Intro

You are Techno Mouse. The humans in the house do not know that you wield advanced technology. Your mission is to provide security and sustenance to your fellow dwellers of the wall. You must not get caught by Midas or Maximus, the two house cats. Will you prevail?

Your Beacon Watch has detected a newly placed mouse trap. Some have perished trying to recover the cheese. But your loved ones must eat. The mouse trap is all the way through the sunny hallway and down the stairs.

You grab a pair of X-Ray Goggles and 1 Giant Clip (for mouse trap defusing), and set out.

1

You sit cross legged and still your mind.

You think of all cheese.

You imagine yourself running on top of the great wheel of cheese, from which all cheese is broken off.

You become transparent and a light glows inside of you.

Reflected in the glasses and dishes is every mouse that ever was and will be.

All of them cross legged, disperse outward through the cabinets and walls and rooms.

You see the whole house, all of its pathways.

A wind begins to circulate inside the cabinet.

Air rushes in a circle, you are one with it.

Your reflected selves all begin to circle with the wind and spiral back into you. Fluffing your fur a little bit each time.

You take another deep breath and open your eyes.

It is time.

You utter your first and only human word ever:

"OPEN."

2

The beastly cat is still unconscious. It is time to be bold and retrieve your gear. The X-Ray Goggles have proven to be extremely useful in the past. They seem to be tangled in the fur of her tail which is now curled on top of her.

You cautiously climb onto the cat. Each step shakes a little, but you summon the will to calm down. The body of the cat swells with each breath. And for a moment it is soothing to be rising and falling slow and steady.

With all the precision you learned from defusing mouse traps, you untangle your goggles. Slowly. Methodically. And then you look up at the creature nose to nose. And you wonder...

Is Midas really a foe? Could we form an alliance someday as kindred animals of the house?

Just then Midas opens her eyes and narrows them. And she bares her teeth!

HCCSSHSHHSCCCCH!!! She hisses!

You make a mad dash for the bedroom and slip under the door!

Maybe you can hide by the corner!

3

Putting down the Red Light Cannon, you carefully use your Giant Clip to defuse the trap. It creaks for a moment.

Carefully....

...slowly...

You pick up the cheese.

You hear Maximus footsteps puffing down the stairs.

You make a mad dash for the kitchen.

But oh wait! Midas is eating there. You run in a big circle along the cabinets and dart back toward the living room under the couch.

Both cats chase you!

4

Instantly, you flatten yourself and clench your teeth. You feel the tail across the top of the fur on your back. It snags your X-Ray Goggles, which get pulled off your face and you get dragged through the carpet a little.

The light from the sunbeam makes you squint. You take a moment to recover and listen. The cat is still asleep.

5

Looks like today is not the day for cheese.

You remember the path in the wall from under the refrigerator that will lead you home.

It could have been worse. It could have been sooo much worse.

6

With all the strength of all mice that came before you, your paws life the cheese above your head.

ssssqqqUUUEEEEEAAAAKKKK ---EEEAAAKKKK--eeeeaaaakkk ---eeeaaaaakkkk

You hurl the cheese like a mighty stone!

It soars...almost in slow motion...

Boop!

It bounces off of Maximus' nose and falls to the floor. He stops for a moment and sniffs it.

Midas looks at Maximus. Then at your X-Ray Goggles laying on the ground.

The cats look at each other confused.

Then the look back toward you-

7

You scurry past the cat while he is still distracted. But his ears flicker.

YIPE! He spots you! You run under the bed. But he follows.

Instantly a paw as big as your body reaches after you.

Whhha-SHING!! The claws come out and it scratches four lines in the carpet.

You turn toward the dresser but Maximus leaps in between and blocks you!

You slip underneath the door and hold still in the corner of the room.

8

As you climb out of the plant you notice an object you haven't seen before. It is a long cylinder with a button on the side. You push the button, and a red dot appears on the wall across the room. You press the button again and it goes away.

With a small piece of twine, you tie the new gadget to your back. Surely it will be useful. You give it a name:

The Red Light Cannon

With a full belly and a new item, this room has been a success. You head on to explore the bathroom. You see a new crack in the wall you haven't been down before. Next to it is a Shiny Piece of glass that you can see yourself in.

9

You stay in the bedroom near your notch in the wall. Your nose detects the sweet smell of cookie crumbs. It looks like one of the humans left a plate by the window.

You hop up on the windowsill and put a few bits of cookie in your cheeks and pick up a piece of chocolate.

Just then there is a noise from the closet. And out slithers the grey house cat, Maximus. He is across the room and doesn't see you but he probably knows there is milk by the window.

You hold still while Maximus silently leaps up on the sill and begins to lap at the glass of milk. His back is turned, and he doesn't notice you.

10

With Midas asleep behind you, you trek down the staircase. One step at a time. Plop, Plop, Plop. All the way to the bottom. You spot the mouse trap just next to the couch in the living room.

11

You stand on your hind legs. With a springy bounce, you leap.

The great tail lumbers toward you in what seems like slow motion. You flip up into the air backward and land with one knee on the carpet.

You look back. The tail is resting calmly on the sleeping cat.

12

Midas lay asleep in a sun beam on the second-floor hallway. Slowly and carefully, you creep toward her and check your Beacon Watch. The radar indicates the mousetrap is 2 meters away from the bottom step.

The giant calico purrs and her tail begins to swing toward you. You don't have time to scurry backwards before it touches you!

13

It is risky but you put down the X-Ray Goggles. Maximus is out of range, and Midas is busy in the kitchen.

You will have to come back for them later.

You use your Giant Clip to defuse the trap.

Carefully....

...slowly...

You pick up the cheese.

Just then...

SNAP! the mousetrap goes off. In an instant there are eight paws pounding the floor toward you. Maximus and Midas both hear it go off!

You have a moment to prepare, what do you do?

14

You move on the tips of your toes, eeevvveeerrr soooo slooowwwwlyy, into the potted plant. The leaves rustle and Maximus pauses. But he continues his drink.

Maximus finishes the milk. He watches out the window at some birds for a while. Then he dismounts the windowsill and meanders back into the closet.

15

Placing your Giant Clip on the spring of the trap, you neutralize it so that it won't swing shut on you. Caaaaarrrefully you lift the cheese up.....

The Giant Clip fails and the trap buckles, but before it snaps you pull away! WHACK!!

.....Phew. It's a dangerous life, but you are lucky to have dodged it.

But then something is strange. You freeze when you notice that Midas isn't purring anymore.

16

Frightened, you take a quick rest between the wall and the bedroom door. You need to catch your breath.

But before you can collect yourself the giant door starts slowly creaking closed and you hear soft footsteps getting bigger. It is both cats now, and there's nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. As the door moves away, you can see rows and rows of teeth.

Grinning. Smiling. Hungry. Ready.

Looks like you won't be getting the cheese today.

...Or any other day...

17

You hear an enormous voice:

"Oh, Come On! Another Mouse! Gary! I thought you said you were going to take care of this!"

And then the bigger human comes thundering.

"OK well where is he?"

The footsteps shake the ground and are getting louder! Quick what do you do?!

18

Clunk. The door of the vents pops off and slides across the floor. A figure emerges.

You panic. The figure has the face of a cat skull. You are looking right through the skin of Maximus.

He found you. And you don't believe you are fast enough to get away.

You accept your fate.

19

Having achieved enlightenment, you are now one with all cheese.

Your instincts have become perfect. You casually walk from trap to trap. Flicking your tail in a simple motion to knock the cheese free. You gather all you can carry.

Midas sees you but is full right now. Maximus sees you too, but he is preoccupied by the pile of objects you left near the first trap. The cats seem to have no interest in you whatsoever.

20

You decide to keep moving through the crack in the wall. Carrying too much might slow you down.

There are spider webs in the way, but you climb past them easily.

Down below you see several holes that you can jump down to get into the kitchen. One of the humans is opening a can of cat food. It is safest to take the long way to the floor.

You scamper down through the hole you've been chewing into the top shelf of the cabinets, and then plunk down behind some bowls and wait for the right moment.

21

You pick up the Shiny Piece of glass and you see a mouse that looks just like you in it. He does whatever you do.

You tuck the piece under one arm. It is a little harder to walk like this but it is such a neat thing to have! Surely it will come in handy.

You peek into the hallway and see Midas asleep in a sun beam.

With Maximus somewhere behind, you don't want to turn back.

22

The two cats continue to wail at each other. And you are free to pick up your X-Ray Goggles again.

For a minute you nibble the cheese while watching the show.

As they hiss and scratch in a tumble ball of cat rage, you reflect on the day.

Easy Peasy. Time to go.

With a full belly and cheese to share, you return home and tell the tale of today's success.

23

Having just visualized the whole house you know exactly how many steps and bounces it will take to get back to your home. The experience in the cabinet changed you. You feel you no longer need all the technology. You put down all your gear and pick up the cheese.

Your new level of consciousness comes with perfect instincts for the rest of the day.

24

Boooosh! In your heart you hear the sound of the Red Light Cannon as you push the button.

You point it at Midas. It just makes a little red dot on her but doesn't seem to hurt her.

You point it at Maximus. Same. He is not harmed at all!

But Midas sees the dot and boops Maximus with one paw.

Maximus boops Midas back. Then they stop and look at you.

Desperate, you try something else. You aim the Red Light Cannon at the Shiny Piece and...

Dozens of dots appear all over the floor and on both cats! You move the Red Light Cannon back and forth and the two cats can't stop trying to cover them with their paws.

Claws emerge! Faces gnarl! They begin to fight each other!

Midas and Maximus shriek at each other while you place the Red Light Cannon down, still pointing at the Shiny Piece.

25

Uh Oh, the human opens the cabinet and reaches a hand up blindly for a bowl. The hand glances your fur!

"Ahh!!! Gross gross gross! Gary, I found the mouse. He's in the cabinet! We're going to have to wash all our dishes again!"

WHACK! The cabinet door slams shut, and you are in darkness. The hole you dropped down is too high to jump back up.

You hear war-drum-pounding footsteps of the bigger human approaching. You hear a rustle on the handle of the cabinet.

You must act when it opens, what do you do?

26

You mount the Red Light Cannon on one shoulder and turn it on.

The cabinet is filled with an ambient red light and your reflection flickers off of the glasses and dishes nearby.

Then the crack of the kitchen's light lines the edge of the cabinet door.

You close your eyes and swing the Red Light Cannon wildly.

27

"Not now, you Mangy!" The bigger human commands, as he waves an arm at Midas.

"She's not mangy!"

"Marla, I will hire a professional, but the cats have to go too."

With Midas shooed off, and the humans distracted, you decide your luck is almost out for the day.

That was too close. Time to go home and rethink the approach for tomorrow.

28

"Ouch my eyes! The thing has just shined something at me!"

"That's where my laser pointer went! Gary get the broom I can get him!"

The bigger human fumbles with one hand over his face and hands the crumb taker stick to the smaller human.

"Gotchya this time mousey!"

With a sure swing from the crumb taker stick you've got no chance. You are too dizzy from using the Red Light Cannon anyway.

Smack!

29

Midas purrs and swings her tail for a bit.

She wakes up and stretches, showing her pristine teeth. Good thing you are nowhere near that cat right now.

Midas saunters lazily down the stairs and begins to mew in the kitchen.

30

You feel your tail being pulled and you are lifted off the ground. You go limp knowing this is it.

Midas holds you high above her head with one paw. She opens her mouth wide. And you see the last sight that many mice have seen.

You meet eyes with her, and she winks at you before letting you drop.

31

You have had enough. No more hiding. No more running.

This is mouse versus cat versus.... uhm, another cat...

You think for a moment about your options.

You take the Shiny Piece and toss it to the middle of the floor. Surely those two will get distracted by their own faces. Until you can blast them.

You ready your Red Light Cannon on one shoulder. Wink one eye, take aim, and wait with one paw over the big button.

Midas and Maximus creep up to the Shiny Piece and bounce their noses by it.

32

"What was that, Gary?" says the smaller human.

"I didn't... say... what?"

The cabinet door opens and both humans point their noses around inside.

"Where on earth did he go?" says the bigger human.

"Look there's a little spot there that leads out to the vent on the wall. He must have got away. Probably in the walls again now. Yuck."

As their words become background noise you pop out of the wall near the trap. You have lost track of the cats, but quickly attach the Giant Clip to defuse it.

33

Frankly, you are not quite sure how you got away.

You remember walking squeezing into a windy tunnel, but you don't know how long you walked for.

Just to be sure you decide to use your X-Ray Goggles and look around.

Through the wall back to the kitchen you see that Midas is eating peacefully from her dish.

You spin around in the other direction...

And it can't be. How did he know? He must have been in the vents behind but somehow you didn't see.

34

You have an idea. Since the Shiny Piece distracted you for a moment, maybe it will work on the humans.

You toss it toward the loud footsteps and then hold your nose and submerge into the water dish.

The steps continue and the bigger human is now in the kitchen booming toward you.

"Think you can just-"

Plink! the bigger human steps on the Shiny Piece.

"Yah haaa haaaaouuuwwwch! I think he threw a piece of glass at me!"

"See I told you we need to get that mirror fixed too. Here let me see."

AS the humans are looking at the bigger one's foot, you see Midas prowl into the kitchen and begin to mew as you resurface.

35

The cheese. Why? Why must we seek the cheese?

These are your final thoughts as the cats team up and reach under the couch from both sides.

You toss the cheese to them, but they are not interested.

You can't keep up dodging forever. You make a misstep. This is it.

36

There it is. This is why we do it. The cheese. It's all for the cheese.

You use your X-Ray Goggles to make sure the area is safe. Midas is eating from her bowl on the other side of the kitchen wall. Maximus is not detected nearby.

But you are a smart mouse. You think about the size of the cheese. You won't be able to carry it and everything else you have at the same time. You have to put something down here.

37

You hop out of the water dish and shake off our fur.

It is hard to get a grip on the floor, but your legs move as fast as a hawk.

The cover of the fridge saves you. You can see the giant eyes of the bigger human moments later.

"Just Great Gary, he got away again. When are you going to call a professional?"

"I thought those cats were supposed to be fool proof, no?"

38

Putting down the Shiny Piece, you use your Giant Clip to defuse the trap. It creaks for a moment.

Carefully....

...slowly...

You pick up the cheese.

You put your X-Ray Goggles back on, and see that Midas is turning the corner toward you.

You hide behind a leg of the couch. And freeze.

Just then...

SNAP! the mousetrap goes off. Maximus comes rushing down the stairs. And the fearsome paws of Midas get closer too!

39

You twist your little body into the crack in the wall.

It is dusty and the spider webs slow you down a bit.

You peep your nose down through a hole and see that one of the humans is opening a can of cat food below.

Yoops! You lose your footing and tumble downward, bouncing off the head of the human and landing-

Sploish! Right in the water dish of Midas.

40

But you, Techno Mouse, are already upstairs again.

You head back home for some rest. That was a close one.

You survive, but you are a little hungry.