13.The Wabbit and a Diplomacy Incident

The craft hovered over the station for some while and the Wabbit hopped out to meet with whoever or whatever might emerge. He watched as the Ice Mice beamed down, then advanced across the platform and waved for them to stop. "Please do tell me," he said flippantly, "who does go there?" The middle Mouse spoke first. "We are the Reformed Ice Mice and this is a mission of polite diplomacy." "Oh really," said the Wabbit, "may I call you RIM?" The Ice Mice made snickering noises but the leader frowned and turned sharply to the Wabbit. "We have done you a Great Service," he said. The Wabbit laughed derisively. "It was all in hand, you wasted your time." The Ice Mice conferred. "You have something we want," said one finally. "Do I look as if I’m bothered?" said the Wabbit. The Ice Mice shook their heads sadly. "We request a sign of good faith," said another Ice Mouse. "I’m all out of stock," said the Wabbit. Now the Ice Mice were getting extremely annoyed and the Wabbit smiled to himself. "We want the key!" shouted the Ice Mice in unison. "I do have a key," said the Wabbit. "Excellent," smirked the leading Mouse. "But the key belongs to me," said the Wabbit, "and it won’t work for anyone else." "We will take your key!" shouted the Ice Mice. The Wabbit shoved his paws in his fur and shrugged. "You and who’s army?" he grinned.

12.The Wabbit & Inconvenient Help

The train rattled down the hillside with the gang on board and Puma racing alongside. But the Agents quickly caught up and they shouted and waved their spikes menacingly. They drew alongside the train and were just about to board, when their ears pricked up. With agonised expressions, they flinched away from the wagon. "Do you hear something?" said Skratch. They all tried to make out the whining sound. It was high frequency and rather uncomfortable, but it infuriated the Agents who turned in pain and looked with horror at a strange craft rising from the horizon. "That’s definitely not one of ours," said Lapinette. "Brace yourself," said the Wabbit and they all clung on as the flying saucer fired volley after volley of ripple beams. The craft showed no mercy. Caught in the beams, the Agents blew apart and their limbs scattered over the track and across the hedges. "That’s takes care of our enemies," said the Wabbit, "but now we have to deal with our friends." "Ice Mice!" snapped Skratch. "I thought they were exiled in the Sombrero Galaxy? queried Lapinette.  "They’re here now," said the Wabbit. "What can they possibly want?" asked Puma. The Wabbit shrugged. "Well, what have we possibly got?"

11. The Wabbit & the Swift Getaway

No sooner had the gang left the building than heard blood curdling cries. The Wabbit turned and as he expected, he saw a host of Agents of Rabit. But there was something different about them.  Their old marching stance had gone and they were more agile. They could duck and dive and cruel spikes telescoped from their paws. "Run!" shouted the Wabbit. But everyone was running anyway. "Didn’t this happen before?" shouted  Skratch. "Yes!" yelled Lapinette, "it’s quite a regular thing." "Then what happened?" yelled Skratch. "We led them into a trap," said Lapinette, "and the Wabbit was waiting." Skratch looked at the Wabbit and his face fell. "Well he’s not waiting this time," he said. The Wabbit looked up. "Where’s my back up?" he shouted and he shook a paw at an empty blue sky. "Are you certain Command understood your request?" roared Puma. "Certainty is in short supply," gasped the Wabbit. He quickened his pace and had a think. "I know what," he muttered. "We’ll run for the old railway!" "Didn’t we do that before?" asked Skratch. "We did," said the Wabbit. "So what happened?" replied Skratch. "Lapinette rescued us by helicopter," said the Wabbit. They all looked at Lapinette. She shrugged and made a whirling motion with her ears. "It’ll have to do," sighed the Wabbit. 

10.The Wabbit's Rooftop Transmission

There was a rasp of turning keys and a flash. Suddenly they found themselves outside and very high up. Skratch was used to heights and jumped around. Everyone else looked over the parapet. "Does this usually happen, Keeper?" asked the Wabbit. "Not as a rule," said the Keeper. "Usually a set of instructions comes sliding under the door. It opens and I go out." The Wabbit pulled a walkie talkie from his fur and hit it for luck. "Hello Wabbit Command, come in!" There was silence. "Hello Wabbit Command, Wabbit calling. "Another silence then the radio crackled. "Wabbit Command. Reading you. Over." The Wabbit shook his head. "Please engage the Quantum Key." Another pause. "Say again, Commander!" The Wabbit groaned and said it again. "Engaging security encryption," confirmed Wabbit Command. "Go ahead." "We have a situation," said the Wabbit. "Please define," said Wabbit Command. "A set of circumstances in which one finds oneself," snapped the Wabbit. Lapinette poked him and the Wabbit’s stomach groaned. "Are you injured, Commander?" said Wabbit Command. "Not yet," said the Wabbit. "This is an Agents of Rabit proximity warning. Backup required." "On its way," said Wabbit Command. "Anything else?" "A salad sandwich," said the Wabbit. 

9. The Wabbit & the Rapper Maneuver

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The Wabbit made a signal and everyone in the team moved around the Keeper, taking up position at the back. The Wabbit was about to use the Rapper's Manoeuvre - which sometimes worked. It was simple move in which he would engage in discussion with the Keeper. Whatever the Wabbit said, the rest of his team would vociferously agree with him. As they set up a jerky beat, the Wabbit drew close to the Keeper and rapped - "Who are these grim and scurvy knaves, who keep you cruelly enslaved?" "Enslave is grave! Enslave is grave!" chorused the team. "So hit them with an architrave," shouted Skratch. The Wabbit sighed deeply but the Keeper was hooked and said. "They are giant grey rabbits all, scraggy as the ghastliest troll". Suddenly all was clear to the Wabbit. "Sounds like the awful Agents of Rabit. We don't like their painful habits," he rapped. "They're both baneful and disdainful," yelled Puma. "Our association's been ungainful," shouted Lapinette. Then the Wabbit hunched in to the Keeper. "Let's find a way to work together." "With a cunning plan that's more than clever," sang Skratch. "Carried out with vim and vigour," chanted Puma. The Keeper looked astonished. "Everyone agrees!" he said. "That's the concept," smiled the Wabbit.

8.The Wabbit & the Keeper of the Keys

Enough light beamed from the dimmed windows to allow the gang to see. "You're all most welcome,"  said a most solemn voice. "I'm so glad my key got you here."  Lapinette pushed the Wabbit towards the centre of the room. "You speak to it!" she hissed. "Why me?" said the Wabbit, "it's always me." "Yes, people speak to you - all the time," murmured Lapinette. "That's right Wabbit," agreed Skratch the Cat. "You have a general rapport that gets you invited in." Puma offered a smile of satisfaction. "Statues, goddesses, trains. planes. Anyone and everything speaks with the Wabbit." So the Wabbit shrugged and hopped into the centre of the room, facing one of the oddest creatures he had ever seen. "I am the Keeper of the Keys," said the creature. The Wabbit hadn't a clue what to say. "Good for you!" he announced and thought hard. "What's that like?" he added. "Dreary," said the Keeper. "I am condemned to live here, due to my obsession with keys." "Forever?" asked Lapinette. "Sometimes I am allowed out to open very, very big doors." said the Keeper. "Then you have to return?" asked Skratch. "I'm no longer very sure," said the Keeper. The Wabbit felt annoyed and stamped his foot. "Then you've come to the right rabbit," he said. "I know," said the Keeper. "My key found you."

7. The Wabbit and the Secret Room

The Wabbit and Lapinette swept through the doors that opened before them - and Skratch and Puma jumped through behind them. Suddenly all was darkness and they stood motionless in the still air. Puma had the best eyes and so he was the first to see anything. "It's one big empty place," he murmured. Skratch blinked his way to vision, followed by Lovely Lapinette. Finally the Wabbit spoke. "It's one big empty place," he gasped. "And it has an echo," said Lapinette, digging the Wabbit in the ribs. "There's only the four of us here as far as I can see," said Puma quietly. "So why are we here?" wondered Lapinette. "And where's that key? asked the Wabbit. But of the giant key there was nothing to be seen and Puma glanced back and forward looking for it. "Skratch, you said there were three keys," he purred. "First I heard of it!" scoffed the Wabbit. Skratch assumed his lecturing position, "There were three doorways," he explained, "and that meant there had to be three keys." Lapinette' eyes gave a twitch of understanding and she nudged the Wabbit. "We were the other two keys," she said. "I'm not a key," said the Wabbit. Skratch was just going to joke about making a keynote speech when they heard a solemn voice echo from the walls. "So pleased you could all come." it said.