Echoes in my Mind

by AmberLS123

Prologue

Smoke from the long cigarette in his gloved hand curled about his head as he gazed out the stained glass window, watching the lightning zigzag through the night sky. It was an awing sight, seeing the bolts of electricity shooting between the clouds and down to the ground. It was as if the elements themselves shared his foul mood.

"P-Professor?"

The rat… or large mouse, as he viewed himself… gritted his teeth in agitation as that bat's gruff voice grated on his nerves. "What is it, Fidget?" he asked, rubbing his temple with a white gloved hand as he felt a migraine coming on.

"Th-there's someone wants ta see ya…"

"Who is it and what do they want?" he demanded.

"I dunno who it is," the bat shrugged. "'E's a grey mouse with fancy black clothes a-an' sorta red colored eyes… kinda spooky looking," he added with a shudder. "Said it was really important. Somethin' about a business prop… uh, propa…" Fidget scratched his head in thought, as he was not used to using such large words.

"Tell them I'm very busy and cannot be disturbed," he interrupted irately.

"B-But Boss, he talked about Basil…"

He turned and glared at his henchman, who gulped nervously and shrank back as those yellow eyes bored into him. "What about him?" he growled.

"S-Somethin' about helping you defeat him," Fidget stammered. "A-And get the girl back."

He took a moment to consider. "Send him in," he instructed, making up his mind.

"Right away, Boss!" Fidget replied, his peg leg clicking against the stone floor as he hobbled away.

The Professor sighed wearily as he made his way across the room and sat on his throne, wincing from the slight pains still left in his body. It had been several weeks since that incident, but he was still recovering from that fall down a rocky slope outside his castle as he chased after his escaped prisoners.

Those memories were the source of his foul mood, and as they were stirred up anew, he gripped the arm of his chair in anger. He had been close, so close, to finally destroying his enemy, Basil of Baker Street. The Great Mouse Detective had been a thorn in his side far too long, and it seemed that at long last, he had found his weakness… his feelings for a young woman named Amber. The Professor had captured Basil and tricked her into agreeing to work for him by promising that no further harm would come upon her friend if she did so, yet had still kept Basil captive as a way to make sure that she would not disobey him. He had two motives for this; mainly, it was a means of torturing Basil with the knowledge that the one he loved was in the very employee of his arch enemy. Also, he had observed the girl for some time, and realized that if she were as loyal to him as she was to Basil, she would be of great use to him. All had been going according to plan. He had Basil in his clutches, and planned to make the girl his queen…

Yet that blasted detective had somehow managed to escape from his dungeon, and he and the girl both slipped right through his fingers. He had hoped that because of their own injuries, they wouldn't have gotten very far away, but his guards scoured the woods for days and found no sign of them.

What alarmed him most was that he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind. She was a very lovely girl, the round chocolate brown eyes and short brown curls framing her face combined with her short stature making her seem almost fragile. Yet she had proven to be quite the opposite, as he recalled her bashing his head with a candlestick as she tried to escape. It had made him furious at the time, but he had to admit, she was brave, and he had underestimated her. At first, he had viewed her as nothing more than a pawn to use against his arch foe. Basil was not a mouse prone to feelings; therefore, if this girl was able to affect him so, she must be something special indeed. And the more he thought about her, the more he wanted her for his own.

And he had, for a brief time. Though she was timid and fearful at first, she seemed to grow a little at ease, and actually carried on a descent conversation with him, which was more than most would do. He was used to people shrinking away from him, and actually preferred it that way, enjoying that he instilled fear into them. Miss Amber had been afraid as well, but she had listened as he revealed small tidbits of his past, and seemed genuinely interested. And for a moment, he thought he sensed that she could have even felt sympathy toward him… something that very few had ever shown to the likes of a creature of his species. He felt a very small twinge of guilt when he considered what he had done to hurt her, how cruel he had been. It was short-lived, however. He had to keep reminding himself that she was only a tool, one of many in his vast organization. He could not afford to dwell on such things as love. He had given up on that long ago.

He frowned at these unwelcome thoughts and attempted to distract himself by letting his mind drift back to this strange visitor. It actually caused him to become more angry and irritated. Who was he to get involved with his foe? He had been engaged in a war with the detective for years, and though there were several instances where he almost won, he had yet to defeat him for good. How could this stranger help him and what business was it of his to get involved?

The answer would be revealed soon enough, as the doors swung open and the visitor entered the room. His first impression was one of caution. Something about this mouse, whose dark demeanor and cunning eyes spoke of evil, instantly put the Professor on his guard. As for his physical appearance, he was very tall for a mouse, slightly taller than Basil, with gray fur and a small mustache. He obviously shared Ratigan's taste for finery, as he was dressed in an expensive black suit and cloak, and carried a walking stick engraved with gold.

"My sincere apologies for disturbing you, Professor," the stranger said in a thick accent as he bowed and removed his hat, exposing long raven black hair which was pulled back and tied at the back of his neck with a black ribbon. "But it is an urgent matter which brings me here."

Ratigan regarded the newcomer with extreme caution, though he smiled congenially. "It's quite alright, my good sir. I am a busy mouse, but I can spare a little of my time. My informants tell me that you wish to aid me in defeating my mortal enemy."

"Yes, that is correct," the mouse replied with a smile, exposing white teeth.

"Forgive me if I seem rude, but what would possess you to make such a journey to offer aid to a stranger?"

"Oh, but you're not entirely a stranger," the mouse stated. "I too, have my informants, and they have told me of you…Professor Padraic Ratigan, the Napoleon of Crime, the world's greatest criminal mind." Ratigan couldn't help smiling at that. It seemed his fame had spread even further than he imagined. "Though I know little about you and we have only just met," the mouse continued, "it is plain to see that, like myself, you possess a great deal of darkness inside you." The mouse paused, as if waiting to see if the Professor was interested.

Although his suspicion was growing, Ratigan was also a little curious, and decided to hear what the mouse had to offer. "I'm listening," he said, indicating a chair nearby.

The mouse smiled in thanks as he placed his cane against the arm of the chair and took a seat. He leaned forward and touched his fingertips together, his unnerving red eyes flashing. "My name is Fane cel Rau… and I have a business proposition for you…"

Author's Note: Well, here it is... the sequel to "Echoes in the Night" I simply couldn't wait, as I've had this idea in mind for a while now.

So, this does take place just a short while after "Echoes 1." Here we see what Ratigan's been up to, which is basically sulking XD Also, I'm very excited to introduce Fane cel Rau, who's name means "Stefan the evil" in Romanian (gives you some insight into his personality...) I am so excited to develop this character further, I can already tell he's going to be fun to write about. The only thing is I'm afraid he's going to take the spotlight from Ratigan... but I'll try my best to not let one get more attention than the other haha.

Hmm... wonder what exactly he's proposing to help Ratigan? Does he really just want to help a fellow criminal, or is there some ulterior motive behind it? Whatever the case, it's sure to be trouble for Amber and Basil...

One other note: since "chapter 1" is actually a prologue, the other chapters will be off by one... sorry for any confusion ^^;

Some music to set the mood: watch?v=z60sjLXG4N4&feature=BFa&list=PL533B70385AAD2F0F&shuffle=302548