Zaire walked into the kitchen to grab a quick snack. Cheese was on his mind as he sifted through the cabinets and retrieved a small platter under a food cover. Between traveling out of the city, picking the perfect cheese, and enduring all of the awkward stares from other store patrons, he had gone to great lengths and great pains to get this cheese.
He set the tray down on the table and licked his lips, preparing for the delicious snack he was about to indulge in. However, his face went from excitement to shock when he realized only a small block of cheese laid on the platter.
"What the– who moved my cheese?!" he shouted.
He ran into the living room where Bro, Porter, and Lily were watching TV.
"Alright, which one of you shoe-wearers touched my aged cheese?" he asked.
"What aged cheese? I didn't even know you bought cheese!" Bro responded.
"I have an idea of who cut it…" Porter said, looking over at Lily.
"Wasn't me!" she exclaimed.
"Maybe ask Amelia. She probably knows," Bro suggested.
Zaire walked back into the kitchen to ask Amelia if she had seen his cheese when he noticed a pizza on the stove. Amelia was also nearby, something that he didn't notice until now.
"Hey, Zaire! You've got to try out this stuffed crust pizza I just made!" she said, eating a slice. "I think I've really outdid myself this time! I also found this tray with some aged cheese, so I put that into the pizza!"
"Aged cheese? I bought some aged cheese not too long ago!" he said.
Upon hearing this, she immediately stopped eating. "Wait, that cheese was yours? Oh, I'm sorry, Zaire! I'll buy you some more cheese the next time I'm at the store!" she offered.
Zaire's face grew pensive. "Or so she said. The girl always had a kind heart, but it seemed like she was unaware that she used my cheese. Her sense of awareness wasn't that good."
"Uhh, Zaire? You know I can hear you, right?" Amelia asked. "What do you mean my sense of awareness isn't good?"
Zaire looked over at the tray, which had ants scurrying all over it. Some of them worked together to lift up the remaining cheese block before carrying it away.
"When did these ants get here?" Amelia gasped, looking over at the tray.
Zaire sighed. "I would've used this instance as an example of her lack of awareness, but I had more concerning matters to address."
"How many blocks of cheese did you use?" he asked.
"About two," she replied. "There wasn't a lot of cheese when I found the platter."
"Then someone or something must've taken the rest!" Zaire concluded.
"Maybe it was the ants," Lily joked, stepping into the kitchen. "We did get an infestation of ants recently. Maybe they're responsible for the food disappearing," she reasoned, laughing.
Zaire's eyes narrowed, looking at the tray, then at the ants slowly carrying the cheese away. "The youngling may have been joking, but at the same time, she might've had a point. It wasn't just my cheese that was missing. Other foods were as well."
"Zaire, you really need to stop talking like that. It's just weird, and everyone can hear you," Lily advised.
"Nonetheless, I was determined to get back what was rightfully mine."
"Porter!" Zaire called.
"Present!" Porter replied, running into the kitchen.
"Come with me," Zaire ordered, opening the door to the backyard. "We're going sleuthing."
"Ooh, fun! Do I get to use a magnifying glass?" he asked.
"Maybe? We'll see. Time's a-wastin', so let's get searching!" he said, running outside.
"To recover the cheese I had lost, my acquaintance and I ran off into the stormy night."
"Stormy? It's the middle of the day and there's not a cloud in the sky!" Bro shouted from the other room.
Zaire and Porter watched the ants march across the yard, carrying all sorts of items, from leaves to other insects to bits of fruit and dragging them to an anthill. There were several lines of ants scattered in different directions, all moving out of and into the anthill. Zaire grumbled as he watched his cheese disappear partway down the hole.
"At least we know where the ants are," Porter said. "All we need to do is just dig up the hill and get our food back."
"Oh, Whatson. So simple," Zaire chuckled, patting Porter's head. "We are not doing that."
"Whatson? Is that what you're going to call me while we get your cheese back?" Porter asked flatly. "But if it's so simple, why don't we do it?"
Zaire took out a magnifying glass and looked down at the ants. "Well, for one thing, ant colonies have thousands of ants in them, and if we do that, we may end up destroying their colony. Either that or we'll face the wrath of thirty-thousand ants!" he explained.
As he was looking down at the ants through the glass, the sunlight also came through at the perfect angle, setting a couple ants ablaze. The two brothers were pretty sure they heard tiny screams as they watched the ants scramble out of line, setting a few blades of dry grass on fire.
"...Make that thirty-thousand and two less," he stated.
"Well, if we're not going to dig, what are we going to do?" Porter wondered.
Zaire smiled. "My acquaintance, ever so loyal, seemed to forget that we're also well acquainted with a certain genius next door. Though a sweetheart she was, she was rather unconfident in herself and the gadgets she made could sometimes cause chaos."
"Really? Unconfident? That's how you're describing Lini? I wonder how she'd feel if she heard that," Porter stated.
"Heard what?" Zaire questioned. "That's a good idea though, Whatson. Let's ask Lini for help!" he suggested, hopping over the fence. Meanwhile, Porter struggled to hop over it, since it was so tall.
On the other side, Lini was spraying something on her side of the fence. Zaire landed right next to Lini and startled her.
"Sheesh, Zaire! At least knock on the fence before showing up in my backyard!" she exclaimed.
"We need your help!" Zaire stated. "We've got an ant infestation and–"
He looked around and noticed that ants were everywhere in Lini's yard.
"You too, huh?" he asked.
"You have no idea," Lini replied. "They're everywhere in my house! They managed to steal most of my food! Fortunately, I've managed to make a little something to harmlessly draw them out of my house with what I had left."
She sprayed a line onto the fence until the ants noticed and climbed over it effortlessly.
"Nifty! What's in there? Some sort of stimulant? A complex territory-marking fragrance or something?" he asked.
"Nope, just some water, sugar, and a hint of apple," she corrected. "Gotta say, it's working better than I expected!"
By now, Porter managed to ungracefully climb over the fence and land next to Lini, startling her again.
"Zaire! There are more ants climbing into our backyard!" he announced.
Zaire looked over at the ants climbing over the fence and put a finger to his lip in thought. "I seemed to disregard that the potential culprits were crawling into my yard. I wasn't going to let this deter me, though. I was going to turn these lemons into a stand."
"Whatson! I think these ants are crawling into our yard!" he shouted.
"Yeah, Zaire, I just said that," Porter sighed.
"This just means more suspects to interrogate!"
"Whatson? Interrogate? Porter, can you tell me what's going on?" Lini requested.
"Zaire's cheese is missing, and I'm trying to help him get it back," Porter explained. "He thinks it's the ants."
"I don't think it was the ants, Whatson, I know it was! We saw them drag my cheese into the anthill, remember?" Zaire questioned, gesturing to the fence.
"Would you stop calling me Whatson?!" Porter shouted. "Or at least if you're calling me Whatson, then I'm calling you Zairlock!"
"Zairlock… Not a bad name," Zaire said. "I like it!"
"I have to agree. Whatson and Zairlock suit you in… whatever you're doing right now," Lini added.
"Really? It does? 'Cause I was trying to insult him."
"Anyway, Lini, you heard me mentioning the ants as 'more suspects to interrogate?' Is there any way you can help us communicate with them?" Zaire asked.
"Now that you're asking," Lini responded, "I might have something that I've never tested before. Give me a second to find it."
With that, she disappeared into the house and returned a few minutes later, carrying what looked like a large, misshapen vacuum.
"Alright, get in," she ordered, opening the door.
"I was confused and hesitant. While I was glad that Lini was willing to help us, questions were roving through my mind, such as…"
"How exactly is this going to help us talk to the ants?" Zaire asked.
"Just get in and see for yourselves," she repeated, gesturing to the space inside the machine. "If this works the way I hope it does, you'll have no problem communicating with them."
The two brothers looked at each other, concerned, but stuffed themselves into the cramped space. The door was closed, and a switch was flipped. In seconds, they were carried through the machine and popped out of a small tube, as small as ants.
"Oh, I think I get it now," Zaire said. "In order to talk to the ants, we've got to be an ant!"
"Wait, you'll need this as well," Lini replied.
Without warning, she sprayed the two with something very different from the stuff she sprayed on the fence.
"What did you do to us?!" Porter asked, coughing.
"It's just a little something so that the ants don't immediately attack you," Lini explained. "Now, that stuff won't last long, so act fast. And by the way, you might need water to grow back to normal. Now, go get your cheese back!"
She picked up the two and set them on the edge of the fence, where it seemed like the last of the ants were climbing into the hill.
"Thanks, Lini. Let's go, Whatson!" Zaire chirped as he took flight, Porter grabbing his legs. It took a while to reach the anthill, which looked colossal at their current size.
"Are you sure we couldn't just go back to wherever you bought this cheese first? It could save us a lot of time and pain," Porter reasoned.
"He did have a point– I could just buy the cheese again. But to me, it was about the principle. If I'm going to let whoever stole my cheese get away with it, what's to stop them from stealing anything else that belongs to me?"
"Eh, I could, but I'd rather not have everyone in the store think I'm shoplifting," Zaire replied as they descended down the hole.
"So that's your logic, huh? It's not like you have a lot of reasons to steal anyway…" Porter mumbled.
The inside of the hill was cold. They could see tunnels everywhere from the floor to the ceiling, all being guarded by two ants.
"Just stay calm and act natural," Zaire whispered.
With a nod, the two quietly and quickly tried to walk past the ants– a simple tactic that didn't go as planned.
"Halt!" one of the ants ordered, causing Zaire and Porter to freeze.
The two ants blocking the entrance stared at the two suspiciously. "Antoine and Anthony, where have you been?"
"Where else? Gathering food, of course!" Zaire chuckled nervously.
The second ant, unimpressed, looked at the first ant and asked, "Do you think we were born a few hours ago? You two are the laziest in the colony! There's no way you two of all ants would be carrying food!"
"Besides, you don't look like you're carrying anything at all, so where's your food?" the first ant added.
"Uhh, we stored them in our stomachs, just for the queen!" Porter answered quickly.
"Speaking of food, you wouldn't have happened to see a block of cheese pass through here, would you?" Zaire asked.
"It's in the food storage area, of course. Why? What's it to you, Antoine?" the first ant questioned.
"I-it's because Antoine here is the one who found it! Bet you didn't expect anyone like him to find something worth hauling!" Porter said.
"You got that right," the first ant chuckled. "Though the cheese had to be carried in smaller chunks in order to bring them into the hill."
"I'm surprised you guys didn't realize that sooner," Zaire responded.
"Yeah, keep talking."
The two brothers hurried past the ants with no more words. As the ants watched them disappear into one of the tunnels, the second ant asked, "Hey Grant, you get the feeling something's off about those two?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Antonio. They're ants, nothing left to say," Grant replied, their antennae twitching. "We'd be dummies if we let anything other than our kind get past us."
By now, Porter and Zaire made it to a small town in the network of tunnels. Ants were scurrying to and fro, household items were being used as shelter, and even a tiny fountain sat in the center.
"This must be a nest," Zaire said.
"Well, what do we do now, Zairlock?" Porter asked.
Zaire thought for a moment. "'What do we do' is the question, indeed. The cheese could be anywhere in this anthill, and without a single clue of where the food storage area is, we'll likely get lost. Couple that with the fact that the spray will wear off soon, it's not looking good."
"Seriously, you need to stop doing that, or you'll blow our cover!" Porter warned.
"Let's ask someone for directions," Zaire suggested, waving in front of an ant's attention. "Excuse me, do you know where the food storage area is?"
"Nice try, Antoine," the ant replied. "You take more food than anyone else in this colony!"
"Looks like you've earned a name for yourself, Antoine," Porter snickered.
"You're not much better, Anthony," the ant continued. "You didn't hear this from me, but the colony as a whole has considered calling you two… grasshoppers," they whispered, shuddering.
"Well, what if we told you that we're working on improving ourselves, huh?" Zaire questioned.
"You two? Improve yourselves?" the ant guffawed. Every other ant nearby began to laugh, as if they were listening in on the conversation.
"We'll just have to figure it out for ourselves, Whatson," Zaire whispered.
"Why don't you figure out where that scent is coming from?" the ant suggested, their antennae waving around.
It took a moment for Porter and Zaire to realize the spray was beginning to wear off. If they didn't hurry out of the area, they would easily be swarmed.
"Fine, we'll show you how useful we can be to the nest! Let's go, Anthony!"
They walked out of the tiny town, wandering deeper into the tunnels and running into many, many dead ends. Eventually, they reached a certain room.
They weren't in the food storage area; they were in the room where the queen ant resided.
"Subjects!" the queen ant shouted, taking notice of the two. "I have hunger and no other workers are nearby. I require one of you to feed me!"
"Well, you heard her, Anthony, hop to it!" Zaire said, shoving Porter towards the queen ant.
"You–" Porter grumbled, shooting Zaire a glare as he walked up to the queen ant. As the queen waved her antennae around Porter's head, she froze immediately.
"Inconceivable! You… you aren't an ant! What are you and what, pray tell, is your purpose for being here?" the queen ant inquired.
"Eek! We're busted now, Zairlock!" Porter squeaked.
"Calm down, Whatson," Zaire said, also approaching the giant ant. "I bet the queen is a reasonable and just ruler who probably won't sic her guards on us if we slip up!"
"Flattery will get you nowhere, intruder," the queen stated. "But alas, I am listening."
Zaire took a breath and tried to explain. "I'm Zairlock and this is my acquaintance, Whatson. We're on a quest to get my cheese back, and we've seen the last of it disappear down this anthill. So we shrunk down, met some ants, got lost, and now we're here!"
"We just want to find the food storage area and get his cheese back," Porter added.
The queen sighed and replied, "If reaching the food storage area is all you desire, then allow me to guide you. Head back into the tunnels and make a right at the third hole you see."
With a nod, the two brothers turned around and started to walk back into the maze of tunnels when Porter stopped.
"Wait, why are you helping us?" he asked.
"I'm a reasonable and just ruler, aren't I?" the queen answered. "Though, I will say our food has been disappearing as well. There's a giant tunnel that no one has spoken up about, and I can't risk sending out any of my loyal subjects to investigate!"
"As it turned out, the ants' food was also disappearing. Who could be taking it? Was it a different group of ants? A different type of insect? Something else entirely? Being so small, the possibilities were only so many…"
"Is your acquaintance aware that I can hear him?" the queen asked.
"I'm pretty sure he's the only thing he can hear," Porter replied with a sigh.
While Zaire was thinking, another ant scurried into the room and stated, "Your Highness, there have been several reports of an unfamiliar scent in the vicinity. We suspect it may be…"
As they were talking, they looked directly at Zaire and Porter, their spray fully worn off at this point.
"Intruders! Intruders!" they yelled. "Guards! About formation! Protect the queen with your lives!"
"Wait! We're not here to harm the queen!" Porter exclaimed. "We're just here to find the cheese that was stolen from us!"
But the ants weren't listening. In seconds, they surrounded and inched closer to the two brothers.
"Miss Queen Ant! Could you kindly tell your guards we're not here to hurt anyone?" Zaire requested.
If the queen ant was about to speak, she was interrupted by one of the guards.
"My liege, please do not waste your breath on these trespassers! We shall exterminate these two immediately!"
"Exterminate?!" Porter screamed. "Zairlock, do something!"
"I was hoping it didn't come to this…" Zaire sighed before launching a burst of wind to blow away the ants and create an opening. With no time to lose, he grabbed Porter and made a break for the maze of tunnels, the ants chasing after them.
Sure enough, they reached the food storage area, or at least, a storage area. There wasn't any food nearby; just a large, gaping hole in the side of the wall.
"You sure this is the place?" Porter asked. "There's nothing here!"
"Whatson," Zaire replied, facepalming. "The queen just said their food was also disappearing! Whatever it was probably went through that hole!"
"Well, I'm sorry! Between being chased by all these ants and asking myself if the queen ant was trying to trick us, I haven't had time to observe!" Porter retorted.
The two looked at the hole ahead, then back at the ants, who were quickly gaining.
"They won't follow us into that hole. Come on!" Zaire ordered, tugging on Porter's arm and sprinting into the tunnel. The ants chased them across the room but stopped near the opening.
"Gaah! I can't believe we let intruders slip past us like that!" one ant screamed.
"At least we found them before they could harm our queen," another ant sighed. "I dare not think about what could've happened if we were a second late!"
A moment passed before they realized what room they were in and the fact that whatever was supposed to be there was gone.
"Where did all our reserve food go?!" they shouted.
Meanwhile, Zaire and Porter took a minute to catch their breath and observe their surroundings. However, there wasn't much to observe, save for the larger tunnel they were in.
"Where are we now?" Porter asked.
"I wish I had an answer for that. But if I had to guess…"
Zaire put a finger to his lip and replied, "Given the size of these tunnels, and the small number of animals that burrow underground in this area, and their diet, I'd say these tunnels were made by…"
Before he could finish, a giant mole popped out of the ground, startling the two.
"...This guy," he continued. "I'm willing to bet they took the ants' food and my cheese!"
"Well, why don't we ask them for help?" Porter suggested. "They're here now, and they could help us navigate these tunnels."
The mole took one look at Zaire and Porter and licked its lips.
"I don't think it's interested in helping us," Zaire replied, backing away. "I think it's more interested in filling its tummy!"
They made a break for it, the mole sitting in its spot for a moment before chasing after them.
"Wait! If it took the food, why is it going after us?!" Porter asked.
"Probably to stop us from taking it back!" Zaire reasoned.
As they ran, they stopped near the edge of a chasm, where they noticed a series of tunnels on the other side. They also noticed, to their convenience, a small stone bridge for them to cross.
"That bridge is too thin for that mole to cross!" Zaire said. "Let's hurry!"
The two moved out of the way before the mole could swipe at them. With haste in their steps, they carefully began to cross the bridge. The mole, aware of its size and knowing it wouldn't be able to cross, began picking at the bridge's foundation. Zaire, looking back at the mole, grabbed Porter's hand and started running. As the last of the foundation was picked off, the bridge began to crumble, and the two brothers were short of making it.
"Whatson! Grab onto my legs!" Zaire shouted as they fell.
Immediately, Porter grabbed onto Zaire as he took flight. Rocks and dirt from the bridge began to fall, debris that they managed to dodge before flying up and across the other side of the chasm.
"Too close," Porter sighed.
They looked back at the mole, who was staring at them motionlessly.
"Hey! Next time, learn who you're messing with!" Zaire shouted. "We aren't bugs, we aren't ants, and we are bigger than this! And I swear, if I see you in my sister's garden…"
"Uhh, Zairlock…?" Porter called, tugging on Zaire's sleeve.
"Hold on, Whatson," Zaire replied. "If I ever see you in my sister's garden…"
"Zairlock…?"
"One second, Whatson."
"Zairlock!"
"What? What is it?"
Zaire turned around and froze upon Porter pointing at something. Unfortunately for them, there was another giant mole standing right behind them.
"Perhaps I should've expected another. I doubt one mole would be capable of creating this network of tunnels by themselves. Still, Whatson did ask something intriguing earlier– If they have food, why was it going after us? Unless…"
"This is no time for inner-outer monologues!" Porter shouted, grabbing Zaire's arm. "We've gotta get out of here!"
They began running into the tunnel as fast as they could with the mole in hot pursuit. The mole was easily gaining on them, licking its lips.
"Zairlock, if we don't make it out of this, I want you to know that you're the best brother ever!" Porter cried.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Whatson, but there's no way we're getting eaten! Not here!" Zaire shouted.
As if he had received a burst of adrenaline, Zaire picked up Porter and slid him towards the end of the tunnel with all of his strength. Afterwards, he launched a burst of wind at the ceiling, causing dirt to fall around him and the mole. As the ceiling began to collapse, He made a break for it and slid across the tunnel before the dirt could cover it.
"What did I say? Not here," he chuckled, dusting his hands. "It'll be a while before we see another mole now."
"I'm glad we're safe for now, but where are we?" Porter asked.
The two found themselves in a giant underground kitchen, complete with cupboards, a pantry, and an island. There wasn't a lot of food– That is, if worms could be considered food. There were also berries, seeds, and other small morsels in the room.
"This must be where the moles eat," Zaire answered. "And from the looks of it, they've got plenty of food."
"Gotta admit, for a mole, this looks nice," Porter said as he looked around, until he spotted something on a table.
"Zairlock! There's the cheese we've been looking for!" he exclaimed.
"About time!" Zaire sighed. "Finally this goose chase can end! All we have to do now is nab a block, get back to the surface, take a shower, ask Lini to grow this cheese for us, and life can go back to normal."
Zaire was about to grab the cheese when a thought crossed his mind.
"But you know, I have a feeling something's wrong," he said, looking over at Porter.
"What do you mean?"
"Moles don't eat this stuff," Zaire explained. "Something else must also be using this space."
"Like what? Miniature Clones or something?" Porter joked.
"Given what we've been through, I would not be surprised if that was the case," Zaire admitted. "Let's hide somewhere and see if something else takes the cheese."
With a nod, the two looked around for a place to hide. They decided on hiding in the pantry since it would give them a clear view of the table. After a few minutes of waiting, they heard a thump and saw something unusual– A pair of mice scurrying into the room, one of which was holding a dime. They placed it on the table before making off with the cheese.
"Hey Zairlock, was that part of your family?" Porter joked, stepping out of the pantry.
"Shut it, Whatson," Zaire grumbled, following him. "I'm not related to every mouse in the world."
"But they sure love cheese as much as you," Porter joked further.
"Let's just focus on finding where they went," he sighed. "They couldn't have gone far."
They looked around the room, searching through the cabinets and cupboards for a secret entrance, but nothing turned up. There weren't any holes in the walls either.
"I didn't find anything. What of you, Whatson?" Zaire asked.
"Absolutely nothing," Porter replied.
Zaire let out a disappointed sigh and sat down on the floor. "And to think I could've finally gotten my cheese back…"
"Maybe, but are you sure you'd like to eat it after what it's been through?" Porter questioned. "I mean, it's been in the ground, and in the hands of ants, moles, and now, mice. You couldn't pay me to eat it like that."
"Pay…" Zaire muttered, the word repeating in his head.
"I'll buy you some more cheese the next time I'm at the store!"
"You know what, Whatson? You're right. Forget it. Let's get out of here and ask Amelia to take us to the store. Maybe people won't give me weird looks when you're around," Zaire chuckled.
As they were talking, a pile of dirt fell on Porter's head, causing Zaire to look up and notice a hole in the ceiling.
"How I managed to miss something so obvious was beyond me. I guess that's what I get for not looking up. Still, the hunt was back on, and I was determined to catch the culprits once and for all!"
"Whatson! It's not over yet!" Zaire shouted, pointing at the ceiling. "We're going up!"
"Didn't you just say forget it?" Porter recalled.
"That was before I figured out how those mice got here!" he replied, flapping his arms. "Now grab onto my legs!"
"But you just said–"
"Like I said earlier– principle. If they get away with stealing my cheese, they might steal something else that's mine."
"I'm getting conflicting messages here," Porter mumbled.
The two flew up the hole and into a tunnel, which was a straight shot towards the nest of the mice. They hid behind a wall and took a peek at the mice, who were happily snacking on the cheese.
"Gotcha!" Zaire shouted as he jumped into the nest, startling the mice. They were scrambling around the room and dared not to be anywhere near Zaire.
"Calm down, we're not here to hurt you," Porter reassured. "We just want to talk."
"My cheese was stolen by the ants, then stolen by the moles, then you paid the moles and ran off with my cheese!" Zaire exclaimed. "While our house was being infested with ants, you took this as the perfect opportunity to pay the moles for whatever food they could find in the anthill, when their food supply would be the most full! In response, the ants infested our house and tried to find food to compensate! Full circle!"
"That's got to be the worst logic I've ever heard," Porter admitted.
"You've got a better explanation, Whatson?" Zaire asked.
"No, not at all."
In response, the mice began squeaking and chirping in protest.
"What do you mean you had no idea the moles were taking from the ants?" Zaire questioned. "You think cheese grows on trees or something?"
One of the mice began to squeak furiously at Zaire.
"What did they say, Zairlock?" Porter asked.
"They said, and I quote: 'We aren't stupid! We know where cheese comes from, and we wouldn't have to rely on the moles if we could open that stinkin' vault!'" Zaire answered. "What vault?"
With a chirp, the mice ran out of their nest and into another tunnel. Curious, Zaire and Porter followed them. Eventually, they reached a hatch with a valve attached to it.
"That's it?" Porter asked. "You just need help opening this thing?"
"This shouldn't be a problem for us," Zaire said. "Let's do it."
Despite their small size, the two retained the strength they had if they were normal sized. After a few synchronized turns, the door gave way, and the vault was open. The mice chirped happily before leaping inside.
"What do you think is in there?" Porter wondered.
Zaire sniffed the air and asked, "What else?"
The two wandered into the vault and into a large, orange hallway full of cheese. Because of their size, the hallway looked like a cheese emporium. They saw the mice dance and squeak with joy before picking off a block of cheese.
"Well, Porter, our job is done and this case is closed," Zaire said, walking up to another block of cheese. "Let's take a piece home."
"Oh, we're done with the names now?" Porter asked, watching Zaire lift the block of cheese. "Anyways, something seems off, but I can't put my finger on it…"
As Zaire lifted the block, he lost his balance and the cheese block bumped into the side of the hall. This wouldn't mean anything if the hall hadn't given way and he began to fall.
"Zaire!" Porter screamed, grabbing onto him. He was pulled along towards whatever was outside the hall.
Fortunately for them, it was a short drop into a sink full of water. It was around that moment when they realized the vault and the hall was actually a cabinet full of cheese!
"Well, that could've ended better," Porter sighed. "But where are we?"
Before Zaire could answer, they heard a scream and saw a woman in a white lab coat and glasses, pointing directly at them. Before they could explain themselves, they grew back to their regular size and made her scream louder.
"I think it's pretty obvious where we are, little brother!" Zaire responded, swiping several more blocks of cheese out of the cabinet. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
The two ran out of the building, much to the confusion and horror of other people in white lab coats. Eventually, they managed to bumble their way outside.
Some Time Later
It was late in the evening when the two arrived home, breathing hard and cheese in hand.
"Oh, you're finally home," Bro said, still watching TV on the couch. "Hope what you did today was more productive than the people I was watching today."
Amelia, who was in the girls' room, walked out to greet the two. "Oh, hey! You found your cheese!" she exclaimed.
"'Found' isn't exactly accurate," Porter admitted.
"If you didn't find it, then where'd you get the cheese?" asked Lily, who also walked out of the girls' room. "Did you go to the store or something?"
As Bro flipped through the channels, he stopped on the news. There was a report of a break-in at the cheese factory and an artist's rendition of Zaire and Porter showed up on the screen.
"You broke into a cheese factory," Bro stated, unimpressed.
"In our defense, we didn't know where we were until it was too late!" Porter stammered. "Lini shrank us, and we saw the ant queen, and her guards chased us out, and then these moles tried to eat us, then these mice led us to what we thought was a vault and then…"
He looked over at Zaire, who was too enthralled with the cheese.
"Come on, man! Back me up here!"
"No, you're right, Porter," Bro agreed. "Zaire, you're on the news. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"What did I have to say for myself?"
"All in a day's work," he laughed, taking a bite of the cheese.