Geronimo Stilton: Revenge of Requiem

Prologue: The Hunt

Branches whipped past Geronimo's face as he darted through the dense forest, his heart pounding in his chest. Bullets sliced through the surrounding air, zipping past with deadly intent. Behind him, he could hear their footsteps—closer with each second. His pursuers were relentless, and the worst part was they weren't strangers. They were his friends and family, twisted into machine-like abominations, programmed for one purpose: to bring him to "justice."

Only days ago, Geronimo's life had been calm and orderly, but now it was a nightmare. Framed for a crime he hadn't committed, his world had flipped upside down. He'd been forced to flee, but every attempt at escape had only drawn them further in.

"Fan out! Form a perimeter! He's close!" shouted a familiar voice, echoing through the trees. Geronimo cursed under his breath. He had barely escaped his sister's trap back in New Mouse City, but the chase had led him deep into the forest.

In his haste, he tripped over a root hidden in the undergrowth, and before he knew it, he was tumbling down a steep ravine. Branches clawed at him as he fell, landing painfully at the bottom. Every muscle ached, but he forced himself to stay quiet, pressing against the cold earth as he heard his pursuers approach.

"Damn it. We lost him..." One of his pursuers cursed, with his partner replying in a snarky tone.

"Well, no shit, asshole. Highcom would have our tails for this..."

"So how do we break the news to them?"

"Well, we'll just tell them he slipped through, that we lost his trail," another responded, clearly irritated. "It's not like we can say we let him get away."

"Hmph, fair enough." Their voices faded into the distance, and Geronimo lay still, letting silence settle around him. He knew he couldn't stay here, but the pain was overwhelming. A bitter thought crossed his mind: Is this how it ends? Alone, betrayed, dying in a forest for a crime I didn't commit?

He closed his eyes, surrendering for just a moment to the exhaustion. 

Timeskip

When he opened his eyes, Geronimo was somewhere else entirely. The room was vast, with a cold blue glow illuminating metallic walls engraved with intricate patterns. He pulled himself up, trying to piece together how he had come to be in such a place. Every instinct told him to be on guard, but he couldn't help feeling a spark of curiosity.

A crackling sound broke the silence, and he turned to see a soldier lounging in a folding chair, drinking from a can. The man had brown hair, piercing black eyes, and looked entirely out of place amid the high-tech surroundings.

Although wary (due to him being chased down countlessly by his former friends), he feels as if he was not from this world.

"Relax, I'm not here to kill you," the soldier said, noticing Geronimo's wary stance. "If I was, I wouldn't have dragged you all the way here just to patch you up."

"You're the one who saved me?" Geronimo asked cautiously. The soldier gave a slight nod.

"But... why? You know who I am, don't you?" Geronimo continued, suspicion tinged in his voice.

"I know a lot more than that," the soldier replied calmly, taking another sip. "I know who set you up. I know why they did it, and I know what they hope to gain."

Geronimo eyed him incredulously. "How could you possibly know any of that?"

The soldier set down his drink and stood, pulling on his helmet. Without a word, he made a small gesture with his hand, and a portal shimmered into existence before Geronimo's eyes. Out of it stepped another figure, this one clad in dark tactical gear, complete with an SAS uniform and gas mask. The mask fit snugly over his snout, and when the figure removed it, Geronimo was staring at... himself.

"What the—"

"I could ask you the same thing," the second Geronimo muttered, eyeing him with a smirk.

The original Geronimo blinked, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. The first soldier, seemingly amused by his confusion, broke the silence.

"Let me introduce ourselves. This mouse in front of you is... You, of course, but he prefers the alias Jack Harrows."

"But—why do you have a different name?"

"Long story short—it's the name I was supposed to have. But we're not here to discuss that."

"I may not have a definitive name, but I prefer the codename Chimera, Overseer of the Omniverse." The soldier who called himself Chimera, stepped forward. "Jack and I are here for one reason: to help you clear your name. You were framed for that bombing, and we can prove it."

"What do you even know about the bombings?"

Chimera then projected a holographic recording of Sally speaking with a hooded mouse, with his snout exposed. 

"I expect you've planted the bombs?" Sally's voice purred.

"Indeed, Ms. Sally... He won't know what hit him," the hooded figure replied.

"And once the security footage is reviewed, they'll pin everything on him. His friends and family will turn against him. He'll have nowhere to run."

"And that," Sally smiled, "will make us the number one newspaper in New Mouse City."

The conversation continued, detailing their plan to frame him, turning his friends and family against him to further her own ambitions. When the recording ended, Geronimo stood in stunned silence, a mixture of fury and disbelief coursing through him.

"All this time... it was her." He clenched his fists, rage bubbling up inside him. "I knew she wanted to destroy me, but this?"

"But she didn't act alone," Chimera said, his tone dark. "Your other enemies are part of this conspiracy. Sally, Ratswarmi, Crunchrat, Mdm. No... They all played a role in your downfall."

Geronimo clenched his fists, anger coursing through him. He had been wronged, betrayed by everyone he trusted. But now, he had the truth. And with the help of Chimera and Jack, he would make sure they paid for what they had done.

Geronimo then began thinking about how he would handle this: He would hide in the shadows and ask the two to help him out for his plans of vengeance.

"We know what you have in mind, Stilton, and we will help you with it, but first, we need more allies." Chimera explained.

"And you know where to look, correct?" Geronimo asked monotonously where Chimera nodded his head in reply.

"So, when do we start?"

"We already have."

END