Idol Missions 9: The Secret of NIMH

Chapter 5

Mr. Ages led the three mice to go and see Nicodemus through the tunnels towards the rat's chambers. "Now don't tire him out." Mr. Ages told them. "No." Mrs. Brisby replied. "Be brief." Mr. Ages said. "Yes." Maika replied. "Say what you want and leave." Mr. Ages said. "Yes, sir." Ema nodded. "We won't be a bother." Mrs. Brisby added. "Justin bothers him enough with all his silly nonsense." Mr. Ages commented before coming to a stop. "Here we are." "Thank you, Mr. Ages." Mrs. Brisby, Maika, and Ema replied. "I don't know what Nicodemus sees in that boy..." Mr. Ages said under his breath before looking to them again as he went to walk away. "I'll come back for you. Brief!" he reminded quickly. "He sure likes to remind us." Ema said. "He's pretty persistent, huh?" Maika replied. "Mm..." Ema said. The three mice went to the door. Mrs. Brisby reached for the handle which depressed itself before she could touch it. The door opened, and a flood of light and force streamed out of it for several seconds. Mrs. Brisby braced herself against it as it tried to push them back. Then, as suddenly as it began, it ended. The three mice cautiously peered out to the door while getting back up. "Come closer, my children," A voice called to them. "Don't be frightened." "Yes, sir." Maika said. "Must be Nicodemus..." Ema commented. "Either that or someone changed their voice."

Mrs. Brisby, Maika, and Ema approached the figure known as Nicodemus who was sitting on an ornate throne in the center of the room. "Sir... The, uh... The Great Owl sent us to you." Mrs. Brisby said nervously. "Oh, did he? He is a dear comrade..." Nicodemus replied. "Closer." Mrs. Brisby gulped, but obeyed the order with the girls, going right up to the throne. "Ah, Mrs. Jonathan Brisby," Nicodemus recognized the widowed mouse. "What an honor this is." "You know about Mrs. Brisby?" Ema asked. "I guess Mr. Brisby was very popular and important, huh?" Maika commented. "How... How is it that everyone kn-knows Jonathan?" Mrs. Brisby soon asked. "He was a great friend to the Rats of NIMH," Nicodemus stated. "He himself came from NIMH." "NIMH... There's that word again..." Maika commented. "Your Majesty, my family is-" Mrs. Brisby began. "I know of your needs." Nicodemus interrupted until he gestured to a book sitting on a desk against the wall. "There is a book there. Read the words." "Um, okay." Maika said. "Mrs. Brisby, you can read, right?" Ema asked the widowed mouse. "I can read, a little. Jonathan taught me." Mrs. Brisby replied. "The children are better." The book raised from the desk, and opened itself with light streaming from the pages, much to the shock of the three mice. "Than... Than I am..." Mrs. Brisby's voice trailed off nervously. "Read." Nicodemus told her. Mrs. Brisby went to read with Maika and Ema, though it was tough to get to the part of the widow's late husband. "'Jonathan Brisby made possible the rats' escape from the terrible cruelty of NIMH. He was killed today while drugging the farmer's cat, Dragon'." they began, revealing how exactly Jonathan had died. "Oh." Maika frowned. "Gosh... I-I'm so sorry, Mrs. Brisby..." Ema said softly. "Oh, I... I never knew... Just what happened." Mrs. Brisby grew emotional. "Why did he never tell me about any of you? Why?" "To answer that, I must tell you about NIMH, and our Plan. Go! Look there!" Nicodemus replied before pointing to a device in the corner.

Maika and Ema took a look as they saw what looked like a rough globe set in an ornate flame before it began to spin faster and faster. "Is this a crystal ball?" Maika asked. "Something like that... You both have a right to know this too..." Nicodemus said to the duo. The globe began to show a scene. The three mice went to take a look into the globe, seeing many images appear as Nicodemus told them a story. "In the beginning, we were ordinary street rats, stealing our daily bread and living off the efforts of man's work. We were captured, put in cages, and sent to a place called NIMH. There were many animals there in cages," Nicodemus began. "They were put through the most unspeakable tortures to satisfy some scientific curiosity. Often at night I would hear them, crying out in anguish. 20 rats and eleven mice were given injections... Our world began changing..." The three mice saw nightmarish images of rats writhing in pain as their DNA twisted and exploded. The trio looked horrified. "Then one night I looked upon the words under the cage door, and understood them," Nicodemus continued. "We had become intelligent. We could read." Then the trio saw a sign that reads "TO OPEN DOOR LIFT LATCH." A rat's hand reached out of the cage and lifted it. The door swung open with a creak. Soon, all the rats and mice began escaping from their cages. "The miracle was kept secret from the scientists, and in the quiet of the night, we escaped through the ventilation system," Nicodemus continued as a brave brown mouse was shown which was quite familiar to Mrs. Brisby. "The mice were blown away, sucked down dark air-shafts to their deaths. All except two; Jonathan and Mr. Ages. We were trapped by a locked door on the roof. It was Jonathan who made possible the unlocking of the door." "Mr. Brisby." Ema realized. Jonathan wriggled through a wire cover over the end of the air duct. The cover fell free and we see Jonathan sitting on top of the vent, looking very pleased with himself. Mrs. Brisby sighed as the image of her dead husband soon faded.