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.
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.