CROOK

Chapter 12

The next day Keokuk was the first to be awake. He was up first trying to come up with a plan when they get inside the lab. His mind swirled with questions and answers. His paws shivered at the thought of what would they do if one of his friends have gotten captured. Cause that already happened with a rat he tried to save in the lab. He peered over to Mae to notice she was slowly waking up. "Good morning Mae." He greeted. "Good morning." Mae replied. "You're up awfully early." "Yes I was trying to come up with a plan." Mae looked down at his hands and sighed. "I would of guessed that I'm such an idiot."

Keokuk chuckled then frowned at her. He thought she was joking but when he got to see her face clearly. He trembled over to her side tiredly. "You aren't an idiot." Keokuk said. "Keep your head up. And keep your heart strong." "What's the point anyways." Mae muttered. "How are we,just a bunch of city rats,going to stop a prophecy. It's impossible.." Keokuk huffed and stood in front of her. He clenched his fist and slammed it straight into her cheek. Mae laid on the ground holding onto her face in pain. Keokuk could see blood trickled from her nose a little bit. "What was that for?!" Mae sniffled. "Never think about something wrong you did in the past, always look forward with your head up high; have no regrets." Keokuk said walking away from her to the edge of a curb of the street.

Mae still looked confused but confident. She did agree that she needed a little punch to boost her confidence. But unfortunately Casimir had awakened from his slumber in shock to see Mae's body on the ground with a mini puddle of blood. "What happened?!" Casimir shouted. Mae didn't want to expose keokuk to what he did to her since it came with a good outcome. "Just a bloody nose no worries." Mae replied wiping her nose with her paw. "Are you sure?" Casimir said grabbing her face and searching around for any extra injury. "I'm just fine." Mae said shoving him off her. "Okay then. Anyway, are you all ready?" Casimir said looking around for Annie and his brother. "We're ready!" Annie and Darius said shooting their head up in excitement. "Annie we won't be needing you today." Keokuk said.

Annie turned to keokuk and frown. "Why?" Casimir,Annie,Mae,and Darius all said in unison. "I have a new source of transportation I used when I was getting here." Keokuk said. "What's the new entrance that made us switch rides?" Casimir asked. "We are going to get on the roof." Keokuk uttered. "How are you guys going to get on the roof? You don't have wings ...OR DO YOU???" Annie remarked. "The roof is also really high up. And I don't really do heights." Mae murmured. "Don't worry, we are going to use pigeons to fly us up there." Keokuk pointed at the flock of birds by some bread crumbs on the ground. Using their beaks to pick it up and swallow it. "Pigeons?! You're joking are you?" Casimir jeered. "What's a pigeon?" Mae asked.

"Pigeons are one of the dumbest birds in the city!" Casimir bickered. "Actually they aren't really dumb. From what I seen humans used to use them to send messages to their friends or loved ones." Darius interjected. "Yes while that may be true. The pigeon I'll be using is an old friend from the last mission I did and he isn't really. Well intelligent." Keokuk deflected. "Oh great a dumb pigeon my favorite thing." Casimir gibed. Keokuk signaled the others to come beside him. They each sat by each others sides and watched the pigeons feed on bread crumbs. A bench was beside the birds with an old human with shades throwing down their food source. Keokuk crept closer to one of the pigeons with a blue crested neck and grey feathers like a normal pigeon.

"Psst remember me egg?" Keokuk muttered. Egg the pigeon looked up from his feeding and stared at him. "Is this you Keokug?" He cawed. "Yes it's me Keokug." Keokuk chuckled. Egg couldn't say his name correctly mostly because pigeons say most English wrong or broken. They have their own kind of language. "Oh thank Bapado. Me have not been seeing you in long time." Egg said waddling over to his old friend. "Yes it sure has been awhile." Keokuk retorted. "I'm going to need your help again." "You ask me anything friend. Me will be rejoice to help you again." Egg whispered. "I'm going to need you to round up all your friends because I have to get to the lab again. But this time I have recruits." Keokuk explained. Casimir thought this was his cue so he came running up to Keokuk.

Keokuk turned around to look at him and raised an eyebrow. That's when everyone else followed behind him. Egg stared for a moment then burst out laughing. "What! You must be crazy speak. Me can't hold on big furry puss. Everyone looked at Annie and she waved to them. "Oh you won't be carrying her just us four." Darius alerted. "I see. Well then what we waiting for?" Egg beseeched. Egg made a call that made all the feeding birds stand still looking closely at him. "Listen all you. We going to help Keokuk again. This time he has some friend with he. So me will need some you to helper me." Some of the birds nodded. "They say you can get on they. Go head." Egg pointed his talons to his flight. Keokuk signaled everyone to get on a bird. He choose Egg for obvious reasons.

"Is this really sanitary?" Mae hesitated before hopping on a bird that caught her eye. "Yes it will help us!" Casimir Heaved. Before Mae knew it he saw that everyone had already gotten on the pigeons. She sighed and climbed onto the bird. "One last thing before we take off." Keokuk announced. "Annie do you see that pipe sticking out in that alley." He pointed at a metal pipe that had a puddle beneath it and it seemed to be beside the lab." Yep I see it very clearly!" Annie hollered. "I want you to cross the street and stand right there for us. That's where we are getting out." Keokuk responded. "Ooooh! Alright I won't let you down!" Annie effused. "Now everyone else! Let's fly!" Keokuk shouted. The pigeons lifted up their wings and began to flap. The height made Mae shiver and hold on to its scruff tightly. Soon they were officially high in the sky.

The flight of birds headed to the room of the lab. "On second thought maybe we should get a little bit lower." Mae piped. "Too late. We are already almost there." Darius chuckled. Mae had her eyes shut at the thought of being almost millions of feet off the earth's crust. Heights have haunted her ever since she stood on the roof room of the castle she realized how she could fall and kill herself. "We are here." A voice said incoherently. Mae opened her eyes to see she was back on a hard surface but this Time the concrete was a muddy white and looked like someone hasn't cleaned in years. They hopped off the birds and bid them farewell. "We go to puss and wait for you." Egg said. Keokuk nodded and waved goodbye as Egg and his flock flew away.

"So... how are we getting in?" Casimir smirked. Keokuk pointed to the huge pipe vent that emitted smoke from out its entrance. "That's where the heat is coming from wouldn't we all be burned alive?" Darius pointed out. "If you keep going to the bottom there will be a big boiling area where we will burn to death. But our stop isn't that far down." Keokuk assured. The rats all climbed into the dark pipeline that lead them to their future dismay. "It's so hot in here I think I'm going to melt." Casimir huffed. "Well i did say it was going to be hot didn't i?" Darius restated. "I know." Casimir snapped. The pipe felt everlasting since they have been walking for awhile. Keokuk came to a halt when they say the door to a vent below them. A glowing white light emitted on them as he peered into the slanted holes.

It seemed to be 2 humans carrying what looked to be a white rabbit with maroon eyes. Casimir gasped. "Wait didn't Annabeth have eyes like that is it some kind of disease to all animals?" "No they were born that way. It's just a rare kind of coat color. It's transparent it helps humans see their veins" Keokuk explained. Mae shivered at the thought of Annabeth. She could of been executed or something because they figured her out. The humans seem to be injecting the rabbit with some black fluid making them struggle. The rabbit's legs went limp and it's fur color around the area of the needle started turning black. The humans removed the injection and wrote down their studies.

Mae looked down upon the rabbit. It's eyes were frozen in fear and it's body shivered in a cold sweat. "Let's keep going." Keokuk announced. He continued on and everyone followed. That creature is called a rabbit? Mae has had her education from her father she had to learn that other animals exist outside the kingdom. One animal he mentioned was a rabbit. They were very docile and friendly towards us. Very powerful long hind legs that can kick. She snapped out of her thoughts to a scream.

"What's going on up there?" She called out.