Going Underground

"So," Rob said. "When they first dug the warren they used mice, gerbils and hamsters as labour - the warren is very complex and very deep. But they made the smaller animals dig ventilation shafts linking all the burrows.

"Their magical power doesn't affect non-coneys.

"So a small animal, say a mouse or a gerbil, could run through the whole warren without being seen or sensed by the Committee. This, well for sake of arguments we'll call it a gerbil," He said smiling at Rod,

"This gerbil could scout the whole warren out, find out in which burrow particular rabbits were housed and spy on the committee. This gerbil could even take a ring such as this," he said holding up a wooden ring sized to fit on a rabbit's paw, "to a friend of his whom was under the influence of the Committee."

Rod, Plessey and David nodded. David's head suddenly jerked up.

"'Ere," He said, "This hypothetical gerbil of yours. He isn't called Dave is he? Because if he is, he's going to tell you where you can stick your small dark tunnels. And what you can stick up them."

---*---

There is a certain convention in low comedy that immediately after a character is involuntarily volunteered for a nasty task, the character protests that they would not be caught dead performing said task. The director must then cut to the next scene where the character in question is carrying out the task mumbling dark words under his breath.

I hate to break with convention. I love a good cliche.

"Buggringforkingblurrybuzzardsfeckingbigrabbitsshouldputthelotoftheminastew." David muttered to himself.

Behind him you can see a circle of speckled sky - black with stars as white spots, like a Dalmatian in negative. David was in a small tunnel, not much wider than himself. He was on all fours gingerly, slowly padding, along the tunnel.

He wasn't happy, by any chalk.

A few yards head of him a small spot of light of light shone from the floor. David's eyes were focussed on that spot. His head was locked in on it like a hawk on a rabbit. In David's mind he was the hawk - the spot of light was a rabbit called Rob, and the tunnel was the whole wide open big and blue sky.

David's breath came in short hard pants. He counted to himself to help him focus

"One Two Three".

Pant.

"One Two Three".

Pant.

"One Two Three".

He reached the light and stopped. He counted to three again and peeked down.

Below him was a brightly lit corridor. Torches hung from the walls every few rabbit-strides. There was no sign of any rabbits.

David looked up. He was blinded for a few seconds whilst his eyes got used to the darkness. A few feet in front of him the tunnel split into two, one heading up and seeming to follow the line of the burridor below. The other bent off to the left. A speck of light came from each one.

David edged over the hole and a little way towards the fork.

"Buggrit"(*)

The light in the left fork seemed slightly nearer than the light in the right fork.

"So. Left it is." David said to himself. "Blurryrabbits."

He reached the light and could see that the tunnel ran straight for a long way. At intervals along its length little spots of light could be seen. He took a few deep breaths and looked down.

The room was empty of rabbit, but full of other things. There was a desk with papers on it and a bed which looked much more comfortable than the piles of leaves that David has spent the last week sleeping on.

David shook his head and, muttering things to himself, started towards the next light. As he neared this light he was pleased to hear voices.

"Have you managed to move the staff yet?" Said one of the voices.

"No. It's still lying on the floor of the Committee Chamber." A second voice said. "If two of the guards can't pick it up then it's a magical problem. We'll leave that to Nis and Mela, it's their area."

"Wonder where he got it. Looks like a real wizard's staff to me, he didn't look like a wizard to me."

"No, he probably stole it. What's happened to him?"

"We've put him to work in the fields. He's too dangerous to be given supervisor-freedom."

"He's number thirty-seven now yes?" A grunt, "That means his berth is quite deep in the warren. In the second chamber, yes?"

"The lower he is, the nearer he is to the Source. So the more control we have over him. We made sure he's assigned to one of the close work parties. It wouldn't do any good to have him any distance from the Source. He might be strong enough to break free without the staff."

"And the doe?"

"She's with Mela."

"Dirty Doe. Didn't you want her for yourself?"

David reached the light and peered carefully over the edge. Now, this was a comfortable burrow. Two rabbits sat at a polished oak table, glasses of wine by their hands.

There was a 'chink' as one rabbit picked his glass up to take a swig - the sound of metal against glass - the sound of a ring hitting the glass.

He closed his eyes and threw his head back.

"She's very intelligent." He said, righting his head, "She could count up to ten you know."

"I can count higher than that."

"But you're enhanced by the artefact. I mean she could count to ten without any help."

The other rabbit took a swig of wine, nodding sagely.

"South slopes?" He said nodding at the glass.

Their talk turned to vintages, boring David immediately.

"I want nothing this society's got." He thought to himself. "Deeper on it is. Where is this 'Second Chamber'?" He wondered.

He looked forward towards the next light. It was twice as far as the last gap.

Grimacing, he started again, as quietly as he possibly could.

About halfway to the next light his front paw suddenly fell straight through the floor!

"Buggrit!" He exclaimed, then pulled his arm back and clamped his paw over his mouth.

Below him something stirred and with a 'phsssst' a light came on.

"Is there anyone there?"

David pulled back from the hole.

"Hello?"

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

"What's that noise?" David thought frantically. "Shit, it's my heart!"

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

David closed his eyes. That made the dark feel slightly better. Friendlier, almost. His teeth started to chatter so he clenched his jaw shut. His claws dug into his palms.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

"Oh I'm dreaming things again." Came the voice from below. A quieter 'phssst' noise. David opened an eye, sure enough the light had gone out.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

"Wait 'till he's asleep." David thought.

Thu-Thud.

"Wait until you can hear him snore. Then creep onwards." He told himself.

Thu-Thud.

"What if he doesn't snore? I could be here all night!" He started to panic.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

His eyes clamped shut.

"I'm safe.

"He can't see me.

"He can't hear me.

"He can't hurt me.

"I want to have control.

"I have control.

"I am in control.

"I'm safe."

Thu-Thud.

"I am safe."

Thu-Thud.

From below a gentle, snoring sound could be heard.

David released his breath. He'd been unaware that he'd been holding it.

Slowly, carefully, quietly he crawled past the hole towards the next light.

The next light showed a rabbit sitting up in bed reading.

The next light showed a rabbit sleeping with the light on. David looked at the comfortable bed and sighed, clamping his mouth over his face as soon as he realised that he had made a noise. There was no change in the sleeping rabbit.

The next light was a long way away, so David was very slow, he managed to gauge how far the hole would be and counted paces. Thirty paces.

He was really pleased to find the hole just where he expected it.

Smiling he made off towards the distant next light.

David started off at some speed, counting his steps. Unfortunately after ten steps the ground dropped away and became a vertical shaft.

David heart had time to beat thrice before he managed to get some control over his descent; his paws began to scrabble at the walls as he dropped. His eyes were wide in terror and he screamed out loud as he fell.

Thu-Thud.

Thu-Thud.

THUD. David hit bottom.

"'Uck." He said before passing out.

(*) Millennium shrimp as well, probably.

---*---