Alarms, Surprises

Daybreak. Cola is still walking to her office, twisting and turning the ring on her finger, concerned about her friendship with Lotte.

We have other things to see now.

We stand in the residential area of the warren, we are in the area of the affluent, where a burrow is many rooms and the doors lock with Dead and Yale. We are looking over the shoulder of a small group of conies as they work at building a pile of combustibles against a door.

Finally, satisfied, the leader of this group, a buck by the name of Frank, steps back.

"That'll do." He holds our his left paw to a coney. This coney passes a small canister - a human's cigarette lighter - to Frank.

Frank turns the lighter upside down and opens the base. He glares at his coney associates and they step back.

He shakes the fuel over the pile, then turns the lighter upright and, holding it near the pile, flicks the flint three times until the flame catches.

Shaking his hand (as it was singed by the ignition) he turned to his pack.

"Now the other one."

---*---

We'll float through the closed door into an audience room of opulence - turning swiftly we can already see tendrils of smoke oozing under the door. We glide into the second chamber - a bedroom - and turn to see an aging coney lying asleep on the bed, the covers rising and falling gently with his breathing.

Morbidly we just float and watch: The smoke seeps in from the audience room. Within minutes the floor is covered and the smoke is starting to creep onto the bed. We glance back into the audience room and can see flames coming from the door and the furniture standing next to it.

The coney on the bed coughs once - twice. Then we can hear the rasping of the coney's breath.

With the strange fascination of the narrator we watch as the smoke rises and the coney coughs in his sleep.

The buck twitches a few times and then stops. The realisation dawns slowly - no twitches - no coughing - the covers have stopped.

We'll metaphorically remove our hats and cast our eyes at the floor.

---*---

"Thirty-Six." Puff. "Thirty-Seven." Puff. "Thirty-Eight"

Another aging coney - this time not asleep but performing sit-ups at the bottom of his bed. He stops.

"Eh?" Cadam says, "What's that noise?" He sits up for a moment and strains his ears, but to no avail. He "tch"s and starts back at his exercises.

He gets three more in and is just about to intone "Forty-Two" when he hears another noise.

"Bugger" he says as he pulls himself to his feet.

He steps into his audience room and stops.

From underneath the door come the first few tendrils of smoke.

Cadam is a canny beast and realises that the day has arrived. He's been living scared for the past few weeks, expecting this at every turn of every day. Maybe not expecting being roasted in his own rooms, but certainly some foul fate was awaiting him on the agenda.

He's too old to panic, he turns quickly and rushes into his bedroom, grabbing a chair as he runs past. He pushes a pile of clothes aside and places the chair against the wall. We look up with him and can see a skylight. With Cadam we look down at his belly and back up at the skylight. He frowns, then "Tch"s yet again and climbs on the chair.

Thump! Cadam bashes at the window, frowning more. Let's look closely at the layers of paint holding it shut -let's frown too.

Thump! Cadam pants and looks down. a thin layer of smoke covers the floor.

With a grimace Cadam gives one last thump and the window gives way and swings out. In balance Cadam falls back into the room onto the floor.

He stands, coughing, picks the chair up and clambers up and out of the death-trap burrow.

Kicking the window shut behind him, he takes off at a lope into the dawn.

It will be some time before Cadam dares return to the burrow that's been his home for so long.

---*---

"Sir," Cola said, as she stopped and stood, both hands on her staff, panting, "We must rest, it's almost midday and we've been running for hours."

Gilchrist came to a halt a few lopes ahead and turned. His dark eyes took in the pair of tired does behind him and softened.

"My dears," He intoned, "Let us take just a few paces more and we will be able to start the next stage of our journey, I know the pace has been hard, but just a few hundred yards more and we'll gain more than you can know!"

Lotte looked up at the black bunny that was their saviour from the anarchy at the warren then turned to Cola, "Just a little more." She held out a front-paw, "We can make it."

Cola took her paw and straightened herself up. "Okay." She said to Lotte then, facing Gilchrist, "Lead on MacDuff."

The dark buck started off again, slower this time, looking behind every few paces to make sure the girls were keeping up.

"I" Cola said between footfalls, "Need" Then a gasp, "Lunch"

"Not much longer." Lotte said, "Gilchrist says, anyway."

Looking ahead they saw that Gilchrist had stopped at the edge of clearing in the woods.

The does held hands and walked slowly after Gilchrist.

As they stepped out next to their guide and rescuer he held his front limbs wide.

"Stay here." He said and, without looking back, walked out into the centre.

Lotte looked at Cola. Cola looked at Lotte. They shrugged and turned to look at Gilchrist.

He stood in the exact centre of the glade, eyes to the sky. Holding his hands to his mouth like a trumpet he gave a loud call, like that of a feral animal, totally unlike a coney.

Cola felt a shiver run down her spine at the sound. She was about to turn to Lotte when, out of the sky, three hawks flew down, aiming straight at Gilchrist.

Lotte's knees collapsed. Cola's tried but her grip on the staff was too strong. She took one step, then another, suddenly she was running towards Gilchrist, who was standing stock still, arms stretched wide as the birds dropped towards him. Cola reached him just as the birds landed and she jumped for him, hitting him sideways and knocking him over. She laid, protectively over him.

From behind her came a laugh. It took a moment for her to register it as a hawk, laughing. She looked down at the black rabbit underneath her. Gilchrist looked incensed!

"Madam!" He said, levering her off of him, "Meet our transport!" There was anger in his voice. Cola looked stunned. He'd been calling to these raptors!

"Quick thinking, miss." Said the nearest hawk, "you did a good job of protecting..."

"Gilchrist!" The black bunny butted in before the hawk could continue. Gilchrist's eyes bore deep into the hawk. He stood up and walked towards the bird. "I am Gilchrist, the leader of this small band."

"Whatever." The hawk said, focussing nonchalantly at the coney. "Your, call, said you wanted a lift?"

Gilchrist nodded, "For myself and my two companions."

By this time Lotte's knees had started to work again and she had hobbled quietly into the clearing to Cola's side and she helped Cola to her feet. "That was very brave of you," Lotte whispered into Cola's ear. "He should be more appreciative. You didn't know."

"Don't worry Lot." Cola said as she adjusted herself.

Cola cleared her throat. "Gilchrist," He turned from the hawk, "a word if you please?"

Gilchrist nodded at the hawk and padded over to the does.

"I've tried to travel by hawk before." Cola said in a low voice to the buck, "We were double crossed and he ran off with Gorden."

"It's alright," Gilchrist said, patting her arm, "I've used these hawks before. They will do as I ask. Trust me. Now I must negotiate our passage"

He turned quickly away from her and returned to the hawk to bargain.

"How do they?" Lotte began, "How do we?" Her eyes were wide at the idea of travelling by bird of prey.

"They hold you by the shoulders and just take off."

"Does it, hurt?" Lotte quivered.

"Gorden was the only one who was taken." Cola explained, "The rest of us decided against."

"But Gorden was alright wasn't he?"

"He." Cola stumbled over the words, "He never remembered what had happened after the hawk took him." Then she was hit by a bout of positivity, "If Gilchrist says it's safe then we'll be alright!"

Lotte was reassured by this and nearly smiled.

Their buck walked back over to them.

"I have made all the arrangements and they are ready to take off at your leisure, my ladies. The suggest that we avail ourselves of this opportunity to perform any essential ablutions before the journey."

"Good idea!" Lotte said and she excused herself to the edge of the clearing.

Cola sat down and shook her head. She laid the staff across her lap and fiddled with her gold ring.

She looked down at her paw. It seemed like centuries ago that Gorden had placed it on her hand when he rescued her from the Chiltern Coney Commune. And Gorden's hawk flight was from before that even! Now it was her turn to fly and she felt trepidation, or rather base fear at the prospect. She wished that Gilchrist could have arranged something else, but then he hadn't exactly had time to plan for this trip. She looked back roughly towards where the warren was. Someone was attacking her position. Someone was attacking her warren.

She was running away.

But Gilchrist had said it was too dangerous for her. he had been injured getting her staff. Things were burning.

She should return. She should go back to the warren and try to get control herself. She couldn't leave that to Gilchrist and his friends. In fact as Gilchrist was here with her she didn't know if he'd be able to take the warren back!

Cola was shaken from her reverie by Lotte's return.

"Are you ready, ladies?" Gilchrist intoned, "Your flight awaits!"

Cola pulled herself up. "Ready as I'll ever be." Lotte nodded.

Gilchrist spoke to the hawks and the birds took off. Gilchrist stood Cola and Lotte a few feet apart and stood between them.

With a rush Cola's feet left the ground! Talons gripped her shoulders securely but with surprisingly hardly any pain.

Cola felt the blood drain from her head as the hawk flew straight up. She felt dizzy and made the mistake of looking down. Below her she could see indistinct shapes that could only be trees, rushing past and getting smaller and smaller. Her meagre breakfast made an attempt at coming back up again and she had to close her eyes and concentrate hard to hold it down.

Her stomach calmed; she opened her eyes and was suddenly hit by the fact that she was flying! The things below her were now so far out of focus that she didn't feel nauseous looking at them. Glancing from side to side she could see Lotte and Gilchrist hanging beneath their respective birds. She smiled. I'm flying!

After half an hour the amusement wore off and boredom set in. She also has an itching at the back of her head that she couldn't reach unless she managed to get a shoulder free. She decided to live with the itch rather than risk hanging from one arm only - and she might drop the staff! She wasn't about to risk that!

Cola closed her eyes and realised that she might even be able to fall asleep! If it wasn't for that bloody itching!

Another half an hour and Cola had decided that flying was actually the most boring thing she'd ever done. There was nothing to do except think!

It seemed an age later when they landed. The hawks dropped them gently on the ground then landed a few feet away. Lotte and Cola collapsed to the ground. Cola thought she saw Lotte kissing the grass.

Gilchrist trotted over to the hawks and concluded the deal. There was the movement of money and a lot of head nodding. Watching the birds nodding was unnerving to Cola, it looked like they were just about to peck Gilchrist's eyes out!

The birds turned and flew off. Gilchrist turned back to the does. "Lunchtime, I think, my dear does, then we'll make a few more hours travel onwards before nightfall."

---*---

As they stopped for the night Lotte volunteered to cook supper. She located a few wild carrots and boiled a quick soup. Cola and Gilchrist both complemented her on it and she started to glow with pleasure. She'd not been able to accomplish much so far. When she and Cola had seen the hawks plunging at Gilchrist she'd only been able to collapse with fear, whereas Cola had risked life and limb by trying to save Gilchrist. It didn't matter that he hadn't needed saving, at least she'd done something. Then whilst they were flying! - Lotte had never felt as scared as the time from the talons clutching her shoulders until the time they dropped her off - Cola had seemed to take it all in her stride, Lotte had seen Cola's eyes close on the flight! She was not scared at all and it was all Lotte could do to keep from screaming in fear the whole time.

So supper was the least she could do.

Now night was falling. Lotte was filled with a tingling! It was possible that once Cola fell asleep that Gilchrist would come to her in the dark. Her toes twitched at the notion. If only... Lotte has seen the looks that Cola gave Gilchrist; she hung on his every word even more than Lotte did. One day she'll have to tell her that Gilchrist was Lotte's buck. But she daren't. Not now.

Gilchrist was talking Cola to sleep. They seemed to be having quite a conversation. Lotte just thought about what came next.

Cola seemed to drop off to sleep and Gilchrist sat there for a time, just staring at her sleeping form.

He stood up and walked over to Lotte shaking his head.

He sat in front of Lotte and took her paws in his.

"This will be hard on you." He began, whispering "But I tried to change her mind."

"What?" Lotte whispered back, confused.

"She want us to leave her and return to the warren." Gilchrist said, Lotte gasped, "I told her that my bucks could gain control of the warren - she thinks they will have abetter chance if I'm leading them rather than looking after her." Gilchrist looked down, "She thinks you'll be safer with me than with her. She says that she's been here before with Gorden and knows where to go now."

"But..." Lotte tried to say something and failed.

"She was adamant. I argued with her until she fell asleep. I feel that we should accede to her wishes."

"But..."

"It'll be alright." Gilchrist looked sad. "Gather your things quietly and we'll be gone before she wakes up."

Lotte looked over at the sleeping Cola and gulped, Her friend wanted to be alone and she had to respect that. She was certainly right about Gilchrist, how could he take the warren back if he wasn't there? Lotte shivered and stood up.

They left a few minutes later, padding off into the dark of night. Gilchrist took Lotte's front paw and led her - his night sight was perfect. They reached the clearing where the hawks had dropped them and luckily there was some birds playing a late night game of canasta. Gilchrist stood Lotte at the edge of the clearing and padded to the birds. Five minutes later they were airborn.

---*---

The sun's first rays touched Cola's face and the gentle warmth brought her out of a deep sleep. She'd been dreaming about Herbert and where she'd last read about him - trying to break out of jail.

She moaned a little moan of pleasure as she parted her eyelids a smidgin to see the glow of sunlight.

Something made her catch her breath. There was a small green light in the corner of her eye. Thinking a leaf has fallen across her eyes in the night she shut her eyes tight. The green light got brighter.

She tried to look at it.

It expanded into a green square, seemingly on the back of her eyelids! Words appeared at the top of the square.

SYSTEMS CHECK COMPLETE.

They said.

AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS, SIR.

Was she still dreaming? Was she hallucinating? The small drink of carrot whiskey that Gilchrist had given her last night had been a little strong, so strong she'd fallen straight asleep!

Was she still dreaming about Herbert and his implants.

Herbert's implants were stored in small balls like marbles.

Cola shivered, remembering the collection of The Head Buck's Marbles that Al had sold her last week. Remembering the marble that had broken in her hand, digging in but not causing any bleeding.

She stared at the "AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS SIR" - the words dissolved into more words,

CATALOG

SYSTEM

She stared at CATALOG - the word dissolved and expanded into

DIARY

BUDGETS

INCOMING MESSAGES

SENT MESSAGES

Under her breath she whispered "Diary". Again the word dissolved and expanded into a whole stream of options.

She scanned through the list, they appeared to be chapter titles for the Journal she'd been reading.

She hadn't noticed him mentioning writing his journal in anything she'd read, she'd just assumed he'd written it. It appears that he'd stored it in his implants.

One of which she was using now.

She shivered as she reached entries entitled "Malcolm In Jail" and "Jail Break - Lord Fader".

She sub-vocalised "Jail Break" and it was highlighted, then "Lord Fader" The list dissolved and was replaced by a stream of words - Herbert's journal!

Cola scanned through the first part - it appeared this chapter was the last one she'd read but not finished. She reached the last section.

---*---

With my old shipmates and with Malcolm in tow we reached the maximum-security wing.

Racing along the long corridor we passed cell after cell of still-locked in prisoners. Finally at the end, on the left we stopped. Facing away from us was Fader. He was just putting his helmet on. He turned to face us. Spiron smiled.

"No Alarms?" Fader intoned. Spiron replied something - my implants were not up to translating thatyet. Fader didn't need translating. Fader nodded. "No surprises, then." He stood back and Spiron did something to the cage. The bars and concreglass dissolved. Fader emerged; back straight, helmet held high. I scowled at him, quietly. I may not like the buck, but at least I'd been able to tag along on the jail break.

Fader looked over us all. "We should be off."

Spiron motioned towards the exit and we marched off.

We had two more pitched battles with guards before we reached where TB had crashed into the base.

As we reached the ship I realised that Bov appeared to be missing. I tried to make myself understood. Spiron said something to me, "I don't understand you?" I cried.

"He's dead." Fader said to me. "You understand me don't you?"

I had to nod.

"Good." he replied, "Now you must man the engines. Get your," he looked at Malcolm with some sort of disgust, "Friend, there to take your gun."

I grabbed Malcolm by the arm and dragged him to my former gunnery post. I gave him a five minute lesson on the controls as the ship took off.

I left him spinning the gunnery globe uncontrollably and rushed off to the engines.

---*---

"Wow!" Cola said to herself. "Wait 'till I tell Lotte!"

She opened her eyes fully and the green-overlay faded away.

The sunlight was bright in her eyes as Cola sat up and looked over the deserted clearing.

"Lotte?" She called, then, "Gilchrist?"