After the fighting and cleaning up my knife, I helped Sonya finish extinguishing the fires out. By the time we were finished, her research was almost in ruins. All the research that Sonya and Jax has done, now burnt to ashes. The three of us began heading back to the mobile home.
"I'm sorry about the loss of your research, Sonya." I apologized to her.
"Don't worry about that." Sonya assured me. "It's just that all the hard work we have done. Now it's destroyed." She turned to Cole. "So, do you believe me now?"
"Yeah." Cole decided to believe Sonya's story. "Now what's the plan?"
"There is none." Sonya answered.
"There has to be a plan. For at least to defend ourselves from other fighters like Reptile." I tried to be optimistic for other ideas to think.
Sonya stopped, right before she could reach for the doorknob. She turned around and spoke. "There are some questions that I have to ask you. How do you know about Kano and the 'lizard man'?" Cole even wondered how I came upon of knowing them.
"Kano... I first encountered him, right after the remains of my unit from the ambush. When we were taken to the mountains, Kano was present. Only to be compensated for our capture and as well responsible for doing tortures on me and my unit. That is where I met my nemesis." I told them.
"Farid Amin." Sonya guessed my old captor's name. Surprised to hear his last name too.
"How do you know that?" I asked her.
"Special Forces were tracking one of his brothers, Ahmed, due to the some ties he had with The Black Dragon." she spoke. "Apparently, before he was captured by our unit and of course years later... by the time of your release-"
"He was exchanged for mine freedom." I finished her sentence.
Sonya nodded her head. "That's right."
Cole was shocked and somewhat surprised. "Thomas, you never told me you were released, due to an prisoner exchange!"
"I know." I told him. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about this, Cole. I really wanted to let go from it."
"So that is why you hardly spoke to me after your deployment!"
"It was a long time ago, cousin. Even after my release, I wasn't... I wasn't even myself." I told him, as if I wanted to go in-depth, but I restrained myself from going further.
Cole and Sonya had somewhat of sympathy. However, I'm sure it wouldn't be the same, on how I told about my POW experiences with Holly, Bigwig, and Hazel. "I'm sorry about this Thomas. However, how did you know-"
"Reptile."
"Reptile!" she finished.
"Back in Watership Down, I did encountered him in battle. Hazel, myself, and the Owsla, including a few warriors-"
"Warriors?" Sonya became curious.
"What kind of warriors?" Cole asked.
"Warriors that had the same names like Sonya. However, they were part of another universe perhaps. About Reptile, he nearly preyed and killed one of the rabbits, Bluebell. At least I was able to stop him. When I faced him, he was almost as if he was a lizard, but he closely resembles as if he's a ninja. Unlike the one that we just fought."
"What about Jax? Was he there too?" Sonya asked.
"Yes. Another Jax from another universe. I could assume the same for Kano too." I answered. "Although, this Kano, was more real than the one I encountered. Probably the same description, but... something was missing."
"I see." she spoke.
"Just don't say anything about this to Kano... if you two can. I don't want him to know about this. I don't trust him." I told them, if they would not tell Kano about my history.
"As a fellow soldier, you have my word." Sonya nodded her head and committed.
"Me too." Cole agreed also.
Sonya opened the door to her mobile home to see Kano was drinking a few beers that she had. Katie was away from him and not spoken a single word. "Make yourself at home." she told Kano.
"Yeah, I have." Kano stated. "Oh, by the way, your beer's shit, and your almost out of it." He set his half beer empty bottle down and went on doodling something on his notepad.
"What are you doing?" Cole asked him, as he was washing his hands.
"Just working on a Kano graphic novel." Kano answered.
"A graphic novel?" I found it hard to believe.
"Yep." he than finished his illustration. He showed us his drawing on his notepad. It was him ripping Reptile's heart. Although, I have to say he was not bad of a drawler. "I fancy myself a bit of an artist."
Cole turned to Sonya. "He's a psychopath."
"All the best artists are a little twisted, mate." Kano stated.
I scoffed. "Not all artists."
Kano scoffed and chuckled. "Really, name me one artist you really think that artist wasn't twisted?"
I remained silent and not said a word.
He smirked. "See... even some of the artwork I have stolen too were from twisted artists. One of my latest thievery were paintings from a Dutch artist... Van Gogh, was it?"
"You stole Vincent Van Gogh paintings?!"
He stopped doodling and became silent. He turned his head, as if he was looking to find someone else to blame. He raised his pencil in the air. "Guilty as charge. Besides he was mad."
It was insulting from him to call Van Gogh mad, although the painter was known to be schizophrenic. "He was not mad! He was misunderstood, as well as a lonely man!"
Kano raised one of his eyebrows. "He cut off one of his ears and gave it to a lover." Angry, I really wanted to get him on that one. However, I learned something from both Holly and Nightwolf. The more I become angry, the more that I would be an elil. I remembered their advise and let go that anger. "Well, I'm off. You're trying to get to Raiden's temple, aren't you? That should be fun."
Sonya looked back at Kano, after a hard struggle from what was left of her research. The place too, came upon her head and wanted to know more. "You know where that is?"
"What's Raiden's temple?" Cole asked.
"Yeah, used to run guns through there. The locals wouldn't shut the fuck up about it." Kano spoke, as he prepares to leave.
"Legends says champions used to train there for Mortal Kombat." Sonya answered, while Kano mumbled as usual.
"Training? I never remember or recalled anything about that." I never remember specific training that Raiden had to train us. However, the Earthrealm warriors, whom joined me and the rabbits, were already trained.
"It's probably because no one knows where it is."
"Well, they do now." Kano blurred out, as he attempts to get by to leave the mobile home. "Excuse me."
Sonya came to his path and stopped him. "Where is it?"
"Uhhh... you got a pen? You want to write this down?"
"He says no." it was obvious that I had to say that, because he was sarcastic or reluctant of giving us the location.
"Hey, get fucked, wanker!" Kano insulted me, before turning back to Sonya. "Cause, I'm not gonna help you. You kidnaped me. You tied me up. You threw a knife through my fucking leg, on purpose."
"That was an accident." I stood up for Sonya. "And other reason why she took you in, because you fled from the law and you even murdered someone too in the progress!"
"Hey, get fucked!" he cursed at me, before continuing his rant at Sonya. "And then that lizard-"
"Reptile!" I corrected him.
He turned to me. "I'm about ready to cut your mouth open, if you don't shut up."
"Then correct his name!" Katie came out and stood up.
"Katie." I was surprised.
Kano growled and sighed. "Fine...then that... 'Reptile', took off half of my face. Lucky for you, you can hardly notice it." He finished ranting at Sonya, although he wasn't finished say his words with her. "So yeah, it's a hard pass for me, on the helping you thing." She even admitted it with a nod. "And now get out of me fucking way."
Sonya stood still, until she decided to let the man free. "Okay."
"There you go." Kano took his beer and walked out.
At first, Cole, Katie, and I thought that she was going to let him go free, as he heads for Raiden's Temple. However, she was going to slip the opportunity of having the terrorist to be our guide to the temple. She than followed him outside and attempts to make a proposition.
"Everyone's got a price." Sonya called out to him. "Name yours."
Kano scoffed, as he smashed his finished beer to the ground. "You can't afford me."
"Two million." she begins setting the price to pay him.
He than laughed, as if Sonya doesn't have the money, especially where she lives. "That's good. You living in that shit hole and you got two million dollars. Pig's ass."
She nearly lost her patience from that insult, as she marched towards him. "I have lived here in my whole life. You piece of shit, you watch your mouth." She than re-propose the bargain table for him. "Two million dollars." Kano stared at her silently, as neither a yes or a no. It was at this point, she was about to close the table. "Yeah. No, fuck you."
He than mumbled to himself, before making an offer. "Three million. That's my final offer." That offer made her stop. "And anything, I find inside that temple I keep, no fucking splitsies." He even dared to add treasures, as if it belongs to him. "Plus, if you're bullshitting me, I'll fucking kill you. No skin off my sack."
I shook my head, as if it would never work. I decided to improvise to make the deal even, despite of the regret that I would say. "Two point five million dollars!"
Sonya and Kano turned at me.
"What?!" Kano questioned the deal.
"That is my offer! Two point five million dollars. No treasures. Because of I'm sure, none of it is for keeps." I stated my offer.
He dismissed and scoffed.
"Two point five million dollars... and you would not be charged for crimes against humanity and endangering military personal, which includes my entire unit!"
Cole and Katie were skeptical, because I would never do anything to bury my fellow soldiers. Even Sonya felt uncertain that it would work. Kano refused, but he than had second thoughts. It was because he does have a plenty criminal charges against him worldwide. He thought. He thought. He though. Until, he smirked and chuckled.
"Deal." He agreed to the Two point Five Million Dollar deal. "See that, this boy could make a better deal than this blondie."
"Gee, you're a real humanitarian there, mister!" Katie clinched her fists, as she exclaimed.
"Yeah, get use to it, lass. Anything is possible. That's why I'll accept this deal." Kano brushed off my sister.
Sonya sighed. "Great. Sounds like you two got a deal."
Kano clicked his tongue in delight. "I was gonna head there anyway."
"Really?" Katie questioned him.
"Yeah! You fucking idiot." Kano taunted at her., before he laughed. Cole even got in front of me, before I could charge at him and call the deal off altogether.
"Now... how are you planning on us getting there?" Sonya asked.
"Oh, you know me." Kano turned around and faced her. "I got a friend with a plane."
"You got friends?" Cole asked.
"Terrorist friends to be exact. Especially the Taliban." I added.
"Eh, fuck you, pretty boys." Kano cursed at us. "I'm a popular guy." I crossed my arms together. "Alright, yeah, even though they're dirty, even those monkeys at the desert, but eh, it's business. And everyone loves me." He than began to snort. Katie felt grossed out, as if he was about to swallow his spit. However, he continues to snort after snort, until he spit a nasty loogie at a garden gnome. "Oh, bloody garden gnomes, they give me the creeps."
I shook my head, as if it was the dumbest and the most insulting thing that I've ever done. Even ashamed from it, as it well.
"That was a good compromise you made up." Sonya said to me. "Even though it may seem a bit reckless."
I couldn't agree more from what she has said, with a nod.
"You're gonna give that guy, two point five million dollars?" Cole asked me.
With a disapproving look, I looked at my cousin. "Are you out of your mind? We lived in a rabbit's warren. Do you honestly think, rabbits would have that kind of currency?"
"Wait a minute!" Sonya stopped me. "From those pictures of these two rabbits fighting each other, you came from that same warren?"
"Watership Down, yes." I answered.
Sonya raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"
"It's true." Katie told her. "Ever since our parents died, Hazel, Hyzenthlay, and the others looked after us."
"Hyzenthlay?" Cole questioned.
"One of our main guardians, more like one of the surrogate parents now." I admitted. "However, she wasn't married or I could say, not Hazel's mate."
"No, but-"
"Holly's." I finished Sonya's sentence. "She was Holly's mate and the only mate she would remain faithful too." I became nearly breathless, because I than started to have flashbacks of the relationship that we shared.
Flashback begins...
"Thomas?" I heard Holly's voice calling for me, as I was staring at the water, back in the brook. I looked over to see him with Hyzenthlay, Katie, and even Bluebell was present. It was perhaps, the night before the final battle occurred.
"Captain Holly, sir." I responded.
He smiled. "Something on your mind?"
"Sort of." I admitted. The two of us left, as Bluebell intends to entertain with Katie and Hyzenthlay with some jokes. Holly and I than found ourselves alone, after we're away from them.
"Now... what is on your mind?" Captain Holly asked me.
"I don't know how much more I could take. About my animality. What if something happens during the battle, that I changed myself into a wolf." I feared.
Captain Holly took a moment to think, until he figured what he'll say. "I know you'll be able to control your animality. Even if, it was temporary, I know you won't be the wolf that you're turned into."
"Even if my anger took over and killed the invaders?" I questioned him.
"I'm sure. When the battle is over, you'll find more peace and will turn yourself into a rabbit more often." Captain Holly assured me. The uplifting optimistic from Holly's support, had me smiled. "Just remain who you are. No matter what happens to us."
I nodded.
We heard a rustle from the bushes nearby. I looked around, as Holly sniffed in the air. He than spotted who it was... "Bluebell, you may come."
His head poked out. "What, I wasn't planning on anything." Katie came out from the bushes and joined the fray, as she laughed. I shook my head and chuckled from the inappropriate joke Bluebell was planning.
Flashback ends...
