Things Exploding

It was early in the morning. The sun had risen, and the first few birds had decided to punish the later-rising animals with a rather boisterous dawn chorus which a stone from David's hand had little chance of stopping. The two guards had only been on duty a few minutes - last night's graveyard shift had been rather busy and had stayed on duty later than usual trying to find some runaways (to no avail) and were currently being dressed down (if not salted for the winter months). Dan and Al were surprised when two rabbits seeming came out from behind them.

"Got him." Said the first of the two rabbits smiling a happy grin - obviously a supervisor by his ring. "He gave us a pretty chase but, well, you know how it is." The second rabbit (rather a large one to boot) was on the end of a short tether held in the supervisor's front paw. Strapped to the back of the large rabbit was a metal-shod staff.

Dan stood aside to let them through.

"I thought the guards here gave up the search?" Al asked.

"They did." The supervisor explained, "Then they called me in. I've had experience in the outside world you know."

Al nodded sagely and stood aside to let them through.

Al hopped up as something trod on his foot. He looked down, there was nothing there.

Looking from side to side, he shook his head and moved back nearer Dan.

"Al," Dan said, "What was that slithering noise?"

Al shrugged his shoulders then lifted his back-right paw up from the ground.

"Urgh." He said, "I've just trod in some snail-slime!"

Dan screwed up his nose.

---*---

Rod waited until they had got a couple of feet into the main entrance before tugging Gorden closer.

"We'll aim for Mela's quarters. That's the last place we know Cola to be."

Gorden nodded. One of his hands was held around the rope - the other hand was wrapped around the first to hide Rob's ring that he was still wearing.

"They're along here." Rod said, leading down a side corridor.

A shadow followed them...

Rod stopped outside a door, nodded at Gorden and then burst through the door, dropping Gorden's rope to let it hang loose. Gorden and the shadow followed.

"What do you mean by this interruption!" Said a wide doe, probably Mela, as she stood up from her table, seated at the table opposite here was Cola, calm and quiet and ignoring everyone else.

Mela looked askance at Rod,

"So, you've come back," She said, "I always knew we'd see you again. Did your girlfriend kick you out once she got her free-will?" Mela moved around the table as she talked.

"We just want Cola." Gorden said, "There's no reason to be nasty about this."

"Oh, I think there is." Mela said, and then as quick as anything she had a knife to Cola's throat.

The light on the table flickered. Shadows moved around the room.

"Come on Mela," Rod said, "She's only one doe. You've got hundreds more to play with."

"I quite like this one," Mela began, "She's quite, urgh!"

A wandering shadow had split in two - one snail-shaped piece stayed dark and nearly invisible, one small gerbil-sized piece jumped onto Mela's back with a scream.

Mela's paws went for her throat, but David had got there first. A wire, held in his front paws, was wrapped tight around her neck. Mela's eyes bulged and she began to choke.

On her back David was wide-eyed and frantic.

He was muttering under his breath "Gerbilkillingbunchofbussards"

He had climbed up her back and was virtually standing on her back, his back paws at the top of her back, his front paws holding onto the wire for grim death, hers.

Mela clawed frantically at her neck as the wire bit deeper and deeper.

"Stoo.." She tried to talk.

"David!" Gorden shouted, "She's trying to surrender."

With a grunt David stretched, stood up and fell off Mela's back. Mela slumped forward, her neck severed by the wire.

Rod paled.

Gorden turned and threw-up his breakfast.

David stepped back slowly from the body, dropping the wire at his side, shaking his head. He grabbed at his left shoulder and massaged it, still muttering.

Rod went to the bloody mess that was until recently a committee member and pulled the gold ring from her hand. He was going to put it on Cola's hand when Gorden stopped him.

Shaking his head Gorden said "Let's leave her under the spell until we've got away from the body - it might affect her more than you or I." Rod nodded.

Gorden turned to David, "That was a little..." Then shook his head, his friend's rage had left his speechless.

"David," came a disembodied voice from the shadows, "Grab hold of my shell again."

David tottered around the room, circling, keeping the dead doe as far away as possible. Then he reached the shadow that was Plessey, touched it and faded from view again.

Gorden picked Cola up by the hand, "Come with us." He said looking into her eyes. There was no sign of recognition; of Gorden nor what had just happened.

"Are you sure you know where we are going?" Gorden asked Rod.

Rod shook his head. "I'm not sure," He said, "but I do know of a locked corridor which I was never allowed near in my time here - and this corridor leads near where David described."

"Okay," Gorden said, "Let's go."

Rod led the way out into the corridor. They had gone a couple of turns away from Mela's room when Gorden stopped and motioned towards Cola. Rod nodded and, taking her hand, slid Mela's Committee ring on.

Cola blinked, her eyes wide. Then she looked around the corridor and saw Gorden and Rod as if for the first time. She pretty much lunged at Gorden and threw her hands around him and squeezed. Gorden was pushed back a step or two, then got his composure and started to pat Cola on the back.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him so that he could see her face. Tears were streaming down her face. He stared into her eyes.

"You're safe now." He said in a calm and strong voice. "We're here to take you away from this."

"Did." She was speaking in fragments. "They." She sobbed. "She." Sob. "Oh Gorden" She hugged him again.

"Gorden," It was Rod, "We can't stay here, they will discover Mela soon. Then we will have the whole warren after us."

At the mention of Mela's name Cola burst into tears "Did David Really..." She tried to speak but failed.

Gorden squeezed her.

"Cola, we've got to go. It's alright I'm here and you're safe." She nodded so he continued. "We've got to go or else we won't be safe. And Plessey's invisibility spell won't last forever - three rabbits in a warren can get around easily, but if there is a Gerbil and a Snail we will get all sorts of questions." His hands patted Cola, on the head and on the back. He nearly patted her ass but decided against it. She was nodding at him. He looked into her eyes again. "And Cola, you have a committee ring. This makes you very intelligent and makes any rabbit we meet subservient to you. We need you to be in control of yourself."

She gave three deep breaths and stood up straight away from Gorden.

"Any rabbit?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye shone through the tears. Gorden nodded, slightly worried.

"Gorden," Rod said tapping him in the shoulder, "This way."

Rod let off.

"Ah, isn't that nice." Came a snail's voice from a shadow, "They're holding hands."

"No," came a gerbil's tones from the same shadow, "Rod is too far away from Gorden to hold his hand That was my foot!"

---*---

Rod led them to a long corridor, which spiralled gently downwards.

It ended in a flat wall - a dead end.

"I thought there was a locked door you were taking us to?" Gorden asked.

Rod shook his head. "So did I."

There was a shimmer from the shadows, Plessey and David appeared.

"The spell was nearly through, and I don't think we'll be getting much company down here." Plessey said, explaining his appearance. "Let me to the front, I want to see this end." He slithered past everyone and stared at the wall.

He turned to the group. "Illusion. Rod is right - there is a door here. It's locked. Wizard Locked." He began to chant - everyone else took a step back, except David,

"Can I see please?" He asked plaintively.

Suddenly the wall, bent, and a door was plainly visible. Gorden shook his head.

Plessey moved to the door and pushed it open. He slid in and everyone followed him.

Beyond the door was a small room. Everyone fit in it, but only just.

There was no sign of an exit.

"Any more invisible doors here?" Gorden asked.

"I've found it!" Called David. Surprised all turned their heads to see him tugging at a handle on the floor. "They like their trap doors here, you know."

With a shuffle from everyone the trap door was open. Below them was darkness. David dropped a small stone which went Thud quickly.

"It's not deep." He said.

"I'm going first." Gorden stated. David nodded in a 'you wouldn't catch me going first' manner as he stepped back.

Gorden lowered himself down into the darkness, dropping to the floor so that his head was just visible.

"What's it like?" Rod shouted down.

"There is lambs wool under my naked feet." Gorden began, "The wall is soft and warm - gives off some kind of heat."

"Stop singing and tell us what it's like." David shouted back.

"It's safe." Gorden shouted back. "Come on down."

David extended his front paw,

"Rod The Rabbit, Come On Down." He said. Rod jumped down.

Cola followed, then Plessey floated into the hole. Before his shell disappeared he stopped and offered his shell to David.

"Jump on then my laddie. I'll see you safe to the bottom."

---*---

The corridor was carpeted, but wasn't as nice as Gorden had imtimated. Small insects were crawling all over it, giving David the creeps.

"Why aren't you glowing?" He asked Plessey, who motioned him to silence.

At the end of the corridor was a short staircase leading down. David was suddenly aware that their entire journey has been downwards. The weight of earth above his head suddenly seemed rather real and his teeth began to chatter.

"Stop it!" Plessey hissed. "Stay close to me behind the conies. This is where it's going to get difficult."

At the bottom of the staircase was a door. This one was not locked and Gorden opened it and rushed in, Rod and Cola rushed after him. Plessey didn't rush in. He made David peek in first.

This was the chamber with the carrot. When David saw it last it was on a green baize cloth in a glass display case on a stone slab.

It was still on the green baize. It was still on the stone slab. It wasn't covered with a display case and, even more importantly, the room was not empty.

Standing at the head of the stone slab was a robed committee member, laughing.

Gorden, Cola and Rod stood, frozen in mid-step.

The committee member's front hands were hovering above the carrot. A glow of magic surrounded him.

"You fools!" He cackled in true villain style, "No ring can protect you from the full force of the carrot wielded in person!"

David was impressed, this was a real baddie - he stood in the correct World-Dominating pose. He talked in the correct World-Dominating voice. He was dressed in dark, voluminous robes. Ah, he must have been to Baddie School. All he lacked was the swivel chair and the white cat, but hey, no one's perfect.

"And more importantly," David thought to himself, "He's going to gloat."

Gloat he did. The committee member stood up straight and laughed.

"You thought you could steal the Golden Carrot away from us? Fools! We have cosseted the carrot for generations. Protected it from generations of ambitious conies. We have used its powers to create a peaceful, harmonious community of rabbits who are committed to serving us." He laughed the correct manic laugh and began to pace the correct world-dominating pace.

He even turned away from the frozen rabbits and threw his arms into the air in a perfect pose.

"A good candidate for the cover of this month's issue of World Domination-By-The-Book." David thought as he moved. "Not."

David rushed from behind the rabbits. People forget gerbils they haven't seen. And this committee member didn't know that a snail and gerbil followed the rabbit. Plessey's magic spell has hidden them from all the rabbits they had seen.

And the carrot allowed it's users to sense all conies in the vicinity.

David launched himself into the air and onto the stone slab. His little paws grabbed for the carrot and lifted it high. In front of him, the committee member heard the noise and turned.

Too late.

David swung the carrot and hit the rabbit in the side of the head. The rabbit went down immediately and David jumped on top of him and swung the carrot at his head from the other side.

The rabbit made a sickly crunching noise as the carrot caved his cranium in. David's muttering came to the fore and he raised the carrot and slammed it down again and again onto the committee member's head.

Blood and rabbit-brains seeped from the cloth and David kept on hitting until the rabbit was mashed beyond recognition.

Breathing heavily, the carrot held in his paws as if he was at Lord's waiting for the run up from a West-Indian spin bowler.

"David," Plessey spoke, "He's dead. You can stop now."

David turned to face Plessey, his eyes were wider than a bush-baby's and his front was splattered with blood.

David scanned the room. Gorden, Cola and Rod were still immobilised.

He raised the carrot up high.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!" he cried as he swung the carrot down.

There was a great CLANG as the carrot hit the stone slab. Then another. Then another.

David bashed the carrot at the stone harder than he'd hit the rabbit.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

The carrot started to give, started to bend in the middle.

Plessey stood back, fully aware of what happens to powerful magical artefacts when you break them.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

CLUD!

The carrot was definitely bent, David turned it around and began again.

Suddenly it broke! A blinding flash of light filled the room. David screamed out as the whiteness hit his eyes and blinded him. Plessey had had his eyes shut since David started with the carrot. Gorden, Cola and Rod were still paralysed when the blast came and they all fell over in a heap and held their paws to their eyes as they groaned.

David stood, a pathetic sight of bedraggled and sweating gerbil. Covered in blood and shaking, one end of the carrot in his hands, his knuckles white with strain. Panting heavily.

Plessey came to him first.

"David." He said as matter-of-factly as he could. "Give me the carrot."

David's breath croaked.

"Mine." He spoke.

Plessey shook his head, eye-stalks waving from side to side in a hypnotic patterm.

"No. Put the carrot down. It can't harm you any more."

David's eyes' shut. He dropped the carrot and then began to cry.

Eye's shut he stood and sobbed to himself.

The rabbits had begun to recover. Groans could be heard in three different rabbit voices.

Gorden sat up and rubbed his head.

"Oh Bugs!" He swore.

To ward off evil Rod spoke "What's up Doc?"

Cola laughed.

The three rabbit helped each other up. They didn't seem to have been aware for the last few minutes because as soon as Cola stood up she saw the dead committee member and retched. Gorden held his hand over his mouth, eyes wide as he looked at the destruction of the rabbit. Rod gulped then picked up the carrot-top end of the golden carrot.

"Is this what you're after?" He asked, handing it to Gorden.

Gorden nodded.

"I think so." Gorden walked to David and picked the pointed end up off of the floor.

David still stood there with his eyes shut, breathing heavily.

Gorden was wondering what to say to David when the floor shook and nearly knocked him off his feet.

"What?"

"Lordie!" Plessey exclaimed. "Its what I hoped I was wrong about." He turned to Gorden. "They must have used the magic of the Carrot to sheer up their building work!" Gorden blinked, not understanding. Cola did.

"The warren is going to collapse?" She asked. A piece of earth fell from the ceiling.

"I think we'd better get out of here and up to the surface, pretty quickly." Rod added.

A wall started to shake and a crack appeared.

"Quickly!" Gorden said.

Water started to seep through the crack.

"Oh Roger!" Gorden swore for the second time that day.

He went over to David and put his paws on David's shoulders.

"David. You saved us. Come on. We've got to go. This place will be underwater soon. And I know you can't swim."

David opened his eyes, bloodshot and full of tears. He stared at Gorden, then nodded.

Rod led the way, followed by Gorden and Cola. Plessey told David to ride on his shell and the small gerbil was not about to complain.

They went through the carpeted corridor, through the trap door and along the long and winding corridor. As they raced along the corridors shook and earth fell from the ceiling and walls.

"This way!" Rod shouted, pointing to a corridor which they had definitely not passed along on the way down.

In fact the corridor seemed full of rabbit going in the other direction.

"Are you sure?" Gorden shouted.

"Trust me!" Rod shouted back as he pushed his way through panicked conies.

This burridor led downwards, and started to get damp. Pretty soon they were splashing through bigger and bigger puddles until they came out into a large cavern.

This was an underground dock area! The river flowed past them, in front of them, inches away.

"This doesn't look good, Rod." Gorden said, "I think you'll find that none of us can swim."

"I can." Cola added, her first words for a few pages and anxious to get back in the readers mind.

"Smartypants." David added.

"We don't need to swim to ride one of the rafts." Rod pointed. Gorden would have said that these were just planks of wood. But Rod insisted that these were river-worthy rafts. He found some long poles and a couple of honest-to-goodness oars.

"Come on." He said as he started to untie one of the 'Rafts'. The water was over everyone's feet now.

Some noises came from David. The sounded a little like "Duck this for a game of soldiers." They sounded like.

The party squeezed on to the raft and Rod let go of the last rope. The raft suddenly realised it was free of the dock and that there was a lot of water here. With a current.

The raft was swept out into the river.

Unwilling to let everyone else have a go, David lost the contents of his stomach over the side of the raft.

***