The Many Lives of Mickey Mouse XI

The Many Lives of Mickey Mouse │ Agent 26

Stars. Against the dark, deep, nothingness of space, there were millions of small white dots. They sparkled and shined like diamonds, bringing some light to the deep black void. The bright balls of fire shined brightly that night upon the colorful world of Minerva. The planet's two moons casted their eerie glow down onto the castle of Princess Minnie, the daughter of the murdered king.

The Overtakers were very quick, and not even the Princess herself knew they were there until they had killed her beloved father. And the Intergalactic Peace suspected she would be their next target. Sadly, this was true. For that night, something crept up the castle walls.

He was fast and small, a dot against the wall. No one paid him any mind. To them he was just a mere shadow. A shadow with sharp claws on each of his eight fingers, four on each hand, and pointed teeth in his large mouth. He scaled up the smooth, white, metal surface of the castle, until he reached a window. He stopped for a moment. He then pulled up one of his paws and slipped one of his blue claws through the crack between the glass panels of the window. He lifted it up slightly, and the latch was undone.

The intruder quietly pulled the two panels apart, and then slipped in. He was determined to finish what the Overtakers couldn't finish.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Mickey asked as he and his partner Donald brushed their teeth in the small bathroom with light blue tiles. In the room was a shower, a toilet, and a sink that hovered in front of both the small mouse and the white duck. The sink was a steel blue bowl that automatically cleaned itself, and had a small, orange sized hole in the center that led to a drain pipe under the castle. And on the side in front of the two people were two small, pin sized holes. One for hot water, one for cold. Mickey used cold, Donald used hot.

"Eh, she's okay," Donald quacked, his large orange beak covered with drippy, white foam. Unlike Mickey, he wasn't so impressed with the Princess. But Mickey, Agent 26, was already head over heels for her. And both Donald, and their droid Goofy, knew this was bad. "But you better not get your hopes up Rookie."

Mickey had joined the Intergalactic Peace Organization about a week ago. His brother Oswald, a legend in the IPO, had enrolled him after a little incident with a hover board. Mickey was young and energetic, full of bright ideas. So far, he had already done some alterations to the IPO standard issued uniform. Instead of a light blue shirt with a collar, Mickey had torn off the collar and added short yellow sleeves. And as if that wasn't colorful enough, he wore red shorts with two large buttons on them and big, yellow shoes. No one in the IPO was permitted to wear that.

But Mickey didn't care about rules. In his mind, rules were chains that kept you away from taking risks or chances. And life was too short not to take either. Even in the year ninety-five QZ, no one was able to live forever.

"And why not?" Mickey asked as he spit the last of the toothpaste into the sink.

"Because she's a princess," Donald said, "High class standards. And you're just a rookie of a peace organization. Don't you think she'd have higher standards than that?"

"Not really," Princess Minnie chirped as Ortensia, her maid, brushed her hair. While the duck harassed his mouse, the cat harassed hers. Ortensia couldn't understand why Minnie, of all of her social grace and class, would ever fall in love with a rookie agent. It was just plain nonsense, and love was silly enough as it was.

The two mammals were sitting in the middle of Minnie's bedroom on a queen sized bed. Everything in the room was pink, Minnie's favorite color. There was a bookshelf full of books, two comfy chairs in the corner, and a picture of Minnie's father and mother holding her as a child. It was a very beautiful moment. But looking at it made Minnie sad. It reminded her that now, both her parents were gone. She pulled her gentle light blue eyes away, the sight unbearable.

Like her eyes, everything about Minnie was sparkling. Like Mickey, she had black fur and a snow white face. But other than that, she was very unique. The hair around her eyes curled slightly, and her cheeks were rosy red. Her smile was as bright as the sun, and her eyes were just a warm. And like Ortensia, she wore a nightgown, only hers was a flowing pink.

As the little black cat in the blue night gown and cap continued to brush her best friend's hair, she said, "How can you not find it odd? He's a rookie, you're the soon to be Queen of Minerva! For crying out loud, you have a planet named after you. And yet, you've got googely eyes for him?"

"Oh Ortensia," Minnie smiled back to the jet black cat with the snow white face. "You just don't get it. He's the type of person I dream about. The kind to sweep me off my feet, hand me a handful of the brightest flowers, and take me away to a magical place where he and I can live happily forever after."

"Have you been reading your sappy love novels again?" Ortensia asked. Minnie ignored the question. The maid then got serious and asked, "Are you sure you're really 'in love'?"

"What on Minerva do you mean by that?" the Princess asked, her eyes full of curiosity and shock.

"I mean, are you really in love with him? Or are you just trying to fill a void you have in your heart?" Minnie opened her mouth, ready to tell her what she thought her answer was, but Ortensia went on talking. "I mean, think about it: your father is dead. If you don't count either myself or the other servants, you have no friend whatsoever. Then, all of a sudden, Mister Agent 26 shows up and you fall like a bag of bricks? Don't you think that's a little coincidental."

Minnie considered everything her friend said as she finished brushing her hair. She did bring up some interesting points. Oh, but what did she know? She hadn't had a successful relationship in ages. And, in all of her lifetime, Minnie had never laid her eyes on someone like Mickey. In her heart, she could tell something was different about him. He didn't feel like the other guys who had once tried to earn her heart. Something was different…

Then Minnie realized something felt different indeed. Not just with Mickey, but in the room. She and her faithful friend looked up to see that the lights were beginning to flicker.

"What do you think about all this Goofy?" Mickey asked as he and Donald came out of the bathroom and into their apartment style bedroom.

Goofy, a golden droid with a silly grin, laid on the bottom bunk so that his friend Donald would have the top. Goofy had one thing most droids did not have: compassion. He was very kind, sweet, and friendly towards others. Especially towards Donald. Goofy had known the little white mallard since he was first assembled. At first, Donald wanted no part of Goofy. But eventually, he gave into him. And now, Goofy was sharing some of his kindness with the new recruit.

"I think it's wonderful," Goofy said. He then thought for a moment. "What are we talking about again?"

Donald slapped his feathery face. His droid was so weird sometimes, his name fit his personality perfectly.

Mickey then said, "About me and Princess Minnie?"

"Oh, I see," Goofy smiled. "It sounds real nice. According to my computer, you and Princess Minnie have a sixty eight point nine, nine, nine percent chance of a successful romantic relationship."

"See?" Donald squawked as he jumped in front of Mickey, "There's still a chance that she might not even like you at all!"

"You don't know that," Mickey said as he hoped onto the single bed. He then placed each of his white gloved hands behind his circular black head, and placed one leg over the other.

"Neither do you," Donald said as he sat down in the floating, circular orange pad in front of the table jutting out from the wall. From the knapsack he had brought with him, Donald took out a large deck of holocards. Seeing this, Goofy got up and sat across from his friend, ready to play a little game of Cora. "Besides, what do you know about this girl anyway?"

This left Mickey speechless. As far as he knew, she was just pretty and royal. Pretty royal wasn't enough, and he knew that. But how was he going to know what she was really like anyway? It's no like he could ask her out on a date. Or could he?

Before Mickey could think of an answer, the lights began to flicker. The mouse said, "Well, I know she doesn't pay the electric bill."

"No," Goofy said, suddenly serious. "It's not that."

"What is it?" Donald asked, still dealing the blue, glowing cards.

"Someone is in the castle."

"Yeah, that would be the person who signs our paycheck."

Both robot and mouse could tell that wasn't it. As the lights flickered, Mickey's large, round left ear began to twitch like a bug. He could tell that something was wrong. Quickly, he got up and headed for the door. But as he approached the handle, Donald asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the kitchen," Mickey said, "Anybody want a snack from the vending fridge?"

Soon enough, Mickey was walking down the hallway with ten bucks in his hand. Donald had requested a ham sandwich, and Goofy wanted some fresh diet oil. But the mouse would have to worry about his friend's hunger later. Right now, he was sprinting down the hallway to the room of Princess Minnie. It was his job to make sure that she was not harmed, and he had every intention of doing just that for three reasons.

Firstly, because it was the right thing to do. He couldn't just stand back while someone was in possible danger. Secondly, he saw this as a window of opportunity. He had an excuse to walk in Minnie's bedroom, and get to know her a little. Maybe he could even ask her out on a date, if he was feeling lucky enough. But the biggest reason was the third reason: his brother. He still could remember the expression on his face the day he had enrolled Mickey to the IPO.

Disappointment. He looked so ashamed to be his brother. Mickey wanted to prove to him that he could handle any situation, and could even be a great agent just like he was. As the little black mouse thought of that, he picked up the pace. And all the while, the lights were still flickering on and off, a sign of something coming. This also helped increased Mickey's speed.

Finally, he made it to the Princess's room. He jumped through the doors and did a barrel roll over to the bed. He said, while trying to hide his sweet, "Is everyone okay in here?"

"Oh!" Minnie smiled as she gazed upon her new security agent. "Why, Agent Mickey, we're just fine. No need to worry."

"Yeah," Ortensia said, moving off the bed and between Mickey and Minnie. Suddenly, she was an overprotective mother, not wanting to see her child's crush come anywhere near her bedroom. "We're all peachy down here. So why don't you scurry on off back to your room?"

Minnie, offended by her friend's rude behavior, sternly said, "Now hold on one second Ortensia. Mickey is just doing his job. If he wishes to make sure that we're okay, then we should not get in the way of his job."

Mickey smiled at Minnie. Ortenisa turned to her and mouthed, "Are you joking me?"

The Princess answered her with a stern look. Rolling her eyes, the cat pointed her finger to a chair in the corner of the room and barked at the rookie, "Sit down!"

"Yes ma'am," Mickey shook. He wasted no time in taking a seat in the floating pink plush chair. He then twiddled his large two thumbs together as the cat hoped back on the bed. He made a mental note to himself not to mess with the maid. Ever.

For a while, there was silence in the room. The only noise that was heard was the buzzing of the flickering lights. Nobody moved, except Mickey who continued to play with his fingers. But after a while of this, Mickey got board. He couldn't handle staying still, he had to do something active. Even while he slept at night, he couldn't handle staying still longer than a minute. Every time that minute came, he would toss and turn and shake the whole bed while doing so. But this situation was different. Ortensia was still giving him a dirty look.

So, he decided to whistle a song. He perched his lips and swelled up his cheeks as the tune Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah flooded from his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Ortensia asked.

"What?" Mickey asked, as if he was a criminal being interrogated by a cop. "Am I suddenly not allowed to whistle?"

"Don't be silly," Minnie smiled, "No one can punish you for singing." Ortensia grumbled to herself. "Go on, please keep singing."

Mickey smiled. A music lover?

He whistled the tune some more, but at the same time tapped his large foot to keep the beet. He was hoping all of this would encourage her majesty to sing with him. Eventually, the music worked and Minnie decided to sing with him. It started out as a hum, but then turned into actual words. She sang, "Zip A Dee Doo Dah, Zip A Dee Ay. My, oh my, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine heading my way! Zip A Dee Doo Dah, Zip A Dee Ay!"

His jaw dropped. Her singing was perfect! And she didn't even have to use an Auto Tuner like most pop stars did.

"Wow," Mickey said.

"What?" Minnie asked.

"Nothing," Mickey blushed, "It's just that, your voice is beautiful!"

Minnie blushed just as much as Mickey did. He was so sweet. But Ortensia still didn't give in, someone could easily fake a compliment. Before she could say anything though, Mickey began to tap his feet again. He than sang with Minnie, "Zip A Dee Doo Dah, Zip A Dee Ay. My, oh my, what a wonderful day. Plenty of sunshine-"

The lights went out entirely.

"What sunshine genius?" Ortensia asked.

"Hey!" Donald erupted. "What the heck happened to the light?"

Like the rest of the castle, Donald and Goofy's room was pitch black, save for the light the moons were shining through the window. Goofy could see in the dark, but for the mallard, it was like wearing two extra thick eye patches.

The dopey dog then said, "I dunno. But something tells me we should go see if Mickey and her majesty are okay."

"Yah Yah," Donald said as he got up. Immediately, he fell down face first onto the floor. But when he got up, he and his pal went to the door and turned the handle. Locked.

"Wuh Oh," Goofy said. "Someone doesn't want us leaving anytime soon."

"Nothing is keeping me in this room," Donald said, his anger already showing. Soon, he was on the other side of the room, his right leg high in the air. He rubbed it harshly against the ground, and snorted like a bull. Putting his head in front of him, he then ran towards the door, intending on busting it down. He had been in situations like these at least five times before. He just had to find a week point in the door.

Sadly, he did not account on Goofy swinging him arm back and smacking him in the face as he said, "Maybe we can burst the door down!"Goofy looked back at his friend, lying on the floor with his beak flat against his face. The robotic dog said, "Donald! This ain't no time for a nap."

"Everyone remain calm," Mickey said as he tried to kick the door down.

"We are," Ortensia shrugged.

"All we need to do is get to the power box," Mickey said, remembering how he had accidently blown the many circuit breakers at his house before. While he continued to kick down the door, Minnie admired his courage. He was so dreamy.

Ortensia soon killed the moment and said, "Well, you're not gonna get there that way."

The kicking stopped. "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout kitty?

The cat rolled her eyes, then walked back to the bed. Leaving Minnie and Mickey alone. For a moment, the two said nothing. But then Mickey said, "So, you're gonna be a Queen soon, eh? Boy, are you lucky! That must be cool, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Minnie shyly said.

But Mickey could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't sure. He asked, "I'm sorry, but is something wrong?"

"No, it's just," the beautiful mouse said as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't think I can run a planet."

"Well what on Earth makes you say that?"

"For starts, I'm unprepared. I've never ran a planet before, and neither of my planets have ever written a handbook on how to do so. What if I goof up? What if I start a false war? What if the people hate me? I need to face the facts. I'm young and stupid. I'll be lucky if this planet will survive a week once I'm in charge."

There was no talking for a while as Mickey took this all in. He then said, "What a bunch of bull!"

A surprised Minnie asked, "Excuse me?"

"Listen, I've never run a country either, so I can't help you there. But I have been left alone and confused. My parents left my brother and I when we were kids. We had to support ourselves, and look at how we turned out. I mean, sure I've made a ton of stupid mistakes before. But, we learn from those mistakes. In fact, that's the only reason I'm here right now. Because of a huge mistake! But that mistake happened to be the best one of my live."

Minnie's eyes were wide. He was so kind.

He then said, "And besides, it's not like you're completely alone in this. You've got me, my friends, and Misses Sour Pants over there."

"Hey!" Ortensia yelled.

"You seem like a smart young woman anyway," Mickey said, taking a seat next to her on the edge of the bed. "Knowing you, you'll run this planet with no trouble at all. In fact, I bet that-"

That's when the noise started. It started low, but it started to grow. It came from far beyond the other side of the door, but both mice had large ears and could easily pick up the noise. Footsteps, slowly heading towards the room. They were small thumping noises, quick and swift, which meant that whoever it was light on their feet. The footsteps got closer, until both of them could hear the breathing of the intruder.

"I say we leave now," Mickey said, his hand close to the laser pistol strapped to his waste.

"We are open to suggestions," Ortensia said.

The door know began to wiggle. Mickey looked around the room, trying to think of something. He was tempted to try the windows, but he doubted how far they would make it out. He looked to the bed sheets, hoping they would help, but he found that there wasn't enough for them to use. Finally, Mickey said to Ortensia, "That would make two of us!"