Trying hard to keep her own sanity, Isabella cradled Bilee in her shaking
arms. The violent sounds of the battle outside rang in her ears. Thomas came to
her teetering mind. Only knowing him for a day or two and she had fallen in
love with him. But two years as a widow and raising a child without help was
pure misery. She actually feared for his safety after he was to tell her and
Brutus of his true purpose at Thorn Valley. She feared he would've had to be
executed. But how can one love one another so quickly? And why? She just had a
feeling about him.

Another explosion, louder this time, rocked the shelter. Its wooden frame
threatened to buckle as it creaked and groaned from the pressure. Several of
the maids and,wives and young children cried out in terror. A high-pitched
grating sounded above their heads.

MARTIN ROBINSON
Mom, it's them!

Brisby opened her arms and welcomed Timmothy back into the
Discovery 2. He rushed into her arms, hugging her and saying how
sorry
he was for not telling her where he was going. Brutus stepped
through
the airlock next, depositing Ninjara on the floor.

NINJARA SMITH
Ouch, hey! <Glares up at him> Thanks alot for the
help.

BRUTUS WEST
You're welcome, not! <Shoots the finger>

JENNY ROBINSON
I'm so glad you made it back.

BRUTUS WEST
Thanks. Nice work for using the flares to bring us home.

Mrs. Brisby looked around to see
if there was a way out of the birdcage. The birdcage she was captured in was
hanging on the ceiling which one day had belonged to a bird named Porky. Billy
wanted to keep Mrs. Brisby as a pet-mouse for nobody knows how long! Mrs.
Brisby hoped Justin had stayed long enough to hear that she was caught and that
he'd come back to get her out! The moving had probably already started. Her
children must be terrified! Mrs. Brisby started to panic. What if Justin didn't
know she was caught, what if the children needed her? She thought about the
conversation she had with Nicodemus and the amulet she was given. It was a red,
round stone. She received the amulet because of her courage, and now look at
her... she was terrified! She didn't deserve it! The amulet had a special powers.
Nicodemus didn't tell her what the amulet was capable of, but it had to be
something incredible. But the amulet was no use right now. It was hanging
somewhere under the kitchen floor, carefully put there by Justin. The
Fitzgibbon family was already sound asleep. So was Dragon, so it seemed that
the powder had done it's job.

Baltimore
sucks. At least that's what I thought when I stepped off the jetway in the
airport. The place reeked of overpriced, stale pizza. I had gotten back from
San Jose, where I was born and spent most of my life. I had moved to Baltimore
two years ago during my freshman year because my father got a better job offer.
Now I was 17. I had no license, I had no friends, I had no life. Moving to
Baltimore was the worse thing that ever happened to me. There was one plus,
though. I did get to visit with my friends in San Jose every summer. That was
lots of fun, but now I was back. Yahoo.

I looked
around and saw my mother, Sandra, standing by the restrooms. She looked around
nervously and lit up a cigarette.

‘Please.... you are the only one who can help me!' The plea in the
young rats voice was almost painful to hear, though not nearly as painful as it
was to her having to ask it.

Wendy Elisabeth, dressed in a
semi-formal shift skirt, (which was too hot to wear as it were late August)
required to anyone assigned to Council duty, desperately tried to convince
Nicodemus for permission to leave the safety and security of the colony, to go
to London.

Sergant Brutus flew past the space station in his
starfighter
jet. Below it, a hypergate, a giant circular gate more than 10
miles
around, was under construction. When the gate was finished, it
would be
a dimensional doorway or portal into hyperspace-lightspeed,
allowing
faster travel from Earth to other worlds. It was Brutus' job to
guard
the hypergate that night while a cargo ship landed.
Unfortunately,
there was a terrorist organization interested in destroying
the
hypergate. Sergant Brutus couldn't let that happen. It was a
major
part of the United Nations & NATO's plan for the 21st
Century - a future
where the entire population would live in space.

Translation provided by JR/Persuivant

The day began with a rain storm. The raindrops had momentarily visible forms
as they disintegrated on contact with each hard surface...... Destiny had
granted them each but a single second of life, and they enjoyed those tiny
moments in all their fullness.

I had gotten up reluctantly and, to make matters worse, my cheerful
awakener, with its acute and shrill sound, intensified my bad mood.

It was the beginning of another weekend like many others, but with one
difference: This was the weekend that I'd been given permission to complete my
research. The National Instititue of Mental Health (NIMH), where I worked, had
granted me permission to clarify my ideas with respect to an incredible new drug
we had given to our specimens. The preliminary findings had been entirely
positive, and everything appeared to promise extremely exciting results.

El dia comenzo con una lluvia tormentosa, tanto que las gotas parecian masas
de forma definida que se desintegraban al chocar contra cualquier
superficie..........parecian tener vida que el destino les quitaba en solo
segundos, y parecian disfrutar ese pequeno intervalo de tiempo en toda su
plenitud.

Me habia levantado de mala gana y , para colmo, el bendito despertador con su
sonido agudo y chirriante avivaba mi mal humor.

Mrs.Brisby had slept in late, she had enjoyed the peace and quiet, but she
knew that it would never last. She was awoken with a start....
"Moooom!" screamed Teresa. "Martin won’t leave me alone!"

Mrs.Brisby sighed, there was no use in trying to get any sleep now. She
reluctantly got to her feet, as her children continued to fight.

"Ouch!" Martin yelled. "Get off my tail!"

It was a hot day in Thorn Valley and Justin walked along the path. He
stopped in the center of town and looked at the statue of Jonathan Brisby and his
son Timothy. Not long ago had Timmy fulfilled his destiny. As far as Justin
could tell, only a year had past.

It was midday, but the sun was lost behind a maze of black clouds. He knew
it was going to rain any minute so he hurried to the main building. There he
found Mr. Ages, Jenny, and Timmy waiting for him.