Richardson was watching Kevin, Number Four and Number Two talk amongst themselves underneath a tree a few feet away. He was stood beside The Burrow entrance, with rabbits passing him by as they entered and exited. Meadow stopped as her kids ran ahead past her and she glanced at him.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"I suppose, relatively speaking," Richardson said, "Just thinking. Thinking about what it took to get out here, how long we've been out here, how long we may BE out here..."
"Well, at least we're out here, right? And not in there still, with THEM," Meadow said, smiling, "Cheer up, Richardson. Things are good."
Things are good.
He sneered and heard a bird caw, his head snapping upward, towards the trees overhead, as his mind wandered.
***
"Richardson?"
"Yeah Clara?"
"What are these?"
She nudged some of her food across the floor of her cage to the end so he could see them. He looked at them for a moment, thought for a few seconds, and then nodded.
"I think those are just a different type of sunflower seeds," he said, "They should be good. You like sunflower seeds, right?"
"Yeah," Clara replied.
"Well there you go."
Richardson had wanted so badly to be housed in the same cage as she, but it wasn't to be. No rabbits were ever housed together. But, their cages were placed right next to one another, probably to give them some comfort and familiarity within their new home in the lab, and that helped a bit. At least she was nearby. Richardson and Clara never really interacted with "The Collective", as Gerry had dubbed them. He even hated the name. Like they were something of importance and not just test animals. As if they had a purpose other than that.
So Richardson and Clara kept to themselves, give or take, and Richardson always looked out for her so she never got involved in anything. He and Clara would play games alone or sit and talk about things, talk about the outside, about home, about life before...well, whatever THIS was. He missed her badly. She was all he had left, and she was not here now, and it killed him inside. He just hoped she was alright, no matter what had happened. She deserved better. So much better. Just then, a soft but somewhat raspy voice behind a rock nearby broke his state of concentration, and he stopped thinking about her.
"Hey," it said, forcing him to look toward the rock and see a fox kneeling behind it.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Come with me," she said, "We need to talk."
***
Clara had been born a few years after him, making Richardson the older brother.
The interesting thing about them was they were the only children their parents had. For some reason their mother only ever gave birth to the two of them. Richardson expected perhaps she had some sort of fertility issues, but either way, it made their family very concise, very small and warm, and he wouldn't ask for it any other way. He made sure to watch over Clara no matter where they were or what they were doing. Sometimes they'd go out in the middle of the day and play with the baby cows near the farm house they lived by, and some days they'd go out with their dad to collect food, but mostly it had always been a small but loving family.
Until that morning in November, when he and Clara were asleep and were woken by the sounds of gunshots ringing out into the morning sky. At first nothing happened, but after a few minutes, their mother crawled into the burrow with them, covered in blood, a hole in her side, her breaths weakening with every passing second. She told them someone had shot their father and he'd died on the spot, and then they'd aimed at her but she'd managed to make it home. She died later that day, leaving Richardson in charge of watching Clara. While Clara was napping that afternoon, Richardson sat with his mother as she lay dying, and he remembered their final conversation to this very day.
She'd looked at him and said, "Never leave her alone, please. The world is full of evil."
"I won't," he replied, "I promise, I won't. I'll protect her, no matter what."
"Richie," his mother said, "Be careful and don't trust anyone. Everyone will always have a ulterior motive."
"I won't mom. I promise I'll keep us safe."
She died a few hours later.
They were captured and sold to the lab within days after this.
And he'd failed at keeping her safe.
***
"Where are you taking me?" Richardson asked, walking alongside the fox.
"To him," she said, "He wanted to see you. He's been watching The Burrow and all the rabbits who inhabit it, and he feels you are the one who could use his help the most."
"What're you, his secretary?" Richardson asked, making the fox smirk.
"I'm just a partner, no more, no less. He keeps us safe, negotiates with other animals so nobody harms us. He's a lot more convincing than most give him credit for. That's how he's able to survive as well as he has for so long. Kevin would be wise to take his advice."
"Kevin would be wise to take anyones advice. He's not too hot on his own," Richardson said.
"You're not very fond of him, I take it," the fox replied.
"Is it that obvious?" Richardson asked, "What's your name anyway?"
"Minerva," she said.
"Well Minerva, I appreciate being given the opportunity to speak to him, but I'm not sure if I want his help, given what's happened between us all. You must understand," Richardson said, and she chuckled.
"Believe me, I understand. I know what he did. I do not condone it. That being said, I also understand the need to survive, as I'm sure you do. He did what was necessary to save himself. Isn't there someone you wish to save?" she asked, eyeing him.
"...." Richardson thought for a few moments, but didn't respond. He knew the angle and the power plays. He wasn't stupid. In fact, he only had one flaw, and that was that he loved his little sister.
As they approached the enormous hollowed tree and entered it, they saw Dodger sitting in the center, chewing on a berry and scratching something into the dirt in front of him. As he noticed them, he quickly erased it with his paws, finished his berry and stood up to greet them.
"Thank you Minerva," he said as she nodded and walked past him, "Hello Richardson. I'm not sure we've ever been properly introduced."
"Your reputation precedes you," Richardson said, "Let's cut the shit. What am I doing here?"
"We can make a deal," Dodger said, "I need your help."
"With what?"
"I know you want your sister."
"...how can you-"
"Do you know how much fucking time I spent in that lab? Getting to know those rabbits? You think I didn't notice every single little thing going on in there? Please. I just want to help reunite a family, because nothing is more important than having someone you care about...but I also need something from you."
"Depends on what it is," Richardson said, wanting to be strong, but also wanting so badly to accept the deal if it meant seeing Clara again.
"I need something from the lab," Dodger said, "But you won't be able to make it in alone. You're going to need to convince Kevin and Number Two to get into the lab with you. Kevin shouldn't be hard. Number Four is sick and he'd be hopping, no pun intended, at the chance to get something to help her. So you phrase it as a way to help her, but really you're getting me something and you're getting something for yourself in return. I will tell you exactly how to get in and out without anything going wrong. I know the place backwards and forwards."
"And what if Kevin doesn't go for it?" Richardson asked.
"You MAKE him," Dodger said, grinning.
"...I don't think I can do this," Richardson said.
Dodger looked at Minerva, and then back at Richardson and sighed.
"Come with me, Richardson. There's something I want you to see," he said.
***
Richardson and Clara had been wary of Dodger the second he'd entered The Collectives life.
Here was a mouse, who somehow knew everything to do, and was willing to rescue them all? Seemed suspicious. But Clara was more hopeful than he was, because she was younger. She wanted badly to return to the wild, and now here was a a savior; someone who was going to rescue them all, and her brother, her brother whom she'd always trusted, was saying it was too good to be true?
"I don't know if he's lying or not, but I guarantee he's not doing this just for us," Richardson said, "Nobody just does something for others. They always have another reason."
"Mom and dad protected and took care of us for no reason other than they loved us," Clara said, "Is it really so hard to think someone else can't care about us too?"
"Clara, he's not...he's not even a rabbit."
"So you're saying because he's not a rabbit he can't care about other species?" Clara asked, "That doesn't seem fair. I care about other species."
"That's because you're not bad, and he's bad, I can feel it," Richardson said, "Listen, I'll keep you safe, alright? We'll just stay here, and we'll ignore the entire escape and we'll be fine. If we followed him the way the rest of them are, I guarantee you something terrible would happen, and I just can't risk anything happening to you. I love you."
Clara smiled and nuzzled up to her brother, "I love you too, but I also love the outdoors, and I miss it."
"Just promise me you'll listen to me."
"I promise."
Come the morning of The Incident, she did what she had said. She stayed behind with Richardson and when everything went to hell, she realized how right he was, about Dodger and about everything else. But then Salt came around, and Salt proved that others can actually care about them, and when a new escape was proposed, Richardson once again made her promise not to leave, and she promised again. This time, however, she was lying, and come the morning of the new escape, she snuck out while he slept and joined the others. When he woke, he was furious, and raced to find her, and once he found out where the other rabbits were, he went to take her back to their cages, but instead got pushed into the group that was getting shoved into the sewage drains. As he was pushed down the hole, he caught a single glimpse of his little sister, and he had never forgiven himself since.
When waking up outside after the escape, he just stood at the treeline and stared at the lab, thinking about Clara, thinking about the ones who didn't get out. Whether they were getting punished for this little attempt, or worse. He couldn't get that last image of her out of his head, and he wasn't even sure she had seen him, but he knew that once she was back in the lab with the rest of The Collective that she must've thought he'd abandoned her or something. He couldn't have her thinking that, and even if she wouldn't come with him next time, he had to at least tell her it was a mistake, and he had only been looking for her. Not trying to leave without her. Now he was being given the chance, but at what cost?
***
"Richardson, did you know I had a wife and a child?" Dodger asked.
"Fascinating," Richardson said, sounding both frustrated and bored somehow simultaneously.
"Well, don't sound so interested, please," Dodger said, chuckling, "I went into the lab to find them, and I did find them, but I couldn't rescue them, and she ate our child, and then did herself in. That hurt so much. That's why I want to help you, because I know what it's like to lose someone you love, someone that's family. I know you didn't mean to come out here, because you didn't join us that first time, so-"
"I didn't trust you, and obviously I was right," Richardson said.
"It's in the past, no reason to be cruel," Dodger said, "Besides, I am trying to be a better mouse these days, if you can't tell. I'm doing you a favor, with, yes, something for myself thrown in to boot. But really it's for you. I know what it's like, Richardson. I know how angry you must feel. How scared she must be without you. Nobody, friend or not, deserves to feel that way. Losing them...it ruined my world, because they were my world. What do you do when your world ends?"
Richardson had to admit, he felt a little bad for Dodger, and he did have a point. Finally they came to a stop outside the tree, right behind it, and Richardson looked around, confused.
"So...you wanted to show me something?" he asked.
"Yes," Dodger said, pulling the large leaves off of the hole in front of them, "Look."
Richardson leaned over and peered down into the hole, his eyes widening, his jaw slacking.
"...holy fuck," he whispered.
Inside were all the mice Dodger had helped escape, the bones of a lot, and the terrified faces of others. He looked from the hole back to Dodger for a moment, before returning his attention to the hole.
"What...what the hell is this? Who are they?"
"They're the mice I took with me when I left," Dodger said, "I told them I'd protect them, and then I realized I couldn't even protect myself, so I found Minerva, and I struck a deal. She'd protect me if I let her eat them. Her partner is raising their pup in another tree, and she only stays at night, but we both get something out of this partnership, much like the partnership I'm now offering you. The difference is, she didn't balk at it."
"...you're a goddamned monster," Richardson mumbled, "How...how could you do this to your own group?"
"Because that's what you do, Richardson, you make sure you survive, no matter what. Are you prepared to do what it takes to survive, to help her survive, or are you going to stick to your misguided morals?"
"...I refuse to be a part of your crimes," Richardson said through gritted teeth.
"Fine," Dodger said, "Maybe after spending some time with them you'll feel differently."
"What?" Richardson asked, spinning around to see Minerva bearing her teeth, snarling at him, as she chomped at him, pushing him backwards into the hole with the mice. She and Dodger peered down into the hole as he rolled off of his back and looked up at them.
"Let me out you goddamned psychopath!" he screamed.
"Everyone just needs a little time to think, Richardson," Dodger said, "We'll see you in a few days, and maybe by then you'll have reconsidered."
"Dodger! They'll notice I'm missing!"
"Nobody notices you, because you don't interact with anyone," Dodger said, laughing, "I'm not your worst enemy as it turns out. You are. Close it up, Minerva."
Minerva began pulling leaves back over the hole as Richardsons eyes grew, his fur standing up now, terrified.
"Dodger!" he screamed, "No, no wait, Dodger! Dodger! DODGER!"
And then it was black.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"I suppose, relatively speaking," Richardson said, "Just thinking. Thinking about what it took to get out here, how long we've been out here, how long we may BE out here..."
"Well, at least we're out here, right? And not in there still, with THEM," Meadow said, smiling, "Cheer up, Richardson. Things are good."
Things are good.
He sneered and heard a bird caw, his head snapping upward, towards the trees overhead, as his mind wandered.
***
"Richardson?"
"Yeah Clara?"
"What are these?"
She nudged some of her food across the floor of her cage to the end so he could see them. He looked at them for a moment, thought for a few seconds, and then nodded.
"I think those are just a different type of sunflower seeds," he said, "They should be good. You like sunflower seeds, right?"
"Yeah," Clara replied.
"Well there you go."
Richardson had wanted so badly to be housed in the same cage as she, but it wasn't to be. No rabbits were ever housed together. But, their cages were placed right next to one another, probably to give them some comfort and familiarity within their new home in the lab, and that helped a bit. At least she was nearby. Richardson and Clara never really interacted with "The Collective", as Gerry had dubbed them. He even hated the name. Like they were something of importance and not just test animals. As if they had a purpose other than that.
So Richardson and Clara kept to themselves, give or take, and Richardson always looked out for her so she never got involved in anything. He and Clara would play games alone or sit and talk about things, talk about the outside, about home, about life before...well, whatever THIS was. He missed her badly. She was all he had left, and she was not here now, and it killed him inside. He just hoped she was alright, no matter what had happened. She deserved better. So much better. Just then, a soft but somewhat raspy voice behind a rock nearby broke his state of concentration, and he stopped thinking about her.
"Hey," it said, forcing him to look toward the rock and see a fox kneeling behind it.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Come with me," she said, "We need to talk."
***
Clara had been born a few years after him, making Richardson the older brother.
The interesting thing about them was they were the only children their parents had. For some reason their mother only ever gave birth to the two of them. Richardson expected perhaps she had some sort of fertility issues, but either way, it made their family very concise, very small and warm, and he wouldn't ask for it any other way. He made sure to watch over Clara no matter where they were or what they were doing. Sometimes they'd go out in the middle of the day and play with the baby cows near the farm house they lived by, and some days they'd go out with their dad to collect food, but mostly it had always been a small but loving family.
Until that morning in November, when he and Clara were asleep and were woken by the sounds of gunshots ringing out into the morning sky. At first nothing happened, but after a few minutes, their mother crawled into the burrow with them, covered in blood, a hole in her side, her breaths weakening with every passing second. She told them someone had shot their father and he'd died on the spot, and then they'd aimed at her but she'd managed to make it home. She died later that day, leaving Richardson in charge of watching Clara. While Clara was napping that afternoon, Richardson sat with his mother as she lay dying, and he remembered their final conversation to this very day.
She'd looked at him and said, "Never leave her alone, please. The world is full of evil."
"I won't," he replied, "I promise, I won't. I'll protect her, no matter what."
"Richie," his mother said, "Be careful and don't trust anyone. Everyone will always have a ulterior motive."
"I won't mom. I promise I'll keep us safe."
She died a few hours later.
They were captured and sold to the lab within days after this.
And he'd failed at keeping her safe.
***
"Where are you taking me?" Richardson asked, walking alongside the fox.
"To him," she said, "He wanted to see you. He's been watching The Burrow and all the rabbits who inhabit it, and he feels you are the one who could use his help the most."
"What're you, his secretary?" Richardson asked, making the fox smirk.
"I'm just a partner, no more, no less. He keeps us safe, negotiates with other animals so nobody harms us. He's a lot more convincing than most give him credit for. That's how he's able to survive as well as he has for so long. Kevin would be wise to take his advice."
"Kevin would be wise to take anyones advice. He's not too hot on his own," Richardson said.
"You're not very fond of him, I take it," the fox replied.
"Is it that obvious?" Richardson asked, "What's your name anyway?"
"Minerva," she said.
"Well Minerva, I appreciate being given the opportunity to speak to him, but I'm not sure if I want his help, given what's happened between us all. You must understand," Richardson said, and she chuckled.
"Believe me, I understand. I know what he did. I do not condone it. That being said, I also understand the need to survive, as I'm sure you do. He did what was necessary to save himself. Isn't there someone you wish to save?" she asked, eyeing him.
"...." Richardson thought for a few moments, but didn't respond. He knew the angle and the power plays. He wasn't stupid. In fact, he only had one flaw, and that was that he loved his little sister.
As they approached the enormous hollowed tree and entered it, they saw Dodger sitting in the center, chewing on a berry and scratching something into the dirt in front of him. As he noticed them, he quickly erased it with his paws, finished his berry and stood up to greet them.
"Thank you Minerva," he said as she nodded and walked past him, "Hello Richardson. I'm not sure we've ever been properly introduced."
"Your reputation precedes you," Richardson said, "Let's cut the shit. What am I doing here?"
"We can make a deal," Dodger said, "I need your help."
"With what?"
"I know you want your sister."
"...how can you-"
"Do you know how much fucking time I spent in that lab? Getting to know those rabbits? You think I didn't notice every single little thing going on in there? Please. I just want to help reunite a family, because nothing is more important than having someone you care about...but I also need something from you."
"Depends on what it is," Richardson said, wanting to be strong, but also wanting so badly to accept the deal if it meant seeing Clara again.
"I need something from the lab," Dodger said, "But you won't be able to make it in alone. You're going to need to convince Kevin and Number Two to get into the lab with you. Kevin shouldn't be hard. Number Four is sick and he'd be hopping, no pun intended, at the chance to get something to help her. So you phrase it as a way to help her, but really you're getting me something and you're getting something for yourself in return. I will tell you exactly how to get in and out without anything going wrong. I know the place backwards and forwards."
"And what if Kevin doesn't go for it?" Richardson asked.
"You MAKE him," Dodger said, grinning.
"...I don't think I can do this," Richardson said.
Dodger looked at Minerva, and then back at Richardson and sighed.
"Come with me, Richardson. There's something I want you to see," he said.
***
Richardson and Clara had been wary of Dodger the second he'd entered The Collectives life.
Here was a mouse, who somehow knew everything to do, and was willing to rescue them all? Seemed suspicious. But Clara was more hopeful than he was, because she was younger. She wanted badly to return to the wild, and now here was a a savior; someone who was going to rescue them all, and her brother, her brother whom she'd always trusted, was saying it was too good to be true?
"I don't know if he's lying or not, but I guarantee he's not doing this just for us," Richardson said, "Nobody just does something for others. They always have another reason."
"Mom and dad protected and took care of us for no reason other than they loved us," Clara said, "Is it really so hard to think someone else can't care about us too?"
"Clara, he's not...he's not even a rabbit."
"So you're saying because he's not a rabbit he can't care about other species?" Clara asked, "That doesn't seem fair. I care about other species."
"That's because you're not bad, and he's bad, I can feel it," Richardson said, "Listen, I'll keep you safe, alright? We'll just stay here, and we'll ignore the entire escape and we'll be fine. If we followed him the way the rest of them are, I guarantee you something terrible would happen, and I just can't risk anything happening to you. I love you."
Clara smiled and nuzzled up to her brother, "I love you too, but I also love the outdoors, and I miss it."
"Just promise me you'll listen to me."
"I promise."
Come the morning of The Incident, she did what she had said. She stayed behind with Richardson and when everything went to hell, she realized how right he was, about Dodger and about everything else. But then Salt came around, and Salt proved that others can actually care about them, and when a new escape was proposed, Richardson once again made her promise not to leave, and she promised again. This time, however, she was lying, and come the morning of the new escape, she snuck out while he slept and joined the others. When he woke, he was furious, and raced to find her, and once he found out where the other rabbits were, he went to take her back to their cages, but instead got pushed into the group that was getting shoved into the sewage drains. As he was pushed down the hole, he caught a single glimpse of his little sister, and he had never forgiven himself since.
When waking up outside after the escape, he just stood at the treeline and stared at the lab, thinking about Clara, thinking about the ones who didn't get out. Whether they were getting punished for this little attempt, or worse. He couldn't get that last image of her out of his head, and he wasn't even sure she had seen him, but he knew that once she was back in the lab with the rest of The Collective that she must've thought he'd abandoned her or something. He couldn't have her thinking that, and even if she wouldn't come with him next time, he had to at least tell her it was a mistake, and he had only been looking for her. Not trying to leave without her. Now he was being given the chance, but at what cost?
***
"Richardson, did you know I had a wife and a child?" Dodger asked.
"Fascinating," Richardson said, sounding both frustrated and bored somehow simultaneously.
"Well, don't sound so interested, please," Dodger said, chuckling, "I went into the lab to find them, and I did find them, but I couldn't rescue them, and she ate our child, and then did herself in. That hurt so much. That's why I want to help you, because I know what it's like to lose someone you love, someone that's family. I know you didn't mean to come out here, because you didn't join us that first time, so-"
"I didn't trust you, and obviously I was right," Richardson said.
"It's in the past, no reason to be cruel," Dodger said, "Besides, I am trying to be a better mouse these days, if you can't tell. I'm doing you a favor, with, yes, something for myself thrown in to boot. But really it's for you. I know what it's like, Richardson. I know how angry you must feel. How scared she must be without you. Nobody, friend or not, deserves to feel that way. Losing them...it ruined my world, because they were my world. What do you do when your world ends?"
Richardson had to admit, he felt a little bad for Dodger, and he did have a point. Finally they came to a stop outside the tree, right behind it, and Richardson looked around, confused.
"So...you wanted to show me something?" he asked.
"Yes," Dodger said, pulling the large leaves off of the hole in front of them, "Look."
Richardson leaned over and peered down into the hole, his eyes widening, his jaw slacking.
"...holy fuck," he whispered.
Inside were all the mice Dodger had helped escape, the bones of a lot, and the terrified faces of others. He looked from the hole back to Dodger for a moment, before returning his attention to the hole.
"What...what the hell is this? Who are they?"
"They're the mice I took with me when I left," Dodger said, "I told them I'd protect them, and then I realized I couldn't even protect myself, so I found Minerva, and I struck a deal. She'd protect me if I let her eat them. Her partner is raising their pup in another tree, and she only stays at night, but we both get something out of this partnership, much like the partnership I'm now offering you. The difference is, she didn't balk at it."
"...you're a goddamned monster," Richardson mumbled, "How...how could you do this to your own group?"
"Because that's what you do, Richardson, you make sure you survive, no matter what. Are you prepared to do what it takes to survive, to help her survive, or are you going to stick to your misguided morals?"
"...I refuse to be a part of your crimes," Richardson said through gritted teeth.
"Fine," Dodger said, "Maybe after spending some time with them you'll feel differently."
"What?" Richardson asked, spinning around to see Minerva bearing her teeth, snarling at him, as she chomped at him, pushing him backwards into the hole with the mice. She and Dodger peered down into the hole as he rolled off of his back and looked up at them.
"Let me out you goddamned psychopath!" he screamed.
"Everyone just needs a little time to think, Richardson," Dodger said, "We'll see you in a few days, and maybe by then you'll have reconsidered."
"Dodger! They'll notice I'm missing!"
"Nobody notices you, because you don't interact with anyone," Dodger said, laughing, "I'm not your worst enemy as it turns out. You are. Close it up, Minerva."
Minerva began pulling leaves back over the hole as Richardsons eyes grew, his fur standing up now, terrified.
"Dodger!" he screamed, "No, no wait, Dodger! Dodger! DODGER!"
And then it was black.