RMCA Fiction:
Squibble's Story: The Mouse Knight II

I was watching TV. The rats had managed to figure out how to turn it on, and it was welcome company. It was during the day, estranged mouse that I was, and I was the only one weird enough to be awake. I was watching a wonderful show, one of my favorites. The characters were in a terrible situation - certain doom. There was absolutely no way out, but the captain wouldn't give up. He simply refused, and he broke the rules. They all made it out of the situation by doing gnarly, unheard of stuff that no one had thought of. They won in the end, because the captain had thought outside of the box. I thought of my master.

Then my head came up and my ears went straight. (Heard something!)

I scrabbled off the bed. Nemo watched me go with one sleepy eye as I crawled across the floor into the living room. I found Stompy's hideout and woke her and my daughter up.

"What's this then?" Stompy moaned. "Bit early, Sir Squibble?"

"Hit me!" I ordered.

Her eyes opened all the way. Squibette was up in a flash. Scratchy had seen me running across the floor and came zipping up next to me, doing his little circles to the left.

"Don't do it!" Squibette told her friend. "He's sick."

"Oh, with all respect, daughter, shut up," I said. "Stompy, hit me as hard as you can."

Her face was confused and a bit frightened. "Umm... Why for?" she asked.

"I need to break the rules! Now do it!" I yelled.

Nemo came up behind me along with my master, summoned by the commotion. Stompy looked at my master, begging him to help her out of this.

He looked at Nemo. Nemo knew. He was smiling.

"Do it," Nemo said.

Stompy looked at Squibette. Squibette shrugged. Stompy's face twisted uncomfortably.

"Sir...I mean no disrespect by this..."

"I know! Now let fly. Hard," I said.

"Ummm...Where exactly..."

"In the head!" I chirped.

Everyone winced, and she wound up her fist. Even without all of her massive weight, this was going to hurt.

POW! I saw stars, then the floor. I staggered up, looked around, and said, "Again!"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Stompy complained, but Nemo interrupted her.

"Do it."

POW! Floor. Stars. Gahhh. Pain.

I looked around. Fuzzy....Tilting kinda, but normal.

"Again!" I commanded.

"Squibble..." my master began...

POW!

Floor. I moaned. I couldn't feel my body. I flipped myself over onto my back and saw...

Angels!

YES!

I broke out into a grin. Stompy drew back for another blow.

"Whhhooa!" I said, holding up my hands. "Good enough!"

"Well thank Mousegod for that!" She breathed.

I jumped up, tilted crazily, and my master held me up. I picked the nearest angel with wings. "You!"

He turned, surprised to be seen, much less addressed. He put a hand on his white tunic as if you say, me?

"Oh yeah," I said. "You! I've got something for you to do!"

"Mortals do not command us," he said to me. "Nor do mice."

I growled and balled my fists. Time to do the Captain Kirk on his sorry ass. I stepped forward, but Nemo got in my way.

"Tell him this..." he whispered to me, and he told me glorious words of power. Words so ancient that a million generations of mice would not begin to cover it. Words from ancient history, from the days of King Solomon. More powerful words he never taught me since that day.

I spoke the words to the angel. The reaction was stunning. Every angel in the room turned to me, their haloes rising around their heads. Some of them drew their swords, those that had them.

"Those words are for kings and great priests only, mouse," the angel threatened. "You may not use them."

"Yeah?" I said, all Kirk-like. "Well I just did! Now you gotta do what I say! And how do you know I'm not a king or a priest? Huh? Huh?"

The angel was silent. He looked at his comrades, always there in our house. They had nothing to say. I remembered it from the beginning. The first time I had used my gift in the safe house, there had always been angels. Playing with the animals, who could sometimes sense them. Ever since Mike died in the human's bed, there had been angels. Every time my second sight came on. Angels.

My angels now.

"What is your bidding?" the angel said.

Whooo HOO!

"Get us some food, pronto!" I said. Now mind you, the other mice could only see and hear one side of this. I looked insane.

"I knocked his marbles loose," Stompy whined.

My master shook his head. He knew what was happening. He was grinning, looking upward at what he couldn't see.

"We cannot affect the material plane like that," the angel said.

"Well, go kill the black mouse!" I commanded.

"We cannot. He is greater than any of us here."

"Heal the sick!" I said.

"We have been," he said. "To the best of our ability, including you." His tone was icy. "Why do you think the entire house did not perish in the heat?"

"Grrrr! Well then, smite the godless hordes around the house and give us a break!"

The angel smiled. He had been waiting for someone to ask him for that. "Consider it done!" He waved his hand, and the angels with swords walked through the walls, going outside to kick holy ass. They looked ready for a fight. The angel I was talking to prepared to leave.

"Not you!" I said. He stopped, bowed slightly, and looked down at me. "Bring back my momma!" I said.

"I cannot."

I hopped with fury. "GRRR! Why do I feel like I'm in a Chinese restaurant and nothing on the menu is available!" I yelled. "What can you do then!"

He grinned. "I can go get you help."

I stopped. Cocked my head. "Reeely?" He nodded. "What kinda help? Nothing tricky now..."

He gave me a look that said I'm an angel, stupid. I'm not going to trick you. "The kind human," he said.

My eyes went wide. "Go!" I ordered. And he went.

I jumped for joy. Outside, we heard the enemy squeaking like crazy and retreating as if they were normal mice running from fire. Everyone went to the windows and doors to behold the spectacle. In every direction, zombie animals fleeing. Some dropping dead - like they belonged. The living ones, free of mind control, shook their heads and vanished in white light. The safe house was being freed...at least for some distance around it.

My master turned his amazed head to me and gaped. "Squibble! What have you done!"

"Broken the rules, master!" I said.

He nodded, proud. "Good boy." He hugged me. I could feel his ribs against mine. "Good boy."