Jamie followed Hannah out of the warren, to the place where Hickory and Marigold wanted to meet him in private, his mind reflecting on what he had just found out, and struggling to work out the riddle: Robbins' story which didn't seem to add up, Cowslip's peculiar behaviour, and Kenny's suspicious story of having seen Robbins out there, apparently working for the enemy. How was all this linked together and, most importantly, where did it add up?

The secluded spot turned out to be some sort of hole in the middle of a dandelion field, amidst a few scattered stone ruins, which Jamie recognised as the remains of building foundations from his long-gone hometown, which had since been levelled by some unknown catastrophe. Although nothing recognisable remained, Jamie's instinct told him he was approximately where the town hall of Newtown had once been.

Staring down the hole, he saw an incline formed by many years of mudslides piling up at the bottom, leading down. Making his way down the hole, he found himself in, what appeared to have once been part of a basement, which had escaped destruction underground, having morphed into a cave of sorts. Shining his flashlight around the dimly lit chamber, Jamie saw it was littered with piles of junk, which he recognised as artefacts from his own time and after.

Corroded, broken and unrecognisable, these decayed and fossilised relics of the long-gone human era stood almost as if on display, like some crude museum the rabbits had set up. Intrigued, Jamie stepped inside, looking around curiously, vaguely recognising some of the 'exhibits': the head of a bronze statue that had once stood on the roundabout in the town square, a few ceramic garden gnomes from his old neighbourhood, and some bronze street and shop signs (including his own home street), among other familiar items. And sitting in the shadowy corner were Hickory and Marigold, expecting him.

"Oh, hallo guys," Jamie said pleasantly, before taking in their uneasiness as they slowly stepped into the light to greet him, "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"We have brought you here to warn you," whispered Marigold urgently, not returning the boy's greeting, her eyes darting nervously from Jamie to the entrance hole every few seconds, almost as if afraid that someone might be eavesdropping outside, "You are all in great danger here. You must leave the warren immediately!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Jamie, starting to feel rather alarmed by her frightened expression, his suspicions growing, "What do you mean, we are in danger here? Has this got anything with your father or Mr Robbins…?"

"Please, don't ask us any more questions," said Hickory, looking just as scared as his mate, yet slightly calmer, "Just promise us you'll leave the warren before sundown tonight…"

"Tonight?" said Jamie incredulously, "But I have a sick friend who can barely walk; it might take days before he is fit to travel…"

"You don't understand, he is plotting to have you all killed…!" blurted out Marigold before suddenly falling silent, realising she had said too much. However, the damage was done, as Jamie grabbed Hickory by the shoulders, so he was facing him.

"Tell me Hickory, what is going on here? Who is plotting against us? And why?" But the pair was already beyond any further conversation, as Hickory shook his head sadly.

"Please, we can't say any more or he might harm our friends as punishment if he finds out," he said, "Just take our warning and go while you still can. All I ask is that you take us with you, take us away from here…" Jamie felt more perplexed than ever, realising that the rabbits were actually asking for his help, so they could escape. But from what? And why wouldn't they just get the guts and tell him about it? Could somebody be… threatening them into keeping quiet?

"Well, all right…if you are sure…" he said, unable to formulate the appropriate response to their absurd request, "But why don't you just tell me what is all this about…?" But Hickory and Marigold had already turned and left, almost as if worried they'd be caught in the act by whomever – or whatever – was causing them such distress. However, they had gotten the message across: the instant he had heard them mention someone plotting murder, Jamie's mind was on full alert. What should he do about it?

His first thought was to go find Cowslip at once and demand explanations. For an instant, he wished Ash was still here; the stern Owsla veteran could have been of great help in getting the truth – if there was one – out of that spooky rabbit. Then again, what exactly was he suppose to demand from Cowslip? An explanation for something he wasn't even sure what it was, or that Cowslip was behind it at all? Why couldn't Marigold have built up the courage to explain? A few more words might have solved the entire mystery by now… Nonetheless, now that he knew it had to be something serious, he would have to find the answer to this riddle…and fast.

Looking around, hoping that maybe the rabbits had deliberately led him here to find some secret clue they might have left behind for him, he saw nothing; just insignificant human junk, recognisable as nothing more than sad mementos of his long-gone home time. But no, not everything…

Upon closer inspection, he realised someone else had been searching this place recently; several of the heavier trinkets had been overturned and the imprints on the earthen floor testified to some bits of salvage that the previous visitor had taken away with him. The footprints of someone wearing shoes made it clear that another human had been here before him. Jamie's mind instantly turned to the dingy he had found on the edge of the brook back in the woods; so his father's party had indeed passed this way! Or did these belong to Mr Robbins, from when he had been 'hiding' here?

Then suddenly, he noticed something amidst the junk, which stood out. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary concrete block from the debris of the town; then again, why did it reflect the light of his flashlight like a mirror? Upon closer inspection, he realised it was some sort of sealed Plexiglas case, about the size of one of those old VHS players his father kept, lying half-buried in a cake of dirt formed by an ancient landslide. The acrylic box was diagonal, its edges held together by a brass frame, which had turned green with age, its Plexiglas sides clouded and cracked, but otherwise still intact.

His curiosity kicking in, Jamie, with Hannah's help, started clearing the earth around the box, and were soon able to lift it out of its embedment. By now Jamie had realised the box was hollow and the weight told him there was something in it. Examining the frame, he saw it had a lid, which was welded to the frame, sealing the container airtight. However, there was no lettering or marking of any kind visible, time having long since scrubbed every trace of paint or ink away, and the Plexiglas was too clouded to see the contents within.

Picking up the box, Jamie hoisted it over his shoulder and set off to return to the warren, where they could open it and examine its contents – whatever they might be – with the rest of their companions. They returned to find the others above ground, out on the meadow, enjoying the sunshine. Kenny was chatting excitedly with Celandine, his initial fear of the giant rabbits entirely forgotten, mostly thanks to the doe's warm motherly approach, much like a foster mother reassuring an orphaned kitten that had just come into her care. Willow was also with them, having sulked away his bad mood following the row with his commanding officer that morning.

"So what did those two weirdoes want?" asked the defiant Sandlefordian Sergeant of Owsla, as Jamie and Hannah approached, carrying their prize, "Still too shy to grace us with their company?" But his sarcasm was cut short as Jamie and Hannah recited to them everything Hickory and Marigold had told them, leaving nothing out, including their absurd, yet worrying warning.

"I don't know what to tell you guys," Jamie concluded, "Although I can't make heads or tails of this, I can't help but feel that we should take it seriously. We might be in for serious trouble otherwise…" Although Celandine and Kenny seemed to share Jamie's sentiments to some degree, Willow had a completely different opinion at the news.

"Give it a rest, young one," he said with a snort, "Someone plotting to kill us? Frith of Inle, do open your eyes! The only ones we are sharing this warren with are a few idle-minded rabbits, which can't tell day from night, and a turnip-fat Chief, whose only skill is thinking up sweet welcoming speeches. There hasn't been a sniff of elil since we came; so how can there be any threat to us?"

Although feeling the insubordinate Sergeant of Owsla had a point, Jamie was still determined to investigate it further, as he turned to the sealed box he had found in the cave. Willow and the others stared at it curiously, "What in Frith's name is that?"

"I found it out in the ruins," he said, taking out his Swiss Army knife and opening the file blade, "Maybe, whatever is in it might tell us something about what happened here." Jamie and Kenny took turns with the knife to cut open the lid of the box like a food can. It wasn't easy; the lid was soldered to the frame, with tight bolts in each corner, making it a slow and difficult job getting it open. Finally, after an hour of hard work, the bolts were out and the soldering filed through, allowing them to creak the lid open.

As Jamie had figured, the box wasn't empty; both boys whistled aloud in amazement as they saw the box had been sealed completely airtight, causing the effects of time to literally cease inside, protecting the contents from decay all these years. Protected from sunlight exposure by a zinc lining set against the Plexiglas casing, an assortment of interesting items lay neatly packed in the box before them, amidst a bed of bubble foam padding.

Whoever had packed this time capsule apparently had been expecting it to be found by someone other than human, as the contents appeared to be a carefully-made selection of objects representing the long-forgotten world of the 21st century - or whatever century it had been - when humans had disappeared. Most of the artefacts Jamie and Kenny could recognise from their own time, while others were of some more advanced futuristic technology, unfamiliar to the two boys. The rabbits on the other hand, were staring blankly, unable to make anything out of these unfamiliar trinkets, other that they were man-made.

There was a plastic box containing a variety of everyday objects, including a hairpin, compact, lipstick, crucifix, a disposable razor, a comb, a pair of scissors, a wristwatch, a fountain pen, a pair of dice, a pouch of marbles, a pack of cards, a lighter, a globe key ring, a pack of cigarettes, and a pocket knife. Also, there was a pocket Bible, an envelope of assorted papers, some sort of curious electronic device, which resembled a miniature laptop computer, and even, curiously enough, a sealed bottle of some sort of alcoholic beverage. Finally, there was a cardboard cylinder containing a rolled-up flannel British flag.

While the rabbits and Hannah curiously passed some of the smaller items around in silent fascination, Jamie and Kenny started methodically examining the contents of the case for any useful information. The Bible told them nothing; just an ordinary copy of the Old and New Testaments, with a stamp on the front page indicating it had come from Newtown Parish Church. The boys then turned to the envelope of papers; a bundle of newspaper clippings and leaflets of some unknown description fell out onto their laps. Kenny picked up the leaflet and read aloud:

TIME CAPSULE MAKERS CLUB

THE END OF THE WORLD IS NEAR;

BUT YOU CAN STILL LEAVE YOUR MARK BEHIND,

PRESERVE YOUR LEGACY

BUILD YOUR OWN TIME CAPSULE!

RESERVE BURIAL SITE NOW IN NEWTOWN COMMON SQUARE

ORDER YOUR CONTAINER ONLINE AT:

W-WWW,TIMECAPSULEMAKERS,UK

CAN BE DELIVERED, SEALED AND COLLECTED BY COURIER

NO DANGEROUS GOODS PERMITTED

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

Turning the leaflet over, they saw a catalogue with illustrations of the available sizes and materials for the time capsules: junior-sized, default-sized, king-sized, and deluxe-sized, made of Plexiglas, stainless steel, aluminium, or even marble. Accompanying the leaflet was a manifest of the capsule's contents, complete with a list of the people who had contributed to its making, either financially or by donating artefacts to be stored in it, many of which they recognised as their old classmates from school.

"Cool," Kenny said, comparing the illustration of the recovered time capsule on the leaflet to its counterpart lying open at their feet. This organisation had undoubtedly made a fortune back then, designing these time capsules; but they had been worth the money, judging by the proof before them. The time capsule, battered and dirty as it was, had withstood the passage of time very well indeed, protecting all its contents from decay for them to find. This in turn shifted the boys' attention to an interesting question: maybe there was something in here that could tell them what had happened to their world?

The answer to that question was waiting for them on the newspaper clipping, dating sometime back in 2025. Both Jamie and Kenny read the chilling headlines of the Chronicle in unison:

DOOMSDAY JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCE HUMANITY HAS ONLY TWO YEARS LEFT

Then followed a long article of astronomers discovering two rogue planets, Apocalypse and Pandora, enroot to strike the Earth, which would unleash a mass extinction level event in the process. Jamie and Kenny looked at each other grimly. So this was what had happened to their world; an asteroid impact – which Jamie had often regarded as the stuff of popular science fiction – had wiped out the world they had known long ago. They were apparently the last two surviving members of the human race, now long extinct, having escaped their species destruction by 'jumping' forward in time from 2013 to this unknown future date. However, there was still no explanation as to where their rabbit friends had come from. They turned to the electronic device.

This proved to be the most interesting find of all; the size of a present-day mobile phone, the contraption opened up like a pocketbook, divided into two sections: a miniature touch-screen and some sort of crystalline panel, which Jamie recognised as a solar charger. Facing the panel towards the sun, he started playing with the keypad, trying to get the device to work.

Just as Kenny was arguing to his friend to stop wasting his time, as there was no way for that device to still work after all these years, the screen suddenly flickered back to life, as the solar panel recharged its dead battery. Below a high-definition, three-dimensional graphic model of the globe encased in some sort of web formed by satellites, was a miniature slideshow of pictures of a futuristic England, mostly unchanged, yet with several notable differences, including some new models of completely non-pollutant motor vehicles, new ladies' fashion, new computer technology, among other little things, indicating the passage of time. Miniature letters spelled the words:

C.R.P.

COMMUNICATIONS AND REFERENCE PAGER

APPLE MODEL 3000

DIRECT W-NET ACCESS

INITIATING ALL SERVICES

The device looked to Jamie like a futuristic portable computer, as he studied the application icons that appeared on the screen: W-Net Explorer, Skype 3-D, Sensor Scanner, E-Yearbook Search, Multi-Calendar, Sat-Net Atlas, among other features. With the rabbits staring in stunned silence at the alien contraption, the boys continued experimenting, trying to figure out how to work it.

After figuring out how to properly use the pager (by simply scrolling across the screen with a pen-like rod stored in a tiny side compartment, Jamie tried the W-Net Explorer application, a descendant of Internet Explorer from his own time. Unfortunately, the screen only gave him another graphic image of the satellite-web-engulfed-globe, this time in greyscale, with a warning that the server was down. What did he expect? Google to still be functioning when the entire human civilisation has ceased to exist? Instead, he tried the yearbook feature.

This time, they really hit the jackpot, as the electronic yearbook stored in the pager's memory turned out to be a mass database of information, including everything from its earlier versions, a far richer reference source than its annually printed counterparts Jamie and Kenny knew from their home time. This one appeared to be the latest – and final edition -, published in 2027, the year of the Doomsday mentioned in the newspaper clipping, meaning they had the whole works available.

Hitting the application icon, the screen brought up a search-engine-or-index-browse option. Kenny took the first turn and typed his name in the Newbury District Persons List. A page, which resembled a police report, bearing his passport photo on the edge, appeared, spelling the words:

'Kenneth Shelton (b. August 5th 1999-d. January 2nd 2013): Born in Newtown Common, Berkshire. Mysteriously disappeared outside his hometown while helping his abusive father Tom Shelton (1977-2013) on an errand. Presumably murdered by his father Thomas, who was revealed to be a facilitator for the infamous Red Hand Brotherhood. Shelton Sr. was apprehended following the collapse of the faction in early 2013, charged with his son's disappearance, as well as several other unsolved homicides, including Dr Johnson's housekeeper Emily Hanson, the professor's brother-in-law Miles Millard, and his flight club deputy Stan Hallows, but was murdered in police custody before he could stand trial. His son's body was never recovered for burial.'

To everyone's surprise, Kenny didn't seem the least upset by the news of his father's death; instead, the memories of the years of abuse he had been forced to endure, as well as the failed murder attempt, had the youngest Shelton on the verge of celebration as he chuckled in satisfaction and joy, "Ha! He who laughs last laughs longest of all! You hear me, Dad?" he sneered, making a rude hand gesture towards the sky, "You thought you could set your goons on me and get away with it? Well, I am alive and free, while you are dead and forgotten, and betrayed by your own 'friends' nonetheless! What a fitting end for a loser like you!"

While Kenny was celebrating his father's demise by dancing a jig, Jamie took his own turn with the pager. His hands trembling with anticipation, he typed in (or rather dictated orally to the device) his family name. The search brought up another file with a picture, which resembled a postcard, on the heading. Although taken years after their disappearance, Jamie recognised his old neighbourhood, sometime in the 2020's.

It was a photograph of a pub, which the boy couldn't remember ever seeing in that part of town before. Upon closer inspection of the property, Jamie suddenly gasped in surprise as he recognised a very familiar place he had known all his life.

"By Jove, that's my house! Or was," he said, feeling his stomach bottom out, as he saw what had become of his family home. Scrolling down the page, he read a heart-wrenching inscription typed beneath:

PUB AND BOARDING HOUSE RESOLUTION

NEWTOWN COMMON, BERKSHIRE

'Established in 2014 by retired Colonel Mike McEwen in dedication to the memory of his son James, grandson Jamie and daughter-in-law Josie, who were killed during the Red Hand Brotherhood's reign of terror in England in 2013.'

Although touched to see his grandfather had made sure he and his father were not forgotten, Jamie was suddenly filled with a renewed feeling of worry. What had become of his mother? According to this, their house had been made into a pub by old Mike to preserve their memories – the entire family's. So that would only put his mother… With sickening horror, Jamie realised he was now a complete orphan; first his father and now his mother was also dead. Although he had known that from the moment he had realised he was stuck in the far future, to actually read about it on this pager felt like a stabbing blow in the heart, taking away any hope he had left.

Losing it, Jamie turned and fled; hurrying past his stunned friends, he bolted from the warren, not knowing where he was going or caring. His morale had just been shattered at the realisation of the harsh reality; he was all alone, stuck in an unfamiliar world forever, with little or no prospect of a future. Even if he could somehow find a way back to his own time, there was nothing left for him there anymore, other than a miserable life in an orphanage most likely.

Fighting the urge to be sick, he sunk to the ground at the foot of a tree, burying his head between his knees in misery. He didn't know how long he sat there before he felt a familiar tiny hand tugging at his sleeve. Hannah had followed him, accompanied by Snitter, to comfort him. Although Jamie was in no mood to talk, he managed to shoot his mouse friend a weak smile for her concern, as he patted her mildly over the head.

"I've lost everything Hannah," he finally said, "My parents, my home, everything…gone…" For an instant, he wanted to curse this strange world that had done all this to him but refrained from doing so s Hannah's piercing gaze met his own.

"Jamie, I understand how you must be feeling; I myself had to go through this pain when my parents and siblings died," she said, "It was only thanks to Rosebud's encouragement that I was able to move on. Now, I am telling you. However bad you must feel, you have to pull yourself together quickly. Your misery isn't going to restore your life to what it was; you have me – have us – and we are your new family now. I for one, no matter what happens, will never turn you away. That's why I decided to go with you back at Thinial." Jamie felt touched.

"Thank you Hannah. You truly are the best, you know that?" he said, picking up the mouse for a cuddle. Although he still felt the burning pain of loss in his chest, her words had restored his confidence enough for him to think straight - and to realise something else. According to that record, his entire family had been declared murdered by that Red Hand Brotherhood – the same terrorist faction Mr Robbins had said Dr Johnson was associated with. Although it made some sense that the authorities would mistakenly assume Red Hand had been responsible for his and his father's disappearances, like it had happened with Kenny, how was his mother involved as well? What was the connection between his family and Red Hand?

This new mystery playing about in his mind, he didn't notice the rest of his friends appear, Celandine helping a staggering Kenny limp along. They gathered around him, not daring to utter a word, weary of upsetting him even more. But Jamie paid them no heed as he turned his attention back to the pager still clutched in his hand and hurryingly typed in Robbins' name in the search engine of the e-yearbook, under Famous Historical Figures Biographies Archive. The time had come to find out what that man had been hiding from them. The result made the entire group gasp in shock, as the terrible truth unfolded before their eyes in writing:

'Russell Ronald Robbins (b. 1st September 1978-d. 28th December 2012): Born Ronald Fields in Cardiff, Wales, changed identity circa 2008. Abandoned by his parents at the age of two, Fields was raised at St Mary's orphanage in London. Graduated from Cambridge in 2004 with a Master in Law. Served in the British Marines during the Third World War (2009-2011) and falsely declared dead in action after going missing in China in 2010, before transferring to the Bureau Secret Service under a different name and appearance. Disappeared and presumed dead in December 2012. During the Petrograd trial in 2013, recovered evidence revealed he was working as a spy for the Red Hand Brotherhood, first in the Armed Forces and then the Ministry of Defence, embezzling state funds to finance the faction's activities in England. He has since been identified as the primary suspect in over fifty unsolved homicides, including Mary and Lucy Johnson, Dr Derek Shaw, and Major James McEwen, for which Dr Alan Johnson had originally been wrongly suspected of, after being framed by Red Hand. He was rumoured to have had a younger sister who passed away in 2016...'

Jamie feltas if he had been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer. So this was the truth; Johnson was never the traitor, but Robbins! Because he, the gullible 13-year-old boy, had been stupid enough to take the man's word without question, he had played right into his hands and let that backstabber rob him of his glider. A feeling of shame swept over him as he sunk back, the pieces finally falling into place: Johnson was being hunted down by the Red Hand Brotherhood; Robbins had been following him, probably to kill him; only when he was about to make his move, he had found himself stuck in this future world with his intended victim; Jamie's father had gone looking for Johnson and ended up joining them.

At some point or another, Robbins must have been discovered; finally deciding to break his cover, the traitor had turned on his companions; fleeing, he had joined up with those savage Efrafans, enlisting them as his new muscle. Jamie shuddered, remembering what Kenny had said had happened to Stan Hallows; perhaps his father and Johnson has suffered the same fate? Maybe it was already too late? And what about Ash and Nightshade? There was no telling what they might do to them if they caught them; and they didn't even know that Robbins was dangerous…

Turning to his friends, he saw them all wearing expressions of utmost shock and outrage, after hearing the boys read that profile aloud, realising that they had been tricked. And undoubtedly, their only concern at this moment matched that of Jamie's: their friends still out there.

"The others are in danger! We have to find them and bring them back fast!"

Turning back to the pager, he opened up the atlas feature, browsing through the grids, trying to pinpoint their location. Unfortunately, the application was only a direct-data-package software installed in the page's memory, rather than regularly updated, satellite-transmitted imagery, which meant it was seriously out of date after all these centuries, making it difficult to identify locations due to the changed landscape. As Jamie slowly dragged the locator arrow across a grid in the southeast, Hannah suddenly uttered a gasp.

"I know that place!" she said, pointing at an ancient landmark, which both Jamie and Kenny also knew from their own time. Hannah had recognised the historic site of Stonehenge.

"How do you know about Stonehenge, Hannah?" asked Jamie in surprise, astonished by his mouse friend knowing one of the most famous landmarks of the long-forgotten human world, given how she didn't seem to have ever ventured very far from Thinial all her life.

"Stonehenge?" she asked in confusion, "That's Redstone warren, the place Captain Broom used to tell Rosebud and me all about in his stories. His former Chief from Sandleford had visited it when exploring the Dark Territory seasons ago." Jamie's mind flashed back to when Captain Broom had told him the story of General Woundwort capturing the Threarah at Redstone long ago, followed by his attack on Sandleford by unleashing that Myxomatosis plague – however he had done it – forcing the infected Flyairth and Rosebud to quarantine themselves at the deserted Thinial. This other warren up at Stonehenge, Redstone, although most likely deserted following the siege, might be worth checking out later on. But not now.

Zooming in over an aerial image of his no-longer-existing hometown, Jamie marked it as their starting point; then, as he scanned the hills to the south, trying to pinpoint where Kenny had said he had seen the Efrafans, he saw something strange, on the top of Watership Down, where he and Kenny would often ride their bicycles back in their home time. Zooming in, he saw it was a strange structure of some description, which resembled the entrance to some underground compound in the bowels of the hill, surrounded by a high-security fence circling the Down at the foot of the hill, like a military facility. Atop the massive concrete slab covering the entrance hanger, he could see a single word painted in large letters: HAB.

Strange, he thought in disapproval, seeing how the once pristine Down had been developed in that future age, I thought that place had been declared a natural reserve after Mr Adams' appeal for Sandleford Park fell through and was developed. Conjuring up an info icon, he read the map details:

HAB-01

PROPERTY OF THE BRITISH CROWN

SITE UNDER MILITARY JURISTICTION

DETAILS CLASSIFIED

RESTRICTED AREA

Although vague information, Jamie couldn't help but have a strange feeling about that place. Then, he noticed there was also a bookmark and video postscript attached to the reference, apparently left by the previous owner. Opening up the digital attachment, he activated the miniature video. The rabbits momentarily jumped back in surprise as the face of some unknown person appeared on the screen, reciting his message:

"My name is of no consequence; the important thing you should know is, the national lottery has been finalised: the lucky 2,200 selected have been evacuated to the underground sanctuary, to wait out the upcoming storm. The rest of us still alive out here have no choice but to take cover in the ruins of our homes, to pray and prepare for the inevitable. Many have decided to make a run for it and try and make it to the HAB before it goes into lockdown. As for me, once I have finished this message, I will seal this time capsule and bury it in the town park with the others. Then, I will go home to join my wife and children for our last few hours of life until Pandora gets to us. The date is May 26th 2029."

Jamie and his friends stared at each other with sad expressions; those had undoubtedly been the words of a dying man – someone the boys might have once known as a child – who had left this box of trinkets behind for them to find. And, unknowingly, he had also left them a most useful lead: this HAB place sounded like the ideal place Johnson and his father would have sought shelter from the Efrafans. In contrast to the towns and cities above ground, which had all been annihilated in the catastrophe, this underground habitat could still be there and still be usable. Although there was telling what it might look like after all these years, or if Jamie's father had found it at all, it seemed the best place as any to look for him.

Glancing at the sun, Jamie saw it was nearly nightfall. Deciding it would be best to wait until tomorrow morning before setting off, so they would be rested and have a whole day to travel safely, they returned to the warren to get some shuteye. Unfortunately, although having figured out a big part of the truth, they still remained oblivious of Cowslip's plans for them – the danger Hickory and Marigold had been so desperately been trying to warn them before it was too late.

Later that night, as the group lay sleeping together in the deserted main chamber, from where they could keep watch for any trouble showing up in the middle of the night, as per Ash's instructions. By choosing not to sleep in the main burrows however, none of them had noticed the warren was strangely deserted tonight. And the reason was that Cowslip was preparing for another of his custodians' visit.

Not too far away, in the dead of night, the madrabbit of a Chief was leading his people to a temporary safe haven, while their custodians went to 'clean up' after them, leaving those chosen for sacrifice – in his case, Jamie and his companions – to their doom. This 'ritual', which Cowslip and his forefathers had led for generations, normally went along smoothly, with the warren's mystic keeping any minds that sprang to alertness idle. But with Silverweed gone, tonight Cowslip was having a hell of a hard time preserving order, with the main problem being Hickory and Marigold.

The pair was muttering furiously to each other as their Chief led them towards the ruins of Newtown Churchyard – their refuge – to wait out the natives' visitation to their livestock enclosure of a warren. Despite their bold attempt to warn their visitor, Jamie hadn't bought the hint; now the boy and his friends would soon be taken unawares by the natives, while they would go back to being the idle, disposable assets of Marigold's insane father, awaiting their own turn to die.

Their fellow rabbits, although far more badly influenced after a lifetime of mind control, and still retaining their trance, were also starting to show signs of awareness…and fear, much to Cowslip's displeasure. Since freed from Silverweed's control, Hickory and Marigold had taken the initiative of trying to get as many of their friends as they could to join them in a revolt against Cowslip; unfortunately, their fear of banishment, which - solidified by Cowslip's threats and warnings - would mean certain death by starvation or elil out in the wilderness – was proving too difficult to overcome. But Marigold's sense of shame for the dirty scheme her father was forcing her, her mate, and their friends, to participate in felt even worse.

"Frith of Inle, we can't go along with this! What we are doing is murder! We must do something Hickory!" the doe protested, keeping her voice to a hushed whisper, in case her father was listening, "We can't just leave them!"

"But what can we do Marigold?" asked Hickory incredulously, although he too looked utterly depressed at their failure to warn Jamie in time, "That young ithe will be dead soon - if he isn't already - and Cowslip is watching our every move. Oh, we should have listened to Strawberry and Nildrohein and left with them when we had the chance…" Unfortunately, Cowslip who had ears like a sonar, heard that last remark and was upon them in the blink of an eye.

"What was that?" he asked in a soft, but dangerous voice, "What have I told you about saying those traitors' names?" Casting a quick glance at the others, to make sure nobody was eavesdropping and could see him threatening his daughter and her mate, he whispered in a deadly voice, "You better hope that nothing goes wrong. I am warning you, if that young ithe escapes because of your blabbering mouth, you will be taking his place instead, both of you!" Marigold felt the blood drain from her face, as her father smirked evilly at her fear.

"Yes, I know how you tried to warn that little fool and those hlessil today," he sneered, "What a pity you didn't have the courage to tell him when you had the chance. Your waste of a sister had more backbone than you. But no mind, Robbins and the General will soon put the traitor and her loser of a mate in their proper place, just as I will you…" That broke the camel's back and Marigold, filled with more rage and hate she had ever known, sprang at her father, cuffing him across the nose.

"Don't you talk about Nildrohein and Strawberry like that, you foul creature! At least they had the courage to take their chances and escape this tharn life you keep us enslaved in!" She froze, realising what she had just done, frightened and satisfied with herself at the same time. Cowslip also froze in a moment of surprise, before he exploded in temper fit to match that of a King Kong being deprived of his bride, and rounded on his daughter.

"Strike your own father will you, you ungrateful little chippie?!" he roared, his face a murderous mask of rage, "So help me, I'll rip the whiskers out of your face!" Before he could strike her back however, Cowslip found himself cuffed again, this time by Hickory, who, seeing his mate about to be hurt, had reached his own breaking point and intervened. Although by no means a strong rabbit, the cuff found Cowslip square in the most sensitive spot possible: his eye. With a howl of pain, the pudgy rabbit crumpled to the ground.

"Touch her again and I'll kill you myself!"

Taking advantage of Cowslip's momentarily incapacitation, Marigold turned to the rest of their fellow rabbits, which were staring at her and Hickory with expressions of awe and confusion. The moment had come for her to put an end to this.

"Friends, the time has come for us to abandon this farce of a life; Cowslip has kept us enslaved under his dark rule long enough. There will be no more sacrifices among us; no more innocent blood wasted on my father's false cause. My sister and Strawberry made the bold decision to leave with that hlessi Hazel and his friends; only then, we made the mistake of turning down the offer of joining them to freedom. Young Jamie and his friends are our last chance; our last chance for freedom and relearning the ways of our kind, which Greenweed had forsaken in favour of this wretched life." Despite their mutual desire to be free, Cowslip's rabbits were still hesitant with uncertainty.

"But where would we go…?"

"Trust an ithe to lead us to safety…?"

"Cowslip warned us about that other savage warren that is after those hlessil…!"

"We'd all starve or fall prey to the elil out there…!"

"If we are going to have a chance to start a new life, it must be far away from this wretched place," Marigold went on, "We have to leave the warren…tonight." However, nobody noticed Cowslip, bruised and humiliated, slip away, intent on seeing his plan fulfilled, one way or another…

Meanwhile, back at the warren, Kenny had woken up and was making his way outside, to use the bathroom. Using his friend's borrowed flashlight, he found a secluded spot behind some trees, to do his business, using some fig tree leaves as toilet paper. Just as he was about to do up his baggy trousers, muttering how inconvenient the toilet facilities were round here, he heard voices in the distance. Listening, he could vaguely recognise the voices of Cowslip and those rabbits that had wanted to talk to Jamie that afternoon. Suspicious of what could they be doing outside in the middle of the night, he crept closer to investigate.

Coming to the edge of the graveyard, he saw Cowslip and all his rabbits gathered, seemingly waiting for something. Cowslip seemed to be having an argument with Hickory and Marigold. Curiosity overpowering, Kenny dimmed his flashlight and, crawling on his stomach to avoid being seen, he took cover behind a nearby tombstone (his father's), to eavesdrop on the conversation. He didn't have to listen in for long, before he overheard Cowslip threaten the pair for trying to warn them about the insane Chief's plot to have them killed…tonight!

That was all Kenny had to hear and he noiselessly crawled away. Once he was sure he was out of earshot, he got to his feet and hurried to return to the warren, to warn the others. From his past experiences with his father, he knew better than to try and interfere; the important thing was to alert his friends of what was going on right away. Not too far away, a hunting party of giant humanoids were also on their way to the warren, lured there by Cowslip, who had resorted to using himself as bait for the hunters' dogs to follow by scent, leading them to their prize ahead of schedule…

Author's note: Sorry for the delay, but I have been very busy with my new job, as well as suffering from writer's block, and had to rewrite this chapter several times before getting it right. Originally, the time capsule Jamie and co found contained all the information in printed form in books. However, I figured that by the year 2027, printed books would probably be obsolete and so, instead had it all in electronic form on the futuristic pager/laptop. For those of you that are wondering, the word W-Net stands for Wireless Internet or Wireless World Wide Web (W-WWW). This is an imaginary futuristic Internet, which hosts all its servers onboard hundreds of solar-powered stationary satellites transmitting from orbit, rather than a ground-based network sharing data via telephone lines. Theoretically, such an elaborate system would still be functioning after 750 years, don't you think? Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!