Three Blind Mice

Freedom?

Harry leads the two lab mice through a winding labyrinth of duct work until they reach an intersection that has a chute that goes upward. A slender mouse-sized rope, made of tightly woven lines of thread, dangles from the opening overhead. The chute is so high that the rope disappears into darkness.

"Climb this, then head down the left branch," Harry directs as he hands the hanging end of the rope to Subject 17.

"Why aren't you going first?" Subject 99 asks suspiciously.

"Have you never heard of ladies first?" Harry raises an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm not confident in how long the rope I made will hold up. Both of you are smaller than me, and more important to make it out alive."

Subject 17 looks as if she's going to raise her own question but Harry quickly cuts her off by putting the rope in her paws and urging her upward.

"Now hurry, before the central air turns on and we're all blown through these corridors."

Subject 17 wastes no time in scrambling up the rope. After a couple minutes of careful climbing, she makes it to the top. It holds up fine for her.

"I made it safely!" she yells down into the darkness where she knows the guys are waiting.

Her soft voice echoes down to the other two, and Harry gives the rope to Subject 99 then makes a motion upwards with his thumb. With a cautious look, he takes the rope and scampers to the top, grumbling to himself along the way: "Like I need this stupid rope. I'm a super mouse." Harry waits until Subject 99's butt disappears into the darkness above him before letting out a deep sigh, "I am too old for this...", and begins climbing the rope.

"Come on," Subject 99 says to Subject 17 after he makes it to the top. "Let's go."

"I think we should wait for Harry," Subject 17 suggests.

"He told us to head down the left branch after getting up here," Subject 99 recollects correctly. "There is no reason he would have told us that if he didn't want us to get going."

"Maybe..." Subject 17 says hesitantly as she looks down the chute but can't see how close Harry is.

"It's going to take him a week to get up here," Subject 99 pokes at Harry's lackluster physique and apparent age. "I ain't waiting. Besides, he said we were more important to make it out of here alive, right?"

"Yeah," Subject 17 agrees as she reluctantly returns to Subject 99. "Why do you suppose he said that?"

"Does it matter? Let's just go."

And the two of them travel blindly together down the ventilation system.

After some time of walking, Subject 17 starts to get nervous.

"Maybe we should go back and meet up with Harry?"

"Nonsense. I know where we are going."

His confidence is some what soothing, and convinces Subject 17 to continue on. A few minutes later, even Subject 99 begins to feel doubt, when suddenly the soft reflection of light can be seen up ahead and around a corner.