That was close. That was very close. I almost did not see them in time, but thankfully they were not the quietest bunch. The tracks that Onion and I were traveling on started to decline in elevation over the past few hundred feet. In doing so, they were taking us much closer to street level where we were almost spotted by a trio of bears that seemed to be fighting each other. The sides of the track were short enough that if they had been paying more attention, they would have surely seen us.

I had ducked behind the car husk to try to stay out of sight. Since I haven't heard anything indicating otherwise, it must have worked. I checked my Pip-Boar and saw the three dots, but they were constantly blinking on and off. I hit the Pip-Boar a few times but to no avail. It was like the machine was having trouble picking them up.

"Onion, I think my Pip-Boar is acting up. Why did you not alert me?"

"Sorry Miss, but I can't seem to get a clear reading on them."

I wonder why? So far, neither of our sensor's had prevented us from tracking lifeforms nearby, except for that damn North. Were these guys using the same tactic that he did to keep off of thesensor sweeps? Then again, he did not appear at all. These guys seem to be appearing and disappearing, but they were always in visual range.

"I wonder if something is interfering with our sensors? Maybe some building material, or radiation, or some type of technology we don't know about?"

"Not sure Miss, but I would advise against investigating. Those three look quite strong."

I took a peek to watch them more carefully. Each of them were wearing some kind of rusty looking metal armor. They seemed to take turns, two of them fought while the other watched. I grabbed the scope from my bag and took a much closer look. They appeared to be in a red ring that was crudely drawn on the ground. Every time one of them pushed the other out of the ring, the one watching swapped in for them and they went again. While they were not talking, I could hear audible grunts, growls, and roaring coming from them.

It only took me a few minutes to notice that there was something off about them. They moved very stiff, as if they were actually robots. I pondered the idea that someone had managed to create a synthetic mammal, but that was shaken away when I saw one fighters dig his claws into his opponent. Blood started to leak from the open wound, but the injured bear just looked at it and seemed to shake it off before continuing the fight. Despite his injuries, he managed to win and then the next one was tagged in.

During this entire time, I did not see any of them take a break, eat or drink anything, or even attend to their wounds. Every time the looser was swapped out, he simply stood there, arms to the side and watched. I could see his eyes dart back and forth, but no other movements. These guys were starting to make me nervous. I felt my fur stand up as a chill ran down my spine.

"Let's get out of here. Something seems wrong with these guys. I can't seem to figure out why, but I would rather not find out the hard way."

"Best suggestion you have made so far Miss."

Onion really did not like fighting. Unfortunately, it seemed that a non-peaceful life was unavoidable out here. Every time we think it's safe, a new enemy presents itself. Whoever first said: 'the calm before the storm' must have been a die- hardadventurer, because it always seems to be much too calm before all hell breaks loose.

We snuck away as quiet as possible before we were far enough away as to not attract the attention of those bears. If it was something smaller, like maybe a rat, I would have probably investigated some more. Whatever drugs these guys were on would not have made for a pretty battle, even with B.A.T.S. I know I have probably faced much worse so far, but I felt way to uneasy about these guys to try anything.

"Now that we are away from those bears Miss, I should point out something."

"What is it?"

"It's starting to get late. By my calculations, within the next forty-five minutes, it will be too dark to continue our travels safely."

"You're right. We have been traveling a while with few breaks. We should find a place to rest. If we leave at daybreak tomorrow, we should make it to Hope by early afternoon."

"Based upon the map of the rail line Miss, we are approaching Little Rodentia Station A."

"Station A? How many stations does it have?"

"Two Miss. Station A is located on the outskirts of Little Rodentia, while Station B is located within it. My files show that pre-war Little Rodentia was built within a large park and walled off from the outside to prevent the larger mammals from accidentally hurting both citizens and property. Based upon that, I would assume that Station A was designed for larger mammals, while Station B was for smaller ones."

"Well that would make sense. Glad I brought my floating encyclopedia with me."

"Someone needs to know this stuff Miss. As I recall, history was of little interest to you unless it pertained to something technological."

"Eh, who needs history lessons. It's not like I can go back and change it. What's done is done."

"The philosopher George Santantler once said: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it', and it would be wise to remember that Miss."

"How can I remember something I never knew? You know what, never mind. I don't feel like arguing with an encyclopedia."

I checked my Pip-Boar map and saw that we were pretty close to Station A, and it should only take fifteen minutes or so to get there. Hopefully it is safe enough to spend the night. Sure today was not as physically exhausting, especially after being in a week long coma, but I was getting mentally tired already. I don't know if it was the sudden relocation, the nightmares I have been having, or if I just needed something to drink, but I could still feel that sense of unease. Hopefully by morning I will be right as rain, and who knows, maybe once we get to Hope, we can make ourselves a home there. That is, after we find those Red-Neck bastards and make them pay for what they did to Beaverton. I haven't forgotten.

It's amazing how quick the daylight can fade when your mind is preoccupied with something. One moment the sun was shining (as much as it could through the thick cloud cover), and the next moment it was too dark for my eyes to fully adjust anymore that I ended up tripping over a loose rail spike; and,of course, I landed right where I always do. The face.

"You alight Miss?"

I was really starting to get annoyed every time Onion asked if I was alright. I may have to revisit his programming soon.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure Miss? You sound a bit, disgruntled."

"I'm just getting tired is all. We have been walking for such a long time with too few surprises. I think my mind and body is getting too well adjusted to this world."

I didn't want to take my current annoyance out on him. He is just following his programming, and I was getting tired. You'd think a week long coma would have stored some of that un-spent energy. Guess not. I took a look at the map. Station A was very close. I just want to sit down, eat, and pass out; although, part of me really hopes there is something there to get my adrenaline going. Bad Olivia, bad. I needed to take my mind off of these self-destructive thoughts. There was still just enough light for me to make out my surroundings, so I moved towards the edge of the railway and took a look around.

I immediately noticed a sudden lack of buildings. I had been so deep in thought on what I wanted to accomplish when I got to Hope that I didn't notice that the large multi-species buildings had dropped off, leaving a flat barren area. I saw rocks and small things jutting up from the ground that I did not recognize. Didn't Onion mention that Little Rodentia was built within a park? If this is one, there was a severe lack of greenery. Then again two-hundred years without a grounds-keeper probably didn't help.

I looked back from where we came and could see the light of the setting sun peering over the horizon, highlighting the buildings behind us. All this time out here and I don't think I recall watching the sun set. It was rather eerie. The light was almost a blood red. It was bathing the clouds closest to the horizon in a crimson hue, casting that same light to the nearest buildings. It almost made everything look onfire.

The images of that Beaverton started to flood my head. Fire, ash, bodies burnt alive. I remembered the pig, blinded and injured, seeking not for his own safety, but that for the children, the same children that he unknowingly sent to their doom by sealing them beneath the schoolhouse. Then I remembered my nightmare. It was so real, so vivid. It was almost like I was there. I felt my eyes burning. I don't want to remember. I need to look forward. I need to …

I don't know if I tripped over something, or if my leg gave out on me but I dropped to my knees as I could feel tears forming in my eyes. My thoughts drifted between anger and pain;sorrow and was this happening now? I had been feeling happy. Happy that I was alive, happy that I was getting close to my destination, and happy to finally have meet some kind souls in this miserable world. I slammed my paw down onto the ground with anger, cutting it on some unseen object. I held my paw up as I saw blood starting to drip from it. It was too much for me. I began to cry.

"Miss? Are you …"

"NO! I am NOT okay! Stop asking if I am okay! Do I look okay to you?" I let out all my anger and pain in those words.

"I … I'm sorry Miss. It's just that …"

"I need a minute. Just, go on ahead and make sure it is clear. Please."

My paws were on my head, as if I was trying to shove everything back in between wiping the tears. I can't be falling apart like this, not here out in the open. For all I knew my yelling attracted something, or someone. That actually made me chuckle between sobs. I wish someone was here that I could take my emotions out on. I wouldn't even use my gun. I'd just activate B.A.T.S. and wail on them with my feet and paws until they were a bloody stain on the ground. Then maybe I could get this out of my system.

A voice broke my savage thoughts, originating from my direct communication channel: "Miss, I've located Station A and so far my sensors are clear of activity. May I return to you?"

"Just wait there Onion. I'll be along shortly." I pulled my paw back from the comm-link button for a moment before pushing it again, "I'm sorry for snapping at you Onion. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

I wiped off the rest of my tears, although I unfortunately used my bloodied paw, so I'm pretty sure there is now some bloody war pain on my face. I felt myself smile a bit, thinking how bad-ass I must look now, provided that no one saw my emotional break down. I really hope this isn't becoming a thing with me. I already have too many 'things' as it is. I got up and started towards Onion. Thankfully this track only goes in two directions, forwards and backwards, and I've come too far to go back.

Part of me was relived, but the other part was disappointed that Station A was completely unoccupied. Unlike Grass Street Station, this place must have seen better days. It looks as if it was divided into sections like Grass Street: one for smaller mammals like myself, and another for larger ones. However, this place lacked anything for something smaller thana rabbit. It also lacked most of its roof. There was enough roof on the larger side to be useful for a temporary shelter, but that was where its usefulness ended. The dividing wall had caved-in in sections. All the machinery and 'vanity' it may have had were either missing or destroyed, and none of the doors were intact. It was, thankfully, also devoid of skeletonsor any other signs of death.

It did have an odor to it. A bad one. From the looks of it, certain areas, especially the smaller side, had been used by mammals of various species as a place to … relive themselves. None of it looked fresh enough to cause worry, but that did not help the smell one bit. It was too dark to try to find someplace more suitable, and there were no other buildings around us, so I searched for the least filthy spot available.

"Keep your sensors open. I'm going to try to find a safe-ish place to set up for the night."

"Yes Miss."

Even though I apologized to him, I don't think that he took me yelling at him again very well. He may just be a sphere of electronics, but somewhere along the line, I think he developed some sense of emotion, at least in regards to myself. If anyone said that robots are unable to feel real emotions, they never met Onion. Once I was more rested and my mind a bitclearer, I'll make sure to give him a sincerer apology. If it weren't for him, I would have never made it this far. I just hope that he hasn't developed an ego to go with his emotion.

Against one of the walls there was a large vending machine. It was empty of course, the front glass shattered and all its treasures sized by some unknown survivor. The roof above it was relatively intact, and the smell of excrements was reduced, so I figured that this would be a good spot to camp. I no longer had any type of towel to place onto the ground, and there did not seem to be anything soft enough to use as a makeshift bed, so I just simply cleared off the floor the best I could.

I set my bag down and took off my trench-coat. I went to set it near my bag before I decided to lay it flat on the ground and use it as a barrier between myself and the floor. I took off my utility belt and bundled it near my bag, while I took the gun and placed it near me just in case I needed it in a hurry. I then opened my bag and pulled out the first bit of food I saw. It was the Hungry Maw canned carrots. I took a look at the can. It was in pretty good condition, albeit the label was a bit worn. There was no obvious way to open it, so I reached for my belt and pulled out my multi tool. The Pip-Boar may seem to do just about anything, but it doesn't hold a candle against the magic of a can opener.

I managed to get most of the lid undone, but there was this tiny part that just wouldn't come undone. I grabbed hold of it and started to twist, but only managed to cut my paw, again, causing me to drop my multi tool. I was just about to blurt out an expletive when a noise caught my attention. I looked towards where the tool landed and saw that it was next to the wall closest to the vending machine. I tore off the lid and tossed it aside as I moved towards the machine.

This Hungry Maw stuff was not what I expected. I figured it be dried or preserved carrots, but instead it was a thick carrot flavored orange paste. I dipped a finger from my non-bloody paw into the can and took a taste. It didn't taste like carrots. Honestly, it barely had a taste, but it was nourishment so I continued to eat it as I grabbed my tool with the other paw. I tapped the floor with the tool and it sounded rather solid. I tapped a few other places on the floor with the same effect. I moved to the wall and started to tap. Solid. Solid. Solid … bingo!

Right near where the machine was the tapping produced a different noise. There was a hollow space behind the vending machine! I quickly finished my food and threw the can behind me as I stood up against the machine. Being that I was in the larger mammal side, this machine towered above me. It was also rather sturdy. I put my shoulder into it and tried to push it aside with no luck. I then tried to tip it over, but found that it still wouldn't budge. Upon further inspection, I realized it was bolted to the wall. I saw brackets on the floor as well, but they were all missing their bolts. I also saw scrape marks that lead from the feet in an arc. They were rather faded, but it proved that this had been moved at some point in the past, but how?

It might be getting late, and I really should get some sleep, but this newfound mystery was just what I needed to get my mind off of things. There was some sort of room behind this, and I wanted, no, needed to find out why. There could be an elephant's weight in treasure, or a stockpile of weapons and ammunition, or even a smorgasbord of food! I looked all over the machine for some kind of secret switch or button, but I had no luck in finding either of them.

"Onion?"

"Yes Miss?"

"Look, I am sorry for snapping at you. Again. It's just … things are a lot worse off out here than I could have ever imagined and I think my brain is still trying to make sense of things. It's impacting my mood in various ways, and since ninety percent of the time it's just you and me, I don't stop and think before taking it out on you, and I am truly sorry for that."

"It's alright Miss. Just like you I tend to respond to my programing before anything else, it tells me to keep you safe, but I don't stop to analyze the reactionary results with the current predicament to see if it is the correct course of action. I will try harder Miss. Although, it will be nice if there was someone other than myself to take the brunt of your emotions from time to time. One of these days you will cause me to short circuit Miss."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. 'Foolhardy adventurer seeks companion to berate, yell, and cry at.' Now if you would be so kind to help me, I think this machine moves, but I can't figure out how."

"Moves Miss?"

"There is a hollow space behind it, and from the looks of the floor, it had opened like a door before, and I can't sleep until I know what is behind here."

"Did you try to hit it Miss? That always seems to be your initial way of fixing something. Maybe you will accidentally hit some hidden button."

"Hardy har har Onion. I don't always hit things, and if it did have a button … A button!"

I remembered the second Jack Savage novel, where he was hunting down a terrorist organization who was hiding out in the basement of a coffee shop. Turns out that one of the vending machine's keypads was also the access panel when a certain code was used. I wonder if this was the same thing? I moved to the front of the machine but saw that the keypad was just out of reach. I looked around for something to boost my height. The place was picked clean of anything useful.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Miss, but if there was some kind of hidden button or key combinations, I doubt it would work."

"Why not?"

"There is no working power connected to the machine Miss."

Fuck. I didn't even think about checking that. Even if I know the pass-code, without power that would render it useless. Since it is not opened, it must require power to disengage the locking mechanism. If it didn't have power, I doubt there was any around here, and even if there was it's not like I could move the machine. Wait, we do have power!

"Onion! I need you to float up to that keypad and give it a good jolt with your shocker."

"What will that accomplish Miss?"

"I have no idea. We are not making any headway, and it's better than nothing. Plus, I'm too tired to come up with anything better."

He turned towards the machine and slowly floated up towards the keypad. Once he was facing it, the slot holding his stun baton opened and he extended it until it touched dead center of the pad. He ramped up the power and I saw a bright blue jolt of electricity shoot from the baton into the machine. There was some audible popping and hissing noises as it started to fry the circuitry. The lights in and around the machine started to flicker as they got sporadic power. Then I heard a loud click noise and the vending machine moved a few inches away from the wall. Bingo!

I waited till Onion disabled his baton before grabbing the small gap that formed and pulled with all my might. Since it was apparent that it had not been opened in a very long time, the hinges were not very loose, but I put all my effort into it until there was enough room for me to squeeze in.

"Stay out here Onion. If you pick up anything on your scanners alert me immediately."

"Yes Miss, and be careful."

I gave Onion a genuine smile before ducking into the hidden room. There were no lights, so I turned my Pip-Boar up to full brightness. It was not a huge room, at least for something the size of an elephant, but for me it was rather comfortable. I'm guessing that it must have once been a closet of sorts, but why the secrecy by hiding it behind a vending machine?

There was an oddity about this room. Despite it seeming to have been built for a much larger species, everything in here was much closer to my size. There was a desk and chair, even a computer that were all designed for an occupant much closer to my size. I looked around some more, shining my Pip-Boar's light onto the walls. They were covered in posters of various sizes, but they all had one thing in common. Space. There were a few recruitment posters that said Zootopia Space Agency, Join Today!, others showing pictures of mammals dressed in bulky white outfits. Astronauts I am guessing. Whoever this room belonged to really liked space.

A small gust of wind came in through the opened door and I heard a small jingle above me. I pointed my light up to the ceiling and saw small crudely colored spheres of various sizes hanging by strings. They looked familiar. My mother had tried to teach me facts about Outer Space, but I tended to ignore them, thinking that I would never get to see it trapped in that Burrow. I think that was a very crude representation of our solar system. Why keep this all a secret?

I went over to the desk and tried to access the computer before realizing that if there was no power to open the door, then there wouldn't be power to operate this. I did however see a small data-chip sitting on the desk on top of a bunch of papers. I picked up the chip and placed it in my Pip-Boar, getting ready to play it, but got distracted by one of the papers. Based upon the date, it was well before the war. There was a picture of six mammals in a line, all wearing blue jump suits with 'ZSA' across the chests. Above the picture read: 'ZSA welcomes their newest recruits, including Sharla Herdinger, the first sheep astronaut and the latest part of the Mayor's Mammal Inclusion Initiative!'. There were more papers, all of them commenting about the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, and every one of them featuring the same name, Sharla Herdinger. This must have been hers. Either that or some creepy stalker.

Everything seemed to be giving this 'Sharla' a positive spin, making her out to be some kind of hero. That is, until I saw the last few articles. One of them read: 'Sharla Herdinger, hero or coward? While some of the Mammal Inclusion Intuitive additions, such as Officer Judy Hopps, have shown merit to the former Mayor's plans, others have not worked out as well. While boarding for the launch of ZSA's newest space shuttle, Astronaut Herdinger refused to enter the shuttle, forcing the ZSA to cancel the flight, resultingin a substantial loss of nearly four-hundred million dollars.'. Four-hundred million dollars? Justto launch a rocket? No wonder the world fell apart.

The articles just got worse from there. It seemed that Sharla Herdinger bailed out on two more flights after that, causing the ZSA to fire her. The papers berated her actions, saying that it was expected of a sheep to turn tail and run, and that the Mammal Inclusion Initiative may have had a few successes, but in cases like Herdinger's, it showed how not every mammal can break out of their natural instincts. One paper even called out her as being the representative of cowardice among sheep. I thought Zootopia was supposed to be some sort of harmonious city? How can people tear apart their own kind like this?

I had to stop myself from reading anymore. How can the same people who called her a hero to her species turn so abruptly and call her a coward? There had to have been some explanation to this. She is probably long dead, but I still feel sympathy for her. She tried, and for some that is more than most can ever even accomplish. I took all the negative articles and crumbled them up. I want the next person to find this place to see only the good. I went to toss the balled up papers out the crack in the door but I missed and it ricocheted and hit the desk. I heard a metallic thud hit the ground and saw something rolling from under the desk and into a corner behind a large file cabinet. I went to see what it was, but what I found made me lose my balance and my ass hit the floor beneath me.

It was a skeleton. It was roughly my size, but I could tell it was not the same species. It had cloven hooves, and was wearing a tattered jumpsuit. There was a small badge on the suit with the letters ZTA,and underneath it was a name: Sharla Herdinger. This was her room. She must have gotten a job at the Zootopia Transit Authority after leaving the ZSA. That poor thing. Did she surround herself with her passion, and her failure, just to torment herself? Or did she live her life with regret?

I shone my light over the space to see if there was anything else when I saw something shiny, and gold. I reached to pick it up, taking care not to disturb the skeleton. It was a coin, or rather, one of the Treasures of Zootopia! On the front was the picture of a female sheep, while on the back it said: Bravery. I think that it was her that it was based on. There were no dates on the coins so I couldn't tell if it was made before or after the events of her downfall, but it didn't matter. I did not know her, but even though she failed to face her fears, she still tried, and that is what bravery is. Trying.

"Miss! My sensors are picking up something!"

Fuck. So much for sleeping. I picked up the coin and put it in a pocket. I will get the other two back from North, and I will make sure that they all have a home. Together. I want to honor those who the coins represented, and maybe in turn, they can help me to become better myself. If I lived that long.

I rushed out into the main room and I didn't even need to open my Pip-Boar to tell where the trouble was coming from. Outside, on street level, noises of a struggle were occurring. I ran over to the door-less entry that faced closest to the ruckus and carefully peeked out. While it had gotten very dark, small bursts of light from guns started to paint a picture. It was the three bears from earlier. Who were they fighting? Obviously not themselves, because they were shooting wildly up into the air.

A small burst of air hit me as I saw a shadowy figure fly past the door. It was defiantly not one of those nasty insects, it was way too big, and much too fast. I followed the shadow as best as I could as it circled the sky. The bears were blindly firing at the air, attempting to hit whatever it was. Then another shadow joined, and another. It was three against three, and these creatures had air superiority.

I finally pulled out my Pip-Boar's map and started to track them. I saw the three dots circling, but the dots that should have represented the bears were flashing in and out like before. Why was it having trouble picking them up? I saw one of the circling dots break from formation and I popped my head back out just to see the shadow swoop down and grab one of the bears. The bear had to be at least double the creatures size and nearly triple its weight. That did not stop the flier from picking up a bear with ease and fly off, with the bear still shooting mindlessly, as if not sure what to attack.

As the creature flew overhead of the station, I continued to track it with my Pip-Boar. It started to circle back as I heard a strange noise. A second later the bear crashed through the roof and into the station, landing almost twenty feet from me! I was stunned. What the fuck were these things! Then the shadow flew down and landed on the bear. I risked aiming my Pip-Boar's light at it. It was a monstrosity. It looked like a giant bat, but had the claws of a wolf. It also had a long scaly tail that it had wrapped around the bears neck. It looked at me when the light hit it and I heard chirping and clicking coming from it. It turned back to the bear and the creature took it's clawed feet and started to tear at the bears chest. I had to do something! I reached for my gun. Fuck!

My belt, bag, AND gun were on the other side of the room!Italready knew I was there, but the massive bear seemed to be a bigger priority than a tiny rabbit. I am sure that would change soon enough. I turned my light off and started to sneak around, keeping as much distance as I could between it and me. If I made any sudden movement, I was next on the menu.

I was about halfway to my stuff when I heard a loud crunch noise that caused me to stop. The creature had ceasedclawing at the bear and had thrusted one of its feet into the bear's body and pulled something out. At that moment the bear stopped trying to fight and fell limp. That's when I heard more whooshing and saw the other two creatures land next to it. Each of them were holding some bloody mass in a clawed foot. Thefirst one that flew into the room jumped into the air and landed inches from me. That was it. I was about to die. Then it let out a high pitch noise.

"Miss, run! I'll keep them distracted!"

Onion had snuck up behind the creature and gave it a shock. I snapped out of it and darted the rest of the way over to my stuff. I grabbed my gun, bag, and belt. I did not have time to put my belt on, so I flung it over one shoulder, and the bag over the other, cocked the gun and fired at the one that was now trying to swipe at Onion. My shot ripped a hole through one of its wings. That caused it to stop. It placed a claw from the other winged arm through the hole and I could have sworn I heard it laugh as I saw the hole seal itself back up. What. The. Fuck! They can regenerate? Who ever heard of a regenerating mammal?

"Onion, we've got to go. Now!"

With gun still in hand I dashed past them and ran through the back entrance and onto the tracks. For all I knew there were more of them down there, and while this is probably a huge mistake, at least from up here I can see them better. I chanced a look behind me and saw that Onion was not too far from me. Then the roof exploded as all three of them flew from the station and started to pursue me. I think I made them angry.

I focused my attention ahead of me and kept running. I don't know how far behind me they were, nor how fast they could go, but I did not want to risk stopping to find out. I was pushing my legs to their max again, and I was already starting to feel them tiring. I don't know where I was heading, but hopefully someplace a lot safer.

The air moved overhead of me as I saw one of them fly past and circle back towards me. It was flying straight at me! I kept on running forward as it came at me. It arched it's back and pointed it's clawed feet at me, both now free of anything and fully extended. Just before it hit me I dropped to the ground, causing it to graze right over me. I jumped back up and kept running.

Ahead, I saw what looked like a giant brick wall that the tracks were about to go over. I kept my legs going full speed as I dodged another attack. That time I almost fell off, but I needed to get over that wall. There might be someplace to hide, or at least give me better protection. These things seemed way too fast and to regenerative for me to fight alone, and I doubt that even if I could get a message to the Steel Guardians, it would be too late by the time they got here. And why the hell hasn't B.A.T.S. activated? After the third near miss, I slapped the side of my Pip-Boar.

"Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?"

"It's about time. Yes!"

I felt the usual sting as the chemicals entered my body. The feeling that time was slowing kicked in as I stopped and turned towards the nearest winged menace. I checked my Pip-Boar but the highest chance to hit was a measly thirty-six percent. Even in my enhanced state, these things were zipping all over. I tried to fire a few shots, but they all missed. It was like they had B.A.T.S. of their own. What the fuck can I do now? Then I remembered the grenades.

I only used a couple of them during the theater incident, so I had a couple left. B.A.T.S. was wearing off so I started running again. I tried to dig out a grenade as I was moving, but I almost dropped my bag once, and almost took a tumble the second time. I couldn't just stop or else I'll be shredded to death. I had to make it to the wall.

The wall was getting closer and I heard the occasional zapping noise behind me as Onion attempted to stun them. I think it was only making them madder. Thankfully, that was grabbing the attention of me for long enough to let B.A.T.S. to cool down. I really hate using Onion for bait, but he always does a good job at it.

B.A.T.S. cooled down just as I reached the edge of the wall. It was nearly twice my height, but I have survived worse falls. I activated B.A.T.S. again and used that time to successfully grab a grenade from my bag. I held the button down as I waited for B.A.T.S. to wear off, I didn't need it for what I was about to do.

"Onion! Get over here!"

As soon as he heard me call him he stopped being bait and rushed over to me. B.A.T.S. had finally worn off so everything was happening in real time. I saw all three of the creature swooping towards me, getting into their attack position. I looked behind me briefly and saw that I was right past the wall. I released the button and dropped it at my feet as I jumped backwards to the ground. I landed with a thud just as the grenade went off. Chunks of brick, wood, and metal flew everywhere as a large cloud of debris formed. I quickly gathered my stuff and started to move. I highly doubt that would kill them, but hopefully it bought us a few moments to find safety.

This was defiantly a district dedicated to rodents. My ears stood above most of the buildings, and everything was scaled down. Tiny abandoned cars scattered the streets, small light posts that snapped when I touched them too hard, and even the buildings didn't seem to be very stable. I accidentally ran into one and it fell over with ease. Then I heard that too familiar whooshing noise overhead. They found me.

One of them tried to swoop at me, but I kicked a building causing it to nearly topple on it. That provided me a slight breather as it circled back around. This area was not going to be as safe as I thought. My luck one of these buildings will topple onto me and crush me. It probably beats getting eaten alive.

The streets started to widen as I came across an intersection. In the middle was a small squat building, and lying next to it was a very large round object. Written on it was: The Big Donut. It was relatively intact so I picked it up just as two of them swooped at me. I spun around and tossed it as hard as I could at them. One of the creatures dodged out of the way and it missed being struck, but the other one was not as fast. It hit it square in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground. One down, two to go.

I tried to find something else around me, maybe there was another giant donut around here? I sighed, didn't think so. The other two were just sitting there, next to their downedcompanion. Maybe they've heard about my adventures against the impossible and were about to run? That thought was shaken from my head just as fast as it formed when I saw the downed one slowly get up. Back to three against one again. Fuck me.

The one that I hit with the large donut picked it up with its feet and flew into the air and started to fly in circles. It was dark, maybe I hit its head instead? Then it released the donut and it came flying straight towards me. It came at me so quick that I was barely able to duck out of the way. As it flew over my head I felt the roaring winds it left behind. That creature is strong! I am glad I never let it hit me, although I have the feeling it's endurance was much greater than mine. I better not let it get into melee range. Or maybe I should.

On top of the squat building behind me I noticed four metal spikes sticking out of the roof. They were not huge, but if I could manage to loosen one, I could attempt to impale one of them as it flew towards me. They moved fast enough that if I aimed correctly, its own momentum will substitute for my lack of strength and kill it. Thankfully I had B.A.T.S. to give me that accuracy.

I jumped onto the building and tried to force the spike out of the concrete roof. It was in there good. This plan may not be as well thought out as I first imagined. I looked to where the creatures were, but they were gone. Did they give up and leave? I turned my Pip-Boar's light to maximum and shone it all over, but I couldn't see anything. Then I heard a loud gunshot.

Where did it come from? They better not be trying to attack me, I have enough problems as it is. A second shot rang out, and then I realized it wasn't me they were aiming at. I heard a loud squeal as one of the creatures fell out of the sky and crashed on the ground. I shone my light down on it and saw that it was bleeding from the chest. I knew that if it didn't kill it, that it wasn't going to be out of commission for long. I heard a swooping noise as the other two creatures darted off towards where I assumed the shot came from. I started to draw my gun to finish the downed creature when the ground started to shake violently. It was another fucking quake. Really?

This quake was much stronger than the one before, and it knocked me down. I saw the buildings near me starting to shake, and saw a couple of them collapsing. These quakes couldn't be a common occurrence, or else there would be no buildings left standing here. I heard cracking noise as I saw the ground around the building starting to fracture. I tried to get up but one of my feet went through the roof. I was stuck!

"Onion! My foot is stuck!"

Onion rushed over to me and tried to grab my foot with his grasping claw, but to no avail. It was not designed for this. I tried to loosen my foot again as more cracked formed in the roof. The cracks widened the hole just enough to let me free my foot but not before getting struck with a much larger tremor that caused the entire roof to collapse under me. I fell into the building, which wasn't much of a drop considering. I started to get up when the floor beneath me collapsed, again. This time the fall was much, much longer.

I hit the ground with a painful thud. I don't think anything was broken this time as I slowly got up. I was very sore, but I could move. Thankfully, Onion was able to follow me down as I looked up as I saw a building falling onto the hole above. I jumped back to avoid the debris crashing down. Once the quakes subsided and the dust cleared I turned on my light and went to investigated where I landed. It was completely covered.

"Looks like we are not getting out that way Onion."

"How about this way Miss?"

I looked back towards where he was and saw a small entrance. It was way too small to walk through, but there was enough room for me to crawl. I knelt down and shone my light into the darkness. It was a tunnel, and it looked like it went on for a short distance.

"It looks like this is the only way outfrom here. Time to go spelunking."