Coda

Cola had been sat, rather uncomfortably it must be said, leaning against the car battery. The effects of the Golden Carrot held her body still, but her mind raced; and the nano pressed into her flesh by Madison weaved its way into her brain and started to play.

---*---

This will be my final diary entry. I need to get this all down somewhere before I have to cleanse this implant too.

The ship had been damaged by the jump. It was an emergency, blind jump and there may be only an infinitesimal chance of actually jumping onto something, but if you keep pulling stunts like that, one day your luck runs out.

The drive took a hit from a micrometeorite as soon as we translated. Luckily we were able to effect repairs in space - we were far from any star let alone any star we knew was inhabited. A decent tub of nano and a few days' wait later and we were fighting fit.

So this is it. This is where we break up.

Kurl and Vestock made the decision first.

"We've been talking." Vestock began.

"Both of us." Kurl added.

"We think it's about time to divvy up and go our separate ways."

"Well, not our separate ways." Kurl said with a smile, "We're going to go our separate ways together."

"Equal shares." I told them. "Equal shares." They looked pleasantly surprised. It probably wasn't Spiron's policy. But, hey, it's mine. "Equal shares, Kurl; Vestock; Marko; Richard, Malcolm and me."

"Strange." Gilchrist spoke, "Malcolm gets a share even though he spends most of his time in stasis. But I, who've brought this ship so much work over the past few years, get nothing?"

"Give over." The white bunny, Madison, said. Gilchrist eyed daggers at him.

"Just wondering," Kurl asked, "But how much is an equal share these days?"

We decanted to the Vault.

Every time we'd earned money, we'd placed a tithe into the ship's bank account, I'm pretty sure we didn't want to do near that now. But the other ninety percent we turned into hard metals. The kinds of precious metals that would make "My Precious" precious to anyone.

I pulled open the hatch. "Hmm." I hummed, "'I'll need a little time to count this out."

They looked over my shoulders. They "aaahed!" in concert.

Kurl sat with me as I divided the bullion up, first into similar bars and then subdividing each metal pile into six, finally collating the different coloured metals together so that we finally had six piles of bars. Oh, and a few coins.

"We want to be dropped off at Gort." Kurl said to me as we counted. "I know it could be a little dangerous but it's really the only other home we know."

"Ship?" I asked the ceiling, "Could we do a jump-to-surface and jump-out quick enough not to get caught?"

"If," the ship replied, "I had a space to land in guaranteed to be empty I'm reasonably sure I could."

"We'll have to get closer," I said, "We'll need to trawl the datanet for an empty warehouse we can rent remotely."

Kurl smiled, "We don't have to rent it do we - we just have to know it's empty."

"Clever." I smiled back.

"I'll plot us a course to the furthest place out I can catch a datanet signal." This ship said with a bleep. TB did like being helpful.

---*---

It took three days of careful translations to get a suitable distance from Gort. We all hugged at the landing ramp and then Kurl and Vestock stepped off together, arm in arm into a rather dusty warehouse in a rather unfashionable part of our favourite space port.

We translated out as soon as the ramp was shut.

---*---

"I've got nowhere to go." Marko said. "Would your world take me in?"

"Tricky." I said, "There's one species thinks it's the only sentient on the planet. We'd need to keep you away from them or else you're end up in a performing circus."

Marko's eyes lit up. "A circus!"

I frowned. "No. We'll have to pick a good spot. Africa or India have got the most unsettled wide open spaces. You'd also find creatures that look quite like you, even if I'm not sure you'd find your intellectual equals."

"So, lots of mates and I'm the cleverest one there?" Marko smiled, "Count me in!"

"Home it is then." I said. "Plot a course to Earth, please TB."

"My pleasure." Our ship responded.

---*---

"I understand." TB had said, "That you can't let me back out again."

"I'd like to." I told the ship, "But can you honestly tell me that 'they' couldn't use you to trace us?"

"Not really." The ship sounded a little despondent. "I don't have direct control over my flight logs. I can't stop location data being written there and I can't wipe them without compromising my functions."

"Clever buggers eh?" I said with feeling.

"I'll look after you." Gilchrist said. I looked askance at him. "You come with me, we'll hole up somewhere by a river and watch the world go by."

"Sounds. Nice." The ship forced itself to say. I think retirement will be hardest on him.

"Madison and I will look after you." Gilchrist said, stroking the hull.

"No." Madison said; the first sharp word I'd heard him say since he got out of the suit. "I'm not going with you."

Gilchrist frowned at him, Paddington-hard-stare-style.

"You've ruled my life for too long."

"Mother wanted us to work together."

"Don't." Madison said. "Don't talk of her." He looked at me, "Just drop me off anywhere, far from him. Italy I think, for now."

Gilchrist was scowling at Madison. Madison had shut his eyes and had a faint smile on his lips.

"There's a landing pad in the Vatican." The ship said, "I've been there before." I raised an eyebrow at that.

---*---

I've been spending the past few days writing up my diary using an external reader. We've all de-implanted over the past few days. Rather unpleasant - you turn the implant off and the nano finds its way out of your body through your digestive system. Searching for glass beads in your excrement is not a pleasant task for anyone I can tell you. I'm not sure who is going to read this. I'm taking a couple of copies with me when I go. Maybe I'll just keep it as a reminder that the world is bigger than our warren.

I suppose that's my message to anyone reading this - the world is bigger than one warren and there are more things that you can imagine awaiting you out there. Just try not to bring attention to yourself if you leave the planet.

---*---

Cola blinked, her eyes seemed so dry!

She dropped her eyes down and looked at her arm and her forepaw. It would be nice if she could move her paw and rub her eyes.

Her fingers twitched!

Hang on a moment, she thought, I can move my hand.

She raised her hand up and tried to remember what it was she wanted to do.

Ah! Got it!

She rubbed her eyes and wriggled herself comfortable.

She sprung up as she realised that the carrot wasn't affecting her.

"Phump?" She called, rounding the battery. He was groaning on the ground, a little sore but he didn't seem worse for wear.

Cola helped him stand up. Biggs was on his feet already and had taken the opportunity to divest the bound guard bunnies of their rings.

"They won't be needed anymore." Cola said to him, "I think the carrot's broken."

"Madison said it could happen." Phump said. "What now?"

"Let's take our burrows back!" Cola said. She picked up her staff and strode into the warren.

Inside was dark and empty - there didn't seem to be anybunny there. Good, she thought, that means the attack on the south side diversion worked. "Phump," she asked, "Can you and Biggs run south and see what's happening? I'll go to my quarters."

"Alone?" Phump said, stopping himself before running off.

"I'll be fine." Cola said, "I've got my staff, and, this is my warren, don'tcha know!"

Phump and Biggs rushed off. Somewhere to the south of the warren was a battle going on.

Cola strode purposefully towards her chambers.

The door was ajar and she pushed it gently open.

"Oh Bugs and Roger and everything holy!" She exclaimed.

Madison and Malcolm were sat in a pool of blood, laughing and flicking it at each other; they were covered in spatters of red, but seemed well.

Well, except for the inane grin on Madison's face.

Behind them, the source of the blood. The black bunny lay in a mess of blood and guts, a sword poking out from the top as it awaiting a long-lost king to pull it out.

Cola rested her staff against the wall and pulled the sword from the prone coney.

"Good." She said to herself, "He's dead. Wonder which one did it?"

There was a low whimper. It wasn't until then that Cola realised that the bundle of fur huddled in the corner was alive.

She stepped towards the corner and was shocked as the bundle of fur crystallised into being - it was Lotte!

Lotte shrunk away from Cola, whimpering louder.

"Lotte, it's me." She said in a soft voice, "Cola." Lotte continued to cower, "Your friend."

An arm, fur dirty, greasy and slick with sweat and blood came from the cowering figure. A finger pointed from the paw at...

Cola realised that she was holding a sword, covered in blood. She must look a fright. She carefully placed the blade on the floor at her feet and held her forepaws out, palms facing Lotte.

"It's ok." She said softly, "It's just me, your friend, Cola." She tried to hold back the disgust she felt at Lotte's state. She tried to hold back the anger at Gilchrist for doing this to her. Bugs only knows what he'd done to this poor girl. Softly, she told herself, softly and calmly. "You're safe now." Cola said, taking a step towards Lotte, "Safe."

She repeated the word over and over as she inched nearer to her frightened friend.

She knelt down next to Lotte. "You're safe. He'll never hurt you again. I won't let anyone hurt you again." She held out her paw, her eyes pleading for Lotte to take it.

Behind her the two mad rabbits started to sing, "Feel Like making lunch! Urgh!"

Lotte broke out in tears at the sound and lunged forward, Cola was surprised for a second, then realised that Lotte had grabbed her and was hugging her.

"Safe." Cola whispered, a free paw stroking Lotte's head. "Safe."

---*---

They were like this when Phump came in, Biggs and Wedge close behind.

Malcolm and Madison singing; Cola and Lotte hugging each other as if the world was about to end.

"Cola." Phump said, picking his way past the mad and dead people. "Cola." He sounded distraught.

"Phump." Lotte said in a low voice. "It's Phump." She giggled, a little hysterically, "He's lost weight!"

"Cola." Phump was nearly crying.

"He's shaking." Lotte said. Cola turned her head.

"Phump?"

Phump's eyes seemed deadened.

"We've won." Cola said, calmly. "We've won." She nodded towards Gilchrist.

"But I don't know how." Phump responded. "I don't know how. It's Maisie. And Al and her brother I don't know what's happened with them they're all missing they never made it to Gladys we're just lucky her people decided to attack anywhere because they remembered what we'd asked them when we met but it was an accident not planned at all and Wedge was surprised when he went to give the signal the fighting had already begin and everyone was there and Maisie wasn't and I don't know I've lost her and I'd only just found her and I'm confused and.." Phump had returned to his old manner of speaking. He was shaking.

"I need to find her." He said.

Cola held Lotte tighter, then rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Has he been working out?" Lotte asked, then a manic giggle escape from her lips.