Welcome to
Tuesday Tales
on Thursday
this is going to be one crazy-insane rescue oppurration!!!
The Clockwurk Labyrinth
If mew missed the thrilling start of our latest adventure, here are the catch up links...
Chapters 1 ~ 3 Chapters 4 ~ 5 Chapters 6 ~ 7 Chapters 8 ~ 9
Chapters 10 ~ 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14
Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19
And now here's the epilogue...
Epilogue
I tapped my comms unit and said. “This is Basil, I need the extractor fans on max in BD1 stat!”
Horice waved his trunk from way, way down the corridor, then he lifted Posie and Snowie high above the refugee crowd that was separating us.
Snowie and Posie shrieked with delight and waved madly from their purrch. “Basil!”
“What’s up?” I asked.
“It’s precisely 4 minutes and 31 seconds since mew got back and we haven’t even seen mew yet!” Snowie replied as she adjusted her comms unit.
“Extractor fans are on!” Posie confirmed waving her tablet and grinning. “And thank cod mew’re all safe!”
I waved and smiled happily. I was so glad to be home too.
Turning towards the windows in BD1, I heard the motors whirling into life and I finally relaxed knowing that if there were any particles of that confounded Grandfather clock left here, they were now scattered to the four winds.
Fudge appeared at my side and Looked at me with the saddest-eyes and said quietly. “Basil I’m so so sorry, if I’d known that thing was a portal to another dimension I would have asked mew furst!”
“Dude, stop, purrlease stop apologising,” I patted him on the shoulder, pulling him into a hug. “I can’t thank mew enough because look...”
Letting him go, I gestured along the corridor. “Look!” I smiled widely, there must have been at least 50 creatures; all different shapes, sizes, colours and species, chattering, hooting, snuffling, squeaking and chirruping among themselves. “Mew saved them dude, mew saved them all!”
Fudge looked at me, tears streaming down his face. “But it could’ve ended so badly fur effuryone...”
Taking him by the shoulders, I turned him to face my old team. “Mew see those guys offur there?” Fudge nodded and I continued. “They were my old team before I retired from the F.I.B.!”
“They’re the original B Team?” he asked in awe.
Nodding I said. “I told mew that in the maze.”
“Mew did, wow I don’t remember,” he mused, then added. “But then all I can remember is mew jumping in front of me and throwing that thing back at the old one...” An orange pom pom creature peeked at me offur Fudge's shoulder and chirruped. Fudge said. “Squash says...”
“Squash, who the fluff is that?”
“Squash is the little orange dude on my shoulder, the pink one,” Fudge said as right on cue the pink pom pom appeared behind Squash. “Her name is Squish, she’s Squash's sisfur.”
“Pawesome!” I said grinning. “Really great to meet mew little fluffy little dudes and dudettes.” They chirruped excitedly. “Thank mew Squish fur that epic force-field, mew have some mad skills!”
Squish quivered, her pink fur rippling before standing completely on end and she spoke in purrfect English, though her pitch was quite high. “Commander Basil it is an honour to meet mew and my purrleasure to assist mew defeating The Old One.”
Staring in astonishment I was speechless and the phrase, ‘cat got your tongue?’ couldn’t have been any more purrfect than in that moment.
Squish bubbled with enthusiasm as she continued. “Many of the captives in the labyrinth spent endless nights listening to the cats speak about Commander Basil and tell stories of such daring adventures, fraught with danger and that mew neffur left anypurrdy behind... that mew would come to save them and us too.“ Squish paused thoughtfully, before saying. “And we loved those stories, they brought us hope and kept a beacon shining in the darkness fur us.”
Extending my paw, she hopped on and scurried up to my shoulder, leaning against my cheek and what I experienced next was akin to a Vulcan mind-meld. Images flashed in my minds-eye and I suddenly blurted, “STOP!” Squish backed away and the images faded. “Squish,” I murmured softly. “Those bad memories need to be released so mew can be free to move on...”
“Move on where, we have nowhere to go?” she mewled sadly.
“I didn’t mean move on literally... move on in your mind and be free of the past,” I explained and added. “Besides I thought mew guys were all going to move into the bunker with us as we’ve got bags of room and I know Fudge would love it if mew stayed.”
Fudge who’d been conspicuously quiet almost squeaked with happiness. “Really dude, they can stay, fur sure, mew purromise?” he gushed.
I nodded. “Furever dude, but mew know the rules, no guns, no piddling in the corridors or any place fur that matter other than the designated latrines, no mess, no joy riding, no blowing stuff up, no touching anything on levels 2 - 5 effur,” I took a breath. “Well mew’ve got the BBHQ handbook, so mew‘re in charge of our new furriends being brought up to speed with the bunker health and safety protocols, rules and regulations, ok?”
“REALLY? REALLY? OMC Basil that’s the best assignment effur!” Fudge yelled. “Can I take them down to level 8 with Horice?”
“Sure, great idea, take Parsley and Smooch with mew and let’s find out what they like to eat and lets hope it’s not us!” I laughed.
Fudge whistled and the corridor went silent, mew could have heard a pin drop and he said. “Anyone from the eveel dimension follow me now!” Striding forward, the sea of creatures parted and Fudge strode proudly along the corridor with the creatures falling in behind to follow him.
It did make me laugh as he rounded the corner and gave me a little wave. It was like watching the Pied Piper and his magickal creatures with Horice bringing up the rear, and I made a mental note to scoot down to level 8 next. “Well now they’ve got sorted I think we need a chat,” I said to the B & B Team. “Let's go to the canteen as I’m famished.”
Posie led the way as Pandora, Humphrey, Snowie, Amber followed and I brought up the rear with Winston, GD, Chuffer, Mad Cat and Solitaire. I looked at my old team and when I say they looked wurse fur wear that was an understatement, and my heart squeezed in my chest as I imagined the horrors they suffered.
Posie put the kettle on and began to see what food was available, Snowie helped get the old team settled around a large refectory table and Humphrey said. “Dudes, mew guys look done in!”
Winston sighed heavily and rested his head on the table. Chuffer looked at me and asked. “Commander, can I ask me a favour?”
I grinned at the tuxedo, he was skin and bone, as were all my old team. And I replied as cheerfully as I could. "Sure Chuffer what do mew need dude?”
“I could really do with one of those nip cigars, the special Cuban ones mew keep stashed!”
“Wait there.” I headed fur my office and was back with the cigar box and a lighter a few minutes later. I clipped the end of the cigar and passed it to Chuffer, sparking the lighter he started to puff, the sweet aroma of the secret nip blend filled the air and I inhaled deeply remembering all the times Chuffer and I had shared a cigar aftur our F.I.B. missions. Smiling widely, I said. “Dude how is that?”
He coughed a little and said. “OH MY COD! That is just the best, it feels like fureffur since I had one!”
Posie placed a tray of steaming mugs on the table and began to pass them around as Snowie brought the sugar and cream along with a plate of nip cookies. “Dive in!” she said. “And in a little while we can have some salmon casserole, I just put it in the oven.”
Smooch, Fudge and Parsley appeared and sat at the table. “Horice is watching the creatures,” Fudge said. “I’ll be going back down soon to check though, and yes, they're all being fed and luckily fur us they’re all vegetarians!”
“Good job Fudge,” I said. “And now that effuryone is here, let me begin the formal introductions.”
A few minutes later aftur effuryone was properly introduced, Solitaire said. “Fudge, thank mew.”
Fudge looked at the Siamese and replied. “Mew would have done the same fur me.”
Chuffer, Winston, Mad Cat, GD and Solitaire all began to talk at once; telling us of their doomed mission when C.J. asked them to go into the clock and rescue the other agents, it was in that moment I suddenly realised Diggs wasn’t with us. “Where’s Diggs?”
