"What's with the urgency Nate? Marki and I were just getting… comfy." Holly looked as if she had gotten dressed in a hurry.
"Yeah, what gives…" Mark abruptly stopped talking. He probably noticed the very serious look on Nate's face. "What's wrong? Something happened, didn't it?"
"We're leaving in forty minutes. Get your stuff ready." Nate sounded calm, but I could tell that he was doing his best to hide his real emotions. I could also tell that Mark was picking up on it.
"Sir, this is a Guardian mission, civilians shouldn't…"
Nate turned towards Logan, his calm visage already showing signs of breaking. "No. This is more than a Guardian mission. I don't care about policies and regulations this time, and nothing you can say will stop me from this. I don't want to, I really don't want to, but I have to. We have to."
"Nate, what is going on? I can tell there's something wrong."
"I… the Slave Prince has been spotted and we believe that Baird might be close as well." Nate was obviously trying to skirt around the real issue.
"See? I told you I should get a Nuke Tube. Oh, I really wanna shove a mini-nuke right up that boar's ass." I could see the evil smirk forming on Holly's face.
"Did anyone actually see him?"
"No, but it's the first time we've had a lead. There's… something else as well. The Slave Prince has been spotted near… a Burrow."
"Oh. I… I can see why you're acting like this." Mark walked up to his brother and placed his paw on Nate's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this? I know our experiences with Burrows haven't been the best."
"Nate, tell them." It was painful hearing him avoiding it, I had to step in.
"Tell us what? Olivia, do you know what's going on?"
"It's…" Nate stopped and took a deep breath. "It's ninety-three, he's near our Burrow."
Mark and Holly's faces instantly expressed both fear and hate at the mention of their old Burrow. Holly started to move over to Nate and I took a step back so that she could be closer to him and Mark. It wasn't until then that I realized Nate had been holding my paw. I tugged it gently and he glanced at me. I smiled, and hopefully it told him that it was okay that I wasn't going anywhere.
"How… are you taking it?"
Nate sat down, leaving Mark and Holly hovering over him. "Hard Mark, very hard. If this was the old me, I would probably be curled up and crying at the very thought of going back there. I… I-I don't want to, I never wanted to look back."
"You're not that kind of mammal anymore sweetie." Since he was low enough, I placed my head on his, and spoke softly.
"That's why I've got to go there and face it. I've got to show myself that I'm no longer the coward I was. Otherwise, how can I lead the Guardians? There are countless Burrows out there, and I know I won't be able to escape from all of them. I need to try to bury this, to make sure it won't come back to me in the future."
"We might not even have to go there. You said he was spotted near it, right? Can't we just do this without involving the Burrow?" Holly seemed just as reluctant to return as Nate did.
"No. We've run from our past for too long. You heard your father, he couldn't care less if every pred vanished from the face of the planet. What if he ever got out? What if he started to spread his poison. There are already too many mammals who hate us preds, what if that turns toxic? I know he's your father Holly, but I don't think I can sit back anymore while that place still exists under his control."
"Nate, you know how little love I have left for my father. To be honest, I'm not sure how I'll even be if and when we finally meet again. Part of me wants to just punch him in the face, but another part, a very, very small one, wants to try to reason with him, show him how much predators and prey really are alike, and how far they can go. After everything that happened to you Nate, look at where you are now. That's got to count for something."
"You know he won't Holly. He was already beyond redemption when we were children. If your mother couldn't change him, I don't think we can."
"My…" Holly's face melted into that of sorrow. "My mother. She's really the only thing I miss about that place. Do you… do you think she's still alive after all this time?"
Mark wrapped his arms and tail around Holly. "I'm sure she is. She's a strong mammal. Where do you think you got it from?"
"Thanks Marki. That means a lot. But… but what are you going to do about my father? Kill him?"
"Oh how I would love to, but I have to be stronger than that. I'll hold him accountable for everything he did, and everything he has done. I want him to suffer, but not through physical pain. I want to have everything he holds dear stripped from him."
"You want to toss him in a jail cell and throw away the key, don't you?"
"Yes Holly, but only after a in impartial trial. Rotting in a cell isn't as great of a punishment than doing so after facing your own atrocities."
"But what about when we find Baird? What then? You just going to throw him in a cell? I know what the Overseer did to you and your brother, along with your… mother, but knowing that Baird is still alive and just rotting away in a cell? I'm not sure if I'll be able to not kill him when the time comes."
Nate looked into my eyes awash with sternness and sympathy. "Overseer Kerrigan has no allies in this world, his only 'friends' lay within the Burrow, so no one will care that he's rotting in a cell. That boar however, he has who knows how many friends out here. I'm not sure it would be safe to keep him alive."
Holly, Mark, and Nate all huddled around me. "Whatever happens will happen 'livi. Just remember, no matter what happens, we'll be there for you."
"Just as I'll be there for you guys when the time comes. And thank you."
"No, thank you 'livi. We'd be facing an entirely different Nate right now if it wasn't for you. I mean, he's barely stuttered this whole time!"
"Har-har Holly. Just so you know, I'm scared shitless at the thought of going back, but I can't let it take control of me anymore. Just as you said Holly, I'm not sure how I'll be when the time finally arrives, but if I don't try then I'll never know." Nate kept a hold of me but turned towards the rather unamused wolf standing a few feet away. "Stalker Logan. I want a detachment of Guardians with us after we deal with the Slave Prince and Baird. I want to have our presence felt when we open the Burrow, so due to size restraints, make sure that you pick the best mammals tiger size and smaller for it. I want Defenders to guard the entrance to make sure no one leaves until we're ready. After you pick them, brief them on the situation."
"Yes Sir."
"Looks like it's now or never. Mark, Holly, you two go get ready, and Holly, you are not allowed to bring any mini-nukes with us."
"Why not?!" Holly had a look that was a cross between disappointment and anger.
"While I would love to just bomb the hell out of that place and be done with it, there are still innocent mammals in there, mammals that probably hate the Overseer just as much as we do. That includes your mother."
"Yeah, yeah. Plus with my luck, my father would survive as some immortal ghoul." Holly over exaggerated shivers down her body.
"Olivia?"
"Yeah Nate?"
"Could we talk, in private?"
The way he said it was disconcerting, but I simply nodded my head as he led me back to our room. He then closed the door behind him and locked it before turning towards me. His eyes displayed a worried emotion to them as he grabbed me and kissed me after whispering "I love you."
"I love you too sweetie. You had me worried for a moment, I thought something was wrong."
"There is, I think. I'm not really sure to be honest."
"You can talk to me about it. Here, let's sit down. What's wrong?"
"Between potentially facing that… boar, going up against one of the most powerful slave owners the wasteland has seen, and facing my greatest demons all in the same day? What if something happens and we don't make it? What if one of us… dies?"
"I won't say that won't happen, because I always have the same fear. This world is so chaotic who knows what will be awaiting us around the next corner. It's that very reason that I've found the will to keep going, to do whatever it takes for me to survive. For us to survive. Just remember sweetie, no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."
"And I'll be by yours too Binky."
"How long do we have before we leave?"
"Um, ten minutes or so, why?"
"There's more to this than simply one of us dying. You said it yourself that you're scared about visiting your Burrow again, but I'll be by your side the whole time. I think we both need to… release some of this stress before it gets the better of either of us. Plus, I want to… feel you, just in case it's our last time."
"Feel me? What do you…" I interrupted him with a kiss. "Oh. That… I'd like that." Nate lifted up his arm and I saw his Pip-Boar appear from under its hidden panel. "Stalker Logan, what's the status of our departure?"
"We're ready to depart momentarily Sir."
"Some… last minute preparations came up. You lead the advance squad and set up base at a safe distance. Make sure Agents are tracking the Slave King's movements at all times. Inform my team that I'll be ready to depart in twenty minutes and we will meet you to make our final preparations on site."
"Sir, I think you should really…"
"Twenty minutes Stalker, that's all I need."
"Yes Sir."
"Are you sure he doesn't hate you sweetie? He never seems to be very happy with your orders."
"I'm not sure he even knows what happy is. He's just still adjusting, we all are. It'll be fine. So, you think twenty minutes will be enough?"
"Let's stop wasting time and find out."
I started to take my shirt off but before I could pull it over my head, not wanting to fuss with the buttons, I felt Nate push me onto the bed. He finished undressing me, all while my vision was blocked by my shirt. I never realized that being 'blind' made it feel so much… more. I felt the rest of my shirt slip off as he climbed on top of me, already naked himself.
I know this isn't the best time for this, but at the same time, it also feels like the best time for it. Feeling his body against mine, knowing how deep this intimacy goes beyond just the physical limits. We are as one, body, mind, and soul. This feeling of being complete is my everything. It is my life, my fire, it is the one driving force that keeps me going.
Without Nate I would be lost and empty, so I need to keep this feeling fresh in my mind. That way, no matter what happens today, no matter how many times I get thrown around, how far I get beaten down, I can continue to cling onto this feeling, because as long as I do, I can never fail.
We were a few minutes late as we hurried down to the hangar. Neither of us wanted to stop, but eventually the risk of a sudden, and angry message from Logan interrupting us made us finally finish up. That wolf really knows how to ruin the mood. Plus, the longer we wait, the more we risk losing our chance at getting at Baird. Ever since he escaped Wild Times, he's been off the radar, despite all the Agents looking for him. Makes me wonder if the Stealth-Boar was named after him…
"About time you two got here! Marki was just about to go and fetch you."
"Sorry Holly, we were… caught up in something."
"Yeah, well, Zack has the bird all warmed up, let's get… what… what's that smell?"
"What do you mean Holly?"
Holly moved up to me, her nose twitching like crazy as she sniffed me and then Nate. "Why does that smell… you… you two snuck off to have sex, didn't you!"
Nate started to nervously rub the back of his neck. "Well, I…"
"Did we sneak off to relieve our rapidly growing tension? Yes, yes we did." I gave Holly a half smile as I grabbed Nate's free paw and yanked him towards the Tac-Lifter.
I heard Holly whispering to Mark. "And I thought my hormones were bad."
"Wait! What about Onion?"
"This thing can't support all of us along with his new body. I already informed him of what's going on. I gave him access to a few parts of the base including the firing range and the garage so that he can test out and run some self diagnostics on his new body." The Tac-Lifter took off with a little shaking before it steadied out in the air. Nate lifted my Pip-Boar and entered some commands into it. "I meant to give you this earlier. It's a secure link directly to Onion. Try it out."
"Onion, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear Miss. I do apologize for not being able to accompany you."
"Guess that old ball of scrap of yours was good for something. How are you doing in that new body?"
"Well Miss, it's still… odd. I never realized how confined and limited I felt in that old body. These four arms are flexible enough, and I have more of a direct control of their fine motor skills, I do believe I could perform some basic neurosurgery with them."
"Well don't tell Doc that, he'd take offense to it. He never cared for robotic doctors. Said they were too… impersonal."
"Doc said that? Well, takes one to know one I guess."
"Don't be so quick to judge, Holly. I had a little… discussion with him earlier regarding a few recent events. While I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone else, I learned a bit from him to tell that he has so much more emotion than he shows."
"Sorry, I… I didn't mean anything by it. You think it's the same with Logan?"
"No, I don't even think Doc could remove that stick up his ass. Wonder how Mister Lazlo felt about his lack of emotion."
"As long as he's a trustworthy and loyal mammal, I don't think it really mattered to him. Everyone has their own quirks." Saying that made me look towards Jasmine who was quietly sitting in the back. It looked like she was lost in deep concentration, a look that I usually don't see in her. "Hey Jasmine, you're awful quiet today."
"Huh? What? Oh. Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. Everything okay with you?"
"Yeah. Everything is o-kid… I mean okay!"
O-kid? "You sure?"
"I think that baby I haven't had enough sleep."
"Did you say… baby?"
"Oh! I…" She went to cover her mouth but ended up slapping her hoof against her metal jaw, causing her to reel back in pain as she shook her hoof.
"It's been like that ever since we ran into those two earlier this morning." Zack pointed between Mark and Holly before returning his attention to flying.
"Why us? What did we do?"
Jasmine's face was turning red and she was mumbling quietly instead of talking. Zack sighed. "She's probably too embarrassed to tell you, but she overheard you guys talk about Holly also being part fox and how that Mister West fellow made mention of interspecies reproduction."
"You were… eavesdropping on us?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to. We were going to get some food but she didn't want to intrude on your guys little get together so she asked to wait until a better time, but I think she was a bit too curious to just leave."
"I'm not mad at you Jasmine, you're always welcome to join us you know?" I maneuvered over so that I could sit next to her and placed my paw on her leg.
"I… It didn't feel like my place."
"If we need some private time, we'll go someplace… private. The mess hall is fair game for anyone. Okay?"
"O-okay."
"So, what's with the slip of the tongue?"
"I… I-I… it's too embarrassing…"
"She wants kids." Zack said it very bluntly.
"Zacky!"
It was hard not to chuckle. "Zacky? That's cute."
Jasmine shot upright and smacked her head on the roof of the aircraft.
"You gotta stop that or else you'll be brain dead long before you can even have kids. So… Is this sudden interest in having offspring due to a certain… zebra we all know?"
"I… I… y-yes." She spoke very softly.
I turned to see what kind reaction that got out of Zack but I'm not sure if he heard or not. His face was pointing out the forward window, so I couldn't make out his face, although I'm sure if he heard, he would have a huge grin on his face. He was the first to get smitten with Jasmine after all.
"What's the likelihood that three of us just so happened to be descended from mammals who all underwent the same experiment?"
"I… I already checked…"
"Wait, what do you mean by that?"
"I… afterwards I went to Doc and had him… he had already finished with Holly's blood work, so I figured it'd be a good time… it was… I'm not. I-I'm just a normal giraffe."
"I'm sorry Jasmine."
"There is a way actually." Zack's voice startled me. "I've gotten to know Jasmine enough to tell when something is bothering her, she's pretty bad at hiding it too. After she left Doc's, I went in and had a little talk with him. Between the blood samples he has of Holly and Olivia, plus some new medical machinery we recovered from Precinct One, he thinks he can replicate the original process."
"R-really?" From the sound of it, I think this was the first time Zack had told her.
"Now don't get your hopes up Jay-Jay, but he's almost certain he can."
"Ohhhh!" Jasmine made the most joyful noise I had ever heard her make. For once her excitement has taken over her normal bashfulness.
The rest of the trip was mostly Jasmine and Holly talking about baby names. It made Mark seem a bit uneasy and Zack was focusing, or at least pretending to focus, on the trip ahead. The talk of babies, and the fact that Nate and I might be able to have children of our own was very intriguing, but part of me kept thinking about how unkind this world must be to children. I mean, it's not impossible for their survival, or else there would be no mammals alive outside the Burrows, but it just makes me wonder, is this world ready for a new generation? Or am I unsure if I am ready. I don't seem like the… motherly material.
"Do you want children?" Nate asked that as if he was reading my mind.
"I… am I a good mammal?"
"What brought that up?"
"I just… yes, the thought of bringing a new life into the world, to raise them and give them everything that had been taken away from us sounds like a dream come true, but… I'm not sure I'm fit to be a mother."
"My mother said the same thing." Zack seemed to have a knack for finding the right moment to interject. "My mother was a scrapper, a mammal that specialized in finding metals that could be melted down and reforged. She worked out of the Forge."
"The Forge? What's that?"
"An old gold mine in the Canyonlands that was turned into a metal foundry shortly after the war. My mother worked there for most her life. Her mother was a slave, but was able to buy both her and her daughter's freedom, but apparently my mother got so used to the work she didn't want to leave. Especially after the Sandbacks took it over and kicked out all the slavers. My father was a hired gun for one of the caravans that helped transport the scrap, so my mother ended up getting to know him. She told me that he was the first to bring up having kids, but with living how she did, and only knowing the dangers of the world, she didn't want to, at first. Apparently it took a year of him nagging her before she finally committed to it. Now, I know I ran this long, but long story short, I didn't turn out bad, did I?"
"The way you didn't judge Jasmine's past, and how you've followed your new Chief without questions? No, you didn't. Thanks. That… actually makes me feel better."
"You're welcome." Zack raised his voice. "We're about to touch down at the base camp. Prepare to disembark.
The aircraft landed with a solid thud as we all grabbed our stuff and jumped out. We landed near water and in the shadow of a very large building. A large sign read: Prairie Jane's Mega Mart. There were small tents set up around the clearing with Guardians moving around the area in a hurry. Logan walked up to Nate as the Tac-Lifter's engine died down.
"Stalker, report."
"I've had Agents staged near the Burrow and at strategic points, but there's been no sign of any mammal other than a few scavengers in the vicinity of the Mega Mart. There's the possibility that they were simply passing through Sir."
"No. I can't believe that of all places, this would be where they were spotted. The Guardians have been tracking that boar for a while with no luck, and if the Slave Prince is really a friend of his, then whatever sorcery he's using to stay hidden, he would have given that slaver as well. No, they're here someplace."
I heard flapping noises as I looked up and saw Drake landing. I'm glad that Blanche was able to get him here. I was unable to check up on him like I promised before everything happened. I saw the small form of Blanche resting upon Drake's head as he walked over to me and shoved his muzzle into my chest. I started to stroke the fur on top of his head as he purred.
"Hey Drake, nice to see you too."
"Drake. Happy. Drake. Remember."
"You're back to normal? I'm so glad. You had me worried you know?"
"Drake. Sorry. Drake was lost."
"Did… did you just say a sentence without pausing?"
"Drake. Learn. Try to learn. New ways. New ways to. Talk."
"Drake!" Nate returned from talking to Logan and ran over and hugged the deathwing.
"Cub safe. Drake happy to see. Cub."
"Nearly whole sentences? Who are you and what did you do with my Drake?"
"Drake. Here. Drake is me."
"Relax, it's just a joke."
"If you ass-twats would stop making cutesy with the deathwing, although I admit I'm loving the looks on some of those 'hardened' Guardians over there, I got some news."
"What?"
"There's a large gathering of mammals to the east of here, probably about a mile or so."
"How many?" Nate switched back into Guardian mode at the mention of this.
"I dunno, two, three dozen? Maybe more. It's a hodgepodge of banners too. I see some Quills, and at least four or five Berserk-kings with some more of those tin cans they call robots, some ragtag mercs, no Legionaries though. Fuck, they even have some Red-Necks! Those fuckers normally don't play nice with anyone. Hell, I'm surprised all these raiders aren't at each other's necks. It's either got to be a shit ton of caps, or maybe it's those shellbacks. Those things give me the creeps."
"Shellbacks?"
"What, you never heard of them? I'm surprised we didn't run into any while trying to rescue Jezzie in Darkwater. They're massive creatures with a jaw so powerful it can snap a Defender's armor in half with no effort. Plus they have a shell that nothing short of a nuke will break. Don't let their size fool you though, they're fast fuckers when they want to be. There's got to be at least five or six of them, along with half a dozen deathwings, although given the two of them, a shellback would wipe the floor with a deathwing given a fair fight. They all should be dead with that menagerie."
Deathwings? Things more powerful than a deathwing? There's only one mammal I know who could have control over such creatures. "He's here."
"Who?"
"Baird. He had deathwings under his control, remember? And unless they all suddenly turned into Drake, it has to be the only explanation."
"Stalker! How did our Agents not pick them up?"
"I don't know Sir."
"That's because you ass-twats are worthless. Between your noisy machines patrolling the sky, and the fact they're in a large warehouse and the only reason I saw them was due to following a stray deathwing, I'm not surprised. I think…"
Blanche was interrupted as the ground started to shake. It wasn't very powerful, but it was strong enough to collapse a couple of the tents.
"Agents have been reporting small tremors throughout the area."
"Why didn't you tell me this Stalker?"
"An oversight, Sir."
"You think this could be a problem Nate?" I have personally seen what a tremor can do.
"Possibly. It could be nothing, but it could also be leading up to something bigger. I'll have Logan call in a survey team to keep tabs on it. Now we need to prepare. We know where they are, so I say we bring the fight to them. Stalker! I want you to split the forces up into three units. Send one in from the north, one in from the west, and we'll take the east. There's nothing but water south of their position, so we should be able to prevent them from retreating."
"Yes Sir! There's a patrol north of here, I'll call them in and add them to the northern squad."
"Perfect. Now, let's move out!"
Logan might be a bit of a downer sometimes, but he knew exactly how to do his job. It only took thirty minutes to get all three teams split up and briefed, and another forty to get our team and the north team into position. The west team took Tac-Lifters the long way around over the water to avoid being detected. An hour after we arrived, we were ready. Good thing too, from the looks of it, we only had a few more hours of sunlight left if that.
"Stalker Logan, report."
"Western team in position Sir. Awaiting orders."
"Stalker Amaranth, report."
"Northern team in position Sir. Wait. We're detecting movement. Agent, go and… we're under attack Sir! I repeat, we're under attack!"
"Damn it! Logan, move into their position, now! We're en-route. Okay Guardians, move out!"
We all left in a hurry to meet up with the other teams. Logan had been very careful about how and where he had the teams move that I'm surprised that their position was compromised. With deathwings at the enemies disposal, I'm sure that it was a matter of time before they were found. Were they even warned about potential aerial threats?
It's been a while since I have done this much running over such a long distance that my legs were sore by the time we reached the battlefield, and it was a real battlefield. Thick plumes of smoke told me that they were attacked by Red-Necks. The smell of burning flesh soon permeated my nose. I had to stop for a moment to clear my head. I had gotten over so much, why does this still haunt me?
"It's the smell, isn't it? I can smell it too." Nate sounded very concerned.
"Yeah, but don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I just need to…" Nate handed me a white mask, just large enough to cover my mouth and nose.
"Soon as I heard there were Red-Necks, I had the field quartermaster dig up a mask. It's not very high grade, but it should help to keep out the smoke and hopefully the smell."
I put it on. While it didn't completely negate it, it did help tremendously. "Thanks sweetie."
We caught up with the rest of them as the battle commenced. It was chaos. Guns, grenades, and streams of fire were everywhere. I turned my thought on Jasmine. This would not be an easy place for her to be. I looked around but didn't see her, the only giraffes I saw belonged to the enemy. Then I heard the crack of her gun as I looked behind me as saw her head popping up from the roof of a nearby building. She was keeping far enough away, yet was still able to be effective. A sniper really is an ideal job for her.
I was so caught up with making sure that I was okay, that I didn't see the large tiger with a massive javelin charging me. I went to roll out of the way but Drake swooped down and lifted the tiger with ease and flew off, leaving the large spear clattering to the ground. I felt something on my shoulder.
"You ass-twat! This is a fight, pay more attention!"
"Sorry. I had to make sure Jasmine was okay. Hey, is that a… tail?"
"Yeah. Your lover boy gave it to me, and installed it without the painful brain stabbing too."
"I won't lie, he's a bit better than me in some departments."
Blanche leaped off of my shoulder and attacked a rhino coming at us. Despite her being a ghoul, she was just as quick as ever. Also as brutal. Normally she would've gotten the jugular, but with a rhino's thick skin, it would be impossible with her tiny toothpicks. Instead I watched her jump into his mouth, only to jump out moments later, leaving the rhino coughing up blood as he died. She returned to my shoulder, soaked in his blood.
"What happened to quick and painless?"
"I was in fucking pain for two whole days. Nonstop burning and jabbing pain while my body adapted to… this. I've had enough pain to overwhelm his measly few seconds of it. Plus… he ate me."
"I thought you did that on purpose?"
"I was aiming for his eyes. Damn tail is a bit more sensitive than my last one. Still getting used to it."
Drake landed next to us, his claws and mouth dripping in blood.
"Drake, go look for Baird. I know he's here somewhere."
"Boar. Evil. Drake. Eat."
"No. He's mine."
"What are you planning on doing to him?" Blanche had genuine concern in her voice.
"I don't know, but whatever I do, it still won't be enough."
"Just… don't go berserk. It never ends well."
"I'll try, but I make no promises. I have more hate for that mammal than I thought was possible to possess."
Blanche jumped off to attack a hedgehog approaching while I had two wolves and a mongoose start to charge me. Without thinking or hesitating, I jumped into B.A.T.S. and took them down before they could get close enough. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss this rush. I ran deeper into the thick of it, using my plasma rifle when I was out of B.A.T.S. and switching to my pistol when I was in it. I admit, that little bit of training with Holly helped. I took down an otter and a tiger with my pistol when they caught me reloading my rifle and B.A.T.S. was down.
I suddenly felt my surroundings getting warm as I turned to see a Red-Neck charging me with a stream of fire. I dodged out of the way and started to fire my rifle. The target was large enough I didn't need any chemical assistance, and with the stopping power of this gun, my target was obvious. I aimed at the normally armored fuel tank, and three shots later the giraffe was engulfed in flames. Baird was the only one I truly wanted to suffer, so I ended this mammal's suffering with a bullet to the head.
Then I suddenly found myself in the air. At first I thought it was Drake but I soon realized that it wasn't him, this deathwing's brown fur was a dead giveaway. I tried to struggle free, but the razor sharp claws just dug into my skin as I did. I shouted for help, but I don't think it helped. Then, just as fast as I found myself in the air, I was falling, a powerful impact knocking me out of my captors claws.
I saw the brown deathwing slam to the ground, his wings torn as another set grasped me.
"Bunny. Safe."
"Thank you Drake. You find Baird?"
"Evil. Boar. He is close. There."
I scoured the ground and wasn't sure where he was talking about until I saw three of what must be the shellbacks, a large moose with gold and silver jewelry hanging from his horns, body, and well, everywhere. He looked like a walking jewelry store. Then my focus turned to the mammal who had not one, but two golden tusks that caught the light of the setting sun. That fucking boar was here.
"Drake, go back, we need to tell the others."
"Evil. Boar die."
"Yes, but I promised to have my friends, all of them, by my side when it happens."
We swung back to the outer area of the fight and found Nate and a Defender breaking up a small skirmish that had separated from the rest of the fight.
"Nate! It's Baird, he's here."
"Where?"
"Over that way, him and some gaudy moose is in an old playground."
"The Slave Prince." Nate turned on his communication. "To all Guardians who are not currently engaged, we have our targets identified. Proceed north west of the combat zone."
A bunch of voices came over the radio confirming his order. After finding the others and letting Jasmine know what's going on, we moved out, skirting the battlefield as we did so. A few outlying raiders got our attention, but the bulk of the Guardian forces were keeping the rest of them at bay.
We finally reached the others, our small 'army' thirty mammals strong. From the air, there were only the three creatures and the two of them, and that was still the head count when we approached them. One of the Stalkers suggested we take them by surprise, but Nate responded by saying he wanted to do this face-to-face, so we moved as a team into the playground's clearing.
"Eugene Baird! I'm Chief Nathanial Valiant of the Guardians and you are hereby under arrest!"
"Arrest? You think he'll buy that?"
"No, and then our actions against him will be justified."
Baird slowly stood up from the bench he was sitting on. He had a small bottle in his hoof that he downed before tossing it on the ground. The bottle bounced a few times before coming to a rest. That seemed… odd for some reason. The Slave Prince remained still. Baird started to clap.
"Chief Valiant is it? My how the worm has wiggled his way to the top. I do say that is one little tidbit that I was unfamiliar with. Then again, I have been working so very hard to do my work while trying to avoid those ghastly Steel Guardians of yours. You can't seem to kick a rock without running into one of them now a days. And you brought your girlfriend with you. Tell me Olivia, did he drag you into this sorry excuse for a police force with him?"
I didn't want to give him the luxury of an answer, so instead I just glared at him.
"What? Fox got your tongue? I wouldn't be surprised, I mean most of history's most infamous thieves have been either a fox or accomplice to one. I mean take your pick. There's Johan Wilde, also known as the Thief-Taker who pretended to be a victim all the while playing everyone else for the victim. Then there was Steven Blum, who made a fortune off of stealing valuable books, and even literature has been filled with them, such as the most famous of them all, Robin Hood. They said he only stole from the rich, but it was still thievery in the end. What did all these mammals have in common? All foxes. You can't trust any of them. One day you'll learn when your lover over there betrays you. They always do."
"Lies! I would NEVER do that!"
"Oh, hit a button did I? I am so good at that. Let's see if I can press any more. That Burrow nearby, it's your home, isn't it Chief.
"How did you…"
"Very simple actually. I was having such a hard time trying to figure out that rabbit of yours, I will tip my hat to you dear, you are as hard to follow as I am, and ran into a local Burrow who had both fox and rabbit residents. At first I thought that maybe I got lucky, but after following some leads, I learned that two foxes and a rabbit were spotted leaving this Burrow in a hurry a while back, and I just put two and two together. Or should I say, three and one? No? Little math humor, history is more my thing honestly."
"Shut your mouth boar! Why does it matter whose Burrow this is?"
"Well, my good friend here the Slave Prince needed a new base of operations after his old one was so regrettably destroyed, and I figured, what better place than a Burrow, one that has plenty of pure blood mammals to help regrow his assets. Plus, what better way to get her here. Oh, I do miss our little time together. It was rather… invigorating."
"You fucking boar!" I pulled out my plasma rifle and shot him, not even thinking. The problem was, the plasma bolt went right through him. "It's a hologram! It's a trap!"
Everything faded, everything but the three shellbacks. Then a voice echoed from nearby.
"Kill them my pets!"
The large shelled creatures, with massive jaws and claws to match, charged at us. I fired a few bolts but it didn't even slow them down. Everyone else started to fire, but their shells were too strong and they were too fast. They finally reached us as we fought to keep our distance from the shower of claws and jaws. Then a shadow appeared overhead.
Six deathwings, including Drake, flew down and snatched up the armored creatures, two deathwings a piece. It wasn't until I saw each the duos struggling to lift the creatures that I saw how massive and powerful they were. Claws were slashing at the deathwings legs, and the creatures necks started to extend, viciously biting at the deathwings, but they still lifted them up. Once they were high enough, they let go as the three shelled creatures slammed to the ground. The shells were intact, but from the blood and slime exuding from the shells, their bodies didn't survive the impact.
The other deathwings landed and started to feed on the corpses as Drake landed near us.
"Brought friends."
"Thank you Drake." I scratched his chin. "You haven't seen the boar, have you?"
Before he could answer, a series of explosions surrounded us, filling the area with smoke. It was so thick I could barely see a foot in front of me. Then I heard yelling as two golden tusks cut through the smoke, aimed straight at me. I managed to duck, but not before one of the tusks tore at my shoulder. The pain hurt but I could still move my arm, so I had to focus past it.
I heard his voice booming angrily from the smoke. "First you steal my pets, now you use them to kill my new ones? Enough games. You will die now."
"Bring it you fucker!"
Gunfire filled the area, but I was solely concentrated on a single enemy. Baird tore through the smoke again, cutting at the same arm, but I was ready. I grabbed one of the tusks and pushed myself off the ground, landing behind him. I was hoping to snap his neck, but he was quick and righted his body before that could happen, tossing me off.
"Clever rabbit. Too bad I am even more clever."
"At least I'm not fucking insane!"
"I am a GENIUS!"
Baird came charging again, but the direction of his voice and where he actually appeared didn't match up, and he sent me flying. His tusks didn't pierce me, but it still knocked the air from my lungs. How was it he was able to track me but I couldn't? Did he have a… before I could piece these images in my head together, the boar came barreling through the smoke again, just grazing me as I dodge out of the way. This fucking smoke was too thick.
"Stop playing games and face me you fucker!"
"Language, and I told you, I am done with games."
Baird split through the smoke lifting me up with his tusks. Thankfully he didn't manage to impale me with them, but he was still able to send me flying. He had to have been on some chemical high, his speed, reaction, and strength were too far beyond what his frail body should be capable of.
"Olivia! Where are you?" Nate's voice cut through the smoke, but I was so disoriented I couldn't tell what direction it was coming from.
"I'm… I don't know! He's able to track me…"
Baird shoved me to the ground as he disappeared again. "This is a one on one affair, no outside help. I'm playing fair, so I expect you to as well."
"If you want fair then cut off this damn smoke and face me!"
"And give you the upper paw? No, I think not."
I stood there and tried to concentrate on the boar's movements. I heard his hooves shuffle, and I caught glimpses of his shadow, but every time I lashed out, all I connected to was smoke. The battle that still waged around us wasn't helping much. Then I saw a glimpse of Baird as he rushed towards me from the smoke. He was wearing some sort of goggles. Was that how he was doing it?
"I thought you were playing fair! I bet anything those goggles of yours are giving you an advantage!"
"I will take them off if you cut off your ears, I mean, don't they give a rabbit an advantage over other mammals? I am simply leveling the playing field."
That fucker. Always finding some way to make him seem like the more downtrodden of the two of us. My legs were getting sore and from the drops of blood at my feet, I knew he had gotten a few strikes on me. I've been on the constant defense, I needed to find a way to make my own move. My Pip-Boar beeped but before I could check it, the boar charged at me.
I was about to dodge out of the way when something shiny cut between us, making contact with the boar's side, sending him flying into the cover of smoke. Nate stepped out of the veil.
"Nate! How did you…"
"Your Pip-Boar."
I took a look at it and saw a rainbow of colors, with reds and oranges highlighting two shapes. It was Nate and I being projected in some kind of thermal image.
"How is this…"
"Jasmine. I've linked her thermal detector with our Pip-Boars, we can use this to track that damn boar."
I wanted to hug him, but a third image was picked up, and I knew exactly who it was. Nate saw it as well and we both jumped back as the boar rushed right through where we were.
"How the hell did you… no matter, I can see you're above playing fair. You have made this choice, not me!"
What was he… I heard a roar, no a scream, but not one of pain, but of anger. The image picked up on the thermal again, but it seemed… bigger, what the hell did he…
Baird cut through and tossed me to the side before Nate or I could react. I heard something pop, followed by an intense pain. There's no time for this Olivia. Get up!
"You all call me a monster, so I think it's time that I lived up to that!" His voice sounded deeper, more like a growl than a normal voice.
I tried to pick myself back up, but every time I moved, a pain shot through me. I watched my Pip-Boar as I tried to force myself up. I saw the image of Baird, who was now on all fours and moving faster than ever, and Nate dodging each other. Nate's arm made contact with the boar's face as I heard a scream of agony. Despite slowing down, it seemed to make Baird faster, but his movements were starting to get erratic. Nate must have broken his only means of tracking us!
"You may have blinded me, but I can still smell you!"
Baird turned straight towards me. I touched my side and it was wet. I was bleeding, and he could smell it! Fucking savage! I felt adrenaline start to course through my body as I forced myself up. There was pain, but if I remained on the ground, I would be as good as dead. Then I heard flapping above.
"Drake! Down here!"
There was no response, could it have been one of the other deathwings? I tried again but no luck, so I focused my attention on Baird. I found where he was an I charged him. I may not have an iron punch, but I can still make it count, plus I already broke his tusk once already.
Unfortunately, even in his current state, he was still one step in front of me as he ripped through the smoke. Blood covered his face and bits of his goggles were impaled in it, but he didn't seem even a bit slowed down by it. His eyes were red with rage and blood. He was moving too fast, I didn't have time to…
I grabbed him by the tusks and tried to force him down. He shook violently but I held on. Nate cut through the smoke from behind the boar and tried to grapple him, but was instead kicked back by Baird's rear legs. The boar wasn't even talking anymore, whatever chemical surged through his body had reduced him to an animal. I saw his mouth frothing as I tried to knock him down, but he was too strong. He lifted his head and threw me clear out of the smoke.
I laid there on my back again, my body wracked with pain as the boar slowly walked out of the smoke towards me. His foaming maw was snapping as his eyes darted back and forth. Then he saw me, but rather than charge, he approached slowly, as if trying to savor this. I wanted to shoot him, but I had none of my weapons, only some shock grenades, but at this distance, it would affect both of us, and I wasn't sure if I would make it through something like that.
Baird stopped a few feet from me and jabbed his golden tusk into the ground, snapping it off. What the hell was he doing? He then bit down on the end of it as I saw the rage in his eyes start to fade away.
"I… I wanted to…" his growling voice started to dissipate, being replaced by his normal one, but his voice showed how weakened he really was without a chemical high. "I wanted to make sure I could savor this, and not be hidden behind a shadow of myself. You have caused so much trouble for me. Looks like rabbit is back on the menu."
He reared up, ready to trample me as I tried to move out of the way, then the ground started to shake, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards. He tried to get up, but not before Nate charged through the smoke.
"You leave her alone you bastard!"
Nate rushed towards Baird as he finally got up, but he froze for a second, long enough for Nate to make contact with him and punch the boar so hard that his body flew through the air and landed a few feet behind me. Then I noticed the cracks in the ground between me and the boar as he slowly got up. Nate's punch should have killed him!
"Damn under-dwellers. They are the cause of this you know? Spending so much time digging away at their subterranean paradise, not giving a care about how it affects us up here. Now let me finish what I started before these injuries claim my own life. I will die happy knowing your existence on this planet has ended. Say good bye."
As Baird was trying to step over the small crack in the ground, one more quake shook, causing the crack right below him to expand, swallowing that bastard down into it. I tried to pull myself closer, to make sure that the boar was finally dead. My whole body hurt, but I willed myself past the pain. I saw something grasping the edge of the opening in front of me. I started to push myself onto my feet.
I was finally able to get myself up again, despite the pain as I started towards the opening in the earth. I saw Nate moving towards me out of the corner of my eye, but I was still slowly walking towards the newly created chasm. A strong smell hit my nose and I nearly gagged from the sudden onset of it. Nate stood by my side as I reached the large hole and looked down into the blackness below, broken by the body of a boar struggling to keep his grip on the edge.
"Need some help?" I gave him a crooked smile.
"I know you. You wouldn't let someone die like this. They call you a hero, so why don't you live up to that? Save me and I will call this whole thing off. Boar's honor."
I reached my paw towards Baird.
"Olivia! You're not really going to…"
"I know what I'm doing Nate." I locked my eyes with Baird's. "You're right, you do know me, but I also know you. You are a cheat, a liar. You are a rapist, a murderer. You are scum, and scum like you doesn't deserve to live."
"No! You can't! You're the hero! Heroes don't let mammals die like this!"
A smile filled my face. "You like chemicals, right? Let me ask you this. What happens when you take an environment filled with highly flammable natural gas, and introduce a rather… shocking element to it?" I opened my paw and held the grenade out for him. His hoof slipped, now he was dangling on a single one.
"Save me and I will give you anything! I will pay those Legionaries to leave you alone! I have a fortune hidden away! I will never cross paths with you or any of your friends again, I swear on my honor!"
"You lie. I know you lie, you know how I know? Your own face is betraying your words. I just have two words for you." I dropped the grenade into the hole as I slammed my foot down on his hoof. "Fuck. You."
Baird started to plummet into the black abyss as I turned around and shouted for everyone to take cover. No sooner than the words passed my lips did the grenade detonate, causing a massive pillar of fire to erupt from the ground. I heard screaming, and then, silence as the fires finally died down.
I pulled myself up from the ground and moved to the hole. Lights flickered deep within it, and I could still feel the heat, but there was no sign of that boar. I turned back, and I suddenly felt weak as my legs gave way and I crumbled to the ground. Nate ran over and hugged me, followed by Holly and Mark.
"We thought we lost you 'livi!"
Mark didn't say anything, and instead started to look over my wounds, but the way Nate was still holding me, it was hard for Mark to do so. A beep from his communicator forced him to draw back.
"Chief. We captured the Slave Prince."
"Thank you Agent. Keep him guarded, I don't want him escaping."
"Yes Sir, but there's another issue."
"What is it Agent?"
"That last quake has damaged the surrounding area. Parts of it are collapsing into the underground, and dangerous levels of natural gas are leaking up through the open fissures. I already have reports of sickness due to it amongst both the Guardians and our prisoners. Agent Malloway also reports that the nearby Burrow is experiencing issues. While she cannot get the door open, she believes that the infrastructure might be compromised, and due to the large number of gas deposits, she thinks it is possible that the deadly gasses are leaking through into the Burrow. What are your orders?"
"Thank you Agent. Keep me informed of any changes."
"Nate, what are you going to do?"
"First, Mark is going to patch you up, then, against my better judgment, we are going to enter Burrow ninety-three. There are innocent mammals in there, ones that do not deserve to die like that. Mark, Holly, are you two okay?"
"We… yes. We need to do this. My… if my mom is still alive, I can't let her die like that."
"I couldn't care less if they all suffered, but… I couldn't live with myself knowing that I actually let it happen."
"Olivia, you're injured, you should…"
"No, I'm going with you. You need me there, and… I can't let you do this alone."
"But I'm not alone."
"You're damn right. Give me all you got Mark. I'm going with you guys."
"But…"
"Don't make me shoot you."
"She'll do it Marki."
Mark sighed. "Fine." He injected me with something that made me feel a lot better. I still hurt like hell, but I could move and think clearly. "Just… don't make me regret it."
"I will. Trust me."
"We're all dead."
Nate sent out a communication to have everyone assigned to his team to rendezvous at the Burrow entrance. "Jasmine, since you're too big to fit, can you, Zack, and Drake keep watch out here?"
"Y-yes. I'm… I'm sorry I can't go with you…"
"It's not your fault Jasmine. And you did good." I gave her my most comforting smile.
"T-thank you."
"Well then, it's settled. Holly, Mark? Time to go home."
Fallout: Zootopia After Show
Featuring:
'Stripes in the Morning'
[Stripes]
"Ding dong the boar is dead! Err… oh, sorry about that folks. Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning. Yes, this chapter didn't actually have them go into the Burrow itself, but I am sure many of you have had that nagging feeling that Baird was out there someplace. Well, he was but he is no longer a problem anymore. I do hope you are satisfied with how things wrapped up. Max actually did not like the original conception so we spent a while working it out. Now that that's out of the way, time for today's episode!
"Let's turn back the clocks a bit, shall we? Our guest today is someone who I had interviewed earlier before all hell broke out. I had wanted to do this interview before, but Max kept telling me it was a very bad idea, and after that incident with King's interview, he outright forbid me from dragging him into this, but since he is unable to join me, I figured that it would be safe. I brought with me a pre-war robot called a Torus Sentry Bot, or as the folks back in the ZPD liked to call them, Cruller Bots due to their donut like shape. I found one pretty well intact at a merchant bazaar and had to have it. The ZPD used these during the war as spy-bots, able to float in and out of dangerous areas and transmit both visual and auditory data back to their command to be relayed out to who needed to know. A certain donut loving cheetah was actually in charge of their operations for most of the war. This one has a bit of damage that kinda makes it look like it has sprinkles, so I lovingly call him Sprinkles. I know, I know, it's not a good replacement for Max, and Celeste is taking care of him, and my girlfriend is still a bit too shy to be live with me, so it will have to do. Say hi Sprinkles."
[Sprinkles]
"Beep, beep, boop, bzzzt"
[Stripes]
"Yeah. Still working out the kinks on this one. Well then folks, I know you are eagerly awaiting todays show, so without further ado, may I present the dead, yet not at this moment in time because of my magical time traveling powers… ahem… Eugine Baird! I would say good morning to you, but honestly, I am not sure you would even call this a good morning."
[Baird]
"And why not my good zebra? The sun is shining, the skies are clear, and I am just about to see all my dreams finally come to fruition. I think it's a rather fine morning myself."
[Stripes]
"Won't be for much longer."
[Baird]
"Hmm?"
[Stripes]
"Never mind. Just talking to myself. So, Mister Baird, I have to ask. Why the obsession over this one rabbit?"
[Baird]
"It is most certainly not an obsession. More of a hobby really. I do so love my hobbies."
[Stripes]
"That rabbit seems to have a knack for ruining your hobbies."
[Baird]
"Yes, she most certainly does. That will change soon however."
[Stripes]
"Oh? Do tell."
[Baird]
"I am afraid that the best plans are those that are kept secret until the grand reveal. What do you take me for a comic book villain?"
[Stripes]
"I think I will refrain from commenting on that. Ahem. Since you won't tell me your plans, may I at least inquire as to how much time and effort you have put into it?"
[Baird]
"Oh, a tremendous amount, I assure you. I have been living and breathing this hobby of mine for quite some time. I tend to get rather fixated on a single hobby, but this one, this one takes the metaphorical cake. It's not without merit however. I promised my good old friend the Slave Prince a nice new home, and in return, he is giving me all I need to make sure that 'hero' is finally put to rest. An… eternal rest if you will."
[Stripes]
"Highly unlikely."
[Baird]
"What was that? You are mumbling, and if it is one thing I hate is mumbling. All mammals should let their words flow with eloquence like mine."
[Stripes]
"That brings me to another question. Why are you so… well, you? This world isn't exactly a prime breeding ground for sophistication."
[Baird]
"And that is one of the reasons that this world so desperately needs someone like myself to change it. Everyone is just so… uncouth. Yes, most of them live in a squalor, and even I do not live in that much better conditions, with me always working there is really no need to have a mansion when a simple laboratory will provide me with everything I need, but just because they live in squalor, don't mean they can loose their civility. My parents, rest their souls, always believed in civility first and foremost. However, their stance on it was to simply ignore those who don't meet their standards. I learned at a very early age that it is impossible to teach most mammals how to be civilized. That is when I got the idea for my plan. It might sound cruel to force civility on mammals at first, but when everyone sees how much better this world will be, they will thank me for it."
[Stripes]
"I… Never mind. If you think this way, then why not simply 'change' Olivia? I mean, she would be a great ally you'd think."
[Baird]
"That rabbit doesn't deserve to… Sorry, I nearly slipped. What I meant to say was, that rabbit is an unnecessary variable. An uncontrollable one as well. Not every mammal will be fit for my world, even if they are properly subjugated. That rabbit is one of those mammals. Even under complete control, I will need to remove the weeds here and there, but unfortunately for me, that weed spreads to rapidly to keep unchecked."
[Stripes]
"What if you fail? What if she wins? What then?"
[Baird]
"That will never happen. My plan is fool proof. I have planned every single possible variable, every smallest outcome. I planned everything. The place, the distractions. Every little piece is falling into place as we speak. It may seem foolish of me to not have a backup plan, but I am confident in my abilities to not need one. Plus, I have escaped unscathed from much worse. Why do you think I brought a massive army with me? Oh. I didn't mean to spoil the surprise."
[Stripes]
"I don't think you have to worry about that."
[Baird]
"Hmm? Oh, I think my company has finally arrived. I do apologize, but I will need to be going now. I did rather enjoy talking to someone about this. I have been told I am a bit egotistical, but with my ego who can't help but be? Tell you what zebra. Once I am king of the Wasteland, I will appoint you as my primary broadcaster. I can't be everywhere at once, and I need to make sure that all my subjects are able to hear my wisdom."
[Stripes]
"Yes, well, um… just send all that to my boss over at the Savannah Caller. I am sure we can work out something after today. Well folks, you know what happens next, and of course I would never bow before a maniac like that. There is enough mania in my head as it is. Only got a few more episodes left and I am hoping to make them count! Until next times folks, take care!"