3.45pm Celesteville
'I won't bally believe it!' said Mr Toad stubbornly, as he sat at the table in the interrogation room, with his arms crossed.
Bruin sighed. 'Look Toad, I didn't want to believe it either, but you can't argue with facts.'
'Preposterous say I! The Hare, an international terrorist mastermind of some sort! Why I've never heard such tommyrot in all my days! You must be mistaken my good bear. Else those Zodiac chaps have got it in for poor old Hare.'
Mr Toad leaned forward with an excited glint in his eyes. 'Could be a fit up you know. Making Hare a patsy.'
Bruin shook his head in exasperation. 'To what end?'
Toad leaned closer, a conspiratorial look on his face. 'Think about it. What was the first thing the blighters did in the wake of this? Declared martial law and started blaming it all on the cats and old Hare. Next thing we know Tortoise is confined to quarters and the lunatics are running the asylum. Ever heard of a mortal chap by the name of Hitler? It's those sort of tactics that lead to this sort of rum do and no mistake. Zodiac ... or Illuminati?'
Bruin glanced uneasily over his shoulders at the two way mirror. 'Toad, please. Ariel sent an energy burst to mess with the sound but we're being watched. ElephantLand Intelligence has let me speak to you as a courtesy, but there's a hot shot investigator on his way to question you.'
Toad refolded his arms. 'Am I being charged with anything?'
'No, this is just an informal chat, but we do need to know where exactly The Hare ran to, who he was with and anything else you can ...'
'Precisely,' came a new voice. A human in a red jacket had just entered, carrying a knapsack on a stick over his shoulders.
'Don't mind me Chief Bruin,' he said casually, whistling as he lay down the knapsack and unwrapped it to reveal a laptop and recording equipment, as well as a sandwich and water bottle.
'Mr Whittington, I hadn't finished ...'
'I'm afraid you have Mr Bruin,' replied Dick Whittington. He turned to Toad. 'I must inform you Mr Toad, that under the Elephantland War Powers Emergency Act, unless you demonstrate increased cooperation, you will be extradited to your point of origin - meaning the Domain. Leo of the Zodiac has requested you be put in his charge and ...'
Mr Toad leapt to his feet. 'Outrageous! King Babar would never stand for a friend of his being treated so shabbily!'
'I'm afraid that the King is too busy reacting to a multiple invasion of his country to even notice. You could be on a plane back home within the hour, if I gave the nod.'
Toad sat down again, not relishing the thought of being 'indefinitely detained' in Zodiac custody.
'Narnia.' he said quietly.
Whittington nodded. 'You mentioned that possibility before but refused to elaborate. Can you do so now?'
Toad looked crushed. 'Look here Bruin old fellow, if I tell you what I know ... which isn't much, mind, you have to promise me that you'll be the one to take Hare in and keep him safe until this great bloody misunderstanding is cleared up.'
'I promise, although if he is in Narnia I'm not certain how we can even ...'
'The Cair Paravel Economic Summit.'
'What about it?'
'It's about to reconvene after the summer recess. My friend and fellow board member The Owl is here in Celesteville, on his way to Narnia and I am pretty sure I can attach you chaps to his group as additional security. That will get you to Cair Paravel and from there you're on your own, but I have a condition?'
'What's that?'
A broad smile of impending triumph crossed Mr Toad's green features. 'First of all, let me remind you that a formal request to enter the Aslanist State in pursuit of a fugitive will be refused in a perfunctory fashion. Only The Owl has a legitimate reason to enter, as he is a board member of MCI ... as I am. Gentlemen, I'm coming with you ... or nobody goes!'
***
7.45pm Narnian Hinterlands.
Professor Andrew Ketterley spluttered and gasped his way to consciousness as his head was dunked into the cold waters of the huge fountain in the west courtyard of the hunting lodge compound.
'Wakey wakey Prof.'
It was a strange little man made out of ...
The Gingerbread Man smiled. 'He's up boss.'
The Glass Cat strolled forward, flanked by his two super cat bodyguards, who had fetched him and Moriarty here at super speed.
'Greetings 'Uncle' Andrew or do you prefer The Magician? How is your nephew by the way?'
'Wh what do you want?' stuttered Andrew, looking past the blue silver cat to where Goldie was standing. She waved at him.
The Glass Cat walked right over until his face was mere centimetres from the Professor's. He smiled broadly and his breath smelled of mints. 'You know what I want.'
Ketterley was defiant. 'You know nothing.'
Bungle grinned. 'On the contrary I know quite a lot. A lot can be gleaned for instance from books and I my dear Professor Andrew Ketterley, uncle of Digory and Victorian inventor extraordinaire, have read ALL the stories. Bring forth the bear.'
This last remark was addressed to the trolls. After a moment's confusion, Styrr and Grogsmyr dragged forth the still half stunned Bulgy Bear.
Griffin, who stood to the side observing, didn't like where this was going. He had observed the murderous actions of Cosmo and Atom and they and the Glass Cat were starting to remind him more of feral street cats in their ruthlessness, than civilized felines.
Bungle spoke. 'This creature has been your protector for many long years. How much do you care for his wellbeing? Tell me what I want to know or I shall order the trolls to rip his limbs off one by one, legs, then arms and finally his head.'
'Do as you wish. I care nothing for any life save my own.'
Griffin felt his heart beat faster ... would his hero stoop to such a dastardly act or was it just a bluff. Curiously he noticed The Hare seemed tense as well, his hands balled into fists at his side.
The Glass Cat turned his head. 'As I suspected. Return the bear to the cellar with the rest of the captives. As for the Professor ... hold his head back above the water.'
'Y You don't scare me,' stuttered Andrew.
'Really? Well I don't suppose a dunking will do the trick but what of the shark we placed in the fountain.'
Ketterley noticed the water was churning and as the cats held him up in the air with his face above the fountain, he felt his bowels begin to loosen. The beast rose out of the depths and he could smell its fetid breath.
'You are currently held a foot above the creature. On my order, Cosmo and Atom will descend. Or you can simply tell me what I wish to know.'
'Anything! But I truly don't know what you ...'
Bungle cut him off. 'You don't know but you suspect, so I suspect I will have to be very, very clear. I want the rings Professor and you shall tell me where they are!'
Ketterley was already beside himself with terror but now, faced with the directness of the inquiry about something he was denying even to himself, he finally let go of all semblance of bowel control.
'I destroyed them, I swear it!'
'Drop him.'
'Wait!! Alright ... I'll tell you. I did destroy them but I recreated them a few decades ago. They're not here ... they're hidden in my chambers back at Cair Paravel!'
His blue glass tormentor grinned in fiendish triumph. 'Then to Cair Paravel we shall go and finally the way to the Vault of Myth shall fall into my possession. Mine and your father Loki's my Lord Vali.'
Vali dropped his shape shifted shark form and emerged from the fountain.