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THEY gave him a ribbon, THEY took his picture for an article and THEY sent the product off to the FDA to be approved and patented, and by the end of it all, Number Two had become the hero of the month. THEY even pinned the ribbon to the front of his cage, for all to see, and Number Two was feeling downright smug about himself right now. At this moment, he was explaining to the other Special 7 how he got the ribbon, what he had to go through to get it and how proud of himself he was, while Kevin and Gerry watched from a distance.

"It's always unacceptable until you become a hero," Kevin said, "They're always going on about how sick everything that's done to us is, but the second it gains them fame, oh boy, suddenly it's all a-ok."

"You'd think Number Two would be a little bit more understanding of that, I am quite upset at what's either his lack of coherency regarding the situation or just his inability to flat out not care," Gerry said when Six came and joined by them.

"You're done listening to his story?" Gerry asked.

"Guys...I...I don't think he's happy," Six said, "I think he's masking something. Number Two has always been very critical of THEM, and for him to just suddenly throw that aside because something THEY tested on him has found success...I don't buy it. For as long as I've known him, this isn't like him."

Gerry and Kevin looked from Six back towards Number Two and the others surrounding, listening to him, now a bit concerned. Number Four hopped over to them in the pen and sidled right up beside Kevin, laying with her paws beneath her.

"I wish I could have something tested on me be successful," Number Four said, "I always feel like such a failure afterwards when there's no positive results. It's maddening. I went through all that pain for no gain? Sickening."

"Does anyone even know what it was THEY tested on him?" Gerry asked.

"From what he's said, it was some sort of beauty product for hair," Six said, "But, I don't know. I don't think this is the whole story. I think he's hiding something from us."

They watched from a distance, the rest of the day, as Number Two gloated and swore up and down how proud he was, but now, Gerry wasn't buying it.

                                                                           ***

That night, after THEY had left for the evening, Gerry waited until The Collective was asleep, then he got up, undid his cage and snuck out onto the counters, hopping across them until he was on the other side, close to Number Twos cage. As he passed Kevins cage, Kevin lifted his head and looked at him, eyes half shut.

"What're you doing?" Kevin asked.

"I'm going to find out what happened," Gerry said, "After all we went through together, we shouldn't be hiding secrets from eachother. You heard Six, Number Two is obviously protecting something, and we have to find out what it is."

Kevin nodded, got up and undid his own cage, following Gerry to Number Twos cage. He was fast asleep, curled up in the hay, right beside his ribbon, as Gerry undid the latch on the gate door and let themselves in.

"Number Two?" Gerry asked softly, as they watched one ear perk right up, and his eyes fluttered open.

"Gerry? Kevin?" he asked, yawning, sitting up and nibbling on his paw, "What's going on?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Kevin said, "Six doesn't think you're telling the truth about what THEY did to you, and I specifically would like to know why, because especially after the incident with the little girl, seems like you're all becoming a little too buddy buddy with THEM, and that's not okay."

"Whoa, okay," Gerry said, "That was entirely different."

"Was it?" Kevin asked, "All I know is that all I've ever heard from everyone, all I've ever said myself, is that THEY don't care about us, and now suddenly we-"

"Kevin," Gerry said sternly, "let it go. Number Two, tell me what THEY did. Tell me what you're protecting."

"I'm not protecting anything!" Number Two scoffed, sounding sincere, "THEY did their tests like THEY always do, and for once it resulted in a breakthrough, some modicum of success, and I'm proud of that. I finally got to be good for something."

"You're good for a lot more than being a test subject," Kevin said.

"I know that," Number Two said, "But it's nice to feel some success of some kind, especially after the massive failure we endured, right? It's nice to feel like you can accomplish something at all."

"Yeah..." Gerry said, agreeing that The Incident had crushed him hope wise.

"No, this isn't okay," Kevin said, "No, I don't, no, you're not getting off that easy. What are you hiding? What did THEY do? Are THEY going to do it to more of us? Did you see some new, terrifying equipment? What is it? I wanna know what's going on."

"Guys," Number Two said, almost laughing, "I'm telling you, it's-"

"All you're telling us," Kevin interrupted, "Is that you're fine with what THEY'RE doing to us now, just like you're fine being friends with THEIR children. Well guess what, I'm not, and I cannot believe after all THEY'VE done to us, that you guys would be okay with all of this. Success, childhood innocence, it's all a lie. It's never going to be enough to erase the pain THEY'VE done to us. Have you guys forgotten about Steve?"

A quiet came over the cage, as both Gerry and Number Two as they both looked at their paws in the hay, feeling bad now.

"Are you saying that that's forgivable? That everyone's redeemable? If that's the case, then let's forgive Dodger too! Might as well! Apparently we're just now in the mindset that we should forgive all who abuse us, so why not? Do you know how many rabbits have died here because of THEM? How many of us got hurt because of Dodger? The Incident scarred children, it killed a friend of ours, and yet we're going to just forgive those who did it to us? Dodger was no better than THEM. He lied to us, he used us for his own ends, and I'm not about to forgive him OR THEM."

"Kevin, it's not the same, and-" Gerry tried to start but Kevin interrupted him too.

"No, I'm done listening to you try and preach to me about the goodness inside everyone. You were the one who pushed for our escape for so long. I listened to you. THEY took my leg, Gerald!" Kevin shouted, kicking his 3D printed robot leg to remind them, "I'm not about to say 'hey guys, thanks for taking my leg, super appreciative of it!'. That's sick. Abusive is never negotiable."

Kevin turned and started to hop away when he heard Number Two starting to cry behind him.

"I had to," he mumbled, making Kevin stop but not look back yet, "I...I had to lie, I'm sorry."

"Why?" Kevin asked, still not looking back.

"Because," Number Two continued, "...because it...it's the only way I can accept it. It's the only way to cope with it. I have to lie to myself in order to rationalize what's going on to me, to all of us, and I know it's sick and I'm sorry but I have to...I can't just keep feeling bad about it. I have to force myself to feel good, or else I'll stop feeling anything at all."

Now Kevin looked back at Number Two and nodded at him.

"See, now that I understand," Kevin said, "I'm sorry, Number Two."

Number Two started sobbing, as Gerry and Kevin both huddled up to him to make him feel better, including telling him how nice his ribbon really is. After they left the cage, Gerry and Kevin didn't say anything other than 'goodnight' to one another before going their separate ways. As Kevin hopped down past the cages, he heard Number Four whispering to him from her own cage.

"What're you doing up?" she asked.

"Talking to Number Two," Kevin said.

"...you...you'd never let THEM do anything to me like THEY did to Number Two, would you?" Number Four asked and Kevin put his nose to the cage bars so she could nuzzle hers against his.

"Of course not," he said, "Never."

She smiled, and watched as Kevin went along his way to his own cage. When he got back in, and settled down, he tried to sleep, but all he could think about was Steve, having mentioned him during the argument that night...

                                                                               ***

Kevin and Steve were both being tested that day, having a new vaccine tested on them, but THEY had left the room, so they had some alone time in the test lab before THEY came back. Steve was scratching behind his ear when Kevin nodded at something he noticed.

"What is that?" he asked, as Steve shook his head.

"It's a tattoo," he said, "It's from the mill."

"The mill?"

"A mill is where I was raised. They have mills for puppies, kittens, whatever. I was born there, and then sold to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, that highest bidder intended to be some guy who wanted to cook and eat me."

"Holy hell," Kevin said, snickering, "Well, at least you didn't end up there."

"Well, I did, but thankfully some men came and took him away, and I ended up being picked up by THEM and brought here. It's not perfect, but hey, it's better than being killed and cooked and eaten, right? I mean, let's face it, what's the worst THEY could do," Steve said, the both of them laughing.

A few days later, THEY blew Steve up.

That was the last conversation Kevin ever had with Steve. From the night of his death onward, Kevin vowed himself to one day find this mill and save whatever other rabbits he could, even if only for Steves memory. That was the only reason he took Gerrys offer of escape, so when it failed to happen...it utterly devastated Kevin, and he lost all hope, mostly because he not only felt he let The Collective down, but he also let down Steve.

Yes, no matter what THEY ever did or said, Kevin would never, ever trust THEM, and it was that distrust that would keep him safe more than anything else. He'd already lost Steve, he wasn't going to lose Number Four too. He just wouldn't allow it. Not again.

Not again.
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Gerry was asleep, warm, the little girls hand gently stroking his fur. She'd talked to him about the games they'd play when she got better. How they'd go back out in the backyard and have fun again. But she hadn't gotten better. She'd been in this bed for months now. Gerry flopped onto his side, relaxed, allowing her fingers to stroke his tummy when the bedroom door opened and within a flash Gerry was put into a cardboard box and whisked out of the bedroom, as some people huddled around the little girl. He could see out of some airholes they'd poked in the box and watched as they carried the little girl out of the room, her hands limp. Gerry tried to escape the box, but no matter what he did, he couldn't escape. There was no escape and he'd left her side. He'd let down.

Gerry woke suddenly, breathing hard, his ears perked right up. Gerry quickly got to his feet and hopped to the water dish in his cage and took a long, refreshing drink. After he finished, he stood and stared at his reflection in the water dish, feeling so old. Feeling like that life was so long ago now.

"You alright?" Six asked from her cage, but her presence didn't even startle him anymore.

"Not these days," Gerry mumbled, lowering his ears, "...anything happen today?"

"Not really. Still only late morning though, so who knows, the day could hold some surprises," Six said and Gerry nodded, murmuring.

It'd been months since The Incident. Dodger had never come back, and every single day Gerry couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the spot where Fern used to lay on the floor and talk to them, her spot now empty and devoid of her presence. THEY never brought a new dog in, so it wasn't like they had a new friend to compare her to. The lab just felt...empty these days.

Just then the lab door opened and both Gerry and Six hopped to the edge of their cages, waiting with baited breath to see what or who came in. It was just one of THEM of course. It was always just one of THEM. Gerry started to hop away, to go cozy back up in his little warm straw nap hole, when he heard the sound of a childs voice. Gerry felt his ears perk right up, and he turned back around to see a little girl with a backpack on coming in behind THEM.

"Do the bunnies like it here?" she asked, and THEY shrugged.

"They'd probably be happier in the wild, but what they're doing is good for everyone," THEY said, a lie which Gerry had come to not even flinch at anymore. THEY continued on, "They're helping everyone, and in the end, they'll be remembered for it. Now, stay here while I get some work done, and I'll bring you some lunch in a bit and then we will go to the doctors, okay?"

"Okay, momma," the little girl said, climbing onto a stool overlooking a long metal table, putting her backpack on it. THEY exited the room, leaving the little girl unattended. At first she opened up her backpack and took out an mp3 player, plugged her earphones in and then slid out a book, apparently choosing to pass the time just reading and listening to music. Gerry couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked exactly like her, but...it wasn't her.

"Pssst!" hissed a voice, and Gerry looked across the room to Kevins cage.

"What?" Gerry whispered back, and Kevin nodded to the end of his cage. He hopped to it, burrowed under the hay and vanished. Gerry and Six did the same in their own cages, and escaped through the bottom hatches Number Two had rigged up for them one afternoon. The three of them met under a table in the back of the room, far out of view of the little girl.

"So now we're a babysitting service?" Kevin asked, annoyed.

"Disgusting how THEY don't even care about their own litter," Six said, "THEY leave everything they deem below THEM in this lab. I'm appalled. Not surprised, just disgusted."

"Hey," Number Four said, coming over with Number Two, "Is this a secret meeting?"

"Not if everyone knows about it, it's not," Gerry said, "Anyway, THEY'RE not abandoning her, she's just staying here for the early afternoon. THEY at least care somewhat about their own..."

Gerry allowed his eyes to wander back over to the girl, and for a split second, he swore he saw her.

"...Callie," he whispered, beginning to hop over to her when Number Two hopped in front of him.

"Whoa, hey, you okay there?" he asked.

"...I...yeah...I guess so," Gerry said, stuttering.

"It'd be lovely to have some children," Number Four said, "Out there, free, not in here. Not in this pit of death. I refuse to allow any of my offspring to ever become a part of this sick hell."

"Understandable," Six said, "That being said, I don't think raising any is right for me. I think I'm too damaged from all of this. I wouldn't be a very fit mother."

Number Two, still sitting beside Gerry, looked at the girl and then back at Gerry, who was just staring at her, seemingly entranced. Number Two cleared his throat and cleaned a paw before looking at Gerry outright.

"Is there something you wanna talk about?" he asked.

"She looks just like her," Gerry said, his eyes brimming with tears, "...I let her down, just like I let all of you down. I just keep failing."

"You didn't let anyone down, Gerry, Dodger used us and then threw us to the dogs, literally," Number Two said, "Never forget that what happened was not your fault. He conned us ALL, okay? He didn't charm just you. We ALL believed him. He was a liar, and we're better off to be rid of him now. Good riddance. May he never come back and may his tiny slimy mouse feet wiggle as he gets eaten by a bird."

"I was supposed to be there for her. That's what I was for. That's what she kept asking. She didn't want me to leave," Gerry whispered, before starting to hop out into the open lab, Number Two just watching as the others finally noticed their friends clear mental lapse, and hopped to the edge of the safe zone, watching Gerry hop to this little girls feet. Gerry stopped at her shoes and looked up at her, then softly nudged her ankle with his nose. The little girl looked down and smiled before climbing down off the stool and getting on her knees, reaching out slowly and gently stroking the fur on the top of his head.

"You're so soft!" she squeaked, clearly excited, "Don't worry, I won't tell on you being out of your cage, because you're too cute and mom might punish you."

She then sat crossed legged, and Gerry hopped up on her legs and curled up in her lap, letting her just stroke his back softly. The others sat where he'd left them, almost jaw dropped at this behavior on both ends. All they'd ever been told was that THEY couldn't be trusted, and yet here was a child of THEIRS, an extension of THEM, and Gerry was busy cuddling with her.

Number Four remembered the story she'd told Kevin the night of The Incident. Of her owner, the old woman, whom she'd watched slip and die in her kitchen, and suddenly got it. This little girl must remind Gerry of his previous owner. Number Four started hopping forward as well, with Kevin right on her heels, hissing at her through his teeth.

"Ellen! Ellen, come back!" he screeched, but she just shook her head and kept right on hopping. Unless you know how it feels to lose the person you called home, then you'd never understand it, was how she felt. That's what the humans they'd lived with, who'd cared for them, really were in the end. They were their home. Number Four hopped up to the little girls side and looked up at her, and the little girl looked down at her, happy to see yet another rabbit.

After a few minutes, Six joined in, leaving Kevin and Number Two alone, watching from the sidelines.

"Well," Number Two, "No harm, no foul I suppose."

"You're not going to join in too are you!?" Kevin asked, annoyed, "She's one of THEM!"

"She's clearly not," Number Two said, "THEY never are happy to see us. To THEM, we're tools. To her, we're friends. Children retain a sort of innocence most adult humans lose as they get older. She's not spoiled yet. She's still good, and I don't know about you, but after all the pain we're been through, I think we deserve some fun."

Number Two started off after the rest of them, all playing with the little girl now, leaving Kevin alone, just watching, sad and confused. He never joined in. The afternoon consisted of chasing the bunnies, reading stories to them and petting them, giving them the loving attention they ever so craved. Eventually, the little girl knew her mother would be coming back, and it was almost time for her to go, so to spare them the pain of being seen out of their cages, she picked them up, one by one, and put them back on the counters where they reentered their own cages. Kevin reentered his ages ago, of his own accord.

Last but not least, she picked up Gerry, and, cuddling him to her chest, she walked him over to the counter, where he hopped into his cage and looked back at her. As she put her fingers through the bars, still scratching gently behind his ear, she smiled at him.

"You're a good bunny," she said, "I wish I could take you home with me, but mom says I can't have any pets."

After a minute or so, she stopped and went to her book, then tore out a page and came back, giving it to Gerry, and then packed her things up. A moment later, her mother came in and took her out of the room, leaving them all alone once again. Six came to the side of her cage, near Gerrys, and peered through.

"What was it?" Six asked, "What'd she give you?"

Gerry unfolded the paper with his paws and looked at it, his eyes filling to the brim with tears.

"Gerry?" Six asked, but he wouldn't budge, so she gave up and went to lay down.

Gerry buried the page under his hay, curled up on top of it, and went to sleep.

Gerry didn't have nightmares for a long time.
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The very first time Gerry had met Fern was a few years back, when she'd finally been brought into the lab, deemed ready by THEM, and they became friends almost instantly. She always kept the collective in a good mood, brought them news from other parts of the lab and kept them company, trying to keep their spirits up best she could. But what the collective didn't know was that as she grew older, as she saw more and became more involved, namely against her own wishes, she couldn't keep that facade up any longer. Things weren't good. THEY weren't good. And now...now that she'd nearly killed Kevin and had been essentially exiled by the collective, she figured she was no longer good as well.

That's the one thing Dodger hadn't counted on...the need for redemption. See, when she wasn't in the lab, she spent most of her time with the other dogs in their wing, which just so happened to be where the collective fell through to. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling too keen on helping those who'd so quickly turned against her after all that time. Meanwhile, Dodger and Lorna sat perched on a tree branch, right at the forest line, watching back at the lab. The breeze wafted through Dodgers fur, blowing his whiskers back. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply.

"God it feels good to be outside," he said.

"And what of the others?" Lorna asked, "You have no problems leaving the rabbits behind?"

"...it was a hard decision, and I didn't enjoy making it. I'm not cold hearted, Lorna, I'm just doing what I need to to survive. I feel bad for them, and I feel bad that this has to happen this way, but I would've died as well if I had stayed in there. It was either them or me. Survival of the fittest."

"Seems the ones who cling to the survival of the fittest mindset are often the ones who find themselves surviving."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dodger asked, glaring at her.

"Just a thought," she replied, "I'll be on my way now. Try not to get into too much trouble."

"Thanks for everything Lorna," Dodger said, and she cawed, flapped her wings and flew off into the woods. Dodger stayed on the branch a little while longer, thinking back to Gerry and all the time they'd spent together. All the kind things Gerry had said about him. How he'd called Dodger a hero. Hero...yeah right. Dodger didn't want to become the villain, but often times it's the villains who are willing to do anything they must to survive. After a few minutes, he headed down the tree and off into the woods himself, never to look back.

The collective, however, could not be so relaxed. Surrounded by snarling dogs, used by a mouse and left for dead, Gerry felt he'd done nothing but lead the ones he loved into their untimely demise. He looked at Six, who put her ears back and glared at him.

"What?" Gerry asked.

"You never once questioned him," she said, "You just always took him at face value. You believed every single thing he told you. He used you, Gerry, and you used us!"

"I did what I thought was right! What was best for all of us, Six, and not just myself! I am NOT Dodger!" Gerry shouted back, as a dog snapped at him, forcing him to bound to the side very quickly to avoid it's jaws clamping down around his throat. The dog advanced slowly, two others beside him, as they surrounded Gerry, separating him from the others and backing him up against a wall, pinning him there. He didn't want it to end this way. He only wanted to help, he only ever wanted to save them...but maybe this is what he deserved. He'd failed. Maybe Six had been right all along, that escape and freedom was not an option for them. He squeezed his eyes tight, ready for whatever came next, and when he opened them he found Fern standing between the dog and himself.

"Leave them alone, Richards," she said, baring her own teeth.

"The mouse promised us a meal, so if you're not part of the deal, just leave now," the doberman, Richards snapped back, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not going to let you hurt my friends," Fern said, and the doberman snarled angrily, drool running down his jowls. He narrowed his eyes and opened his jaws, just as a fluff of white fell onto his head from above, biting his ears. As he howled, Kevin bit hard into Richards ears, tearing them up quite good. Fern looked to Gerry and motioned to the door.

"Come with me, we can get out this way!" she said, and the collective, including the group Kevin had been leading who'd now followed him through the hole in the vent, followed her out into the main hall. Just as the last rabbit hopped by, Fern looked back and saw Kevins metal leg get snapped by Richards jaws, and then he tossed him violently across the room, into the wall. He approached Kevin, opening his jaws once again, as Fern leapt at him, snapping and yelping. Gerry looked at Six.

"Six, take everyone back to the lab, alright, get back into your cages, I will be right behind you. I need to get Kevin!" he said, before turning and bounding back into the room. Gerry saddled right up beside Kevin and nudged him with his nose.

"G...Gerald?" Kevin asked wearily, "Where's...Dodger? What happened?"

"He betrayed us. He was only ever using us so he could escape," Gerry said, "He fooled me, I'm so sorry Kevin. Can you get up? Can you walk?"

"Gerry, move!" Kevin yelled, using his real back leg to kick him away as Richards snapped at where Gerry had just been. Richards turned and looked at Kevin, snarling, seemingly beyond angry and hungry at the same time. He opened his jaws just as Fern closed her teeth around his front right leg. He yelped for a moment, turned and sunk his teeth into her neck. Kevin stared, disbelief in his eyes, as Fern sunk to the floor. Richards backed away, huffing and puffing, as he looked at the rabbits, then at Ferns body, turned tail and ran with the other dogs out the door and down the hall, presumably to get the attention of the scientists outside. Kevin crawled over to Fern, tickling her face with his whiskers. Her eyes fluttered open, her fur on her neck stained with an outpour of blood that seeped slowly onto the floor around them.

"Oh my god, this is all my fault," Kevin said, "You should've left me, you should've...after what I said about you, after what I accused you of. We all turned on you, because of me, and...you still protected me. You should've left with the rabbits."

"This isn't your fault," Gerry said, approaching them, "This is Dodgers. He's the one who really made the accusations. He's the one who put us down here. He's the one who left us behind. Everything that has gone wrong today is on his paws. He will have to pay for it all."

"He's gone," Kevin said, "How do you expect him to pay for anything?!"

"Guys," Fern said, wheezing, her eyes barely staying open, "Fight later. Stay together now. You have to get back to your wing before THEY come back, or else everything will really crumble, ok? Gerry, you're not to blame. He deceived you like he deceived everyone. He's a liar, and it will catch up with him sooner or later, I guarantee it. And Kevin...you're a hero. Without your help, or your distractions, I would've died anyway and so would've the rabbits. All your friends would be gone. You saved us."

"I'm so sorry Fern," Kevin said, crying, burying his face into her fur, her blood staining his own fur.

"Go," Fern said, and Kevin nodded, hopping out of the room. Gerry looked at Fern, and she looked him right in the eyes, "Gerry...you keep everyone in line. You will escape this place, ok? I promise you. I don't know how you'll do it, but you will. Make sure Kevin stays sane, and make sure everyone stays civil. I believe in you. I believe in all of you."

"...thank you Fern," Gerry said, "Goodbye."

He turned and hopped along out the door. As Fern watched him leave, her eyesight growing ever dimmer, her breathing ever shallower, she couldn't have thought of a better reason to die. In her mind, she'd undid all the horrors THEY had made her do with one simple action. Fern finally felt a purpose.

                                                                                   ***

That night, after everyone quieted down and THEY left for the evening, Gerry found himself sitting alone. He was out of his cage, something he knew how to do full well now thanks to Dodger. At least he'd gotten something out of that partnership. He was standing on the edge of the lab counter, looking out at the equipment and whatnot that THEY used on them. All the tools that had been left out. He turned to see Kevin coming up beside him.

"...this was all pointless," Kevin whispered, "It all meant nothing."

"Don't say that. That means Fern died in vain, and I'm not going to believe that for a second," Gerry said.

"Look at us, Gerald, we're in the same position we were before all of this started, except now we don't even have a mouse lying to us," Kevin said.

"It wasn't for nothing because now we know we must rely on ourselves. We alone have to escape. No outside help, no mice, no birds, nothing. Just us. Just rabbits. I look at these tools, all these things they use on us every day, all these things they test on us every day, and I see the irony in it now. They're doing this to help their own. To save their own. To protect their own. But they don't care about ripping apart our lives. We're not that different, us and THEM. We each have families, feelings, emotions, friends, memories, children. They don't ever think about that though. They only think about themselves. Science is selfish. It isn't helping everyone if 'everyone' only constitutes your own species," Gerry said.

"...I guess that's true," Kevin said, "...so what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Gerry said, "But I can tell you one thing, Kevin, that I do know for sure. We might get out of here. It's too soon to tell and I'm too tired to think about it at the moment, but it might happen. And if it happens, we might end up in that forest. And if we end up in that forest, we might find Dodger."

"Find him? Why the...after what he did, why would you want to find him?" Kevin asked as Gerry started hopping back to his crate to sleep. He stopped, lowered his ears and looked over his shoulder.

"Because if and when we do find Dodger...I'm going to kill him," Gerry said.
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"Gerry," Dodger asked, sitting and nibbling on a sunflower seed, just the two of them face to face while Six kept the others a few feet away, "did I ever tell you how I ended up in here?"

"I don't think so, though I might have a hard time caring," Gerry said flatly, picturing in his mind the whole time he spoke Dodger choking on his food. Dodger spit the shell onto the ground and started eating the seed, breaking it in half and tossing the other half to Gerry, who merely ignored it as it landed in front of him.

"Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway, while we have some time left. I came here of my own free will. I mean, not necessarily to be tested on because who's that sadistic, am I right? But I came here for something else. My family didn't live too far away from here. We'd seen the building dozens of times. My mate and I, we even told our babies not to go near it when they saw it. Turns out they didn't have to go near it. The people from it came near us. THEY came to get some rats for tests, and I wasn't at the burrow when they came. They took my mate, and our kids, and brought them here. I knew what had happened, it was so clearly obvious, so I made it my mission to come here and save them."

"Is this supposed to make me empathize with you? You lied to all of us!" Gerry said through his teeth, his ears entirely back now.

"Gerry, let me finish, alright? I have to confess what I've done before I go," Dodger said, "So I came here, snuck in, was able to stay hidden for a good while before anyone ever saw me. Eventually they put down traps to catch the rogue mouse they saw but...eh...traps are easy to avoid, especially if you're determined, like I was. I found them. I found my family. They were where all the mice are, in their own little glass cage, but I couldn't get into it. It was airtight. Still, I watched them, and I spoke to them when I could, and let them know I'd get them out of here. That's why I understood you, because I was once like you. The difference is these rabbits aren't your family. Friends aren't family."

"You're wrong, the...the collective and I, we are family," Gerry said, "We look out for one another, and we care about one another. You've seen that firsthand!"

"Yeah, because you're each the means to an end. That end being escape and freedom. But let me ask you this, if you could leave with me right now, just you and me, would you go? Be honest, it's just us talking, they can't hear us right now. Tell me the truth, would you come with me? These rabbits, they aren't related to you or anything. They're just other rabbits you only happen to know because you're in here with them, incarcerated, trapped like...well, like rats, appropriately enough."

Gerry looked at the collective for a moment, and thought. He watched Six talking to a mom and her bunny, trying to reassure them that things would be okay and to stay strong and brave. He looked at Doug, and he thought of Kevin. Could he honestly leave Kevin? Kevin was his friend, maybe even his best friend, and how could he just turn his back on them? Gerry looked back to Dodger, his brow furrowed.

"Of course I wouldn't," Gerry said, "They need me."

"If you're honestly lying to yourself that Six or Kevin or anyone else would ever dare to even blink twice at the idea of saving you or escaping themselves, you're wrong," Dodger said, "That's where we're different, Gerald, because I want freedom, and you want recognition. That's what'll get you killed in the end, I guarantee it. I can promise you escape right now, but it can only be us. What do you say?"

Gerry looked at Dodger, a fire burning in his eyes, and he for once found words caught in his throat.

                                                                                ***

Kevin didn't know what to do. Gerald nor Dodger hadn't informed him of any sort of backup plan, or what to tell the others in case this fell through. He hopped, pacing back and forth in front of the vent, completely unsure of how to handle the situation, while Two dealt with the murmurs from their group. Finally, Four came up beside Kevin and nudged him with her nose.

"Um," she started, sounding nervous, "...the others are getting curious."

"I...I don't know what to do, Four," Kevin said, "I...I'm not a leader, I told Gerry I wasn't a leader, and now everyone's going to blame me, and-"

"No, they'll blame Gerry. Nobody will blame you, and if they do, I'll tell them how they're wrong," Four said, as Kevin finally stopped hopping and let his ears flop down on the sides of his face, as he lay down, staring out the vent. Four took the same position and sighed.

"...I failed," Kevin said, tears brimming in her eyes, "We came so far, and we got this close, and I failed."

"You didn't fail. For some reason there's no string and...and something has gone wrong, but none of that is your fault. You were just picked to lead us here. You didn't fail," Four said.

"Four, I-"

"My name is Ellen," Four said, and Kevin looked at her as she started to tear up herself, "My name is Ellen, not Four. That's what THEY call me. Nobody knows my real name. The Special Seven, we've all hid behind our monikers our entire time, but I'm trusting you enough to tell you that my name is Ellen. I don't know what happened to you, Kevin, prior to being in this facility, but I can tell you what happened to me. I was once the best friend of an old woman. I was her sole companion. She took wonderful care of me, and we spent so much time together. Then, one day, while preparing my food, she slipped on the kitchen floor and slammed her head on the counter and laid there dying, all while I was stuck in the cage and couldn't help her. Eventually, someone came days later, found her dead, and called her son, who took me and sold me to someone else who worked here, looking for lab rabbits. I didn't fail her though. Even if I could've gotten out, there wasn't anything I could've done. I was just there when it happened. You're just here when it happened, Kevin. Trust me, you're not a failure."

Kevin looked at her for a few moments, how the warm sunlight caught on her eyes, and he curled up next to her, crying. Four just laid her head against his and wiggled her whiskers.

"It's alright," she said, "I've got you. I'm here for you."

                                                                                   ***

"So," Gerry said, "What happened to your family? If they're why you're here, then where are they, or did you make that up too, you lying piece of-"

"Oh, they were here. They aren't now. THEY killed them. Worked them to the bone. My mate eventually couldn't take it, she started to crack from all the pressure, and all the tests," Dodger said, finishing his seed and wiping his paws, looking out the vent at the treeline, his tone lowering, "...I came by one morning to see them, to check in, and she'd killed the kids, eaten them in the night, and then laid down in a corner and died."

"...holy shit," Gerry said, "I'm...I'm so sorry."

"See, that's what I was saying. Even with what I'm doing, you still care about me," Dodger said, "...when I heard you talking about escaping, I just knew that I wanted in on it, but that I couldn't get out on my own. I needed a distraction."

"Distraction? What are you, but we're in here...how is that a distraction?" Gerry asked, and Dodger shrugged as he stood up and pulled his little makeshift pack over his shoulder, then looked out the vent at the scientists gathered on the grass, ready to release the birds. Dodger walked back to Gerry and patted his shoulder.

"Come with me," he said, as he headed back towards the other rabbits in the vent, Gerry following right beside him, "You know, you learn a lot if you listen, being in a lab. For instance, that if something has enough mass inside of it, and it's not well constructed, then it won't hold. You understand that now?"

Gerry heard a sound wholly unfamiliar to him, and he looked around. All the rabbits started looking around, as Dodger caught his eye. The vent started to shake, and began to collapse behind them, all the rabbits sliding backwards down the metal until they fell out with the collapsing vent. Gerry looked at Six as she started to slide, and then back at Dodger. He snarled and began chasing Dodger up the remaining vent, his paws slipping on the metal as gravity worked against him. The birds made their glorious entrance into the sky, and began to fly away, except for Lorna, who landed on the ledge of the building, right outside the vent, cawing at them. Dodged grabbed onto her leg, and looked back at Gerry as he tried his hardest not to slide backwards. For one split second, their eyes met again, and their entire partnership flashed before his eyes. Since that night he'd first snuck in, to the time they'd watched Kevin have his leg ripped off, to being stuck in the house and needing to escape from the kid...and all this time he'd been using them.

"I'm sorry Gerry!" Dodger called back, his voice growing ever distant as Lorna flapped her way towards the trees, "I'm really, really sorry!"

And then Gerry fell. When he opened his eyes, he groaned and looked around, his eyesight blurry at first. Six was beside him, and Doug was only barely regaining consciousness. Gerry could still hear Dodgers last words echoing in his head, and he looked at Six.

"Where did we fall into?" Gerry asked, and Six nodded towards something. Gerry spun his vision around, noticing the half dozen of snarling dogs surrounding them. Gerry felt his breath catch in his throat. All he could see in his mind was Dodger flying into the distance. Six and Doug got closer to Gerry, as he finally realized it. Dodger hadn't just meant to leave them behind.

He'd meant to kill them.
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Gerry was asleep when it felt the first one hit him right between the eyes. He shook a little, opened one eye and looked around. He could see Dodger standing on the table, tossing sunflower seed shells at his face. Gerry opened his other eye as Dodger raced up to the front of the cage.

"What's going on?" he asked, and Dodger started to unlock the cage door.

"Come with me, I want you to see something," he said, as the cage door fell open, and Gerry started to softly walk out onto the table. Just as they approached a makeshift staircase Dodger had built out of other, small cages he'd pushed together leading up to the air vent he usually came in through, they heard another voice.

"Gerald?" Kevin had asked groggily, "I heard the door open. What's going on? Where are you going?"

"We're just going to see something, I'll be right-"

"I think it's better if he sees it too, actually," Dodger said, "It might benefit our plans."

With that, Dodger hopped off the table, scurried hurriedly across the floor and up the leg of the other table where he opened the front of Kevins cage as well, and then led him back to Gerry. They followed Dodger up the cage staircase and into the air vents. Dodger looked over his shoulder as they started crawling, and said, "Sorry it's a bit cramped."

"Where are we going?" Kevin asked.

"To the aviary section," Dodger said, "Because this isn't going to work without them."

"The birds?" Gerry asked, a bit surprised, "You've recruited the birds?"

"The birds are the glue that's gonna hold this whole thing together," Dodger said, "Trust me, this is a necessary final step in the plan. Once this is done, you just have to follow me and we'll be out of here in no time flat. THEY will never know what hit 'em."

They stopped as Dodger sniffed the air for a moment, standing on his hind legs, and then looked at a corner of the vent, and continued on. They got to the aviary section, and could see all the birds in all their cages, fast asleep. Dodger quietly pulled the air vent grate away and left it in the vent as they hurried down yet another makeshift staircase (it appeared Dodger had been quite busy as of late, a thing Gerry found admirable) and onto a table among a dozen or so bird cages. Dodger walked up to the furthest one, in the back corner of the table, and stood on his hind legs again.

"I'm back," he whispered, "and I brought them."

A crow unfurled her wings and slowly rose, turning to greet them. Both Gerry and Kevin sort of backed up a bit, surprised by how large she was, but Dodger didn't seem bothered in the least. The crow shook herself of the hay in the cage and then walked to the cage side where Dodger was peering in from.

"Good job," she said, before glancing past him to the rabbits, "You two, come here."

Kevin and Gerry approached the cage and looked up at the crow, her eyes as black as her feathers.

"I hear we're about to execute an escape," she said, "The plan is quite simple. Dodger will lead his group here and two by two will hide in our cages. We will make sure they are not seen. When THEY take us out to let us out of our cages in the morning, each mouse will grab one of each leg and we will fly them to safety. Dodger, meanwhile, will be taking your group through the vents. One group will go one way, and one will go another. Do you know who should lead the second group?"

Kevin and Gerry glanced at one another, and then back at the crow.

"Um, I guess we could split it," Gerry said, "Dodger could lead me, tell Kevin where to take the others."

"That seems fine," Kevin agreed, nodding.

"Good," the crow said, turning and scratching behind her wing with her beak and then turning back to them, "Get some rest and inform the others. THEY are taking us out tomorrow, so we will not have much time. When all the mice are here, then we will know we are ready."

"Thank you Lorna," Dodger said, "You're saving hundreds of lives tomorrow."

"I know what it is to yearn to be free," Lorna said, "Just be sure freedom is what you really want."

Kevin and Gerry glanced at one another again, a bit confused, and then Dodger turned and headed back up the makeshift staircase and back into the vents. Once the grate was back in place, he turned to Kevin and Gerry and nobody said a word for a few moments. Dodger sighed and shook his head.

"I managed to get some string from the house we were taken to during the lab cleaning. I've already strung up an escape rope to the end of one vent for the second group, and I'll have some for our group Gerry. Kevin," he said, turning to face him, "All you have to do is bite on it, hold on tight and slide down. Be sure to tell everyone not to be afraid. It's not too far a fall, honestly."

"Ok," Kevin said, "And where will we meet up after we've gotten out?"

"Just past the treeline," Dodger said, "We can celebrate then. Until then, let's just stay focused and make sure everyone gets out safely. Come on, let's head back to the lab."

Gerry and Kevin followed Dodger, a bit behind him, and Kevin lowered his voice to a whisper so Dodger couldn't hear.

"If we get out of here okay, let's stick together," Kevin said, which surprised Gerry considering how distant he had been in the past in regards to community, "I...I don't like the idea of navigating the outside world alone."

"That sounds like a good plan," Gerry said.

And with the rabbits back in their lab, Dodger went to get his mice prepared for the jailbreak. Gerry and Kevin explained things to the rest when they returned, about who would follow who into the vents, and that this time tomorrow, they'd be free in the forest. They went to sleep that night knowing in their hearts they were doing the right thing.

                                                                               ***

Gerry awoke to the sound of birds squawking, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Dodger climbing down the vent and racing to the front of his cage. Gerry stood up as Dodger leaped up on the door clasp and let it slide down.

"Get your groups together, we're going in a few minutes!" Dodger shouted, "Gerry, your group will meet me in the vents when you're ready, alright?"

"Sounds good," Gerry said as he watched Dodger race around to each and every cage, letting the other rabbits out. Gerry hopped to the center of the table, as Six hopped right along behind him.

"I'm going with you," she said, and he smirked.

"I had a feeling you might," he replied, and then he stopped and looked out at the other rabbits, "Everyone!" he called, "This is it, we're getting out of here! Those of you going with Kevin, just follow him and do what he says. He's been briefed on this already, and he WILL lead you to safety. Those coming with me, we will be being led by Dodger here, who this honestly couldn't have been done without."

Dodger smiled for a split second, and then his ears went down. He'd let everyone out, nodded to Gerry and then raced back up into the air vent. Gerry turned back to the others and looked at his friends faces. Two. Four. Kevin. Doug. All these rabbits he might not see again if something went wrong. He thought of poor Jasmine in the other room, and he sighed. Maybe they could come back for her someday...though she did seem rather content with her existence. He cleared his throat and stood on his hind legs, rising up above them all.

"We're a family," Gerry said, "We've been in this lab together, and we're gonna get out of this lab together. I've seen you all go through...just...the most horrible tests imaginable, and stay so strong, and it makes me realize how strong we are. We are stronger than THEM. We are better than THEM. We deserve more than THEY will ever give us, and we'll only get it if we take it for ourselves. These people...they don't care about us. We're nothing but a tool to them, something to be used to further their own lives. I'm not being a fucking tool anymore."

Kevin smiled as he looked up at Gerry, realizing for the first time, how much he truly respected him. He scanned through the crowd surrounding him, and saw Four looking at him. She wiggled her ears at him, and he laughed. Things were going to be alright. He could feel it.

"So stay close to your leader, do what he says, and we will get through this just fine. I told you all that one day I'd get you out of here. Well today I am doing that. Stay safe everyone, and I'll see you past the treeline," Gerry said, finishing as he turned to Six and Doug, and nodded towards the vent, "Let's go," then he turned to the rest and shouted, "Those coming with me, let's go!"

They entered the air vents, Kevins group right behind them. At the split where the two groups would break up, everyone kept going, but Gerry and Kevin stopped and looked at one another for a few moments, taking in the silence.

"You sure you can do this?" Gerry asked.

"Heck yeah I can," Kevin said, "Because you told me I could."

Gerry smiled, "Be safe Kevin. I'll see you outside."

"You too, Gerald."

They turned to exit, but Kevin turned back around and called to Gerry, who stopped and looked back at him.

"One more thing, Gerry, just in case we don't see eachother again. Thanks for not letting them grow an ear on me."

"I told you I wouldn't," Gerry said.

With that, the two rabbits parted ways.

Gerry and Six walked alongside Dodger, who was the only one who knew the way to the grate leading to the outside. Dodger looked exhausted, Gerry noticed, like he'd been up all night, and he probably had. Anxiety and fear were flooding through all of them, but probably through Dodger the most.

"Are you gonna be ok?" Six asked, and Dodger shook her off.

"Yeah, and once we hit fresh air I'll really perk up," he said, "Nobody will be coming into our sections of lab since they'll all be taking the birds outside, so it's not like we have to worry about anyone looking for us. Everything should go smoothly."

The trek wasn't too long, but it wasn't that short either. Kevin knew they were supposed to wait until they saw the birds to start out from the vent, but he felt so excited that he didn't know if he could wait, honestly. To be back in the forest...in the bushes and the dirt. It had always seemed like a distant, impossible, unattainable dream and know it was so close to being a reality. Four hopped alongside him, chewing on her own whiskers.

"You're a real hero for doing this," she said quietly, "I hope you know that."

"Unless something happens to me, and then I'll be a Martyr," Kevin replied.

"Big difference between a martyr and a hero. A hero gets fifteen minutes of fame. a martyr gets remembered forever. I know. The Special 7, we've been called heroes plenty of time for 'furthering the advances in science'. All they ever did was stick us with things, put stuff inside of us, but-"

"Not anymore," Kevin said, stopped and looking at her as his group walked past him, "And once we're outside, I won't let anyone else hurt you either. We're all going to stick together. You heard Gerry, we're a family."

Four pushed her nose against his and nuzzled it softly for a few seconds, before blushing and continuing past him. Kevin couldn't believe his luck. Freedom. Heroism. A pretty rabbit who liked him. His luck was changing.

"Uh...Kevin," Two called out and Kevin hopped quickly up to where he was, at the vent leading outside.

"What?" Kevin asked.

"There's no string," Two said, and Kevin glanced at the vent, noticing there wasn't any string there, like Dodger had said. Kevin thought it might've fallen, come untied and been blown away by the wind or something, but despite all these possible realities, all he managed to eke out was...

"Huh."

As Gerry's group approached their own vent exit, they could hear the birds chirping outside. Gerry and Six smiled at one another. It was almost time. Six thought of all the ways life would be better. A burrow, maybe near a farm where they could steal carrots and raise bunnies. This seemed like a dream about to come true. They got to the top of the upslant in the vent and came face to face with the open grate. Dodger stopped, looking out at the treetops just out of reach and could hear the birds below, knowing any moment they'd be let out.

"There it is," Six whispered, "Oh my gosh...we're going to be free."

"Dodger," Gerry said, "I can't believe...god, you really did it. We did it. Thank you so much. How can I ever pay you back?"

"I'm sorry Gerry," Dodger said softly, as he turned around and looked at the rabbits, his eyes brimming with tears, "I don't think you ever could pay me back, because I didn't do anything."

"What do you mean didn't do anything? You led us to freedom!" Gerry said, beaming, ears upright, "You've done what nobody else could! You're a hero!"

"All I did was manage to lie to a bunch of poor rabbits and use their fear to get what I wanted," Dodger said softly, and Gerrys ears went down as he approached him, "That's not heroic in the least. I mean, I won't put down all the work I had to put into this to make it work, but don't go calling me a hero. I'm not a hero. I'm a villain."

"What're you talking about Dodger?" Gerry asked quietly, anger hiding very nearby behind his tone, his eyes growing redder, "What did you do?"

"Sit down for a bit Gerry, we need to talk," Dodger said.
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Things in the lab were looking a bit more cheery, now that Kevin had been returned to his cage, his back leg having been replaced with a robotic one. The other rabbits, especially Six, were in awe. Kevin even seemed in a bit of a better mood than he had been previously, even before what they now simply referred to as The Attack. Fern hadn't come back into the lab since then, but probably out of shame more than any other reason, at least that was Six's theory. They'd all been inspected by the lab vet earlier in the day, so they found themselves in a small pen together for the first time in a long while. It felt nice, like a real community.

"I chewed my own paw off and they won't even replace it," Six said, gazing longingly at Kevin's robotic leg, "I'm jealous."

"It's what they call 3D printing with some implanted cybernetics to make it possible for me to walk and hop and run," Kevin said, stretching the leg for the onlookers, "It's pretty neat, I have to admit. In a way, it was almost worth it."

"Well mate," Doug said, "I 'ave to admit, it's pretty neat-o. You like one o' t'em robots now. A real piece o' science."

"I mean, don't get me wrong...going through that was horrific, but at least there was some sort of payoff," Kevin said, feeling rather chipper having everyone's attention. Another one of the Special 7, a grey girl rabbit numbered 4, came forward to inspect it. She  sniffed it at first and then raised her ears and looked at Kevin's face.

"It even hides your scent a bit. If you were ever out in the wild again, you could easily throw something off your trail," she said, "You got lucky."

"Is that what they call it?" Kevin asked, and Four giggled. Gerry was enjoying watching everyone getting along and relaxing, having a swell time just talking and not talking about being scared for once. He was at the back of the pen, simply watching his friends. At one point, Six looked behind herself at him and wiggled her whiskers. He just smiled back and she went back to admiring Kevin's leg. The Special 7, being more scientifically inclined, were obviously the most interested in Kevin's new robotic limb. Gerry sighed and then heard a *pssst!* behind him, and turned to find Dodger sitting outside the pen, picking at his teeth with a nail.

"Hey Dodger," Gerry said, "What're you doing here?"

"We have to talk," Dodger said, "It's important."

"So talk. The others are busy, we have some privacy," Gerry said, and Dodger wiped down his whiskers for a moment, clearly thinking, and then cleared his throat and leaned in, lowering his voice a good bit.

"In one of my scavenges last week, I overheard some of the scientists talking in the bird room. They're setting all the birds free this coming month, so they're changing all their tracking tags and getting them ready for release into the wild."

"Well that's good for the birds," Gerry said.

"But the birds aren't the only one. THEY do this every few years. A good turnaround on test subjects. That includes your group and my group. We're outdated, except for maybe the Special 7, but I don't know, even they may be about to be replaced, THEY weren't very specific," Dodger said, and Gerry furrowed his brow.

"I...I'm not sure I understand, how is this a problem? This sounds like we're being retired, which is great news," Gerry said.

"Retiring in a sense, yes," Dodger said, leaning in even closer so as not to draw attention from the others, "But they aren't just retiring us and letting us go or giving us to another lab. It's a mass exodus of life. They're executing us. We've been used, we would be useless to anyone else, according to them. Once animals have been in one test lab for a long enough time, other test labs don't want them."

Gerry's heart sunk and his eyes widened in horror as he lowered his own voice now.

"What are we going to do?" he asked and Dodger chittered for a minute.

"Well, it's a good thing we've been working on an escape plan, isn't it?" he asked, "We just need to rush it now, really put it into motion. I can convince my group to work with your group for the betterment of us all. With the supplies I managed to take from the bedroom of the house, we should be good to go. We just need to really plan our escape routes and get our timing exact to ensure there's no slip ups. It'll have to be at night too, so there's no scientists around to ruin it for us."

"Ok," Gerry said, nodding, feeling slightly better knowing that Dodger had his back; then he glanced at the others still fawning over Kevin and his new leg, before turning back to Dodger, "So we have a few weeks then?"

"Maybe two at the most," Dodger said, "We shouldn't put it off for too long."

"Okay," Gerry said, "Alright then, you tell your group and I'll round them up in this pen and tell mine. It might be a hard sell, but I'll do my best to convince them. They may not take to it at first but if the alternative is execution then they may rethink that."

Dodger nodded and turned, beginning to leave when Gerry called after him, and he stopped and looked back at him.

"Dodger!...thank you. Thank you for watching out for us, and for helping us," Gerry said and Dodger waited a second, then got a smirk on his face and nodded.

"Back at ya, pal," he said, before hurrying up the counters and back up into the air vent. Gerry turned to his group and sighed, looking at them all. Could they really pull this off? Could Gerry really get them all out of here? Six was still missing a paw, but it didn't seem to stop her from moving, so she should be fine and with Kevin's new leg...

...wait a second, he realized, why would they give Kevin a new leg if they planned to end their lives? Maybe Kevin wouldn't be killed...Dodger had said some might be spared, like the Special 7. He just had to trust Dodger, and besides, Dodger hadn't wronged them yet. Dodger wanted himself and his group out of here just as badly as Gerry wanted freedom for himself and his own, so he knew Dodger and he could come up with some plans. They'd worked well together so far.

Finally, he hopped on over and stopped next to Kevin, looking at everyone.

"Guys," he said, "I have some news."

Everyone grew quiet, and Gerry felt bad for having to end their fun so quickly. He sighed and scratched behind an ear and then started explaining things.

"Dodger just came to talk to me. For those of you who haven't been privy to this yet, Dodger is a mouse test subject from another section of the building who's been coming and meeting with me for a while. He's become a good friend, and a trusted, reliable source of information and help. Dodger just told me that in a few weeks, THEY are releasing all the birds back into the wild, and then retiring both the mouse group and our group."

The rabbits all perked up, looking gleeful, and Gerry felt like such a bad rabbit, having to bring them down when they looked so hopeful for once.

"Um..." he continued, "...but not in the way that you would think. It's a mass execution. They're going to wipe our group and the mouse group out. Apparently, from what Dodger has heard from the scientists, after animals have been in a test lab for a few years, they aren't wanted by other test labs. They want fresh animals, not someones leftovers. Now, I know that this is scary, but don't get too worried, because Dodger and I have a plan to get both his group and our group out of here before that happens. Now I know we've all talked about escape before, especially me, but this is really happening now. We have allies. Friends. We have a chance."

"Escape?" Four asked, and looked at another one of the Special 7, Number 2, and shook nervously.

"What?" Gerry asked.

"Escape isn't possible," Two said, as he hopped forward a bit, "We know from experience. A few years ago, there was a different Number 7. He spoke about escape and freedom too. He tried it himself. He made it outside, only to find himself fenced in and surrounded by guard dogs. Original Seven was ripped up pretty bad when he came back and told us of this, and a few days later died in his cage from loss of blood."

"Well, unfortunate as that may be, and his loss as sad as it is, we have help," Gerry said, "We aren't just one rabbit. We're a group, and we have another group who wants the same goal, and Dodger wants this for us just as badly as I do. We have to try, guys. This isn't just talk anymore. They're going to kill us. If you don't want to come, I guess that is your decision to make, but I really hope that you do. Dodger and I will be meeting again soon to discuss the exact plans and details, so I'll let you all know when I know, but just be prepared to run for your lives, or you might not have a life anymore to run for."

Gerry turned and began to hop away when Kevin called after him.

"You really think this'll work?" Kevin asked, and Gerry turned back to him.

"Of course I do."

"Why?" Kevin asked, "I mean, not to sound like a Negative Nancy, but where do we even go once we're outside?"

"You lived outside, you could lead us," Gerry said and Kevin's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"I...I'm no leader," Kevin said.

"You're the one with the most knowledge of life on the outside," Gerry said, and Kevin stuttered.

"I...I don't...I mean, what could I possibly do? I lived with a tracker on my leg, and THEY still could find me, THEY could find us all! The woods around here aren't that deep!"

"Then you'll have to take us to different woods. You'll have to lead us somewhere else," Gerry said, hopping back to Kevin's face, "You can do this Kevin. You can be the hero. You can save us, you just have to trust in me to get us out of here, and trust in yourself that you can lead us once we're out. You can do it, I believe in you."

"What if I don't want to go?"

"You want to die?"

"They already took my leg," Kevin said, "I mean...at what point do you just give up and accept your fate?"

"If you want to die in here Kevin, that's your decision, but don't try and influence others to kill themselves by making the same decision. Allow them to think for themselves. I know things have been hard for you, and I know you're strong because of what you've been through, and that's why I believe you can do this, and only you can do it. If you change your mind, come talk to me."

Gerry turned and hopped away to the edge of the pen and looked out at the lab. He stayed there the rest of the evening, until the other rabbits fell fast asleep, Six once again snuggled up to his side, when Kevin approached him, his voice lowered so as not to wake anyone else.

"I was hoping you'd still be up," Kevin whispered.

"Of course I am," Gerry said.

"...I'll come with you, but I can't lead them alone. I'll need your help and Six's help. I just...I can't do it myself."

"That's understandable," Gerry said, "You're gonna be a hero, Kevin, trust me. You'll be remembered forever by everyone in the group for this, and when they tell their own litters about this someday, you'll be the one they remember who lead them to a new, better, more prosperous life. I'm just the one getting us outside. You're the one saving us."

Kevin smiled a little, and turned around, starting to hop away, when he stopped and glanced back at Gerry, and spoke under his breath.

"I just hope to god you know what you're doing," he said.

"Me too, Kevin," said Gerry, "Me too."
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Six woke up to the clanging of something falling over. She forced her tired eyes opened, and noticed first off that she was not in the lab. She became quickly frightened, before noticing Dodger on the floor, dragging what looked to be string across the floor, and then looked up at her and nodded.

"Morning," he said.

Six sat up and looked around. They were....in a house? In a bedroom? What in the hell was going on here? She sat up, scratched behind her right ear for a moment, and then bounced her way up to the front of her cage, where Dodger was rolling the string up around a needle, tying it tight.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"You were asleep when we left the lab this morning. We're in one of the scientists house. Apparently they're having a cleaning crew in your section of the lab this weekend, so we all had to vacate. Everyone took some rabbits to their place and we ended up here," said Dodger, as he slid the needle under some hay in her cage.

"Be careful, don't hurt me with that."

"Never," Dodger said kindly, smiling and nibbling on his paw for a moment.

"Where's Gerry?" Six asked, and Dodger shrugged.

"I don't know, I caught a ride in your cage and I've been digging around in this bedroom. Don't even know if he made it here. He might be in a different house," Dodger said, before scurrying back up the vanity desk and continued digging around, looking for supplies, it seemed. Six looked around the bedroom, and liked what she saw. Everything was peach or cream colored, and very calming. She sighed. Must be a female scientists house. Just then there was the sound of laughter, as the bedroom door opened. She looked up at the desk, but Dodger was already gone, hiding somewhere. The door opened slowly and two little girls came in, holding Gerry safely, stroking his fur before opening the door on Six's cage and putting him in there with her. She heard a female voice, presumably the scientist, from downstairs.

"Girls! I'm leaving, let's go!"

The girls scattered out of the room, laughing the whole time, which made Six feel even safer. She looked at Gerry, who looked rather content. He smiled at her, and she hopped over to him, and rubbed her nose against his, much to his surprise.

"I was worried," she whispered, "I'm always worried now. After Kevin...how could I not be..."

"I don't blame you," Gerry said, "You have every right to be afraid. But this is a nice, safe place. This isn't the lab. This is a home, and it's been a while since I was in one..."

"That's right," Six said, remembering now, "You came from a home didn't you?"

"Mhm," Gerry said, "I was an easter present to a child."

"What happened?" Six asked, "How did you go from that to the lab?"

Gerry lowered his ears and looked at his paws, his voice lowered.

"Doesn't matter now," he said, "Her daughters are sweet kids. I miss being handled by kids. They're always so much more careful, more caring. They actually feel like you're important to them...I wonder if Kevin's ok."

"He hasn't come back to the lab yet..." Six whispered, "...what if he's...like, he..."

"He's not dead. He can't be. He's Kevin," Gerry said, "...but I think that was the last straw. We're getting out of there, and soon."

"We are?...is that why Dodger is collecting stuff?"

"Yep," Gerry said, "You won't have to be worried or afraid much longer Six, if you come with me I mean."

"Of course I would. Screw legacy. Existence is far more preferable," Six said and Gerry smiled again.

She leaned her forehead to his and shut her eyes. She felt safe with Gerry. She felt like he really wouldn't let her or the other rabbits down, and that he'd always protect them or at the very least, try his best to. For a few moments, the universe was beautiful and perfect, silent and wondrous, and then a loud *CLUNK* and they snapped their heads to the vanity table where Dodger was trapped under a glass jar being held by a teenage boy. He picked it up as the rabbits hopped to the edge of the cage and watched, terrified. The boy shook the jar and laughed at the scared little mouse. Dodger didn't scare easily, but people really frightened him, especially when they were in complete control.

The boy tucked the jar under his arm and headed out of the bedroom, as Gerry looked at Six, who had tears brimming up in her eyes.

"What do we do?!" she asked, her voice faltering, breaking.

"I-I....I don't know!" Gerry said, "I should get him!"

Gerry looked at the top of the cage, and noticed the girls hadn't latched it shut when they'd left. He looked at Six, and she was looking up at it as well. She moved under it, and he climbed onto her back and stood on his hind legs, then pushed the top open and hopped up, grabbing with his front paws and pulling himself up onto the top of the cage. He quickly hopped down and headed for the door when Six's voice called out, stopping him in his tracks and forcing him to turn back to her.

"Gerry!...Be careful please," Six said softly, "Just be careful."

Gerry nodded and ran quickly out the door and waited, one ear put to the ground, listening for movement anywhere. He heard something downstairs, and then heard a squeak, and realized Dodger was still upstairs. He headed in the direction of his squeaks and quickly found the jar on the floor in a bedroom at the far end of the hall. Gerry pushed the door open with his nose and entered quietly, just in case, and saw Dodger sitting under the jar. Dodgers eyes caught Gerry and he put his paws up against the jar.

"Get out of here!" Dodger said, "Get out of here now! Before he comes back!"

"I'm not leaving without you," Gerry said.

"Gerry, just go. I got most of the supplies, you can do this yourself. You don't need me, now get out before he comes back!" Dodger said, and Gerry walked to the jar and nudged it with his nose. He shook his head, his ears flopping.

"No. We're friends, and partners. We both need to be around in order to pull off this escape. We need you. I need you, Dodger. I can't do this without you," Gerry said, "I'm..." he glanced at his paws, his ears drooping, "I'm not smart enough. I'm not Six."

"Gerry," Dodger said, "I appreciate the sentiment, but you really don't need me. Nobody will really miss me. Just go, man."

Gerry knocked the jar over and picked up Dodger with his teeth. Just as they turned around to exit, they noticed the boy standing in the doorway, staring at them. Everything froze for a moment, and the perplexed face on the boy was enough to let Gerry know he would be telling his mother about this, but he couldn't have just left Dodger there. Gerry took off, and quickly darted under the boys legs as he grabbed for him. Gerry turned and headed down the hall, as Dodger directed him.

"The kitchen!" he shouted, and Gerry turned again quickly, just eluding the boys grasp, as they headed down the stairs, and slid onto the linoleum floor in the kitchen, the boy right on their heels. Dodger pointed at the fridge, which was suspended a bit off the ground.

"Under the fridge!"

"I can't fit!"

"Do it!"

And he did. Gerry slid onto his side, Dodger still clenched between his teeth and went right under the fridge. He dropped Dodger and lay on his side, exhausted, panting. Dodger patted Gerry on the ear and laughed.

"That'll do, rabbit, that'll do," he said.

They waited there for a bit, and then the phone rang and the boy ran from his spot to answer. Once they heard a door shut, they knew it was safe to come out and head back to the bedroom. Dodger climbed onto Gerry's back as they began to head for the exit to the staircase, and Dodger pulled on Gerry's ears to stop him.

"Ow! Careful with those!" Gerry said, and Dodger was pointing to the wall in the kitchen, where on a wooden plaque that read "Home Sweet Home" there hung keys. Car keys, house keys, whatever, and on one set, presumably to the lab, was a keychain. A rabbit foot. Gerry groaned and shook his head.

"Steve..." he said under his breath, and then slowly trotted to the staircase and back up the bedroom. When he returned, Dodger climbed under the hay in Six's cage and didn't resurface for the remainder of their stay in the house. Gerry was able to make his way back into the cage, and laid down in a corner. Six approached him and nudged him with her nose.

"That seemed to go well," she said happily, and Gerry just stared at her.

"Nothing goes well, Six, you should've learned that by now," he thought, but he didn't say it. Instead her smirked and nodded. Six curled up by his side and snuggled up to him, happy and warm and safe for once. Dodger, after they were asleep, climbed out of the hay and made sure the room was empty before scurrying up to the windowsill in the bedroom and looking out at the world outside the house. He lowered his ears as he looked back at Gerry and shook his head. He stayed there for about an hour, just thinking.

He then scurried back to the hay and went back to sleep.
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WARNING: There are graphic depictions of violence and cruelty in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

It was quiet in the lab that morning. They could hear rain falling on the roof, and knew they'd probably be having a rather uneventful day. Gerry and Six were huddled to the edges of their cages, their noses almost touching through the bars, both asleep in the warm hay. Doug was passed out in the middle of his own cage, on his back, his ear twitching. But Kevin...Kevin wasn't getting any sleep. He sat there, staring at the doors, wishing he could make any sort of attempt to run. To run as far away as possible. Would he even come back for them? He didn't really consider them his 'friends'. No, he probably wouldn't, he decided, he'd just hop until his legs could hop no longer.

He'd been up all night again, trying to process what he'd seen a few days before. Steve's feet. Just dangling around the lab workers necks, like pieces of gaudy overpriced jewelry. One even put it on their bag, with a clip on. It was enough to make Kevin sick...and all he wanted to do was rest but everytime he shut his eyes, he could see them again. He heard the lab doors open, and he saw Fern plod her way inside. He glanced down at her, and she wouldn't look up at him, her ears low and back.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked, and she mumbled.

"I hope you can forgive me," she said softly.

"Forgive you?" Kevin asked, "You haven't done anything to us. You've been our friend."

"Just promise me you'll forgive me," she muttered, "I have to do it. I have no choice."

"Do wha-" Kevin started, but that ended quickly as it began because a scientist swept into the room, opened the top of his cage and reached in, wrapping their hand around him and lifting him out. He kicked and struggled, as everyone else woke up and looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. Six was the first to wake, and she scrambled to the front of her cage, watching this sight. She turned and looked at Gerry.

"They have Kevin!" she whispered, and his eyes fluttered open.

"What?" he asked.

"They have Kevin! They're taking him somewhere!" she repeated, and Gerry rushed to the front of his cage. He looked around for any way to get out, but knew there was none. He watched the scientist reach for the door that led to Jasmines room, and he knew that if he didn't get out now, he wouldn't be able to follow them through that door once it closed. They held the door open and Fern walked into the room, and they started in. Just then Dodger scrambled up onto the cage from the air vent and started to pull the front cage door latch open. It unhinged, came loose, and the door swung wide open. Gerry nodded, thanking him, as he and Dodger raced down the lab counter as quietly as they could and hopped onto the floor, then scrambled in right behind the scientists feet as the door came closing behind them. They quickly hopped behind a nearby counter. The scientist walked across the room and put Kevin into another cage, and told Fern to sit and wait. Gerry looked up at the cage on the counter above them, then down at Dodger.

"Scurry up there and talk to the girl rabbit. Her name is Jasmine. She might know what this is about," he whispered, and Dodger nodded, then hurried up the counter. He stopped at the bars of the cage, clinging on with his paws, and looking through.

"Hello?" he whispered, "Jasmine?"

Jasmine turned and looked in his direction.

"Who's that?"

"My name is Dodger. I'm a friend of Gerrys," Dodger said, "They've brought a friend of ours in here, along with the dog...what is this about?"

Jasmine shook her head and lowered her ears.

"You shouldn't have come," she said softly.

"What?"

"You should've stayed in your cage," she said, "This was a mistake. You don't want to see this."

The scientist leaned down to Fern and scratched behind her ears, then put a needle to her neck and slowly injected her with something. Dodger grimaced, and looked from this sight back to Jasmine.

"What are they doing?" he asked.

"Something very, very bad," Jasmine replied.

The scientist took Fern by the scruff of her neck, and led her into a small pen that was in the back of the room. She waited, as he closed the door to the pen, and within seconds she started growling and snarling and scratching at the pen door. The scientist walked back to Kevin and picked him back up. He struggled and kicked, and his eyes met Gerrys. Gerry lowered his ears, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do for his friend. The scientist opened a small slot on the pen door and reached through, plopping Kevin down. He didn't move. He just sat there, shuddering, looking at the bared teeth of a dog he once considered his friend.

"Fern?" he asked quietly, "Fern, it's me. What's wrong? What did they do to you?"

She approached slowly, not speaking a word, just continuing to snarl and slobber. Kevin backed up against the pen door, and within seconds she lunged at him and Kevin took off under her legs and through the pen. Dodger looked away from this sight back to Jasmine, who'd laid down now.

"There has to be something we can do!" he said, and she sighed.

"Don't you get it yet? There's nothing you can do," Jasmine said, "You just have to let it happen."

Kevin skidded across the pen floor and slammed into the back wall, just as he looked in time to see Fern lunging at him again, and he took off in another direction. She turned, her claws scraping against the floor, and her jaws snapped shut around one of his back legs. Kevin screamed in agony as he felt her teeth sink in through his leg, past the bones. He kicked at her with his other back leg, begging her to stop, but she held him down with her front paws and started gnawing his leg clean off, pulling and chewing, blood spilling out onto the floor. Gerry and Dodger watched in horror, mortified that they could no nothing to help him. Jasmine laid on her side.

"It's times like this I'm glad I'm blind, but the sounds still are hard to listen to," she said.

Through the pain, and his failing eyesight, Kevin looked down at Fern as she was now working on his other leg, his first one laying bloody and discarded on the pen floor, and he remembered what she'd said right before he'd been taken from his cage. This wasn't her fault. THEY made her do this. He was starting to lose consciousness, and could barely move. A few seconds later, the pain subsided, and he could hear the scientist dragging Fern away. A few seconds after that he could hear her crying, whining, asking how she could've done this. Asking why THEY make her do these things. A few seconds after that, Kevin was picked up and he passed out. Dodger looked back into Jasmines cage.

"What did they do to her?" he asked.

"They gave her rabies, and then they gave her a shot to to clear it up," Jasmine said, "They do this every now and then, trying to better vaccines for the public. Seems your friend was the unlucky one this time."

Dodger shook his head and climbed back down to Gerry. Neither one said a word. They just waited for the scientist to open the door back up, and they quickly scrambled back into the other room, Fern plodding out in front of them and sitting down in front of Kevins cage. Gerry got back up to his cage by a few hops on small countertops, and Dodger quickly scrambled up next to him, as all the rabbits looked at Fern; blood dripping off her snout and down her legs.

"What the heck happened?" Six asked.

"Fern is a murderer," Dodger said, "This dog you all think is your friend is a killer."

"No!" Fern said, "I'm not! THEY make me do it! I don't want to hurt any of you! You are my friends!"

"Don't believe a single thing she says," Dodger said, "She'll tear your legs off too!"

Six and Doug went and laid back down, while Gerry stood and looked at Fern. Their eyes connected, and for a moment, she thought she still might have an ally. Then Gerry too lowered his head and headed to the back of his cage. Dodger crawled up to the air vent as Fern looked up at him. After he disappeared, she laid on the floor and cried for hours. Nobody saw Kevin for days. Nobody even knew if he was alive.

Fern didn't come back into the lab for a while.
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It was a quiet morning. The lab was virtually silent, and the only rabbit up was Gerry, talking to Dodger, who'd come into the cage and sat with him. Dodger was chewing on a piece of hay while Gerry cleaned his paws, letting Dodger yammer away.

"It's a bummer, it really is," Dodger said, "I want to escape, I want to help my friends escape. We're not that different from you guys, but it's just so hard. We're smaller, that makes it a little easier, but still..."

"Had any plans?" Gerry asked.

"Not particularly," Dodger replied, "I guess one night I'd slip out, open the cages, they'd help open other cages and we'd just run as fast as we could. Try to find an air vent or a pipe or something that'd take us outside. But there's kids with us, and who really knows how they'd adapt, you know? Sick as it is, taking a child from it's original habitat such as this, all they've ever known, and taking them outdoors, is just as bad as taking a child from its original habitat outside and bringing them here."

"That makes sense. It's why a lot of us don't think about it much anymore," Gerry said, "Not many rabbits have actually come from the wild. It'd be kind of a culture shock. Finding their own food, shelter, and not knowing they're actually in danger."

The lab doors suddenly opened, and Dodger quickly dove into the hay to hide, as Gerry hopped on top of the spot to cover him completely. A male scientist came in, opened Kevins cage and set him down inside, before shutting it and leaving once more. Kevin was shaking. Gerry hopped forward to the front of his own cage, and Dodger came crawling back out.

"Kevin?" Gerry asked.

He didn't answer. He just stared dead ahead. Gerry and Dodger exchanged a nervous glance.

"Kevin? Hey, you alr-" Gerry started before Kevin interrupted him.

"THEY had...his feet," Kevin said softly.

"...come again?" Dodger asked.

"THEY had...his...feet," Kevin muttered a second time, almost sounding like he was trying to make himself believe it still, and not just them. Something had clearly shaken him to his core, and for as removed as Kevin appeared to often be, that worried Gerry very much.

"THEY had who's feet?" Gerry asked.

A moment, and then Kevin stared directly at Gerry and whispered, "...Steve's."

Gerry felt like he'd just been electrocuted. Why would THEY have Steve's feet?

"THEY were just...hanging....around their necks...like jewelry," Kevin said, "Like some sort of proud trophy of a horrible beast they'd slain. Steve was my friend...this isn't how he should be remembered. He was a rabbit, not an accessory."

"Fur is murder!" Dodger shouted, and Gerry nudged him.

"Seriously, not now," he grumbled and Dodger snickered.

"I wish I could take them from THEM, and...and maybe go bury them somewhere," Kevin said, "THEY had all 4 of 'em. All 4 of his feet. THEY called them 'lucky rabbits feet'. Lucky. For who? Us? I fucking doubt it."

"...I can't even come up with a good response. I would like to have something at the ready, some sort of hopeful 'maybe they aren't monsters' sort of thing but...they ARE monsters...they're monsters. It wasn't enough to blow up Steve, but now they're wearing him like last years lab coats. That's awful. You're right, Steve didn't deserve any of this."

"What were they doing to you?" Dodger asked suddenly.

"I don't know. Taking information on me. They didn't do anything to me, but I think they're going to test something on me soon," Kevin said, "...Gerry do me a favor. If you're ever in a situation where you can take one of Steve's feet, please do so, and try and get rid of it."

"I promise, Kevin."

"THEY aren't going to let us go, Gerry," Kevin said quietly, "None of us are safe, all of us are expendable, and some of us won't live. No questions about right or wrong, no sense of morality, no debates. THEY blew him up, THEY took his feet, and THEY think that's fine. Smile, laugh, life goes on. Not for Steve, but you know."

Nobody said a word for a few moments, and then Kevin sighed.

"You know, I used to think we were better off staying here. That the outside world wasn't so great. A lot more to deal with, than what we have to deal with here. The difference I see now is that out there, we at least have a chance at survival. In here, we have no chances. We have no choices. We're just experiments, and that's all we'll ever be."

Kevin yawned, scratched behind his ear with his back paw and hopped to the back right corner of his cage, plopping down into the hay and shutting his eyes tightly. Gerry looked at Dodger and neither one knew exactly what to say about it. Dodger shrugged, bid Gerry a goodnight, scrambled out the cage and up the wall back through the air duct as Gerry went to his cage corner to lay down. As he nestled himself deep into the straw, he glanced over at Six, who had had her back to them the entire time.

"THEY broke Kevin," she said and Gerry's ears flew up.

"I thought you were asleep."

"THEY broke Kevin. If THEY can break Kevin, THEY can do anything," she mumbled.

Gerry didn't even respond. Maybe Dodger was right. Maybe it was time to seriously start escape attempts. Yes, THEY had scared Kevin. But it wasn't the worst thing they'd do to him that week.
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Six awoke to the sound of chirping.

Her eyes fluttered open, her ears raised a bit, and she sniffed around for a few seconds before getting up, stretching and carrying herself best she could over to the other side, next to Gerrys cage. He and Doug were standing in their cages, watching another cage on the metal table in front of them. Six took a few glances, then looked back at Gerry when finally Kevin broke the silence.

"It's just a bird," he said out loud, "Nothin' special to see here. Just an average, ordinary bird."

Six was about to respond when she noticed the mouse in front of Gerrys cage, watching with them. She looked from the mouse up to Gerry, who had finally noticed her.

"Six, this is Dodger," Gerry said, "Dodger, this is Six."

"I heard the tweeting from the other room. Figured I'd come on over and see what all the noise was about," Dodger said, "Though now that I see, my instincts are telling me to stay away from it. I don't need to be eaten, that'd just ruin my day."

"How's your leg?" Gerry asked, and Six looked down at her paw, which had been bandaged from the time being, still nothing more than a stump.

"I'm sure THEY will do something about it," she replied quietly, before the bird start twittering again, and they all turned their attention back to that. Kevin, however, was not amused in the least. He just sighed and crinkled his nose.

"It's nothing unusual," he said loudly, "It's just a bird. They're probably going to just let it go anyway. A lot of times they tag animals for the wild so they can track them, see how well they do. What their mating rituals are."

"How do you know that?" Six asked.

"Because THEY did it to me," Kevin said, "Before I was here, that's what I was part of. I got tracked for a long time, before I was eventually nabbed and not rereleased. They do it to birds, mostly, from what I've been told. You wouldn't believe how many birds I ran into in the wild who had those little metal rings around their legs."

"Well, as fun as this has been," Dodger said, "I think it's time for me to go. I don't want to get caught and it's dangerous to be out in the daytime."

With that, Dodger turned and started to head back up through the pipe and into the airvent, disappearing within seconds. Kevin, meanwhile, continued his rambling.

"I think for birds, if I remember right, they're tracking migrating patterns. That's probably all this is. They're going to put a little metal ring around his leg and then let him go again, to see where he goes to. If only we could all be so lucky," he said.

"You don't know the meaning of lucky," Six said under her breath and Doug groaned.

"Oy, 'ow's about we don't get into all t'is right now, yeh?" he said, "Last t'ing we need is a mutiny."

"Oh please, dear exalted one, tell me how I don't know anything about being lucky. Miss 'my life is so hard, I have to go to press conferences and get my photo taken'," Kevin said mockingly. Six could feel her blood begin to boil.

"Last week I chewed my own back leg off because THEY thought it'd be a neat thing to show children, so don't you dare try to lecture me on the concept of luck, you slow witted troglodyte!" Six shouted across the lab, "You've been out in the wild, you've lived a free life! You think I have? You think that poor rabbit in the other room has? She was born here, and this is all she ever knew, so the next time you think about opening your mouth, first decide if you have something to say worth opening it for."

The room went quiet, and then the bird tweeted.

"Nest?" they called, and the rabbits all snapped their heads in its direction.

"What did it say?" Gerry asked.

"Nest?" it repeated, then looking at Six, "Mama?"

Six felt her ears droop. No. Not a child. This was too far, even for her. She started to pray that Kevin would be right, that all they would do is tag it and rerelease it, but she knew in the pit of her stomach that that was never the case with THEM. That mercy was never on the menu, not even as an appetizer. She wanted to retreat, huddle back into the sanctity of the back of her cage, but instead she just stayed glued there, staring at this poor, frightened little bird.

"Mama?" it called again, and she lowered herself into the hay a bit, to try and escape its gaze. A few seconds later, a female scientist came into the lab and headed for the cage, putting her finger through one of the slots and smiling at the bird, cooing a little at it, probably to make it feel safer. Six wanted to like this. She wanted to think that there was someone in this place who didn't want to hurt animals. For a second, just a split second, she got this feeling of hope. She'd soon regret letting her guard down like that.

The bird twittered at the scientist, who just chuckled and pet its little beak, then went into the back room, where they kept Jasmine, and shut the door behind her. A few minutes went by, and nobody said a thing. Finally, when it was evident she wasn't coming directly back, Six started to head back into her spot in the back of her cage when Kevin spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Six," he said, "I guess you're right."

"...it's ok," she mumbled, before curling up in her little space. Doug went and laid back down as well, but Gerry and Kevin stayed at the forefront of their cages, watching this little bird hop around its cage, peeping every which way, filling the lab with noise and life.

"So where's your tracker now?" Gerry asked, and Kevin shook his head.

"THEY removed it when they brought me in," he said, "THEY cut it off. I guess that was the moment I resigned myself to this fate, because once that happened, I knew that meant they weren't letting me back into the wild. That this was my home now."

"Do you want to go back?" Gerry asked.

"Well, I sure don't want to be here," Kevin said, and then they heard the sound of scuffling feet above them, and a few seconds later, Dodger popped out of the air vent.

"Uh..." he said, "I have some rather distressing news...this isn't the only bird they have. On my way back to my section, I could hear more birds, and I just assumed it was this bird echoing through the vents, so I followed the noises but it turns out there's an entire room filled with birds."

"Did they have the little tracker rings?" Kevin asked.

"I don't know, it's not like I was going to get up close to them," Dodger said, "I just think that's a good sign. It means THEY aren't just going to outright hurt it."

"Maybe THEY'RE rehibilitating them," Six said flatly, "Getting them prepared for living in the wild again."

"That's a fair enough assumption, but then why take a child?" Kevin asked, "A child wouldn't need to be rehibilitated as they've never lived in the wild really."

"A child sometimes falls from the nest and loses their mother," Six replied, "Could be the situation here. I can't believe I'm defending THEM after all THEY have done, but I guess I have to believe, on some level, that there's some sort of good being done here, for the sake of my own sanity. I can't let myself believe that the entire world can be this cold and cruel. There has to be somebody who cares. There has to be."

"Mama?" the bird asked again, before the door reopened, and the scientist came back in. Dodger quickly scurried into Gerrys cage and hid in the hay, as they all waited on baited breath to see what would happen. The scientist picked up the top of the cage, opening it, and reached inside. She wrapped her hand gently around the bird, taking them out, and then with their other hand, slapped a little metal ring around its leg. Six had never felt a bigger sigh of relief in her life.

As the scientist exited with the bird in hand, the rabbits all let out a collective sigh, thankful that nothing terrible would be happening to this poor baby bird. Six laid her head down on top of her paws and smiled.

She had been right. There was some good somewhere.

Just not for them.
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About

The Rabbit Collective follows a group of lab rabbits struggling with their purpose, and hopeful eventual escape.