Fallen World: The Complete Trilogy

by Tom Jones

  The wolf did not entirely understand Arcades’ reasoning, but he did place the keys back where they were moments earlier since he finished double-locking the restraints. Jason looked at the fox, and he watched him stand up from the bed. Jason walked back over to the bag to zip it back up, but when he returned to Arcades, he saw that the fox was already sitting on his knees. Jason asked the fox a question, “How do you feel, Kurt?” Arcades looked up at the standing wolf and replied, “Well… Previously, I would’ve said I was a captive, but -- I guess I know that ain’t really true.” Arcades looked at the keys sitting on top of the drawer, “All I’d need to do to let myself out would be to just grab the keys from off of that drawer, and I would be out within seconds. You wouldn’t stop me from doing that either.” Jason shook his head, “Nah, I wouldn’t do that. You wouldn’t like that, would you?” Arcades shook his head, “No, I wouldn’t want you to do that. I’m just saying that I’m not a captive.” Jason continued looking downwards at the kneeling fox, “I don’t remember calling you a captive, mate.”

  The fox shook his head again, “No, no, no. I’m not saying that you called me that.” Jason was confused, “So, what’s the issue, Kurt? Do you want to be a captive?” Arcades tried to explain himself, “No, I don’t.” Jason did not understand what the fox was trying to tell him, “No? Mate, I still don’t get what you’re trying to tell me here.” Arcades looked towards the ground before looking back up and replying, “Well, I guess I still have last year on my mind.” Jason said, “Last year? Kurt, I thought you said that it doesn’t bother you anymore.” Arcades took a deep breath before saying, “Some of it still does. I’d say I was most bothered by the fact that…” The fox was having a hard time saying what he was trying to say to the wolf. Jason decided he should wait and let Arcades figure out what to say. The fox looked down at his bound wrists for a little while before he grabbed the connecting chain which ran between his legs and down to his ankles.

  The fox decided he was ready to speak again, “I can’t believe they deprived us of -- well, basically everything. They even took away our clothes.” Jason sighed, “Kurt…” Before Jason came up with something else to say, Arcades spoke again, “The Foundation humiliated us and beat us.” Jason knew what Arcades was talking about, but he was not sure why the fox was bringing it up, “Kurt, if you’re worried that I’d do something like that to you, I want you to know that I won’t. I wouldn’t do that to you, mate.” Arcades placed his hands on his knees after moving his knees closer together to allow him to do so, “I’m not worried that you’d do something like that. I guess you could say I just don’t like how the Foundation treats anthros.” Jason said, “We can’t really go back in time to change that. At least we did take down that secret facility.” Arcades nodded, “Yeah, we can’t go back in time…” Jason moved beside Arcades, and he took a seat up on the fox’s bed, “I’d say that we’d be better off not thinking about that whole episode. It’s not really doing us any good thinking about that specifically. We should instead focus on what we have been able to accomplish.”

  Arcades agreed with the wolf, and he slightly adjusted himself to make himself more comfortable, “You’re right. From what I’ve seen on the internet, the Foundation completely collapsed not too long after we raided that facility. It’s been about a year since then, and the Foundation didn’t come back.” Jason smiled and said, “That true, mate? Well, what’s the whole problem then? The Foundation ain’t around anymore. They can’t do anything to you now.” The fox looked to his right to view Jason while speaking to the wolf, “I just wish we could’ve done more. We couldn’t rescue all of the anthros we could.” Jason remembered Facility Twenty-Four, and he remembered how the anthros were executed before they were able to be rescued. The wolf then remembered the one anthro they knew they rescued, “Kurt, what about Jackie? We did rescue her, right?” Arcades remembered the vixen as well, “Yes. We rescued her.” Jason remembered one thing the fox told him a long while ago, “If we were able to rescue one, then our efforts were not in vain. Right?”

  The fox shifted his position so that he was now sitting on his bottom; he was becoming rather uncomfortable remaining in the kneeling position, “Yeah, but… All those lives -- and they’re all gone now. We can’t do anything for them.” Jason placed his left hand on the fox’s right shoulder and shook him slightly, “Kurt, we did what we could, and you know that. It may not be the perfect outcome you’d like, but it’s better than nothing.” Arcades pulled on the connecting chain to rotate the shackles around his ankles and replied, “Of course, but…” Jason removed his hand from the fox’s shoulder, “Kurt, it’s time to let this go. It’s been almost a whole year. Heck, nobody even knows that we even went through all of that.” Arcades shrugged, “I guess you could say that was the least surprising bit about it all.” Jason shook his head, “It’s not really a bad thing, though. Remember that one verse that you told me a while ago? You store your treasure in Heaven instead of on Earth. What good is recognition down here?” Arcades replied, “We didn’t do that for recognition, though. We fought against the Foundation because it was the right thing to do.”

  The wolf thought of another verse, “We may not see it now, but we will eventually see what was truly accomplished because of us. We don’t need the whole world to know that the Foundation was taken down. After all, didn’t the Bible say that we don’t need to blow a horn when we do something good?” Arcades nodded, “Yes, that is what the Bible says. I just don’t want the Lord to be disappointed because we were unable to rescue more anthros than we were able to.” Jason got off from the bed, and he was now sitting directly next to the fox, “Kurt, you and I both know that we did everything we could. The Lord knows our hearts, and He also knows that we did everything we could do. He won’t be holding this against us. You should at least feel good about not shedding any blood throughout the whole war. You didn’t kill anybody.” The fox remembered his final fight with Zero at Facility Zero, “They had anthros in tubes in that secret base. When I was shooting at that one guy, I accidentally shot the tubes, and I believe those anthros were killed.” Jason replied with other facts of the battle, “You told me that the fire there started when he started throwing flares at you. Even if you didn’t shoot the tubes on accident, the fire would’ve still killed them. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

  Arcades looked down at the restraints he was still wearing, “I really hate it when there’s nothing I can do about something. I don’t like seeing people die when they still have time in their lives left to repent.” Jason reminded Arcades of what Jim said, “Do you remember what Jim told us? Most of the anthros in the Foundation came there willingly because they thought it would be a place for them to indulge in whatever they wanted to do. They had time to make their choice before they went to the Foundation.” Arcades slowly shook his head, “Being in the Foundation, those anthros probably quickly regretted it. They would want to change their ways.” Jason reminded the fox of the vixen they rescued, “We had to rescue Jackie twice. You did it that first in ‘27, and we did it last year as well. Why would she go back to the Foundation?” Arcades remembered a Biblical anecdote, “Reminds me of the dog who went back to his vomit.” Jason nodded, “Yeah? Most of those anthros probably don’t even want to be rescued when they get to the advanced stages of the Foundation.” Arcades quietly inhaled, “It’s a real shame. People are so willing to accept their own sins that they don’t realize that it won’t end well for them when judgement calls.”

  Jason related the fox’s statement to the Foundation, “Those anthros in the Foundation accepted their own sins, and judgement did call for them. That’s why they’re dead. Do you remember that the majority of people won’t accept salvation?” Arcades looked at his bare feet next to Jason’s booted feet hanging off of the side of his bed, “I do remember that, and I think it’s a shame. So many people reject salvation, and many of them don’t even understand why they need salvation in the first place.” Jason stood up, and h
e went over to grab the keys from the drawer. The wolf inserted the key into the keyhole on the fox’s wrist restraints, and he began to give the fox back his freedom of mobility. Arcades did not remember asking Jason to release him, “Why are you freeing me?” Jason replied, “I don’t think you want to be locked up, Kurt. I’m not going to keep you like this if you don’t want it.” The fox did not protest, and he waited for the wolf to remove all of the metallic restraints from his wrists and ankles. After the fox was free again, Jason unzipped the fox’s tool bag before depositing in the Smith & Wesson 1850s and zipping the bag back up. The wolf put the keys back in the bag’s side pocket as well, and he lifted the bag until he was able to return it to the spot where Arcades kept it in the first place. Arcades still sat in the same place, but he was now free again, “Thanks for putting that back where I keep it.”

  Jason returned back to where he was sitting with Arcades, “Yeah, don’t mention it, mate.” Arcades looked at his now free wrists, but he did not see any indentation in his arms since he did not struggle at all in the restraints. The fox thought back to the conversation the two anthros were holding moments ago, but Jason spoke before Arcades could, “Kurt, I think you’re forgetting one major thing.” Arcades raised an eyebrow, “What’s that?” The wolf replied, “Jackie wasn’t the only anthro you rescued. You’re forgetting somebody.” Arcades looked at the wolf, but he was not sure who Jason was referring to, “Who?” Jason smiled, “You’re looking at him.” Arcades instantly remembered Alaska, but he had something to note, “You weren’t in the Foundation.” Jason reminded the fox of more recent events, “We both were. You rescued me twice. You rescued me even after I tried to do something wrong to you.” Arcades played back the memory of him rescuing the wolf from Facility One in his mind, “That’s right.” Jason nodded, “Why did you come back for me anyways? You could’ve left me there. Especially after what I tried to do to you.”

  Arcades continued looking at the wolf, “It wouldn’t be right for me to leave you there.” Jason shook his head, “If anything, I deserved to be in there. You know that I wasn’t entirely cleansed when we were both taken away in the Congo.” The fox said, “I wouldn’t want anybody to stay in the Foundation. I don’t care what you’ve done.” Jason smiled, “Kurt, I just want to let you know that I am thankful you did that. I do believe that the Lord used you to help bring me out of my sin. After all, you are baptizing me tomorrow.” Arcades replied, “I can’t save anybody, Jason. All I can do is point a person in the direction of the Lord. That person can either choose to accept salvation or reject it. I can’t do anything to influence that.” Jason said, “At least I accepted it. If you never came to rescue me in Alaska, we wouldn’t be here right now. I’d probably be in the same boat as my brother. But from this whole experience, you’re the brother I should’ve had in the first place. You’re my true brother.” The fox shook his head, “I don’t deserve that kind of credit, Jason.” Jason stood up, and he grabbed the fox’s shoulders to sit him on the bed instead, “Kurt, think about all that you’ve done. You rescued me. You really did. You also helped to get rid of the Omega Foundation.” Arcades could not accept what Jason was telling him, “CDI would’ve done it anyways.”

  Jason now sat down on the floor after leaving the fox up on the bed, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, mate. You were the one who gathered the evidence of the Foundation when you first found out about it. That evidence would lead to the Foundation’s downfall.” Arcades was not convinced, “CDI didn’t come because of me.” Jason shook his head, “It doesn’t matter why CDI came. You exposed the Foundation and got the truth out for all to see. People from all around the world have access to the truth of what happens in the Omega Foundation. They need to see the truth.” Arcades sighed, “They may see that truth, but they may not see the truth which is really important. The ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is the most important truth the world has ever seen.” Jason reminded the fox of the time Bocchino tried to fight him, “Kurt, when Bobby tried to fight you, you told us the truth. That’s all you can do in that type of scenario. Not everybody will accept the Gospel, and you know that.” Before Arcades could reply, the wolf spoke again, “Besides, you planted the seed not only in his mind, but you also planted the seed in Jackie’s mind. Both of them still have the chance to change like I did.” The wolf took a pause before saying, “And Kurt, I’m thankful that you are as patient as you are. Most people probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me after that little stunt I attempted way back then.” Arcades kept his eyes on Jason’s face, but he remained silent. The wolf finally said, “I’m glad you aren’t most people. Thank you for sticking with me through everything.” Arcades smiled, and Jason sat up and reached out his arms. Both anthros hugged each other.

  The next day was calm and sunny. Jason and Arcades exited the gray Toyota 4Runner, and both of them walked down the dirt path. Arcades kept his Oakley SI Radar EV Path glasses over his eyes to block out the sun, and Jason wore Oakley glasses of his own as well. The anthros walking down the dirt path did not come into contact with any human or anthro, and they were mildly surprised by this observation. The fox commented, “You’d think there’d be others out here on a day like this. It’s so nice out here today.” Jason replied, “Maybe the Lord just wants us two to be here.” Arcades shrugged, “That’s a possibility, but there’s no way for me to know that.” The anthros continued walking, and they eventually reached their destination in due time. Arcades and Jason arrived at a lake, and they both stopped to take in the view. Arcades looked up at the blue sky and he felt the ideal temperature, “I don’t think this day could’ve been any better to do this.” The wolf smiled at the fox, “That’s why it’s so special.” Arcades walked with the wolf until both of them were standing right next to the edge of the water. Jason removed his white t-shirt, and he placed it on the grass next to the water along with his sunglasses. Arcades removed anything from his pockets which he did not want to get wet, and he placed them in the same pile the wolf started. Arcades did keep his sunglasses on his eyes.

  The wolf asked, “Kurt, have you ever done this before?” Arcades shook his head, “Nope.” Jason replied, “Well after today, you’ll be able to say that you have.” Arcades looked over to the pile of belongings they had created, and he wanted to make sure to deposit everything he had on his person before he got started. Arcades was wearing a gray moisture-wicking Under Armour shirt with some matching color swim trunks while the wolf was only wearing a pair of blue swim trunks. The fox felt his empty pockets one last time, but he decided he would remove his sunglasses as well. He wanted to witness this special event with his own eyes. Arcades removed his Oakley Radar glasses, and he sat them in the pile with the rest of his stuff. As the fox took a step away from the pile, he could see the blue-green lenses of the glasses reflecting in the sunlight. Jason stopped right before stepping into the water and said, “Hey Kurt, are you coming?” Arcades turned to his right to see Jason still standing on land, “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  The fox joined the wolf where the water met the land, and both of them entered the water together. The water only came to the anthros’ waists, so Arcades said, “Let’s go where it’s a bit deeper.” The two anthros walked together as they proceeded towards deeper waters, and they quickly found a spot where the water came up to about half of their chests. Arcades stopped with the wolf and spoke, “This seems like a good spot. Lemme go over what I’m going to do. Are you listening?” Jason nodded, “Yeah.” The fox looked directly into the wolf’s eyes, “I’m going to pray for you. Once I finish, I want you to fall backwards into the water. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the entire time. I’m going to hold you underneath the water for exactly three seconds, and then I’m going to pull you up. You alright with all of that?” Jason replied, “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Arcades smiled and he was just about ready to start, “Are you ready to become baptized, Jason?” The wolf smiled back and replied. Jason’s voice was firmly confident, “I sure am, Kurt. Le
t’s have a go at it.”

  The fox stayed in front of the wolf and placed both of his hands on the wolf’s shoulders. Arcades looked downwards, and he closed his eyes. The wolf looked downwards and closed his eyes as well. Arcades began to pray aloud, “Lord, we are out here today to give Brother Jason a baptization. Brother Jason has accepted Your gift of eternal life, and he wants to walk in Your ways and observe Your commandments. Though we may be anthros, we still know that You’re out there and that You still love us as Your own creation. Lord, I want to pray that Brother Jason will be graced by your wisdom, your mercy, and your salvation. I want to thank You for protecting us throughout all that we’ve done together, and I also want to thank You for what You have already done to cleanse Brother Jason. Lord, I pray that You will continue to work Your powers through Brother Jason and give him the gifts of the Holy Spirit along with anything else You desire to give to this anthro. Lord, as You died on the cross, You paid the price. Not only for the sinners of the past, but also the sinners of the present, and the sinners of the future. We are all sinners in this life and we do live in a fallen world, but it is through Your grace that we are able to find redemption. We are able to find salvation, and we are able to enter into Your Kingdom with no debts of our own that may keep us from eternal life. Lord, I personally want to thank You for what You’ve done for me as well as what You have done for Brother Jason here. It is by Your grace that we are still alive, and it is also by Your grace that Brother Jason can become Born Again and become a brand new creation despite the sins that we have committed in the past. In the name of the Father. In the name of the Son. In the name of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”