Six woke at the sound of something tinny hitting the ground. Her ears perked right up, and her eyes snapped open, as she spotted Gerry already sitting, poised at the edge of his cage, watching intently for where the sound had come from. It was still night time, the lab was still completely dark, save for a few night lights, and nobody else seemed to be awake. Six hopped to the edge of her cage, and peered at Gerry.
"Gerry?" she whispered, "What is it?"
"I don't know, just stay quiet and let's see," Gerry whispered back. They sat and waited, but no other sounds came. After a while, Gerry just sighed and dipped his ears, coming to the other end of his cage and facing Six.
"What?" she asked.
"It just reminds me of the first night I met Dodger," Gerry said, "I guess for a moment I'd wished it had been him coming back."
"Why in the hell would you ever want him to come back?" Six asked.
"Maybe he'd realized what he'd done, had come to fix it, but...but I know better than to be hopeful like that. That's naive. That's the kind of thinking that got me to follow him blindly in the first place, always looking for the best in everyone, believing we can all care about one another. I'm a fool," Gerry said, and then they heard it again and both looked back where they'd been staring to see a mouse sitting at the front of Gerrys cage, on the outside. Gerry cautiously hopped back to that end, facing her.
"...who are you?" Gerry asked.
"You're right, you know," she said, "You are naive, but, at least you recognize that now."
"I asked you a question," Gerry said sternly.
"You don't have to worry about me," the mouse said, "Believe me, I'm not like Dodger. I refused to go with him. Once I learned of what he had planned, I refused to be a participant in that sort of treachery. I have something for you, actually. Come down here."
The mouse turned and skittered down the leg of the table, onto the floor, and then disappeared into a hole in the wall. Gerry and Six managed their way out of their cages, and spotted Number Two doing the same. The three of them met in the middle of the floor, waiting for the mouse to return. Number Two yawned.
"What's going on?" he asked, "I saw you guys getting out."
"There's another mouse," Gerry said, "She says she stayed behind, and has something for us."
"And what makes you think she can be-"
"Because I refuse to acknowledge that what Dodger did was in everyones best interest. It wasn't even the mice best interest, for god sakes," the mouse said, as she pulled something behind her, "He just needed someone to help him, but if he could've gotten away on his own, without saving anyone, he would've."
"That's not true," Gerry said, furrowing his brow, confusing Six.
"Well, whatever version of the truth you wish to subscribe to, I don't care. But I am here to give this to you," she said, pulling a rabbit foot attached to a keychain out from behind her, dumping it in between the group, who all, understandably, backed up, seemingly creeped out.
"What is that?" Six asked, "Is that a foot?"
"It's Steves foot," Gerry said, "Remember that house you and I were taken to, Six? For the holiday? When Dodger and I were in the kitchen, we saw one of these hanging from the wall. How did you get this?" he asked, turning back to the mouse.
"I stole it," she said, shrugging, "It's not that hard, it's not that heavy."
"Do you have a name?" Number Two asked.
"Salt," she said, "My name is Salt."
"Salt, where are the others?" Gerry asked, "And why are you giving us this?"
"Because you guys need a win," Salt said, "You guys need to start feeling better about yourselves, and the first step in that direction is to lay your friend to rest. I got it from the head lab. It was just sitting on a desk, so I'm sure the other three are around here somewhere, unless...you said one was in a home, so maybe that one won't be here. But, if I can get the other two, we could-"
"We could do nothing," Kevin said, coming up from behind them with Number Four in tow, "Because this has nothing to do with you. None of you. I'm going with the mouse to get the other feet. Steve was my friend. It's my responsibility."
"You're not going alone," Gerry said, hopping forward, "I'm going with you."
"Fine," Kevin said.
Salt nodded as the two rabbits started following her. She went to a small hole in the wall, small enough for them to crawl in with her. They followed her into the walls, and watched as she sniffed the air, leading them.
"So," Kevin said, "You decided against leaving with Dodger?"
"What Dodger did was despicable," Salt said, "Absolutely reprehensible. I couldn't condone those actions, nor be complacent in it by assisting in his escape, even if it was the best thing for my species. Ever since then, I've been sitting around, listening to you talk, and you're right...unless something benefits everyone, there's no way anything is fair."
"So you defected?" Gerry asked.
"In a sense," Salt said, "I think there's another foot in this upcoming room."
Salt stopped at the end of a grate and pushed it open, then let Gerry and Kevin through before following them into the room. It seemed to be an office of some sort. As they entered, Kevin felt himself shudder, feeling almost scared at being in something other than a lab.
"And you're doing this to get back at him, or?" Gerry asked, as Salt climbed up onto a desk and pulled open a drawer, laughing.
"No, I'm doing this because you need hope," Salt said, as she pulled the second foot out, "I would've brought all of them with me to the lab, but I couldn't carry them all. Heads up."
She pushed it over the edge of the drawer, and Gerry picked it up with his teeth as Salt shimmied her way back down the desk leg and stopped, looking around.
"Where's your friend?" she asked, and Gerry shrugged, looking around himself, before spotting Kevin looking at something, and nodding in his direction. Gerry and Salt headed over to where Kevin was sitting on a table, having hopped up onto a chair and then onto the table, his eyes glued to something. Salt told Gerry to wait here on the floor before she climbed up and joined Kevin.
"What're you so enamored with?" she asked, "...oh."
"THEY have ribbons. The awards they give us, they don't mean anything. These awards are for THEM," Kevin said, "THEY get congratulated on having tortured us. For having gotten results from not killing too many of us. It's...disgusting."
"It certainly is deplorable," Salt said, "But you can't focus on that. If you do, then...well, you just lose sight of all the good there can be."
"What good can there be, Salt? We're trapped in here like rats, no offense, and nobody even cares."
"I care," Salt said, "There's groups out there that care, and they want to help and-"
"If they want to help, they'd have helped. No. They care about their own self image. A sort of 'look at what a good human being I am, caring for something other than my own kind!', but in actuality, they never put any boots to the ground. There's no action, no follow through, it's all talk and no show. We all seemed so surprised at how callous and conceited Dodger was, but, why? Everyone is like that, mouse, human or otherwise. They're all the same, so why be shocked? Oh no, someone treated us badly and used us, not like THEY haven't been doing that to us the entire time we've been here."
Salt looked at her paws and sat beside him, "I...I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but there are people who care. I care. You know I care because...well, I have nothing to gain. I could leave anytime I want. I don't have to be helping you lay your friend partially to rest, but I am because...because someone has to eventually feel some level of success. If all anyone ever achieves is failure, then that's all they'll believe to be achievable. They'll give up. They die. I don't want you to die, Kevin, I don't want any of you to die. There's more to life than death."
Kevin waited a moment, then lowered his ears and turned, heading down to the chair, back to the floor, "Come on," he said, "let's go."
Salt nodded, got up and followed him down as they continued back into the walls. None of them spoke again. They went, gathered the third foot, recognizing that the fourth wasn't in the building, and then headed back to their section. Salt got the other rabbits and took them back through the walls, and out into a small indoor garden. As everyone gathered around, while Number Two dug a hole for the feet, Salt came to Kevins side.
"You can say something if you want, sort of, eulogize him," Salt said, "I've heard you two were close."
Kevin didn't speak, and so she went back to the hole, to help put the feet in there. As they buried the feet, all the rabbits gathered around the grave, and Kevin hopped to the front of the grave, looking down at it, pushing his paws into the artificial dirt.
"...Steve....Steve was my friend. He was the first rabbit I met when THEY first brought me in here. Steve came from a mill, where they raised rabbits and sold them to either be pets, be eaten, whatever the owner wanted. Steve was funny and intelligent, and he deserved a hell of a lot more than being blown to smithereens, and I hope with this, he might be at some sort of peace now. I miss you, so much, Steve. You'll always be my friend. We'll never forget you. You died for us."
The rabbits waited a few moments, and after it was deemed appropriate, Number Two lead everyone else back to the lab. Gerry stayed behind, looking at the grave, when Six joined him at his side.
"Back in the lab, you defended Dodger, saying that he did care about helping the other mice get out," Six said, "...it took me by surprise, that after all that's happened, you'd defend him. What was that all about?"
"When we were sitting in the vents, Dodger told me about why he came here. His family was stuck in here, being tested on. He failed to save them, and he blames himself for their deaths. That's why he cared about the other mice, because he couldn't save his family. I hate Dodger, but...but you can't make someone a villain unless you have all the facts. Yes, Dodger is a villain, but not without a reason. Dodger cared about those mice. He just didn't care about us."
Six and Gerry took one final glance at the grave, and sighed.
"Come on," Six said, "Let's go to bed."
And with that they hopped back off to the lab.
"Gerry?" she whispered, "What is it?"
"I don't know, just stay quiet and let's see," Gerry whispered back. They sat and waited, but no other sounds came. After a while, Gerry just sighed and dipped his ears, coming to the other end of his cage and facing Six.
"What?" she asked.
"It just reminds me of the first night I met Dodger," Gerry said, "I guess for a moment I'd wished it had been him coming back."
"Why in the hell would you ever want him to come back?" Six asked.
"Maybe he'd realized what he'd done, had come to fix it, but...but I know better than to be hopeful like that. That's naive. That's the kind of thinking that got me to follow him blindly in the first place, always looking for the best in everyone, believing we can all care about one another. I'm a fool," Gerry said, and then they heard it again and both looked back where they'd been staring to see a mouse sitting at the front of Gerrys cage, on the outside. Gerry cautiously hopped back to that end, facing her.
"...who are you?" Gerry asked.
"You're right, you know," she said, "You are naive, but, at least you recognize that now."
"I asked you a question," Gerry said sternly.
"You don't have to worry about me," the mouse said, "Believe me, I'm not like Dodger. I refused to go with him. Once I learned of what he had planned, I refused to be a participant in that sort of treachery. I have something for you, actually. Come down here."
The mouse turned and skittered down the leg of the table, onto the floor, and then disappeared into a hole in the wall. Gerry and Six managed their way out of their cages, and spotted Number Two doing the same. The three of them met in the middle of the floor, waiting for the mouse to return. Number Two yawned.
"What's going on?" he asked, "I saw you guys getting out."
"There's another mouse," Gerry said, "She says she stayed behind, and has something for us."
"And what makes you think she can be-"
"Because I refuse to acknowledge that what Dodger did was in everyones best interest. It wasn't even the mice best interest, for god sakes," the mouse said, as she pulled something behind her, "He just needed someone to help him, but if he could've gotten away on his own, without saving anyone, he would've."
"That's not true," Gerry said, furrowing his brow, confusing Six.
"Well, whatever version of the truth you wish to subscribe to, I don't care. But I am here to give this to you," she said, pulling a rabbit foot attached to a keychain out from behind her, dumping it in between the group, who all, understandably, backed up, seemingly creeped out.
"What is that?" Six asked, "Is that a foot?"
"It's Steves foot," Gerry said, "Remember that house you and I were taken to, Six? For the holiday? When Dodger and I were in the kitchen, we saw one of these hanging from the wall. How did you get this?" he asked, turning back to the mouse.
"I stole it," she said, shrugging, "It's not that hard, it's not that heavy."
"Do you have a name?" Number Two asked.
"Salt," she said, "My name is Salt."
"Salt, where are the others?" Gerry asked, "And why are you giving us this?"
"Because you guys need a win," Salt said, "You guys need to start feeling better about yourselves, and the first step in that direction is to lay your friend to rest. I got it from the head lab. It was just sitting on a desk, so I'm sure the other three are around here somewhere, unless...you said one was in a home, so maybe that one won't be here. But, if I can get the other two, we could-"
"We could do nothing," Kevin said, coming up from behind them with Number Four in tow, "Because this has nothing to do with you. None of you. I'm going with the mouse to get the other feet. Steve was my friend. It's my responsibility."
"You're not going alone," Gerry said, hopping forward, "I'm going with you."
"Fine," Kevin said.
Salt nodded as the two rabbits started following her. She went to a small hole in the wall, small enough for them to crawl in with her. They followed her into the walls, and watched as she sniffed the air, leading them.
"So," Kevin said, "You decided against leaving with Dodger?"
"What Dodger did was despicable," Salt said, "Absolutely reprehensible. I couldn't condone those actions, nor be complacent in it by assisting in his escape, even if it was the best thing for my species. Ever since then, I've been sitting around, listening to you talk, and you're right...unless something benefits everyone, there's no way anything is fair."
"So you defected?" Gerry asked.
"In a sense," Salt said, "I think there's another foot in this upcoming room."
Salt stopped at the end of a grate and pushed it open, then let Gerry and Kevin through before following them into the room. It seemed to be an office of some sort. As they entered, Kevin felt himself shudder, feeling almost scared at being in something other than a lab.
"And you're doing this to get back at him, or?" Gerry asked, as Salt climbed up onto a desk and pulled open a drawer, laughing.
"No, I'm doing this because you need hope," Salt said, as she pulled the second foot out, "I would've brought all of them with me to the lab, but I couldn't carry them all. Heads up."
She pushed it over the edge of the drawer, and Gerry picked it up with his teeth as Salt shimmied her way back down the desk leg and stopped, looking around.
"Where's your friend?" she asked, and Gerry shrugged, looking around himself, before spotting Kevin looking at something, and nodding in his direction. Gerry and Salt headed over to where Kevin was sitting on a table, having hopped up onto a chair and then onto the table, his eyes glued to something. Salt told Gerry to wait here on the floor before she climbed up and joined Kevin.
"What're you so enamored with?" she asked, "...oh."
"THEY have ribbons. The awards they give us, they don't mean anything. These awards are for THEM," Kevin said, "THEY get congratulated on having tortured us. For having gotten results from not killing too many of us. It's...disgusting."
"It certainly is deplorable," Salt said, "But you can't focus on that. If you do, then...well, you just lose sight of all the good there can be."
"What good can there be, Salt? We're trapped in here like rats, no offense, and nobody even cares."
"I care," Salt said, "There's groups out there that care, and they want to help and-"
"If they want to help, they'd have helped. No. They care about their own self image. A sort of 'look at what a good human being I am, caring for something other than my own kind!', but in actuality, they never put any boots to the ground. There's no action, no follow through, it's all talk and no show. We all seemed so surprised at how callous and conceited Dodger was, but, why? Everyone is like that, mouse, human or otherwise. They're all the same, so why be shocked? Oh no, someone treated us badly and used us, not like THEY haven't been doing that to us the entire time we've been here."
Salt looked at her paws and sat beside him, "I...I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but there are people who care. I care. You know I care because...well, I have nothing to gain. I could leave anytime I want. I don't have to be helping you lay your friend partially to rest, but I am because...because someone has to eventually feel some level of success. If all anyone ever achieves is failure, then that's all they'll believe to be achievable. They'll give up. They die. I don't want you to die, Kevin, I don't want any of you to die. There's more to life than death."
Kevin waited a moment, then lowered his ears and turned, heading down to the chair, back to the floor, "Come on," he said, "let's go."
Salt nodded, got up and followed him down as they continued back into the walls. None of them spoke again. They went, gathered the third foot, recognizing that the fourth wasn't in the building, and then headed back to their section. Salt got the other rabbits and took them back through the walls, and out into a small indoor garden. As everyone gathered around, while Number Two dug a hole for the feet, Salt came to Kevins side.
"You can say something if you want, sort of, eulogize him," Salt said, "I've heard you two were close."
Kevin didn't speak, and so she went back to the hole, to help put the feet in there. As they buried the feet, all the rabbits gathered around the grave, and Kevin hopped to the front of the grave, looking down at it, pushing his paws into the artificial dirt.
"...Steve....Steve was my friend. He was the first rabbit I met when THEY first brought me in here. Steve came from a mill, where they raised rabbits and sold them to either be pets, be eaten, whatever the owner wanted. Steve was funny and intelligent, and he deserved a hell of a lot more than being blown to smithereens, and I hope with this, he might be at some sort of peace now. I miss you, so much, Steve. You'll always be my friend. We'll never forget you. You died for us."
The rabbits waited a few moments, and after it was deemed appropriate, Number Two lead everyone else back to the lab. Gerry stayed behind, looking at the grave, when Six joined him at his side.
"Back in the lab, you defended Dodger, saying that he did care about helping the other mice get out," Six said, "...it took me by surprise, that after all that's happened, you'd defend him. What was that all about?"
"When we were sitting in the vents, Dodger told me about why he came here. His family was stuck in here, being tested on. He failed to save them, and he blames himself for their deaths. That's why he cared about the other mice, because he couldn't save his family. I hate Dodger, but...but you can't make someone a villain unless you have all the facts. Yes, Dodger is a villain, but not without a reason. Dodger cared about those mice. He just didn't care about us."
Six and Gerry took one final glance at the grave, and sighed.
"Come on," Six said, "Let's go to bed."
And with that they hopped back off to the lab.