Kevin had never been a big believer in the concept of revenge, at least not until he was continually done dirty by seemingly everyone around him. When he had his family, he was a fairly peace loving rabbit, content with staying out of the worlds sight and not letting anger take control. But, much like Number Two had gone from being fairly logical to fairly emotional, Kevin had gone from being fairly calm to fairly enraged. He now felt the need for revenge, specifically against THEM, for all THEY had done, and not just to him, but to everyone else. To Ellen, to Mipsy, to Doug and, of course, to Steve.

It all came back around to Steve, eventually. If he thought about it long enough, which he often did, he usually wound up realizing that Steve's death was the moment that something inside of him snapped. From that second on, all Kevin wanted was to make THEM hurt the way THEY had made him hurt.

He was sitting inside the little hovel where the young girl rabbit had taken up residence. She still wasn't speaking much to anyone, but she had at least begun eating. Sitting there, watching her sleep, Kevin felt a burning need to protect her, and protect everyone else around him. That's what made Geralds behavior so confusing to him now...when had Gerald gone from being the leader he so admired to being the wallflower he so despised. Kevin heard someone enter, and turned to see Number Six.

"Is she okay?" Six asked.

"She's doing fine, she hasn't done anything yet, but I'm going to try and talk to her when she finally wakes," Kevin replied, "...you still want everyone to stay together, right? You still want to take THEM down?"

"Of course, I mean...Gerald has the right to feel the way that he does, certainly, but I also don't take it personally. I think, more than anything else, he's tired. He's burnt out. He's worn down. Whatever you wanna call it, he's pretty much finished, and frankly I don't think anyone could blame him."

"He has done a lot for everyone, I suppose, but still...it just makes me sad," Kevin said, his ears laying flat, "I just want the Gerald we used to have back. The Gerald who would stop at nothing to protect those he loved, the Gerald who swore he'd fix everything. I miss him."

Six patted Kevin's paw and nodded.

"Yeah," she said, "Me too."

                                                                                            ***

No matter how hard he tried, Number Two simply couldn't shake the phrase "The Black Snakes".

What could it mean? He racked his brain for hours at a time, trying to decipher this combination of words and came up empty time and time again. He didn't want to go with the obvious answer, a group of actual black snakes going around and killing entire burrows of rabbits, because that not only seemed unlikely but it was not possible for snakes to do the kind of damage, psychological or otherwise, that that rabbit he found had sustained. Why was everything so goddamned cryptic. Making his way towards The Hollow, he wondered how he was going to explain this to Gerald. He remembered the little girl rabbit who had shown up recently...this had to be the same thing that had happened to her. There was no doubt about it in his mind.

As he approached The Hollow, he spotted Stone outside, chewing on something. He walked up to her and she glanced up from her midday snack, nodding at him.

"How's things here?" he asked.

"Could always be better," Stone replied, "Everyone seems tense, like they're waiting for a bomb of some kind to drop. Then again, that could just be everyones natural disposition once going through a lifetime of fear, so."

"I have to talk to Gerald about something," Number Two said.

"He should be inside," Stone said.

Number Two started to walk into The Hollow when she called after him.

"Number Two?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he responded, turning to face her yet again.

"...I actually need to talk to you about Gerald. He doesn't seem to be well," she said, "I'm worried about him. I've spoken with Nickel about it and, honestly, he seems to be worrying everyone. He's despondent and that's not normal for him. I worry that when the time comes, he won't be capable of leading everyone the way we need him to."

"Gerald feels guilty about Dodger," Number Two said, "Despite all the rivalry between the two of them, he feels terrible about having him killed, and...and I guess on some level I can understand that. I think beneath all the back and forth one upping, the two had some weird mutual respect for one another, and I think Gerald misses that. He should be fine, he always bounces back, but at the moment, yeah, he might not exactly be feeling up to leadership."

"Well, see if you can talk some sense into him. We're gonna need him," Stone said, "Whatever's coming will destroy us if we don't have him."

Number Two nodded and continued into The Hollow, where he immediately ran into Mipsy, who directed him at Gerry. Gerry was sitting in the area where the little girl rabbit had been housed, talking about something quietly with Kevin. When Number Two entered, they stopped talking and turned their attention to him, likely surprised to see him.

"Kevin, Gerald," Number Two said.

"Paul," Gerry replied, "What're you doing here?"

"I need to speak to you two about something," Number Two said, "...the other day, Minerva and I were out and we came across another rabbit, looked a lot like our new ward here. He was covered in the same markings, and even more traumatized than she seems to be. He was capable of speaking, but...he spoke in just nonsense sentences, he kept saying we had to leave the woods, that something was coming, that it was bringing evil to everyone who lived here."

"Gee, sounds a lot different than most of what we deal with," Kevin said, making the both of them chuckle.

"Seriously," Number Two continued, "We followed him to a cliff, and he wouldn't listen to me. I tried to talk him down, but he...he leapt off, took his own life. Minerva and I gathered his body and laid it to rest, but...god it was kind of traumatic honestly."

"I believe it," Gerry said, "So you think the two of them have seen the same thing?"

"Perhaps. He kept saying one thing in particular was coming. The Black Snakes," Number Two said, and this make Kevin and Gerry give one another a nervous glance.

                                                                                              ***

Six was sitting by herself, drawing with her paw in the dirt the layout of the part of the lab they had been in, when she noticed Mipsy come in and stop beside her. Mipsy stood for a few moments, simply watching her sketch it all out, before finally exhaling.

"I think can help," Mipsy said, "I want to help. I not speak good but I remember lots of things about lab."

"Mipsy, we appreciate all that you do, but we really don't want you to get hurt," Six replied, writing the phrase S7 into one area that she'd attached to the main lab room where the rabbits were housed, "You're calming and helpful, we want to keep you here, have you keep everyone else safe and relaxed when things go down."

"That wrong," Mipsy said.

"It's not wrong, and it has nothing to do with your brain, it's-"

"No, that wrong," Mipsy said, pointing her paw to the S7 section Six had added, making Six furrow her brow and look at it, then back at Mipsy as she continued, "That not Special 7 section."

"Yeah, it was, I...I stayed in it at times with the others. Ask Number Two. Even Ellen would've backed me up on this. I remember the place perfectly, that's where it was," Six said, but Mipsy shook her head and started adding a new square to the other end of the lab and wrote S7 into that box.

"THAT S7," Mipsy said, "When I part of Special 7, that where it were. I remember not lot of things, but I do remember that."

That's when it dawned on Six. That's when it finally came to her.

"Oh, my god," she mumbled, "We never freed anyone else. We only freed our group. They...they have other areas, of course. That's how they're fitting so many new rabbits into one building. How did I never realize this before?..." she then turned and looked back at Mipsy, saying, "So, what else do you remember?"

Mipsy smiled and perked her ears up, because, even with her brain issues, she knew Six would be impressed with this.

"I know way in and out," she said.

                                                                                           ***

"Black Snakes?" Kevin asked, repeating the phrase, "What the hell is a black snake?"

"Presumably it's a black snake," Gerry replied, "But if it's not, like Paul is saying it isn't, then I have no idea."

"Could it be THEM?" Number Two asked, making them both uneasy, "I mean, nobody wants to admit it, but could it be? Let's face it, I stated before how empty the woods seem lately, how I haven't seen nearly as many rabbits around outside of The Collective, and then two back to back show up and talk about something evil? Something that's killing them? That sounds like THEM."

"Why would THEY be killing random rabbits?" Gerry asked.

"Maybe it's not random," Kevin said softly, Gerry glancing at him as Kevins eyes became worrisome, "...maybe it's meant for us. Maybe THEY just don't know where we are, and so THEY'RE just killing entire burrows hoping one of them will be ours."

"That's genocide," Gerry said.

"As if that's somehow below THEM," Number Two added.

"Fair point," Gerry replied, "...still, that...I refuse to believe that even THEY would steep to that level. Why would THEY waste time and resources tracking down rabbits that got away, especially when we know for a fact THEY'RE bringing in so many new ones?"

"Because THEY'RE scared," Number Two said, "Let's face it, we're not the easiest group of rabbits to kill, we know everything that went on in that lab. I think THEY'RE afraid of how smart we wound up being, and THEY don't want us interfering with anything else THEY might try and do. Maybe Kevin is right. Maybe it is THEM."

"But even then, how...how could THEY be doing it? What the hell is a 'black snake', for fucks sake?" Kevin asked.

"It's not just one," the girl rabbit finally said, shifting from her sleep, standing up; the three turned to look at her as she wobbled on her feet, clearly still unwell, "...it's not just one black snake. It's four or five of them, these long thick black snakes, they come in from above ground and they make everyone sick. They stink something fierce, and everyone loses their mind. Some drop dead on the spot, others kill friends simply to find a way out, but there is no way out, because if you make it out, you get taken."

"...taken by who?" Gerry asked.

"I don't know," the rabbit said, "I was able to get away through an underground tunnel, all I could see for a moment above me was whiteness, black shiny faces. It was terrifying. They took my friends, the ones they didn't kill first. That's all I remember."

The three rabbits looked back amongst themselves and stood in silence, unsure of how to process this. Was it THEM? If it was THEM, how were they doing this? What were these black snakes THEY were using? Even Number Two, smartest rabbit around, was unable to come up with an answer on the spot. Just as he began to speak again, he noticed Kevins eyes widen and realized he was watching the girl rabbit beginning to bleed from the eyes and collapse to the ground, convulsing. The three rabbits quickly called for help, and huddled around her to do what they could. After a bit she stopped having her seizure, and she fell back into a deep sleep again.

Gerald walked Number Two back out towards the front of The Hollow, neither one of them saying a thing. As they reached the outside, Stone was no longer there, and it was beginning to grow cold, night was approaching. Number Two shook his head, hating himself for not having seen this sort of thing coming. He looked at Gerry and sighed.

"I should get home," Number Two said, "Any darker and it won't be safe to walk there."

"You don't have to," Gerry said, "You can stay. There's plenty of room. There'll always be a place for you here, you know that."

"I appreciate that," Number Two said, smiling a bit, "But I think I need to be away from this for a bit, mull it all over...Gerald, if it's THEM, you know we have to do something. Saving the rabbits won't be enough. We'd have to put a stop to it all. I think...I think Kevin is right, and we have to burn the place to the ground. Who knows if it'd stop them, but...THEY deserve to pay for what THEY have done to us, and to all the other rabbits out there now."

"If we can trap THEM in the lab somehow, maybe, we could kill them all at once," Gerry said, "but...god it makes me feel like Dodger. I don't want to be Dodger. I don't want to do to THEM what THEY'RE trying to do to us. When is genocide ever an acceptable thing to do? Why's it suddenly okay if you're the presumed good guys? It's wrong no matter what, right?"

"Sometimes, Gerald, violence might be the only answer if the other team won't respond with anything other than it themselves. Self defense is not the same as murder," Number Two said, "I know we're both rather moral, but...at some point, and some point soon, you're gonna have to decide what you're capable of doing. If you're not capable of pulling us through this, we'll do it without you. You can leave, like Crisp and Melvin, if that's what you need to do. Lord knows you've done enough. But this has to end, and it won't end until THEY are ended."

Gerry shook his head and shut his eyes, with Number Two resting his head against Geralds.

"Please don't leave," Gerry said softly, "I...I need you."

"Okay," Number Two said, "Just for tonight."

With that, the two rabbits headed back inside and settled into Gerry's quarters for the evening, alone.

                                                                                              ***

Kevin stayed in the girl rabbits room the entire night.

Something about having lost his own family, having lost Ellen...it had made him so much more protective of the women in his life. He guarded Mipsy with an intense closeness, and he wouldn't let anything else happen to this rabbit either. He didn't know her name, but he didn't have to. What mattered was that she had suffered worse in one moment then they had all suffered combined throughout their time together. He let his thoughts return back to Steve, as they always did in these situations.

He'd put Steve to rest, finally, but...but really he just wished his best friend was still here.

He'd failed to protect him, or Ellen, and he'd never forgiven himself for it. Well that wouldn't happen again, he was going to protect these new rabbits no matter what. And if Gerald no longer wanted to do what had to be done, if that responsibility now had to fall upon Kevin, well, he was happy that he'd been taught by the best. He was certain in himself now, sure he could do whatever he set out to do, and all because Gerald had always told him he could. Always said he was a leader, deep inside. Turns out Gerry was right.

Kevin walked to the girl rabbit and laid down beside her, watching her like a hawk, only to make sure absolutely nothing came in the night to take her. He would be there, he would be prepared, no matter what. Lying in the darkness, wondering what came next, he couldn't help but think about what Number Two had told them earlier, about the rabbit who threw himself off the cliffside. Whatever had happened to these two had terrified them so much, they were willing to end their lives simply to escape the memory of it. When he would finally be face to face with these 'black snakes', whatever they were, would he too choose that? The thought scared him, he admitted. He had seen so many horrible things happen already, lost his own foot in the process of everything, seen Number Two's ear ripped in half, what could possibly be coming that was worse than what they'd already endured?

Kevin was curious, and also terrified to find out.

Turns out it wouldn't be long until he did.

Number Two had rarely woken up on a morning that didn't feel like the end of the world.

Living in the lab, waking up was a constant reminder of what possible horrors might await him or his friends, and living in the Burrow and now The Hollow, yes, he got to wake up to a beautiful outdoor scene, the sun warming up their home, was nice...but it wasn't until he moved in with Dice and Minerva that Number Two really began to appreciate these warm summer mornings. These mornings where he could stroll outside of their new home, stand with his eyes shut in the summer morning sun and let it warm his fur, and then get to decide, for the first time he could ever recall, what HE wanted the day to be like. He knew he still had responsibilities, he knew there were still things on the table to be dealt with, but goddamn if it wasn't nice, for once in his life, to just be able to wake up and NOT be immediately shrouded in terror.

This morning he decided to head on down to the nearby stream and wash his fur, before stopping and gathering some berries and fruits to bring back and eat for breakfast. The foxes weren't home, they must've left for an early morning hunt, so he had to place all to himself. Sitting in absolute silence, save for the birdsong he could hear outside and the gentle summer breeze wafting against the leaves off the tree trunk they'd taken up residence in, Number Two was so thankful that he got to eat his breakfast in peace. He was thankful that there was no longer a homicidal mouse out to kill him.

                                                                                          ***

"What do you mean leaving?" Kevin asked, and Gerry shrugged.

"It's a pretty concise concept, do you really need more explanation? They're leaving. Crisp and Melvin decided that, now all is said and done, they want a different life. I can't really blame them, honestly. I think they deserve to be happy, and if the only way for them to be happy is to be away from us and our bullshit, then fine by me. We don't need rabbits here who don't want to be here."

"That's...cold," Kevin said, "Even for you."

He and Gerry continued heading down the Hollow hall, heading towards the main living quarters, rabbits passing them by in both directions; the hustle and bustle of the Hollow flowing as always.

"Where are they gonna go?" Kevin asked.

"What do I look like, a realtor? I don't know. It's not like I'm going house hunting with them," Gerry said, "They're leaving. You want more information than that, ask them yourself."

"You know I remember a time when you fought to keep us all together," Kevin said, stopping Gerry in his tracks, forcing him to turn and look back at him as he continued, adding, "Yeah, that's right. You used to say we all had to stick together, no matter what. Now Number Two lives with the foxes and Melvin and Crisp are heading off into the great unknown. What happened to the Gerald who wanted a family?"

"...you had a family, Dodger had a family, the foxes had a family. Look what it cost them. Look what happened. Having a family only creates collateral damage. Creates something you can lose. It's safer to be alone."

"You say that but you're intent on saving those new rabbits?"

"Yes, because every rabbit should have the right to at least choose how they live," Gerry said, "That's what I'm fighting for. A right. We're not a family, Kevin. We never were. The lab was right, we were coworkers. That's all we'll ever be."

And with that, Gerald turned and walked on down the hall, leaving Kevin dumbfounded at this. He then turned and headed the other direction, realizing he needed to speak to Crisp and Melvin about this. At least Gerry had been right about that much. Hopping down the hall to see if he could find either Crisp, Melvin or both, he heard someone coming up behind him and spied Mipsy hopping alongside him now.

"What you doing?" she asked.

"I'm looking for Crisp and Melvin, you haven't seen them today have you?" Kevin asked.

"No. Why you look for them?" Mipsy asked.

"Because I need to ask them something important," Kevin said, before stopping and looking at her, "...you'd never leave, right? You'd never decide to leave the Hollow and find a new home? New friends? A new life?"

"No, not...not alone," Mipsy said, stammering, her right eye twitching, "I...I like it here, with you guys. You guys my friends. No. I would not leave."

"Thank you, Mipsy, I needed to hear it said," Kevin replied, smiling at her as they continued down the hall.

                                                                                                ***

Number Two sniffed at a fallen berry on the ground and pawed at it for a moment before noticing Minerva coming across the the forest to him. Dice was heading the opposite way, clearly back to the tree. Number Two nodded at Dice, and Minerva glanced back at her.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's fine, she's just not very social," Minerva said.

"She doesn't mind this arrangement, does she? In a way I feel partly responsible for what happened to your family and I wouldn't blame her if she didn't like having me around because of that."

"Don't be silly, she likes having you here. We both do," Minerva said, patting him on the head with her paw, "I'm alive and home because of you, so, yeah, I think she appreciates that whatever wrongs you may have inadvertently caused, you're doing your best to right them."

"I have to admit," Number Two went on, picking up the berry and eating it, speaking while chewing, "It's a bit weird not being with The Collective. I spent so much time with them that not being with them seems strange, and yet...kind of...welcome? They're exhausting. There's always a problem, always an issue, always bickering and infighting and...sometimes you just want to be away from all that sort of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love them, they're my friends, but goddamn some days I am glad I get to wake up here with you two in solitude."

"Well I'm glad we can give you peace of mind," Minerva said.

"Yeah, it's just that-"

But he stopped, noticing Minerva was looking over his head behind him. Number Two turned around and backed up to her side, the both of them now staring at what appeared to be a rabbit, much like the young one who'd shown up at The Hollow, covered in blood and dirt, their eyes red as mars itself. Number Two cautiously approached, keeping his ears low to show he wasn't a threat, his voice soft to show he was a friend.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and the closer he got the more they backed up.

"Paul, I don't-" Minerva started.

"I got this, don't worry," Number Two responded, cutting her off, "Hey, my name is Paul, we're not dangerous, okay? Do you need some help? Are you hurt?"

"They're going to kill us all," the rabbit responded quietly, his voice shaky and labored from heavy breathing, "They're going to...to kill every single one of us. You have to run. You have to RUN."

"Who's...who's going to-"

"My friends, and my family...everyone I knew and loved...they're all gone, and they'll come for you too," the rabbit continued, before turning and running the opposite direction. Paul and Minerva quickly took off after him, dashing through the woods, darting between trees. He screamed at them to stop following him, but they wouldn't back off. Finally he came to a sheer drop off a hill, nothing but jagged rocks and ground below. He stopped and looked back at the both of them.

"It's not safe here. Someone brought evil to us," the rabbit said, "Someone brought evil into this place. The snakes...these big black snakes...they'll show up, you'll see. They'll come into YOUR burrow next, and everyone you have ever cared about will bleed from their eyes and scream in agony before dropping dead. The ones who don't...they'll be taken somewhere else. You have to leave these woods. You HAVE to leave these woods."

"Buddy, buddy, calm down," Number Two said, very slowly approaching him, "Black snakes? What are you talking about? What happened? Just come back with us, we have a safe place for you to go, and you can tell us all about what happened, we can help you, it doesn't have to be scary like this."

"Get out," the rabbit whispered, staring Number Two right in the eyes, "Get out before the black snakes come. They're coming. They're near. And you'll die if you don't. If you really love those around you, take them and leave."

Number Two was completely flummoxed with how to respond to this. This rabbit was clearly traumatized about something. Black snakes? What black snakes? What could that possibly mean? And then, before Number Two could respond, the rabbit turned and hurled himself off the cliffside.

"Jesus christ!" Number Two screamed, himself and Minerva rushing to the edge to watch as this poor terrified rabbit slammed against rock after rock, his neck breaking on impact, until his body lay motionless on a rock at the bottom. The two of them stood there for a moment, unable to process what had just happened. Finally Number Two looked at Minerva, who looked unnerved as all hell.

"What just happened here?" she asked.

"I have NO idea," Number Two replied.

                                                                                         ***

Melvin and Crisp were very busy gathering their belongings and sticking them into slings they could carry around their necks when Kevin and Mipsy came in. Melvin gave them a nod of approval, but didn't stop or say anything. For a moment, nobody said anything, and they all just stood in the quiet until Kevin finally exhaled and spoke.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked.

"Look," Melvin said, "There's nothing saying we HAVE to stay here, okay? Crisp and myself, we're not even really that interested in this group or...or what you plan to do. We're not part of anything, okay? Whatever your problem with THEM is, it's your problem, not ours."

"It's everyones problem!" Kevin shouted, "THEY did this to allll of us!"

"No, Kevin, THEY did this to you. To Gerald. To Number Four. Not to me. Not to Crisp," Melvin said, "Listen, we appreciate all you guys have done to keep everyone safe and getting us all out of the lab. We really are grateful, but at this point, it's time to leave. It's time to part company. We don't want to be here when whatever is going to go down goes down. It's not our fight."

Kevin couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood there, somewhat shocked at this conversation.

"What happened to everyone? First Gerry and now you two? Why is everyone suddenly turning away from the only family we've ever really had?" Kevin asked.

"Because we're NOT family, Kevin," Crisp said, finally speaking up, "...we...we just...live together."

And with that, she and Melvin picked up their satchels and left the room. Kevin watched, dumbfounded as they left, while Mipsy came to his side and touched his paw.

"We not JUST live together," she said, "She wrong."

"...yeah," Kevin muttered, "Yeah. She is."

He said it, but he was beginning to wonder himself if even he believed it anymore.

                                                                                       ***

Number Two and Minerva had made their way carefully down the rocks, Number Two clinging to the fur on the scruff of her neck as he rode down on her back. She was wary of slipping, and managed to keep them both as safe as possible during the descent. Once they reached the poor rabbits broken body, Minerva picked him up in her mouth and they began climbing back up. Once they reached the top, they found a nice quiet spot in the woods, and she put him down and began digging a hole. Number Two didn't like looking at this poor rabbits destroyed corpse, but he couldn't tear his eyes away either.

"Something happened to him," Number Two finally said softly, "Something BAD. Something so awful he couldn't even accurately tell us what it had been. Something that petrified him into thinking we all have to leave the woods. What did he say? Black snakes? What do you think he was talking about?"

"I gotta say, Paul, I really don't know," Minerva replied, pausing from her digging momentarily to discuss this, "And frankly, I'm only doing this for you, because you're too noble to leave his body there. I commend that, I do, but I wouldn't have the guts to be involved otherwise. I don't know that I EVER want to discover whatever the fuck it was he was talking about."

"...if it's something that's threatening entire burrows, then...maybe that's why I haven't seen as many unfamiliar faces in the woods lately. If it's something that bad, I HAVEto know, so I can be prepared and in turn prepare The Collective. This sort of thing doesn't just happen, Minerva. Rabbits don't just snap like this. Someone did this to him."

Minerva finished digging the hole and nudged the dead rabbits body into the ground, beginning to cover the grave back up with dirt and leaves. Number Two looked at the grave, when finished, and sighed, placing a paw on it and bowing his head.

"I'm going to find out what happened to him." he said, "I just hope he can rest easy now, now that we've put him at peace."

"There's no peace," Minerva said, "Not even for the dead."

She turned and headed back for the tree, leaving Number Two alone with the grave.

The term 'black snakes' clung to his brain like sticky candy. What could it possibly mean? He just couldn't figure it out. Did he mean actual snakes? But Number Two had rarely seen snakes in these woods. And no snake could do all that damage to an entire group. Plus, he had said something about the surviving rabbits being hauled away, and, again, no one snake could do that. A group? Maybe. But that was unlikely. Snakes rarely came in packs, and from what Number Two understood were fairly solitary creatures. He then thought about the poor little rabbit who showed up at The Hollow recently, and decided that his next stop would be in talking to her. Maybe she would have some knowledge she could share to shed some light on whatever a 'black snake' could be.

"I'm sorry," Number Two said under his breath, "I'm sorry this happened to you. I didn't even know you, but...but I feel like it's somehow our fault, and for that I'm sorry."

Number Two turned and headed back to the tree as well. At least he had a plan now.

                                                                                          ***

The next morning, Melvin and Crisp set out for a new life, with Gerry and Kevin wishing them luck as they left. As the two friends watched them leave into the wilderness for something different, Kevin couldn't help but have knots in his gut, like he knew he should be trying harder to keep them here. He spoke, not even looking at Gerry.

"I want you to do one thing for me," Kevin said.

"Yeah? And what could that be?" Gerry asked in response.

"Never leave," Kevin said.

"Don't worry, you and I are going to be together until the bitter end," Gerry replied, making Kevin chuckle.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Kevin asked.

"They know how to take care of themselves," Gerry said, "And they have every right to leave if they so choose. You and I both wish they wouldn't, but we can't stop them if it's what they wish to do. But we CAN stop THEM from hurting anyone else. We need to discuss the plans for gaining entry and exit, not to mention distractions and fire."

"You're still on board then?" Kevin asked.

"I'm reluctantly on board, yes," Gerry replied, "I don't necessarily want to kill THEM, but at least distract THEM long enough to get the new groups out here. I'm thinking Lorna could be of some help in that regard. We can't save everyone, Kevin. Some have to choose to save themselves."

Gerry turned and headed back into The Hollow, leaving Kevin alone, outside, watching more of The Collective leave the safety of the home they'd all built together and head off into the dangerous unknown. He knew Gerry was right, he knew they couldn't save everyone. He also knew he should've tried harder to keep them from leaving, he just didn't know why.

                                                                                         ***

Number Two had rarely woken up on a morning that didn't feel like the end of the world.

But now, after watching that rabbit throw himself off a cliff to his death, he didn't enjoy waking up anymore. He knew this feeling wouldn't last forever, but he was hoping it would've lasted at least a smidge longer than it had. Now his mornings were once more tinged with fright and unease. Now he awoke not to the feeling of sun on his fur or birdsong in his ear, no, now he awoke to the thoughts of death and destruction that could only have been so bad that they caused this rabbit, this unknown rabbit, to throw himself off a cliff in order to escape even just the memories of it.

Number Two no longer woke up in the mornings feeling happy and rested.

Back to business as usual, he supposed.

Gerry hadn't had the dreams since the lab. The ones with the birds flying overhead, as he lay in a field of grass and flowers, bleeding profusely, or at least covered in blood. He wasn't sure. Whether it was his blood or someone else's was something else he was unsure of. Either way, he hadn't had the dreams for what felt like ages, until now. Once Dodger was gone, he began having them again, and quite frequently. He didn't tell anyone about them, but they always bothered him and left him, once he woke, with a sense of dread and mild terror.

Every morning he rose, everyone was happy and enjoying themselves, but Gerry couldn't allow himself that. He was stuck with the lingering fear from the dreams. And more often than not, on the rare occasions he didn't have the dreams, he was instead left wishing he could speak to Dodger again. He didn't even know what, he just knew that he still had too much to say to him, and unlike Kevin, who could regularly visit Number Four's grave, there was no headstone marking the resting place of his treacherous friend. Gerald was left, alone, with his thoughts. His feelings. And this only made him feel worse.

He often visited the spot he and Dodger frequented right before he was killed, the spot they could see the lab, see the new trucks arriving weekly with new rabbits. Rabbits Gerald had promised he'd rescue. Rabbits Dodger had told him about. Gerald felt he now owed it to Dodger, oddly enough, to actually carry through with that act, but to what end? To what end does the rescuing continue? When have you rescued enough? Or did it, like the fear that coursed through his body every single day, never end?

                                                                                             ***

"All I'm saying," Number Two said, "Is that there's other burrows out there. Other homes. So if this is the case, and we know this to be true for a fact, then where are all the rabbits who live there? Why haven't we seen them around lately?"

Kevin shrugged and pawed at his ear, cleaning the tips, dipping his paws in the stream they were standing by to wash off the mud and dirt.

"I don't know, man," Kevin said, "It's not like I've kept in touch with them. We're not penpals."

"I just think it's strange," Number Two said, "I mean, we used to see them around every now and then, remember? Now...now I don't see anyone that isn't from our group. Where IS everyone?"

"You're actually complaining about being left alone?" Kevin asked, "After all the interference we've had to deal with? Are you really complaining about being alone in the peace and quiet?"

"Well, when you put it like that, yeah, it sounds ridiculous," Number Two said, the two of them laughing a little.

Still, Number Two couldn't shake this feeling he had. This feeling of unease. He knew eventually the Collective would have to discuss the plans Dodger and Gerald had made the rescue the other rabbits, but he felt a more pressing matter at the moment was what had happened to all the rabbits that had been around them just recently? He almost had the urge to hike out to find a new burrow and make sure they were still there. He just couldn't shake this feeling that something was happening to those around them, and that soon, whatever it was, it would come for them as well.

When Number Two and Kevin returned to the Hollow, they found Gerry already there, speaking with Six in a secluded area. The four of them stopped together, but nobody spoke. Finally Gerry just motioned with his head for them to follow him, and so they did. The four of them headed off down the Hollow and into the area Gerry called his own. Once he was sure they were alone, he sighed and looked at them.

"We need to discuss THEM," he said.

"What about THEM?" Kevin asked.

"When are we rescuing the new recruits?" Gerry asked, looking at Number Two, "Paul? Any ideas?"

"Not particularly, no. Frankly, I'm starting to wonder if it's even the right thing to do right now. I'm beginning to grow a bit concerned because the forests feel a bit empty right now. We're not seeing a whole lot of other rabbits from other burrows or anywhere around, and I'm feeling worried that something might've happened to them."

"Maybe they moved," Six said.

"All at once?" Number Two snapped at her, "That's highly unlikely. Either way, I think we need to focus on that first."

"We need to get those rabbits out of that lab," Gerry said, "It's the one thing I swore I would do. We get them out, we burn it down and we move on."

"It's not going to be that simple, and you know it," Kevin said, "Even if you have Lorna fly around and cause a distraction for the dogs so you manage to get back inside, it's still not going to be that simple. I mean, I guarantee you security is going to be very much heavier, especially since we last went to get you guys. We need to make sure that things aren't that secure before we even begin to discuss actually getting inside."

"Every single day a truck or two is coming with more and more rabbits," Gerry said, "We promised we wouldn't let THEM do anything to another group like THEY did to us. Remember? We made that a promise. A pact."

"Sure, but-" Kevin started.

"Let me," Number Two said, interrupting him and looking at Gerald, "You're not wrong. We made that a pact, yes. And we fully intend to follow through with it, but we have to ask ourselves are we really willing to torch the place? Is that a thing we're willing to do? Because...because frankly, at what point are we going to have to wonder if we're better than Dodger by doing that. You had reservations about killing him because you thought it lowered you to his level and now you're willing to just walk in and wipe out an entire group of humans, no emotions attached to that decision whatsoever?"

"I liked you better when you were cold and logical," Six said, making Number Two chuckle.

"I admit, being more open has certainly made me more hesitant to do things that generally would likely improve our lives, but the people in there, THEY have families too, children, significant others. And I know you're going to say 'well so did we!' and yes, we did, and yes, that doesn't make what THEY did to us right by any means, but I...I just feel it's still something we need to address."

Gerry and Number Two stared at one another for what felt like ages before finally they all turned to see Crisp and Melvin standing there, both looking worried. Gerry walked past the others and approached them.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"You're gonna wanna come and see this," Melvin said.

The six of them headed out of the Hollow and, sitting outside, was a young rabbit. She appeared to be just a bit older than a child, and had black marks all over her body. The group were confused, until Gerald realized what they were. They were smears of mud and dirt, mixed with blood. He looked at her and she looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "What's your name?"

"everyone...is...dead," she said, her voice stilted and wavering, "they...they're all dead...you have to help me."

"What do you mean everyone is dead?" Gerry asked, but she wouldn't speak anymore. She was clearly traumatized. Gerry told Number Two to take her inside and give her a safe space to relax, and that they would talk to her more tomorrow when she was perhaps in a bit more of a stable mind. The rest of them dispersed, except for Melvin, who stood there with Gerry and watched the others go.

"I think I should tell you that Crisp and I are going to leave," he finally said.

"What?"

"We...we can't be around this anymore. We're going to head out and find somewhere else to be. We appreciate all you guys have done for us, it's just...we're not cut out for this. Neither of us are. I hope you understand."

"At least discuss it with me a bit more first," Gerry said, and Melvin nodded.

"Sure," he said, "I just wanted to give you a heads up is all."

Gerry soon found himself, once again, alone. The Collective was somewhat falling apart, splintering off, and it worried him. This was the time they needed to be closest the most. They needed to remain a Collective, a strong front, ready for whatever was about to hit at any moment. He didn't want Crisp and Melvin to leave, but he also did understand why they felt the way they did. He certainly was growing weary of dealing with things, and was wondering every day if Number Two and Kevin and Stone could handle things perfectly fine without him.

                                                                                             ***

He often spent most of his alone time back in that clearing, watching the lab. He didn't know why. Closest reason he could come up with was that it made him feel closer to Dodger, being that was the last place they spent time together at. Why he wanted to be close to the creature that had tried to kill him and his friends multiple times he was also unsure of, but he did, he couldn't deny it. Watching the lab, Gerry couldn't help but feel like this was the last thing he and his friends would wind up doing together. That after they got this group out, the Collective would see its job as being 'done', would continue to break away, and move on, and Gerry would soon be left all alone, always wanting to save just one more group. How many groups was enough? Would he really be willing to risk himself coming up a martyr for the sake of new rabbits he didn't even know?

He heard a branch creak overhead, and spotted Lorna landing there, cleaning her wings before softly hopping down each branch until she reached the ground and was stood beside him. He smiled, appreciating her company.

"You're here a lot," she said, "I see you from above. You come here quite often, a sort of...home away from home?"

"I'm not homesick, if that's what you mean."

"No, of course not," she replied, "But you sit here and you watch THEM, you watch new rabbits being brought in, new rabbits you clearly feel obligated to protect somehow, am I right?"

"Nobody else is going to," Gerry said, "I know that Number Two is right, that it'd make us no better than Dodger, that...that those people have families too, but...nobody is going to stop THEM if we don't. But then, yes, THEY'LL rebuild, and bring in even more new rabbits and...how long do I keep it up for? I can't save them all. I can't...am I obligated to dedicate my life to the safety and rescue of new groups?"

"The only one who can answer what your life should be used for is you," Lorna said, pecking at the ground, eating a bug or two, "Nobody else can make that decision, and those why try should be punished. Those who try to exert control over others should have their own control taken away from them to see how it feels. Those like Dodger. Like THEM. I can't answer that for you, Gerald, only you can."

A soft breeze blew through and rustled the leaves, blowing his ears back a bit. He squinted and looked at his paws.

"Did Dodger ever talk about me?" he asked.

"Many times, in the bit of time we spent together, yes," Lorna said.

"What did he say?"

"The thing he said the most, surprisingly enough, was how he envied you," Lorna said, surprising Gerry; she went on, adding, "How you really could connect with others by being yourself, how you didn't have to hide who you were or how you felt. He couldn't do that. He always lost those he cared about, and he found it easier to pretend than be honest. But I don't think he was pretending with you. I think he really liked you."

"I miss him," Gerry said, sighing, "It's...wrong, I know, but I do."

"Many survivors often miss their abusers, for reasons they cannot really explain. It's a part of the path that leads to the healing process," Lorna said, "...but you're NOT Dodger, Gerald. Believe me. As much as you two may have had in common, as much as he thought you two might've had in common, you're very much his opposite. He did what he did out of selfishness. You're doing what you're doing out of sympathy. That's the key difference. The ability to feel for others. Kevin, on the other hand, seems to have a personal axe to grind, but you...you really just want what's best for these new rabbits. He wants to burn THEM down because of what they did to him, not what they're going to do to the new ones."

Gerry nodded, understanding Lorna was completely correct. He exhaled and looked up at her, and she smiled at him, patting his head with her wing.

"Don't worry so much," Lorna said, "You'll do the right thing, because that's what you've always done, is the right thing. I'll be around to talk, if you ever feel the need."

And with that, Lorna hopped back up a few branches before taking off full flight into the sky, leaving Gerald alone once more with his thoughts. He felt Lorna, and probably others, thought too highly of him, but how could he know, really. All he had were his doubts to go off of, anyway.

Gerry wound up having a dream that night. The same dream he'd used to have in the labs, with the field and the birds and the blood. He woke in a cold sweat and looked around, feeling terrified that he was seeing something he shouldn't be somehow. He stood up and, stumbling a bit, walked over to where Six was lying. She opened one eye as he very casually snuggled up beside her, and together they went back to sleep. It didn't matter how many bad dreams he had. Once he'd had to weather them alone.

Now he had all the friends in the world to weather them with.

Kevin found himself sitting outside The Hollow, staring at a bird up in a tree and thinking "what a marvelous creature". Watching this bird twitter about and flit its wings, he sighed and looked down at his paws, covered in mud and blood and dirt and muck. The paws of a rabbit who'd orchestrated something terrible. Something horrid, but necessary. Suddenly he heard breathing beside him, and he shivered, surprised by Number Two's presence, who looked just as bad; his eyes bloodshot and his face scarred. They nodded, acknowledging one another, but not saying a word, choosing instead to both watch the bird. After a few moments, Number Two cleared his throat, his voice still hoarse from all the screaming, and he looked across the way, at Mipsy, who was asleep in a spot of sunlight.

"It hurts," he said softly, "Having to kill the ones you know. I never knew how deeply it could cut, but it cuts, and it cuts so deep that I doubt these scars will ever fade. None of us wanted that. But we did had to be done. He...couldn't be saved. I hope you know that."

"I know," Kevin said, calmly but coldly, "I know that. Just like Number Four, just like everyone else before us, it's never been my fault. Hell, I think you were more associated with him than I was. But still, you're right, it hurts. I feel like there's...there's this void inside of me now that was once filled with goodness that's now just a pit of tar, and I'm drowning in it, and I'm wondering if I can ever be rescued."

"We did the right thing, Kevin," Number Two said, "We have to move on. We have to move forward. We have dealt with him, and now we have to deal with THEM. We trusted him, and...it was always a lie. This was bound to happen eventually."

Number Two rested his head on Kevins shoulder and shut his eyes, enjoying the bird song. Kevin knew that he was right. He knew that it had to happen, and that they'd done the right thing, but that didn't make him feel much better. Actually, seemed like everytime he did the right thing, he felt worse and worse.

After a while of sitting together, Kevin excused himself to go and speak to Number Four's gravestone, and left Number Two sitting there alone. Number Two relaxed his ears and looked up at the sky, watching the clouds roll overhead. Kevin hadn't even been part of the planning, and yet he felt so ashamed of being associated with what they'd done to Dodger, and Number Two certainly understood why. He was a bad mouse. He'd hurt a lot of other creatures. But they'd had a shared history, they'd both come from a place that had wanted to hurt them, and that made them like minded in a sense. Number Two suddenly felt a shadow near him, glancing to see Minerva standing there.

"Well," Minerva said, taking a seat, "You said you'd do it, and you did it. I guess I owe you some sort of thanks. If only I could've eaten some of the little bastard myself would it have been slightly more rewarding."

"You don't owe me anything," Number Two said, slightly smirking, "We did what we had to do. Try not to rationalize it, I know I am. I think, in the entire time that I've been associated with this group, that we have never calculated a murder before. But...but the things he did, the things he would've continued to do, they would've been so awful and he'd already gotten away with so much, it wouldn't have been right to let him go free."

"You are right, of course," Minerva said, clearing her throat and scratching behind her ear with a paw, "Dice and I will be leaving shortly. We'll be sticking in this neck of the woods, obviously, as going back to the old home would just be counter intuitive and painful. We need to swim, not tread water. I just figured I should tell you in case you woke up and we were gone."

Minerva turned and started to head back inside the Hollow when she heard Number Two ask her a question.

"Can I come with you?"

She stopped and turned back around, but he wasn't facing her.

"Wh-what?" she asked.

"Can I come with you?" he asked again, still not turning to face her, "I think...I think it'd be beneficial to move from this situation and to something new. I'd like to help you and Dice get back on your feet, set up a new home, and be a part of it. I could help you with all sorts of-"

"Paul," Minerva said, "You are more than welcome to come with us. You knew the answer to that before you even asked."

He finally looked back at her and the two smiled at one another before she continued heading into the Hollow, shouting over her shoulder at him.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning!" she said, "Be ready by noon!"

                                                                                              ***

Gerry was lying on his side, staring at the wall, when Stone came into the section of hollow he'd taken up residence in and looked at him. She sighed and shook her head, coming to stand next to him, Six walking in behind her. Stone pawed at Gerrys shoulder, but he just mumbled and continued staring.

"This has to stop," Stone said, "We need you back on your feet. You're necessary around here for guidance. I know it hurts, and I certainly don't want to tell you to stop grieving, but don't let it consume you, alright?"

She turned and headed out, leaving Six alone there with him. Six sat beside Gerry and looked at the wall.

"You miss him," she said.

"Of course I do," Gerry said, "And I'm not sure what's sicker; the fact that I miss him or the fact that I miss him despite all he did to me. Why are we so attached to those who hurt us? Why can't I let go?"

"Because...he lied to you, and he made you think he was your friend, when-"

"That's the thing though," Gerry said, "I don't think he ever did lie to ME. I think he lied to everyone else THROUGH me. When we were in the vents, he asked me if I wanted to go with him, leave you all behind, but I told him of course not. When he showed me THEY were bringing in new rabbits to the lab, he asked me once again. He'd come up with this whole new life where he and I rescue these rabbits and we take them into a totally different section of woods, wherever that was, and we started a new life. He...he genuinely liked me, because I think he thought I was the only one who could really see the reasons why he did what he did."

"Seeing those reasons doesn't make you agree with them," Six said.

"Of course not," Gerald replied, "But it still gave him something to grasp at. Someone else who understood him, even in the worst possible way. No, I don't agree with him, and no, we're not alike in that way, but I did understand him. He was right about that at least. I just wish he'd been more upfront with me about what he was planning instead of putting you all at risk within the process."

"Wait, does that mean that you would've gone with him if he had?" Six asked, and Gerry shrugged.

"I...I really don't know, Six. I feel like Kevin and Number Two have a much better grip on this group than I do at this point, and I don't feel like I'm really necessary, so-"

"Gerry, god, if you hadn't worked as hard as you did back in the lab, if you hadn't pushed Kevin and Number Two down that hole, they never would've gotten out, and they never would've come back for us and none of this would've happened. YOU did that. YOU got us out, just as you always said you would. Don't undermine your accomplishments just because you think others are doing more than you are now, okay?"

Gerry sighed and rolled over, looking at the other wall now, away from Six.

"You don't get it," Gerry said, "Nobody will get it."

Six stood up and flapped her ears, heading towards the opening of the area before glancing back at him, sighing, and then exiting.

                                                                                             ***

Kevin was sitting by Number Four's gravesite, one paw on the dirt mound that covered her body, but he was looking off into the distance. He sighed and then smiled, shaking his head.

"You should've been there," he said, "God I wish you'd have been there. It was amazing. I'm...I'm not usually one to condone murder of another animal, but it was incredible. The feeling in the air, everything, it was just glorious. I'm so happy that he's gone. He's why I couldn't get back to you in time. You're not here because of him. I feel awful for being so giddy, but still."

He looked down at the gravesite and his smiled faded, as he put his other front paw on the dirt mound, exhaling.

"Ellen, I miss you so much," he said softly, "I hope that wherever you are, you know that, and that you know that who was partially responsible for you being gone has gotten what's coming to them."

He knew he'd never hear her voice again, but Kevin had found coming here was rather therapeutic. It allowed him to get his feelings out in a way that was healthy, it allowed him to express his deepest emotions, without judgement or shame. In a way, Ellen would always be with him, because she would always be here.

                                                                                               ***

Number Two came into the area Gerry was lying, scuffing at the floor with his paws, unsure of how to broach the subject of his sudden departure so quickly after Dodger's death, but he knew it was necessary, considering how imminently he'd be leaving.

"Gerald," he started, "Um, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk about him."

"It's not about him," Number Two said, "I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'm going with Minerva and Dice. We're going somewhere close by and I'm going to try and help them set up a new home. I owe it to them, for what we got them involved in. I just wanted to let you know before I left."

Gerry didn't respond, and Number Two sighed, wondering what else he could say to elicit a response.

"I did it for you, you know," Number Two said, "I mean, I did it for the foxes too, and Lorna and everyone else, and because he let me fall off a waterfall, but I...I did it for you. He hurt you, and he deserved what he got."

"No question about that," Gerry said.

"Everything I've done, I've recognized in hindsight, was done for you. I know I fought with you about leaving the lab, but at this point, can you blame me for it? I just wanted to keep you and everyone else safe. Gerald-"

"I'm so sorry," Gerry said, finally sitting up and facing him, "I'm so sorry about everything I ever put you through. I hope you come back and visit often. We still need to do something about the new rabbits in the lab, and I'm going to need your help with that."

"I know," Number Two said, smirking, "I'll always be there if you need me."

"Thank you," Gerry said.

A silence passed between them, as Number Two tried to understand why he was thanking him.

"Thank you for doing it," Gerry said, "I never could've done it without you."

"Believe me, it was my pleasure," Number Two said, "Now come on out and have something to eat. We can discuss more plans before I leave tomorrow."

Gerry stood up and hopped up to Number Two, both of them facing one another but neither one wanting to say it, before they both finally turned and headed out of the area and down the hallway towards the main section of the Hollow. It felt nice, Gerry realized, however bad it might've felt to have done what they did to Dodger, it did feel nice to finally, after all this time, have eaked out some sort of a win. They'd only managed so many, and this was by far the best. This only bolstered in Gerry's mind that, if they could do what they did, then they could do anything, including dealing with THEM.

So Gerry ate and sat with his friends, and spoke to his group, and for the first time in a long, long time, felt happy.

                                                                                              ***

A small brown rabbit nudged its mother, who was fast asleep, but did awaken at the feeling of its young nosing at her. The mothers eyes fluttered open, and she looked around, her eyes not yet adjusted.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I heard something," the little rabbit said, visibly shaking, "I thought I heard someone talking."

"I'm sure it was nothing," the mother said, "Come here. You can sleep with me."

The little rabbit nestled up to her mother and together they tried to go back to sleep, but the mothers nose picked up a weird scent. Before she could say anything though, multiple large black plastic hoses broke through the dirt above them and into their burrow, spewing enormous amounts of gas out, smothering them. The mother tried to get up, but it made her woozy, and before she knew it, she couldn't think clearly, and fell to her side, dead. The daughter tried to run, hopping quickly down the burrow halls, trying to escape all the hoses that continued to burst into the ground around her, only to come to a dead end, unable to get out without the help of her mother.

After the dust settled and the gas died down did an arm reach in to collect her body and hauled her out of the ground, looking at the man standing across from her, holding the mothers corpse. The woman removed her mask and shook her hair out.

"I hate these fucking masks," she said, "I doubt this is even that poisonous to us."

"I know, but it's better than not being prepared," the man replied, "Seems to do the trick though. Where's the next one?"

The woman reached into her back pocket and pulled out a map, then put an X over the burrow they were standing by right now. She then turned a few times, and then finally pointed in a direction with her marker, shaking her arm.

"Alright," the man said, "Put these ones in the bag, and we'll do that one and then we'll meet up with the others for lunch."

"Are you...are you sure this is the right thing to be doing?" the woman asked as he passed her the mother rabbits corpse.

"We made them what they are, we made them withstand whatever we could do to them, we made them more intelligent than they should be, and we need to deal with that. So yeah, it's the right thing to be doing, and even if it weren't, it's the only thing we can do anyway," he said, "Now hurry up. We've got a lot of other burrows to gas this afternoon."

The woman nodded, tossing the two bodies into the bag before slinging it over her shoulder and following her partner towards their next destination. They'd already done this a few times, and they'd keep doing it until they found the ones who had escaped.

The Collective didn't know it yet...

...but war was coming.

Dodger watched from the vents; he watched these rabbits laugh and talk together, and he felt angry. He didn't have that. Not with his community. He wanted the same thing, but he knew he didn't fit in. He wasn't even supposed to be here. And yet...the sound of their laughter filled the vents and warmed him like a fire on a brisk winter evening, curling around him like a blanket. He wanted comfort. He wanted friendship. But more than anything, he wanted to get out of this place, and he knew using these rabbits was the only way to do so.

He'd lost his family. Nobody had cared. He hated this group for thinking they were something even remotely resembling a family, and yet...yet something about their closeness irked him to the point of wanting it for himself. But it was Gerry specifically that caught his attention. He noticed that Gerald was empathetic to a fault, and yet not likely to allow his emotions get in the way of his actions. In that regard, he reminded Dodger of his mate, Skeeter. She was a brown mouse, with large blue eyes and black ears, but she was so smart. When THEY had first brought his family here, and Dodger had come to seek them out, he thought that she'd be able to handle the tests no problem until he could find a way to free her.

But he could tell fairly quickly that she was cracking, and that underneath that easy going calm exterior was something darker. That her outside was a facade, and that under pressure...under pressure she was like a porcelin doll, almost breakable just by touch. He came and he tried to comfort her every single day and night, but he knew that he'd eventually be unable to fix what THEY had done to her. The morning he found her dead in the corner of the cage, the remains of their children nearby after she'd eaten them, he learned a fundamental truth about living creatures...

...no matter how they appear, they can only be pushed so far before they break. And he could use that to his advantage.

And he did. He did it with The Collective, he did it with Lorna, he did it with Minerva. Every single animal Dodger had encountered since his families death he'd done this, and now they were surrounding him, and he realized something else in that moment. He realized he'd done the exact thing he'd been proud of Gerry for not doing. Not letting his emotions get in the way. He'd actually come to genuinely appreciate him, because he reminded him so much of Skeeter, that he'd truly come to be attached, and now it was going to cost him everything. He'd let himself fall right into this trap.

And this time there was no way out.

                                                                                          ***

"Gerald," Dodger said, "Gerald, what're you talking about? We're gonna...we're gonna rescue the rabbits and then we're gonna leave, right?"

"What is going on?!" Kevin screamed, with Number Two finally stepping forward.

"That note Gerald left us, it wasn't him saying goodbye. It was just telling me it's time to carry this thing out. Stone, Minerva, Gerry and I planned this," Number Two said, "We only didn't tell you or the rest of the Collective for fear of it getting out somehow. Minerva woke everyone else once we were gone and lead them here. I'm sorry Kevin, we just had to be certain things would work and look, they did, and now we can put an end to all of this and-"

"Nobody says it's over until I say it's over," Gerry said sternly, taking Number Two by surprise, as he turned to look at Dodger, "Every single night since The Incident I have asked myself why you did what you did, and the only logical answer I could keep coming back to was that you just didn't care. But I know that's not true. You HAVE to care. You care about ME. That much I can tell for certain. So what was the reason then? You asked me in the vents if I would leave any of these rabbits behind, without them knowing, and go with you, and I said no. You told me that my quest for reverence would be my downfall, but look at what's going on right now."

"Gerry, I-"

"And then...I started to actually question if I was really needed here, and I realized when you showed me that THEY were bringing in new rabbits that yes, I was, and that you were only going to use me to use them like you used me to use us."

"We can work together! All of us! We can rescue the rabbits and get out of this wood once and for all!" Dodger said, trying to grasp any reason they would take to allow him to live, "We...we can work together, and I can go in and come back out virtually unnoticed and give you detailed information and-"

"And with nobody going with you, how would we know it was true? How would we know you weren't just sending us in to die?" Gerry asked, his eyes tearing up, "If we sent Salt in with you, she wouldn't come back out. You'd kill her in there and then blame THEM. No. No more lies, Dodger. No more false plans or bullshit. I know what you're capable of, as does Kevin and Number Two and Minerva. You're the only one who seemed to think you were untouchable. The only reason I let you live this long is because I didn't want to BE YOU. I could've stopped you ages ago if I wanted to, if I tried hard enough, but I didn't WANT to become you. But now...now you've given me no choice."

"Gerald, listen to me," Dodger said, grabbing at his fur but Gerry pulled his leg back and shook his head.

"No, Dodger. I am DONE listening to you," he said, "You are a bad bad animal. What we are doing is not just for the good of us, but for the good of everyone out here. How can we claim to be free of villainy if we allow it to live in our home? THEY are just like you. One and the same. Except you...you we can put a stop to."

Gerry turned and walked back to the treeline, glancing back out at the lab as Number Two snickered, and Dodger whipped his head around, snapping at him.

"What's so goddamned funny?!" he shouted.

"Just...the fact that the one of us who came up with this is Mipsy," Number Two said, "She went to Gerry and she gave him this idea and just...you got outsmarted by her. Gerald played a game of chess with you for so long, and in the end it was Mipsy who took you down. Who put all of this into motion."

"She did?" Kevin asked, looking at her, and Mipsy nodded.

"I ask Gerry why not do what he done to you? Lie. Use attachment to him to cover lie, and finish him finally?" Mipsy said, "Gerry already knew he could do this, but did not want to, but I pushed him."

Dodger backed himself up against the tree as he looked to his right and saw Minerva walking towards him.

"You left me to fall off a waterfall, presumably to die, and when I didn't and I got home...my cubs were slaughtered on the ground of my house. The place I'd worked so hard to make safe for them. You have done unspeakable things, and I don't think there's anyone here who would say otherwise," Minerva said, "Number Two and I spoke a lot on that walk back about what constitutes a family, and I think, in the end, what really constitutes a family is that a family would not do this sort of thing to one another. You are never going to be capable of being a part of something except the fear that you have created for and of yourself."

"That isn't true!" Dodger said, crying, "That....my wife and children were taken by THEM, just like so many of you! I saw her go mad from THEIR tests, and she...she cracked and she ate my children! I've lost what you've all lost!"

"And yet you continue to work hard to make us lose more," Gerry said, still looking out at the lab, "Despite all that pain, despite our similarities, you work so damn hard to make us lose more. Fern, Doug, Ellen, Minervas cubs, Lornas eggs...everyone that you have wronged, intentionally, and used for your own gain...and why? To make yourself feel better for what you've had to lose? That's ridiculous. You don't recover from pain by causing more on those around you."

"We could've all escaped and worked together to take them out ages ago," Number Two said, "But you killed that option when you first tried to kill us, and it's since then been pulled from the table. First we're going to kill you and then we're going to deal with THEM, and then we're going to leave this place."

"If you kill me then you're no better than me, or THEM!" Dodger said, thinking he'd found a loophole, grinning, but this joy was short lived.

"This might be true, but at a certain point you have to ask 'so what'. You have to recognize that only evil can defeat another varying degree of evil. There's no pure good. That's only in bedtime stories and fantasy tales. In this world it's just evil vs worse evil, and that's fact," Gerry said, finally turning to face Dodger again, tears rolling down his face, "So, sure, call us evil. But at least we're working to extinguish even worse evil, and I think that says something."

Dodger felt his heartbeat intensifying, his pulse quickening, his fur a wet mix of rain and sweat. He looked around to all the other rabbits, to Minerva and Dice, and then above to Lorna, and he thought of their conversation they'd had right after they'd left the lab. Something she'd said to him, "Seems the ones who cling to the survival of the fittest mindset are often the ones who find themselves surviving." How this was so funny to him now, considering she'd wound up being right. While the Collective had spent their time and energy on simply surviving, Dodger had felt he'd become untouchable. He'd considered himself smarter than them, and that was his ultimate downfall. He'd let himself get too relaxed. He looked at Number Two and he walked towards him.

"You realize this has no happy ending, right?" he asked, looking directly at Number Two before looking around at all the rabbits, "There's no ending to this entire situation, even after I'm gone, where you all wind up happy and safe. You do know that, right? You are rabbits. THEY are humans. You're never going to stop them. You really think that you can change anything? That anything you do will make the world a better place? The only place you could've done some good from was the place you left behind! You, and myself, are nothing out here, we are worthless! You think getting rid of one tiny, little mouse will stop all the cruelty and pain and unfairness?!"

He turned and looked back at Gerald, crying but still his eyes lit with fire.

"There's still hunters, predators, other labs! Even if you manage to stop THEM, you burn it down, THEY will just rebuild it and send more people! Getting rid of me won't do a damn thing, and you know it! In actuality, I am the least of your problems, so what can you really do?!"

Gerald and Dodger glared at one another, and Gerald couldn't help but feel an ounce of sympathy for what had happened to his family, and for the friendship he'd thought they'd once had and for the respect he knew Dodger genuinely held for him and him alone...but he shook his head and lowered his ears, turning and walking past the rest of The Collective.

"Do it," he said.

"Gerald, Gerald wait! We can-" Dodger started, as Lorna flew down from the tree branch overhead and landed in front of him. Dodger stumbled back and crawled up against the tree trunk, visibly shaking from fear as Lorna approached him. He stammered, looking around to everyone else, to anyone, for help, all while knowing full well that he'd never get it. Lorna approached him, her eyes growing angrier with each approaching step, her beak opening up. Dodger tried to grab onto the tree bark and climb, but the rain had made it hard to grab firmly, and he kept sliding down. Gerry, from a bit away from the clearing, could hear Dodger screaming his name, and he just sat in the mud, in the rain, and sobbed, knowing that Lorna was at that moment swallowing Dodger whole.

After she'd finished swallowing, she turned back and looked at Number Two, approaching him and flapping her wings. She nodded at him, and he nodded back at him, before she took flight into the night sky. Number Two walked into the clearing and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry that we had to keep so many of you in the dark regarding this plan, but it had to be done in order to be done right," Number Two said, "I can only hope that you can forgive us and know that we did it so that we could finally rid ourselves of the mouse that ruined so much of our lives. With him gone, we can have some sort of closure, and we can now focus on THEM and rescuing the new rabbits that THEY have brought into the lab, knowing full well that nobody will betray us or mess up our plans. Follow Minerva and go back to the Hollow, I will be right behind you."

Number Two tried to pass Kevin, who stood in shock at what he'd just witnessed, but after a moment, Kevin turned and bounded up beside him.

"Wait, where are you-" Kevin started to asked, but Number Two kept walking faster.

"Don't ask questions. I have to do something," Number Two said, "Just go home Kevin."

Kevin shrugged and, along with Mipsy, headed with the rest of The Collective towards the Hollow. Number Two, meanwhile, was walking into the area Gerry had walked off to, only to find him lying in the mud and muck, soaking wet from the rain and crying. Number Two stood in front of him, before sitting in the mud as well. Number Two looked up at the rain coming down, before he looked back at Gerry, and laid his head on top of his.

"I was his friend," Gerry managed to say between sobs, "I was...his friend...and I did the same thing to him that he did to us, and-"

"No friend would've ever done what he did to begin with," Number Two said softly, placing one paw of Gerry's, "You did the right thing. You're a goddamned hero. You accomplished what we all thought was incapable of being done. Between you and Mipsy, god, he would've just kept making our lives miserable. You know that."

"I know," Gerry said, his voice softening as Number Two shut his eyes and buried his face against Geralds.

"It's okay," Number Two said quietly, "I've got you. It's over. You're safe now."

They stayed that way for a while, Number Two just letting Gerald cry while he comforted him, before they finally headed back to the Hollow. Gerald never knew that his real friend would be right in front of him the entire time. As they started walking back towards him, Gerry thought for a moment before finally asking Number Two something he'd been thinking of for a bit.

"Do you think he'd be proud of me?" Gerry asked.

Number Two smirked, nodding, "Yeah, I think he'd be proud as hell of you. That was conniving."

Gerald wasn't really sure why he needed Dodger's approval, even after he was gone, but it made him feel just a tiny bit better.

                                                                                                 ***

The vent opened and Dodger scurried out, quickly rushing up to Gerry's cage and rattling it gently to wake him. Gerald opened his eyes and looked at Dodger, happy his new friend was back. Gerry yawned and sat up, putting his face against the cage so they could whisper.

"What're you doing back?" Gerry asked.

"I know, it's late, but I just wanted to thank you for showing me where your food was kept. Myself and my friends were starving. It really means a lot to meet someone in here who's nice; who still has even the bare minimum of compassion."

"Well then, you're welcome," Gerry said, smiling, "I do my best."

"I have to get going, but I just wanted to stop in and say thanks," Dodger said, scurrying back to the vent and climbing in, looking back at Gerry before leaving, grinning, "You're a real friend!"

And with that, the mouse was gone.

Gerald smiled to himself and laid back down, shutting his eyes. A real friend? Yes. They would be real friends.

As he drifted off into sleep once more, Gerry wondered when he'd see Dodger again.

Kevin found himself sitting outside The Hollow, staring at a bird up in a tree and thinking "what a marvelous creature". Watching this bird twitter about and flit its wings, he sighed and looked down at his paws, covered in mud and blood and dirt and muck. The paws of a rabbit who'd orchestrated something terrible. Something horrid, but necessary. Suddenly he heard breathing beside him, and he shivered, surprised by Number Two's presence, who looked just as bad; his eyes bloodshot and his face scarred. They nodded, acknowledging one another, but not saying a word, choosing instead to both watch the bird. After a few moments, Number Two cleared his throat, his voice still hoarse from all the screaming, and he looked across the way, at Mipsy, who was asleep in a spot of sunlight.

"It hurts," he said softly, "Having to kill the ones you know. I never knew how deeply it could cut, but it cuts, and it cuts so deep that I doubt these scars will ever fade. None of us wanted that. But we did had to be done. He...couldn't be saved. I hope you know that."

"I know," Kevin said, calmly but coldly, "I know that. Just like Number Four, just like everyone else before us, it's never been my fault. Hell, I think you were more associated with him than I was. But still, you're right, it hurts. I feel like there's...there's this void inside of me now that was once filled with goodness that's now just a pit of tar, and I'm drowning in it, and I'm wondering if I can ever be rescued."

"We did the right thing, Kevin," Number Two said, "We have to move on. We have to move forward. We have dealt with him, and now we have to deal with THEM. We trusted him, and...it was always a lie. This was bound to happen eventually."

Number Two rested his head on Kevins shoulder and shut his eyes, enjoying the bird song. Kevin knew that he was right. He knew that it had to happen, and that they'd done the right thing, but that didn't make him feel much better. Actually, seemed like everytime he did the right thing, he felt worse and worse.

                                                                                          ***

Gerry hated sneaking off in the middle of the night, but it was time. He and Dodger had a plan set, and he wasn't about to deviate from that plan. He packed up his little satchel and he quietly began walking past the other sleeping rabbits, until he passed by the burrow Number Two was sleeping in, and he backed up. He stopped, and he walked in and he looked at him, and he smiled. He then slipped a small leaf with some charcoal scribbled on it next to him, before turning and exiting. Walking past the rabbits in the main burrow, he managed to only get barely out of the Hollow when he heard a voice behind him.

"Are you ready?" Dodger asked, with Gerry turning towards him in surprise, nodding silently.

Dodger climbed on top of him and the two started heading off into the treeline. Dodged sighed as he nestled into Geralds warm fur and he smiled.

"So, will there be a frenzy?" Dodger asked, "Will there be a surprise when they wake up and found you've gone with no prior warning?"

"I left a note," Gerry said, "But it doesn't say much. It just said 'It's Time', and I hope they know what that means."

"I certainly do," Dodger said, "I've waited a long time for this day, Gerald. For you to finally join me, and now together we can do amazing things. With you as the face and me as the brains, we'll be unstoppable, and we'll take whatever we want from whoever we want if and when we need it."

Gerry nodded, feeling sick in his stomach, knowing how this all could end, but he soldiered onward nonetheless.

                                                                                              ***

"Kevin," Number Two said in a hushed voice, "Kevin wake the fuck up."

Kevins eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Number Two from lying on his side, his ears flopping back.

"Wh-what? What's going on?" Kevin asked.

"Gerry's gone," Number Two said, "I heard him come into my room, and then leave. He left me this note that just said 'it's time'. I think he's leaving to be with Dodger. We have to find him, and stop him, before it's too late. Dodger could hurt him, or Gerry could help Dodger hurt us, and either way we have to avoid those situations."

"It's always something. It can never be 'hey Kevin, I made you a snack' or 'hey Kevin, here's a nice new comfortable bed', no, it's always something dramatic," Kevin said, groaning as he got up, his metal leg clicking and sticking before finally unclicking and wiring back into place. He looked at Number Two, who motioned with his head toward the front of The Hollow, and Kevin nodded, understanding. They started off and got outside, only a few years from the main entrance, when they heard a voice calling after them.

"Where going?" Mipsy asked.

"Mipsy, uh," Number Two said, seemingly unprepared for her to be awake, "Um, we...Gerry might have left us. We think he...we think he's going to meet with Dodger and run away with him, or help him in destroying us and...and we need to stop that."

"I come with," Mipsy said.

"Mipsy, there's no need for you to come with us, just go back to sleep and-" Kevin started, but Number Two interrupted.

"No, she's coming with us," he said, "She's earned that much."

Mipsy scampered to catch up with them and, together, the three of them headed into the cold dark night.

                                                                                               ***

Plodding along, the sound of the air whistling by them and through the leaves slightly unnerving him, Gerry couldn't help but feel ill. He knew what this decision was, and what it was leading to. He knew the consequences of walking out of The Hollow, but he knew it was what he had to do. It was the right thing to do after all. After a bit, Dodger tugged on his ear to get his attention.

"So," Dodger started, "How do you think they'll carry on without you? That's the only thing you asked for, was for them not to be bothered, and I'm giving it to you, but I have to admit I'm somewhat curious as to what they'll do without their faithful fearless leader."

"I don't know that I'm their leader anymore, let alone faithful or fearless," Gerry said quietly in response, his voice extremely monotone.

"Well, I think you're fearless," Dodger said, "I mean, you have the guts to do what has to be done, and that's what I've always admired about you. You weren't afraid to stay behind with them because you thought it was the right choice, and you weren't afraid to come with me because you thought it was the right choice. That's a good quality to have, Gerald, sticking to your morals and beliefs. I value that in you greatly."

Gerry suddenly wanted to throw up, tears swelling up in his eyes.

"I always hoped that you'd come to me one day," Dodger said, "But it seemed like you were fine going without me and doing whatever it took to keep them safe. Until, I guess, you realized they didn't need you anymore. You built Kevin up into this grandiose leader, and with Number Two by his side, well goddamn they'll be right as rain, really."

"Kevin, is a good leader, but Kevin also makes rash decisions, and sometimes doesn't have the stomach to do what has to be done," Gerry said.

"Wow. Didn't think I'd ever hear you criticize your own crew," Dodger said, sounding genuinely surprised, "But I suppose you're right. All the better he's got Number Two with him then, I suppose, eh? Being all logical and whatnot?"

"That's got its drawbacks too. You need a healthy combination. So yes, together the two will do fine, but apart they would be terrible," Gerry said, "They needed a middle. They needed me. I just realized they weren't ever going to admit it, unless I proved it."

"Well, maybe you leaving will prove it," Dodger said.

"That's the idea," Gerry replied, shivering again, but this time...not from the windchill.

                                                                                           ***

"How'd you get to be so good at tracking?" Kevin asked as Number Two led them through the darkened woods.

"Minerva. All that time spent with her down near the river, trying to find her way back home, that's how," Number Two said, "Plus, between our trips to the lab and back and gathering food, I'd say we know these woods pretty damn well by this point."

"I hear thing," Mipsy said softly, lowering her ears and looking back, "I think some one follow us."

"Nobody but us is out here," Number Two said, "And maybe owls."

Just then, that same clicking sound from earlier emitted from Kevins mechanical leg and he stopped dead in his tracks, annoyed. He kicked against it with his other foot, hoping to get it to work again, but to no avail.

"That's not good," Number Two said, "That could become a real problem."

"Become? It's ALREADY a real problem, in case you failed to notice," Kevin said.

"It's rust," a voice said, surprising them all, and from out of the darkness of the nearby bushes walked Richardson, as he continued, "It's wearing down. Sure, it'll hold up a while longer, but eventually that thing's going to break. Nothing in this world is completely salvageable."

Standing there, in the clearing with Number Two and Kevin, hot on the heels of Gerry and Dodger, Mipsy couldn't believe what she was seeing. There he was, in the flesh, right in front of her. Richardson. He was just standing there, looking all the worse for wear, but he was there. She locked eyes with him and walked forward, in front of Number Two and Kevin, and she glared at him, as he cowered under her.

"You a BAD rabbit," she said coldly, and he nodded.

"I know...I know, I'm so-" he started, but she interrupted.

"I have LOT to say to you," she said, "You lie to everyone, and...and you do it for sister, but not for other girl rabbits! We important, just like sister! I hope she doing well!"

"She's dead," Richardson said, taking the hot air out of Mipsy immediately, making her regret her statement as he looked at them, his eyes dark, like black holes swirling with galaxies of infinite sadness, "Um...I wasn't...I wasn't following you guys. I just was out here looking for something to eat and heard you, so I came to make sure it was you and not someone else. I wasn't even going to say anything, but your leg made me feel like-"

"Are you telling me," Number Two said, now stepping forward, "That after all we went through to get back into that lab, to get your little sister back, for all the pain I and my fox friends have endured, and at the cost of losing Number Four...that you couldn't even keep your little sister ALIVE?!" Number Two screamed, snarling at him in a fit of rage even Kevin had never seen from him, as he added, "IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME?!"

"I tried," Richardson said, his voice cracking, starting to cry, "I did, I tried, but it...it's so hard out here without help and Kevin, understandably, told me to leave, so I did and...and I'm sorry."

"I don't give two shits if you're sorry! Do you have ANY idea the kind of misery you put everyone through you traitorous son of a bitch?! You're lucky that I-" Number Two started again, before Kevin interrupted him.

"I forgive you," Kevin said, surprising them all, and making Richardson look up at him.

"Wh....what?" he asked, his lips quivering.

"I forgive you. You were manipulated, like we've all been," Kevin said, "I know what it's like to lose someone you worked so hard to fight for and protect. I know how much that hurts you deep inside, and that you...you never REALLY recover from it. What happened?"

Richardson was in shock. He'd never expected this sort of behavior, especially not from these two, as both seemed extremely out of character, but he sighed and lowered his head, his ears flopping over his eyes, and he thought back...back to where it'd all gone wrong.

                                                                                                  ***

It wasn't like it'd gotten gradually worse either, it had started out terrible, and there was nothing, realistically, that he could've done to even prevent it from getting worse. He wasn't like Gerry or Kevin or Number Two. He didn't have the wits and the know how to survive in the wild, especially not while trying to protect his little sister. Soon after they'd gotten free of The Collective and were on their own, he found himself having to do all the work because she was still such a child, and he simply didn't know what to do or how to do it. She did what she could, helped how she could, but ultimately it was up to Richardson, and Richardson alone, to keep them alive.

He dug them their own little burrow with his own two paws, found and gathered food every single day for them to eat, always making sure that she had more than he did, and they always slept in the same area together so he could keep and eye on her. He didn't want to let anything happen to her again, as he still felt guilty from having left her in the lab during the escape.

But, despite their troubles, things went along fine. Or as close to fine as they could be. Richardson continued to teach her about the world, and they played together and every night he would tell her stories to help put her to sleep. She was his little sister, and he was going to make sure she knew just how much he loved her. Someone had to, since their parents weren't around.

But that sound. God, that sound never left his brain. That metal clink. The hinge squeaking. The sound of metallic snapping and Clara screaming. He could recall every detail, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, in bright vivid imagery like it was happening in real time all the time. The blood gushing from her ankle down to her feet, her eyes filled with terror, and Richardson standing there, not sure what to do. How had they not seen the trap? How had he himself not walked across it first? She was begging for help, but Richardson was frozen, unsure how to help, and then, within a matter of seconds of the trap springing shut around her foot, three bullets whizzed through her neck, and it was over. Richardson was standing there, shock overtaking his entire nervous system despite his brain yelling at him to run or he'd be next. He only snapped out of it because he heard the human voice coming his way and quickly dove into a nearby bush.

From there, he watched, teary eyed and mouth agape, as two men walked into the woods and stood over her. One leaned down and opened the trap, stroking her fur, before he pulled out his knife. Richardson sat there, and he watched. He watched these men who'd killed his little sister skin her of her hide right there, because that was his punishment from keeping it from happening. After all was said and done, and they had left with her hide and her body, presumably to cook and eat, he stepped back out into the clearing from the bush and he looked at the trap. Blood smeared across the ground, across the leaves, and he noticed they'd reset it. He stared at it for moments before stepping forward and raising his front right paw, hovering it over the trap, almost bringing it down inside. It was only because he heard their voices again that he realized what he was doing, and that he turned and high tailed it out of the area.

For the next few weeks, Richardson would come and go from the spot, staring at the trap and thinking about Clara. About her cries for help, and all the blood, which by now had seeped into the surrounding soil. Whether it was storming or was ungodly hot, Richardson went out and he stood there and he stared at the trap. He thought about putting his face in first, and feeling the snap on the back of his skull, but he wasn't sure it would be painful enough to die from, and he wanted his death to really be worth what he'd allowed to have happened. It only ended when he went one day to see it, and the trap was no longer there. He didn't know what to do, so he left. And he never went back.

Since then, he'd scavenged for himself, slept in the same burrow he'd dug for them and thought, sometimes, late at night, that he could hear her crying for him. He'd saved her from the lab and she'd still died. Richardson had been wrong the whole time. Nowhere was safe, not even outside. The only safe place now was the cold envelopment of death, and he was glad Clara was there, never to be harmed again.

                                                                                               ***

"Richardson?" Kevin asked, "We really need to go, we have to catch Gerry. But, you should keep in mind, I forgive you, even if nobody else does. You're welcome back to The Collective if you want to come back."

"I don't deserve to be around anyone," Richardson said, sniffling, "Just make sure your leg doesn't break. If it does, you're gonna be in a lot more trouble than you already seem to be. And Mipsy..." he glanced at her as she put her ears down and looked at him glumly as he said, "...you're right. I'm bad. Everything was my fault and so many suffered for it. Now it's my turn to suffer. I want to help, but I...I don't know that I can. I'm so sorry. You too, Number Two, I'm so sorry."

"I forgive you," Mipsy said, "I sorry sister die."

"Thank you," Richardson said, slightly smiling, before nodding to Number Two and heading back into the woods, out of sight. The three of them stood around and couldn't believe they had just seen him, before they quickly remembered WHY they had come out here in the first place, and continued on their way.

                                                                                                    ***

Gerry and Dodger stopped at the treeline, staring at the lab. Dodger was getting a drink from a puddle while Gerry watched the lights in the lab blink brightly. Dodger wiped his mouth on his arm and walked over to Gerry, patting him on the leg.

"You okay?" he asked.

"We're gonna rescue them," Gerry said, "We're not leaving them behind. Only a monster would do that."

"I agree," Dodger said.

Gerry and Dodger turned and head back into the clearing, when he heard a twig snap and Dodger quickly whipped around to see a pair of bright green eyes staring at him from the darkness. From the darkness strode Minerva, and Dodger almost laughed.

"My god you frightened me!" he said, "What're you doing out here?"

"Fixing something," Minerva said, as Dice came out beside her, and Lorna landed in a tree above them. Dodger looked around and noticed every other rabbit was coming out of the woodwork, surrounding them. Dodger, now starting to feel somewhat worried, looked to Gerry and tugged on his fur.

"Get us out of here NOW," he said through gritted teeth, just as Number Two, Kevin and Mipsy came through the darkness and into the clearing.

"You son of a bitch!" Kevin shouted, heading towards Gerry, but Number Two held him back.

"No, don't," Number Two said, "It worked. Gerry, come over here and let's put an end to this, okay, like we planned."

"You PLANNED this?!" Kevin asked, shocked.

"I'm staying right here," Gerry said, flatly, as it started to thunder overheard and rain, "I'm not moving from this spot."

"Gerald, what's going on?" Dodger asked, looking up at him, and Gerry looked down at this tiny little mouse, the one that had caused him, caused everyone, so much pain and suffering; this mouse he'd long ago called his friend, and his eyes dimmed and his ears lowered, and his gut wrenched.

"I'm going to kill you Dodger, that's what's going on," he said, "I'm going to kill you now."

They'd finally done it. It had taken strategic planning and hushed voices, but The Collective had finally done the unthinkable, and outsmarted him. Staring at everyones faces surrounding him now, Dodger couldn't help but feel so very stupid, and he looked back at Gerry and he realized...

...it was over.

Mipsy didn't partake in planning. She rarely partook in discussions regarding decision making, and most of the time, she didn't even understand a lot of it. All she knew was that these were her friends, and that these rabbits, Kevin and Gerry and Number Two, that they'd been the reason any of them had gotten out to begin with, so she stuck by them because she knew they would protect her, and given her issues now, she needed protection, much as it pained her to admit it to herself. So Mipsy stood idly by and she listened, and she watched, but mostly she just was there. She was there because there was nowhere else for her to be, and nobody objected to her presence.

But none of that hurt the most. What hurt the most was that she'd not been like this before. Before THEM. Before the poorly executed experiment. She'd been able to think clearly, she'd been able to blink in unison, she'd been able to form coherent sentences instead of fragments. That's what hurt her the most, was not what she'd become, but what she had been.

Sitting outside and watching rain drip from the leaves of a bush, Mipsy couldn't help but feel like if only she were still who she'd been...maybe they'd...maybe they'd have more use for her. Maybe she could actually be of great help. She used to be smart. She used to be cunning, brilliant. After all, in her section of the lab, she had to be. She was one of the original Special Seven, after all.

                                                                                              ***

"We have the best spot in the lab," Meadow said, smiling as she looked over through her cage at Mipsy, who smiled back and nodded.

"Indeed we do," Mipsy said, "We get the big window, the bright warm morning sun. I don't know how the other sections live in the darkness and steel, but I'd go bonkers without this light. It helps me feel like I'm still really alive."

"It certainly cuts the dread," Richardson said, chiming in from across the table in his own cage, "You're not wrong about that. Makes things so much seem so much simpler, less menacing."

Mipsy smiled as she curled back up into a ball and laid her head back down, flopping her ears over her face as she drifted back off into a light early morning doze. She didn't have any experiments planned for today. She could sleep all day if she wanted to, or head over to see Richardsons sister and play some games with her when THEY weren't around. Yes, Mipsy was going to have an absolutely wonderful day.

                                                                                            ***

"Mipsy?" a voice asked, distracting her from the dripping leaves as she turned and spotted Number Two coming up behind her; he continued, "What're you doing out here? It's cold and wet. You should come inside before you get sick."

"I'm not child," she said coldly, and then, feeling bad, added, "Sorry. You...right, I just...want be....um...I like rain."

"I understand. It gets a bit cramped in there from time to time," Number Two said, shaking himself off as he sat near her and watched the leaves, "Rain is soothing. Rain is calming. I can understand why you'd like it. Are you okay?"

"...I am...stupid. Didn't use to be stupid, but I stupid now, and...hurts. Hurts me," Mipsy said, sniffling.

"You're not stupid, Mipsy, and even if you were, that isn't your fault, that's THEM," Number Two said, "Why do you think you're-"

"I used be able spell good," Mipsy said, tears welling up in her eyes, "I used...be one of...Specials."

"You were a Special Seven?" Number Two asked, genuinely surprised by this news, as she nodded and sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her paws, before touching the wire on her head with a paw and looking angry.

"Before this, I was special too, in other lab part, away from you guys," Mipsy said, "I was so smart."

"You're still smart," Number Two said, "Please don't think you're not. You've made it this far, that alone should be telling of your intelligence. You've managed to survive despite all odds, even before the escape."

"What THEY did to Number Four...THEY did to me, THEY monsters," Mipsy said, "THEY not kill Specials, but hurt us very bad. I miss..."

"You miss Number Four?" Number Two asked, as Mipsy started bawling.

"I miss me," she sobbed.

                                                                                        ***

When Mipsy awoke, eyes barely adjusted, she already knew she didn't recognize where she was. She stood up, wobbled and fell against the side of her cage. She glanced at the side to see a second cage beside her own, with another rabbit in it, a small rabbit, who looked very very young. She turned and looked at Mipsy, before looking back at the metal slab in the center of the room, covered in blood and fur. Mipsy began to regain consciousness a bit more now, and found herself startled by this visual.

"Where am I?" she asked, her speech almost slurred.

"I don't know," the smaller rabbit cried, "I don't know, I don't know but they killed him, they killed him!"

"Killed who?" Mipsy asked, staggering around her cage in an almost drunken stupor, realizing THEY must've drugged her to bring her here without her knowing or causing a fuss, to make her more maleable to work with, "Who killed who?"

"The rabbit, the one on the table, they killed him! He exploded!" the smaller younger rabbit cried, "He exploded!"

"He...exploded?" Mipsy asked, finally finding her footing, shaking her head, "What do you mean he exploded?"

"THEY blew him up!" the little rabbit cried, "THEY blew him up! I'm not...what'll they do to me?!"

"They're not going to do anything to you, okay? Just relax, you'll be alright, I promise," Mipsy said.

Just then the door opened back up and a janitor came in, wiping down the slab and mopping the floor. After that they sighed, shook their head and left. It was empty and quiet for a few moments, as Mipsy glanced around the room. She noticed there were no windows in this room. No sunlight. Somehow this made her feel even worse than she already did and she suddenly felt claustrophobic. She then heard the door re-open, and a pair of scientists walked in, holding a small metal device with a wire dangling from it.

Mipsy looked at the cage with the small rabbit in it, as one of the scientists picked the cage up and carried it away, with Mipsy looking on in terror, until she noticed the other scientist standing over her own cage now. THEY pulled the top hatch open, reached inside and grabbed her, taking her out and walking with her over to the table, where they strapped her down and attached the node with the wire to her head. She felt an incredible surge of pain coursing through her skull, and she began to thrash, best she could given being strapped down, until she finally blacked out.

When she awoke, she couldn't think clearly, her mind felt clouded. She looked around and noticed Richardson and Meadow talking, but she could barely parse what it was they were saying. Mipsy tried to stand, but she couldn't, and her legs just gave way. THEY had sedated her again, apparently. So she lay there, and she suddenly realized why she couldn't understand her friends. Because she literally couldn't understand them anymore. Whatever THEY had done to her had fried her brain so badly, and as she'd later learn, accidentally, that she'd forgotten how to speak.

Mipsy spent the next few months teaching herself to talk again, and trying to rebuild her friendships, but she never really felt the same. Especially not among the other Specials in her lab section. So she just tried to stay in the pack, completely ignored, until finally, someone took notice of her.

                                                                                          ***

"You know," Number Two said, pawing the ground they were sitting at, looking at his paws, his one full ear half lowered, "I used to be afraid of myself. I used to be afraid of the rabbit that I could've become if I let myself. I worked so hard to think logically, to negate any emotions and only use reason to get through things that it didn't really let me connect to anyone else. That may be fine for others, I don't know, but it turns out it wasn't fine for me. I needed to feel things. I didn't go back to the lab to save everyone, I mean, I knew everyone was in danger but..."

Mipsy cocked her head and sniffled, looking at him, tears in his own eyes now.

"I went because I hadn't seen him in so long, and I knew that he would be in danger the moment they hit the grass because of Dodger, and yeah, I was worried and I acted irrationally, but my irrationality saved Gerald, and it saved everyone else, and it nearly got me killed, but I...I think there's maybe something good about thinking differently. Thinking differently may not have worked for me, but...it works for others. You see things others don't see. You comprehend things other don't comprehend. You're able to problem solve in ways nobody else can because their brains are so restricted to their way of thinking. Just because of what THEY did to you, Mipsy, it doesn't make you any less of a Special, you'll ALWAYS be special, with or without THEIR label. Because you're Mipsy, and you think differently, and that...that is the greatest superpower you can EVER have."

Mipsy blushed and cuddled up to his side, the two of them sitting there watching the rain drip from the leaves. He was right. She WAS special. In fact, as they'd all soon learn, Mipsy may have been the most special rabbit of them all.

                                                                                       ***

                                                                          MERE DAYS LATER

Standing there, in the clearing with Number Two and Kevin, hot on the heels of Gerry and Dodger, Mipsy couldn't believe what she was seeing. There he was, in the flesh, right in front of her. Richardson. He was just standing there, looking all the worse for wear, but he was there. She locked eyes with him and walked forward, in front of Number Two and Kevin, and she glared at him, as he cowered under her.

"You a BAD rabbit," she said coldly, and he nodded.

"I know...I know, I'm so-" he started, but she interrupted.

"I have LOT to say to you," she said.

It had been storming pretty good, and a crack of thunder awoke Stone. Eyesight blurry, she got up and walked throughout the Hollow, heading towards the opening so she could see the rain for herself, but upon exiting the Hollow, she found Kevin already standing outside, soaked to the bone. Stone stopped, still under the overhang of the Hollow and cleared her throat so he'd turn and notice her, which he did.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"Look," Kevin said, lifting a paw and pointing at a tree in the distance that had been caught on fire by the lightning. Stone stepped forward and, together, they stood there in the cool rain and watched the fire burn bright in the distance.

"That's what you want," Stone said.

"Yes."

"I don't know how you expect to figure out how to make fire," Stone said, "And if you do that, if you actually were to succeed, the consequences could be-"

"If I don't, the consequences of THEIR actions will continue forever," Kevin said, somewhat snapping at her, "THEY have left me no choice. THEY have to be stopped, and I'll do whatever it takes to achieve that. No other rabbits will be hurt because of THEM, or because I laid down and allowed it to happen. In the lab, they had these little metal sticks with a round piece on the end, I think they called them Flints, and they used them to light stuff on fire. If someone could get in there and get one, then-"

"You cannot be serious," Stone said, "After what happened the last time, you still want to-"

"I never said it'd be me," Kevin said, "No, it'd have to be someone small. Someone virtually undetectable. Someone like a mouse. Someone like Salt."

                                                                                           ***

Kevin knew her hangouts. He knew where to find her. The following morning, he and Stone headed out together before anyone else was awake, to check each of Salt's places of being. Walking along through the woods, dew on everything from the rain the night before, Stone couldn't help but feel that Kevin was hellbent on a suicide mission, and the only way to keep him from destroying himself was to be with him. She knew that losing Number Four was hard on him, and she knew that he wanted to see the ones who'd done that to her pay for their crimes, but she still worried.

"Do you think she'd actually agree to help you?" Stone asked.

"Yes, with no hesitation," Kevin replied, "Salt is the reason we're out here in the first place. She helped us find Steve's other feet to bury in the lab garden, and she's why we were even able to escape. She's everything Dodger promised but failed to be."

"That's good that you trust her that much," Stone said.

"It would be hard to be worse than Dodger," a voice said suddenly, scaring the both of them, as they glanced around until finally hearing the sound of wingflaps and a crow landed on the forest floor before them. It took Kevin a moment, but then he realized it.

"Lorna?" he asked, as she ruffled her feathers and nodded.

"Hello Kevin," she said, "I hear you're looking to attack the lab. A noble crusade, if I may say so myself. Are you willing to be as low as him though? Committing the mass murder of a species simply for personal gain?"

"We can all agree that THEY are not worthy of living," Kevin said, walking up to her and standing on his hind legs, bringing them up to eye level, "Morality is bullshit when the people you're going after don't believe in it to begin with. And I'm not doing this for my own gain. I'm doing this so THEY can't hurt others. I'm doing the thing Dodger LIED about doing."

Kevin and Lorna looked at one another before Kevin finally glanced back at Stone and jerked his head in a 'let's move' motion. As the two continued past him, they heard her call after them a few seconds later.

"He killed my eggs," Lorna said.

"Wh...what?" Kevin asked, looking back at Lorna now, "He what?"

"When I told him I couldn't protect him anymore, from other birds and whatnot, because I had laid eggs and would need to be a mother...he pushed them out of the nest," Lorna said, "He killed my unborn children. I'm not saying you're Dodger, Kevin, I just want you to acknowledge where this sort of road leads and what the consequences are."

"THEY need to be stopped," Kevin said, "But he needs to be stopped first. Number Two and the rest are planning a way to catch him and kill him, finish all of this once and for all, and I'm sure they'd appreciate any help you could give them. We just had a pair of foxes arrive who lost their cubs to him as well. He's a monster. He's a manipulator. Go to the Hollow, meet with Number Two and Gerry, and they'll bring you into their plan."

"That would be wise," Lorna said, "And Kevin, if you are given the chance to burn that place to nothing but ashes, then you take that chance. I want to see their charred remains on the ground, and eat from their corpses."

"Damn," Stone muttered.

After a moment passed, Lorna took flight into the trees again, as Kevin and Stone continued. After a bit more traipsing through the woods, they eventually came to a certain clearing that Kevin knew Salt preferred, thanks to its amount of shrubbery for hiding from birds and snakes. The two stopped and waited, as Kevin called out Salts name, but to no answer. He did it a few more times, also to no answer, before finally looking at Stone and shrugging.

"Now what do we do?" Stone asked.

"We wait," Kevin replied, "She'll come."

                                                                                       ***

Gerry was sitting outside in the shade, relaxing, when he felt the presence of someone else beside him. He opened one eye and spotted Number Two sitting beside him, exhaling. Gerry smiled and shut his eye again, continuing his rest as Number Two glanced around at the nature and beauty around them.

"It's still a weird feeling, isn't it?" Number Two asked, "Being out of the lab?"

"It really is. I never thought we'd actually get here, but we're here, and I'm gonna do what I can to make sure everyone stays out."

"Gerald," Number Two said, looking down at his paws digging into the dirt ever so slightly, "I'm sorry for yelling at you in the meeting. I just...it's been a rough few weeks for me, you have to understand. I worried I wouldn't make it to you all in time and then I nearly died making sure you guys made it past Dodger, then he left Minerva and I to fall off a waterfall, and somehow we survived. Then we spent days in the wilderness, trying to find her home, and when we finally did find it...her cubs were gone. I had to deal with her breakdown on the way back to the Hollow and-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Gerry said, "You have every right to be angry at me."

"I'm not...I'm not angry at you, Gerald, I was scared. I thought emotionally for the first time in my life and it terrified me, especially once I thought I might die, because there was so much I still didn't get to say or do or see. When I was in the woods with Minerva, she had to convince me that it wasn't bad to care about others, and consider you all family, and that thought absolutely terrified me. I never wanted to think of any of you as family, because if I allowed myself to become emotionally involved, it'd also mean allowing myself to be in tremendous pain if anything ever happened to anyone."

"That's the risk you take," Gerry said, smiling, "But it's worth it, trust me. I believed in Kevin, I told him he do all these great things and look at what he's managed to accomplish, and without me even being there to help him. You're the same way. But really, you're to me what I was to Kevin. I'm alive because you're logical and you kept me on task, on track, so thank you. I am happy to call you-"

"You're the bravest rabbit I've ever known. You and Kevin, but especially you. I think I got the courage to help Minerva and attack Dodger because of everything I've seen you and him do. That's what pissed me off back in the lab, was watching you get all dour and think things were impossible, because I knew nothing was impossible to you. That wasn't the Gerald I knew. The Gerald I knew could, and would, do anything," Number Two said.

Gerry and Number Two looked at one another, Gerry finally opened his eyes fully and turning his head to see him. The two sat there, staring at one another for a moment, with Number Twos whiskers twitching nervously in the cool breeze. Gerry understood, and he nodded. Just then, Lorna landed in front of them, and they both glanced up to see her.

"Holy shit," Gerry said, "It's you."

"I hear you are itching to kill the mouse," Lorna said softly, "I am itching to help you."

Right. Dodger...the plan to kill him. Gerry sadly had this reality crash back down on him. He hadn't told anyone that he'd met with Dodger a few times, that they'd made plans to leave together...but he ignored his guilt and shame, and instead he smiled and nodded back.

"Come with us into the Hollow, we'll talk in there," he said, leading Lorna behind him, leaving Number Two sitting under the tree, so very pleased with himself.

                                                                                         ***

Stone sighed and looked at a nearby tree with initials carved into it, before glancing back at Kevin, who was seated patiently on a nearby log stump. Stone rolled her eyes and approached him.

"How long are we gonna wait for this mouse?" she asked.

"She'll come," Kevin said.

"Kevin...I know you want to hurt these people, and I know they for certain deserve it, and I know that losing Ellen...that it decimated you deeply, but doing this isn't really going to get rid of that pain. I just want you to-"

"This is no longer about me and my pain," Kevin said, "This is about helping rabbits who don't deserve to be exposed to what we were exposed to. You know what it's like in there. You know the shit THEY do to you. Nobody helped us. Dodger lied, and Salt only came to help out of guilt of him lying, and, much as I appreciate it, that's the truth. These rabbits will have even less help. They might not get along like we did. This is about doing the right thing, the thing nobody would do for us."

Stone lowered her head and drooped her ears.

"You know," Kevin said, clearing his throat, sounding on the verge of tears, "Before I was in the lab I had a family. That family was ripped away from me because I failed to protect them, and there's nothing I can do about that. But I have a new family, and I cannot let myself fail twice. Nobody protected me, but I can assure you that I'm going to protect everyone else."

Just then, the bushes cleared, and Salt came running through, stopping in shock at the sight of them, only because she hadn't been expecting anyone.

"Holy god!" she shouted, starting to laugh, "Oh man, I...I didn't think anyone would be here! Don't do that to me!"

"It's good to see you," Kevin said, smiling, as she hugged his leg.

"It's good to see you too, Kevin," Salt replied, "What're you doing here?"

"I need your help. I need you to go into the lab and get me a device called a flint," Kevin said, "It's what they use to start fires. I know they have some, and I need you to bring that device back to me as quickly as you can."

"Why do you want to start a fire?" Salt asked, looking confused, her head darting back between the two rabbits, who glanced at one another and smiled.

"Because I'm gonna burn that fucking place to the ground," Kevin said.

Salt looked at them both for a moment, and then grinned.

"Alright, so how do we do this?" she asked happily.

Nobody said a word.

There was an eerie sense of both togetherness and hostility in Stone's room, as she, Nickle, Mipsy, Number Two, Number Six, Kevin and Gerald stood around in a circle, all watching one another. After a moment, Minerva and Dice entered the room as well, closing off the passage behind them with the piece of bark Stone used as a makeshift door. They took their seats within the circle, and yet, still, nobody said a word. After a moment, Stone cleared her throat and sighed.

"I guess we should say that we're happy you are alive and well," Stone said, looking at Number Two, sitting beside her, "Because everyone feared you dead, and they mourned you, but to have you just stroll on back in, perhaps a bit worse for wear, is wonderful. Welcome back Number Two."

Number Two wouldn't speak though, he was staring at the ground, his eyes squinting, clearly holding back tears. Stone continued.

"We are here because of news that Gerry has brought us," Stone said, "The news of the new rabbits at the lab is distressing, absolutely, and I think he's right in that we have to do something about this as soon as possible. I wanted to have this conversation more in private because of Number Two's return, but-"

"You fucking idiot," Number Two mumbled, still looking at the ground, everyone else now looking at him.

"What?" Stone asked, as he Number Two snapped his vision to her, snarling.

"Not you, HIM," he said, tears rolling down his face, glancing at Kevin, "You fucking idiot. Do you even realize what damage you caused? Your little medicine stunt destroyed entire families. Your decision to go back there and get that medicine caused so much pain, and you don't even know it."

"I...I-" Kevin stuttered.

"And for what?" Number Two asked, stepping forward, "Because you wanted to save Number Four, right? Well where is she, Kevin? Where's Number Four? Off recuperating somewhere? No? Let me guess, she's fucking dead, isn't she? So what did you really gain out of that outside of the remaining Collectives freedom? Nothing? Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Hey, there's no reason to be mean," Gerry said, as Kevin cowered a bit, backing up behind him, hiding from Number Two.

"No, he needs to hear this, Gerald, he needs to be aware, if he's going to be in some sort of leadership position, that the choices he makes have outcomes, good AND bad, and sometimes only good or only bad, and that sometimes they aren't worth making at all. Do you even really think it would've saved her? Honestly? She was so sick, all you would've done is prolonged things, and sure, you would've had more time with her, and that would've been nice, but you couldn't save her, you couldn't save anyone!"

Number Two stopped and sniffled, looking at Minerva, who was also crying.

"None of us could," he added, "Because of what you did, these foxes lost their children, because of what you did I nearly died, because of what you did everything was worse. You did it out of love, I get that, I...I understand caring about someone, but you really fucking screwed up."

"I'm sorry..." Kevin mumbled, now crying himself, still hiding behind Gerry, "I just...I loved her so much, and I-"

"I know. She was my friend, Kevin. We were part of the same team. She and I spent a lot of time together in that lab. She was crazy about you," Number Two said, "I want to admire you for trying, but I can't help but hate you for failing. What you did killed innocent fox cubs, and Number Four, and nearly killed me. And it isn't your fault entirely. All this blood is on Dodger's hands, which is what I'm here to talk about. I have had it with him. He's orchestrated two major murder attempts on us now, and I guarantee you he won't stop there, no, I guarantee you he's aiming for a third. He needs to be stopped, and he needs to be stopped, preferably, before he gets the chance to try again."

"I...I mean, has anyone even seen Dodger lately?" Six asked, "Because I sure as hell haven't, so."

Everyone shook their heads, including Gerry, who felt awful for lying.

"This isn't just about survival anymore," Number Two said, "This is no longer about us vs him trying to get out of a horrible place. He's systematically trying to kill us now, and he's going to kill everything else in his way until he achieves that goal unless we put our paws down and stop him once and for all."

"Number Two?" Mipsy asked, making Number Two look at her.

"Yes?"

"Um...I miss you," she said, "I...I glad...you is back."

Number Two smiled a little, nodding, "I missed you too, Mipsy. I'm glad to see you've been okay while I've been gone."

"Everything you said is true...", Kevin said, now finally stepping somewhat out from behind Gerry, "I messed up, and I'm so sorry," now glancing up at the foxes, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know he'd do anything to your family, I didn't...I didn't even know he...I'm so sorry. I lost my family too, and I would never wish that on anyone else. I'm so sorry."

"It isn't your fault," Minerva said calmly, surprising even even herself, "And if you are blaming yourself, at least take solace in the fact that I forgive you, so you should as well. As Paul said, your heart was in the right place, and we all do ridiculous things for the ones that we love and care for."

Everyone didn't speak for a few moments, the tension in the air now dissipating somewhat, everyone feeling like they could breath again without causing an emotional breakdown of someone nearby. After a few moments, Number Two looked at Gerry, sitting across from him.

"What should we do?" he asked, "What do we do about Dodger?"

"I think we need to worry about the other rabbits first," Gerry said, staring at anything other than Number Two, "Because that's...that's important. We will deal with Dodger later, and-"

"It's ALWAYS been later with you!" Number Two shouted, on the verge of tears again, continuing, "As I was falling off a goddamned waterfall, all I could think about was the fact that I'd never see you again, and still, even after what he tried to do to me, you're fine with trying to deal with him later?!"

"It's not like that, Number T-"

"MY NAME IS PAUL!" Number Two screamed, approaching Gerry quickly, sobbing, "Why don't you...why don't you ever say my name? My name is Paul. You've known me for years now, Gerald, why don't you say my name?"

The two rabbits stared at one another for a few moments, until Gerry shook it off and tried to react.

"I...I don't know, I guess...I just...I've known you as Number Two for so much longer that-"

"Of everyone, every single rabbit here, you're the only one I'd care about calling me by my name and you DON'T. FUCKING. DO IT. I trusted you, I trusted you in the beginning, I trusted you after his betrayal, I trusted you during the escape. Everything I've ever done has been for your benefit, for the sake of helping you, and I..." he glanced back at Minerva and Dice sitting beside one another, their bushy fox tails entwined, before looking back at Gerry, "...You're my best friend, and I care about you so much, and I thought I was going to die without ever getting to tell you that. I know that I've been....cold and emotionless in the past, but that's what the past is for, for pushing yourself towards a better future, and I just..."

Number Two shut his eyes and sobbed, his forehead to the floor, his half ear drooping by his face.

"i just want you to call me paul," he cried.

Gerry put his paw on Number Two's, but Number Two wouldn't look up.

"please gerald..." he continued in between tears, "please just help me kill him. help me stop it."

"I'll help you," Gerry said, "I'll help you Paul, okay? I will. And you have no idea how glad I am to see you. I was devastated when I thought you'd died. Seeing you walk back in here, just fuckin' roll on in, with two foxes at your side, nonetheless, only proves how much of a badass you really are. You're a survivor, and if we wanna keep surviving, you're right, we're going to have to kill Dodger."

"Thank you," Paul whispered, finally looking up at Gerry, smiling, "Thank you Gerald."

Gerry helped Number Two back up and then hugged him tightly. Number Two squeezed him back, still crying, unable to believe that he was even alive to be able to hug Gerry. After the hug broke, Six looked around at everyone and cleared her throat to gain their attention. Once everyone was looking at her, she grimaced and, in a lowered voice, spoke.

"So...how are we going to do this?" she asked, "How do we kill Dodger?"

Nobody said a word.

                                                                                             ***

He pushed the leaves out of his face and walked into the open clearing, waiting. After about five minutes, Gerry began to wonder if he should've even bothered coming, but after another minute or so, Dodger stumbled out from the darkness and into the moonlight splashed across the wooded ground. They looked at one another, and Gerry lowered his ears, speaking sullenly.

"They're going to kill you," he said softly.

"Let them try," Dodger replied, almost laughing, "If they haven't succeeded yet, what makes you think they will now? Besides, by the time they put any sort of plan together, much less in action, you and I will be long gone from here, so who cares."

"Yeah, I just thought you should know," Gerry said, "They want me to help."

"Good. You can throw them completely off the trail," Dodger said, "You're doing the right thing telling me this, Gerald. It's time we left. We can go somewhere else, find some other cause to live for, other animals to help."

"I know. I know you're right, it just...it hurts leaving them and lying to them."

"They left you. They left you in that shit hole of a lab for so much longer than they should've and I'm convinced the only reason you're out now is because they had to go back for Kevins girl," Dodger said, "They don't care about you, Gerald. I care about you. We'll leave and we'll never have to worry about any of this again, okay?"

"Okay," Gerry said, smiling a little, "I just didn't want them to make a move without me and take you by surprise."

"Well thank you for that then," Dodger said, patting his paw with his own tiny mouse paw, "You're the best friend I could have. Get your affairs in order, Gerald, we're leaving in a week, I'm hoping, if you're ready by then."

"I'll be ready, yeah," Gerry said.

"I need to go, it's not safe out here at night for me, birds and shit," Dodger said, turning and heading back into the bushes before stopping, glancing back over his shoulder, and adding, "Sleep good Gerry."

"You too."

And with that, both parties turned and headed back to their respective homes.

Minerva was laying on her side, her eyes plastered to the bodies of her children, her breathing shallow, while Number Two watched from afar. Standing there, he heard Dice come into the tree and the two locked eyes. She had tears streaming down her face as well, and she sat beside him. Number Two reached out and put his paw on hers, patting it gently.

"You helped her get home, so I'm eternally grateful to you. I just wish she could've come home to what she left," Dice said quietly.

"I know. It's not your fault," Number Two said, "This is...not your fault, okay? She's going to need you. She just lost all her children, and she's going to need you badly. You're gonna have to be there for her, even with how bad you feel."

"I knew she shouldn't trust him," Dice said, "That mouse, I knew she shouldn't trust him. I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach when she said she was leaving with him to help you guys."

"How did this happen?" Number Two asked, "I...I saw a bear outside, is that-"

"The bear came and said that the mouse would give him some rabbits to eat when we got back, and all he had to do was kill the cubs and Minerva when she got back, but when Minerva nor the mouse ever came back, and the bear had already killed the cubs as prepayment, they realized what they'd gotten themselves into and realized they weren't going to get anything out of it. They felt awful," Dice said.

"Paul..." Minerva called out from across the tree, "Paul..."

Number Two told Dice he'd be right back and he bounded across the tree interior over to Minerva as she just laid on her side, staring straight ahead at the carnage.

"What can I do?" Number Two asked.

"...why would he do this?" she managed to whimper, "Why...why would he...this is beyond cruel, this is just...evil. Someone needs to stop him before he gets away with it AGAIN. He can't...he can't do this again, please."

"I agree," Number Two said, "And I think we should head to my Hollow and gather the others, tell my friends what happened and make some sort of plan of some kind, alright?"

Number Two turned to go back to Dice when she called him back to her side. He turned, came back and sat down next to her, looking in her eyes. Minerva crooked her neck up and looked at him.

"Help me," she said, in between soft sobs, "Hel...help me...bury my children, please."

"Of...of course, whatever you need," Number Two said, before turning and heading back to Dice. When he reached her, they sort of glanced at one another before he just headed out of the tree and stood there, looking at the beautiful fall leaves, feeling sick to his stomach. He wanted to cry too. All this time, all this time what had kept him alive, was not getting involved emotionally. But now? Now he wanted to protect these foxes, get revenge for those pups and see Dodger destroyed in the worst way possible. But how...

After a few moments, Dice came out and sat next to Number Two. Neither one spoke, nor did they even dare to look at one another. They just sat there, staring at the treetops, feeling the cool fall air breeze against their fur. Together, they watched a small family of squirrels at a nearby tree gathering food and then scurrying back up the tree to their home. Dice finally sighed and cleared her throat.

"There was nothing I could do to stop it," she said softly.

"I know that," Number Two, "Nobody is going to blame you for their death. Dodger has...he's done some horrible things, but nothing like this. This is...this is beyond evil, this is just...sick. No matter what happens, I am going to find a way to stop that son of a bitch once and for all."

"I had to watch," Dice said, lowering her ears, "I had to watch them die, watch them be gutted and..."

"Hey, you don't have to talk about it," Number Two said, "Really, it's okay that-"

"No, I...I DO have to talk about it. Talking about it makes it real, instead of just a memory in my head like a nightmare I can't wake up from. I watched these little kids...be massacred and...and...there was nothing I could do, do you understand?"

"Surprisingly, I do," Number Two said, "I came from the lab. I've seen awful things. I've watched them torture other rabbits for the worst possible reasons. One friend had his leg torn off, another was blown up, and all under the guise of 'testing'. I've seen awful things, Dice, so you are NOT alone, okay? I am here for you two, alright?"

Dice looked at Number Two and nodded, as Minerva came out of the tree, holding one of her pups bodies in her jaw and dropping it on the ground before heading back into the tree for the others. Dice and Number Two looked at one another nervously as they watched her, one by one, bring out her dead pups. After all had been brought out, they took them to a spot nearby and Dice dug a hole while Number Two pushed them into it. Afterwards, Dice piled dirt back onto the hole, filling it up and together, the three of them sat around the new makeshift gravesite.

"I feel empty," Minerva said, looking down at the mound, "I feel like MY insides have been torn out of me bit by bit, and now there's nothing left. I told them I'd be back, because I didn't know that the last time I saw them would BE the LAST time. I just hope, if anything, that they knew how much I loved them, and that I didn't mean for this to happen. I hope they didn't think what happened to them was their mothers fault."

"They would never think that," Dice interjected, "You know that, Minerva, they would never ever blame you."

"I worked so hard to protect them from the awful things in these woods, and it turns out, I was the awful thing I should've protected them from. The most awful thing there was I lead right to our doorstep. I don't know how one does something like this and goes on living with themselves, but it isn't...it isn't fair," Minerva said, putting one paw on the mound and sighing, bowing her head, "Mommy loves you. Whether you're here or not, she'll always love you guys."

A loud crack exploded overhead, and rain started to plummet down. Minerva looked up at the sky, her eyes shut, letting the rain soak her. After a few moments, she stood up and she started walking. Number Two and Dice looked at one another before he finally called out to her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"You're taking me to your Hollow," Minerva said, "There's no reason to stay here now. You take me there, and I'll help you kill Dodger."

Number Two didn't know exactly how far the walk back to The Hollow would be, but he knew it was their only option. He hesitated, wondering if he should ask if they should wait until morning, maybe she needed to sleep, but he knew that didn't matter now. She likely wouldn't be able to sleep anyhow. So, Number Two and Dice headed up with her, one on each side, on their way back to The Hollow.

After a few hours of walking in the rain, Dice finally stopped and stood under a large tree, simply to get out of the water for a bit. Number Two stopped with her, but Minerva kept going. Number Two looked at her walking ahead and looked back at Dice, but she merely shrugged. He grunted and ran up to Minerva, slipping in the mud in front of her.

"We need to stop!" he shouted, "This weather is intense and we're going to get sick or hurt, we need to rest!"

"I don't need anything," Minerva said, pushing past him.

"This isn't going to bring them back!" Number Two shouted, making her stop in her tracks. She turned back, snarling and lunged at him, snapping her jaw.

"How dare you even-" she started, but Dice walked in between them quickly.

"Stop it!" she shouted, "Just stop! He's right! Doing this to us, to yourself...it's not going to change what's happened! They're gone, and that is terrible and I am so sorry, you can't even imagine the guilt I feel, but pushing ourselves like this isn't going to fix that!"

"You don't....you don't even-" Minerva started, before collapsing into the mud and sobbing. Number Two walked up and put his paw on her head, gently stroking it.

"I know what it's like. You yourself said I have family, and...I was hesitant to admit it, but you were right. Those rabbits ARE my family...whether I like it or not, and I have to say, I like it. I'm lucky to be with them. Losing some of them the way we have, it's been awful, and you feel like you've lost a part of yourself, because in a way, you HAVE. Relationships with others create new parts of you, and when they go away, it feels like that part of you is gone too, but it ISN'T. That's the part of THEM that survives in YOU, Minerva," Number Two said, Minerva now looking up at him, her face caked in mud and tears as he continued, "I wanna help you. I wanna set this right. But pushing yourself like this isn't the way to start it. Do not let yourself become set on revenge, okay? It WILL destroy you."

Minerva nodded and looked from him to Dice, and Dice smiled gently. Minerva realized he was right, and she was lucky to still have Dice, and to have his friendship now as well. She stood back up, slipping in the mud and rain, before finally standing tall and walking with them over to a tree covering a patch of ground where they could sit and wait out the weather. After walking to the clearing, Minerva curled up, and Dice curled up beside her, and in between the two of them nestled Number Two, feeling safe in this new family.

In the morning, they woke and ate what they could find; drowned groundhogs and a dead bird, and some nearby berries for Number Two, before heading on their way towards The Hollow once again. What could Number Two possibly say to Gerry to get him to recognize what Dodger had done? He knew Gerry had a strange attachment to the mouse, and wouldn't want to kill him, but he had to convince him somehow that this bastard had to finally be put in his place. How would he also justify bringing two foxes, one of which everyone knew was the one Dodger had helped betray them with, to The Hollow? Number Two was going to have a LOT of explaining to do, including just the fact that he wasn't actually dead like everyone likely thought.

When they finally arrived at The Hollow, nobody was outside. Number Two told the foxes to follow him, and he let them all inside The Hollow. He lead them down the tunnel and into the halls, finally landing in the large open public space, finding everyone listening to Gerry. Everyone stopped and turned to see what had shut Gerald up. He was staring at the entrance to The Hollow, now lit up bright from the sun outside flooding in down the hall, as Number Two, followed by Minerva and Dice, entered the space, covered in dirt and blood.

"Number Two," Gerry said, a look of absolute shock on his face at seeing his friend alive after all, "Number Two! You're okay!?"

"We have a more pressing matter," Number Two said, shaking some of the dirt off his fur, his voice cold and flat, "Something that we should've dealt with a long time ago. And his name is Dodger."

Gerry stopped and looked at the foxes, who looked utterly defeated, and then back to Number Two.

"Come with me, we have a lot to discuss," Gerry said, before looking at Kevin and Six, adding, "You too, come with us. I think it's time we had a meeting."

Stone lead Kevin, Six and the foxes down a hall towards her personal chamber, while Number Two stopped Gerry in the hall and looked in his eyes.

"You look like hell," Gerry said.

"I've been better," Number Two said, "Gerry, I am telling you right now, because I don't care what reasons you may have, but once we get into that room and start talking, no matter what the outcome may be, with or without your help or agreement, I WILL be killing Dodger."

Gerry and Number Two stared at one another, until Number Two turned and walked into Stone's room, leaving Gerry alone in the hall with his thoughts before finally coming along inside as well.