Chapter 2: Fear That Gives Rodents Wings

The six souls were getting plenty sick of this....

First the crash, then those things started appearing and now....

A general feeling of disbelief threatened to overwhelm them all as they stared at what confronted them. For it bore only a passing resemblance to anything any of them had ever experienced. Some of them had seen things like it in their various adventures, but this....

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Approximately five minutes before that moment, they were outside, on the ghost-lighted street, looking all about in near panic. They knew that several... things were nearby, but they couldn't make out what they were. And quite frankly, most of them didn't really care--all they knew was that these strangers presented danger, and they themselves were in no condition to stand and fight.

Most of them, anyway. Only Monterey Jack felt that fighting these newcomers was a feasible option. "Come and get some, ya blighters!" he shouted as he shook his massive right fist in the air. "I'll take ya all at once or one at a time, don't matter to me!" His show of bravado might have been more convincing if he wasn't cradling Zipper in his left arm and favoring his left leg.

These details were not lost on Chip. "I don't think this is the right time to pick a fight, Monty. Besides, we can't even see them yet; we don't know what they are or look like!"

"Ah, I don't care how ugly they might be," Monty stated, his eyes getting a slight glint of joy at the impending battle. "I can take 'em with one arm and one leg!"

Chip was about to protest Monty's proposed course of action when a flash of lightning resolved the discussion for him. In that instant, they saw their hosts for the first time.

The creatures were not much larger than they were--at least, not on their scale. While not as big as, say, a cat, each of them was larger than even Monty; about as big as a large rat. Unlike rats, however, these creatures were furless; their skin shone in the weird light as if it was covered in oil. The skin covered a body that seemed to be composed of nothing but muscle; the torsos looked like barrels, with the somewhat elongated arms and legs ending in large, bestial paws armed with long claws. Each of these disturbing physical specimens was topped by a head that seemed to be designed only to direct the body's actions: a small cranium, with small, almost vestigial ears and noses, and large eyes that seemed to give off an eerie glow. The most frightening thing about the creatures, though, were their mouths: they looked large enough for a rodent's head and upper torso to comfortably fit inside, and the teeth looked like they could bite through steel.

The six souls could only stare slackjawed at the three forms as they approached out of the fog, growling and salivating. Gadget searched her vast memory to see if the creatures fit anything she had seen, heard of, or read about; if cirumstances were better, I'd sure like to study these, she thought in a flicker of scientific zeal. Dale also could not identify the creatures; in fact, he could only think of one word to describe them, a word that he was very familiar with due to his fondness for horror movies, a word that dropped from his lips like a stone.

"Monsters...."

Chip could only agree; there was no other description which would fit. As the Rangers' leader quickly pondered what to do about this threat, a loud rattling redirected everyone's attention to the rear. It was then that they saw even more reason to be afraid.

Moving toward them out of the fog were five more forms. However, unlike the monsters the souls had just seen, these were more familiar in appearance. They bore the familiar characteristics of rodents; two were rats, the other three being rather large mice. It was what they were wearing that made their appearance unusual: they were all dressed in long black-and-red robes; around each of their necks hung a strange-looking amulet; one of the amulets cast an eerie glow, much like the monsters' eyes. And they were all armed, the rats and one mouse holding swords, the other two mice had arrows nocked in crude shortbows.

It looked for all the world like the six souls could be in no greater danger. But there is something to be said for timing. The groups which now confronted the souls were not expecting any immediate interference; they were hoping to deal with the intruders alone and in short order. The souls were, in essence, saved by the arrival of the two groups at about the same time. If either the monsters or strange rodents had reached them at any time other than that moment....

Almost immediately, the two groups' attentions became divided between the intruders and one another. Each of the oily monsters had to make a decision--something which did not come easily to creatures of their ilk. They had an easy meal right in front of them, but the robed rodents would not exactly let them eat in peace; they had enough experience with them to know this. On the other hand, the leader of the armed rodents, the rat in the middle of their formation who wore the glowing amulet, had to choose between attacking what looked to be wounded, easy targets and perfectly healthy, more dangerous opponents. Both groups knew that the most unfortunate coincidence of their arrivals now meant that only one group would leave alive.

After a few tense seconds of deliberation, both sides came to their decision. A decision which would affect not only the immediate futures of everyone involved, but the long-term future of the six souls, a select few individuals, and countless others.

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To the six souls, it was like a scene out of a fairy tale or fantasy movie, except they were right in the middle of it. The lead rodent began moving his hands and chanting in a language which not even Foxglove could recognize. As he did this, the amulet he wore glowed brightly, and his hands began to glow as well. To his sides, the mouse archers pulled back on their bowstrings and let fly.

Seeing these actions in progress, most of the souls had a good idea of what was coming. It didn't matter if they were the intended targets or not; all that mattered was presenting as small a target as possible. Four of them hit the deck just in time to hear two arrows flying overhead, Chip shielding Gadget and Foxglove quickly sliding off Dale's back onto the ground, with Dale covering her. Only Monty didn't go prone; he got down into a squatting position, holding Zipper close to his massive chest. His peripheral vision then caught sight of something; he turned his head to see....

One of the monsters was in midair, and heading straight for him. His mind and body barely had time to react to this new threat when... something took care of it for him. Whizzing just in front of his hunched form, a bright purple sphere struck the creature squarely in the chest, knocking it backward several feet. He saw the monster's chest begin to burn brightly as the purple glow faded, heard the agonized howl of the creature as it flew back the way it came. Dale, looking back at the other two monsters, saw them leap into the air like frogs as the arrows went past them into the fog. Zowie, was the only word he could think of in comment.

In the meantime, Chip, Gadget, and Foxglove kept their eyes focused on the armed rodents. Their stares became as dinner plates when they saw the lead rodent finish his ritual, thrusting his hands forward and uttering a loud, unfamiliar word. As he did this, the purple glow on his hands formed into a purple sphere and shot out towards its target, the monster that had just leaped at Monty. As one, they turned to see the oily creature fly back in pain. While Foxglove kept staring in disbelief at the wounded thing, Chip, Gadget, and Dale followed the leaping monsters' attacks. They saw two of the sword-rodents dodge the leaping attacks and engage the monsters, beginning a deadly dance of flashing metal and swiping claws. While this transpired, the two archers began readying another volley, while the leader began chanting again.

Chip had seen enough; he didn't really know what the heck was going on, but he had seen enough to know that he and his team were in over their heads. There was only one course of action that made any sense. Of course, he also knew that it would place his team at great risk; who knew what else was lurking around this crazy place? But if we stay here, he thought, we're finished for sure, no matter which group won this battle. He announced his decision with a yell.

"Run for it, everybody!"

To all of Chip's comrades, he didn't have to say it twice. He helped Gadget back onto her remaining intact leg and began hobbling with her. Dale and Foxglove resumed their piggyback and began closely following their leader. Monty, holding Zipper like Walter Payton would a pigskin, leapt to his feet as well. After a few steps, it became clear to Chip that he and Gadget shouldn't be running a three-legged race. Without losing a step, he scooped his beloved up into his arms and began carrying her.

As the six souls began their flight, they realized that they didn't really know where they were going. They also didn't care; anywhere was preferable to being in the middle of... that. As Chip, Dale, and Monty ran, jumping over piles of debris and potholes, Gadget and Foxglove checked to see if any of the erstwhile combatants were following them. As the seconds passed, Gadget began to feel increasingly relieved as she saw no visible sign of pursuit. Foxglove also began to relax, but this was for a different reason. Behind them, she heard the clang of swords, growls, chantings, and other sounds of battle fading into the distance; no footsteps or shouts in their direction could be heard. Her ears did perk up suspiciously, however, when she heard a high-pitched whine, much like a....

"I think we lost them," Gadget assured, hoping to ease hers and everyone else's nerves. The three rodents of burden did not slow, however; fear was driving their legs more than anything else.

"I sure hope so," Dale said in between heavy breaths; Foxglove was starting to feel heavy. "I can't hear 'em anymore. Ears are ringin', though."

"Keep going, try to put as much distance between them and us as possible," Chip directed, fighting the almost uncontrollable impulse to squeeze his payload tightly. "Besides, we need to figure--"

"Hold it!"

The jacketed chipmunk holding the field mouse and the burly mouse holding the fly stopped and turned to look at the loudly dressed chipmunk carrying the bat, both of whom had just spoken those words in chorus. Or rather, loudly whispered them. It was just like before--their ears seemed to be straining to pick up some sound that none of the other souls could, as yet, hear.

"Oh, no...," Foxglove said softly, her face filling once more with dread. She now knew what that whine was. Or rather, its purpose: like a dog whistle....

Dale's face matched his passenger's, and when he spoke, his tone was low and fearful. "Guys, we gotta get off this street."

Chip stared at his best friend; he didn't know how, but somehow Dale's hearing had improved to the point where it was as acute as Foxglove's. The experience of thirty seconds ago, however, had taught him that their "early warnings" were not to be doubted.

He quickly scanned the area visible within the fog. An entryway caught his eye. "In there!" he indicated with a nod, as his arms were full. The group darted through the open door, Chip mentally noting with some ironic glee that he was carrying Gadget "over the threshold." Everyone hunkered down against the wall near the entryway, staying out of sight from the street. Monty entered last, taking a position just inside the doorway, ready to pounce on anyone or anything which would try to enter.

Sure enough, only a few seconds after they had hidden themselves, the other souls began hearing more noises. Wingbeats, like something flying overhead. More claws scraping against the cobblestones outside. The rattling made by armor and weapons. The six souls all became as still as the dead.

Dale, however, was epxeriencing something strange. He was hearing high-pitched noises, like screams, except they were unlike any sound he had ever heard. It sounded like someone was... scanning? Searching? I've gotta tell Chip about this, he thought in a moment of impulse....

A bat's wing clamping his mouth shut prevented Dale's revelation. Beside him, he saw Foxglove put her other wing to her muzzle. "Ssshhh!" she admonished silently. She could hear was happening, and even though she had no clue how it could be, she believed Dale could hear it too....

Outside, they heard the creatures briefly stop. They heard speech, but it was in a language none of them could recognize; two voices, maybe three....

They felt their blood run cold when they heard one set of footsteps approaching the doorway they were hiding beside.

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Chip looked around the room they had entered. It was a small, windowless room, but it matched the general feel of the architecture in that it seemed to be sized for rodents. The remains of a desk, some tables, and chairs were strewn about; perhaps it was once an office? Dimly visible against the far wall was another door, but it was closed. We could make a break for the door, he thought, but what if we're seen? Worse yet, what if it's locked?

The steps came closer.

Monty readied himself for battle. For some reason, his ankle didn't hurt as much as before; he chalked that up to adrenaline. I'm gettin' sick of running, he thought. If we can get the jump on 'em maybe we can take 'em. He crouched low, ready to make a shoulder tackle on the approaching unknown.

Another step closer....

Monty was going to seize the initiative, and....

A tug on his sweater caused him to look down. He was somewhat surprised to see Zipper still cradled in his right arm; in his haste to escape, he had almost forgotten the fly was there. Zipper's shaking head and pleading yellow eyes were all that was needed to halt what could have been a disastrous attempt at ambush; Monty was reminded that not everyone was as ready to fight as he was. So he waited, still ready to move if the newcomer should enter....

Closer....

Just then, the high-pitched whine sounded again, much fainter this time, but still audible. Audible to Dale and Foxglove, that is. From outside, the six souls heard someone speak, apparently calling over one of her companions, followed by the flapping sounds of something taking off. A moment later, two other sets of footsteps could be heard trailing off after the winged creature. Another moment passed, and the close-by creature followed them as well. After about ten seconds, nothing more could be heard.

As one, the six souls let out the breath they had each been holding in. "Crikey, that was a close one," Monty stated. "I thought he was comin' in here for sure."

"Golly, so did I," Gadget confirmed as, once again, Chip helped her up. "It sounded like there were four of them, and one was a bat, or at least, had bat-like wings."

"How'd you know that?" Monty inquired as everyone else rose to their feet.

Gadget was about to say something about how different feathered wings and leathered wings sounded when Dale, his mouth now unrestricted by a bat's wing, made his revelation. "Didn't you hear the funny noises they made? It sounded like... like... one those 'This is a test' beeps you sometimes see on TV. Or hear, maybe."

Foxglove was now fully convinced, but she was no less astonished. Still, she had to test her theory. She turned Dale to face her, closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and echosounded the room. Her ears picked up the profile of everyone and everything in the room, including the ever-so-sexy profile of her beloved, and then....

"Foxy, what are you screaming for?"

Her face brightened with discovery. "You heard that, cutie?"

"Of course, I'm not deaf, you know!"

"Foxy," Gadget broke in. "Did you just echosound the room?"

"Yep. And, call me crazy, but I think Dale heard it!"

Dale looked around at his companions. "What, you didn't hear it? Are you guys deaf?"

Chip's free hand came down on Dale's head with a bonking noise. It probably helped, as it was then that the realization of this new ability began to sink into Dale's mind. "Wow, come to think of it, the world does seem a bit... louder to me lately. I thought maybe the crash had cleaned out my ears." After a moment's pause, he closed his eyes and let out a high-pitched yell. Unfortunately for everyone else, it was still very much in their audible range.

"What are you doing?" Chip admonished with another bonk.

"Ow, hey, I was just seeing if I could do that echosound thing that bats do."

"Dale, you're not a bat, you can just... hear better...."

"Chip's right," Gadget continued Chip's line of thought. "For some reason, Dale, you can now hear sounds outside of our normal range of hearing. Well, not outside of Foxglove's hearing, and her echolocation sound is ultrasonic, meaning it's too high; we don't know if you can hear infrasonic, or sounds that are too low--"

"Hey, I bet that sound I heard earlier must have been another bat using its echo-thingy!" Dale realized, probably setting a personal record for epiphanies in a single day. "'Cause it sounded just like yours, Foxy, only different." His face contorted in puzzlement over this apparent contradiction.

Foxglove chuckled, which helped ease the pounding still going on in her head. "Of course, sweetie, it's just a bat's natural voice pitched up real high." Dale smiled and blushed; hearing her feathery chuckle always made him feel... good inside.

"But how...?" wondered Gadget. Even her highly analytical mind was at a loss to explain this sudden change in her friend's auditory capabilities. "I mean, people don't just get better hearing like... like magic."

As soon as that last word left her lips, it felt like the room's temperature had dropped ten degrees. The inventor's use of that word brought the six souls back to their present predicament. Less than two minutes before, they had all witnessed a rodent, a creature of their own ilk, fling what appeared to be a ball of energy at something which could only be described as a monster. It was now abundantly clear that they were no longer in a place that could be considered familiar; they were not only lost, but lost... in another place, perhaps even...? And now, with their transport wrecked and abandoned, it seemed they were there to stay. To say that they found the whole experience unsettling would be a gross understatement.

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Monty, standing guard by the open doorway, was the one to verbally ask the question that was on everyone's mind. "So what now, mates? Those guys out there will probably be lookin' for us when they're done with those...."

"Monsters," Zipper squeaked the word his big friend couldn't say.

Chip weighed his options. "Well, if we go back out there, we might be able to find a way out of this city, if that's what this place is. If we keep out of sight, that is."

"But Chip, there could be more of those monsters and wacky wizard guys out there!" Dale protested.

"Dale's right, Chip," Gadget now confirming Dale. "Who knows what kind of... fauna live here besides those oily things? And what if we run into more of those...," she paused, searching for the right word. "...cultists?"

Chip realized that was probably the best way to describe the armed rodents from earlier. The matching robes, matching amulets, and strange language were kind of a dead giveaway. "I think we should avoid contact with them. We don't know what their intentions were when they attacked those monsters. For all we know, they could have just been getting them out of the way so they could kill us.

"Still," Chip continued, "maybe if we're careful we can avoid them enough to escape from here. We can't stay holed up in this room forever."

"Maybe I can fly out and scout around a little," Foxglove suggested. "My echosound would make up for the lack of visibility."

"Foxy, there was another bat out there," Dale pointed out. "We don't know how many others there are; besides, if there are monsters on the ground, you can bet there are monsters in the air! It's in every monster movie I saw!"

"No, Foxy, I think we all should stick together," Chip said with a sidelong glance at his best friend. "Besides, it's too soon after your concussion. You might not be able to make quick maneuevers if you have to."

Foxglove appeared more relieved than disappointed by Chip's decision. "Oh well," she said with mock despair as she drew close to Dale, causing the red-nosed chipmunk to pull his shirt collar nervously; here we go again, he thought.

At this point, Gadget noticed the closed door on the far wall. "Why don't we try a different approach, and go further into this building? Maybe we'll find something to help us in there."

Chip grimaced; he had considered trying the door, but who knew what was behind it? It now seemed apparent, however, that it was their only option. He and Gadget hobbled over to the far wall, the inventor stopping to pick up a loose wooden plank along the way for use as a makeshift crutch. It was difficult to make out any details on the door itself; the only light in the room came from the ghostly lamps outside, which dispersed and faded the farther back into the room they went.

Fortunately, Gadget was prepared for this sort of problem. She had seen human glow sticks, and had recently developed a mouse-sized version. From one of her jumpsuit's many pockets, she pulled out a small plastic tube, bent it until she heard a faint crack, and shook it as the chemicals within began to react with each other, causing the tube to glow with a bright orange light.

Everyone else watched this with some awe. "Tooraloo!" Monty exclaimed from beside the open door. "Sometimes I think you're a wizard yerself, Gadget luv!"

Gadget only chuckled. There was nothing magical about glow sticks, but it was a nice sentiment.

Now that the door was more clearly visible, Chip examined it with his detective's eye. It was a heavy wooden door, reinforced with iron bars. A number of scorch marks on the door itself and pry marks on the frame indicated that someone had attempted to open it before. It appeared their attempts were in vain, as the undisturbed dust on the floor in front of the door indicated that it had not been opened in a very long time. Instead of a doorknob, Chip noticed a heavy iron ring attached to the right center portion. Below it, a keyhole could be seen.

Chip felt a pang of frustration at seeing the keyhole. Dollars to donuts, it's locked, he thought. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try. He (reluctantly) let go of Gadget, took hold of the iron ring with both hands, and pulled with all his might.

After several pulls, attempted from many different attempts to gain leverage, Chip was forced to acknowledge defeat; the door did not budge even a millimeter. His arms, already sore from carrying and supporting Gadget (not that he didn't enjoy it), were now practically screaming in pain.

Seeing this, Dale saw an opportunity. Now's my chance to really impress Gadget, he thought rather mischievously. Foxglove was always telling him how strong he was; now it was time to prove it to everyone (especially Gadget). "One side, Chipper; see how a strong chipmunk does it," Dale bragged as he moved his lifelong chum aside. After cracking his knuckles, spitting into his palms, and making sure everyone (including Gadget) was watching, he grasped the ring and pulled with all the strength he could muster.

The end result was expected to the point of being anticlimactic. Despite all his pulling, grunting, and appeals to one of his comic book idols for strength, the door did not budge. Foxglove, not wanting her 'munk to look silly, even lent her strength to Dale's pulls, but it did not help. In the end, the chipmunk and bat were panting in a heap on the floor, with the door stubbornly remaining in place.

Everyone watched this spectacle with no small amount of amusement. It was all it took for Chip, Gadget, and Zipper to keep from bursting out laughing at their valiant, albeit pathetic, attempts. Monty, however, managed to control himself rather well; only a slight smile crossed his lips, hidden beneath his bushy mustache. He knew what was coming next, but he wasn't sure if he could....

"You wanna try, Monty?" Chip asked in a somewhat vexed voice.

About time, Monty thought. "Thought you'd never ask, Chip me lad," he declared, handing Zipper off to the recovering Dale and taking position in front of the troublesome door. He didn't try any tricks to gain extra leverage of strength; he just grasped the iron ring with his huge hands and pulled.

At first, he fared no better than Chip, Dale, and Foxglove had; the door was not moving. But he would not be denied so easily; he pulled even harder, gritting his teeth and grunting. Still, no movement from the door. Behind him, Chip said "That's OK, Monty, we'll just go back outside instead," but Monty did not hear it. Or rather, he did not want to hear it. He had always prided himself on his great strength; he never refused any opportunity to test it, no matter how impossible the challenge seemed. No stinkin' door's gonna get the besta me! he kept thinking as he strained.

Strangely enough, Monty felt his strength building, not ebbing, as he struggled with the ring. The encouragements Dale and Foxglove were giving him were also helping. But when he heard Zipper squeak "Go for it, Monty!" from Dale's arms, that's when it happened.

With a surge of strength that probably would have surprised Hercules, Monty gave one last pull. A loud bang resonated through the room, accompanied by sparks coming off three spots in the door frame. Monty found himself stumbling backward away from the door. When he regained his balance, he looked at his handiwork. As everyone else stared at the door with wide eyes and slack jaws, Monty only smiled in a combination of satisfaction and shock.

The door was now open. They could all see that it was indeed locked... with three solid metal deadbolts, all of which were snapped clean through. Even Monty was utterly dumbfounded; not even he could possibly have mustered the strength to shatter such locks... or could he?

"Guess I don't know me own strength!" was all he could say at his incredible feat.

While he was no less amazed at Monty's strength, Chip also knew that loud noises generally drew attention, and attention was something that they did not need at this time. Like with Dale's increased sensitivity to sound, an explanation for Monterey Jack's apparently increased strength would have to wait; they had to get out of there fast.

He looked through the doorway. Though the light from Gadget's glow stick was quite bright, and extended for quite a distance, all he could see was a corridor stretching off into darkness ahead. He noticed stanchions on the walls, but they were devoid of torches. Great, he thought, more of the unknown ahead. Still, he believed that going back outside was out of the question; whatever had heard the noise of the breaking door would be upon them in perhaps a minute, maybe less, maybe more, there was no way to be certain. There was only one way to go.

"OK, everyone, I'll lead the way," Chip directed. "Dale, you follow behind me with Zipper, then Gadget, then Foxglove, and Monty, you watch our rear."

"I could use my echosound to help you see," Foxglove repeated her suggestion from earlier, trying to be of some use to her friends (as well as to impress Dale).

"OK, you follow me, Foxy. Dale, you go third, then Gadget and Monty."

"OK," squaked Zipper from Dale's arm.

Gadget handed the glow stick to the Rangers' leader, and he passed through the doorway, Foxglove closely following. With a sigh of "Here goes nothin'," Dale entered. Taking out and lighting another glow stick, Gadget limped into the corridor. Finally, Monty backed through the door, drawing it shut as quietly as he could. "Might buy us some time," he explained.

The corridor was wide enough to allow them to walk two abreast, but they still proceeded single file. They also couldn't move as fast as Chip would have liked, as Gadget could only limp along on her crutch. He thought about carrying her again, but if they came up against anything hostile, he wanted her as far from the danger as possible.

As they began their trek, Foxglove let out a single echosound to see if anything was ahead of them. Dale's ears twitched; the shriek came across plain as day, echoing off the stone walls for some seconds. He found himself smiling at the sound, though; in a way, it was the most pleasant thing he had ever heard.

"There's another door ahead," Foxglove concluded. Sure enough only a few seconds after she said this, another wooden, iron-bound door became visible in the orange light. It was identical in appearance to the door Monty had broken moments before.

We'll probably need Monty to break this door too, Chip thought as they approached. Still, he preferred to do things the easy way before trying the hard way. "Negotiation before violence" was a one of his personal credos. It's probably locked, his thought continued, but it wouldn't hurt to try again....

To say he was surprised when the door opened as he pulled on its iron ring would be yet another gross understatement. "Golly," Gadget exclaimed. "Why would the outer door be locked, but not the inner door?"

"Maybe woolly thinking," Chip speculated. "Since the outer door was so hard to open, maybe whoever locked this place up felt the inner door didn't need to be locked."

"There's another room ahead," Foxglove announced, having made another echosounding of the area beyond the door. "It's larger than the last one, and it has a high ceiling." Dale's smile widened; hearing her echosound was like seeing an aurora--beautiful in a strange, haunting way.

The six souls carefully proceeded into the new room. When Monty passed through he again quietly closed the door behind them. "Can't be too careful," he further explained.

The glow sticks revealed a room the was indeed quite different from the wrecked office they had just left. The walls and floors were made entirely from smooth stone, much like the corridor behind them. Above them, the walls stetched up into the distance; they couldn't see the ceiling. The wall the door was set in continued in both directions until angling inward, as if they were inside an octagon. All that could be seen on the stone floor was dust; no furniture or traces of habitation could be seen.

"Hear anything strange?" Chip asked both Dale and Foxglove. They shook their heads; aside from the sounds of their footsteps, this room was as still as the grave.

That is, until Chip's foot found a cleverly disguised stone step which ran the breadth of the room. And then, in the span of two seconds, several things happened.

The door they had just entered locked with a clicking sound.

From stanchions high above them, torches lit up with a puffing noise, as if they were electric lights, except they burned with the same ghostly flame as the lamps they had seen outside. The torches were bright enough to fully illuminate the room, revealing it as a large, octagonal, space with a high ceiling and no furnishings.

And finally, with the sound of turning wheels and whirring gears, the wall in front of them sild open, revealing to Chip the reason why only the outer door was locked. If intruders could get past the strongdoor, they would have to contend with this....

And this... what was it?

The six souls could only gape. A general feeling of disbelief threatened to overwhelm them all as they stared at what confronted them. For it bore only a passing resemblance to anything any of them had ever experienced. Some of them had seen things like it in their various adventures, but this....

The six souls were getting plenty sick of this....

Disclaimer: The characters of Chip, Dale, Monterey Jack, Zipper, Gadget, and Foxglove are copyright Walt Disney Corporation and are used without permission. No material profit is intended through this work (in other words, I ain't makin' no money off this, and no one is allowed to profit from this either). All other characters are owned by the author. Feel free to distribute without alterations.

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