The Wererat: Chapter Seven

AN: Song lyrics in italics.

skyechan: Yes, my mind has officially been messed with. But it's a relatively good messed with.

(Fade to the interior of the Legacy, more specifically, the living room. It's raining heavily. Veeken and Des are sitting around, looking depressed.)

Veeken: All this time, it was Lupin, and we never knew...

Des: It explains why he didn't want Ratigan to be working with us.

Veeken: Yeah. I think he didn't want to have his secret discovered too soon.

(Cut to Ratigan, sitting on his bed, depressed. He looks up. There is a letter on the bedside table. He picks it up, and his eyes widen. As he silently reads the letter, Lupin's voice can be heard reading it.)

Lupin: (voice-over) "If you have found this letter, then I am probably dead, and you now know my secret."

Ratigan: No... You're dead...

Lupin: (voice-over) "However, there is something I must say: I'd like to apologize about what I said earlier. You've changed. However, I'm not surprised. We are all subject to change at some point in time or another. Humans, mice,
animals, everything in or under the world. Some are good, while others are quite the opposite. My story is a good example of that. I only hope you can forgive me someday..."

(Ratigan sets down the letter, not a little confused. Cut back to Veeken and Des. Veeken's just sitting around, but Des is examining the book.)

Des: Y'know, I wonder how Lupin was able to write this book in the future if we've just seen him die.

(Veeken looks up.)

Veeken: What do you mean?

Des: Look at the date.

(She holds the book up. The date is 1989.)

Veeken: Huh.

Des: What did your dad say about him, anyway?

Veeken: Not much, really. He just said that he apparently died of mysterious causes, but the S.R.C.D. brought him back from the dead. It was really weird, though, because the body seemed to be in perfect condition.

(She stops. She's had an idea.)

Veeken: (cont; excited) I've got an idea!

(She starts to run out the door. Des gets up.)

Des: Where are you going?

Veeken: I gotta go call dad!

(Veeken runs out. Des just looks confused. Cut to the HJ training area. Ratigan (not the past version) is using some sort of laser sword against a seeker robot {like in Star Wars: A New Hope}, while Ron, Rufus, and several HJ agents watch. He is concentrating on defeating it, when a sudden beeping is heard. He is momentarily distracted, and the seeker robot uses the moment of distraction to aim a laser at his tail. It hits, and he leaps up and
off-camera. Kim walks in, holding a Kimmunicator.)

Kim: Ratigan, it's for you! (looks around) Ratigan? Ratigan?

(Ron points upward.)

Ron: At that moment, Professor James Ratigan learned a valuable lesson about laser blasts-.

Kim: Ron.

Ratigan: (off-camera) Ah, hi, Kim.

(Pan up to reveal Ratigan, hanging upside-down like a monkey from a pipe, and not a little embarassed.)

Ratigan: (cont) I take it that phone call's for me?

Kim: (off-camera) Yeah.

(Ratigan tries to jump down, but stays there once he sees the height. It is not just a foot or two down.)

Kim: (cont; off-camera) It's from Veeken.

Ratigan: (distracted by trying to get down) Who?

Kim: Your daughter.

Ratigan: Kim, I know who she is.

(He finally drops down onto the ground, landing on his feet. Ron looks on in awe.)

Ron: Oh, come on, anyone could land on their feet.

Ratigan: Oh, really? (glaring at Ron; "I dare you" voice) Then why don't you try it?

Ron: (chuckles nervously) I'll pass.

(Ratigan takes the Kimmunicator.)

Ratigan: Veeken?

Veeken: Hey, dad. Ron stupid as always?

Ratigan: Never mind that. Why'd you call?

Veeken: I need you to do a favor for me.

(The next part is audible only to Ratigan, but it clearly has a powerful effect on him.)

Ratigan: You want me to what?!

Veeken: Please?

Ratigan: (sighs) Fine. Over and out.

(He deactivates the Kimmunicator. Ron is still standing next to him.)

Ratigan: (cont; annoyed) What?!

Ron: Do you know your tail is on fire?

(Ratigan looks down.)

Ratigan: (matter-of-factly) Yes.

(He picks up his tail, and puts out the tiny fire burning on it. Rufus laughs. Time lapse. Fade to the living room of the Legacy. Basil walks in, wearing his sailor disguise {without the mustache} and apparently looking for someone. He looks up at Veeken.)

Basil: Have you seen Ratigan?

(Veeken holds up her Kimmunicator. It has a map of the London area, and a red dot reading Ratigan appears.)

Veeken: I put a silencer on it if you don't want to be heard sneaking up on him.

(Basil accepts this.)

Basil: Thank you.

(He walks off. As soon as he leaves, the Ratigan we see at HJ headquarters enters. He looks tired, but satisfied with something.)

Ratigan: (breathing hard) There. Now time will not ravage his body.

(There is a moment's silence, then Ratigan asks-.)

Ratigan: (cont) Why'd you have me do that?

Veeken: (enigmatically) You'll see...

(Time Lapse. Fade to Ratigan {past}, standing on the roof of the building, where, near the fire escape, one of his few friends died. The sun is setting. Cue Music: May It Be; Enya. He stares off into space, reminiscing.)

May it be an evening star shines down upon you;
May it be when darkness falls, your heart will be true;

(Basil's head appears above the edge of the roof. He looks around, and, spotting Ratigan, walks towards him.)

(Ratigan doesn't seem to notice Basil until-.)

Ratigan: (bitter) Are you happy now, Basil? Isn't this what you always wanted to see?

(Basil is taken back with this statement.)

Basil: Ratigan, I-.

(Ratigan sits down, indian style, his head bowed.)

Ratigan: Go ahead, Basil, say it. "Oh, how the mighty Professor Ratigan has fallen."

Basil: No.

You walk a lonely road;
Oh, how far you are from home;

(Ratigan looks up, an expression of shock on his face. He obviously didn't see this coming.)

Ratigan: ...Why?

(Basil sits down next to Ratigan.)

Basil: (sighs) Listen, there wasn't much either of us could do. I doubt either of us could've managed to subdue him before...

(He breaks off, grimacing slightly. Ratigan closes his eyes.)

Mornië utúlië (Darkness has come);
Believe and you will find your way;

Ratigan: No one should have to bury their friend.

Basil: I know...

Mornië alantië (Darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

Ratigan: I just wish I could've done something.

Basil: He was strong in life. His spirit will find its way to the halls of his forefathers.

(Ratigan slowly stands up. Basil, slightly worried, stands too. He touches Ratigan on the arm, and he looks down at him calmly, a smile on his face.)

May it be the shadow's call will fly away;
May it be your journey on to light the day;
When the night is overcome, you may rise to find the sun

Ratigan: Let's go.

(Ratigan walks off, and Basil follows them. They climb off the roof together.)

Mornië utúlië (Quenya: Darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornië alantië (Quenya: Darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

(The scene shifts to Ratigan {future} standing over a grave. Basil walks up next to him, and Ratigan places an arm over his shoulder, and they walk off together. Meanwhile, the figure of Lupin watches, smiling from the shadows.)

A promise lives within you now...

The End

~ * ~ * ~ *

Coming soon: Spiderrat

After a wave of strange power overcomes Ratigan during a mission and he briefly goes into a coma, he discovers he is temporarily the latest heir to the Spiderman legacy, Spiderrat (Yes, there's an explanation)! But, as Uncle Ben said, with great power comes great responsibility. And Ratigan learns that lesson soon enough. It's going to take all the spiderpowers, if Ratigan's going to rescue Basil from the clutches of Shego and the ghost of the Green Goblin, even with the (reluctant) help of a (formerly dead) foe of Peter's. Basil/Ratigan (hopefully).