Major Monogram insisted that Perry and Pansy go home, so that was what Perry did. Just like last night, he went to bed very early.
He woke up at eight the next morning and went back into OWCA. He headed straight for the hospital wing to fill Pinky in on what had happened and found the Chihuahua reading his book in bed.
"Hey Perry. I heard about Portia's escape attempt," he said.
Perry almost flung himself down into the chair and slammed his head against the table, making Pinky drop his book in fright. "Perry, calm down!"
Perry just gave a whine. "I hate life."
"You can't be much worse than me," Pinky said in amusement.
Perry stared at his friend. "I wish I was in your position. That's how bad it is."
Pinky grimaced. "Okay, I see it's bad. But why is it so bad?"
"Seeing Portia bring a dagger to Pansy's throat forced me to remember a traumatic experience of my own, one I still carry reminders of to this day." Perry unconsciously rubbed his left bicep.
Pinky understood immediately. "Your scar."
Perry nodded solemnly.
"How…how did you get your scar?" Pinky asked hesitantly.
Perry tipped his head back. "You don't have to tell me," Pinky added hurriedly.
"It's fine." Perry sighed. "I need to tell someone anyway or I'm going to explode."
…
One-year-old Perry was lying on his back, propped up on his elbows. He had tears in his eyes as he looked up into the angry face of Kirk Kennedy and tried not to show his terror.
"The one thing I ask is obedience, Perry," said Kirk, sounding frighteningly calm, his face displaying just a fraction of the anger Perry knew he felt. "There is a curfew for a reason and I expect Taskers to stick to it."
"But sir, Leslie was crying!" Perry protested. He knew Kirk could understand what he was saying because his superior was wearing a special translator that translated all animal languages "She was in pain and I just needed to help her! I was only out of bed for-."
Kirk calmly held up his hand, causing Perry to stop talking in fear. "I ask one thing, Perry. Obedience. That's all I ask, you know that." Perry trembled as Kirk advanced on him. "But you disobeyed the curfew."
"No, please!" Perry begged, scrambling backwards a metre or so.
"Stay still!" Kirk suddenly yelled.
Perry froze in terror, a couple of tears flowing down his face. Kirk causally unstrapped a dagger from his belt and played with the point of it. "You know the rules. You disobey, you get punished. And this is your third infraction."
"Please, no…!" whispered Perry.
"Now, normally the procedure is execution."
Perry thought he was going to pass out from terror. Kirk crouched down next to Perry and held the tip of the dagger against Perry's neck. The poor platypus was hyperventilating in terror as he squeezed his eyes shut and waited for it to happen.
"But you're one of my best and I don't want to lose you."
All of a sudden, Perry felt searing pain in his left bicep. He let out a muted scream of pain and clutched his arm, and when he pulled his paw away, it was wet with blood. Perry stared in terror at Kirk, whose dagger was now dripping red. "Do not do it again," Kirk said, quiet and dangerous.
Perry nodded hurriedly but Kirk then slammed the butt of his dagger into Perry's forehead, knocking him backwards. He fell to the floor, still holding his arm, but his vision suddenly went black.
The next thing he knew, someone was shaking him. "Perry!"
Perry opened his eyes blearily and saw the form of a teal platypus swim into view. "Portia…?" he slurred.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Portia asked shrilly. "I thought you were dead!"
Portia took Perry's hand and helped him sit up, causing him to let out a yelp of pain and clutch his arm again. The wound was still bleeding.
Portia brought out a handkerchief from her fur pocket and pressed it against Perry's wound, slowing the bleeding. "I think it's going to scar," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"I deserved it," Perry said firmly, though he couldn't suppress a shudder at the memory of Kirk calmly holding the knife against Perry's neck.
"Nobody deserves this," Portia said.
Perry leant against Portia's shoulder and let himself cry while she held him.
He had realised something today. He couldn't let anybody get to him. If they saw him cry, they would think he was nothing more than a weakling. Perry was going to show them. He was going to show them all that he was not a weakling.
"I'm going to have a scar?" he said aloud.
Perry felt Portia nod.
"At least I'll always remember this day. The day I realised I'm going to make them remember my name forever."
Portia let out a chuckle. "That's the Perry I know and love."
"I love you too, Portia," Perry said, and it was easy for him to say. He didn't really understand the romantic kind of love; he meant that he loved Portia as an older sister (it had been established already that Portia was two days older than him).
"Platypuses have to stick together, right?"
Perry smiled and snuggled his face into Portia's shoulder. "Right."
…
"That must have been terrifying," Pinky said sympathetically.
"It was made worse by the fact that Portia's actions today reminded me of Kirk's when I got the scar," Perry said, looking at the floor. "Terrorising someone weaker and more defenceless than you. With a dagger. I thought he was going to kill me. Then today…I had the same feeling. I thought Portia was going to kill Pansy, and it terrified me because it brought me back to the day where Portia and said…she said…"
""Nobody deserves this"," Pinky finished. "Right?"
Perry nodded numbly.
"Well, time changes people enough but traumatic events make changes in ways we can't always foresee," Pinky said wisely.
"So…you mean that she changed because she lost me?"
Pinky nodded. "That's right."
Perry stood up slowly. "Well, then my next move has been made clear to me. Thanks for listening, Pinks."
"Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right?"
Perry nodded. "Thank you."
Perry left the hospital wing, various thoughts running through his head. He had told Pinky the truth: the thing he had to do next was now apparent to him.
He knew exactly what to do, and he wasn't dreading it.
…
*le gasp* man, I'm doing that a lot recently XD
Also: anyone feel sorry for poor Perry?