"Are you sure about this Nate?"
"No. But there are innocent mammals still in there. It's wrong to just ignore them."
We were standing in front of a Burrow door that was a bit larger than that of seventy-six's. Nate was standing at the external access panel, but he wasn't moving. I wondered if is mind is playing tug-of-war with the concept that he was going back. Everything that he told me about that place made me hate it almost as much as he did. For anyone to have to be put though that for as long as he had? I just wanted to walk right up to that Overseer and put a bullet through his head. I walked up to Nate and put my paw on his.
"I know this is hard for you, but you're not alone. No matter what happens, we will be there for you, you know that, right sweetie?"
"Yeah. I… what if being back there… what if all my memories and feelings come flooding back? What if everything I've been through that's made me stronger… what if it all falls apart?"
"A while back I told you that I would always be here to help pick up the pieces and put you back together again. That hasn't changed. What has changed is the glue that binds those pieces together. It's stronger than ever, and it's not just me. It's your brother, it's Holly, and those Guardians who believe in you. It's Drake and even Blanche, if you can believe it. All of us have been through a lot together, and we're not going about to back down now."
"T-thank you. That… I never thought I would ever have anyone else who cared about me other than Mark and Holly. It's nice being told I was wrong."
"You just needed the right mammal to come along, and now that I'm here, you won't be getting rid of me that easily."
I placed my paw on his real paw, the one holding his Pip-Boar's direct access link. I looked at him and simply smiled, and he returned it, and while it didn't seemed forced, it still hid his apprehension. Together we guided the connector down to the terminal until it snapped in place. He hesitated once more before typing madly at the screen.
"I never wanted them to open this door. I was afraid that he would send someone after us, that he'd find a way to punish us for leaving. To prevent anyone from doing so, I put layers upon layers of encryption on it."
"You did this all while escaping? I barely had time to seal my own door."
"Well… yes, and no. It was something that I fooled around with, something that kept me sane in those dark times."
"Were you planning your escape then?"
"… No. I just. A mammal can dream, you know?"
A familiar click occurred as lights started to flash in the underground tunnel. A chill ran down my spine as I remembered the last time I was greeted in this fashion, when a Burrow door opened into a lair of horror. If I see a single cannibal rabbit, I will probably freak out and shoot first and ask questions later.
"Drake, you and Blanche come up front with the Stalkers. I want to make sure your presence is noted, just in case things turn… bad."
"What are you expecting Nate? I mean, what's the worst that can happen, they tranq us?"
"Ninety-three didn't just have tranqs and shock batons, they had real ammunition."
"Wait… are you telling me that this Burrow had live ammunition? What? Were they planning for a division among the population like that?"
"Mister Lazlo had some records from abandoned Burrows. I've only glanced over them but it seems that most of them were designed for different things, and thus had different supplies. I think… the way hate spread so easily through this place, it's possible."
That just made my utter dislike of Burrow-Tec even more deep rooted. I understand non-lethal weapons, not everyone will want to follow the rules, and not everyone will enjoy being trapped in a tin can hundreds of feet below the ground, but live weapons? That just, just… it's actually starting to make me wonder. I never knew about the presence of tranquilizer guns in my own Burrow, not until security tried to use them against me when I escaped. My Burrow was so much more subdued than his, so maybe seventy-six just didn't have any reason to use them? Gah! I need to concentrate on the here and now.
"You okay?" Nate must have noticed my internal dialog because he was looking at me with a concerned look on his face.
"Yeah. Just thinking about stuff I shouldn't. Like I normally do."
"We can turn back if…"
"No. We're here, and we're seeing it through to the end. I have a feeling while this will be hard, it will also be good for you." I turned to Holly and Mark who were huddling close to each other, paw in paw. "To all of you."
Holly looked as if she was about to say something, but a voice ran out that caught all of our attention.
"Halt! Do not take a single step into this burrow."
The voice belonged to a cream colored rabbit dressed head to toe in an armored security uniform. There were four more dressed similarly next to him, and all of them had very lethal looking weapons in their paws.
"Who goes…" he hesitated, his weapon wavering for a second before focusing on us again. I turned and saw Drake hovering over Nate and myself. If looks could kill, I think they'd all be dead. "… Never mind, just… turn around and leave. Now!"
"I'm Chief Nathan Valiant of the Steel Guardians and former resident of Burrow Ninety-Three. You may have noticed the quakes. Our scouting party has informed me of natural gas leaks within the Burrow. I'm hereby ordering evacuation of the Burrow."
"N… Did you just say…" he slowly pulled out a radio. "Overseer Kerrigan, we have a situation… I already told them… the Burrow, it's open and… but it's… you really should… yes Sir." He put it away and turned his attention back to us. "You are to leave or else we have permission to open fire."
"I order you to put down your weapons and surrender peacefully. We will not hesitate to force a comply out of you."
"I… I won't tell you again… by order of the Overseer, I…"
"Fuck the Overseer! You follow him blindly, but do you really know him? I do. You've probably heard the stories, been told about how us preds are at the bottom of the ladder, always the first to be stepped on. The only reason you have any freedoms is because of your species. If I were born a rabbit, I would've probably never left, I would've been living in luxury as I joined everyone else in stomping all over the predators. Why? It's because of the Overseer and his corruption spreading like a plague. I'm glad I was never born into the lap of luxury, that I was born a predator, that I was born a fox. Now, you have two choices. You either surrender peacefully, or I order my Guardians to disarm you by means of forceful action."
"T-the Overseer will have our hides if we…"
"What's your name?" Nate started to talk more calmly, taking a step forward and addressing who appeared to be in charge of this security dispatch.
"Matt G-Grubbins." The rabbit was getting nervous, but he also showed no sign of backing down.
"Okay, Matt. You see this strapping fellow?" He pointed to Drake who had just stepped between me and Nate. "He is what the outside world calls a deathwing. Big and nasty creatures. Their talons can slice through the hardest metal, they're faster than a cheetah and more agile than a mongoose. He could easily swallow you and all your friends here whole, and still have room for seconds. Normally they're vicious hunters, only out to maim, kill, and devour any mammal that it sees, but Drake here, he's different. He's calm, calculating, and very friendly. Aren't you Drake?"
"Drake. Hungry."
"Not sure if he's ever had rabbit before, especially not some who have never been exposed to radiation. That'd make for quite the snack I'd think. So I say again, you have two choices, rabbits. Put your guns down and I promise you your complete safety both here and up there, or else Drake here will make a horror film look like a cub with finger paints. What will it be?"
All five of them hesitated, but one by one they started to put their guns down and put their paws into the air, shaking the entire time. The only one that didn't was their leader, Matt. He stood there, his gun quivering in the air. One of the rabbits behind him told him to put the gun down, but it seemed to startle him, because Matt's gun went off, right into Drake.
Drake let out a roar that echoed in the enclosed area. The bullet had pierced his leg, but already his fast healing was patching it up as Drake jumped up into the air and landed in front of the mammal who had fired. In a panic, the other five grabbed their guns and started to fire wildly.
"Drake stop!" Nate and I both yelled out after him.
"No. Hurt cub. Cub friend."
The deep growl of a voice seemed to drive them into a further panic as the bullets soon started to ricochet towards us. From personal experiences I know that it will take more than this to hurt Drake, but none of us were so lucky to have regeneration abilities. Nate must have realized this as well.
"Guardians! Take them by force and disarm them, now!"
We all ran down the metal walkway to where the main room was. Drake had lifted up one of the rabbits shooting at him and thrown him against a nearby wall. I heard bones break as he impacted and slid down, unmoving. We had reached Drake who had another rabbit in his feet, and we were just about to get him to drop the mammal when the door slid open and five more armored rabbits entered. Upon seeing what was going on, they opened fire.
"Guardians! Flank and disarm! I want casualties kept to a minimum!"
The Stalkers and Agents with us split off and using what little cover they could, slowly moved around, only shooting when they had to, and targeting non-vital locations. I could tell this wasn't the first time they've had to do this. I wanted to join the fight, but I knew once I shot my first round, the thoughts of what this place put Nate through would flood my mind and I wouldn't leave a single mammal alive. Places like this don't deserve kindness. They deserve to burn.
Drake had killed two rabbits before Nate had gotten him to stop. The rest of the Guardians had either subdued or crippled the security forces enough to disarm them and the fighting died down. Of the ten rabbits, six were still alive, but only two were uninjured, the only two who had the foresight to stay out of the rather one-sided fight.
"Mark, see to the injured. Stalker Logan, Agent Meyers. Start the evacuation process. The rest of you, we're going to start the process in here."
Nate walked over to a computer, as I pondered something. "But what if they don't want to leave?"
"They're all going to die if they stay. All of the Guardians are armed with tranquilizers in addition to their normal gear. They have orders to dart anyone who does not cooperate. I'd rather them live and hate me, than for them to die with no chance for a future."
"How big is this Burrow? We don't exactly have an army here. Almost half the Guardians were too big to even fit down here."
"When I left, there were around 170 mammals. I don't plan on hunting them all down. I plan to have them come to me." Nate pressed a button on the terminal.
"Attention residents of Burrow Ninety-Three. My name is Nathan Valiant, and I'm Chief of a group of peacekeepers known as the Steel Guardians. Some of you may be familiar with the name from textbooks, and even more might remember my name. I was a resident here once, but I left years ago. I didn't want to come back, but you have to have felt the earthquakes. The latest one has ruptured areas of the Burrow, letting deadly gasses into the structure. I am here to evacuate you all, to save you from certain death. I have a team ready to escort you all to the surface and will be waiting at the entrance. Failure to do so will lead to your imminent death."
"A bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Consider it extra motivation. Okay everyone, follow me!"
I ducked back to Mark and Holly. They had mixed feelings on their faces, feelings that I'm sure would be much more obvious in Nate's face if he wasn't already trying to keep them at bay. Despite everyone telling me to never suppress them, I think he has to, in order to show how strong he is. Not to us, to everyone he left.
"How are you two doing?"
"It's… it's painful to be back 'livi."
"Yeah, I… I never thought I would ever come back. I never thought I would have a reason to."
"'Livi, do you… do you think he's making the right choice? After everything we told you happened here, happened to him, he seems to want to give them leniency."
"Want my honest opinion? If I was in charge, I would have saved your mom, and anyone else who supported her, and then sealed it up and let the rest die. When I left my own Burrow, I thought that there was still good in the world, and don't get me wrong, all of you are proof there is, but I also thought that there was good in everyone. Mammals like Baird, your father, King, the Red-Necks, and every other deviant fucker who lives only to cause others misery, they showed me that some mammals are beyond redemption. I shouldn't have to risk my neck to save those who don't want to be saved, not anymore. I am not saying I won't try, to try to find the good in others, but I don't think I have the strength to try as hard as Nate is. He's grown to be the better mammal."
"You're still good 'livi, and if you think otherwise then I'll slap you upside your head. You're right though. He has become someone better, and maybe he really has surpassed us in ways that we never imagined, but if it wasn't for you, I doubt he ever would have."
Holly and Mark have told me countless times how much of an impact I have made on Nate's life, but sometimes it's just so hard to understand how and why. Yes I love him, and I express that to him all the time, and I'm sure that is part of it, being a mammal who cares for him, especially one who couldn't care less about his species, which from what I have learned is in actuality very rare. Sometimes though, I wonder if there is something else, some kind of unspoken, or even unseen bond between us, a bond that was destined to bring us together, even when we were both locked away in our respective Burrows. We both escaped due to situations where we no longer fit in our homes, and we both have wandered this wasteland searching for a place to call home, where we can stretch out our legs and imagination, where we can have the freedom to do whatever our hearts desire of us.
Mammals can change, this I'm sure of, I have even seen the changes within me, although many of them have been for the worse, it is the worst in life that makes the better times seem that much more enjoyable and received. I look upon my friends, companions, allies. I look upon a family that I never knew I would have, and I wonder, if all of us can see past our own differences to come together, to cast away whatever clouded our minds from days long past, then maybe, just maybe that Overseer will see how much he has changed, how all three of them have survived this horrid world, and he too will come to find the inner mammal within him that seeks for a better life.
"It is you! You were not to return. Leave now, or else I will finally have that new rug."
A cream furred rabbit dressed in a blue and yellow Burrow jumpsuit had just stepped through the door, causing all of us to turn our attention to the new voice. He was accompanied by at least eight rabbits in full security armor, and all of them had their guns pointed at us. I glanced over to Nate and he had his fists balled up at his side.
"We're here to save your 'residents', something you never could do."
"You arrogant pup! I tell you once more. LEAVE or else I'll be sending you to the crematory like I should have done when I sent that troublemaker mother of yours there."
"You leave her out of it!" Nate shouted that angrily, before starting to breath. "Your Burrow is damaged, toxic gasses are leaking into the structure. If we do not evacuate all the mammals here will be dead in a matter of days."
"I already have teams patching it up, Pelt." He turned towards the nearest rabbit. "If they're not gone in sixty seconds. Open fire."
"Sir, our last security detail, they…"
"Those are your orders." He turned back to us, back to Nate. "I hope to never see you again. Unless it's stretched out on my floor."
"You would kill your own daughter?" Nate said it calmly, but I knew the anger was building up in him. I placed my paw on his, to remind him that he isn't alone.
"I HAVE NO DAUGHTER! She died the day she decided to shack up with one of you filthy predators!"
"Oh thank GOD! I was almost worried you'd still wanna call me your offspring. Uuugh… Glad that's out of the way though."
"One. Last. Time. Inform your residents that they are to be evacuated, immediately."
"How DARE you give me orders!" At first the Overseer seemed calm and collected, but now his anger and impatience is starting to break through. "You come into my home, and tell me what to do with my people? You can have your filthy predator friends, but the rest of us, we're not going anywhere."
"Stalkers! Take them by force."
"Damn you, you arrogant pup! Kill them, kill them all!"
Both sides opened fire, but unlike the last time, this new security force had the benefit of a large metal wall to act as a barrier between them and us. The door was small enough that Drake wouldn't have been able to easily fly in there, but Nate had told him to stay back for the time being.
This time, I made sure to join in on the action. I took cover myself behind the nearby terminal and was using my plasma rifle to try to wear down the metal. If it could burn through an Exo-Suit, I'm sure it'll be good for a metal wall. Plus, I needed to release a bit of anger myself. Not only was I mad at how that Overseer was treating Nate, how he used a normally playful word like pup in such a derogatory fashion, I felt like I had to avenge him somehow. What I think irked me the most though, was how hateful he was against his own daughter. His flesh and blood. How could a parent be so cold to their own child?
One of the security rabbits popped their head in at the wrong moment as a bolt of my plasma gun hit him square in the face, turning him into a pile of glowing remnants. I heard screams of horror coming from the other side before one of them shouted to hold their fire. A small rabbit, looking only a few years younger than myself, slowly walked out, paws in the air. She started to speak, but then I saw her face melt into a bloody mess as her body crumpled to the ground. Another rabbit ducked out as I could pick up her talking on the radio.
"Overseers orders! I repeat, any prey that abandons their Burrow to join the intruders is considered an enemy of the Burrow and is to be killed on sight. All predators are to be rounded up for processing as per Overseers orders!"
"Nate! I heard her say something about gathering the predators for processing, what is that?!" It was bothering me to realize how far this mad-mammal is willing to go in order to keep his Burrow.
"Fuck! He's gonna kill all the predators, we gotta stop him! Guardians! Split up and gather everyone! Defend those who come along peacefully, tranq those who don't, and only resort to violence when necessary!"
"Yes Sir!"
"How are we going to get by them Nate? They have a better vantage than we do." Holly had her gun out and was not looking as nervous, but her eyes told me that it was far from gone.
"Leave that to me. Oh, and sorry."
"Sorry for what? Are you… I thought we were over this 'livi!"
"Pip-Boar, kill."
I knew they wouldn't be happy about me using it, but to be fair, I haven't been as reliant on it, and Doc didn't tell me to never use it again, but rather to use it less, so… this counts, right? Once the chemicals were fully in effect I darted towards the door. One of the rabbits started to poke their head around the door when I blasted my plasma gun right into them. It didn't gooify them, but rather just the head. I slammed the butt of my gun on another as I turned to shoot another, that's when I realized that there were many more than just the six we saw. Some of them weren't even dressed in security uniforms, but rather, casual looking clothing. They were branding sparking batons and guns of various sizes. These were residents taking arms against us. Security was one thing, but this? This was…
A pain ripped through my head as I fell to the ground. In a moment of distraction, one of the security rabbits had butted their own gun against me and now stood above me, their gun pressing into my chest. The chemicals were wearing off, but I was still uninjured, though the world was still spinning from the cranial impact. I tried to kick the rabbit off, but before I could, a flash of metal and fur raced by, pinning the rabbit on top of me against the nearby wall with his real arm. With a swift movement of the robotic one, he punched the rabbit in the chest and blood fell from his mouth before Nate let go and the rabbit slid down, writhing in pain.
"Anyone else want to follow his orders? ANYONE?" Nate belted it out so loud I could hear it echoing through the hall.
As Nate helped me up, I saw most of the remaining rabbits slowly put their guns down and paws into the air. A few turned and ran but most seemed to decide that it wasn't worth dying over. Nate wiped off his paw as he ordered Agents and Stalkers to disarm the rabbits and escort them outside. Mark and another medic ran over to the injured to start patching them up.
"T-thanks." It took a moment before I could stand up straight without Nate's assistance. "Ugh, I'm going to have a headache, I know it."
"Why did you rush in there like that?"
"We weren't in a good spot, even Holly knew that. I knew I had to do something to give us the room to maneuver. I just didn't think I would get distracted like that."
"What happened?"
"There were rabbits, and not the security ones. I saw… they were normal residents in their standard jumpsuits. They weren't security, they were just… mammals. Are you really that much of a threat to him?"
"It's not me, it's what I am. A predator. He has taught everyone that preds are scum, that they're worthless. Prey are the superior species, that they hold all the power and all predators want to do is take that away from them. I'm not surprised that there are normal residents who are taking arms against us. Hate runs deep in Ninety-Three."
"I don't know why, but I was kinda hoping that they would… I don't know, want to be saved."
"To them we are the enemy, an enemy that wants to take this place for our own. That's why I equipped everyone with tranquilizer rifles, I knew not all of them would come willingly, but some of them just need to see things for their own eyes. Once they are free from this place, it will be their own choices on what to do or where to go. I simply want to cut their chains and give them that freedom."
I looked down at the rabbit bleeding on the floor. Mark looked up with worry, but it wasn't directed at me, but rather at Nate. He then shook his head as he passed his paw over the rabbits eyes, closing them for good. He allowed them multiple times to surrender peacefully, never taking the first shot, but still these mammals are willing to die rather than lose the grip on the reality created for them. It was nothing more than slavery disguised as a society. It wasn't their fault for this, that fault lies within a single mammal, the one who has kept the flame of bigotry and discrimination burning bright for all these years. It wasn't these mammals to blame, and it wasn't them I should be taking my aggression out on.
"We need to find that Overseer and make him pay for everything he has done. Not just to you and your brother, but to every predator here, every prey who had the guts to stand up against the oppression."
Nate grabbed my paw and squeezed it. "For the first time I have faced my demons that lay here, and I'm not scared, I'm not helpless. I was afraid of what might happen when I finally saw him again, afraid that his tendrils would start to creep into my brain again. I know now how far I've truly come. Guardians! You have your orders! Move out!"
This place was very similar to my own. Everything seemed to be where I remembered it, everything except the Overseer's office. We both knew that was where the coward was hiding, using the Overseer's terminal to spy on us, to direct everyone who was against us, but I didn't realize was that was where our two Burrows stood out from one another. In my Burrow, the Overseer's office was close to the main entrance, separated by only a few rooms and halls. Here, it was located at the very bottom, supposedly to mimic a rabbit's habitat from before civilized times. To design the Burrow to be so prey friendly, despite there being a predator population? Why do I have the feeling that this discrimination was planned out? That makes me hate the mammals who designed this even more.
We continued to meet resistance as we traversed the Burrow. Fewer and fewer mammals were dressed in security jumpsuits, and it showed by the ever increasing lack of weapon training. Those who did fire upon us either missed or in a few cases, injured one of their own. The Stalkers with us had to use their tranquilizer guns a few times, but most of them surrendered with ease and allowed the Agents to escort them out from the Burrow.
I caught the occasional whiff of natural gas and that told me when we were near some of the damaged areas. A few mammals, both predator and prey, were coming down with signs of toxic poisoning and Mark had to stop and stabilize them before they could be escorted. We ran into two cases where mammals had died within their enclosed rooms, their lives cut short by the ever encroaching gasses.
From how the predators reacted to our arrival, it showed how much they had been suffering. They surrendered themselves the easiest, some even broke down crying that they were finally free from their suffering. There were even a few prey species that showed the same reactions, that were glad we had come to free them all. It actually made me feel better knowing there were other rabbits who opposed the Overseer's rule. Gave me hope that some of these people aren't beyond saving.
One such rabbit, who's silver and sagging fur and showed signs of his old age, actually hugged Nate.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
"I'm sorry but no. I've tried hard to forget this place."
"Your mother was a good soul. Too good for this place I'm afraid."
"How did you know my mother?"
"I was one of her teachers back before you two were born. Your mother was good friends with Holly's mother…"
Holly pushed herself from behind the other. "Is she… is my mom alive?"
"Yes, she is, child."
"Ohhhh! I can't wait to see her again, and for you to meet her 'livi!"
"Way to one-eighty your emotions there Holly. Sir, you were saying?"
"Yes, well like I said, they were friends for most of their childhood. I always hated how the Overseers seemed to divide the ranks between predator and prey, so I tried to teach everyone how similar we really are to one another. Your mothers were some of the few mammals I was able to reach, most of them, such as your father, held onto those ancient beliefs like their lives depended on it. When he became Overseer, the first thing he did was not only widened the divide, but encouraged hatred towards predators. I'm glad to see you not only alive and well, but seeing the truth behind the hatred, that under the skin, we were all created equal."
"Thank you Sir. Can you tell us, where is Mrs. Kerrigan?"
"Maintenance. Seems she has gathered the support of not only many of the predators, but many of the prey as well to combat the Overseer's prejudice. It hasn't gone as far as we all would have hoped, but she's determined to see it through to the end."
"Guess it just runs in our blood. We should probably go check up on my mom and the others, get them to safety before my father, does something stupid."
"When you get to the door leading to maintenance, say 'blood is thicker than fur', that'll tell 'em you're a friend. Otherwise you'll never get that door open from the outside. Oh, and speaking of blood… there's something very important I need to collect before leaving with you, may I…?"
"Agent Smith, escort him to his quarters before evacuating. Take Stalkers Roland and Proff with you. Gather any other mammals you see and escort them as needed as well."
"Yes Sir!"
"I can tell you're not the same Nathan as before. Your mother would be proud of you son."
"Thank you."
The three Guardians escorted the doddering old rabbit as we started towards where this Burrow's maintenance area was. I turned to ask Nate something and saw Mark's face show a deepening sadness. Nate must have seen this as well because he stopped and placed his paw on his brother's shoulder.
"You're thinking about mom, aren't you?"
"Yeah… I… I miss her."
"So do I. I wish there was some way to bring her back, but all we can do is to continue to leave her legacy, to do what we can to make sure mammals aren't treated the way she was, to create a better world, a world that she always dreamed we would be part of."
"I bet it's raining out right now."
"Why do you say that Mark?" His comment which was accompanied by a slight smile confused me a bit.
"Because our mother is looking down on us, crying tears of joy for everything we, everything Nate has become."
That sounded… well I really wasn't sure how it made me feel, but it did remind me of something. "When I left the Burrow, when I first saw the horrors of this world, I broke down and cried for I can't remember how long. I thought this world would be better, be someplace I could have started a new life, but after nearly being killed only moments after leaving? After seeing how dilapidated everything was? It got to me, hard. That was also the first time I'd seen and felt the rain. Do you… is it possible that was because of… my mother watching me? Seeing how hurt I felt?"
"You have the freedom to believe what you want, but yes, I believe with all my heart that was the case."
I don't know what to believe to be honest, but mom, if you really are up there somewhere, watching me, please, help them through this. I sure as hell know they need it more than me. I felt a tear coming on and quickly wiped it away as I started to walk, triggering everyone else to continue as well. I wasn't trying to hide how I was feeling, but rather focus my attention elsewhere. I needed to be sharp and focused, because I had no idea what else that rabbit would try to throw at us.
The closer we got to maintenance, the fewer mammals we saw. When we did run into a mammal, Nate gave the same response, how we were here to help them, and that we would have them escorted safely to the surface. A few tranq darts were fired, one at a mammal who tried to lunge at Nate with a knife, and another who seemed more afraid at the notion of the surface than of their rescuers. Oh, and one who literally crapped themselves after seeing Drake. That fox was so scared that he was unable to move, despite Nate and I's reassurance that he was harmless. There were plenty of mammals who Drake freaked out, but this one was the first to defecate themselves over it.
We finally reached the door to maintenance. Nate went to knock on the door and recite the password, but Holly interjected, asking if she could do it, since it was her mother in there. Nate agreed and she knocked. There was no response, but Holly said the pass-phrase anyways. A few moments later we heard the noise of some kind of internal locking mechanism starting to move.
The door slowly opened and inside stood a rabbit shorter than me, dressed in a tattered jumpsuit.
"W-who are you?"
"Hi, my name is Holly and we're here to rescue you from this place."
"I… I don't know…" She turned and shouted something into the room that I couldn't quite understand.
"What is the meaning of… H-Holly?" A chocolate colored rabbit came up and upon seeing us, she had to pause.
"Mom? Mom!" Holly hesitated for a moment then leaped into her mother's arms.
"Holly! What are you… how did you… I've missed you!"
"I missed you too mom, really the only thing I missed about this place. I… I didn't even know if you were still alive."
"There were a few times I wasn't sure I would, and you, I was afraid I lost you forever. What about…" Holly pointed our way. "Nathan? Markus? Is… is that really you?"
Holly's mother, who was a bit taller than me but still much shorter than the brothers, went over and hugged both of them. Upon touching Nate's arm, she stepped back, a look of confusion and hurt filled her face. "What… what happened to you Nathan?"
"It's a long story, one best saved for later."
"And who is this lovely looking girl? What an… unusual fur color for a rabbit."
"Hi Mrs. Kerrigan, my name is Olivia Springs, and, well…" Why was I suddenly feeling nervous? I know it's not, but for some reason it feels like I was introducing myself to Nate's mom, not Holly's.
Nate grabbed me and pulled me close. "She's my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend? I'm happy for you. With everything that sorry excuse for a husband of mine put you through, I wasn't sure you would ever find solitude in another, especially a rabbit, no offense Ms. Springs."
"None taken, and you can call me Olivia."
"And you can call me Marie-Anne, it's a pleasure to meet you. But why the sudden arrival?"
"You've felt the quakes, haven't you?"
"Yes, a rather large one struck here a while ago. We've been down here trying to repair the damages made to the Burrow machinery."
"It's far worse than that. It seems that this Burrow was built near a deposit of natural gas, and that last quake has fractured the infrastructure, causing dangerous levels of it to leak in. We've already found mammals dead due to it, and there will be more if we don't evacuate everyone."
"Let me guess, the Overseer isn't too keen to that, is he? Oh I would have loved to see the look on his face when he found out just who had come here. I can already tell you've changed, you're so much more… confident."
Nate smiled at me. "It was hard, but I had help. Now if you could gather the mammals here, we'll escort you to safety."
"How… how is the world up there? When you three left, I… I had no idea if you would even survive, but I knew you had a better chance than down here, with… him."
"I won't lie. It's dangerous. There are mammals who will kill you without batting an eye, mammals who will kidnap you, rape you, enslave you, and not feel the least bit guilty. But there are also good mammals up there. Kind souls who stop at nothing to fend off the atrocities that exist. Mammals like Olivia. They're sometimes far and few but they exist."
"But, where will we stay?"
I stepped out from under Nate's arm and placed my paw on her shoulder. "Nate and I know a mammal, one of those kind hearted souls he mentioned. She runs a town called Hope. You'll like it."
"Hope? I like it already."
Holly grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, excusing us from her mom. "What about the town's attitude towards foxes? Not sure if you noticed, but most of these are foxes."
"If Jessabell hasn't convinced them that we're good after all this, after Nate risked his life to clear out a new home, a better home, and to help provide security against all future raider threats against the town and its people, then they don't deserve to live there, and I will make certain to that."
"Just… don't do anything you'll regret… that we will regret."
"I have a plan. Trust me."
Holly planted her face in her paw. "I better get started on an apology letter after this."
"Is… everything okay?" Holly's mom sounded concerned.
"Yes mom. Just… if Olivia ever says 'Trust me'. You better start running. She has a… history… yeah, probably not the best time."
"We can all catch up after we're free from this death trap. Guardians! Split off and aid these mammals in their escape. You, you and you, come with us. We have an Overseer to find."
By now, it seemed like we had evacuated most of the Burrow. There were fewer and fewer mammals that we ran into. We did find a few who had already succumbed to the gaseous poison, and from the smell of it, it was starting to leak into the main structure. We didn't have much time. One of the Agents handed out small chemical masks to all of us. She said they were disposable, and that they wouldn't last more than an hour or two, but Nate assured her that we would be long gone by then.
The tunnel leading to the Overseer was long and unlike the other areas, had no connecting rooms. Since we had not seen him anywhere else, we knew that he had to be cowering in there. We finally reached the entrance, and just like the Overseer's office in my Burrow, there was a visitor terminal, but unlike mine, it looked as if it had never been used.
"He had the tendency to be 'active' in his hate-mongering. I doubt it would have grown to this extent if he simply locked himself away."
"My Overseer would rather cower in her office than to intermingle with everyone. Maybe that's why the division between rodents and rabbits never escalated this far."
"Be glad you didn't have to live through what Mark and I did. It sounded like rabbits were on the receiving end of it in your Burrow."
"Yeah. I know, for punishment, let's just go back and toss him into Seventy-Six. See how he likes being at the bottom."
"Do you even want to ever go back?"
"No. Though after hearing that my mom's stuff might still be there, locked away in that damn Overseer's office? Part of me wants to get it back, to finally have something else to remind me of my mom."
"Maybe we can plan on it, after we get all of these mammals settled into their new life. I'm sure it'll be much less harrowing than this trip."
"Yeah, Drake alone could eat half the Burrow and still have room for desert. No, you will not be doing that. Ever." That reminded me. "Blanche, you still there?"
"Huh? What?" Her voice came from the top of Drake's head.
"Were you… sleeping?"
"Yeah. Kinda. All that mushy-gushy family reunion thing put me to sleep."
"Well when this is all over, I'm sure Nick will have gotten some of that booze he promised you."
"That ass-twat better! I'm dying of thirst over here."
Nate walked over to the terminal and dusted it off. He tried to interface it with his Pip-Boar, but his frustration told me that it wasn't working.
"Here, let me."
I pushed him to the side and plugged in my own device. Just as I thought. It was identical to the one in my Burrow. Luckily I still had the old code in my Hackatron. From the looks of it, the direct access had been severed, probably to prevent him from being bothered, but apparently he didn't know about the secondary access point. After a moment I was in.
"Doors are controlled manually from his side, but… say hi." I lifted my Pip-Boar up to Nate.
"Overseer Elijah Kerrigan." Nate's voice echoed through the Burrow speakers, and I knew that it was also echoing inside his little room. "You are to unlock this door and turn yourself in. The rest of the Burrow has been evacuated, many by force. You are alone here, and if you do not leave with us, you will die here, alone."
"I will not let myself be taken by the likes of you! You are trespassing in my home, terrorizing my residents, and for what? Some petty revenge? Your mother was a whore, my wife is a traitor, and you are just a pelt to be walked all over! That's all your kind is, and that's all it will ever be!"
"Sir? This should work." A raccoon came up to Nate holding a small bag. Nate looked inside and nodded before the raccoon proceeded to take out a small yellow clay-like substance and started to place it around the door.
"I will give you to the count of ten to open this door. Ten."
"I've manually sealed myself inside, no amount of hacking will ever get it open! I know how you work pelt. You sneak around, invading other's privacy for your own amusement."
"Nine."
"You and all of your kind, all predators alike are a blight on society! A blight that should've been eradicated the moment we took up arms against each other!"
"Eight."
"Your continued existence is a mystery to me! You were weak, you were cowardly, how did you even survive?"
"Seven."
"It was that fucking daughter of mine, wasn't it? What, did the whore decide to take after your mother and fuck every fox she saw?"
"Six."
Holly tore the Pip-Boar from Nate's face and held it to her own. "You're the coward! Treating others like dirt because of their species! You were just afraid that they would grow up to be better than you! Well, even after Nate took all that punishment, he's still better than you! A fucking insect deserves more respect from me than my own father!"
"Five." Nate spoke loudly, and I saw a smile on his face.
"If I had known how much of a disappointment you were going to be, I would have killed you long ago! It would have been easy for me to pass it off as an 'accident' like all the others."
"Four." The smile on Nate's face vanished.
Mark grabbed my arm. "You had our mother killed, I saw it! I was there watching as they took turns raping her! You're the monster, YOU are the accident!"
"Three."
"You worthless ball of fur, I knew you were watching! Why do you think I made it so… visual? I wanted to break you! I wanted you to know that I wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, your brother, or any other pred that stood in my way! You're all filth!"
Mark started to squeeze my arm. I had to pry it off once I started to lose the feeling. Holly took the overly emotional Mark and started to comfort him.
"Two." Nate's voice wavered.
"You see! Even now it's haunting you! I guess my 'education' was better than I thought! I would do it all over again if I could, I enjoyed. Every. Single. Moment of it."
"One! Now!"
The raccoon pulled a trigger as a small explosion, followed by smoke and the smell of burning metal filled the room. Nate walked up to it, feet hitting the ground so hard that I was afraid he'd fall through, and punched the door with his metal arm, causing it to collapse inwards.
Nate stormed in, and I followed close to him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, but the way that this fucker was talking to them, someone might have to hold me back from shooting him. He didn't deserve to live, he deserved to die.
The room was much larger than the office in my Burrow, and there was a lot more stuff in it as well. There, next to a large bookcase was the Overseer, a gun in paw and pointing it at us, at Nate.
"Don't come any close or else I'll shoot!"
Nate's stride didn't break as he stormed up to the rabbit. The Overseer fired a round, but Nate blocked it with his metallic arm and grabbed the Overseer by the wrist. I heard bone snap as the gun fell out of his paw. He screamed at the pain. The sad part was that I enjoyed hearing him scream.
"It's over." Nate forcefully said, not once letting his gaze leave the rabbit's.
"Go ahead. Kill me."
Nate slammed the Overseer into the wall. "I would love to. To see you beg for your life as I hurt you. As I broke every bone in your body. As I humiliated you and let them take turns doing the same before I finally leave you to die. Oh how I would enjoy every second of that." Nate let go of his arm as he fell to the ground, grasping it. "But that's not who I am. I'm better than that. Better than you. You won't die today. Instead you'll stand trial for what you have done to me, to Mark, to any mammal who has ever felt the lash of even a single derogatory word. Mark, clean him up."
"You stay away from me you filthy pred!"
I walked right up to the Overseer. And smiled.
"I see he brainwashed another rabbit. What, are you a whore like all the others?"
I didn't say anything. He didn't deserve a word from me. He did, however, deserve the punch in his face that knocked him out cold.
"I have been itching to do that ever since I got here. So, we done here?"
Nate ran over and grabbed me in a big hug. "You are not a whore."
"I know sweetie. He was just trying to hurt me the only way he knew how. It didn't work, plus, I'd have to sleep with someone else for that to be true and there is no other mammal I could ever imagine being with."
"How are you so calm after all of this 'livi?"
"Oh, I'm wound tighter than a bungee cord, but I was trying my hardest not to snap, otherwise I think half the Burrow would be dead by now. I may have to visit the shooting range soon though…"
"Okay 'livi, maybe you should just give me your guns…"
"Stalker, grab the rabbit and let's get the hell out of here." Nate lifted his arm. "Stalker Logan, we're leaving. Have any free Guardians perform one last sweep. Once we're done, this place will be sealed. Forever."
"Yes Sir!"
We slowly made our way back, making sure that we didn't miss anyone who might have been hiding. We found two stragglers, but they said they hadn't seen anyone else. Once we reached the exit, Nate sent out one last broadcast informing any remaining residents that they had ten minutes to make their way to the exit, or else they'll be sealed in there with the ever growing toxic gas. No one else appeared once the ten minute mark was over, so Nate closed the door.
Not only did he close it, but he had some Guardians bring in a device that welded the seal closed, preventing anyone from opening it by any means. When he said it was going to be closed forever, he meant forever.
We finally made it back to the surface and met up with Logan, Jasmine, Zack, and the others who were busy trying to keep over a hundred and fifty mammals calm. It wasn't easy. Some of the tranquilized rabbits had woken and started to pick fights with some of the predators. Logan told us that fights keep breaking out, but they stopped them before they got out of control, but they ran out of darts, so had to do it the old fashion way.
"Mom! Where are you? Logan, where's my mother?"
"Your… mother?"
"Yeah, a chocolate colored rabbit in a Burrow jumpsuit."
"I think I saw her over there." Logan pointed towards a crowd of predators.
"I'm gonna go try to find her! Marki, you're coming with me."
"I really should help…" Holly grabbed Mark by the arm and dragged him in the direction that Logan had pointed.
"Well sweetie, I guess it's just us then."
An Agent came up to Nate and whispered something to him. "Damn. There are fights breaking out among the populace. I need to go lend a paw. You want to help?"
"I… I still feel like shooting someone, that's probably not the best idea. You should take Blanche and Drake. If anything, a ghoul and a deathwing should do the trick."
"Heh, you're probably right. You going to be okay?"
"Jasmine and Zack will keep me company."
Nate gave me a kiss and left towards the sea of ex-Burrow dwellers.
"Now why can't you do that Jasmine?" Zack had a very teasing tone in his voice.
"Do what?"
"Kiss me like that."
"I… I… eep!"
"I'm so glad there's no roof here. I'm surprised you are not brain dead by now."
"I-I can't help it. I… I really can't. I'm just… sometimes I keep thinking this is all a dream and I'll wake up and still be… one of them…" I pinched her leg. "Ouch! What did you do that for?"
"Well if it was a dream, you would be awake now, but you aren't. You have a good job helping others, a zebra who loves you, and friends who support you. You need to keep reminding yourself that this is all real, or else you might risk losing it to a dream."
"Y-yes. I… I'm trying."
"Stalker Logan doesn't make it any easier. He only puts up with it between you and the Chief because, well, he's the Chief."
"Well he ain't here right this second. Plus, if he said anything, I'm sure Nate will have another one of those talks with Logan that he keeps telling me about."
"Hey Jay-Jay, what's that on your leg?"
Jasmine lowered her neck to take a look where he was pointing. When it was low enough, he grabbed her head between his hooves and kissed her. Her body movements showed her surprise at first before melting into it. Then she opened her eyes and glanced at me, causing her to squeak loudly and fall back onto her butt. Zack and I reached out to help her when a frantic lion came over to us.
"Have you seen Chief Valiant?"
"He went over to the Burrow residents."
"He's not there. Someone said they saw him heading that way, but we can't find him and we got an urgent message from base."
I looked around but didn't see any sign of him. Both his arm and his outfit should have stood out from everyone else, but I saw neither. I ran over to one of the Tac-Lifters and jumped on top of it to get a better look. Nothing. I was starting to get worried. I ran from place to place, asking if they had seen him, but no one had in the past ten minutes.
Then I checked my Pip-Boar. How did I miss this? How did I fucking miss this! There, on my screen was a message that made my heart sink. Warning! Link: Nathan Valiant Is Unable To Be Established. Link Dead.
I ran to find Mark and Holly, to find Logan. Maybe something happened, maybe his Pip-Boar got damaged when he punched in that door. His arm isn't indestructible. He also wouldn't leave without saying something to at least one of us! Panic filled my body as I finally found Mark and Holly with her mom. They took one look at me and instantly their joyous expression turned to worry.
"'Livi, what's wrong?"
"Nate… he's… he's missing!"
"Missing? What do you mean missing?"
"I… I… I CANT FIND HIM ANYWHERE!"
"Olivia, calm down, calm down, can't you just call him up on his Pip-Boar?"
"I… I…" I showed her the message.
"But there are Guardians everywhere! You're telling me that none of them know where he is?"
My body started to tremble. I knew something was wrong… I took off running, Holly calling after me but I didn't even understand what she said, my mind was focused on one thing. I had to find him. I knew he was in trouble, I just knew it. There are so many mammals who want me dead, who want to hurt me. Baird, he's gone. It can't be him, but that still left… King, could it have been him? He could have easily had someone infiltrate us while we were distracted. If it was that fucking rhino I'll tear him limb from limb!
Then, while on top of the building that the Burrow was buried beneath, I saw a glint of metal. My hopes were fired up again as I jumped down and ran to where it was. That was short lived because when I go to it, when I got to the metal arm that glistened from the setting sunlight, it was there on the ground. Nate was not.
I picked up the severed arm as my body started to shake again. There was blood on the shoulder. It looked like it was torn from his body. Tears started to fall as I heard footsteps behind me. I took out my gun and turned around, pointing it straight at Holly and Mark. I was still holding Nate's arm and when they saw it, when they saw me, I could see their own hearts sinking.
"Is that…"
I couldn't form any words, I just nodded, the tears falling from my eyes faster than I ever remember them able to. I dropped to my knees, still cradling the arm as my gun slipped out. Then the Pip-Boar in his arm beeped. I tried to see why it was, but my vision was blurred by my emotions. Holly took the arm from me and read it.
"It says… oh. Oh no… no it can't… why?"
"Read it." My voice was hollow.
"It's…"
"READ IT!" Anger was filling that emptiness.
"'We have your fox. Come alone Olivia Springs or else he will die.' It's… it's from the Legionaries… the Legionaries have Nate…"
"Where… WHERE!"
"Zootennial Stadium. Why does that sound familiar?"
"Zoo…"
That place was dead, a remnant of better days, currently occupied by ghouls. Even if some of them survived, a savage ghoul couldn't hire mercenaries. I was told that no one even goes that way due to the unusual number of ghoul activities. There's nothing there. Nothing except.
"No… it… it can't be…"
"What? What can't it be? What's there?"
"It's… Burrow…"
"A Burrow? But why…"
"No. Not a Burrow. MY Burrow!"
I felt more presence surround me. Through my tearful eyes I could tell that Jasmine and Zack had arrived, along with Logan and others. I even saw Drake standing there. Nate was gone, taken from me and I was right HERE! How could I have let this happen? Why was it my BURROW that did this? Were they responsible for all my trouble? Was every Legionary after me because of that place? Who could possibly… the Overseer. It fucking had to be! Was she pissed at me for disobeying her? Was she more sadistic than I thought? That recording, she admitted she killed her, she killed my own mother! She left me without a family! Now she wants to take away my new one?
I slowly stood up, still gripping Nate's arm in my own.
"'Livi? What's… what's going on?"
"My fucking Burrow took the closest thing to me." I wiped away the tears. I could feel my body being fueled by hate and rage. "Now I am going there and taking EVERYTHING FROM THEM!"
Fallout: Zootopia After Show
Featuring:
'Stripes in the Morning'
[Stripes]
"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Out of the frying pan and into the fire, am I right? This is why Nate hates Burrows. Not only has every single one he has visited been a death trap, it's usually him that is about to die. And Olivia? She's pissed. Beyond pissed. If you think it's wise to keep Holly away from a mini-nuke? You don't even want to put Olivia ten miles near one in the state she is in, but you will learn more about that in the next chapter. The next chapter will be chapter to end all chapters. Not literally of course, being there are still two chapters after it, but all the pieces will finally fall into place during the largest chapter to date. Who hired the Legionaries? What is Burrow-Tec really about? Who started the war? All those questions will be answered, but that is for then."
"Now, I still have so much to go over, but with Max still recovering, and the real Max needing a break from things to unwind, I have been having a bit of an issue coming up with content for the After Show. There are still so many people to interview, but most of them are not in the best mindset to do it, and there is still a ton of lore to have, but most of the ones I want to go over with you folks contain major spoilers for the next chapter. With that said, while this will be a shorter than normal After Show, the next one will be the longest one to date, which so happens to follow the longest chapter to date. I will be filling in all the gaps left with the major reveals, along with clarifying things that might get lost in translation.
"However, there is something I can do. You already know so much about the characters you have been traveling with all these months, but there is one that you might not know a whole lot about. Me. Well, not me the author, but rather your friendly neighborhood zebra. So how about it folks? Would you like to know more about myself? Well too bad you neigh sayers, I am doing it anyways.
"So many Wastelanders have bad backgrounds. Even the kindest souls like Jasmine have not so kind pasts. Me? Let's just say it wasn't that bad. At least, not at first. My parents were traders. They didn't deal in slaves, or weapons, or even basic necessities. What did they sell? Tonics, salves, basically all those chemical concoctions you read about in stories or see in movies. And not the honest kind either unfortunately. Some of them were not much more than piss in a jar, doctored up with some perfume to hide the truth from it. And what of the young zebra? Well, I was their spokes-mammal. I was that little kid who beckoned all to come visit 'Stripes Family Thaumaturgical Shop of Wonders'. Quite the mouthful, ain't it? My parents figured that if it was complicated to say, that what they sold had to have worked. I never really understood that way of thinking.
"From the moment I learned to speak, I was out there helping to promote my families wares. The problem was, since they never trusted me to help in their creation, I genuinely thought my parents were out to help, so I was more than eager to make sure we sold as much as possible, and I must have been good at it, because we sold out every time. I knew I should have figured out something was up when the moment our wares were gone we packed up and moved to a new area. Problem is, the Wasteland has a tendency to remember when it's wronged. When I was, twelve I think, we were settling down in our makeshift home only a few miles from the Red-Neck headquarters in Sahara Square. Despite the frequent threat of being burned alive by those insane giraffes, it was one of the safest places to be. Not even a Corrupted Guardian is stupid enough to travel that close to Red-Neck territory. How my parents stayed off the radar baffles me to this day. Not sure if we were all just lucky, or if they had made some deal with the Red-Necks. Though, I think that might explain my fascination with giraffes. Funny how when I finally meet someone, she's the exact opposite of a giraffe, but I digress.
"As I was saying, we were settling down for the night when suddenly there was a loud noise. At first my parents thought it was another idiot trying to meddle with the Red-Necks, but we were wrong. It was a group of Grey Quills, the same group whom my parents had sold a 'strength enhancer' that was nothing more than irradiated water mixed with some already watered down Rad! Cola. Apparently two Quills got killed after blindly charging at fully armed Guardians expecting to tear through their Exo Armor from added strength. Let's just say the Guardians were not the ones who got torn apart.
"My parents were no fools though. Whether it was from previous reactions to their products, or if they were just paranoid, they had set up a ton of defenses, traps, and even an emergency escape route. We were able to buy enough time to escape through a tunnel that was an old (and thankfully clean) sewage pipe that lead to the Palm Hotel and Casino where the Red-Necks resided. Thankfully, we went the other way, to where it ended at a large cliff overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, that was also where a squad of Steel Guardians were camped out. It was a recon team assigned to keeping an eye on the Red-Necks, so they were not heavily armed, but there were enough to cause us problems. We approached them and my parents plead with them to protect us from the Quills. If that was all they did, then we would have been saved. My father, however, decided to ruin everything by trying to sell them the same tonic that got us into this mess to begin with. Let's just say that a Guardian is a bit smarter than your average raider and they figured out the scam pretty fast. The three of us got taken into custody and brought back to the Guardians for a trial. Yes, the Guardians did have a very basic judiciary system, but it was mostly for helping to settle disputes between Wastelanders. Raiders usually dealt with a bit more… forcefully.
"After a lengthy back and forth, of which I could tell my parents were running out of viable excuses, they were given the choice to either pay back every single person they sold their products to, or be exiled from the Wasteland. Now, while being exiled is not worth it's weight in sand, especially with how thinly stretched the Guardians already were to even enforce it, my parents happily accepted it. Why? An excuse to peddle their wares elsewhere. A new home meant new customers to screw out of their hard earned living.
"So, how did I wind up here and not with my parents peddling crap? Once I found out what they really were doing, and how I had helped to scam thousands of innocent, well not all of them were innocent, mammals, I decided I needed to put a stop to this. I pleaded, I begged, I did everything I could to get them to change their ways, to set out on the right path and actually help mammals rather then cheat them. They told me that they would, but the moment we got to our new home west of Bunnyburrow, what was the first thing they did? They hustled a bunch of elderly sheep. That was the last straw. That night I packed my stuff and snuck out, never looking back.
"Do I miss them from time to time? Yes I do, but to be honest? I really am not sure if they even missed me. Not once did I hear anything about a zebra couple looking for a lost child. Part of me wondered if they only had a child to raise to be a hustler. That's why I am so obsessed with finding out the truth. Yes, the truth can hurt, but I think that hiding it can hurt more in the long run.
"You may ask what a twelve, almost thirteen year old zebra did to survive this long? I mostly kept to myself, scavenging what I could, making honest trades where I could. I was told multiple times that the Guardians would be able to help me, but I was always afraid that if I returned they would recognize me and re-exile me. I spent three years like that until I met Rutherford. He was the one who got the Savannah Caller onto the air. No, he isn't who currently runs it, but Rutherford was the founder. He had scavenged an old ZNN broadcast facility and did the best he could to revitalize it. The problem was, he had issues finding mammals to help him, and it was weighing on him being the only one to do the broadcasting. When he found me, I was begging for food, trying to trade what little I had for it. He took me in, gave me shelter and food, and in return I helped him run the Caller. The one good thing about how my parents raised me was that I was a natural reporter, so eventually I was given my own show. However, he would not always be there for me.
"No, he didn't die. Quite the opposite, he had gotten quite lively for his age. His dream was to bring the old days of radio to the world. Music, news, he didn't care as long as it was entertaining and told the truth about everything around. One day he brought in an ex-raider who had nearly escaped from being put into Wild Times and told me that he would be taking over. I asked why he didn't put me in charge, but he said I was meant to be out there, not trapped inside some building. Then he left, venturing forth towards the Medowlands and beyond to try to bring the radio back to the world. I never heard from him again, but somehow I know he's still alive. That old goat had more life in him than most youngsters these days.
"Well that's my life story, and I am sticking with it. Nothing too spectacular, I know, but not everyone can have a very engaging and heartfelt background to them. As for my wall breaking ability? Well, chalk that up to the author in me. It's a bit of a split personality thing going on. They say two heads are better than one, but sometimes it just gives me double the headaches. Well folks, that is all the time I have for today. Join me next time as we journey deep into Burrow Seventy-Six."