"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.
"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.