"Miss Springs, surely you are over reacting."
"No. I am not. I have had it with this place. The rodents look down on us rabbits, and even the others of my own species don't seem to like me very much and I don't even know why!"
"Maybe it's because of your charming personality, Miss."
"What was that Onion?"
"What I meant to say was, you are quite the intelligent and curious young lady. Perhaps the other residents just don't seem to share the same … how should I put this … freedom that you do?"
He was right. Ever since I was young I never liked doing it the Burrow-Tec way. During my schooling days, my mother often taught me at home. The classes were so boring since I already knew everything I needed to know. I kept finding ways to skip school. Of course, it helped that she was one of the teachers. Since my mother was very friendly with many of the male rabbits, including those in the cafeteria, I always managed to get the best and freshest meals they could offer. Not to mention the whole issue with taking that damn test that started this whole chain reaction to begin with. Yes, I have probably had more freedom in life than the other residents, and in part it was also thanks to my mother. I owe it to her to keep my freedom, to make a new life for me. A life that cannot happen as long as I stay here.
"You're right Onion. I have had a bit too much freedom than the others, and you know what? I like it that way. Who needs friends that will just bring you down to their level. I need change, I need excitement, and I can't find any of that here. That is why we are leaving, and nothing you say can change that."
"How will you get past the Burrow's door and the Observation deck?"
Shit. All I have been doing is talking about leaving when I should be thinking on the how.
"Don't worry Onion, I have a plan."
A plan. It should be easy enough. Break into the Overseer's office, steal the door command codes, incapacitate the Observation workers monitoring the entire entrance for Burrow-Tec signals. Yeah, piece of cake. Cake? I wonder.
"Hey Onion, you wouldn't mind making me a couple carrot cakes, would you?"
"A change of your mind Miss? Your mother's recipe for carrot cake always has that effect, but two cakes Miss? You barely ever eat one."
"Oh, they're not for me Onion. Oh and I want them to be fresh so could you have them ready by the time I get off of work?"
"Of course Miss. I do hope today is a bit more enjoyable than it was yesterday."
It will be. For the first time I am feeling happy to be going to work. I still hate my job, but it does come with some benefits. Like access to almost every part of the Burrow. Now if only I can get that bitch to make sure I am fixing the right pipes in the right places. Time to put on your good face Olivia, and I need to try my best to make sure nothing gets to me.
"You want me to do WHAT!?"
"I already told you Springs, the primary septic tank need to be cleaned and unfortunately it is also backed up so I need you to get in there, unblock the drainage and scrub the tank walls."
"Why can't any other the others do it? Surely they have more experience than I do?" I already knew the answer to that, but I had to ask anyways.
"The others are small enough that if the drainage system comes online when they unclog it, they will be swept away with the sewage."
"Then why can't you do it? You have plenty of experience dealing with … ," I had to catch myself before I said something. I needed her help, even if she did not know it, " … something that requires an expert's touch?"
Heather Trope stood there for a second before I could see a small smirk forming on her face.
"You'reright, I am the expert here, but unfortunately my expertise is needed elsewhere. Report back to me after you are done."
She may have hated me, as did I her, but right now I need to stay on the better side of her hatred. If all goes well, then soon I will not have to deal with any of this, but until then I need to keep my head up and push through this. Regrettably, keeping my head up was easier said than done. The tank was small enough that I had to hold my ears down with a headband to prevent them from thrusting into the top of this filth covered tank. Luckily my jumpsuit was waterproof and had special coverings for my feet so I did not have to worry about the knee high sludge getting on my fur, just as long as I don't fall.
Of course I had to think about falling. Sometimes I think fate has a mean streak when you think about not doing something too much. I took one wrong step and slipped on something and went crashing down. I was covered head to toe with putridness. I had to work through this. In a couple days, I'll be free of this prison. I got up, brushed myself off the best I could, and continued to work.
Jackpot! I knew if I waited long enough luck would swing my way. About an hour after I got cleaned up from that septic mess, Miss Trope had me go over to the medical facility to fix a pipe on in their waste disposal system. This is exactly what I needed. The medical facility has been having troubles the past few months with pipes getting backed up and I was able to sweet talk my boss into letting me repair this. I think she felt a little bad about the septic tank debacle soshe agreed to give me an easier job. Either that or she did not want to have to deal with such a menial task. Either way this is exactly what I needed.
Both of the medical technicians were on duty, so that might make it a little harder, but when did I ever let that get in the way?
"About time sanitation sent someone! We have been reporting this issue for the longest time, but every-time that Trope character sends someone, they just slap a patch on it and call it a day. I hope you have a more permanent solution."
Perfect. Apparently I am not the only one who has a dislike for Miss Trope. That can work in my favor.
"Well, I will be more than happy to take a look at this. If I can build a robot from the scraps I have collected over the years, I am certain I can give you a permanent fix for whatever issues you have."
"Is that you Olivia? I have not seen you since you were just a baby bunny. I am sorry for your mother. She was a good person."
"Doctor Lopps? I have heard good things about you and, thankfully, I never get sick so I have not had a reason to visit your fine establishment."
Doctor Marcus Lopps. One of the few rabbits to actually get a career that they were good at. Then again, it is probably easier for a rabbit to heal another rabbit. It is true that I rarely ever get sick, at least nothing that would require a medical checkup, but I also tended to avoid the infirmary. My mother did have good things to say about Doctor Lopps, especially since he was one of her favorites. I honestly avoided it because I really did not want to find out who my father was. Of course with my mother gone, I really don't have anyone other than Onion. No Olivia. Do not get attached, even if he turned out to be my father, I can't have anything keep me tied here. I made a decision and I am sticking to that. No matter what.
I spent the next hour causally talking with Doctor Lopps and his assistant, Doctor Amelia Musk, a muskrat, about different matters as I fixed the pipe system. Doctor Lopps mostly asked about my mother. I think he actually misses her. Sometimes things turned a little too private and I opted to ignore them, pretending I didn't hear as I 'accidentally' drop a pipe or make other loud noises. I think he eventually got the hints and turned to asking some more vague questions. Doctor Musk, on the other hand, seemed to be more curious about me, or rather my biology. She said that the records showed that besides me being born, I have never been back to medical for any reason. She was curious as to why and even asked to take blood samples. I agreed, trying my best to get on their good side.
After another thirty minutes I finally got the pipes fixed. Turns out the it was not an issue with the pipes itself, but the disposal system that was attached to it. It was buried deeper in the wall to prevent too much noise and while it was supposed to grind down solids into a passable mush, two of the grinders were dislodged allowing larger bits to pass and eventually block the pipes. I told them that it should be a while before anything backs up again. They were both grateful, but not as much as Doctor Lopps was.
"Your mother was right. You do have a way with fixing things. I should have just called you instead of dealing with that boss of yours. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know."
Bingo.
"Actually, there is something. I have been having, well, issues digesting lately. I don't know if it's my diet, or simply the stress of a new job, but things are not coming out as smoothly, as they should. Do you have anything that can help?"
"Oh, so your constipated. I have the perfect solution for you, literally."
He went into the medical cabinets and dug around for a few seconds. When he finally found what he was looking for he brought it over. It was a small vial with a bluish liquid inside it. He grabbed a small dropper and handed them both to me.
"This here is a powerful laxative that I created after the new chef, who between me and you should not be allowed to touch anything edible, started a few years back. Take two drops each night. Do not take more than two drops in a day unless you plan on spending a week strapped to a toilet. Typically, I wouldn't give you this much, but I understand that it can take a while for stress to wear off, so you keep it until you find you'reregular again, I have plenty in stock and can always whip more up."
This is even better than I imagined. This whole time I had contrived a smile, nodding like I cared what they said. Now I had a genuine smile across my face. The first step of my plan went flawlessly.
"Thank you doctor. This is exactly what I needed. I'll give it a few days and let you know how it works."
"It is my pleasure. I will be sure to send a message to Heather telling her that you did an outstanding job. Hopefully that will aid in your recovery as well. As you probably can tell, she is not the nicest person in the Burrow, no matter how hard she tries."
I thanked the doctor again, grabbed my tools and went to report on my job completion. I slipped the bottle into my utility belt for safe keeping. Now hopefully I get lucky in the next part of my plan. The final part, though, will be a true test of skill. I am in such a good mood that I know I can do it. I just have to keep thinking these good thoughts.
It took me another two assignments before I got another breakthrough. I only had three more hours until my shift was over so I needed to make sure I got what I needed. This time, my assignment was to do some routine maintenance in the Observation Deck. Due to the nature of the station, it had to be monitored the entire day. There were always four rodents assigned here. Never once have I seen a rabbit here. From what little I knew about this, two monitored the day shift, and two monitored the night shift. They were responsible for guarding the doors and keeping an eye out for any official Burrow-Tec messages directed towards the Burrow. To this day, no one had ever gotten a message.
Since the place is always occupied, they had their own private lavatory, and a strict monthly maintenance schedule to make sure it is always in working order. I figured with such strict guidelines when it came to the Observation Deck, that Miss Trope would take care of this personally, but I think she was enjoying having a lackey to do her work. When I reported my last assignment, I could have sworn I woke her from a nap. Luckily, this is making my plans go by so much easier.
Unlike the Medical Facility, the two on duty today were not very chatty. They just told me to do my thing and leave them alone. It's a good thing I did not need to get on their good side, but rather I needed to get on their bad side, if only a little. While I was checking the pipe system and making sure that the septic tank was holding up (a tank that was way too small to ever be used for a larger mammal such as a rabbit to ever use regularly I should note),I 'accidentally' loosened the inflow pipe too much, causing water to spray all over. I quickly cleaned it up, finished my duties and apologized to them, saying that I was new and that it wouldn't happen again. They called me all sorts of names and said they would be putting my 'incompetence' in their follow-up report. I feigned embarrassment, but inside I was smiling. This is all too perfect.
When I got back to Miss Trope she was furious. She must have gotten the report already from the Observation Deck. I apologized to her saying that some bolts were too loose and that I when I went to tighten them, I must have loosened them more by mistake. I said I would make it up to her, and to them, later and that I just would like to continue my work for the day. This is where things went downhill.
Apparently after this job I was supposed to go and replace the Overseer's personal sink after it produced a large crack. Miss Trope was going to send me, but after this recent incident, she did not trust me with something as personal as a task for the Overseer, and that she would be doing it herself. Fuck. That is exactly where I needed to be. Think Olivia, think. Before I could come up with something however, Miss Trope told me that I was done for the day and to just go home. I needed to get into the Overseer's office. There has to be a way. Unless …
I went back to my quarters to get cleaned up and changed. Onion was busy in the tiny kitchen located in the back of the already small residence. Residents were not supposed to have their own foods were to be cooked and consumed by the staff but, thanks to my mother, who just so happened to love cooking, we were able to get one that could be used for small things, like making a cake. Onion apologized that they were not ready, that he did not expect me home so early. I told him not to rush, they had to be perfect. I took out the small vial that I got in Medical and placed it on my nightstand as I grabbed a small square from one of the drawers. Once I was dressed and ready, I headed back out. Time for plan B.
I got to the Overseer's office just as my boss was leaving. She looked at me with utter distaste in her eyes but did not say anything as she walked past me. I looked at the entrance to the office, took a deep breath and walked in. The Overseer must have known that I was coming because she did not seem surprised to see me. When she asked me to take a seat, she did, however, seem surprised when I chose to sit down.
"What brings you to my office today Olivia? You are not still trying to convince me that the C.A.T. was wrong, are you?"
"No ma'am." I tried to sound polite and respectful, without seeming overly so. I did not want her to catch drift to what I was doing.
"Well then, after the reports that Heather gave me, I do hope it is good."
"Well ma'am, I wanted to apologize." I said it so calm and clearly, as if I actually meant it that I think I caught her off guard.
"I see. Then this is about the reports. I am disappointed, but also relieved. The fact that you have done these tasks with little complaint, despite a few complications, that you are finally accepting your role in the Burrow."
"Yes, I am. I did not like it, and to be honest, I still don't, but I have seen the disrepair in many of the sewage systems that I can't help but want to fix them. I guess it's in my nature," that seemed to loosen her up a bit. "Also, there is the matter of my outwardness after the results of the exam. I guess I was just feeling trapped, like I had lost the ability to make my own decisions. I now know that this is not the case. While I do not have the career I always wanted, I can at least make use of my skills without them going to waste. I promise that my actions from here on will be for the betterment of the Burrow, and that I will try my best to make sure I do not make any more mistakes."
Maybe I should have dreamed of an acting career because the Overseer seemed to be buying that. She had a look of respect in her eyes as she looked at me. Thankfully she also must have been partially distracted on some abstract thought that she did not notice me take a small flat item and subtly adhere it underneath of the larger desk. The Overseer blinked for a moment and looked away as she spoke.
"You know Olivia, I see so much of your mother in you. She was quite the rebel too. We had been close friends ever since we were young, and when I became Overseer I wanted to make life for her, and in turn you, as comfortable as possible. I did my best to stick to Burrow-Tec regulations while trying to find loopholes to help the both of you. Where do you think all those spare parts came from? Your mother always went on about how smart and crafty you were.I figured that you would be the next lead mechanic in the Burrow so I tried to help you with that. When the tests came back with the results, I, I wanted to change it so much, I really did. If not for you but for your mother. We were closer than you knew, and I think the residents were getting resentful of everything I did for the two of you.
"When she died, I was heartbroken. I knew I had lost my closest friend, and that she left you alone in the world. You were still so young. I did everything I could to help you, I really did, but eventually the years caught up to me and I had to become stricter. You were getting older and growing more rebellious with each passing year. Without any proper caretaker, I had to make a stand. I had to make sure that you did not end up like your mother. She made mistakes, too many of them to count until one of them cost it her life. I did not want that to happen to you too."
What did she mean by that? My mother died from a sickness. I had finished what I came here to do, but it was raising way too many questions than I wanted to deal with. I think the Overseer could see that it was bothering me.
"You did not know, did you?"
"Know what? What are you talking about?"
"I, I shouldn't. It's not my place. She did not want you to know, but when you used your dead mother against me the other day, it … it brought back too many bad memories." She cleared her throat and started to act professional again. "You should go and rest. I promise we will talk about this again, but not today.I have a few meetings I need to attend before the day is over. Good-bye Miss Springs."
I tried to get more out of her. She knew something about my mother that she wouldn't tell me! She just looked away and did not speak to me, no matter what I said. I finally left in a huff and the door closed behind me. Now I needed to know, but that would require me to stay longer.I was more dead set on leaving than ever. She says she was trying to protect me, but did I ask her for protection? For all I knew, she was responsible for my mother's death. No. I did what I had to do.
When I was well out of the sight of the office, I turned to my Pip-Boar. I flipped through the applications until I came across one of my own design. It was called 'Hackatron.'. It was not the most creative of names but it did its job. After launching the application, I selected the only active link, 'Too Square for You,' Once again not the greatest names but it did not matter. After activating it, it went through a boot up process as it connected wireless to the small device I planted in the Overseer's office. It only took about three minutes before it started to feed data into my Pip-Boar. The second she logged into her terminal, the device found its way into the wireless functionality of the terminal and soon began to clone everything the Overseer did, including her log on password. It worked perfectly. Now to wait.
It was, luckily,late enough that not too many of the residents were traversing the hallways. After about ten minutes of waiting, I heard the Overseer's door click. I did my best Jack Savage impersonation as I hid from her. Once she was safely past, I opened my Pip-Boar to the 'Hackatron' application and launched the link again. This time, rather than accessing a copy of her data, I was able to reverse engineer it so that my Pip-Boar had a direct link to her terminal. I was able to access everything. It only took a few tries before I found what I needed, the Burrow-Tec Emergency Evacuation Protocols. Unfortunately, it was attached to a bunch of other files that I did not need, but I did not have time to decrypt everything so I simply copied them all over to my Pip-Boar. I would have plenty of time to go through these after I am safely away from this place. Now to set up the last part of the plan.
When I got back to my room, Onion had just put the finishing touches on the cakes. It was after seeing these two large cakes that I knew I forgot something-they are both rodents! This cake was way too large. I decided to keep one intact for me, maybe to celebrate when I finally escaped, and I started to trim down the other one. Onion objected at this but I told him that I forgot it was for two small rats, and that this was way too big. After about twenty minutes I had them whittled down to two smaller versions of themselves. I took the rest of the leftovers and put them in a small bag. This was really good carrot cake.
I went over to the nightstand and grabbed the vial. Only two drops, huh? I opened it and grabbed a small spray bottle. I dumped the entire contents into the bottle, added a small bit of water to dilute it a bit to (hopefully) hide the taste, if it had any that is.I wasn't about to taste test it. I spritzed both cakes a few times to let it soak in. I then took it and carefully put it into two small containers to prevent them from getting damaged.
I told Onion to grab all the supplies that we need as I packed my bags. I was initially planning on doing this tomorrow, but things fell into place so perfectly that I couldn't wait. I was also thinking about what both the doctor and the Overseer said about my mother … all the good things at least. Their words were starting to make me re-think this, but I knew that I would never be happy here. I had to get this done tonight and now is the best time to do so.
I packed my bags with all the essentials: food, first aid supplies, my tools, and my old jumpsuit since I had so little clothing that fit anymore. Once I had everything that I thought we would need, and, despite his continued objects to my actions,confirming it with Onion, we were ready. I told him to wait a few minutes after I left for him to follow me. Everyone knows that I rarely ever take Onion with me. They did know that he was able to perform duties without myself present. Once we were outside the entrance to the Observation Deck, he was to wait until I sent the all-clear signal to him. He agreed, but probably only because his programming forced him to listen to me. It was finally time go do this.
When I got to the Observation Deck, the same two workers were still there, but it looked like their replacements had just shown up. I calmly walked up to them and gave them each a greeting.
"Well isn't it little miss blunder-bunny. You here to make more of a mess?"
I smiled as much as I could to bear it. I usually don't think of violent thoughts, but these guys caused them for the second time today- the first being with that bitch Miss Trope. "Actually, I am here to apologize for my actions."
"Huh, well ain't that something. Well words don't clean up messes," he noticed me holding two small containers, "but actions, they do have the tendency to work better. What you got there rabbit?"
"These are two home-made carrot cakes that I brought. My mother's recipe. I've been told that it is bliss in cake form."
One of the replacements spoke up first, "You're Jessica Springs daughter, aren't you?"
"Yes, yes I am. My name is Olivia. Did you know my mother?"
"Yeah, the best damn baker in the Burrow. I thought it was a shame that she was put into the classroom instead of the kitchen. Boys, if you have not tasted this carrot cake before, you should be ashamed of yourselves."
"Well, I did bring two.I was planning on just giving them both to these fellers for all the trouble I caused fixing their lavatory, but seeing on how keen you are on this cake, how about you guys share it four ways? I can always make up another and bring it tomorrow if it is not enough."
After that one worker gave it such a glowing recommendation, if they were hesitant before, they did not show any as they took the cakes. All four of them dived instantly into the cake. In between mouthfuls they were saying how this was the best cake they ever had. One of them asked for the recipe but I told them it was a household secret. After the four of them were finished devouring it, the replacements got to work as the other two left to turn in for the night. One of them did say that he would have to forgive me if I brought him a few more cakes tomorrow. I told him first thing in the morning. It was getting easier and easier to lie to those fuckers. I kinda felt bad for the one who had nothing but good things to say about my mother, but then I reminded myself that most of these residents were two faced, and that I am sure he would have never said anything if I had not had food in my hands.
I stepped outside once they were well on their way, and I waited.
There are two things that you can count on in this world: everyone has to shit and that shit has to go somewhere. That was exactly what happened. While waiting outside I heard a yell. I opened the door ever so slightly and saw one of the two workers pounding on a door, screaming to hurry up. Looks like the medicine finally kicked in. A few seconds later there was a loud noise as one of the outflow pipes 'accidentally' popped loose. Screams ensued. I stepped into the shadows as the door flew open.
The first worker to run out was covered in his own waste. It smelled so bad that I almost gagged. Thankfully, my short time in sanitation had helped to suppressmy gag reflex, but it did nothing to make it smell better. A few moments later the other worker ran through the door shouting 'I'm going to blow!' The Observation Deck was empty. I sent the signal to Onion through my Pip-Boar and entered. Just like earlier, the room was rather small with monitors and communication panels all over. I took a look over the panels until I found what I needed -a locked button simply marked 'Door.' Next to it was a connection point that, thankfully, was universal to all Pip-Boars. I unhooked mine and plugged it in. After it registered my Pip-Boar it asked for the Overseer's bypass code. I used my device to enter it in and it processed it.
It took longer than it should have. I was beginning to think that either I screwed something up or maybe the Overseer was smarter than she looked and caught onto me. Just as I started to panic, the panel beeped and the latch on the lock popped open. This button, this small red button, was all that stood between me and freedom. I told Onion to get ready as I pushed it.
The doorway leading to the Burrow Entrance swung open, but something that I did not expect happened. Alarms were sounding. These were louder than anything I ever heard. Lights began to flash as I heard a small rumble coming from beyond the door. Shit, the whole Burrow must be awake by now.
"We need to make this quick Onion. Let's go … NOW."
Onion tried to object again but I ignored him as I rushed out of the room and through the doorway. In front of me was the biggest piece of machinery I have ever seen. A giant needle like arm started to descend from the ceiling, heavy pneumatic systems controlling it's slow decent. After a moment it started to extend into a giant cog shaped structure. After it was fully attached, the pneumatic system began to pull it out like it was made of paper, before rotating it onto a platform that disappeared into the Burrow walls. In front of me, what I thought to be an observation floor began to extend towards a connecting platform. It created a small bridge that spanned the pipes and mechanical structures below. I started to walk slowly, taking in everything. I was leaving the Burrow. No one had ever done this, yet alone attempted this! I am finally going to be free!
Then shouting froze me in my steps. I could hear people coming, and fast. I told Onion to go ahead of me, that he should scan the outside to make sure that it was safe, but in reality I just wanted to see their faces as I left. I knew security would have gotten alerted when these alarms went off, and I hoped, really hoped that the Overseer would come too.
At first two rodents in armored security jumpsuits came through with small guns. I did not even know the Burrow had weapons. They trained them on me and I was expecting the worse. Why didn't I just leave when I had the chance? I closed my eyes, expecting the worse until I head a familiar voice over the loudspeakers. It was the Overseer.
"Olivia Springs, have you gone insane?!"
I kept silent. I had nothing to say and, with all this noise, I don't think they would be able to hear me.
"It is not too late. You are still here. I know you don't want to go. You are safe here with us. Out there, you don't know what's out there! Please, come back. I don't know how you managed to open this door, but if you come back I will forgive you. Security, lower your weapons, she is not a threat!"
I still stood there. This had been my home for the past twenty years. My best experiences were with my mother, and she was gone now. What could the Overseer possibly give me to make me stay? I had to go. I needed to go. I turned around and started to walk towards the Burrow entrance.
"Olivia! Stop!"
I heard a small ting next to my feet. I looked down and saw a dart lying on the walkway. Heh, so they did not have weapons, just tranquilizers. I continued to walk forward. Another ting. Either they were horrible shots, or it was just a warning. I was so close that it did not matter. The next dart did not make a noise at it drove itself into through the jumpsuit and into my flesh. I started to feel dizzy. I used my all my willpower to work through it. I felt another dart impact, only this one did not pierce the suit, but rather bounce off. Then I felt the third one score a direct hit on my neck. The effects were getting stronger but I still had to make it.
"Security, I order you to stop! Too much and you might kill her!"
Aww, she cared. Fuck her. Fuck this place. I am leaving and nothing will stop me. I heard the sounds of footsteps coming close. Looks like they did stop shooting and were running after me. I lifted my Pip-Boar up and pressed and activated a command. The cog shaped door started to retreat back into its original position. I was closing it behind me. I did not look back as I continued past the door. The funny thing is that they should have caught me. Between the chemicals in the darts slowing me down and the time it takes for the door to close, they should have been able to stop me. It wasn't until I heard a loud clang that I stopped and turned around. In front of me, on the now sealed door were two numbers: 7 6. I was free. I was finally free!
Onion came back to me and started to say something, but whatever was in those darts finally broke through my will. I told Onion that I was going to take a nap. The last thing I remember was me hitting the ground before the whole world went black.