In the dark of night, Jamie and his gang circled the captured warren, initiating their plan of infiltration. Speedwell had come up with an idea of creating a diversion, which just might give them a chance to make it inside the Honeycomb and down to the old HAB, located in the bowels of the Down beneath the warren, where he said his companions were being held prisoner by the Efrafans. His plan involved attracting and luring elil to the Down and sending them in a feeding frenzy against the Efrafans; while the enemy would be busy fending off the attackers, they'd hopefully leave the entrance to the Honeycomb unguarded for them to make a break for it. Once inside, they hoped to free their companions and, as a larger force, take back the warren by force.
To accomplish this, some bait was needed; and the one thing that elil responded to, other than a live meal standing before them, was the smell of blood. Speedwell, now sporting an ugly cut on the ear, which Acorn had given him on his request, walked around, smearing the undergrowth with droplets of fresh blood, literally ringing the dinner bell for anything hungry lurking in the vicinity. Watership Down was about to become the dinner table for elil and the Efrafans were the food on the table.
The bait in place, the group of six retreated to their hiding spot at the foot of the Down, to wait and hope for the last thing any sane rabbit would wish for: the hungriest, largest, and most savage kind of predator, with a craving for rabbit blood, they could find. The rabbits sat nervously and alert, silently questioning the sanity of what they were trying to pull off, while Jamie used the last few band-aids from his first aid kit to dress Speedwell's ear. Ignoring the stinging sensation, Speedwell reassessed the plan he had worked out over the past few hours with the boys.
"All right, let's go over it one more time. When mayhem breaks loose up there and the sentries break formations, then what?"
"We run like hell for the Honeycomb and make for that shaft you said leads down to the HAB; we can only go down one at a time on a rope, so we'll have to be quick; if worse comes to worse, Ken and I use our chutes to jump, taking the last two of you with us." He and Ken checked the glider's parachutes they carried with them, the latter looking rather nervous; Ken had never used a parachute in his life and had a distinct fear of heights, and Jamie only having a rough idea of how to use one didn't held matters at all.
"Very good lad," said Speedwell, satisfied by Jamie's ability to work as part of a team, "Remember, you send me down first, then Celandine and Marigold will follow; Hickory and Acorn you send down last…"
"Wait, why do I go last in line?" asked Hickory incredulously, "And why do you get to go first?"
"Because there might be more sentries stationed at the bottom, which I'll have to deal with before you can follow; and you're last in line because if you get cold feet and hold us up on that rope, anyone behind you is dead." Hickory seemed to want to protest again but held his silence, realising Speedwell had a point; he was completely out of his element here, so he needn't endanger those around him with his slackness. And, at least, Marigold would be safe…if Speedwell's insane plan of infiltration didn't turn out to be a fiasco.
"All right then, any further questions, anybody? Celandine?" Turning to the Sandleford doe, Jamie suddenly noticed she looked rather unwell; her head sagged, as if from fatigue, her eyelids heavy, like someone coming down with flu, "Are you feeling all right, girl?"
"Yes, I am fine," stammered Celandine, "Just a little tired…" Truly, she had been feeling off-colour all day, an unpleasant sensation of sickness slowly building up inside her, and it wasn't related to her grief over Ash's death. Her instinct was telling her it was something real bad, which just wasn't in full force yet, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her companions, not now.
They sat in silence, watching the Down; every few seconds, sentries appeared, inspecting the perimeter for any signs of trouble, moving with absolute precision and alertness, displaying no signs of slackness in their defences. It was clear they were all nothing short of professionals, toughened by the harsh discipline of their intense training, which earned them their positions in Woundwort's Owsla. Even a whole bunch of elil wouldn't be enough to take them all out; but at least, it would distract them long enough to leave their posts unguarded for a few seconds, so Jamie's group could breach their security lines.
Suddenly, Speedwell picked up a familiar scent; some eli had picked up the scent of the blood and was coming, looking for an easy meal. Sure enough, the boys could also hear the faint growling of a hungry animal, see the rustling in the trees, as it approached… Suddenly, a large snarling badger emerged from the foliage, its teeth gleaming in the light of the moon, its glowing eyes hungry for meat. The group all froze, retaining absolute silence as the lendri sniffed around, trying to pinpoint the source of the blood.
With Jamie and Kenny restraining the terrified Hickory and Marigold, their hands desperately clamped over the rabbits' mouths, muffling their fearful whimpering, lest they bring the lendri down upon them, they watched the monster circle, its nose sniffing the air. For an instant, Jamie thought it could smell them and would be upon them any second now, as he nervously fingered the open blade of his knife in his pocket… But Speedwell had chosen their hiding spot well, an expert in his field under Captain Holly's instruction; they were downwind to the lendri, invisible, while the Efrafans on the Down were upwind, their scent in the breeze acting as a homing signal for the lendri's dinner buffet.
Smirking triumphantly, Jamie watched as the badger slowly made its way up the hill, silent as a ghost, going for the kill. The Efrafans, asleep, after celebrating their latest victory, were in for a big surprise. The boys were about to follow, but Speedwell held them back.
"No, wait until that lendri goes into a feeding frenzy; we also need to give them some time for the sentries to desert their posts before we make a run for the Honeycomb."
"We are going into that warren, swarming with those brutish Efrafans and now with a lendri on the loose?" cried Hickory, "Have you all gone daft?" Beside him, his mate also shared his sentiments.
"I don't think I've been more terrified in my life," whispered Marigold, visibly trembling, "Did you see the size of those teeth…?" Speedwell however, ignoring their fear, kept watching the lendri as it disappeared over the summit, heading for the Honeycomb in attack. Any second now, it would be show time…
Suddenly, the air was filled with the cries of a rabbit being mauled to death. More shouts were heard, as the rest of the Efrafans sprang into action. The loud thumping signalled the sounding of an alarm, as someone bellowed, "Elil! Lendri within the perimeter! Patrol formations!"
Crawling up to the summit, the group saw all hell had broken loose up there. The lendri had snatched and killed one of the sentries in its path; the rest of the Efrafans, along with the aroused Owsla, had regrouped and fell upon the enemy with no fear. The angry badger managed to take down one of its attackers and maim several others but the Efrafans were too many. Soon, its furious growls had turned to agonising cries as the Owsla ripped the beast to shreds without mercy.
In the midst of all this confusion, Speedwell led his companions towards the entrance of the now unguarded Honeycomb. They had seen several officers, including Captain Campion, emerge when the alarm had been sounded; Robbins was nowhere to be seen, probably having remained below. Nonetheless, they would have to take their chances.
Dashing across the plain, towards the beech tree, they darted down the entrance, unnoticed by any of the Efrafans, currently preoccupied with the badger outside. The Honeycomb was a spacious chamber, like the one at Cowslip's warren, only with a more welcoming air about it – or would be, if the warren wasn't currently under Efrafan occupation, its real residents dead or held prisoner somewhere below…or so they thought.
Hurrying down a run leading deeper into the warren, towards the sleeping burrows, Speedwell led them to the edge of a gaping shaft, which he and his companions had discovered while digging their warren only a few days ago, only for their labour to be wasted when the Efrafans had come. Somewhere down there was the HAB, the old shelter where the last remnants of the British nation had sought refuge during the Apocalypse that had brought civilisation to an end long ago.
A sense of déjà vu swept over Jamie as he got his first glimpse of the place his father and the rest of Johnson's party had briefly called their new home. Glancing into one of the sleeping burrows, he saw it had been set up like a human dormitory, with three straw cots fashioned out of branches and duct-tape. Even now, he could almost see his father resting on that makeshift cot. Something sitting on a ledge on the wall beside one of the beds caught his eye.
It was a brown, leather wallet, which Jamie instantly recognised as is father's; the familiar faces of himself and his parents stared back at him from the family photo in the transparent front pocket, alongside the Royal Air Force I.D., driver's licence and credit cards, all bearing the name of Major James McEwen. He had finally reached his ultimate destination all right. Speedwell's furious muttering snapped him back to reality.
"Well, come on young bucko! We have no time to lose! And everybody keep your voices down!"
Shoving the wallet into his pocket, he hurried over to the shaft. Shining his flashlight downwards, he saw it went down at least three hundred feet; a high-textile rope, which Jamie recognised as part of the chopper's arsenal, trailed over the edge of the shaft all the way to the bottom. He could see light coming from some sort of opening at the bottom, supposedly leading into the facility deep in the bowels of the Down. Kenny paled at the idea of having to slide down into this abyss on a rope, much less parachute down the hole, but went along, realising there was no turning back now.
Jamie wasted no time; grabbing hold of the rope and retracting it, he secured the safety sling, which Johnson's party had fastened on the end to accommodate their own rabbit companions who couldn't climb ropes, around Speedwell, but leaving it slack enough for the buck to wriggle out without assistance as soon as he was back on firm ground. The Owsla rabbit was strangely calm as the boys swung him over the edge of the shaft in the sling, lowering him down to the HAB entrance.
Feeling the rope go slack as Speedwell found his footing on the bottom, they watched him, looking no bigger than a fly so far down, as he wormed his way out of the sling and called up to them that all was clear and to send the next one down. Marigold stepped forward next, looking a nervous wreck, but non-the-less determined. Jamie gave her a reassuring pat.
"Nothing to it, Marigold. Remember, just keep calm and don't look down; we'll do the rest." Nervously sliding into the sling, she squealed in terror as Jamie and Kenny lowered her over the edge, her heart pounding with fear of the long drop beneath her paws.
"No, please, I can't do this! I'll fall! Pull me back up!" She seemed about to struggle, which would have been a big mistake when hanging on the end of a rope in a loose sling, and Jamie had to shout to make himself heard.
"Don't move! Keep your eyes closed and don't move! You're almost there…" Unfortunately, his shouting for Marigold to get a grip on herself was a big mistake on his own part; suddenly, they were all caught off-guard by a shocked, high-pitched voice, which rang out from behind them.
"Ah-ha!"
It was Vervain, who, in contrast to his fellow officers, which had hurried to their posts when the alarm had been sounded, had remained hiding in his burrow until the danger would pass, and had heard them. Going to investigate, he had walked straight into them, ruining their opportunity of breaking in unnoticed.
"Come here, you cowardly scoundrel…!" roared Acorn, lunging for Vervain, to silence him, but the sly rabbit was too quick; in a flash he was gone, bolting up the run towards the exit, screaming at the top of his lungs for the Owsla.
"It's the Outsiders! They're here! Get back down here you fools! They've tricked you!"
Jamie cursed, "Come on, we have to keep moving. Celandine, you're next…!" But as he pulled on the rope to retract it for the next passenger, he found it was stuck; looking down, they saw Marigold was having trouble getting out of the sling, Speedwell struggling frantically to help her, and meanwhile, the Efrafans were only seconds away. He and Kenny could still switch to their backup plan and parachute down the shaft with two rabbits; only problem was, there were three of them still stuck up here.
Acorn seemed to be thinking along those same lines, as he turned urgently to the boys, "Take Hickory and Celandine and go. I'll hold them off…!" Jamie looked terrified, realising he was looking at another suicide last stand, "No, let me help you…!"
"No, you can help our friends. And if you find Hazel-rah, tell him I died defending his name and that of El-ahrairah. Now go!" Without another word, he bolted up the run to meet the Efrafan Owsla as they stormed the Honeycomb for the intruders. The sounds of fighting were heard from the main chamber, filled with Acorn's growls and grunts of pain, indicating he was fighting a losing battle. Jamie desperately wanted to rush to his aid but the sight of Hickory and Celandine being left as sitting ducks on the edge of the shaft won out.
With nothing left to lose, he and Kenny grabbed their two remaining rabbit companions and strapped them into their parachute harnesses, preparing to jump. Both rabbits looked utterly terrified at the prospect, Hickory being the worst of all, struggling to wriggle out of his harness.
"No, I can't do this! I don't want to die…!"
"Oh, do shut up!" snapped Kenny, "It's either this or those dudes will make hamburger out of you…!" His voice caught in his throat as he stared down the deep shaft, breaking into a cold sweat. What if something went wrong? What if the chute didn't open? Jamie finished tightening the straps of his own chute, Celandine strapped to his chest, and turned to his friend.
"All right mate, just remember: jump out as far away from the wall as you can and drop; then pull on the rip cord on your left shoulder harness; if the chute doesn't open, pull on the red one on the other side. I'll go first and you follow as soon as you see me reach the bottom. Clear?"
"What if…?" Kenny tried to protest but Jamie didn't wait to hear the rest of it; taking a deep breath, he burst into a run and vanished over the edge. Looking down, Kenny saw the white, mushroom-shaped chute pop open, slowing down his friend's otherwise deadly fall. At that moment, the entire Efrafan Owsla came running down the run, in attack, Vervain in the lead. With no more time to spare, Kenny also burst into a run, and in another instant, was subjected to the unpleasant sensation of falling through empty air…
The falling sensation came as quite a shock to Jamie. Although his father had instructed him on how to use the chute in an emergency, he had never actually done it in practice, and most certainly not in an underground shaft. The instructions were pretty straightforward, but Jamie still didn't know what to expect. He had heard all sorts of horrifying stories of chutes that didn't open or opened too late. What if the shaft wasn't deep enough for a safe fall? What if the chute got snagged on the walls partway down, leaving him suspended in midair?
Time seemed to flow by in slow motion; he felt the air brushing against his torso like a fan, the bottom rushing up to meet him. Then, he felt a violent tug against his shoulders as the chute deployed. The jolt was so strong, for an instant Jamie thought he was soaring upwards, but then realised he was descending, and still going too fast. His cheap parachute, which wasn't designed to take the weight of a person carrying a load –or in this case, a giant rabbit –, was barely managing to support them. Before he knew what was happening, his feet slammed down on some flattened sheets of rusted metal and h-section, which was the pancaked elevator that once travelled up and down the shaft. An open access door in the wall led into a concrete chamber, illuminated by artificial lights, clearly a man-made construction in contrast to the Honeycomb above them. His legs aching like hell, making him feel like he'd driven his leg bones up into his pelvis, he barely had time to roll aside as Ken also came crashing down on his backside, a screaming Hickory strapped to his chest.
Groaning in pain, Jamie untangled himself from his parachute and got to his feet, as Speedwell and Marigold hurried over to help them. Releasing the shaky Celandine from her harness, he turned to help a swearing Ken free Hickory, who had wet himself all over him in fear. Marigold nuzzled her mate lovingly, while Ken nursed his bruised bottom, cursing about faulty parachutes and sissy passengers.
"You all right dude?" asked Jamie, helping a moaning Ken to his feet. The younger Shelton shook his head reassuringly, "No worse than one of my dear father's beatings when he'd come home drunk and not find his dinner ready on the table – which I might demonstrate to that blasted Hickory for this mess!" he groaned, cringing at the sight of his smelly, oversized jumper, now stained with rabbit urine.
"Everybody all right? Where is Acorn?" said Speedwell, taking a head count, only to discover his missing comrade. Before Jamie could explain, they were all caught by surprise as something fell from the top of the shaft and landed at their feet. They all gasped in horror as they recognised the broken and bloodied body of Acorn, whom the Efrafans had torn to shreds, the last twitch of life crossing his disfigured face. Staring into the dimness above, they heard the sinister voice of Vervain.
"We know you're down there, outsiders! So you've finally decided to grace us with your presence. The General has been waiting for you. You might as well surrender now; there is no escape. Those who attempt to resist will suffer the same fate as your foolish friend who thought he could fight us. Make peace with Frith while you still can, outsiders!"
"Kiss my arse!" sneered Ken, trying not to sound as afraid as he felt; the sight of Acorn's butchered body had crushed their spirit real bad. Vervain was right; there was no way out of the HAB, other than back through the Honeycomb, now swarming with Efrafans. It went without saying that there was no going back the way they had come in; their only hope was to find the rest of Speedwell's group, presumably held somewhere down here and then attempt to fight their way out.
"Come on chaps, we have to keep moving," the Owsla scout said grimly, drawing their attention away from Acorn's body. Although his firm Owsla discipline – already pushed to the limit as it was – prevented him from despairing at their latest loss, his anger for the injustice of it all only fuelled him with renewed strength and determination for revenge. Acorn had been a close friend of his and, to the bottom of his heart, Speedwell swore that those brutes who had done this – particularly Vervain – would be punished. And that meant keeping the others moving, so they could accomplish their mission, as little chances as they had.
Staying alert, the group of six noiselessly made their way out of the elevator shaft and into a corridor; the HAB was a typical military-style installation, with concrete walls, covered in porcelain tilling, grillwork flooring, and heavy piping everywhere, not unlike a Cold War-era fallout shelter. A thick layer of undisturbed dust coated everything, indicating a long period of abandonment, but otherwise, the place had been preserved in near-pristine condition over the centuries.
Although some of the ancient light fixtures had power restored, indicating someone had been down here recently, the place looked utterly deserted. It seemed Speedwell's guess had been correct; the Efrafans had no guards stationed down here, which was good news for them. Keeping their eyes peeled and their ears extended, Speedwell led them to a domed atrium at the end of the corridor, which seemed to be situated in the very heart of the facility, made up of balconies and catwalks leading up onto all the different levels. He gestured at a tower-like structure in the centre of the atrium, which had some sort of control centre perched on the top.
"That's where we saw the whole story of how our world came to be, in the form of those moving and talking pictures – what was it you called it again, Jamie?" asked Speedwell, as he told them the story of how they had discovered the HAB and all the surprises this dust hole held.
"A video log," said the boy, realising his friend was referring to the facility's database, which Dr Johnson and his father must have accessed to get all this information, "Did you say your ancestors were the result of some…freak experiment?"
"Well, Alan didn't quite describe it that way, but yes," Speedwell explained, "A former colleague of his called Drake, whom he knew from his own time, was the key man behind the rise of our world. We also learned that our species were actually meant to coexist together in harmony; it seems that Woundwort's ancestor, Hemlock started a revolt against your kind long ago, destroying all chances of any peaceful coexistence, and his family continue to wage war against anyone that doesn't submit to his dark rule to this day."
"That bullying buffoon we've been hearing all about is the reason that the world has gone to the dogs?" asked Kenny incredulously, finding it hard to believe that a single rabbit had been the undoing of the entire human race, whose work still persisted by being handed it down from descendant to descendant throughout all these centuries. It just seemed a little too far fetched. Speedwell however thought otherwise as he sternly turned to Kenny.
"I'll let you know young duffer, that the reason we are now at war with Woundwort is because of Alan and McEwen's unexpected arrival. Their presence here poses a grave threat to his power, and because they're our friends and allies, he won't rest until he's killed us all and buried the truth forever…"
"And yet you still defend this ithe who is bound to lead you to the Black Rabbit of Inle by bringing Woundwort's wrath down upon you?" asked Hickory incredulously. As far as he was concerned, any logical rabbit would stay well clear of such trouble. But that was the wrong thing to say as Speedwell rounded on Hickory in anger.
"For the record chum, I'll let you know that I'd rather die defending the truth El-ahrairah – and Drake for that matter – gave their lives for, than submit to the lies and tyranny of a crack-brained slave driver! If it hadn't been for that lunatic scoundrel Robbins, we would have had an advantage over the enemy now…"
"Speaking of Robbins," said Jamie, suddenly remembering, "Where could he be? Why wasn't he up there with Vervain and the rest of his cronies? I am sure I saw him earlier…" The others seemed just as perplexed at this strange development as he, yet none of them realised they were not quite alone down here…
Meanwhile, up in the Honeycomb, the Efrafan Owsla stood staring down the shaft where the infiltrators had escaped. Although they had them trapped, none of them could climb down the rope without a human's help, and with Robbins suddenly not around, it made it impossible for them to go in pursuit of the outsiders. Campion had returned from checking on the casualties left behind by the badger.
"We drove that accursed lendri away," he said, "But we lost Thorn and Thistle; three more are also pretty bad off. The outsiders tricked us; that lendri was just a distraction…"
"They must be mad, the lot of them!" said Corporal Moss, Campion's aid, "Why would they want to risk breaking in, after we drove them out? They were free and clear…"
"Fool!" shouted Vervain, "Can't you see? They intend to free their captured friends and retake their warren…" Campion, who seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and realising they could be vulnerable now, without the whole Owsla, turned to his comrade.
"How many prisoners remain below?"
"Not many sir," said Moss, "Most were moved to Efrafa earlier this evening. However, most of the Owsla were also recalled to go along as prisoner escorts. We have barely enough rabbits left to divide into four Patrols. And for all we know, the leader ithe might still be out there with that outsider Chief Hazel-rah and Thlayli and…"
"Then the outsiders are planning a counter-attack and we are vulnerable!" screeched Vervain in alarm, "If they free their remaining friends, they could attack us full force…!" His mind suddenly jumped to Jamie's group, "We have to catch those ithe brats! They might lead us to the rest of the outsiders, once and for all! Some torture should do it…"
"Is that really necessary, Captain Vervain?" protested Coltsfoot, one of the youngest troopers, out on his first Wide Patrol, selected by Campion himself, "They are children after all…" Vervain however, always ruthless in the extreme, rounded on the young Owsla scout.
"They are just lowly filth, lower than that traitor Hyzenthlay!" he spat, "And if you, commoner, are feeling any sympathy for outsider filth, I'll be glad to recommend to the General that he cancel your Owsla admission on account of sloppiness and sympathies for the enemy…" Coltsfoot instantly fell silent; his admission into the Owsla had been a Frith-sent blessing, and the prospect of reverting back to being a commoner – or more accurately a slave – terrified him. Campion however, disgusted by Vervain's treatment of the new recruit, and having the authority to talk back, stepped in.
"That's enough Vervain!" He turned to Coltsfoot, "Lad, I realise it's hard, but those outsiders are still a threat to us and we have to respect the General's wishes. Hopefully, those boys will realise they are out of their league and cooperate without forcing us to resort to any violence…" Coltsfoot almost smiled in relief. Vervain however looked furious, green with envy and spite, at Campion always being more popular and respected than him.
"How you ever became Captain of Owsla Campion, I will never know. Debating with snivelling recruits, rather than enforcing proper discipline and obedience, among your countless other flaws." His expression darkened as he whispered in a softer voice, so the others couldn't hear, "I know you had something to do with the outsiders escaping from Efrafa in the first place. There was something between you, otherwise they wouldn't have let you walk out of their hideout alive. Prey I can never prove it to the General, or your popularity might just take a turn for the worst…"
The onlookers, who had been watching the argument, half-expected their Captain to lose his temper and strike their Head of Owslafa, but Campion merely chuckled at Vervain's exasperation, as he coolly replied, "My loyalty lies with Efrafa and its people Vervain. Maybe I am doing so much better than you simply because I am everything you are not." Several onlookers sniggered, much to Vervain's annoyance, "Now then, if you've finished acting like a spoiled, immature kitten, where is Robbins…?" The answer to that question came as they saw someone tug on the rope from below…
Jamie's group made their way through this underground maze of corridors and compartments, looking for any sign of Speedwell's captured companions, which they'd overheard Vervain say were being held somewhere down here, awaiting transport to Efrafa. Dreading the thought of how many were left by now – those already taken to Efrafa were as good as dead – they combed the place, room by room, finding nothing but dust, cobwebs and derelict equipment.
"Dad! Dr Johnson!" Jamie called, shining his flashlight into the semi-darkness, "Can anyone hear me? Hallo!"
"Nildrohein! Strawberry!" called Marigold, "Are you here?" No answer.
"This is hopeless," said Kenny, "This place is a maze; it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. It will take forever this way." They pressed on.
Crossing through another section of the facility, they came to a workshop, where they found an interesting surprise. In contrast to all the other compartments they had seen so far, which had been coated with centuries' worth of undisturbed dust, this room showed signs of being recently use.
A worktable had been wiped clean of dust and an interesting semi-complete assembly lay spread atop it; at first glance it looked like a bunch of curiously cut solar blankets lashed together with electric cables, which in turn were wired to some sort of DC/AC transformer unit and voltage adaptor, of no apparent use.
Examining the contraption more closely, Jamie realised that these solar blankets were actually solar cells; tucked beneath the foil were hundreds of tiny cells which, when exposed to the sun, produced electricity to power portable equipment during field operations. Lying in a pile beside the table were the stripped frames of the portable solar panels Robbins has cannibalised for this device. Glancing at some scrap paper that the man had been using to draw on, he saw the crude blueprint of an aircraft. Suddenly, he realised it was non other than his glider, currently sitting outside at the foot of the Down, dead as a doornail.
Studying the sketch, Jamie realised this strange assembly was meant to be wrapped around the wings and fuselage of the glider and the power unit jelly-rigged to the motor assembly, to pump some juice into the dead batteries. Robbins meant to jump-start the glider and get it airborne again! Ken, who had also been studying the diagram over his friend's shoulder, shrugged his shoulders.
"Why the heck would he want to get that thing back in the air again…?" Suddenly, the familiar cocking sound of a loaded gun made them turn round in surprise. Robbins stood there, flanked by Campion and Vervain, brandishing his revolver at the boys. Jamie and Kenny froze.
"So, we meet again young Mr McEwen," said the man in a cold voice, staring at each of the boys in turn, "My apologies for such a rude welcoming but I had hoped we would never meet again." He turned to Kenny, "And young Mr Shelton of course. I was wondering what had become of you. I hear you always were a great disappointment to your father…" Kenny glared at Robbins but said nothing, wearily glancing at the weapon clutched firmly in the man's hand, as if about to finish them both off at any second.
"What are you doing Mr Robbins?" asked Jamie, trying to keep his voice level, "Why are you with this riff-raff?"
"Silence, you little filth!" snapped Vervain angrily, "How dare a lesser being like you talk like that about your superiors…!" Robbins however ignored Vervain and explained as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"Making a brilliant fresh start with a new beginning," he said, "After your father and Johnson deprived me of my only ticket home, I have been stuck with General Woundwort, so I figured I might as well make the most of it. And currently, my new career is booming!" Behind him, Campion rolled his eyes at Robbins' ego. Hickory and Marigold shrunk back in fear, while Speedwell and Celandine glared at the Efrafans. Celandine in particular had an expression like an angry cat, as she glared back at those who had murdered her lover.
"You miserable wretches killed Ash! You hrakamarlin…!" she snarled, about to spring at Vervain, who run to hide behind Campion, who smirked at him for being scared by a mere doe. But Jamie held her back before she could strike and probably find herself on the receiving end of Robbins' revolver,
"And what exactly do you want with us?" asked Kenny, now also visibly trembling, realising this time they were in deep trouble. Campion cleared his throat.
"That, will be up for General Woundwort to decide," he said firmly, "If you come quietly, then nobody need be harmed…"
"Only so you can tell the General the whereabouts of the rest of our outsider friends," sneered Vervain maliciously, "Mind you, if you decide not to talk, we can always torture each of you in turn until you break…" But Campion clawed him over the ear to silence him, before his threats could stir up a panic among their prisoners. He turned to Jamie, speaking in a friendlier tone.
"Young one, for your friends' sake, I strongly suggest you come along quietly. You have my word that nobody will be harmed unless provoked. The least resistance is well appreciated by the General and he will hear what you have to say when he arrives tomorrow. I will see to that myself. What do you say?"
Although Jamie was sure Vervain's threats might come to pass, regardless if they cooperated or not, he realised they had no choice at this point. Robbins had them at gunpoint; even if they could somehow overpower him and the two Efrafan officers, there were still dozens of them waiting for them above ground. There was no escape. The thought of what had happened to Acorn got the better of him and he slowly raised his hands in surrender…
"Enjoy your last night outsiders! The Death Pit of Efrafa awaits you tomorrow. Well, what are you doodling about, you slut of a doe? Inside!" Vervain cuffed the staggering Celandine over the head, forcing her inside a sealed compartment along with Jamie and the others, which was to serve as their prison cell for the night. While the two rabbits guarded the door, Robbins took a moment to fleece the boys, confiscating Jamie's knife and anything else that they could use to escape, but leaving him his flashlight and his father's wallet.
Without another word, the three captors left, closing the steel door behind them. Jamie heard a deadbolt being slipped into place and the sound of their fading footsteps, as Robbins, Campion and Vervain left to report that the infiltrators had been caught and secured.
The group turned to survey their small prison; the room appeared to have been some sort of utility room, filled with different pipes and valves and control panels. There was no other apparent way out other than the locked door save for an air duct in a pipe above their heads; but the opening was fitted was a solid steel grillwork, which couldn't be opened by hand. Robbins had chosen the spot well; they weren't going anywhere, whether they liked it or not.
Misery and despair began to set in as the group contemplated their grim fate. A sobbing Marigold was huddled close to Hickory, who seemed near hysterical. Kenny was pacing nervously back and forth, like a caged animal seeking an escape route.
"I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to go to this Efrafa place," he said, nearly pulling his hair out in agony.
"Did you hear that rabbit talk?" cried Hickory, "What they do to prisoners in Efrafa? They torture them or they kill them…!"
"Shut up, you are scaring everyone!" snapped Speedwell, somehow managing to retain his calm. But Hickory didn't seem to hear him as he continued sobbing, dreading the dawn, when the Efrafans would return to get them.
"What were we thinking? We've thrown our lives away! Cowslip was right," he sobbed miserably, "Now, we'll all become slaves or they'll kill us!"
Jamie sat with Celandine, trying to offer her whatever little care he could. She, in particular, felt the worst of all; not only had she lost Ash, but now was going to give birth to kittens, which would be growing up to be slaves to the Efrafans, or minions of Woundwort. Suddenly, staring into her eyes, he gasped.
Celandine's eyes were horribly bloodshot and puffy; but it wasn't the result of her crying her heart out. Looking carefully, Jamie saw her corneas were turning glassy, as if the result of an injury or illness. Putting his hand to her forehead, he saw she was burning up with a fever. And all these symptoms looked awfully like…
"Oh gosh, not again!" he muttered, realising the awful truth that Celandine was infected with Myxomatosis, which she must have picked up from Nose-in-the-Air back at Cowslip's warren, when she had helped them tend to the sick rabbit, despite knowing she, unlike humans, was vulnerable to the disease. This explained her constantly declining health she had been experiencing all day, but had kept quiet about it. Now the disease had gained a firm hold in her system and was attacking her full-force.
Jamie fell silent, not wanting to give his already desperate companions anything more to worry about. But Speedwell, who could spot trouble faster than anybody, noticed and was on his feet in an instant. Having lost both his parents to the White Blindness back at Sandleford as a youngster, he could recognise the most feared disease known to rabbits when he saw it.
"Look out! Get away from her, all of you!" he bellowed. The others leapt to their feet in alarm and turned to look at the sick Celandine. After their previous encounter with the White Blindness at Cowslip's warren, they all realised the trouble they were in: trapped in a cell with a contagious disease-carrier, and with absolutely nowhere to run. But what did it matter anymore? If they were going to die tomorrow anyway, then why should the prospect of dying by White Blindness worry them?
"This is just wonderful," said Hickory, "If the Efrafans don't kill us, the White Blindness will. Could things get any worse?" Jamie sunk to the floor, wiping a tear from his eye. So this was the end of the road for him; to die in the hands of those savage Efrafans and that scoundrel Robbins. After coming all this way, his search for his father had been in vain; Ash, Nightshade, Hannah, Willow, Nose-in-the-Air, Snitter, Acorn, all of them had died for nothing, and now the rest of his friends would follow…all because of him.
As he lay against the wall, wondering how fate could possibly be so cruel, his eyes darted to the air vent on the ceiling; staring through the grillwork, he thought he saw a tiny figure on the other side, staring back at him through the blades. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him in his grief, he blinked several times but the figure didn't disappear, as she continued waving excitedly at him, trying to get his attention. But Jamie only continued to stare until she spoke in a familiar voice.
"Jamie, can't you see me? I am back!"
The boy's voice stuck in his throat at the voice as he leapt to his feet and hurried over to the vent. Sure enough, staring through the grillwork, he saw it was indeed Hannah, alive and well, having somehow survived the weir. Jamie's sadness instantly turned to joy; everything was still far from over for them all.
Author's note: Sorry about the delay but I have working on my other fanfics as well. Did you really think I was going to kill off such a beloved character as Hannah? Originally, I had considered bringing Snitter back as well, but then thought it would spoil the drama too much. ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW!