Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Out of all of Mickey's enemies, he always found those who worked with Dr. Vulter the most confusing..

After all, why would anyone be so loyal to a tyrant that wants to bend the world into his image?

And for a while he never got an answer until one fateful day..

"Wait, you want me to take in one of Vulter's top men?" Mickey gaped as Doberman led into an aircraft hangar.

Of course, he faced Vulter and his little army many times in the past each time he threatened to take over the world but never fought one of his allies specifically.

But it seems like today it was going to change.

"Yes my boy," Doberman nodded, leading him to a small, sleek black jet fighter plane in the back. "I actually sent Gloomy to spy on him the other day but he hasn't returned or phoned in with any information."

"Oh gosh poor Gloomy, I hope he's okay." Mickey frowned, his tail and ears drooping down.

"Me too, but we don't have time to sit around, the longer we wait the more in danger Gloomy is." Doderman told him, clutching his jaw, then drawing out a picture from his pocket. "This is our man, Pelius Pan Paniscuax, his location is on the back or simply known as Professor Pelius Paniscuax.”

Mickey took the photo and examined it. There sitting on a stool with a bright smile was a black ponytail bonobo but he didn't look like a typical Vulter ally.. instead of looking like a militarily general uniform, he instead appeared to be so sort of professor, donning a simple white buttoned undershirt and a purple tie.

“Uh Doberman , are you sure this is the right photo?”

“Yes my boy, He might look nice but he's a nasty piece of work.” Doderman assured, gritting his teeth. “He works for Vulter after all.”

“Right! Right!” Mickey said, pocketing the picture and turning his attention to the plane. “So what's the quick deal with da plane?”

“Gloomy finished before he left,” Doderman quickly explained, plopping open the top.“ It's supposed to completely blend into the sky with the press of a red button but it hasn't been officially tested yet."

“Gosh, that sounds like invisibility! That's amazing!” Mickey exclaimed, his eyes brightening.

“Yes, it does, and it might be our only hope to save the one who made it,” Doderman added, folding his hands behind his back. “As Pelius' location, a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic, is now heavily guarded by an army of men.”

“ I wouldn't let him down, Doderman,” Mickey assured, jumping inside the plane and bucking himself inside. “I'll get this plane workin’ and save Gloomy!”

“Atta boy, good luck!”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the expectation of the button not working, The first half of the flight to the location was smooth. It was only him, the plane, and the vast, cloudless sky.

However, as soon as the island came into view, gunshots rang out from metal watchtowers stationed on the island’s oceanfront.

Mickey gasped and tightened his grip on the wheel, pulling his plane to the left and right, zigzagging across the sky.

But, it wasn't enough and a few bullets nicked the back of the plane..

Then he saw a small rocket blasting towards him.

Shoot!

Mickey made the plane rolled over the rocket and pressed the button, hoping it'll work but-

Click..

Click

Nothing.

Then another rocket was flying at him.

Come on, come-

Kaboom!

Even as Mickey tries to pull the plane away, the rocket hits the plane's tailwig..

Not only that but the controls suddenly stop working, causing the plane to start to plummet..

Oh.

Oh no.

Micky jumped at his seat and grabbed a parachute and quickly broke the plane's window by kicking it as hard as he could..

Immediately he jumped out of the plane and pulled the string..

Luckily it worked and he slowly floated down as the plane crashed into a nearby palm tree on the beach.

Unlucky , he landed right on the oceanfront by all the watchtowers and before he could even blinked, he was surrounded by an armed ape man.

“...Oh no..”

Ten minutes later, he tied in ropes and was being escorted down a paved road with a gun held to his head..

Peachy..

Nonetheless, Mickey decided to glance around, taking note of his surroundings.

There were several military buildings, from the standard barracks and armories, to vehicle and training facilities..

However, what caught Mickey's attention were the handful of marine themed museums..

“Gosh that's new…” he whispered to himself.. “What-”

Before he could finish his sentence, his captors pushed him.. telling him “Keep moving..”

Eventually, they arrived at a massive, blue, Victorian style mansion resting on top of a hill..

One his captors, the leader of this unit it seems, rang the doorbell. “Admiral, We got him.”

“Admiral?” Mickey repeated , immediately imagining a big buff ape ready to beat him to a blood stain.

However, when the door opened he met the complete opposite, an average high, slightly slim, black ponytailed bonobo, dawning a grey jacket, a pair of glasses, a blue vest, a white undershirt, and a purple tie.

Wait! It was the same guy from the photo!

“Excellent work Captain, leave him here, I'll take care of him.” Pelius ordered, folding his arms behind his back with a smirk.

“Yes Admiral.” His captors bowed their heads, then left back down the road, leaving him completely alone with Pelius.

“So, you are the famous Mickey Mouse..” the Admiral mused, leaning forward slightly.

“And you must be Professor Pelius Paniscuax.” Mickey shot back, narrowing his eyes.

“I usually go by Admiral Paniscaux these days, but yes I'm still a professor .” Pelius said, taking a step closer. “Marine Biology to be specific.”

“..Why would a marine biologist work for Vulter of all people?” Mickey wondered out loud. “I'm pretty sure he tried to destroy ocean life once to blackmail the world's governments.”

“Oh Mr. Mouse, have you not seen how brilliant his highness is?” Pelius tksed, wagging his finger at him. “He was surely bluffing slightly.”

“Or he's mad and you're in denial about it.” Mickey rebuffed , holding up his head high.

“Heh maybe you need a bit more convincing of his brilliance, mouse.” Pelius grabbed his shoulder and pushed him inside the mansion and into a living room. “After all, if killing you won't work then maybe a few well placed words will.”

“In your dreams..” Mickey grunted, glancing around. The living room was neat and well-kept, with two plush black sofas, an ebony table, bookshelves lined with texts of.. philosophy and history?

Yet, this wasn't the strangest thing within the living room, for instead of a typical fireplace, stood a massive aquarium with massive blue-ringed octopus.. almost the size of great white..

“What no sharks?” Mickey scoffed as Pelius pushed him onto one the couches. “And last I checked that animal ain't supposed to be that big!

“I prefer an animal that is smart by our standards.” Pelius said, walking over to the aquarium. “And I may have bioengineered a few modifications for military use.” He opened a drawer below it, drawing out a handful of live fish from a small bucket of water and tossing them into the aquarium. In an instant the octopus sped over to fishes in a flash and ate them all with one swift gulp.

Mickey flinched and decided he didn't want any more details on the poor animal that Pelius played god with. “And the books about history and philosophy?”

“Everyone needs a hobby.” Pelius simply replied, sitting from across from him on the other couch .

“Can your hobby be not working for a tyrant and playing god?” Mickey shot back.

“Now come on, aren't you at least a little curious about my side of things?” Pelius questioned,tapping his chin. “I'm certain i could get you see that Vulter Is-”

“No Vulter is an awful person and that final!” Mickey interrupted. “But what I don't get is how someone as seemingly smart as you can't see that.”

“...My such strong words from a little mouse, let's see if you'll keep them...” Pelius laughed, drawing out a button from his pocket and pressing it.

CICK.

A hatched opened from above the aquarium, and there dangling from a rope, gagged and tied up was-

“GOSH GLOOMY!”

“That's right Mr.Mouse,” Pelius’ smirk widened. “And useless you open your ears, your little engineer will be dead meat!”

“You monster! And to think I thought you looked like a nice guy!” Mickey fumed , his ears turning red. “But then you play god and try to kill Gloomy!”

“Tsk, tsk, I'm still a nice guy, just simply one with a backbone.” Pelius replied, waving his free hand dismissively. “Now, will you let me explain my reasons?”

“If it means you won't kill Gloomy, then fine.” Mickey relented, scowling deeply .

“Of course, after all,I simply want you to listen to my point of view.” Pelius said, pocketing the button.

“I'll listen but you won't change my mind.” Mickey huffed, shifting in his bonds.

“We’ll see..” Pelius snickered, snapping his fingers causing one of his house servants to enter the room and set down a plate with two cups of tea. “...Tea?”

“Keep it to yourself and start explainin’ ya self.” Mickey spat, clutching his jaw.

“And you say that I'm unreasonable.” Pelius scoffed, taking a slip of his tea while Gloomy let out muffled whine. But very well, tsk, …where to start, where to start-” he suddenly snapped his fingers. “Ah, right, the first time I met Vulter, it started when I got a letter from the president while in my early 20s.”

“President?”

“Vulter wasn't always our glorious leader, It was a different time back then..”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dear,Professor Paniscaux, you have been summoned for jury duty for the afternoon, please close and halt any museum for the day and proceed to the courthouse within your district. -With care, President Cyril."

Pelius could hardly believe his eyes even after rereading the letter for a third time at his desk in his office upstairs.

Nonetheless, with a slightly frustrated sigh, he tossed the letter in the bin and made his way to a mirror to double check his clothing.

His collared white shirt was worn, his glasses were crooked and barely holding on to ear, and his normally ponytailed neat hair was an utter mess. The only thing on gim that was somewhat okay was his purple tie and even that was stained with tea.

“Ten times.. Ten times this month.” He muttered bitterly, patting down his shirt and adjusting his glasses. “Why can't he understand that I want to do my studies and run my museum in peace.”

Still with a deep breath, he tossed off his tie and combed his hair with a nearby hairbrush that sat on a bookshelf, twisting it into a fluffy ponytail.

Then without far ado, he started to walk downstairs to his museum.

The most of the tanks and displays were empty, some being cleaned by his staff while others are packed up to be sold to keep the lights on.

The thought made him shake in rage, he has done everything right, put up ads, run events, and even talked to local businessmen to get tips and yet because of Cyril his beloved museum was constantly on the edge of being shut down.

He wanted to scream…scream at the unfair treatment but instead he simply hung his head low and exited the building.

The bright sun shone down on him, only slightly helped by the towering palm trees.

Still, he pressed forward, passing wooden huts filled with families having dinner, parks occupied by artists and bikers, and the occasional playground filled with children.

Eventually he reached the front doors of the courthouse where he spotted his younger brother Harevicah, who was drawn in a bright orange suit and a white vest, and his black hair full down, swaying slightly in the light breeze.

“Pelius!” He explained, rushing up to him and hugging him tight. “Oh it's been nearly three years, how are you?”

“...Fine I guess.” Pelius signed tiredly, slumping his shoulders. “ Tell me, did you have to close your shop today?”

“No, why would I?” Hare pulled away, arching a brow. “Most summoned jury sessions are only an hour at most, unless it's a murder trial or similar grave crime.”

“Exactly..” Pelius groaned, pushing open the front doors.

The courtroom was quite grand compared to most buildings in the country. Instead of being made of wood, it was built of gray stone and marble. Furthermore, it seems to be designed in a neoclassical style with white columns lining the walls, and a blue dome roof above.

However, as he was in quite the bad mood today instead of admiring the classical architecture, he instead sluggishly passed the security check, and plopped down in the jury bench with a yawn.

“.. Are you okay?” Harevicah questioned as he sat down next to him. “I know you hate going outside but this is outrageous even for you.”

“ I'm fine Hare, but this is the tenth time this month that I have been called here.” Pelius deadpanned, pinching his nose. “I just want to run my museum.”

Harevicah opened his mouth to reply but was swiftly interrupted by the bang of the judge's gavel.

“Government of Fiori v. Vulter.” The judge announced, and on cue, two arm guards dragged in a tall well-built ape. He wore a single monocle, blue overall covered in some sort of oil, and a black collared undershirt. “Dr. Vulter, you have been accused of building weapons of war, how do you plead?”

Pelius snapped fully awake at that, his eyes shooting wide. How could one person build a weapon of war, much less two at the least given the wording. He either must be brilliant or insane given the law around even normal weapons.

“Guilty.” Vulter responded, earning an array of gasps from the jury. “I do not regret my decision, as the ideals of peace and community set by the current administration are unrealistic, unfair, and will lead to our doom.” He spoke firmly, keeping his head high. “And I, I simply took action to protect this country, as we don't have any allies to protect us if we get into a war.”

“Ah, you are a pro military then.” the judge mused, rubbing his chin.

“Yes, the poor regions already deal with pirates-”

“Pirates ?” The judge interrupted with a scoff. “Sir with all due respect, this is an island of peace, there are no pirates.”

“Not today, you're welcome for that.” Vulter replied simply.

Pelius smiled at that. He always liked someone that was blunt and right to the point. Unfortunately though, It earned him glare from the other juries , with the expectation of his brother who simply gave him a worried look, making him frown.

Why is it only a problem when he is happy?

“Well then Mr. Vulter.” The judge cleared his throat. “Unless you change your verdict now, the jury will proceed to vote on your punishment in accordance with the crime.” he stated, glancing over to them. “Jury the paperwork in your drawer, mark the punishment and return it back to your desk, then you are dismissed for the day.”

Oh thank goodness.

Pelius quickly took out the paper and pen from the drawer below him. There were only two options: The reform program or a psychiatric hospital.

He marked the option for the reform program. After all, as bad as weapons of war are, if could build that, who knows what else he could make.

Once that was down, he put it back in the drawer, closed it and immediately got up, only to be stopped by Harevicah grabbing his arm.

“Can we talk in the bathroom?”

“At my museum, yes.”

“Pel-”

“I'm sorry Hare, I need to go.” Pelius pulled his hand, rushing out the courthouse as fast as his legs could carry him.

Soon enough he returned back to his beloved museum, letting out a sigh of relief when closed the door behind him and turned over the close sign to open.

At last.

He spent the rest of the day running his museum as he wanted, filling the tanks, setting up the displays, and occasionally giving special private tours to high donors.

Everything was peaceful..

That until that night.

After closing up for the night, he heard a knock coming from his backdoor, and of course when he opened it, he found Harevicah standing there.

“You really want to talk don't you?”

“I'm worried about you Pelius, it seems like these days all you care about is your museum.”

“I worked hard to get my museum Hare, I have the right to enjoy it.”

“But to the point where you barely have time to talk to me? Your own brother?”

“..I'm sorry. It's nothing personal but-”

“No! No more but! You need help and I just called the people to do it.” Harevicah snapped his fingers and two wellness guards came out from behind him, clad in their usual green uniforms.

“You called the wellness guards on me!” Pelius gasped, backing away with his hand held up in defense. “But I'm perfectly fine!”

“You're clearly not Pelius, you need someone to put you on a better path.” Harevicah insisted while the guards entered and started to slowly approach.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That didn't happen.” Mickey cut off the story, glaring at Pelius. “That would only happen under Vulter's rule.”

“I'm not lying Mr.Mouse.” Pelius replied, taking a slip of his tea. “The wellness guards took me away to a psychiatric hospital, all while under a so-called good president.”

“You worked for Vulter.” Mickey shot back bluntly. “You can't expect me to fully believe every word you say.”

“I don't, but why would I lie this early?” Pelius asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin before setting back down this tea.

“Heck if I know, but I just don't trust it.” Mickey insisted, his eyes scanning for anything that could break him free.

“No matter, my tale isn't quite done yet and soon enough you will believe me.” Pelius grins devilishly, making Mickey’s face turn red with rage. “Now where was i- ah, yes I was taken to a psychiatric hospital-”

Chapter Text

Pelius grunted as the wellness guards shoved him into a patient room in the psychiatric hospital. It was a simple, padded room with a single bed, a desk, a closet and a window.

“Your doctor will be here in an hour, make yourself at home.” The head guard said before shutting the door with a slam.

Pelius immediately runs over to the window and tries to open it, only to find it locked. I should have guessed..” He muttered, stomping back to the door, he opened it slightly and peered out to left, only to find a familiar face doing the same one door over.

“...Dr.Vulter?”

Vulter locked eyes with him. “Ah, it's you.”

“Wait, you recognize me from the courthouse?” Pelius asked, tilting his head.

“Indeed , I saw you smiling at me.” Vulter recalled, making Pelius briefly avert his eyes. “Do you wish to talk?”

“... T-alk?” Pelius repeated, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. Though he supposed it was only natural as it wasn't everyday you get the chance to speak with a conceived terrorist. “But! I'm not pro m-ilitary! I don't agree with mak-ing weapons of wa-r! I'm just a ma-rine biologist who likes your bluntness!”

“Then how did you end up here?” Vulter questioned, stepping out of his room and walking over to him.

Oh goodness! Oh no!

“My brother!” Pelius squeaked and immediately shut the door, locking as fast as he could.

He slowly walked backwards, pressing a hand to his chest as his breathing got heavier..

How in the world did normal jury duty turn into this nightmare?

Nonetheless, he wasn't taking any chances with a terrorist as his next door neighbor, so with a deep breath he went over and pushed the desk up against the door.

.

..But now what?

With nothing else to do, he decided to check the closet for any heavy he could use to break the windows..

But alas, all found were hospital gowns.

Feeling tried and defeated, he shuffled over to the bed, tucked himself inside, slowly drifted off to sleep.

Barely an hour later, he felt himself moving. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by darkness .. He was blindfolded!

He tried to scream but felt some sort of gag in his mouth, and even when he tried to move he felt something wrapped around him.

No!

No!

He began to sob.

Then worst of all he hears Vulter's voice again.

“Shh, we're almost there.”

Wonderful. Just wonderful. Frist had to close his museum again for the tenth time this month, then his brother called the wellness guard on him, and now he was being kidnapped by a terrorist because he smiled at him!

“ Sit him here, men.”

Pelius felt himself being sat down on a cold metal floor, followed by the sound of some sort of hatch being shut, machines starting up and… bubbles?

“Now, undo his blindfold and gag.”

“Ah!” Pelius gasped as the gag and blindfold were taken off, and found him surrounded by…

Workers?

A variety of workers as well, from miners from the high mountains that surrounded the islands, to the everyday fishmen you find in boats sailing in Deepak.

“WHAT IS THIS? LET ME GO!” He begged, quivering in his restraints.

“Calm down civilian," Vulter spoke and the group of workers parted, allowing him to walk over to him. “You are safe from that awful place now.”

“I- I don't feel safe.” Pelius stammered, flicking as Vulter started to undo his restraints.

“Forgive the surprise movement civilia-”

“Pelius!”

“Pardon?”

“...My name is Pe-lius..”

“Well, forgive the surprise, Pelius, this wasn't the original plan.” Vulter said, clearing his throat as finished undoing the restraints. “Notheless,you will find that you are in the perfect place for a marine biologist as yourself.”

“What in the world are you talking abou-” Pelius paused as he stood up, his locking on a round window a few meters away.

There he saw that they were underwater.. not any body of water as a familiar lake fish swims right past the window.

“We're In lake Deepak.” He stated, his eyes lighting up in awe as rushed over to the window, pressing his hand to the glass like he was a little kid all over again.

“Indeed.” Vulter came over, folding his arms behind his back. “Tell me professor, do you know this lake is deep enough that it connects to an underwater cave that leads out to the ocean?”

“Yes!” Pelius exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. “It's quite amazing, especially since there must be some natural desalination system to turn the salt water into fresh water, as the lake only has fresh water fish." He explained, completely forgetting for a second that he was with a terrorist. “I theorized it's a mixture of the island's high heat and the cave's small circular shape that may have caused this..”

“A brilliant theory, Professor Pelius.” Vulter praised. “And exactly the kind of brilliance I need for my expedition.”

“Expedition?” Pelius repeated, feeling his jaw almost drop. “You mean out in the ocean?”

“Where else?” Vulter said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “With me you can sail the seven seas, something I suspect Cyril never let you do.”

“Yes… I only got funding twice for expeditions in the past, and they barely go beyond the lake.” Pelius recalled, feeling his ears twitch in annoyance.

“Well, then, it is settled, yes?” Vulter asked, tilting his head. “Will you join my expedition?”

“Wait..” Pelius suddenly snapped back to his senses, pulling away from Vulter. “You aren't planning to do anything else right?” He questioned, his grin turning a frown frown. “This is just a simple marine expedition and nothing more, right?”

“I do need to pick up a few more people but yes this is a simple marine expedition.” Vulter assured, extending out a hand for a shake.

Pelius swallowed, almost backing away but then he internally weighs his options in his head. He could either go back on land and at best repeat the motion of living on the edge of ruin everyday with his museum or he could explore the wonderful ocean and add to his studies.. Yes it would be with a terrorist, but he was smart, he won't let his guard down.

“Okay, but don't expect me to fully trust you.” He finally said, shaking Vulter's hand.

“Naturally, loyalty and trust take time.” Vulter replied, shaking his hand back.

“...Right..” Pelius pulled his hand away again. “So.. do I have a room or…”

“Ah, of course you do, follow me.” Vulter began to walk forward and Pelius began to follow silently, taking in his surroundings…

He was in a submarine a few times for those rare expeditions, but those were small, round science submarines made for observation and occasionally species collection. This however, was a full one military submarine, the type of only read in history books, with radio rooms, wardrooms, showers,sleeping quarters, medical bays, sonar rooms, and even rail gun and torpedo room, who while may be completely empty of their respective weaponry, still gave Pelius pause.

“Did you build this submarine yourself?” He asked Vulter, half impressed and half terrified.

“Indeed and completely by scratch.” Vulter said, continuing to walk down the hall.

Pelius gaped in awe, now he was more impressive than terrified. “That's amazing..,” he gushed in spite of himself. “The sheer engineering it would take to make this alone, It must have taken years.”

“A shrewd observation professor, and a correct one.” Vulter responded, finally coming to a stop at a steel door. “However, it's not quite done yet, it still needs a few modifications to perfect.”

“If you say- oh this must be my room rig-” Pelius paused as he opened the door, immediately feeling taken aback at the sight.

It was a really nice room, especially for a submarine, with a full on twin size bed, a closet, an ebony desk with a purple notebook and pen, a matching cabinet, walls adorned with maritime and nautical decor, and one massive round glass window allowing him to view the sealife.

“Yes, welcome to your room professor, I hope you enjoy yourself.” Vulter said, shooting him a grin, before turning and leaving.

Pelius was speckless, he slowly entered the room, gently closing the door behind him, then immediately moved the desk closer to the window, before sitting down and just….

Just admired the view, watching as the occasional lake animal swam by, and even writing a few observations in that notebook on the desk.

Maybe this won't be as bad as he first thought…

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wait, don't tell me you joined Vulter because you didn't have anything better ” Mickey frowned, furrowing his brows.

He was extremely worried at the idea, that Pelius believed his situation was so bad that he thought joining a terrorist would be better than returning back home.

“What. no!” Pelius scoffed, spitting out his tea on the table. “I wasn't that desperate to be understood!” He claimed, letting a nervous chuckle. “I'm far more confident than that!”

“I didn't mean-”

“I know so! Now back to the story!”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following days, only help eased his mind even further, everyday was a nice little routine, he would get dress, have a nice breakfast of tea and oatmeal, then waking around the submarine to every window to take notes of the wildlife, then he'll take a brief lunch break before taking even more notes before take a shower, then finally returning to his room for the night.

The interruptions to this routine was when the submarine surfaces for supplies and people or when Vulter who would occasionally inquire about his work, and usually he would give a simple answer and that would be it..

But a few times they would end having a full on conversation, ranging from the obvious topic of marine biology, to political history.

Though out of the few conversations they had, only one changed his life forever and it started with one simple question.

“Professor, how does a tyrant come to power?”

“Well, I'm not a historian by trade, but from the books I read, it's usually due to extreme economic downturn..” Pelius answered without thinking, his eyes glued to the window and his hands were focused on taking notes. “When people are desperate to eat they're willing to support anything that puts food on the table.”

“Would you?”

The question sent shivers down his spine and he finally turned his head to face Vulter. “You say this is a marine expedition.”

“It is, I'm simply curious.” Vulter said, folding his hands together.

“.. I won't..there's more important matters than food.” Pelius said, letting out a sigh of relief..

Wait, why did he suddenly trust Vulter's word?

“...You should speak to the others then, Professor.” Vulter suddenly suggested. “They didn't have the mercy of a full plate back on Fiori.”

Pelius didn't rely, instead he silently watched Vulter leave while internally pondering his words.

… Didn't Vulter mention something about poor regions ?

No! He spoke his head. He couldn't be thinking like this. Sure President Cyril wasn't perfect but why would lie about whole regions?

Still, he was curious..

Thus in spite of himself he asked the others and the answers were disturbing.

“My kids were taken by the government because I refused to attend jury duty..”

“House? What House? All the government gives are tents if yer lucky.”

“They give out one loaf of bread every month and that's it.”

Goodness…

Still, naturally he wanted to see this for himself, so he went to find Vulter..

“Dr… I need to see these poor regions myself for the week, can you take me back?” he asked him quietly as he entered the control room, finding him sitting at the main controls with five other men.

“ Yes but you will need to return to me on Friday.” Vulter answered simply, adjusting a button on a panel.

“....Why?” Pelius squeaked, taking a step back.

“Pirates are going to attack again, I do not wish for you to be harmed.” Vulter replied, pulling down a lever, flipping a few switches, before finally turning on the wheel.

“... Wait actually, how are there pirates?” Pelius asked, feeling the submarine start to turn around. “If they get in by submarine or by plane, surely a government official or anyone must have seen them.”

“As horrible pirates are Professor, they are no fools, they know to bend in after sneaking on the island in small submarines.” Vulter explained, pressing a button and flipping more switches. “They only attack once they reach the poor areas in the west.”

“..I see, well, I'll think about it..” Pelius hummed doubtfully, turning away to leave, however Vulter suddenly stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder..

“Wait, take this for Friday..” the doctor told him, placing something heavy in his left hand and soft in the right “And I suggest you go to the Rioja region.”

Slowly Pelius left up his left hand and found a hooded cloak in right hand and a gun in his right hand… A gun… a “...H-ow? W-here? Whe-n?”

“I have my ways..” Was all Vulter said in response.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Pelius… I think Vulter exploited you and those workers for his gains.” Mickey said with a deep sigh. “But you ain't going to believe me, are you?”

“Pft, why would I?” Pelius snorted, raising his nose. “I joined him willingly! I wasn't exploited at all!”

“W-”

“Enough! Let me finish my story!” Pelius sneered, snapping his fingers. “Ach, anyway, this is what I saw in the Rioja region after Vulter took me back…”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tents, the first thing Pelius saw when arriving in the Rioja region (clad in the cloak and with the gun in his pocket ) were people…rowing upon people huddled together, a few by tents or makeshift fires.. but most right out in the open..

He had been lied to too..lied to for his whole life….

Naturally, he spent that week doing the best he could to help these people…steaing them food and water from anywhere he could find..

Then came Friday, he decided to do one more supply run for these people, when hear a familiar voice behind him as he entered the region with a handful of stolen bread.

“Pelius! There you are!” Harevicah called out. What. What was he doing here? “I was so worried about you after learning you went missing ! Why are you here?!”

Pelius turned slowly to face him.. “Hare, did you know about this..” He questioned bitterly,motioning to the tents as he sat the bread in the lap of a nearby family . “Know that the president was lying to everyone their whole lives!”

“Wha-t, Pelius!” Harevicah stammered, baking away. “these are clearly only temporary tents, they'll be mov-”

“WHEN?” Pelius yelled, stomping closer to his brother. “There aren't even enough tents, Harevicah, I can't even imagine how he'll get enough proper houses!”

“Pel, listen-”

“NO-”

BANG!

Pelius' words suddenly came to a stop as he watched Harevicah suddenly get shot from behind, a bullet piecing his brother's chest …

The pirates.. they were real.

And all he did was run..

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pelius went silent for a second after telling that part of the story, his head hanging low In sadness?

…No, Mickey has seen that look before. It was the feeling of deep shame.. meaning..

Oh goodness… he killed his own brother didn't he?

Suddenly Mickey's worry for Pelius turned into fear and while the mad professor still held his head low, he began to chew through his ropes as quietly as he could..

“After that day, I joined Vulter..” Pelius suddenly spoke up again causing Mickey to flinch , though he still kept his head low. “A put an end to so-called moral democracy to feed our people.”

“Only your people..” Mickey corrected, finally chewing himself loose. “You don't mind if that means if other people are harmed.”

“It was a hard choice Mr Mouse- ah!”

Mickey didn't let him dare finish that sentence, he launched at him, tackling off the couch and to the floor.

“You brainless brute! Do you lack-”

Mickey starts punching him in the face with one hand, and digging through his pockets with the other. Eventually he pulled out the button, and promptly smashed it to pieces against the ground.

“You- you didn't!” Pelius yelled, finally stopping his fist by grabbing his wrist. “You're insane!”

“You killed your own brother!” Mickey shot back, trying to pull his wrist away but Pelius held tight.

“No I didn't.. I didn't, he could still be alive!” Pelius kicked him off then rose up to his feet, dusting his jacket off with a scowl. “Now will you calm yourself down or do I need to call the guards?”

“Calm myself down!?” Mickey fumed as he pulled him up, clutching his fists. “You were going to kill Gloomy if I didn't listen to you!- Wait Gloomy.”

“Not anymore- hey, oh that's it!”

Mickey paid no mknd as he raced past him, pushing the table right up to the aquarium to use as a makeshift stool. “I'm here Gloomy! I'll get you down!” He exclaimed, climbing on the table and grabbing the tie up mechanic by the shoulders and pulling him away from the aquarium and into his arms.

Once he was safe on the table Mickey quickly untied him and took the gag out his mouth. “Are you okay Gloomy?”

“I'm alright Mick, but erh, we better get out here-” Gloomy said, pointing behind him.. “-And fast!”

Mickey's eyes follow Gloomy's finger, his eyes landing on Pelius who stood at the only exit to the room with two guards.

“There are only two guards, Gloomy, we can take ‘em!” He assured his dog friend as he jumped out the table and faced the guard.

Gloomy swallowed but didn't the same.

“Oh, there's that brainless again.” Pelius laughed, shaking his head. “These aren't normal guards..” He snapped his fingers. “Show them the might of the electric eel, boys.” In an instant, electrical currents followed through the guards, making lightning-like jots spark out the palms of their hands. “Impressive, no?”

“Not at all that's monstrous!” Mickey yelped, taking a step back. “You say you care about your own people, yet you're willing to change their very biology to turn them into killing machines!”

“Gah, are you always this idiotic? This is a good thing for the people!” Pelius huffed, then turned his attention to the guards. “Kill them, quickly.. these uneducated fools are clearly not worth any more wasted time if they refuse to listen anymore.”

“Yes sir.” The guard nodded and rushed towards them.

“Mick, get behind me!” Gloomy urged, putting himself in front of him.

“Wait, Gloomy I have a better idea, get behind the table!” Mickey yelped, quickly grabbing Gloomy's hand and dragging him behind the table. He quickly knocked over the table, to where the legs were facing them, then kneeled down.

“Wait, I don't follow.” Gloomy gulped, getting on his knees. “Are we going to use this as a shield?”

“More like a batting ram but yes.” Mickey said, quickly lowering his voice to a whisper. “The table is made of wood, it'll be unaffected by electricity!” He explained. “But we gotta do it fast before he calls more super soldiers!”

“...Normally I'd say this crazy- not the wood thing, that's true, but all this..” Gloomy said, taking a deep breath. “But I trust you, on three?”

“Yep!” Mickey exclaimed, already grabbing a leg. “One.”

The sound footsteps came closer, and closer..

“Two..”

“Jump on them!” One of the guards shouted.

“Three! Now Gloomy!” Mickey yelled.

Together they pushed the table forward, knocking the pair over, then they tried to ram it towards Pelius as well but he quickly jumped out of the way, and rushed halfway up the staircase.

“You fools!” the Admiral yelled, glaring between them and his guards. “This is over yet, this whole island will be after your head soon!”

With that he disappeared upstairs.

Mickey dropped the table and almost went after him, only for Gloomy to grab his wrist.

“Bad idea Mick, it's best we find some plans or something and get out here, before he makes more of those guards.”

“I-” Mickey wanted to protest, but the more he thought about it, he realized that Gloomy might be right, as clever as they might be, Pelius did have the upper hand at homebase. Still they can't just let him go free. “No, we'll just have to lure him out the island, then arrest him.”

“How? He doesn't seem the type to fall for a trap..”

“I just have to find something he values while you work on the plane.”

“Wait something about the new plane? How did the blending not work?”

“...Yeah..but I know you can fix it! It landed on a tree on the beach! But you need to be careful, it's lurkin’ with Vulter's men!”

“I don't know Mickey..”

“You just gotta trust me Gloomy!”

“...Alright, good luck Mickey.”

“You too!”

Chapter Text

Mickey's first thought was to head to one of the museums on the island. He crawled through thick underbrush, only daring glancing out when it was completely silent.

Eventually he made it to the doors of the museum safely, and silently entered, gently closing the door behind him.

For a second the whole museum was completely dark but suddenly..

Swoosh!

The lights automatically turn on, nearly blinding him with its sheer brightness.

“Gosh!” Mickey shielded his eyes with his arms, as he glanced around, only to feel his breath leave his body.

Each tank, every display didn't hold normal marine animals…

It held impossible hybrids. Shark-squids , Blue ringed puffer fishes, Lion man of wars, and so on and so on.

“...Those poor animals.”

“Oh don't fear Mr.Mouse, they are well cared for.” Pelius’ voice suddenly echoed throughout the museum in somesort of speaker system, making immediately turn and grab the doorknob, but as twisted it he found it locked. “Yes, it locked automatically , what a shame… for you.” The admiral laughed. “Have fun dying a painful death to the ocean's most wonderful creatures or starving after a couple weeks.

”

“You're a coward, Pelius!” Mickey shouted, glaring at the roof, hoping to find a camera to show this so-called ‘professor’ his full rage.

“Ooh, I can't hear you! The system is being cut off!” Pelius lied, small chuckles escaping his lips. “Have a long painful death, goodbye!”

Click..

“Pelius!” Mickey fumed, stomping his foot on the ground.

But was he gone..

That no good-

Before Mickey could finish that thought though he heard the tank's glass start to break..

Oh no..

Mickey pulled on the doorknob one more time, but still refused to even move an inch.

Creeeek.

Okay… time to get somewhere high up and fast.

He quickly glanced around the museum, and to his relief he found a staircase.

But it was sitting at the very end of the hall.

Shoot.

“No, I can do this, I can do this.” Mickey encouraged himself then ran.

Then as if on cue, the tanks full break and water filled with deadly marine animals start rushing towards him.

“Oh gosh!” Mickey ran faster, barely reaching stairs and running halfway up them as the water flooded the room below him..

Still, to be safe, he kept climbing up the staircase, reaching a door..

He pushed open and found himself stepping inside a..

… A library?

Wait.. no that makes sense given Pelius’ hobbies.

“Ah, you survived the first floor! How disappointing!” Speak of the devil..

“What now Pelius!?” Mickey demanded, clutching his fists.

“Oh, I'm just here to watch you starve!" Pelius chuckled, followed by the sound of his legs resting on a wooden desk. “All while, I get to sit back and relax from my comfort armchair.” He mocked. “I bet you regret sticking to your precious democracy now..”

“Not in the slightest!” Mickey huffed, puffing his chest out.

“Then enjoy your slow and painful death! I certainly will!” Pelius resorted, letting out another chuckle.

Mickey grunted but decided to not waste anymore energy on him and began to start walking around the library to find an exit, occasionally taking a glance at books out of curiosity.

Let's see.. Philosophy..

Marine Biology..

History..

Typical..

Wait.. was that a self help section?

Mickey stepped inside and grabbed a random book, raising a brow at the title. “Forget your family! You're the best!”

“What are you doing, Mr Mouse?” Pelius hissed, his voice suddenly sounded deeper than usual. “This may be a library, but you are far too pighead to understand even the most basic literature.”

“...You have more issues with your family than just your brother, don't you?” Mickey guessed, tucking the book under his arm.

“That's none of your business!” Pelius shot back, banging his fist against his table. “Just- hey!”

Mickey opened the book and began to slim through the pages..

‘So your brother was the golden child!’

‘Why your parents are stupid 101’

‘Ten ways to boost your confide-’

“Enough! Send out the Saltwater crocodiles!” Pelius shrieked, banging his fist again and again.

CICK ..

Low guttural growls and water suddenly filled the room..

“Oh great! What did you do to these poor creatures!” Mickey frowned, putting the book in his pocket ,and quickly climbing up a bookshelf to get away from the water.

He then quickly scans his surroundings again to get a better idea of the situation.

Saltwater crocodiles swim throughout the outer sections of the library, their eyes occasionally poking out the water to supposedly search for him.

“Oh please, barely anything.” Pelius grunted. “Have you seen how territoriality Saltwater Crocodiles, are? They are already mostly perfect when it comes to being muder machines.” He stated matter of factly. “All I have done is increase their brain size to make them a tad bit smarter.”

Mickey didn't like the sound of that. He grabbed another book from himself and threw it as far as he could.

It landed with a loud splash but the crocodiles paid no mind to it and kept swimming..

Oh no.

“Looks like you're out of luck, Mouse,”Pelius snickered, “You're either going to starve here or be eaten.”

Mickey wanted to yell at him.. but he realized something “So wait, you're willing to flood your beloved library, just to stop me from reading the books?”

“Don't change the suje-”

“Gosh what else could you possibly be hiding?” Mickey cut him off, taking the book out from his pocket and opening it to the page he was on.

“STOP THAT YOU- YOU-You-” Pelius suddenly trailed off, going deadly silent for a second.

Mickey however pressed on and read the next line. “How to keep power…” He almost gasped as the world left his mouth. “You weren't always a normal marine biologist in the past, were you?”

“...Stop reading and I'll let you go.” Pelius muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Just like that?” Mickey questioned, shutting the book and crossing his arms.

“You haven't taken anything of objec-tive importan-ce, only personal inf-ormation.” Pelius said, his voice wavering a bit. “I can let you and friend go free, and all you have to do is throw away that book.”

“Get rid of crocodiles and I'll think about it.” Mickey retorted, flipping to the next page.

“Okay! Okay finee, just stop!” Pelius pressed a button, and in an instant the water drained, causing the crocodiles to crawl away, disappearing into hatches within the walls that Mickey didn't see before..

The water must have taken away its camouflage..

“Climb up the hatch at the front of the library, it'll take you to a rest center.” Pelius told him. “Once you get there, throw away the book and you are free to leave .”

Mickey didn't believe a single word he said before with no other possible exit, he listened, jumping off the bookshelf and running over to the hatch, quickly climbing up.

To his shock though, when reached the top, there was indeed a rest center, lined with chairs, couches, bars and even a few hot tubs.

“Alright here you are, just throw the book into the hot tub and you can leave.” Pelius said, causing a loud click to sound out to the room.

Mickey turned towards it and saw two wide open doors..

But this can't be it…

Without a word he turned back around began to walk past the hot tubs, chairs, and couches.

“Mickey what are you doing? There's nothing over there.”

Mickey starts to run faster, taking a sharp turn, leading him down a hall.

“You are wasting everyone's time.” Pelius snapped. “TURN AROUND.”

Mickey ran, and reached the end of the hall, finding a staircase..

“Don't go up there if you know what is best for you..” Pelius threatened.

“I don't care.” Mickey shot back, bolting up the stairs. Soon enough, he reached a metal door, with a pass code lock.

Putting two and two together, Mickey opened the book and put in the page numbers with the worst advice.

Ding!

The door opened.

“Lucky guess..” Pelius pouted.

Mickey ignores him and steps inside, closing the door behind him which locks automatically with a click.

There stood a small, crowded, old fashioned office, lined with bookcases, globes of the world,and adorned with maps and compasses. But what sat in the center caught Mickey's attention the most, an old computer sitting on a metal desk.

Naturally, Mickey sat in front of the computer and booted it on.

Password..

He typed in Harevicah.

It worked.

“Congratulations, you successfully violated my privacy!” Pelius snarked, his voice filled with sarcasm. “You must be so proud of yourself!”

“You work for a terrorist.” Mickey stated, scanning the screen for anything interesting..

Let's see..

Digital book collections.

Notepads.

Photos..

Special…

What special?

Mickey clicks on it and another password prompt pops up. “..I have never seen anyone as secrecy as you.”

“Yes because nosy sewer rats as yourself love to poke around places you shouldn't.” Pelius sneered, gritting his teeth. “You have five minutes to leave this instant before I send someone to just shoot you.”

Mickey ignored him and began typing phases and words from the book.

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

Nothing was working.

Pelius laughed. “Look at that ,all that work for nothing.”

“....You say that and don't even have the guts to face me yourself!" Mickey rebutted, glaring at the roof. “I'm going to figure out this password and take down your lead- wait..” He quickly type in ‘Vulter’

It worked.

“Really, Pelius?”

“It w-as supposed to be a temp-orary password.” Pelius whimpered , sounding like a wounded animal..

Mickey didn't reply and focused on the screen before him.

It seemed to be an audio logbook, with several prompts to play audio files, each with a numbered title.

He played the first one.

“Hello! Hello! This Harevicah! I hope this works because this is an important day!” a young squeaky voice exclaimed. “My brother's museum is having its first anniversary! And for once, he seems..well, he seems truly happy.” the voice sighs but quickly clears his throat. “But you know, that Pelius for you, he never quite fit In, like I did… Still, I'm here to support him.. because.. because well, that's what brothers do..”

The audio ended there..

“...How could you shoot someone like that?” Mickey demanded, clutching his jaw. “He seems like such a good brother..”

“Listen to audio log three..he never cared for me.” Pelius replied bitterly. “He only stuck around because we were brothers.”

“And you think Vulter is different?” Mickey questioned, narrowing his eyes.

“He is at least honest about my role these days. Harevicah would never.” Pelius claimed. “After all, he was always the golden child who could do no wrong!”

“Gosh..you have a lot of issues, don't ya?” Mickey stated the obvious. “Ya shoot your own brother but keep all his logs? Is that shame and guilt again?”

“I'm sending in a battering ram if you don't shut your mouth.” Pelius grumbled, and as if on cue, something or someone started banging on the lock door. “Oh look, one of the guards finally made it, you best pick the next logs wisely before more come, you filthy rodent.”

“Filthy!” Mickey shouted, his ears turning red with rage.

“YES FIITHY! I HATE YOU!”

“Wow, already? it's barely bean-”

“Shut up! Shut up! I'm sending in the ram!”

Click.

With that, Pelius was finally gone.. supposedly done with mocking him..

Still, Mickey didn't want to take any risk and began to push anything he could to block the door, from the globes to the smaller bookshelves.

“I hope that'll hold..” He muttered as he returned back to the computer.

As much as he wanted to listen to every log, his time was limited…

So with a heavy sigh, he played the third audio log to see what the heck Pelius was talking about.

“....I had to leave the party a bit earlier than I wanted.” Harevicah said. “...Pelius, he tried to kick out the President Cryril after they had an argument about his payment..”

He paused for a second then let out a long shaky sob.

“I don't know what I'm going to do with him..why can't he be a part of the community for one second! He's going to ruin everything again! Unless… hold on, I'm going back inside to speak to Cryril..”

“....The heck?” Mickey said, blinking as the log ended. Desperately needing more context, he played the next log.

“I hope you don't mind recording this President Cyril.”

“Not at all, young man.” A new, refined and posed voice pipe in. “As the president of this fine country, it's my duty to speak to a fellow citizen without any issues, I have nothing to hide after all.”

“Perfect because I'm here to talk about my brother Pelius.” Harevicah explained, letting out a sigh of relief. “Fristy, I deeply apologize for his behavior tonight, he has never been a people person, spends all his time with his nose in a book..”

“A oddity in community certainly , he should be out feeding the homele-”

“The homeless?”

“.... If there were homeless, I mean.”

“Right! Right! Of course! You promised to deal with it after all!”

“Yes and that I did… anyway, I know a simple way to get your brother out of the house.”

“You do?”

“Jury duty.”

“You really think that'll work?”

“If it doesn't and he gets worse, you'll simply have to call the wellness guard on him.. I'm sorry.”

“No, no I completely understand..”

Click..

The audio ended…

So Cryril was targeting him…

But why? What exactly was that argument? And what happened to him after Vulter took over?

BANG! CLANG!

There's the battering ram.. Looks like he didn't have much time left… he better choose the last log wisely unless…

He opened the drawers of the desk and found a single USB card..

Shoot that won't be enough storage for all the audio logs..

Nonetheless, he pocketed it for now.. maybe it'll come in hand for one the files on the computer.

For now though, he scrolled down and played the last audio log.. audio log 99.

“It's o-ver.. I need to get out he-re. ” it was Cyril's voice. He sounded weak. “To my friends you can meet me in St.Louis Missouri, to my civilians.. good luck, and to Vulter…go to hell.”

“Missouri…” Mickey repeated, raising a brow before clicking off the logs on the book collections…

Another password prompt, of course….

Wait..

Mickey type in oddity.

It worked..

Millions of files graced his eyes but only one caught his eye. “Bringing back the extinct.”

He quickly selected it, put in the card, and with a few clicks he had it..

BANG! BANG!

Oh no. Quickly he deleted the original file, and checked to see if there were any copies..

Nope. Good..

Then he quickly glanced around to find an exit…

Bingo! There was a window behind one of the bookshelves.

He rushed over, pushed it away , opening the window swiftly …

Oh.. it was a long drop to the ground.

“Mickey over here!” Suddenly he heard Gloomy's voice and the sound of a plane coming to right but when he looked that way there was nothing-

Wait!

“Hot diggity dog! You fixed it and got the invisibility to work Gloomy!” Mickey exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

“Yep, hop in!”

Mickey gladly did so, climbing out the window and jumping down..

When he did, the plane was no longer invisible to him.

“You say, you weren't a pilot.” Mickey smiled cheeky as he walked over to Gloomy as he closed the plane's hatch.

“Still ain't, but ya are.” Gloomy smiled back, rising from his seat and motioning to it. “She's all yours.”

“Than-” Mickey was interrupted by a loud slam and the sounds of footsteps from above.

“Where is he!” a guard shouted from above.

“Oh crap,you best get us out of here and back to base, Mick!” Gloomy urged, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I will, but first quick stop at Missouri..”

“What???”

“I'll explain on the way there!”

Chapter Text

Mickey thought finding Cryril would be harder as St.Louis was a big city but after asking around for only an hour, he and gloomy end up at a white two story house within a gated community, with the only notable things being torn signs that say ‘Vote for Cyril'on the overgrown lawn.

“Talk about still chasing that high..” Gloomy whispered as they approached the front door.

“Yeah, but I just hope he's willin’ to talk.” Mickey said, knocking on the door.

The door almost immediately opened, and there stood an early chimpanzee clad In a green christmas sweater and a pair of black sweat pants.

“Oh visitors..I haven't had visitors in ages.” the chimpanzee mused, holding the door open. “Please, come inside and take a seat.”

“Oh thanks.” Mickey said, stepping inside with Gloomy in toe..

The inside of the house was more homey than the outside, with a stone fireplace, pitted plants, green and white couches , and a nice white carpet.

After closing the door behind him, Mickey sat at the green couch with Gloomy while Cyril sat on the white couch.

“Tell me friends, what brings you here?” Cyril asked with a polite smile.

“Well, Mr. Cyril, I know this might be alot.. but we're here to question you about a pal of a terrorist you may know.” Mickey explained, causing Cryril’s eyes to pop out wide. “..I think ya already know who, don't ya?”

“... Pelius, yes?” Cyril replied with a sigh, his head hanging low.

“Who else? You ain't hidin’ more friends of Vulter are ya?” Gloomy pressed, narrowing his eyes.

“ Well, if anything, all of this is my fault..”Cryril lamented, shaking his head. “..And do mean everything.. if It wasn't for me, Vulter would never got any power in the first place and Pelius would be a stable man.”

“...How?” Micky asked, leaning forward, his ears perked up.

“When I was elected, my alone goal was to unite and make the country a better place.” Cyril started, his hands quivering. “I hired the best and brightest people.. and one of those people was a young Pelius who ran away from home.”

“I had a suspicion.. go on.” Mickey urged, tapping his chin.

“He was a bright, brilliant young boy,” Cryril went on. “But deeply troubled, and at time I thought he didn't meet my values of a good pers-”

“Wait, how old was he?” Gloomy questioned, raising a brow.

“Sixteen.” Cryril answered. “I don't see-”

“In what world does a sixteen year old have your specific morals?" Gloomy shot back.

“That's besides the point! I did everything for that boy, and when the time came to banish the bad people, I kept him around, even let him open his own museum after he quited!” Cryril said, earning a glare from Gloomy. “And that was my mistake.”

“Wait, banish?” Mickey gasped, his mouth going agape. “You banish you own-”

“Only the truly evil ones! The abusers, the loan sharks, the rich, the worst of the worst!” Cryril yelped, tears welling up in his eyes. “I'm a good person I swear! They refused to change!”

“Assmuin’ They were that bad, ya didn't think they would want revenge for bein’ banished?” Gloomy pointed out, letting out a huff. “Or were you fine with ‘em being someone else's problem?”

“.. I didn't think of that at the time.. I simply thought if I get rid of all the bad people, all our problems will be solved.” Cryril explained on the verge of sobbing. “But it didn't…and I had to hide it or be ashamed.”

“Gosh, that is a horrible way to think about the situation, Cryril!” Mickey exclaimed, tossing his hands in the air. “This ain't about you! Your people were poor and starving!”

“You can't blame him much, Mick, that's how all politicians are.” Gloomy remarked, leaning back back in his seat with a grimace. “It ain't ever about the people, it's about lookin’ good for ‘em.”

“It's not like that! Please let me explain further.” Cryril begged, clasping his hand together.

“...No, stop trying to explain yourself..Just tell us how this has anything to do with Vulter.” Mickey said, frowning deeply.

“..Vulter was another bright and brilliant figure..” Cryril began with a sigh. “I even tried to hire him as was the best when it came to engineering. Of course, he ended up refusing the offer but during one of many hiring meetings..he stole some weapons .”

He explained. “I decided to overlook it, after all, Vulter was a trusted member of the community in his region.. but that was my second mistake, because with Pelius joining him, he had all the tools to overthrow the government.”

“Well, that explains alot..” Mickey said,letting out a hum. “But that leaves one question, why was Pelius so jealous of his own brother? It seems all Harevicah did was open a store.” He questioned.. “And speakin’ of which, is he even still alive?”

“I can't answer that last question, his body disappeared shortly after my men took him to the hospital.” Cryril answered, wiping his eyes. “But as for the jealousy, at the time Harevicah fit the ideals of the country, as a kind, social and polite young man, Pelius didn't, It is sadly that simple.”

“...I guess we aren't ever going to find out what happened to him.” Gloomy said, slumping to his shoulders.

“Actually, I have an idea..” Mickey said, taking the USB from his pocket. “Cyril, do you have a computer or laptop?”

“..I'll go get it.. it's the least I can do.” Cryril muttered, rising up from his seat and walking down a hall.

Gloomy glanced at the USB . “Ya gotta be the luckiest little guy I ever met, Mick.” He said. “Remind me to buy a lotta ticket when we get home.”

Mickey chuckled, giving him thumbs up.

Just then Cryril returned with a laptop, sitting it on Mickey's lap. “It's already logged in..do your thing.”

“Right.” Mickey put in the USB and clicked on the file, opening up a scan of a book filled with drawings and paragraphs about extinct marine life..

He frowned for a second, thinking maybe he picked the wrong file, but then he noticed one the drawings was off..

Specifically the drawings of a Mosasaur.

Mickey clicks on it and a prompt pops up asking one question: ‘Bring him back?’

He typed in yes..

Ding.

Coordinates showed up on the screen.

“Looks like we found him.” Mickey said, turning his eyes back over to Cryril. “You wanna come with us?”

“Me! Are you insane!” Cyril yelped, backing away. “I'd rather die, thank you very much!” He quickly added, before running back down the hall.

“.....Well, you tried Mickey..” Gloomy comforted, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But that man is a coward, plain and simple..”

“I know but I still hope he might have changed his mind.” Mickey sighed, shaking his head as he got up, sitting the laptop on the couch “That anyone in the whole mess will do the right thing to fix everything...”

“ While there ain't anythin’ we can do to fix everything,but you can stop Pelius.” Gloomy replied, standing up. “ Cause I got feelin’ he ain't just trying to bring back only just because of grief..”

“...You're right, let's go!”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour later, he and Gloomy landed on a tiny islet containing only three things; a few trees, a handful of crabs, and a massive, towering bunker.

Mickey slowly approached the bunker with Gloomy and found the door was already slightly opened..

“...You know Mick, if we get murder in here by a serial killer, I gotta say it was nice knowin’ ya.” Gloomy gulped, pulling at his collar.

“..No, we got this!” Mickey encouraged, pulling the doors full open.

“I doubt it.. but I trust ya.” Gloomy said, stepping inside with him as the doors slammed behind them.

There before them was a long dimmed light hall lined with empty tanks, cobwebs, and the occasionally bugs slithering by.

Gosh…

Still, Mickey took a deep breath and pressed forward, with Gloomy following close behind.

They soon reach another pair of doors and when they push it open, they find a set of stairs leading down into darkness.

“Holy shit.” Gloomy cursed, reaching into his pocket and drawing out a flashlight. “Alright get stay here Mick, I'm going down first." He said, flicking on the light and beginning to walk down the stairs. “I'll call out if it's safe.”

“Okay.” Mickey nodded. “Just be careful Glooms.”

“I'll try.” Gloomy said, disappearing down the stairs.

Mickey swallowed but waited.. and waited..and..

“Mickey…you gotta see this.” Gloomy suddenly called out.

“Oh gosh!” Mickey immediately bolted down the stairs, not stopping until he saw Gloomy who was standing in front of something glowing. “What it is- oh… oh”

The words died in his mouth as he his eyes fell upon a two connecting incubation chambers filed with water, one containing the skeleton remains of a Mosasaur, and the other holding a white robed bonobo who looked almost the exact same as Pelius, the only difference being the long straight hair, and lack of glasses.

Harevicah.

“We gotta get him out of there!” Mickey finally exclaimed after letting out a held breath.

“I'll find the ligh-” Gloomy was interrupted by the lights suddenly flashing on, revealing rows and rows of computer screens surrounding the chambers.

Hisss..

The computers flicked on, and there sat Pelius at his desk, glaring down at them. “Well, oh well, looks like you found the truth.” He sneered. “And now you're going to try to ruin years of research .. How nice.”

“Pelius!” Mickey clutched his fists. “What are you going to do now? There is nothing here to stop us!”

“Oh really? Not even a test run?” Pelius suddenly snickered darkly, pressing something from under his desk..

WOOSH . CLUNG. SCREECH.

The second chamber the Mosasaur reminds slowly flooded into the first, causing it to glow even brighter to an almost blinding degree.

“Oh no! Gloomy quick we gotta-”

CRACK

The first chamber was starting to burst open and fast.

“Nope, time to run Mick!” Gloomy shouted, grabbing his hand and booking it back to the stairs.

Mickey compiled, running up the stairs with Gloomy, just as another loud crack sounded throughout the bunker, followed by the sound of rushing water and a loud shriek.

“How- why- i-” he could barely speak, his voice held back by sheer fear as his heart raced.

“I don't know! I don't know!” Gloomy panicked, running even faster down the hall, as the shrieks started to grow closer and closer. “LET'S JUST GET IN THE PLANE!”

“OKAY!”

They rushed out of the bunker, not even bothering for a second to close the door or even dare to take a glance behind as they stumbled over and inside the plane.

“Fly! Fly! Fly as fast as you can Mick!” Gloomy urged, all but sitting him in the chair.

“I K-NOW! I KNO-W!” Mickey stammered, plane, and with a deep breath he took off and seemingly just in time as he heard something break through the doors and slide into the waters below.

For a second, everything was quiet, allowing them to catch their breaths…

Then a bird flew close to the island..

Splash!

A nearly 17 metered scaled monstrosity lunged from the waters and ate the bird whole, before disappearing back into the depths below.

It came so fast, all Mickey saw in detail was it big yellow eyes..

“... W-ell, uh.. what's the plan Mic-key?” Gloomy stammered. “...Yo-u do have a plan for this th-ing right?”

Mickey didn't know what to say, all he could do was stare down at the water, his heart pounding in his ears..

“...Kid?”

Then then.. an idea came into his head..

“Gloomy, where is the narrowest canal?” he asked, his eyes flashing with determination.

“Wait, you ain't goin’ try to lure that thing, are ya?’ Gloomy gasped, his jaw dropping.

“It's the only way! Now where is it Gloomy?” Mickey pleaded, biting his lip.

“Oh boy…” Gloomy muttered, taking a deep breath . “I think that'll be the Corinthian Canal in Greece.”

“How far is it?”

“Only thirty minutes!”

“Then that's where we are going!” Mickey exclaimed, pressing the button to make the plane fully viable. “Ready to make some noise,Gloomy?”

“NOT REALLY BUT LET'S GO.” Gloomy urged, nodding his head just as the monster from below started to peer out from the waters.

“Right!” Mickey flew the plane forward getting the attention of the sea monster who began to swim after them.

“You really think this girl is going to be faster than that thing? For all we know Pelius makes it super fast.” Gloomy warned, sweating bullets.

“No, but it can't eat what it can't see.” Mickey pointed out. “Watch this!

Right on cue the monster lunged out the water, and Mickey quickly pressed the button making them invisible and turning down the engines.

In an instant, the beast stopped mid-lunge as it glanced around itself in confusion.

Mickey quickly flew a few meters away from it as it splashed back down in the water..

“How in the world did you figure that out?” Gloomy asked, sounding thoroughly impressed.

“Remember the crocodiles I told ya about? I figured this monster like ‘em rely more on sight like ‘em.” Mickey reasoned, pressing the button again to make them viable.

“...And this is why I'm glad ya our side Mick, ya crazy clever.” Gloomy complimented.

“Thank you! Now let's end this!” Mickey exclaimed, flying forward again.

Thus for thirty minutes, Mickey flicked in and out invisibility as he flew and danced through the sky, barrel-rolling and taking sharp turns even when the jaws were inches away from eating them whole.

Then at last they arrived at the canal, but as they entered from a few meters above, the monster swam under them and shot straight up at them!

“We ain't gon’ make it!” Gloomy screamed as the jaws drew closer and closer.

“Yes we will!” Mickey opened the plane hatch, jumped out his seat, threw on a parachute, grabbed Gloomy's hand and jumped out the plane..

CRUSH!

The monster ate it whole as they landed on the cliffside.

They watched as it attempted to sink back down, only to be caught by both sides of the cliffs..

“...It worked! Mickey! it worked!” Gloomy beamed, suddenly lifting him up and spinning him around into a hug.

“I know ! I know!” Mickey beamed back, returning the hug..

Looks like it was over.. at least for now.

“Okay..” Doderman put back down and pulled away. “I'm going to find a phone and call Doderman, you stay here and make sure nothing tries to free it.”

“Okay.” Mickey watched Gloomy leave, then walked to the edge of the cliffside, taking in the awe and horror of the ancient sea creatures before him. “You never asked to be brought back, but don't worry one of these days, Pelius will be behind bars.. you have my word.”

Chapter Text

Pelius trudged down the stairs of the bunker, reaching his personal lab, finding the water was already drained, leaving behind Harevicah's body and a handful of bones from the Mosasaur..

He gathered the bones first, placing them with others in a container that sat inside a safe, with a nearby cabinet…

Then he returned back to Harevicah and nearly gasped.. he was no longer in perfect form as half his face was now in decay.

“I failed..” He muttered, falling to his knees. “You were supposed be become one wi-”

“I personally disagree with you Professor Pelius.” Vulter's voice suddenly came into his ears. “It seems like you found a way to bring back the extinct, quite impressive, no?”

“Your highness!” Pelius yelped, immediately jumping to his feet and straightening up as he turned to face the doctor. “How- when..”

“I have my ways, Professor.” Vulter said simply, stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Now, tell me, do you think you can make more of these sea beasts for my army?”

Pelius paused for a second glance between Harevicah and Vulter but with a deep breath, he made his decision.. “Of course, your highnesses, anything for you.”

As much he wanted his brother to be something he could care for.. Vulter was more important.

“Good Professor.” Vulter smirked, pushing Pelius’ hair out his eyes with his free hand, causing the professor to shrink and flushed. “I'll see to it, you have a better lab to proceed with your research, understand?”

“...I always do.”

“..Splendid.”