The Silence of the Rats

Part 1

	Elizabeth Brisby walked toward the Thorn Valley entrance deep in the middle of North woods.  Her cape was muddy from clawing though the vegetable garden and her paws smelled of catnip from the war zone.  She always had hated the smell of catnip for it always brings back terrible memories of her late husband, Jonathan’s death.  As you may or may not know, Jonathan was killed by the farmer’s cat, Dragon while trying to drug it.  She also hated to get her cape dirty.  Oddly as it may seem, she cherishes the cape as if it was her child although she had ripped it trying to save her son, Timothy from pneumonia and the farmer’s plow: Jonathan had given it to her not too long before his death.  She was somewhat frightened to be going to Thorn Valley because Nicodemus had directly summoned her.  Of course, that first summons you get is generally the most frightening because you never know what to expect.  However, this particular call especially bothered her because Justin never told her what exactly Nicodemus wanted or rather if he knew.  Elizabeth had left the children with Auntie Shrew and then set forth toward the rats’ lair in spite of the Shrew’s protests.  The Brisby family never did understand the reason for the malevolence against the rats, especially after what they did for them.  The only reason they could came up with for the malevolence was that the rats always acted superior toward everybody else because of their intelligence.  It was best not to bring it up.
Fluffing her fur, Elizabeth entered Thorn Valley heading down the main corridor to Nicodemus’ chambers. It was unusually busy this morning, rats were hurrying over the valley probably going over some secret plain which she know nothing about.  She paid them little attention for she didn’t want to keep Nicodemus waiting; she walked quickly-not quite running but she kept a fast pace.  She didn’t know why, but the mission she was asked upon enthralled her.   She had never been called upon before and she never intended to start with the leader of the rats of NIMH.  It wasn’t that she didn’t liked Nicodemus, or his rats, it was just that her family and theirs were in two different worlds.  Jonathan, their only link and since Jonathan died, Elizabeth naturally thought the link was broken and felt she had no longer have any service to give them, until now that is.
Reaching Nicodemus’ chambers, Elizabeth kindly showed herself in and gazed about.  On the walls, photos and newspaper clippings were strung aimlessly covering the walls in disfigured blurs.  These images deeply disturbed Elizabeth and made her stomach lurched, for they contain mangled corpses.  Bodies with arms and legs cut off, missing tails, even decapitated rats with fear on their faces were featured on the walls.  She never saw such images before and never tended to start now.  She suddenly had the urge to vomit and did so in Nicodemus’ garbage basket.  Mrs. Brisby backed away from it realizing what she had done and had to sit down.  Just then, Nicodemus arrived.

	“Oh good, you’ve gotten my message.  I see you have already found a seat.” He had said going behind his desk.
“Sir, before we go any farther into details I need to tell you..” her voice had trailed off.  How do you tell a superior that you vomited in his wastebasket?  ‘Hey Nicodemus, I’m sorry man but I threw up in your trash can,’ is that what you’d say?  She stared blankly into space pondering how to put it.  It wasn’t everyday you walked into a high-ranking official’s office and then barf right on the spot.  Nicodemus interrupted her thoughts.
“Tell me what Mrs. Brisby?”
Snapping back into reality, she decided to tell him up front and get it over with.  “Nicodemus, what I meant was, I saw you pictures and I, well, vomited in your wastebasket.  I’m sorry.”
With a confused look on his face he looked in his trashcan and frowned, then toward the wall.  He walked to his wall in curiosity then understood what she meant. He looked at her with concern in his eyes.  He had forgotten those photos were pinned on the wall.  He had meant to take them down before Elizabeth arrived knowing that it’ll disturb her but never gotten around to do it. 
“No, I’m the one that should be sorry.  I knew these kinds of images would disturb you; I was meaning to take them down before you arrived but I see it’s too late.  I’ll call Justin to empty that can.” Nicodemus had said walking back to his desk.
“Oh speaking of Justin,” she said, “you wanted to see me sir?”
“Yes I did, but it seems unimportant now.  Those pictures do have importance to what I was about to ask you.”
“Oh no please go ahead and ask me.  I left the children with Auntie Shrew, and you do know how she feels about you..  And besides, I’m curious, what do you need me for?”
Nicodemus turned from his desk.  “Yeah, you do have a point, alright, I’ll tell you.”  Nicodemus leaned against his desk with his hands pressed tightly on his desk.  
He now felt uneasy telling her what he wanted because he had asked several of his fellow rats including Justin and they all reacted the same way. ‘What!  Are you insane!’ they had said.  Of course, Nicodemus could understand the panicky reaction after viewing the disturbing pictures.  He too would probably go running insanely like how they did.  Therefore, he needed an outsider-someone that would keep an open mind, which was when he thought of Elizabeth.  On the other paw, she might react like the rest and run out screaming.  He had to take his chances.
“You see, I need someone to take part in a mission.”
“A mission sir?”
“Well more like an interesting errand.”  Nicodemus straightened, and he walked to a near wall.  He had no idea how to handle this.  Finally, he said, “I need someone to go to the National Institute of Mental Heath.”
Elizabeth stared at him as if he just asked her to commit suicide.  She stayed that way for a long minute, had she heard him right?  Did he ask her to go to NIMH?  “Uh sir?” she said, “you can’t be serious, I mean me go to NIMH?!”
Nicodemus came over to her.  “I know, this must be hard for you,” he said, “I too would of acted the same way.  It’s just I need someone to see a patient. We are on the middle of a big case and we need someone to talk to him about it.”
Elizabeth stared at him harder.  Her heart was racing and sweat started to damp her fur.
“Surly you don’t mean that ‘Buffalo Rat’ case do you?”
“So, you’ve heard?”
“Well you can’t really miss him, can you?  I mean, here’s a rat who kidnaps women, kills them and then leaves their mangled corpses laying about!  How can I not have heard that?” She said angrily.  She had sounded harsher than she intended.   She didn’t want to get angry on this fine morning, especially not with the rats’ leader of all people.  Nicodemus didn’t seem to notice, he walked toward his desk, picked up a file folder containing the ‘Buffalo Rat’ case and looked though it.
“It’s quite all right Mrs. Brisby,” he said not looking up from the file, “I think we all have cussed him out at least once.”
Elizabeth relaxed.   She clearly saw the tension that was in the air.  It was obvious they were dealing with one sick rat!  Closing the folder, Nicodemus give her the file.  As she went though it, Nicodemus continued to brief her of the case.
“Buffalo Rat had abducted five women so far and they all ended up the same way-dead, mangled, and laying in the middle of rivers for us to find.
“Yes, I see that.”  Elizabeth’s eyes never left the case file.  “So, about this patient of yours, how is he linked to this case?”
“He seems to know Buffalo Rat.  Ether he had him as a psychiatric patient, or knew someone who did.”
“I see.” Elizabeth handed back the folder to Nicodemus.
“I have to arrange the meeting, I only need now is someone that would carry out the mission.”
“Alright,” Elizabeth said, “I’ll go.”
She stood up and shook Nicodemus’ hand.  “Good.” He said going behind his desk.  “I had a hunch you’d except my miss-uh, errand,”
Nicodemus reached under his desk and pulled an ID from underneath his desk, “so I had this made for you.”
Elizabeth took the ID and left Nicodemus’ chambers.  Nicodemus then pushed a button on an intercom on his desk.  “Justin, we have a little situation at hand.”
“I’ll be right there.”

	“Do not go near the bars, do not touch the bars.  If he offers you anything, don’t except it.  All items will be passed though the siding tray only, you understand?”
Elizabeth was in the walls of NIMH going though a narrow corridor lined with cages on each side.  Mrs. Brisby walked along with a doctor as he briefed her with the rules as they walked.  The doctor which named Dr. Schultz was escorting her to the patient’s cage was a heavy set rat.  He often wore lab coats but today, because of the honored guest, he wore more former clothing-not quite a suit and tie but rather a long sleeve shirt and pants.  She was very confused and was taken aback.  Is she seeing what she is seeing?  Has NIMH had been over run by the rats and now it is part of Thorn Valley?  She was in a daze of amazement seeing this. Bungled as they were, Dr. Schultz interrupted Elizabeth’s thoughts.
“Madam, are you all right?”
“Oh,” she said turning to him,  “yes I’m all right, it’s just I always thought NIMH was, well, a rat’s hell..”
Dr. Schultz looked at her with befuddled eyes and then laughed.
“Well, that was surely true but now the tables are now turned, as you might say.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, I supposed Nicodemus had failed to mention to you what happened to NIMH..”
“Well I would say so!” 
She suddenly felt angry with Nicodemus for not telling her.  If he had told her this, she would gladly except his mission with no questions ask.
“You see, when your husband, Jonathan freed the rats of NIMH there were some mice that were lost, blown away in the air ducts…”
“Ahh yes,” she said, “Nicodemus had told me about that…”
“Yes, but what he may not of told you was when your son, Timothy came after the lost nine, the building caught fire and burned to the ground.”
“Oh, I hope everyone wasn’t hurt.”
“Oh no one was hurt, I assure you,” he said turning to her, “but when it finally finished its destruction, we, the Rats of NIMH had reestablished it and now it’s well, our mental hospital.” 
“Interesting, who’s the patient?”
“Dr. Rattibal Rater..”
Brisby’s heart jumped.  Surely, he doesn’t mean what she thought he meant.  
“Uh, did you just say, Rattibal Rater?”
“I sure did..”
Mrs. Brisby lacked behind so not to be over heard.
“Rattibal ‘The Cannibal…’”

	Reaching Dr. Rater’s cage, Dr. Schultz had told her he was needed else where therefor left.  Siting on a cot set on a large wooden bed bolted to the floor, a rather large rat laid, deep in the pages of a local magazine from Thorn Valley.  On the other side of the cage, another rat, by the name of Barney came to the bars.
“Are you Mrs. Brisby?”
“Yes..”
“I assume Dr. Schultz had briefed you on the rules, I can’t elaborate enough how strict we are on that.”
“Yes sir, he did.  I’ll be only a moment of your time anyway.”
“Good,” Barney gestured Dr. Rater’s direction, “I give you Dr. Rater.”
The rat, which was lying on the cot, stood up and walked toward the bars.  He stared at her with deep interest.  “So, Nicodemus sent me a girl..  Interesting..”
“Yes, well he was limited.  Everyone he had asked sorta freaked, I was the only one opened minded.  But of course, he had forgotten to mention that NIMH is now not the rat hell like it once was.”
Dr. Rater rolled his eyes in amazement.  He knew what she was speaking of and lowered his voice.  “Nicodemus is a good man but he tends to leave facts out-his age is getting to him you understand.”
“Yes, he asked me to take on a case he’s working on..”
“Not the ‘Buffalo Rat’ case?”
“I do have an identification on me,” she took out her ID and showed it to him.
“Closer, I can’t read that far.”
Sill holding her ID, she came up to a foot from the bars.
“Ahh, Elizabeth Brisby, I knew of your husband well.  What a honor this is.” 
“Yes, I suppose it is.  Glad to meet you doctor.”
“Elizabeth…  Do you mind me calling you Elizabeth?”
“Oh not at all..”
“Good..” he said leaning backward, “I prefer to call my patients by their first name, you see, it gives me a deeper insight into them.  Tell me Elizabeth, does Nicodemus have a lead on Buffalo Rat?”
“That’s why I was sent to you.  He thought you would know where he is hiding or if you know something to lead us to him.  We need you doctor..”
“I see, Elizabeth, I do know of the rat you speak of.  Nicodemus sure is one hell of an intelligent rat I can say that much about him.”
“Yes..  You can say that again..”
"As for your question, Elizabeth, the rat you addressed as 'Buffalo Rat.'  He was one of the patients of a follow psychiatrist and a good friend of mine."
"Good," she said, "just tell me whoever this rat is and I'll be..."
"That's not important right now. What is important is rather how you suppose to catch him.."
"But Dr. Rater, if I don't know who he is or better yet where he is, how do you suspect me to catch him?"
"That'll come in good time, right now, I have a message for you-or rather one for Nicodemus."
"Oh really, what sort of message?"
"It seems Buffalo Rat has left a valentine for him."
"What kind of valentine did he leave?"
"Not really sure, all I know he had lift it in his car.."
“His car?!”
“Yes, Elizabeth, he collected cars, mainly the classics.  He loves the classics…”
“So what am I looking for?  What does he prefer?”
“He prefers the 60s cars..  The Chargers, the Mustangs-especially the convertibles, the Model Ts.  However, today you’re looking for a limousine, possibly a 40s model..  Find the car, you’ll find what you’re looking for..”
He lean forward, his eyes fixed on her. Standing he came to the bars.
“I don’t understand.”
“Elizabeth, things in the world may be confusing, frightening, sometimes both.  You must put the confusion and fear aside order to catch Buffalo Rat, many have tried, and all have failed.  And there’s no need to me to tell what happened to those who failed, do I, Elizabeth..”
“No, I’m sure I could imagine, but Dr. Rater if only you would give me Buffalo Rat’s real name I could..”
Dr Rater held a hand up silencing her.
 “All in good time.  But focus on the car for right now, and remember, in order to catch Buffalo Rat you must put aside fear and confusion.”
“I don’t understand but I’ll do what you say.”
“See you later, Elizabeth…”

As she left Dr. Rater returned to his cot to continue his reading.  Mrs. Brisby walked slowly down the corridor lost in thought, asking herself what exactly what Dr. Rater had meant.  She paid no attention to any of the other patients in their cages.  She had nothing in common with them or she wanted nothing from them therefore she block them out of her mind and went on.  A rat in the cage on the end did however get her attention.  He was siting in a bolded down chair staring up toward a television set.  He bounced up and down on the chair as though a child was watching Saturday morning cartoons.  Out of curiosity, she came to the bars and peered in.  What she saw give her that sickening feeling in her stomach again and she had to turn away in disgust.  On the television, “The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue” screened and this rat appeared to be enjoying it.
“Fruit cake!” Mrs. Brisby said turning and continuing on her way.