket and reached through the vent cover, undoing the screws until it opened, the covering falling to the floor. She then unraveled the rope around her shoulder and lowered it toward the bed.

"This way we'll have a soft landing," she said.

One by one they lowered themselves onto the rope, which reached about halfway down the wall from the ceiling, and then jumped down onto the bed. The room was still.

"Anyone home?" Abigail called out, cupping her mouth.

"Sure we want to shout like that?" asked Willy, not liking their presence being advertised so loudly.

"It's alright Willy. What’s the matter, scared?"

"No! Just…cautious."

"I wonder what happened here," Edgar remarked, inspecting a teddy bear beside the pillow.

"It's more than just messy housekeeping, if I were to chance a guess she must have had some kind of breakdown here," said Gadget, looking at the shards of glass on the ground, and an answering machine cassette with the tape inside pulled out and strewn on the floor.

"I bet she felt terrible about being a part of NIMH," said Abigail, feeling sad on Penny's behalf.

Brutus gave a disbelieving snort, though he couldn't come up with a better reason why the room was in such shambles.

"If no one's home, what do we do?" asked Edgar.

"I suppose we wait," said Gadget.

"For how long?" Abigail asked Gadget, "We can't leave Michelle out there all day."

"Zipper would come down and tell us if there was a problem," Gadget answered.

"We'll need something to eat if we're going to be waiting a long time," said Dale.

"I was trying not to be the one to say it this time," Russell added.

"We could search the kitchen, but I'd hate to come off as a terrible house guest," said Gadget.

The sound of a key in a door knob reached their ears from the other room. The furlings were still ignorant as to what the sound meant.

"Someone's coming!" exclaimed Dale.

"Maybe it's her,' said Abigail, trying to remain calm, "Don't be scared."

The furlings had plenty reason to fear humans, however, and even Abigail was having a hard time fighting the urge to run and hide. Brutus drew his spear and prepared himself. The door creaked open.

"Well here it is," said an old lady, "So you say she's been committed to an asylum?"

Gadget's ears perked up. Penny was where?

"Yes, and she won't be returning for some time," came a man's voice, "You may want to arrange for an auction of her belongings after evicting her."

"It must be the landlord and someone else," Gadget whispered, "Hide!"

The group scrambled, hiding beneath blankets and the pillow. Brutus quickly grabbed Abigail by the wrist, disregarding anyone else in the group, and slid down the blanket to the floor, pulling her beneath the bed. Willy followed after them, scurrying on all fours and jumping off the bed to the floor as soon as he noticed Abigail being taken by Brutus. He still didn't trust the rat.

"Hm, perhaps I will do an auction," said the landlord, "Penny seemed like such a nice lady too, always thought she had such a down-to-Earth disposition, but I guess you never can tell. Anyway, I'm going back to my office. Take whatever it is you came here for and lock the door behind you, then return the keys to me."

"Yes ma'am," said another man.

The door closed.

"You take this room," said one of them, and footsteps were heard echoing off the tiled floor in the kitchen, "Remember, we're supposed to be looking for her access key, and any documents she might have saved. Don't let them fall into the wrong hands."

As the footsteps came closer to the bedroom, Brutus held his hand over Abigail's mouth and huddled in the far corner, with Willy scurrying over to be next to them. They saw a pair of boots enter the room.

"Hmm, I can see why Nimnul had her committed now…" said the man, "Let's see what she kept in here."

Beneath the covers of the bed, Dale clung to Gadget and shivered with fear, "Did he just say the last name I think he said?"

"They must be from NIMH," Gadget whispered, "If I had to guess I'd say they're here collecting any classified information she left behind."

"Sure they don't know we're here?" Dale asked, fearing the worst.

"I don't see how they could know."

"They're gonna find us, they're gonna find us," Dale was beginning to panic.

"Shhh, be quiet or they will," Gadget warned.

Russell rolled into a ball beneath the pillow as Edgar tried to burrow deeper into the blankets. The scientists attention was drawn to the movement on the bed. He walked closer, Abigail, Brutus and Willy watching his feet as they came up to the bed. The man pulled off the blanket, and Abigail heard the screams of her friends. She struggled, wanting to save them somehow, but Brutus held onto her tight. For a brief second, the amulet seemed to give off a glow, a golden sparkle. But it faded within a couple seconds. Brutus was the only one who noticed, but he kept quiet while eyeing it.

"Clark! Get in here!" the man yelled, making a grab at the rodents as they tried to run, "She's been hoarding test subjects!"

He picked up Gadget as Dale tried to run, and Dr. Clark came into the room, seeing the clothed rodents on the bed scramble. Gadget squirmed and tried to bite him but the man held on tightly.

"Wilson! Pull off the sheets, we'll get them that way!" Clark said.

The other scientist dropped Gadget back on the mattress and the two of them picked the sheet covering it by either side, and fashioned a makeshift bag out of the sheet, trapping them inside.

"Take these to the van," said Dr. Wilson, "I think we have at least one spare cage in there. I'll keep searching, there may be more of them."

"We can't let them do this!" Willy whispered harshly.

"We can't do anything about them now," Brutus replied, "We have to fend for ourselves, then think about how to save them along with the other captives. Don't you see? That amulet is still our best hope."

"Why can't it help us now?" Willy asked.

"When Abigail wills it to work, it will," Brutus said, "It isn't happening now. Not yet."

Abigail's eyes teared up, looking down at the amulet and not seeing it come to life. Willy glared angrily, more out of frustration with the amulet than at Abigail for not being able to awaken its supposed powers. But they did as they were told. Without the amulet they didn't stand much of a chance against humans.

"Let's get behind that dresser in case he looks under here," Brutus whispered, leading them behind the dresser with the broken mirror.

The scientist stooped down to check under the bed just as they'd slipped away, reaching underneath and feeling around. He got up and moved the bed, making doubly sure there were no rodents hiding beneath it. Dr. Wilson glanced over at the dresser, but reasoned that the space between it and the wall as too narrow. In truth, the three of them were barely able to squeeze through it one by one, but past the wooden beam at the edge there was slightly more breathing room. Instead Dr. Wilson began rummaging through her drawers, looking for anything else that could give away what was going on at NIMH. The three survivors waited for several agonizing minutes as every drawer was emptied, and he moved on to the closet. The doctors were leaving no stone unturned.

"Did you check behind the dresser?" came the voice of Dr. Clark, returning from the van.

"The thing's too heavy. Help me move it."

"Get beneath it," said Brutus, shoving Abigail downward.

She crawled under the dresser, followed by Willy. Brutus had a more difficult time, squeezing underneath just as the two men began pulling the dresser back with a grinding sound that was deafening to the rodents. They stayed hidden underneath the dresser, Brutus having to stay on his hands and knees or else hit his head on the bottom drawer.

"No sign of documents back here, or anything else," said Dr. Clark, "I found her key card and a few printouts from the lab out in the living room anyway, she must not have been keeping anything besides those test subjects in here."

"You'd better be right about that," said Dr. Wilson.

"Guess we'll get back and tell Strauss what we found," said Dr. Clark.

The two of them left, their footsteps becoming more faint until they heard the door close. They breathed a sigh of relief, though Abigail sat hugging her knees and crying.

"Oh don't start with that," Brutus scoffed.

Willy knelt down and hugged her, on the verge of tears himself. They'd all become his friends too since leaving the meadow. He felt like one of the furlings now.

"Justin was wrong," Abigail sniffed, "I-I don't have what it takes to make the amulet work…I don't have the courage…"

"You have more courage than anyone I've known," said Willy.

The compliment didn't reach Abigail, who buried her face in her arms and cried silently.

"You are untrained," said Brutus, "Let's hope that when the time comes where you really have to use that amulet, you won't be caught off guard again."

"Well now what do we do?" Willy asked, as Abigail continued to cry.

"We can forget about help from this human woman, from what those doctors said it sounds like she's locked up somewhere. This was a stupid idea anyway, I don't know what Justin was thinking, blindly trusting his 'visions'. From now on we're going to do things my way. The little girl and the fly are still up on the roof with the plane. We'll get back up there and take the plane to NIMH. Then, we'll make those humans pay. For everything."

"I just want my friends back," Abigail said shakily, "And Cornelius…and daddy…"

"You'll get them back, if they're alive," Brutus answered, "The sooner we leave the higher the chances that they will be alive. Now stop moping, let's get a move on."

Abigail sniffed and wiped her eyes, trying to stay strong. She began to crawl toward the front of the dresser, and the other two followed behind her. But just as they did, they heard the door open again.

"Damn! Get back in!" Brutus ordered.

It was just one set of footsteps this time, but for some reason, there was more than one voice.

"Something's not right…" said a woman's voice, "Was…was someone here while I was gone?"

Abigail stopped, halfway beneath the dresser.

"What are you waiting for?" Brutus hissed.

"You don't suppose NIMH sent someone here?" came a smaller voice, that of a woman with a thick accent.

"That's just like them! Nimnul had to have put them up to it! Did they take my key card?"

"It's Penny…" said Abigail, with the sound of frantic rustling coming from the other room.

"The same human we came to see?" Willy asked.

Abigail climbed out again, much to Brutus' chagrin.

"Where did you keep it?" asked a male voice.

"It's not on the coffee table…let me check my room."

"You fool! Hide!" Brutus yelled.

Willy wanted Abigail to hide too, not trusting whoever this human was, but she wouldn't. Abigail stood bravely on the floor among the shards of broken glass and waited as Penny opened the door, with Bernard and Bianca on each shoulder. Penny was startled, stopping in her tracks with a small gasp at the sight of the lone woodmouse with auburn hair and blue overalls, wearing a pretty necklace.

"Why, it's a little girl," Bianca remarked.

"Who are you?" asked Penny.

Abigail stared up at the gigantic human before her. The woman's hair wasn't as bright blonde as Abigail remembered from that last day at Dapplewood, but she knew Penny's face. She wore a plain blue dress instead of that white flowing lab coat. She was still the same scientist, the first human Abigail had seen without a mask on. But she had two mice on her shoulders. Justin had to be right about her. She'd changed from before.

"My name's Abigail," Abigail began after a few moments of hesitation, her ears down and her eyes pleading, "And…and I need your help."

Chapter 34

"We're doomed!" Dale shouted as he shook on the bars of the cage, the cage bouncing while the van drove them to NIMH.

"Stop panicking," Gadget said, trying to figure out how to undo the lock.

The cage had been built especially for intelligent rodents, and the lock had a key on it. She didn't have the proper tools on her to pick the lock, and her tail wouldn't quite reach, not to mention she risked serious injury by even trying.

"Abigail's still out there, right?" Russell asked, "She'll get us out of this."

"I know she will," said Edgar, trying to calm himself, "She never lets her friends down."

"We should've hid beneath the bed too," Dale lamented.

"I think the only reason Abigail escaped was because of the four of us being on top of the bed," Gadget reasoned, "If we were all down there the doctors would have caught us all."

"So that's us then, fall guys," Dale replied sarcastically, "It wasn't something I signed up for when I came with you."

"Don't worry, Abigail will get us before long," said Edgar.

"Hopefully before they have time to make us run through electrified mazes or see what our innards look like under a microscope."

"Dale, they don't need to hear this," Gadget cautioned, "Look on the bright side, maybe Chip and Monty are still alive. Maybe Russell and Edgar's families too."

"My mom better be there…" Edgar gave a sad look, remembering his beloved mother.

"I guess it would be nice, seeing them again," said Dale, at that point realizing how much he missed Chip and Monterey Jack. Gadget missed them too, though she'd distracted herself from it by taking charge as a leader.

The van stopped, and the back doors opened.

"Clark, find out at once if these were specimens from the lab, or new ones Penny picked up somewhere," said Dr. Wilson, "I'll go bring the key card and documents to Nimnul, and let him know what we found."

"Good plan," said Dr. Clark, grabbing the cage by its handle and shutting the van doors shut.

"Well, been nice knowing you guys," said Dale.

The doctor's entered the building and went separate ways, Dr. Clark heading for the lab where the test subjects were situated. He entered the dank laboratory and was greeted with the frightened stares of the rodents behind their cages. Among these was Chip.

"Looks like new test subjects," he whispered to himself.

Dr. Clark sat the cage on the table in the middle of the room, and went to go sit at a computer in the corner.

"I didn't think we were missing any test subjects, but let's see…we have a mouse, a chipmunk, a hedgehog and a mole."

He clicked on the keyboard, as the four captives looked through the bars of the cage, at the imprisoned rodents. But their doors only had a narrow, barred slit. Through it though, Chip let out a gasp when he recognized his friends.

"Oh my gosh! Gadget! Dale!" he shouted.

"Chip?" Gadget searched the rows against the wall before seeing Chip's face, "Oh Chip! Thank goodness you're alive!"

"Is that me pallies?" Monty exclaimed from a different cage a distance away.

"Monty's alive too!" Dale exclaimed.

At the shouting, Cornelius slowly got up and walked to the cage door, peering through it. He was startled when he saw the cage on the table.

"Great Honk! Furlings!"

"Cornelius!" Edgar and Russell both gasped.

"This is terrible!" Chip exclaimed, "What happened?"

"We were caught trying to find Penny Stacy," Gadget said sadly, "We were at her apartment when these doctors busted in and found us."

"Why those lousy rotters!" Monty snarled, "Did Zippa escape?"

"He was on the roof with Michelle," said Dale.

"She's still alive, I'm so glad to hear that," Cornelius said, "Where's Abigail?"

"She got away too," said Russell, "She hid under the bed with Willy, and this rat we met at Thorn Valley. Long story."

A mouse two cages away from Chip awoke from a sedated slumber at the mention of Abigail. He made his way to the cage door, "Abigail?"

"It's Abigail's dad!" Edgar exclaimed.

"Edgar! Oh no, you've been caught too! Is Abigail alive? Is she in there?"

"Alive, but not in here," said Edgar, "Is…is my mother here?"

"I'm not sure," said Abigail's father, both grateful and saddened in different ways not to see his daughter among them.

"She's been taken with a few others for more testing," said Chip, "It…hasn't been pretty. We're not sure if some of us have just been shipped to other labs for testing, or…"

"Talkative today, aren't we?" said Dr. Clark, getting up from the computer and walking toward the cage, "They must be communicating verbally. If we could only get their language decoded somehow."

Everyone went silent, ever fearful of the scientist as he jotted down notes on a clip board, "It doesn't seem that we're missing any subjects. We only had one chipmunk and he's still in his cage. These must be new ones. We'd better have you guys tested for traces of the serum first."

"Wh-what?" Russell feared the worst.

"He must mean the serum those rats were injected with,” said Gadget, "I'd wager they're going to test our blood. It'll hurt, but we'll survive."

"Oh no! I hate needles!" Dale yelled.

"If you act really intelligent they'll more likely keep you alive longer for testing," Chip advised them.

"Hopefully we won't be here long enough for the really bad testing," Gadget said to herself, as Dr. Clark readied a syringe.

Penny, Bernard and Bianca watched as Abigail pulled her boyfriend Willy out from under the dresser, and a much larger rat squeezed his way out as well. When he got out, he brandished his spear and glared daggers at the enormous human.

"Where did you all come from?" asked Penny, surprised to see the unlikely trio in her home.

"I'm from Dapplewood," Abigail answered, before frowning a little, "I…believe you've been there before."

Penny put her hand over her mouth, a pang of guilt in her chest, "Dapplewood? I…thought we took everyone from there."

"My friends and I hid in our teacher Cornelius' basement," Abigail answered,

"Cornelius the badger? You must be one of his…oh what did he call them?"

"Furlings." said Willy.

"Yes that's it. You poor creature…" Penny got down on her knees, "I don't know how to even begin to apologize."

"You know Cornelius?" Abigail asked, "Is he…alive?"

"Yes I do, he was the one to reawaken my gift, the gift of understanding animals. And as far as I know, he's alive. I only saw him about two days ago."

Abigail felt happy at hearing this, but she was still cautious about Penny.

"Is it true you aren't working with NIMH anymore?" Abigail asked.

"Not anymore. I realized working for them was a big mistake. I'm absolutely sorry about what happened at Dapplewood. I never would have thought a survivor would make it all the way here."

"Vait a minute," Bianca said, climbing down Penny's arm, "Bernard, remember vhat the squirrel said at the Rescue Aid Society meeting? About the survivor children that those Rescue Rangers vhere helping?"

"They were from someplace called Dapplewood, weren't they?" Bernard asked, following her down.

"What? What squirrel?" Abigail asked.

"Her name vas Tammy, she vas a nurse," said Bianca.

"Oh!" Penny exclaimed, "Yes, I know which squirrel you're talking about, one of the six that weren't gassed at the UN building. And the Rescue Rangers; they're the ones we found at Central Park in New York aren't they?"

"Yes, and it's lucky my friends and I weren't there when it happened," Abigail said with a hint of resentment.

"Not to sound like I'm shifting the blame, but that little sting operation was Dr. Nimnul's idea, he's another NIMH employee now. After that Dr. Strauss concluded he wasn't completely insane. Though I think the small part of his brain that isn't insane is pure evil instead. I'm not even sure what his real motives are besides just malice."

"We're taking him out, right?" Brutus asked.

Penny stopped for a moment and stared at the gargantuan rat with the spear, who seemed to loathe her to the core without even knowing who she was.

"I'm hoping he won't be there when we break in," Penny answered, "If he gets in our way, well, then we'll do whatever needs to be done. Though I'd rather not be in jail for murder."

"If you're all to squeamish just tie him down and I'll finish him," said Brutus.

Penny considered it a moment, and to her surprise wasn't as against the idea as she thought she should have been, "We'll see what happens first."

"Hm, could the squirrel have been the nurse from New York who helped Michelle?" Abigail asked. She remembered Tammy being the first nice squirrel she'd ever met.

"Yes, she was a nurse," said Bernard.

"Vhen I heard about you children from her I wished we could do something to help, but now we can," said Bianca.

"How exactly are you planning on helping us?" Brutus asked, "The human could still be leading us into a trap."

"I assure you I'm not," promised Penny, "Who are you anyway? Why are you with Abigail?"

"What business is it of yours?" he snapped.

"He's one of the first rats to escape NIMH," Abigail blurted.

Penny blinked, "Really? One of the ones injected with the hormones?"

"Tell her any more and we'll have a problem," Brutus threatened Abigail.

"Don't worry," said Penny, "I know you're probably in hiding now, I won't ask where. The scientist in me would be fascinated to know how you've all advanced over the years, but I understand why you'd be apprehensive about telling me anything."

"Good that you understand that, because you won't be hearing anything else about us," said Brutus, "I can hardly stomach being in the same room as a human from NIMH. Going to you for help surely wasn't my idea. But for reasons I will not tell you, I'm this girl's body guard. She seemed to think you'd help us. For some reason."

"Easy now," said Bernard, gathering up the courage to lecture Brutus, "Penny's been through quite a lot, and she genuinely wants to help us now. You don't have to like her, or tell her anything about your group's hideout, but if you're going to be a part of this we'll need your cooperation."

"Hmph, mice. I'm beginning to think you're all idiots." Brutus folded his arms and scowled.

Abigail rolled her eyes, "He complains a lot, but he's along for the ride regardless of what he says about us. He's protecting me."

"It's okay,” said Penny, looking Brutus over out of fascination with the effects of the serum, "So Abigail, want me to free your family and friends from Dapplewood?"

Abigail nodded, "Yes."

"I was going to do it anyway, but now I owe it to you. I was part of the operation in Dapplewood after all."

"And just a little bit ago, I lost more of my friends…" Abigail added.

"Vhat happened?" Bianca asked.

"People from NIMH were just here a little bit ago. They took two of my best friends, and two members of the Rescue Rangers who were trying to help us."

"I knew it," Penny said in frustration, "They took more than that too, didn't they?"

"They were looking for other things too," Abigail answered.

"I'm not sure how to even get into the building without my key card. I can't access the laboratory without it."

"Ve'll find some vay in," said Bianca, "Ve are mice, ve can fit into small places."

"You've also got someone with you who's escaped before," Brutus added, "Those vents are dangerous for small creatures like you."

"Maybe ve can let Penny into the building from ze inside," Bianca suggested.

"It's worth a shot," said Bernard, "So it's just you three?"

Abigail's eyes lit up, "Oh gosh, I almost forgot, Michelle and Zipper are waiting on the roof."

"Michelle…Cornelius' niece?" Penny asked.

Abigail nodded, "And Zipper is a fly, the last member of the Rescue Rangers who wasn't captured."

"He may prove useful," said Bernard, "He's probably even smaller than any of us, plus he can fly."

"We better go tell them what happened, but we'd need to travel through the vents again," Abigail said, her ears going down thinking of Russell and Edgar, two of her best friends in the world, and how Michelle was going to react to the bad news.

"We'll get them and bring them down here," said Bernard, "We have an albatross working for us, he's hiding in a tree out front. In the meantime, Penny's going to hide out here until night."

"Oh, is that the plan?" Abigail asked.

Penny nodded, "Well originally, we planned on breaking in at around 3 in the morning with my key card. Maybe we'll figure something else out with you guys. Once you get me in, I'll free everyone."

"I doubt it's going to be as easy as that," said Brutus, "Even if you do succeed, NIMH will be more desperate than ever to cover up their tracks. They'll be looking for their lost specimens, and finding new ones in the process. You sure all we're going to do is get everyone out, and then leave the place be? We're not going to prevent NIMH from ever doing these things again?"

"We'll do what we can while staying safe," said Penny, "You do make a good point, you must know NIMH well."

"Too well," Brutus answered, "Safe or no, I plan on doing whatever it takes to protect the rats of NIMH. No matter how dangerous, or violent."

"Just don't endanger the rest of us," said Bernard, not liking this rat's attitude at all, "Bianca and I rescue for a living, you ought to just follow our lead."

"The only one I'm sworn to protect is Abigail, I'm not going to babysit the rest of you."

"How rude!" Bianca retorted, "Abigail, vhat is a nice girl like you doing vith that…that scoundrel?"

"It's a long story," said Abigail, "One that I'm probably not allowed to give you all the details about…"

"You catch on quick," said Brutus.

"Well here, since we have a lot of time to kill, why don't Bernard and Bianca get Wilbur to help your other two friends off the roof, and when everyone's here you can tell us what happened to you," Penny suggested, "Minus the top secret stuff."

"I feel like I can rehearse the story in my sleep after telling it so many times, but okay," said Abigail.

Penny got to her feet and gathered Bernard and Bianca in her hands, taking them to the front door and opening it only a crack before placing them on the ground again.

"Abby, I sure hope we can trust this human…" said Willy.

"She'd have squashed us or given us to NIMH by now if she was going to," said Abigail, "I know humans are scary, but I have a good feeling about this one."

Chapter 35

The streets were eerily silent as Penny walked, devoid of cars and lit only by street lamps and the stars in the sky. Her companions traveled up above, in the Ranger Wingamathing to get to the roof of NIMH, following Penny's lead. Wilbur the albatross flew alongside the plane in case anything went wrong. They decided he could stay on the roof and provide a quick getaway if they needed it. With a few pointers from Zipper, Bernard learned to steer the flying machine. Bianca sat beside him, while Abigail, Michelle and Willy sat in the middle working the wings. Brutus loomed in the back, staring down at the landscape below in silent contemplation upon returning to what he regarded as Hell.

"I can't wait to see Uncle Cornelius again," Michelle remarked, "Do I get to come in with you this time?"

Abigail looked down at her friend, "This place is the most dangerous one of all Michelle…"

Michelle crossed her arms, not the least bit surprised at Abigail's response. Abigail looked to Willy, who silently cranked the wings as quick as he could.

"Are you scared, Willy?"

"A little," Willy admitted, "Are you?"

"I'm a little scared too," Abigail said.

"I know it probably would have been a lot more useful if the humans had taken me instead of Gadget. I don't feel like I can really do much."

"That's not true Willy," Abigail urged, "I know you'll be giving this your all. And if so much of this rests on me, I'm just happy to have someone to share the burden. You've helped keep me going since the beginning. I…I love you."

Willy blushed, "I love you too, Abigail. It's been quite a journey too. I've learned so much."

"Ve'll be alright," said Bianca, "Our Rescue Aid Society vill talk of this daring rescue for years to come. Your name vill be in all the history books about our group, Abigail."

Abigail gave a flattered giggle, though inside she couldn't feel more stressed.

"Penny's walking toward that building," said Bernard, "It must be the one."

"Yes, it is," said Brutus, his voice betraying nervousness for the first time that Abigail could hear.

Everyone got a sense of foreboding fear as the plane approached the building. Here countless rodents had met their demise, and now they were going straight to the belly of the beast. There was a reason neither the Rescue Aid Society nor the Rescue Rangers had attempted a rescue here before. It was a struggle between man and mouse, one which never boded well for mice.

"Land along the side of the door up there," said Brutus, "That’s where we escaped."

"Alright," Bernard said, taking the plane down for a landing.

The air vent there stood upright rather than it being flat on the surface. But it wasn't the way Brutus remembered it. NIMH had learned from their mistakes. Brutus hopped out of the plane, the air coming from the vent blowing through his fur and the cape he wore. He drew his spear and tossed it against the metal grating, and it exploded in sparks, giving off smoke when it hit the ground and he knelt down to pick it up.

"It's electrified. Makes me wish we had been better about covering our tracks when we escaped NIMH," said Brutus, "Of course, we didn't think we'd ever be coming back here."

Bianca asked, "How else can ve get inside?"

Brutus turned around, "The fly. He may be able to squeeze in without touching any of the metal wire, and somehow undo the electrical circuits powering this thing. If he doesn't get blown to his death."

"Hm…hate to say it but he is the smallest of us," said Bernard.

Zipper gulped and hovered toward the vent, having to fight against the air current.

"You can do it Zipper!" Michelle cheered.

"Yeah, everyone's counting on you," Willy added.

Zipper fought against the air until he was through the grating, batting his wings as hard as he could. He could see the wires at the top corner of the air shaft, and he grabbed ahold, yanking at it with all his little might. After a tense wait, finally Zipper managed to yank the wire free of the grating, its copper innards pulling free of where it had been connected to a device on the grate. To be safe, Brutus threw his spear at it again. It fell to the ground with an empty clank.

"Great work Zipper," Abigail said, smiling and walking up to the vent, "So now we just need to get this off."

"We'll unscrew the bolts at the top," said Bernard, beginning to climb the vent. Bianca followed, and the two of them put all their strength into unscrewing the bolts, wrapping their arms around and twisting. It took a lot of effort but soon they had them loose. The grate dropped down with a clatter, and Zipper flew out to join them.

"Stay here Michelle," said Abigail, stooping down to her height, "When we come out you'll have your uncle Cornelius back, 'kay?"

"What if you don't come back?" Michelle asked, her voice trembling, "I'd be all alone."

"I will come back, don't you worry."

Michelle wiped her eyes, not fully believing her.

"Vilbur's right on the other side of the building, Michelle," Bianca said as she climbed down, "If something happens, go to him."

She nodded silently, and huddled close to the plane.

"I guess this is it," said Willy.

Abigail took his hand and held it tightly, "Let's go."

"After me," Brutus interjected, stepping into the vent, holding his spear, "And be careful, the wind current is strong. There's a reason Thorn Valley is mostly rats."

Zipper held onto Abigail's shoulders, and Bernard and Bianca held hands and brought up the rear as the group continued in, their fur waving in the cold air. It was hard to breathe, and completely dark, save for Brutus' electrically charged spear. Edgar would be able to see down this vent perfectly, Abigail thought sadly. If only he were here.

When they neared a place where the tunnel split in a fork, the air current was so overwhelming Abigail could feel her feet start to slide against the cold metallic ground. She and Willy both began to stumble back before Brutus gripped Abigail's wrist and yanked her forward roughly.

"Take a deep stance," Brutus yelled over the rushing air, "There's a fan down that tunnel, don't let it suck you in!"

Bianca and Bernard had to hold hands and fight the wind currents, and their feet began to slip. Bianca gave a shout as she lost her footing, and Bernard tried desperately to pull her up, sliding himself in the process.

"Grab my tail!" Willy shouted over the blowing air.

Bernard reached and grabbed Willy's tail. It hurt, but with him holding Abigail's hand and Abigail being dragged by Brutus, they were safe.

"I can see I have to do this myself," Brutus grumbled.

The trip down the vent was long and perilous, but finally, the winds began to cease, and the mice could stand on their own two feet again. Willy rubbed the base of his tail and winced when Bernard let go.

"Thanks Willy," Bernard said.

"You saved our lives," Bianca said, grateful to the boy.

"Aw, it was nothing," said Willy.

"Don't line up to thank me now," said Brutus.

"Thank you too," Bianca added, "So good ve have a big rat vith us."

"What happened to me being a brute?" Brutus said with a snort, "This way. The vents will be at the ceiling, a different way from the rout we took to escape but I don't think we want to try a straight drop down to those."

"Just lead the way, Brutus," said Bernard, "I hope Penny can wait…"

Penny paced back and forth at the front door, looking at her watch.

"Damn," she whispered, "What's taking so long? I hope they weren't sucked into the vents…"

"How's it going down there?" Wilbur shouted from the roof.

"Nothing yet," Penny answered, "Did they get in?"

"I was watching them," said Wilbur, "It took some doing, I think the vent may have been electrified or something, but they made it inside a little bit ago."

"Good…" she sighed.

It was then that she heard the door unlock on its own.

"What?" Penny stepped back.

The intercom inside crackled to life, "Do we have a guest tonight? Oh it's awfully late, or early depending on how you look at it, but please, do make yourself at home, heh heh heh ha ha…."

Penny frowned. It was Nimnul. She'd hoped that he wouldn't know she was here just yet, but she'd forgotten the security camera at the front door. Did she dare walk into what was likely a trap?

Abigail gasped when the voice on the intercom rang through the vents.

"Came home and found your key card missing? You poor darling. You know it's a 25 dollar fee to replace those, don't you? Anyway, we can discuss that later. There is more I wish to discuss with you too."

Brutus frowned, but continued on down the vent.

"Penny's been spotted," Bianca whispered, "Does he know about us?"

"Keep going," said Brutus, "Either way, we'll make him a dead man."

Penny opened the door, and with hesitation, stepped through into the waiting room and the front desk, looking about in the dark for signs of an ambush.

"You know that you'll never get away with this, don't you?" Nimnul asked over the intercom, "Breaking free of a mental hospital? Breaking into NIMH? Of course, I know that I haven't long before the law catches up to me either. I know…I know too much now."

Penny walked the darkly lit halls, silently heading for the laboratory.

"You see Penny, that's just one more thing we have in common, you and I. After this is all said and done we're probably both going to jail, or maybe back to the loony bin."

"We have nothing in common," Penny muttered.

"That's where you're wrong Penny, you and I see reality differently from the rest of humanity. We're unique. We have our own way of looking at reality. Yes, reality…that's something I've thought a lot about these past couple days."

Penny got to the door, and tried to open it. But it was locked. She banged on it and kicked it in frustration.

"Hurry up guys…" she whispered to herself.

"You see where the average moron sees an ugly, furry, disease-carrying rat, we see a living, thinking, intelligent being. Capable of language, compassion, love, fear, pain. Hell, they even wear clothes! How does the rest of the world miss that? Are we the crazy ones? Or are they?"

Brutus pulled Abigail along and the rest of the mice ran along behind as he searched for the right vent, the one that led to the laboratory, right above the furnace that the rats had escaped through those many years ago.

"I'll tell you what it is, Penny Stacy. It's perception of reality. The average human has such a narrow perception of reality. We see only what we expect to see. We blot out anything that we're told doesn't fit. The hive mind of humanity has decided what reality is by rule of majority. We are told what is real, and that becomes real. We are told what is imaginary, and it becomes imaginary. And when you give someone else the authority to shape your perception of reality for you, you surrender anything you see that runs contrary to their version. "

"There it is," Brutus said, stopping at a vent.

Abigail peered through, seeing a room with rows upon rows of cages, steel doors with a water bottle sticking out of each.

"Looks like the locking mechanisms on the doors aren't as easy to undo as they were before," Brutus remarked, "We may need that human to open them."

"Vell vhat are ve vaiting for? Let's open zis vent," said Bianca.

Penny stared into the security camera above the laboratory door.

"So what are you going to do now that you know I'm here? Lecture me to death?" she asked with bitterness.

"Put it another way. Ever heard of Plato's Cave Allegory? Surely you had to take at least one philosophy class to earn that degree, hm? The rest of the people in this world are like the poor fools tied to a chair in a cave all their lives seeing nothing in front of them but shadows on the walls. You and I Penny, are the ones who escaped the cave into the blinding sunlight and saw reality for what it really is. If we were to return to the cave and tell the others what we saw, they'd call us mad. They see only shadows, and accept it as reality. And they have no desire to escape the cave."

"So you knew that rodents and animals could speak and feel all along."

"No, no." Nimnul gave a light chuckle into the speaker, "You've discovered this fact on your own, Penny. I applaud you. It is truly an amazing feat. You see one other, rather large group of people who can think outside the box enough to experience the other layers of reality is children. Like the little girl you used to be when you were saved by those mice. Us grown-ups may humor children, or laugh at them for speaking to their pets, toys, imaginary friends. But maybe, just maybe…they're seeing something the rest of us have blinded ourselves to. And in time we force those children to blind themselves to it as well. You, Penny, overcame this barrier. I don't know how, but you've done it. You see things other scientists can only dream of…but something a scientist would laugh you out of the establishment for if you tried to convince them any of it is real. You have a brilliant mind. The perception of a child and the intellect of an adult…how I wonder about that wonderful brain of yours."

Nimnul may have been completely mad, and evil…but he was making sense, Penny thought. Something was different about him now. What was it?

"And if I discovered this on my own, how did you discover it?" Penny asked.

"Ah, ahem, well…I was just getting to that, heh heh heh…"

The speaker clicked. Penny stared up at the camera with a cocked eyebrow. She heard a doorknob open down the hall, coming from Strauss' office. She turned. A black, deformed silhouette stood in the doorway with glowing yellow eyes. Penny gasped at the sight, turning to defend herself.

"You see Penny," came the voice of Nimnul, "I've done a lot of thinking over the past couple days. But I cannot call this deep epiphany on reality my own. Not really. No…it was the serum that gave me that."

The serum?! Penny's eyes widened.

"You've injected yourself with that…that…"

"Yes Dr. Stacy, it was time someone tried it on a human," Nimnul said, walking closer, his new form slowly revealing itself, "Strauss was an idiot, tucking the serum away at the first sign of trouble. If he ever wakes up from that drug-induced coma I put him in I'll owe him a swift kick in the pants for that."

"You're a monster," Penny breathed, in fear.

"If you're going to be called a monster anyway you might as well become one," Nimnul said, flipping on a light switch.

Nimnul's skull was bulging, his cranium warped and twisted to accommodate the added brain mass. He had a hunched back, and muscular arms, as the serum had not only enhanced his intelligence but his strength as well.

"Ever since taking the serum I've been able to see things no human could see. Imagine it Penny, colors you've never seen before, details that only a microscope could unveil, and yes, I even see those vermin the same way you do now. But Penny…I've cheated. Sure I have a higher intelligence, but I've done it with no more honor than an athlete doping themselves up on steroids at the Olympics. You on the other hand, learned to see the rodents as they are completely on your own. And I want to know how. I want to know why."

Nimnul advanced, and she stepped back.

"And as a scientist, you know the quickest way to find that out don't you?" Nimnul asked.

He took out a scalpel from his lab coat. Penny turned, and ran.

Chip listened from inside his cage at the drama unfolding out in the hallway.

"What on Earth is going on out there? Penny…"

There were murmurs coming from all the cages, all of them having woken up to Nimnul's rant over the intercom. Upon hearing the name Penny, many had cheered in hopes that they'd now be rescued. But it wasn't certain anymore.

That is, until a familiar buzzing caught Chip's ear. He peered through the slits in his cage to see Zipper, flying past the cage and searching for this friends.

"Zipper!" Chip shouted.

"Golly, Zipper's here?" came Gadget's voice a few cages down.

Zipper stopped, turning straight back and flying up to Chip's cage. From his insect chatter it was clear he was overjoyed to see his old friend still alive.

"So Penny did bring the rest of you here with her!" Chip said, "Maybe there's still hope!"

Zipper pointed upward toward the vent and verbalized excitedly.

"He says they're trying to get the vent open now," Chip reported so everyone else could hear, "They have Abigail, Willy, Bernard and Bianca from the Rescue Aid Society, and a large rat named Brutus with them."

"Wait, Abigail's here?" Russell asked with excitement.

"I knew it!" Edgar exclaimed, "I wonder if that necklace is gonna come in handy now."

"Haha! We're gettin' out tonight!" Dale cheered from three rows down.

"The Rescue Rangers are going to get rescued by the Rescue Aid Society, hm?" Chip rubbed his temples, "Humiliating, but ah well…"

"I think I can tell you how to get these cages open from the outside,' Gadget called out.

Zipper heard Gadget and nodded, telling her that they'd hear her better once they were down.

Up above, Brutus was working on undoing the first screw with both arms twisting at it, but to no avail. Grunting, the four mice pushed on the vent cover with all their might.

"My friends are down there," Abigail said as she pushed with all her might, "My family too…they're all counting on me."

"Damn! It's no use," Brutus growled, "This thing won't budge, and if I'm the strongest one here how do we ever expect to open it?"

Abigail frowned. She'd come so far. Her friends, possibly her father, were right there, on the other side of the vent. She was not going to be stopped by the grille of an air vent after all she'd been through.

"We'll turn around and get to the front door," said Bernard, "It'll take some time, and we'll have to get through the vent in one piece again, but the door might be open now."

"No…" Abigail said in a low voice.

"What?" Bernard asked.

They all turned to look at Abigail, who had begin to pant through clenched teeth, a deep scowl on her face.

"Abby?" Willy asked.

"Vhat's ze matter?" Bianca asked.

Brutus caught a glimpse of the amulet around her neck. It gave off a yellow flash. He grinned.

"Yeah, it's hopeless," Brutus said, purposely trying to bring out her rage, "We've come all this way for nothing. Ah well. It's not like a pathetic little mouse girl ever stood a chance against NIMH anyway."

The jewel glowed, and Abigail pushed against the grille with an angry yell. The bars began to bend and lurch forward, the screws being pulled out of the wall.

"That's it," said Brutus, "Get desperate. Get angry. Your loved ones are in mortal danger down there. That's when the jewel works."

Soon the whole thing fell to the floor with a clatter. She'd done it all on her own.

"How did you…" Willy ran his fingers through his hair, in shock at what he'd seen Abigail do, "No wonder I can't beat you at arm wrestling."

Bernard and Bianca were speechless. They hadn't been told anything about the jewel yet, as Brutus hadn't allowed it. Meanwhile the room erupted with cheering, none of the rodents in the cage having seen what Abigail had done, but could tell from the clatter that the vent had been opened.

"Now we need some way down," said Brutus, "Girl, use the amulet. Think of the way your friends and family have been tortured. You need them out of here, and you need to be fast or we'll be caught!"

Abigail looked down at the glowing amulet. She didn’t know what Brutus was talking about. Use the amulet? She tried to touch it with her hands, but squealed in pain. It burned her hands, but its golden glow remained on her palms for a few moments before fading away.

"What is that thing?" Bernard asked finally.

Abigail bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes before touching the amulet again, picking it up in her hands. Agonizing as it was, she felt its energy course through her body. She opened her eyes, tears welling up in them, and looked down at one of the lab tables. She imagined it sliding across the floor, being lifted, and propping itself against the wall. She thought about it, focused all of her will on it. And it began to happen. It dragged across the floor, shakily lifted up at one end, and propped itself against the wall. If they could make it down to the top of the table unharmed, they could slide the rest of the way down.

"Such power," Brutus remarked, "I've only seen it used once before, when Mrs. Brisby saved her children."

"I think she's hurt," said Bianca, concerned though not understanding what was happening.

"Never mind the pain, Abigail," Brutus said, "You have to do what's right now. Use that power to free the prisoners, and then we'll use that power to kill the scientists and destroy this place!"

Abigail was silent to Brutus' suggestion. Still glowing, she hopped down to the top of the table, and slid to the floor. Willy watched with concern, before climbing after her.

"Abigail! Wait for me!"

Penny's face slammed against the wall, Dr. Nimnul muscling her into a hammer lock after pursuing her through the halls.

"I'm not saying it has to be this way Penny, if you'll only join me we'll eradicate those pests and flee. We can outsmart any lawmen who try to take us."

"N-never! I'll die first!"

"Pity, but oh well," Nimnul said, "Let's see what makes that pretty little head of yours tick then."

Nimnul forced her into a nearby room with an operating table, one normally used for autopsies of people who had donated their bodies for science. The area around the table was surrounded by rows of seats, each higher up than the last. She screamed and struggled, but was no match for Nimnul's enhanced strength. He lifted her and slammed her onto the table, knocking the wind out of her as he strapped her down.

"You know I do regret dissecting fascinating creatures like those rodents and yourself," he said after tightening the belt straps, "It's like explaining a good joke. You find out how it works, but something has to die in the process."

"You bastard!" Penny shouted, trying desperately to break free, "Bernard! Bianca! Help!"

Distant screams could be heard as Abigail stood on the ground looking up at the wall filled with cages. The rodents inside had been put into an awestruck silence at the sight of the table moving on its own. The first one to raise their voice was one that Abigail hadn't heard in weeks.

"Abby!" shouted Abigail's father.

"Daddy…" she whispered, looking for the cage it had come from, "Daddy where are you?"

"I'm up here!"

The others slid down the table one by one, no worse for the wear.

"I think Penny's in trouble," Bianca said, worried about her friend, "Vhat do ve do?"

"There's a way to open these cages," came the voice of Gadget, "You need the combination of the lock. I think I've memorized mine."

You can open any door, if you only have the key.

Abigail thought she was finally learning what the key was. Mrs. Brisby had used the amulet to save her children. Abigail's hands were scorched, but she knew what to do.

"Daddy!" Abigail shouted.

She gripped the amulet tightly and she visualized each of the doors on the cages opening, focusing on Edgar, Russell, Cornelius, Gadget, Dale, and everyone she knew and loved behind those doors, suffering at the hands of NIMH. The cage doors began to rattle. The cage door that Abigail's father was behind spontaneously ripped itself from its hinges, the lock's bolt breaking. One by one down the rows, each door pulled itself free and fell to the floor. Those able-bodied enough jumped out immediately. Those who knew each other had tearful reunions, having probably not seen one another since being locked away in cages. The denizens of Dapplewood rejoiced; Russell reunited with his family (sadly…sans a few of his siblings), while Edgar listened for the sound of his mother blindly, without his glasses, and the two of them found each other. The Rescue Rangers reunited with a group hug, and were soon joined by Tammy.

"My gosh, Abigail!" Gadget said, looking back after the hug, "What was all that? It…defies scientific explanation!"

The rest of the rodents gathered around Abigail, who had now turned to stare at the locked door to the laboratory.

"My…little girl…" said Abigail's father, coming up behind her. He was stopped by Brutus pushing him away with his spear.

"Give her room," Brutus demanded, "She must clear her thoughts."

"But she's my daughter!" he argued.

"Don't touch me daddy," she said, "You'll burn. I have to concentrate."

Her father fell silent, and took a few steps back. He had to take her advice.

"Furlings," came the weak voice of Cornelius from above. He was in a higher cage, unable to jump down.

"Cornelius!" exclaimed Russell and Edgar, who briefly broke away from their families and ran toward his cage, Edgar stumbling without his glasses.

"I can't get down," Cornelius said with a cough.

"Not all of them were able to get down," said Chip, "We need some way to get some of them down from their cages."

"It's too bad Penny can't be in here," said Dale, "Maybe Abigail's magic necklace can help."

"She's busy focusing on the door," Brutus snapped, "Once we get that open the human can take care of the others. Now be quiet, all of you."

"Sure missed the brute after we were kidnapped," Russell muttered.

Abigail did her best to block out all the noise as she shut her eyes and pictured the inner locking mechanisms of the door. As before, she fueled her powers by thinking of someone she cared about, this time Penny. They needed Penny now. Abigail clutched the jewel holding it above her head, her palms badly burned now, the fur singed off. The lights on the device where a keycard would normally have been swiped began to blink, and the knob turned. The door swung open.

Brutus grinned, "Ha! Now then, come on. With this magical amulet on our side we will overpower any scientist still in the building. Come, let us remove the threat of NIMH once and for all!"

"Right, let me at 'em!" said Monterey Jack, pounding a fist into his hand, "I'll pound in da next one of those rotter's faces I see!"

"We should have stopped Nimnul a long time ago," said Chip, "Rescue Rangers, away!"

"Ve need to help Penny!" Bianca exclaimed, taking Bernard's hand and running for the door in a hurry. Brutus immediately followed after them with his spear in both hands.

The crowd cheered, ready to become a mob and following after Brutus, going around Abigail as she stood in the same spot, breathing heavily and holding up the stone. Abigail's arms trembled as she let go of the amulet. She fell to her knees, staring at her scorched hands. Amid the chaos, her father rushed to her side along with Edgar, Russell and Willy.

"Abby! Are you alright?" her father shouted over the crowd, kneeling down to put an arm around her. He winced when he saw her hands.

Willy gave a concerned look, "A-are you Abigail's dad?"

He looked up, "I am. It's good to see Russell and Edgar again, but I don't remember you."

"I'm…another friend of hers…" he said shyly, looking back down at Abigail.

"C-carry me…daddy…" she stammered weakly.

Her father picked Abigail up and held her over his shoulder, "Come on, we had better stick with the crowd and escape."

"We'll be back for you Cornelius!" Russell called out.

"Maybe I'll stay here…" Edgar said, his mother holding his hand.

"Penny will help us out," said Willy, "Let's go find her."

Penny strained against the belts that restrained her, as Nimnul rummaged through a supply cabinet.

"Science will thank me one day for the autopsy I'm about to perform," Nimnul said proudly, taking out a saw, "I could just run a cat scan to check your brain out of course, but it's the darnedest thing, we don't have one here. So that pretty little brain is going straight into a jar for the world to marvel at."

"That serum hasn't made you any less crazy!" she shot back.

"Ah there's that word again. I thought we went over this. You and I might be the only sane ones alive. But, alas, there's not enough room for the both of us. Because you won't join me. I'll admit I was never easy on the eyes, but I thought someone as smart as you would come to appreciate brains over beauty."

"You're still uglier on the inside than on the outside, Nimnul."

Nimnul chuckled, "Defiant to the end eh? Well I'll tell you what. I like you so much I'm going to give you one more chance to join me before I saw your skull open like a jack-o-lantern. What do you say?"

Penny could hear the roaring voice of a crowd in the hallway. She smiled.

"No deal, Nimnul…why not run the question by your other prisoners?"

Nimnul could hear it too.

"No…how could they escape? You never even made it into the lab!"

Nimnul had neglected to shut the door, and a swarm of angry rodents pushed through into the room. The sight of Nimnul in his new form was met with gasps of fear and disgust. But they kept coming.

"Penny!" Bianca cried out, "Hurry ve must save her!"

"Think you can overpower me do you?" said Nimnul, stepping back, "I'm more intelligent than any other human could hope to be! And stronger too!"

"Ha! We'll see how well you fare," said Brutus, turning around, "Where's Abigail? Let's have her kill this one. The other human isn't a threat."

The crowd parted as the ailing Abigail was carried through by her father. He placed her down on the ground.

"Well? Destroy him!" Brutus demanded.

"I can't…" said Abigail.

"What?!"

"The jewel doesn't work like that," she explained in a quiet voice, "I suppose you can't see it. The key to the door…love is the key."

"So…it won't work?"

Abigail shook her head, "I wouldn't be doing it out of love. I could free everyone from the laboratory with love but I can't hurt someone…even him."

Brutus glared at the amulet. He turned around to Nimnul, who was trying to get to the supply cabinet without being noticed.

"There are enough of us. We'll take care of him ourselves," Brutus declared, as he brandished his spear, "We'll swarm him and tear him to bits!"

Many of the former test subjects, bitter and wrathful after enduring such torment, cheered at this idea, and the swarm of rodents charged at Nimnul. Nimnul grabbed for a scalpel but could find no better weapon. They began crawling up his legs. When he'd take a stab at one of them, they'd move and he'd end up cutting himself. He screamed and ran about as they overtook him. Few suffered as he rolled across the floor, but more kept coming. Meanwhile Bernard, Bianca and the Rescue Rangers focused on getting Penny free from her straps, climbing up the operating table to do so. She sat up and watched the rodents swarm him in a mixture of horror and satisfaction. She wasn't quite sure what she should feel. But she resolved not to interfere. Brutus was having at it with his spear; the results were Nimnul's complete mauling at their hands.

"Vermin!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"We have some more rodents who need rescuing," said Bernard, "The ones who couldn't get out of their cages."

Penny nodded, still staring at Nimnul as he writhed in agony, "I can't say he doesn't deserve it. I think I may stick around and destroy some of the research results while they finish up with Nimnul anyway. Let's go."

Abigail, Russell and Willy tried not to look at the bloody spectacle. The others slid down to the ground, and Penny, without looking twice at the man who was about to give her a live autopsy, turned and left the room, walking down the hall as Nimnul's screams echoed through the building. Indeed, it was an end he'd brought upon himself.

Chapter 36

Penny made it to the laboratory with her friends in tow; Abigail still being carried by her father, having passed out in his arms, and looked after by Willy and Russell. Bernard and Bianca rode on Penny's shoulders, and the Rescue Rangers followed along too, happy to be a complete unit again. As they ran, Gadget excitedly told Chip and Monty about the upgrades to her new plane. Although they needed a new headquarters, at least they had that. About five rodents including Cornelius were still in their cages in the lab, and in no shape to try and jump down. Three of these were elderly specimens; one had radiation poisoning while another was malnourished to the point of being skin, fur and bones.

"Okay guys, let's get you out of here," Penny said, going to get a plastic container for them to sit in, "You guys can trust me, okay? I'm not going to hurt you."

"We'll need help too,' said Edgar's mother.

"Yeah, until we get outside where it's dark and we can see," said Edgar, "I mean, without our glasses."

"Hm, they confiscated your glasses, little mole?" Penny asked, "I know some of the other rodents were missing their clothes too. I could find out where they were stashed, but I don't think I have an awful lot of time to stick around here."

"Nimnul's done for, isn't he?" asked Dale, "We've got until the place opens."

"Which is in about an hour or so," Chip reminded Dale, "We need to be out and gone long before then, or we're all in trouble."

Penny sighed, grabbing a large plastic bin from a table, "I'm just hoping they pin Nimnul's murder on the rodents and not me. It won't help that my finger prints are everywhere."

"That too," Chip added.

"Golly, I hope you don't get in a lot of trouble for helping us out," said Gadget.

"It was a risk I was willing to take," she answered as she brought the bin up to Cornelius' cage.

"You're a noble woman, Penny," Cornelius said as he climbed down, being very careful, "Because of you, my theory that humans aren't all bad has been proven."

Penny smiled, collecting the other unfortunate rodents.

"So how are you doing Abigail?" Gadget asked, walking over to her.

"She's weak, I think she's sleeping," her father answered, "Whatever that amulet is…it took a lot of her energy, and burned her hands badly."

"Poor girl. I wish I could tell you what that amulet is, but I don't even know," Gadget said, bending down to look at Abigail, who had passed out, "You must be her father, I'm Gadget Hackwrench and my friends here are the Rescue Rangers. You know your daughter is a very brave girl. She and her friends flew all the way to New York, and we ran into them there."

"I'm sure that's far," he answered with a smile, "I can't wait to hear all about her adventures."

At that moment, the sounds of large thuds echoed through the hallways, followed by shouts and squeaks. Penny nearly dropped the plastic container when she heard it.

"Penny!" came an angry roar.

"N-Nimnul's alive!" Dale shouted.

"But how? There must have been fifty rodents mauling him!" Chip exclaimed.

"Oh no, vhat do ve do?" Bianca asked in desperation.

There was nowhere to run, only one exit from the lab. The door swung open, and a bleeding, livid Dr. Nimnul stood panting, holding a bloodied Brutus in his fist and brandishing it. Nimnul was missing an eye, and had bite marks and gashes all over his body, his white lab coat stained red. His face looked like it had been torn by a lawn mower, but he was alive.

"You think I'm going to be killed by these pests?!" he yelled, Penny standing with her back to the cages, still holding the disabled rodents.

Abigail began to stir, and her eyes opened wide when she saw Nimnul holding Brutus, struggling in his hand.

"You care about these filthy beasts, don't you? Get back on the operating table or I'll squeeze this one until it bursts."

"Golly, that's Brutus!" Gadget exclaimed, "Wh-what happened to the others who were attacking Nimnul?"

"We need to help any who lived," said Chip.

"B-but that involves getting past Nimnul," Dale said with a gulp.

"Too right," said Monterey Jack, "What do we do now?"

"Fools…" Brutus grunted, "If only you mice weren't so afraid of the sight of blood we'd have killed him…"

"Hm, pity this is the one I'll be killing," Nimnul mused, "He may have plucked out my eye with his little spear but I like his attitude."

"Nimnul, put him down," said Penny, not wanting to live to see another rodent die because of her, even Brutus, "I'll…I'll go with you…"

"Idiot!" Brutus yelled.

Abigail shook free of her father's grasp, and drew her dagger with burned hands, ignoring the pain. She ran for Nimnul's ankle, and buried her dagger deep into it, making Nimnul shout and drop Brutus to the ground. He landed with a thud, and couldn't get up. Nimnul had broken some of his ribs.

"Why you little ankle-biters!" Nimnul shouted, "I've stepped on enough of you today, what's one more?!"

Nimnul stomped the ground looking for Abigail, but it proved more difficult with one eye. Penny took this moment to open a drawer at one of the tables and arm herself with a surgical knife. Abigail shrieked and was shaken off of Nimul's ankle. He spotted her and lifted his leg to stomp on her. But Penny buried the surgical knife into Nimnul's back. He screamed and turned toward her, grabbing her around the throat.

"It'll just have to be a good old fashioned post-mortem autopsy!"

Abigail gritted her teeth angrily and grabbed the amulet once again. Lifting it up and shouting, the entire building began to shake. Nimnul stopped strangling Penny and turned around. She fell to her knees, clutching her throat.

"What…what is that thing? Give it to me!"

"Get out, everyone!" Abigail yelled.

"But…but Abby!" Willy begged.

The building began to shake more violently.

"The only way for this to end is to kill Nimnul and destroy NIMH!" Abigail shouted.

"But you said you couldn't do it!" Brutus exclaimed.

"I do it out of love, for everyone…every rodent in the world," Abigail said, her eyes tearing up as she held the jewel high, glowing with radiance, "Penny, help get everyone out!"

"Ha! Me, beaten by mice? Never!" Nimnul said, lifting a foot to try and stomp on Abigail again. When he did, a table from across the room lifted from the floor and slammed into Nimnul, pinning him against a wall with enough force to break his spine.

"Penny, ve must get everyone out zat ve can," said Bianca.

"Then you need to get out of here, fast," said Bernard, "If the building implodes, the police will never know you were here."

"Right," said Penny, picking up the plastic bin with the disabled rodents.

Abigail's father tried to reach for Abigail, but was picked up by Penny and placed in the bin with the others, as was Brutus. She and the others hurried out of the room. Tiles from the ceiling fell and equipment in the rooms crashed to the ground. Penny ran quickly down the hall, picking up any mice or small animals she saw who couldn't walk. Quite a few were crushed. She mourned them, but pressed on back to the operating room. The walls cracked, and the ceiling was caving in. As soon as she left the room with all the rodents she could save, the room collapsed. Followed by a crowd of able-bodied rodents, she ran as fast as she could down the hallway and out the front entrance. She ran to the parking lot, and with a deafening crash, the building collapsed into a heap of rubble, throwing gray smoke high into the air. Lights turned on all around the nearby neighborhood. Penny couldn't stay for long, lest she be seen. She huddled into some nearby bushes with the rodents, and stopped to see if anyone else would make it out alive.

"Oh my gosh, what about Michelle? She was on the roof!" Gadget exclaimed.

There was a shocked silence among them. Many had already lost loved ones in the fight against Nimnul. But all of them mourned for Abigail. Surely she couldn't have made it out alive. Michelle's fate was unsure as well. Cornelius was in too much shock to even process what had happened. He looked on at the building, mutely.

"Justin…wouldn't have sent her on a suicide mission," Brutus coughed, clutching his ribs.

"Maybe we should have taken Michelle after all," Bernard said sadly, hugging Bianca as they stared at the smoldering ruins of NIMH.

As the moments passed, and hope slipped away, tears began to fall from the eyes of the onlookers. Abigail's dad remained numb, staring and hoping for Abigail to return. But Willy curled into a ball, and began to sob.

Until, a light shone through the tears in his eyes. The ground began to rumble again, pieces of debris from the smoking ruins started to move. And Abigail levitated form the ruins, glowing bright yellow and still holding the amulet. Her father's jaw dropped, and soon he started running back toward the building. He was followed then by Russell, Edgar, and finally Willy. Abigail slowly landed atop the rubble, and collapsed. Her father picked her up, and carried her down himself.

"Is she okay?" Willy asked.

"She's breathing," said her father, "She's hurt badly, but…alive."

Abigail stirred in his arms, opening her eyes slightly.

"I…love you…daddy…"

"I love you too," he answered, his eyes watering.

She smiled, "You finally answered it right…"

Abigail coughed, and groaned, closing her eyes. Her energy had been completely drained. He held her close and cradled her, as Willy looked on in concern. Brutus gave a chuckle, interrupted by a coughing fit.

"She used my dagger after all. I don't think I've met a stronger mouse," Brutus said, beaming with pride toward Abigail.

Just then they heard flapping wings from above, and saw Wilbur circling the ruins. He came down once he saw the crowd of rodents beneath the bush, making a landing.

"Vilbur, you made it!" Bianca declared.

"I certainly did! And not just me either,' he said, motioning to the seats strapped to his back. Michelle peeked up from them.

"Michelle!" Cornelius exclaimed.

Michelle gasped, "Uncle Cornelius!"

She jumped down from Wilbur's back. Penny smiled and took Cornelius out from the bin and placed him on the ground. Michelle ran into Cornelius' arms.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Michelle said tearfully.

"Looks like I'll be with you a while yet," said Cornelius.

"Alright you guys, we need to get out of here,' said Penny, as sirens began to blare in the distance, "My apartment isn't far. Just follow me. If any of you can't run there's still room in the bin for you, and as soon as we get to my car in the parking lot I'll take you guys far away."

With that, Cornelius was put back into the bin with Michelle, as well as Abigail, placed in with care and taken into the arms of Cornelius. Penny smiled down at her little heroine. She had saved her friends, and Penny. Now it was Penny's turn to help her find a new home.

Abigail gazed at the Fitzgibbons farm at day break from her perch high up in a tree, the sun just beginning to rise above the distant hills. Willy sat beside her, the two of them feeling at peace for the first time in what seemed like forever. Down below the surviving citizens of Dapplewood picked out new homes in the forest just outside the farm, following the recommendations of Abigail and her friends. The Rescuers and the Rescue Rangers helped oversee the process, and Penny had come to help too, fulfilling her debt after feeling responsible for Dapplewood. After NIMH's destruction, they fled to the parking lot of Penny's apartment complex, and Penny loaded them into the car and drove off. It was late in the day by the time they reached the Fitzgibbon farm, and rather than try to build new homes in the darkness, they camped out inside and around Penny's car.

Work began promptly at dawn. During the commotion, Willy and Abigail snuck off to be alone for a few moments and watch the sunrise together. Abigail's hands were wrapped in bandages, but even then she was an expert climber, beating Willy to the top.

"It's beautiful here," said Willy.

Abigail nodded with a small smile, "It is. It's no Dapplewood but…it will do."

"I wish I could have seen it," Willy said, leaning back and swinging his feet on the branch.

"Well, it was never the same after the gas leak," Abigail answered, looking down, "I am grateful we found this place. We already know the neighbors. And the humans won't find us here."

"And it's less boring than Oakdale Meadow," Willy mused, "More food and less fighting."

"I'm glad my daddy was okay with letting you live with us," Abigail said fondly, smiling at him, "I don't think I'd want to live far from you again."

"Yeah," Willy replied, "I was kinda nervous meeting him, but he's a nice guy, once we told him what we'd been through."

"He's very protective of me you know, you did well to gain his approval," Abigail said with a small giggle.

"Aw, well…I'm glad I came with you guys this time," he said, slowly putting an arm around Abigail's shoulder.

"Abigail!" came the call of her father from below.

"Uh oh," she said, looking down, "Quick, let's get to the ground before he sees us."

The two of them scurried down the bark of the tree, Abigail climbing down first. They were halfway down when Abigail lost grip of the bark due to her bandages. She grabbed Willy's ankle as she fell, pulling him down with her, and the two of them fell onto the loamy soil, Willy on his stomach and Abigail landing on Willy's back. The two of them were stunned at first, until looking at each other and starting to giggle. This was exactly what had happened when they met in the meadow for the first time.

"What are you two up to?" Abigail's father asked, coming through the grass.

"Nothing daddy," Abigail said with false sincerity.

"Climbing trees again? I give up."

Abigail giggled, "Sorry…"

"Well come on, Penny's taking the others home now," he said.

Abigail got off of Willy and he got up, dusting himself off, and the two of them followed Abigail's father to the edge of the forest where Penny stood before a crowd of the Dapplewood survivors.

"Thank you all so much," she said, "It's because of you I rediscovered who I am, and what my gift is. I can never be sorry enough about what happened to your old home, and about the loved one's you've lost but, I hope you can make the most of things here."

"You've turned over a new leaf, my dear girl," said Cornelius, whose joints ached much less now that he'd been able to find some willow bark, "In my eyes at least, you've redeemed yourself."

"It was a pleasure helping you all out for us too," said Gadget, "But our place is in the city. We'll have to rebuild from scratch of course but we'll manage."

"What about your plane?" Abigail asked.

"Lost in the wreckage of NIMH I'm afraid." she said sadly.

"Uncle Cornelius, maybe you could help them?" Michelle suggested.

"You're the one who made that fully organic plane!" Gadget exclaimed, shaking Cornelius' hand, "That was some great craftsmanship."

Cornelius was momentarily stunned, "I suppose I could draw up some plans for you, if you stay a while."

"What do you say guys?" Gadget asked.

"Aw man, you know how much TV I've missed during this trip?" Dale whined.

Chip bonked him on the head, "Stop your moaning. It'll be a while before we even get a headquarters that we can fit a TV into."

"I guess I don't mind stickin' around." said Monterey Jack.

"Then I guess you'll be going back on your own?" Penny asked.

"Dale's been outvoted, so sure," said Gadget.

"What about Brutus?" Penny asked.

"He's staying with the Brisby's until he's well enough to go back to his home," said Abigail, "I gave him the amulet to take with him, and we'll probably be visiting again soon."

"Okay," Penny said, looking to her two friends Bernard and Bianca on each shoulder.

"It's been wonderful helping you all," said Bianca, "Ve hope you'll all be safe."

"By the way, Rescue Rangers," said Bernard, "There's a lot of vacancies in the Rescue Aid Society now, if you're interested in becoming affiliated. Bianca and I could put in a good word for you. After hearing about the way you helped these kids you could be sure-fire candidates."

"Golly Chip, what do you think of that?" Gadget asked.

"Hmm…you know that might not be such a bad idea, we could use the help now," said Chip, "We'll meet up in New York and discuss it more?"

"As you vish, Chip," said Bianca.

"Where are you going to go, Penny?" asked Abigail.

"I'm probably going to have to go someplace far," she answered, regretting having to leave most of her new friends, "I'm taking the rest of the Rescuers back to New York, after that…I don't know. I'll probably leave the country, but wherever I go I'll be helping rodents and animals."

"You know Australia's not too bad," Bernard remarked.

"I always did want to go there," said Penny.

"We could visit both you and me parents sometime," said Monterey Jack.

"Well, thank you, on behalf of us all, Penny," said Cornelius, "You will always be welcome here."

Penny nodded, with a smile, "Thank you. All of you. It's hard to say goodbye but…goodbye. And Abigail, take good care of your family and friends."

"I will," said Abigail, holding Michelle's hand and putting an arm around Willy's shoulder.

Penny smiled, and turned around toward her car, saying farewell one last time. The rodents began to disperse, going back to digging out their new burrows or finding vacant trees and logs to live in, with help and supervision from the Rescue Rangers. The furlings and Cornelius lingered for a while, staring off as Penny walked toward the road.

"Think we'll ever see her again?" Edgar asked.

"I don't pretend to know," Abigail sighed, "Maybe someday."

"I hope we get to go back to the city one day too,' said Russell, "Wait until we tell you everything Cornelius. You'll never believe where humans live."

"I've heard of cities, yes," said Cornelius, "My teacher came from one, and taught me many things, which I in turn passed to the other animals in Dapplewood."

"So that's why you guys already had human things," said Willy.

"Indeed," said Cornelius, picking Michelle up in his arms, "As for us, the best thing we can do now is try to get back to normal, or as close as we can. We can't control what happened yesterday, but what happens tomorrow is in our hands."

"Do I get to be a furling now?" Willy asked.

Cornelius chuckled, "I'd say you earned it."

Willy cheered and hugged Abigail. It quickly became a group hug with Edgar and Russell.

"Though all of you are so much more mature now, I don't think 'furling' is the right word. I didn't even think so after the gas leak. You've all grown so much."

"Eh, it still works as a name," said Russell.

"I can keep calling you that for a short time longer then," said Cornelius, turning around, "You should help your families, I'm sure they can use a hand."

"Okay Cornelius," said Abigail, and the furlings headed off in different directions. Little did they realize they were being watched from afar, near a cement block on the other side of the meadow.

"You were a worthy choice, Abigail," said Brutus, shirtless with bandages around his chest, "Justin was right…much as I hate to admit it."

"She is a sweet girl," Mrs. Brisby said, hanging her clothes to dry nearby, "I never thought you'd warm up to anyone, Brutus."

"Neither did I," he said, folding his arms, but wincing when he did so, "Neither did I."

Mrs. Brisby giggled at the strong fearsome Brutus finally finding a soft spot for a little girl, but went on with her work. Some new neighbors would make things a lot less lonely around here, at least until she moved to Thorn Valley one day, to be nearby her children. Until then, she would try her best to make them comfortable, and maybe they could return to the life they had in Dapplewood. Maybe.

But there was another observer that morning, watching from far off Thorn Valley, underground in his chambers. He gave a satisfied chuckle, and pulled up a chair at his desk, taking a quill and writing in Nicodemus' book.

The catastrophe has been averted. NIMH is gone. Erased. Surely the humans will rebuild, but what they knew about us died with that building. Thorn Valley is safe. And so are the citizens of Dapplewood. I feel that by and large their trials have ended. And Brutus will return with the stone soon enough, should another stone-bearer arise.

But I have a feeling we've not seen the last of Abigail nor Penny. These two souls still have a destiny to fulfill. It is still morning in their lives. Their journeys have only just begun. I will be paying rapt attention to their future endeavors. Because while Thorn Valley is largely safe, the rodents of the world still are not. The two of them are our protectors.

Justin signed his name, and closed the book. Yes, with NIMH gone they were safe. However, grave challenges would present themselves in the future. For now, Abigail's challenge was to help her loved ones, so that maybe, if they all worked hard at it, things could be close to the way they used to be.