by Darren Lewis
Fern nodded and swallowed nervously.
“I'll do what I can to help her, I promise. You can trust me and she can trust me. Not sure I trust myself though. Ha!”
Plume nudged Fern with his staff and the young rabbit stopped his quick ranting.
“You don't have any 'not looking like a rabbit' spells, do you?” Plume asked with a stupid grin. Both Rox and Fern stared at him until the grin slipped from his face and he wandered off a short way, muttering to himself. Rox laid a paw on Fern's shoulder.
“Be safe. If you have to use Seren…well, you'll know.” She advised.
“How?” Fern asked quietly.
“Because my father taught you.”
*
The operations room at the Institute was as close to a chaos as it had ever been in its long history. The communications network was in danger of becoming overloaded with the amount of reports flooding in all at once from the field agents. Every member either currently within the building or on the ground had faced adversity and the most bizarre situations and people, but nothing encountered previously could prepare them for facing a dragon.
Sloan stood amidst the turmoil, allowing it to wash over him as he formulated a move and a possible counter move. As chief of operations the job was his to remain calm and focused. He allowed the noise to continue for another minute before requesting silence in the room and on the comm channels.
“Ground teams in the village, please withdraw and allow emergency services access. I want a clean withdrawal with zero evidence of presence. No comments or contact other than a go for the police. Teams in the parkland, continue operation as planned. Video analysis is our priority. I want that girl identified and her family questioned as soon as the police have left. Social media and news stations will be in a frenzy over what has occurred. I want a killbot fed into the internet that will track and destroy any video or photographic evidence of the girl, dragon and field agents. I want as many fake stories on news websites about what just happened. Confuse the issue, ladies and gentlemen, and let's carry on as normal. Thank you.”
People glanced at each other and nodded. A calm atmosphere once again descended and conversation between the various departments began as Sloan's plan was put into effect. Sloan allowed himself the smallest of prideful smiles as he watched his staff get to work on the problem. No battle plan ever survived the first minute of engagement and this situation was no different. But a dragon! He thought, yet another chance to track and capture a dragon! If his staff could sense his excitement and urge to yell excitedly, they didn't show it. Sloan moved to the holographic table.
“Sitrep on the parkland?”
“Containment of the subjects proceeding as planned, sir.”
“And our runners in the woods?”
“Tracking devices…” The operator tailed off and clutched her headset tight against her ear. “Sir! They've split up!”
Sloan nodded. The intelligence of these animals couldn't be denied.
“Tell the teams at the entrance to standby and send two capture teams into the woods after them.”
“Yes, sir!”
*
Fern, like nearly every rabbit at the warren, had at one time or another been pursued by a fox. Whereas normal rabbits reacted on fear and instinct to evade a predator, Fern and rabbits like him could think and use their minds to evade capture. That was the theory anyway. Even rabbits like Fern, Rox and the rest of them didn't return home. Humans though, that was a totally new experience for Fern, and he was having difficulty controlling his fear.
The edge of the woods and entrance to the park was just ahead, and through the thinning trees and bushes Fern spotted four black cars that humans used to travel in. Fearful, but with his instructions from Rox fresh in his memory, he had no choice but to continue on while trying to keep a tight rein on his terror which promised to have him scuttling under the nearest log shamefaced if he let it out.
The foliage ended and Fern entered the car park. A quick glance and he saw that each of the four cars had their doors open and people were jumping out beside them with large metal poles in gloved hands. Fern knew that he would not be able to evade all of them even if he was running and evading at full speed. Without conscious thought Fern brought Seren to bear. The staff that had once been in the keeping of Rox's father Cast. It was a repository for the magic that certain rabbits like Cast and Fern could use. The power it could wield was tremendous if used correctly. Whispering voices spoke to Fern and a plan sprung to mind. Fern didn't slow and instead jumped as high in the air as his legs could push him. He somersaulted and stretched his front legs downwards, Seren aimed straight at the ground. A split second before the staff impacted the ground he noted the position of each of the cars.
CRACK!
Fern drove Seren into the hard earth and four jagged lines ripped across the ground to the parked cars from the staff's point of impact, accompanied by an awful ripping and cracking noise of the rock beneath the earth. The cars had been placed as a barrier out of the park with the people standing in front creating a line of defence. When the cracks appeared each person faltered and ran to the opposite side of the vehicles in the hope of catching Fern when he ran through. Fern's plan, however, was aimed not at the people but the cars. As he landed and ran on, Fern commanded the energy created by Seren to strike directly into the underside of each car. Knocked onto their backsides by the release of force, the field agents of the Institute could only watch dumbfounded as their vehicles were blasted thirty feet into the air and then as gravity reclaimed its domain on each car they shouted, screamed and scrambled away to avoid being crushed. The cars slammed mercilessly into the ground and were demolished. Amidst the confusion and terror, Fern raced on. He was so scared he could wet himself. So excited at what he'd done he could scream, Fern set off down the road toward Ellie's village.
*
Plume was frightened. He knew that the other rabbits and even his own partner Rox expected him to behave in a certain way. Sometimes his barbed comments or inappropriately timed jokes were unintentional, but his comment about any of this being 'fun' was complete rubbish and was made purely as a cover to hide his own fear for Rox, Flare and what could be happening back at the warren. Driven by that fear, he seemed to take a different route home from Rox at first but then he'd altered course to run parallel to her using his ears as much as his eyes to keep track of her. As they neared the boundary of the woods, Plume relaxed a little. Maybe Rox was just overwrought with worry over Ellie. Maybe she needs time to relax a little more often, Plume thought. But any thoughts of relaxation were cut short as Plume heard strange loud noises from up ahead. He looked up and through the foliage of the trees, glimpsed the large black mechanical machines Rox had spoken of. Movement to his right brought his attention back down to earth. Two humans appeared behind Rox and gave chase. Plume wondered what was wrong with these two creatures as there was no way they could ever run down such a fast animal as a rabbit. Understanding came as he saw Rox was reaching the last few trees before leaving the relative safety of the woods. They were there to drive his partner forward towards the warren and whatever awaited them. Plume swerved onto Rox's path, there was no way he would allow her to face something alone. As long as he lived, his duty was to his leader. A few more steps closer and Plume felt a sting in his hind leg. He thought nothing of it and pushed on, but the world started to move slower. His rapid breathing suddenly became very loud and almost hypnotic. Plume's paws left the ground and he was mildly astonished as he seemed to be suspended in mid-air. He blinked and it felt like a season had passed him by. What was he doing? Why was he rushing about? Plume's sense of slow time continued as he looked down and saw his last leap was taking him towards a rhododendron bush, and he snorted a tired laugh. His body, by chance, managed to avoid hitting any branches as he sailed through them and into the bush itself. Plume came to a stop in this strange slow motion world he had entered and took a look at his leg. A black tube was sticking out from it.
As blackness began to cloud his vision, Plume noted he had landed on his staff and it was quite uncomfortable. Just as Plume thought he should do something about that, he saw two figures in black move towards the bush and look at him. His head hit the ground with a dull thud, though he felt no pain. Plume pictured his partner and son waving at him from the warm, sunny hillside in front of the temple. He smiled sadly and fell asleep.
*
Rox's imagination could find no peace as she sprinted back home. As she navigated the pathways and trails of the woods, images flashed into her mind. That she would burst from the trees and Flare would be sitting there waiting for her, smiling and asking her what she was doing while giving her his cutest grin. Or she would burst from the trees and she would hear her son's voice calling for her desperately to help, but she couldn't find him. Or worse. The bad thoughts made her whimper slightly and she pushed them from her mind. She was the leader of the warren, like it or not, and she had an equal responsibility to all that lived there and not just her son. She was allowing instinct and fear to guide her thoughts and fears. Over the last few seasons Rox had learned to trust her instincts and not be controlled by them. Why do I not feel in control then? She asked herself.
With her attention more focused now, she heard a bizarre, rapid thumping noise from ahead. It was continuous and quite painful to her sensitive rabbit ears. As Rox puzzled it over, two humans leapt onto the trail behind and set off after her. She saw one of them raise a long black stick in her direction and she weaved to the side. Rox heard a sharp crack on the base of a tree trunk and as she passed, was showered in glass and liquid. Weaving back onto the trail briefly, Rox saw something through the thinning canopy of trees and bushes she did not understand at first. Two of the black machines were being loaded up with large black crates. People holding long metal poles were checking crates that had yet to be sealed properly and Rox saw through the bars. Understanding came with an icy dagger to her stomach. She saw rabbits from her warren in those cages, huddled together and trembling in fear. They were trapped, being held prisoner.
Partially stunned by these revelations, Rox didn't immediately see the humans coming towards her holding long metal poles. The two that had chased her from the woods emerged and Rox very quickly found herself surrounded. She hunkered down into the grass and trembled. I'm sorry, Flare and Plume. I'm so sorry.
A woman came forward and Rox saw the metal pole ended in a brown collar. It was eased ever so slowly over Rox's ears. It touched one of her ears and she flinched, causing the woman to jerk slightly. The woman took a deep breath and tried again. Rox resigned herself to her fate. Her son was in one of those crates so she would allow this woman to capture her. She would worry about escape when she had Flare by her side. The woman looked into Rox's eyes and Rox saw something she didn't expect, awe and amazement. The loop was being lowered once again when the side of the hill erupted from within. Tonnes of earth and rock went sailing into the air. People screamed and ran for cover and Rox kept completely still, reasoning that the odds of being crushed were the same if she stayed still than running around like a headless rabbit. Rox couldn't see anything so she squeezed her eyes tight and whispered a prayer to The White and The Grey.
*
Ellie, Storm and Flare watched with narrowed eyes at the amount of dust and dirt in the air as Malachite began to dig them out of the warren. After winking at Ellie, he'd turned and raised his talons to the wall and punched into them. Earth, stones, pebbles and worms flew out behind him and the three moved off to the side to avoid being buried. For a dragon Malachite's size it didn't take him long to approach the surface, but rather than breakthrough he paused and listened to the sound of helicopters still in the vicinity. Unable to turn around now, he sent a message to Storm, a trick he found quite useful though it had taken him a long time to learn it.
The Institute are still out there. He told her. There was silence for a few moments while Storm considered their options.
You go first, Malachite. Make as much noise and fuss as possible and get them running. Then we'll come out.
Fantastic!
Child. Storm thought at him affectionately.
Ellie heard a massive blow and felt the earth vibrate as Malachite blasted his way through the topsoil of the hill. The three of them quickly ran up the tunnel created by the green dragon. Dirt and mud fell on their heads and Ellie looked nervously at the ceiling, fearing a collapse at any moment. They all made it to the rim of the massive hole Malachite had made and slowly moved to its edge. Ellie and Flare looked downhill with tears streaking their dirty cheeks and saw the number of crates that contained rabbits. The helicopters had swung away to a safe distance after witnessing the hill's destruction and the emergence of Malachite. Storm, who possessed much better eyesight than Ellie or Flare, was intent on a figure huddled amongst the debris and detritus of the hill.
“Ellie!” Storm said excitedly. “I think that's my daughter!”
Ellie followed Storm's line of sight and squinted to try and see what the rabbit could. She saw a black smudge amidst the brown earth and dark stones, and wasn't sure until two large black ears popped up and began twitching.
“It is!” Ellie laughed, but it was short lived. Emerging from the treeline was a woman still in possession of a pole and collar. The same woman who'd attempted Rox's capture earlier. “No!” Ellie shouted. She pushed herself up and began sprinted down the hill towards her friend.
Malachite!
Ouch! Don't shout! What?
Ellie and Rox are in trouble at the base of the hill! Get over there!
On my way!
Ellie dodged, leapt and jumped over what was left of the hill. The blasted earth wasn't the problem though. The gradient of the hill was much steeper now, when most of the inside rested on the outside, and Ellie was quickly losing control of her run. She was doing everything she could just to bring her legs forward in time for the next step. With her arms and legs flailing wildly she began screaming.
*
Rox said her silent thanks to The White and The Grey and lifted her head. The devastation was incredible. Nearly the whole side of the hill had gone. Not gone, thought Rox, it's all around me now! She stood on trembling legs and blinked the dust from her eyes. A quick glance at the woods brought her face to face yet again with one of her would be captors. It was the woman again. She had hidden just inside the tree line and watched Rox's position as best as she could. Rox circled to her right. Now she was facing a predator one on one, her confidence ran high. Then she heard the wild screaming behind her and saw a young girl running out of control right at her.
*
Malachite finished his harassment of the helicopters and with a wicked grin banked away to find Ellie and Rox. His course took him over the temple and with his keen vision saw Rox being stalked by a human at the base of the hill and Ellie running full tilt towards Rox. He shook his head and angled his descent at both of them.
*
More of the dust settled and Rox saw the screaming girl was Ellie! Rox let out a brief gasp of joy and then noticed Ellie seemed to be running much faster than usual, and also that she wasn't watching where she was going. Her young friend's eyes were intent on the sloping ground. A sharp click forced Rox to look away and the woman had raised a tube and aimed it first at Rox, but then as Ellie came nearer the woman, she aimed it at her. In a split second Rox was off. She launched herself at the woman, maybe a nudge would be enough to make her miss her target. As Rox connected with the woman's leg she heard a faint whoosh from the tube.
*
I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! Ellie screamed to herself. She barrelled forward onto flat ground and stumbled. Her speed slowed slightly but not her direction. She was headed straight for the Institute agent. Ellie placed her head down, felt a sharp sting in her shoulder and crashed into the woman.
*
Rox yelled as Ellie sent the woman flying. Ellie landed in a big, dusty heap on the ground, with the woman dress
ed in black unconscious a few feet away. Rox jumped over to her friend quickly.
“Ellie! Are you okay?” Rox shouted.
Ellie groaned, suddenly feeling fifty years older, and rolled onto her back to face Rox. She laughed when the black rabbit she had called friend for five years placed a paw on her chest.
“I'm fine. Uh, I'm fine.”
Rox's brow furrowed.
“”Ellie? What's wrong?”
Ellie glanced down at the strange numbness in her shoulder and saw a large, black tube stuck there.
“Oh.” She sighed. “They got me.” She sniggered and her head lolled back.
Rox pushed the tube out of Ellie's shoulder and climbed onto Ellie's chest.
“Ellie!” She shouted into her face and then Rox screamed as she and Ellie were grabbed by huge talons of a mighty paw and lifted high into the air. “What the he…!”
“Don't worry, my friends. We're getting out of here!” Malachite shouted.
Rox screamed again as this creature dived for the ground and the massive hole in the hillside. Between screams, Rox saw two rabbits near the point of destruction. It was Flare! Flare hadn't been captured! Screams turned to shouts of amazement, which turned to sobs of joy. Another rabbit lifted Flare onto its back and started running up the hill. She didn't recognise the markings at all. Who was this rabbit? Malachite swooped low and as Storm jumped, he caught her deftly in one paw and carefully gripped her and Flare.
“Mummy! Mummy!” Flare yelled, his eyes streaming tears.
“Are you okay, my darling?” Rox shouted.
Her son nodded and leaned his head against the back of this strange rabbit.
“Is Ellie okay?” The female rabbit asked, pointing a paw at the limp form of the young girl. Rox nodded and stroked the hair of her friend.
“Who are you?” Rox asked as the wind ruffled her fur.