Inside the now flooded engineering compartment, the water had stopped rising, leaving only an air pocket no more that five feet high against the ceiling. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out, the ancient insulation not designed to keep the power going in an underwater environment. Several phosphorescent floor markers and signs still glowed beneath the rippling surface, allowing some mild visibility. Then, a sign of movement broke the stillness.
Jamie broke the surface of the water and climbed atop a catwalk, previously running at ceiling level, which was now the surface of the water, literally the floor of their new entrapment, dragging with him the semi-drowned Hannah by her tail. Laying the coughing and spluttering mouse down atop some pipes to cough up the water she had swallowed, he hurried back to help the others. For a moment he thought he and his little friend were the only ones left; but then, he saw the rest of his companions emerge from their watery graves, coughing and splattering, gasping for air.
Speedwell emerged first, swimming swiftly and confidently, dragging Marigold, who couldn't swim, by the ears, a shaken Hickory following close behind. Kenny emerged last, struggling to stay afloat, weighted down by their bag of equipment he was carrying. There was no sign of Robbins or the kittens, all of them apparently having been washed away and drowned by the surge.
It didn't take them long to realise that they were trapped; the doorway they had used to get in was now some fifty feet below water, along with any air ducts or emergency exits. Although they had finally lost their pursuers, who had undoubtedly fled to escape the water, they were not going anywhere.
Kenny lit a couple of glow sticks to penetrate the darkness that filled their watery tomb, as they settled down to catch their breath. Speedwell was checking everyone for injuries, a look of shame and outrage on his face. They all knew all too well what was bothering him; he had been responsible for Violet's kittens and now he had lost them. By surrendering them to Robbins to save the rest of them, he had, in essence, sealed their doom, letting them drown with their abductor. For the second time in his life, he had let his beloved Violet down. Although his Owsla discipline forced him to hold his grip together, the feeling of shame and of failure was killing him.
Jamie was about to try comforting his distraught friend, when suddenly Hannah shouted, "Look, there's someone else in the water!" They all turned and saw, what appeared to be, a drowned rabbit's body bobbing up in the water close to the catwalk. As Jamie shown his glow stick close to it, they realised it was Coltsfoot, Robbins' former escort. As they looked, they saw he was moving, indicating he was still alive.
The boys wasted no time; diving back into the water, they grabbed hold of the semiconscious Coltsfoot and pulled him out of the drink. Laying him down flat on the floor of the catwalk to get a better look at him, they saw that he had taken quite a beating. While they had come through more or less unharmed, Coltsfoot, who had been hit by the blast full-force, was in a bad way. Battered and bruised, his fur badly singed and scorched in places from the flash fire, looked much like a bombardment victim.
"Ken, break out the first aid kit… What the hell are you doing?!" Looking over his shoulder, he saw his friend had picked up the monkey wrench again and seemed about to strike the injured Coltsfoot where he lay. "Wait, you don't have to kill him…!"
"Why the bloody hell not?" retorted Kenny sharply, glaring at the sight of the Efrafan officer, whom his comrades had left to die without sparing him a second thought. And Kenny, still feeling vengeful for what had happened to Celandine, wanted nothing less than the pleasure of beating this scoundrel to death in retaliation. "After what he and his buddies did to us today?"
"He's right, we can't burden ourselves with prisoners," snapped Speedwell, feeling just as merciless, "We've got enough problems already…!"
"Captain Campion wouldn't have wanted us to harm him," Jamie insisted, remembering how the sympathetic Captain of Owsla had thrown away his position, maybe even his life, to save them. Although they had been helpless to protect him from Woundwort's wrath then, maybe now they could repay the favour by helping his abandoned comrade. Speedwell's expression softened somewhat, but Kenny continued to stare at the young Efrafan with distaste, yet held his tongue.
Meanwhile, Coltsfoot, whose injuries, although ugly, were mostly only superficial, was quickly regaining consciousness. Chocking up a large amount of water he had swallowed when the surge had got him, the battered Efrafan realised he was now in the hands of the outsiders.
With a gasp of fear, enhanced by the shock and pain of his injuries, Coltsfoot recoiled, thinking his captors were about to hurt him. Although he, like Campion, had never approved of Woundwort's ways, but knew better than to shut his mouth off with the likes of Vervain around, he wasn't exactly trusting of strangers either. And knowing how cruel Woundwort had been towards these outsiders, he expected nothing less than vengeful retaliation from them now.
For a few seconds, they all stared at each other, not uttering a word, before Jamie finally knelt beside Coltsfoot, trying to reason out with him, "It's all right, pal, we won't hurt you…"
"Get away from me, ithe!" screeched Coltsfoot, drawing away from Jamie's hand, as the boy reached out to inspect one of his burn wounds. Realising this was a case more within his element, Speedwell stepped in.
"Settle down, soldier!" he said, calmly but firmly, "Do as you're told and they'll be no need for violence…" Although Coltsfoot seemed to recognise Speedwell's Owsla rank, it still didn't help ease him up one bit, interpreting the Sandleford buck's words as a threat. Reminding himself that he too was also Owsla, and thus, bound by a code of honour to protect his Chief and warren to the death, Coltsfoot regained some of his bravado.
"You won't be getting any information out of me. You'll have to kill me first…" he retorted, trying not to show just how scared he was. During his harsh Owsla training, he had always been warned that the enemy would never spare someone unless it meant using him against his Chief. He half-expected this outsider Owsla veteran to order his associates to torture him or kill him, but he didn't. Instead, the second ithe rounded on him.
"Wake up, you miserable halfwit!" Kenny snapped, "We just saved your sorry arse. If we wanted you dead, we would have just let you drown. And as for wanting to pry any information out of you, I daresay it's a bit too late for that, given that your buddies have abandoned us to die down here – including you!"
"We're trapped," explained Speedwell, finally sympathising with the buck's youth. In spite of his anger towards the Efrafans, he knew this youngster was just another of Woundwort's misled, brainwashed pawns, playing Owsla, with no idea what he was really doing. Perhaps they could change that. "You might as well cooperate with us, if we're going to figure out a way out of this fix, or else you're on your own." The terrible prospect of being left trapped in this strange place, all alone, overrode his pride and Coltsfoot declared a temporary truce. But when Jamie reached out to him to treat his wounds, the young Efrafan corporal viciously clawed his hand away.
"Don't you touch me, ithe!"
"Why waste your time on this riff-raff?" interrupted Hickory, staring around their entrapment, "We're as good as doomed anyway…"
"You don't know that," said Jamie, trying to keep the peace, "Everybody, split up and look for some way out; an emergency exit, an AC vent, anything." Leaving him and Speedwell, who wanted to keep an eye on their guest until they were sure of his trustworthiness, to tend to Coltsfoot, the group split up, combing every inch of the compartment that was still above water, looking for an escape route.
Finally, with some persuasion, Coltsfoot relented and allowed Jamie to treat his wounds. There was some heavy bruising, burns, as well as some bleeding from his head wound where Robbins had hit him, but fortunately no broken bones or internal injuries. Going through the medical kit they had salvaged from the sickbay, he found several tubes of ointments, still good after all these centuries due to their high petroleum content, and rubbed them onto the heaviest of the burns. Coltsfoot cringed painfully under the boy's touch but luckily cooperated without argument, as he felt the pain begin to ease up.
"Why are you helping me?" he asked, as Jamie bandaged the head wound Robbins had given him, "I belong in the Owsla of your greatest enemy. Woundwort will stop at nothing until you're all dead or enslaved. What makes you think that I won't deliver you to my Chief at the first given opportunity?"
"Because Hazel-rah believed your people can still be saved from Woundwort's dark influence," Speedwell said, "Why do you think Campion turned traitor in our favour? He wants to bring peace to your warren, a chance for the life Frith intended for every rabbit." Although fighting the urge to retort at hearing his Chief being criticised by the enemy – a blasphemous act as far as every loyal Efrafan was concerned -, Coltsfoot couldn't help but feel somewhat intrigued.
True, before being recruited for the Owsla, to replace a dead Wide Patrol scout, he had been a slave, who lived under Woundwort's tyranny with no rights or privileges whatsoever. At the time, it had seemed that his dreams had finally come true and was determined to prove himself to his superiors. Between Campion's firm mentorship and Vervain's abuse, he had figured out that the right thing was simply to learn to follow orders without question. If Woundwort said someone was an enemy to Efrafa, then, by rule, it was his enemy too. But now, these outsiders, who owed him nothing but hate, were still helping him. Could it be that the mighty and unquestionable General Woundwort, who had knowingly, literally discarding him like he was nothing, was the one at fault?
Meanwhile, Kenny and the others had returned, bringing disappointing news. There was no other way out of here, all of the exits to the stairwell completely flooded and inaccessible. It seemed this air pocket they were trapped in was completely airtight, keeping the water from rising any higher, but also keeping them trapped down here. They were literally sealed alive in a waterlogged casket.
With nowhere to go, the group settled down, waiting for some miracle that would never come. The boys had unpacked their food rations, but hardly anyone was in the mood for eating, knowing that they only had a few more hours to live. Even now, the air was already beginning to taste bad; without some means of ventilation, carbon dioxide levels were slowly building up. Within a day or two, Jamie figured, they'd finish sucking up all the oxygen left in here and eventually asphyxiate.
Speedwell, resigned to their fate, sat chatting with Coltsfoot, telling the young Efrafan his friends' story, figuring that since they were going to die, he deserved to know the truth. Hickory and Marigold sat huddled together in silence, preferring to live out their last few hours in each other's company. Despite their grim fate, it was of some consolation that, at least, they would die free rabbits, free of Cowslip's mad control. Kenny sat with Hannah, sharing a pack of freeze-dried ice cream from their ration packs. He laughed, watching Hannah's eyes go wide with delight as she tasted the ice cream, which was unlike anything sweet or refreshing she had ever tasted before.
Jamie, meanwhile, not in the mood to socialise with anyone, had walked aside, to make a final video recording into his phone. Even if they were to suffocate to death down here, there was a good chance some other time traveller might discover this place someday and find it. With precious little battery power left, he began narrating, what he considered to be, his obituary.
"Day four – or is it five? Anyway, we attempted to infiltrate the HAB but run foul of the Efrafans. Dad and the rest of Johnson's party nowhere to be found, presumably dead. And we're soon to follow; only seven of us are still alive. Still, I suppose we have no regrets… Hold on, what's that?" Something floating in the water had caught his eye. Turning off his phone video, he bent down to fish it out of the water.
It was some soggy sheets of folded paper, its running ink marking the outlines of a schematic; he had found the diagram of the facility, which Robbins had been carrying in his pocket, hoping to find his way out right from under Woundwort's nose, but had lost it when the surge had swallowed him up. Carefully straightening it out on top of a nearby control box and patting it dry, Jamie realised he had just found the key to their escape, as he saw the outline of the escape hatch clearly marked.
Laughing triumphantly, he rushed back to his companions, giddily waving the soggy diagram like his first Playboy. After a minute of brief explanations, the group were all on their feet again, their hopes of escape renewed. Robbins may have done his damn best to kill them; but now, ironically, they would use his otherwise wasted plan of escape to make their own escape from this watery tomb.
Setting off, lighting their way with their glow sticks, they followed the catwalks around the semi-flooded engineering compartment, using the diagram to find their way. It didn't take them long to find the ladder leading up to the small hatchway in the ceiling. Resembling the hatchway through the conning tower of a submarine, and operated by a compressed air valve, this emergency exit, meant for the engineering crew in the event of a fire, was right above their heads, real as day.
"Eureka!"
Climbing up the ladder, Jamie reached for the release handle to break the airtight seal. A short hiss of compressed air was heard and the hatchway burst open. But nobody was expecting the chaos that followed next. Jamie barely had a second to catch a glimpse of the elevator shaft above, when suddenly, he felt himself almost lifted off his feet by the suction caused by a powerful updraft. Without knowing, by opening the hatch, which was vented to the non-pressurised shaft, they had compromised the air pocket.
Before they knew what was happening, the water was rising again, as the air was forced out through the open hatch, swamping them all. Within seconds, it was ankle-high and rising quickly.
"Come on, we've got to move. Everybody up!"
With Kenny helping each of their rabbit companions, who couldn't climb ladders, up through the hatch, the suction hastening their efforts, they made their way out. Just as the last of the air pocket disappeared, they were all out.
Just as it was marked on the diagram, the hatch led up into the bottom of the elevator shaft from where they had come in, all cluttered with the wreckage of the crushed elevator cab. But, unfortunately, there was nowhere to run; walls surrounded them on either side, with no sign of the escape ladder supposedly leading upwards, which had been destroyed by the falling cab. Behind them, the water came shooting out of the open hatchway like a geyser, flooding the shaft.
Jamie and Kenny grabbed hold of the hatch cover, trying to force it shut but the pressure was too great. Within seconds, the water was waist-high, turning the shaft into a swimming pool. Soon, they were all swimming for their lives, struggling to stay afloat against the furious turbulence of the churning water. Looking up, Jamie saw that they were being carried up, towards the upper levels. If they could just make it to the access door above, they could take the stairwell topside.
"Oh, Frith, what's happening?" gasped Coltsfoot, realising they were going up, "Is this our end?"
"No, we're okay," called Jamie, "Everyone keep swimming and stay close together. The water is carrying us back up!"
Soon, the water had reached Level 4. Jamie climbed onto the ledge where the elevator access was and struggled to pry open the slide doors before the entrance was underwater. They wouldn't budge. Drawing his pocketknife, he slid the blade into the crack between the doors, putting all his strength against it, struggling to pry them apart. Slowly, the doors began to creak open. Before he could force them open all the way, however, the water had risen too high, forcing him back into the shaft, before the doorway vanished beneath the surface.
All right, we'll just try at the next level…Before they could reach Level 3 however, the water suddenly stopped rising; the water had finally come level with the river at the foot of the Down outside, stopping the flooding, but leaving them floating with safety just out of reach. Frantically looking around for the rope Robbins and the Efrafans had used to scale the shaft, they saw it floating loose in the water with them, its end gnawed through, undoubtedly by the retreating Efrafans, to ensure that if any of them survived drowning, they'd be trapped down here for good.
Just great, now what do we do?
Jamie and Kenny both tried reaching up to the ledge where the access door to Level 3 was, but it was several inches too high for them. Speedwell and the others desperately tried scaling the shaft walls with their claws, but it was no use. With no stepping-stones, there was no climbing out of there. Meanwhile, Jamie could see his companions, like himself, were beginning to tire from swimming. It wouldn't be long before exhaustion overwhelmed them and they'd all drown.
As they continued staring desperately at the open access door above their heads, suddenly something caught their eye: the shadow of a rabbit walking along the corridor beyond the airlock. It seemed the Efrafans hadn't all pulled out after all. Instantly, the entire group were shouting to attract attention. It didn't matter whether it was a friend or foe; between the Efrafans and drowning, they'd choose the Efrafans.
"Help! We're down here! Is anyone up there?"
Whoever it was had apparently heard their cries as they saw the shadow reappear, approaching the open doorway. In spite of this hope of rescue, Jamie felt his heart sink; even if the Efrafans decided to help them out of there, they would inevitably be taken prisoner, like the rest of Hazel-rah's group. After everything they had gone through to escape, they would be ending up imprisoned in Efrafa, where they couldn't expect much mercy. Even Coltsfoot wouldn't be any better off when his superiors realised he had sided with the enemy. Then the figure came into view, staring down at them. But it wasn't an Efrafan at all.
"Celandine? Is that you, girl?"
Standing on the ledge above them was non other than their lost companion, whom they'd given up for dead back in the stairwell. Although noticeably still frail and weak, Celandine was finally awake, completely recovered from the Myxomatosis. It seemed that after they had left her, she had regained consciousness and made her way back upstairs after the Efrafans had gone. Jamie couldn't tell whose face bore the largest face-splitting grin, as his group realised that they were saved.
Fearing another disturbance could occur at any moment, the boys wasted no time; grabbing the length of floating rope, Jamie wrapped the end into a coil and tossed it up to Celandine. With the doe holding onto one end with her teeth, while using the protruding frame of the access door to anchor herself down, Jamie began pulling himself out of the water, reaching for the ledge. He could feel the rope going slack, as Celandine struggled frantically with her diminished strength to support his weight. But Jamie was quick; before she could drop him, his hand reached the edge of the ledge and he was able to climb out. They had made it back to the very spot where they had first come in.
Grabbing hold of the rope, he began pulling his companions out, one at a time. Soaked, panting and exhausted, Hickory, Marigold and then Hannah were soon lifted to safety, leaving only Kenny and Speedwell to pick up the rear.
"All right, mate, you're next! Come on!"
Before Speedwell could grab hold of the rope however, a new sound was heard from below; something that sounded much like a door collapsing, followed by the gargling sound of a giant bathtub plunger being pulled. Suddenly, the water in the shaft was churning again as it morphed into a massive whirlpool. The submerged access door below them, not designed to withstand such high water pressure, had burst open, so the water was rushing in to fill up the compartments beyond, creating powerful suction.
Kenny barely managed to grab hold of the rope in time, before the whirlpool could suck him under; but Speedwell wasn't so lucky. Before Kenny could grab him, the suction had pulled him into the whirlpool, sucking him under, like loose grit going down a drain hole. Speedwell struggled to swim clear of the suction but it was no use. They all watched horrified as his head went under and he was gone.
"No!"
Grabbing the rope, Jamie tossed it down the whirlpool, hoping Speedwell could grab hold and they could pull him out. But he was gone. Whether he made it to some air pocket before he ran out of breath they had no way of knowing, nor could they do anything to help him now.
The six survivors settled down to catch their breath. The unexpected reappearance of Celandine had momentarily brightened their spirits; but now, the loss of Speedwell had shattered their morale once again. Only Coltsfoot sat slightly aside from the others, his expression neutral, still unsure whether or not he had any place among this group. Turning to look at their returned companion, Jamie saw that, although bloodshed and puffy, the doe's eyes still retained full vision, and her fever had gone down, confirming the vaccine had worked. Although it would take some time until she was fully recovered, she had definitely overcome the horrible effects of the disease.
"You really are a sight for sore eyes, Celandine," said Jamie, as she and Kenny embraced, overjoyed to see each other again, the latter apologizing for being forced to leave her behind during the chase, much to Coltsfoot's amazement. "But how did you know where to find us?"
"That ithe ghost called Hal, who lives down here," explained Celandine, who had come across the facility's A.I. holographic librarian while wondering the HAB alone, looking for a way out, "I told him where we had gotten separated and he figured you might try and make your way back out through here. He also said he had seen Hazel's group pass through this place not so long ago…" The group looked at each other. They didn't know what this 'ghost' Celandine had seen down here was exactly, but it didn't matter now.
"All right, guys, we have to get moving," said Jamie, standing up, "The water might keep rising at any moment now. We have to get out of here. But first, we have to make one last stop. Come on!"
With Jamie in the lead, the group hurryingly made their way down the corridor, through the atrium and up to Level 2, to the workshop where they had seen the replacement parts Robbins had been preparing for the glider. As Jamie had expected, everything was still there, the Efrafans having had little interest in keeping components for a glider that required a human to fly it, whom they didn't have anymore.
Wasting no time, the boys gathered up the solar cell blankets, jumper cables, a spool of cord, and the jelly-rigged voltage adaptor. Grabbing an empty rucksack lying on a nearby table, they hurryingly packed up the lot, as well as Robbins' notes and drawings of how to rig this thing up to the glider, preparing to leave. Jamie however paused for a moment, rampaging through some shelves, pocketing a spool of fishing tackle, a curved strip of flexible scrap metal, a length of sturdy electric wire, the stopper from a small butterfly valve, and a thin piece of straight copper tubing.
"All right, we're out of here!"
"What do we need that stuff for?" asked Kenny, seeing his friend cram all that seemingly worthless junk in his pockets, as he helped Jamie heave the rucksack of replacement parts onto his shoulders (Kenny was carrying their gear).
"It just might come in handy," said Jamie, leading the way out of the workroom. Hurrying back through the atrium, towards the shaft, a new sound stopped them all dead in their tracks: the sound of voices! Turning, Jamie saw they were coming from the control room, where Woundwort had interrogated him only a few hours ago. He hesitated; although he knew they had to get out of here fast, before the place was completely underwater, his curiosity got the better of him.
"Come on, let's check it out."
Striding up the spiral staircase, they entered the derelict control room, crowding around the semi-stripped instrument stations. They didn't take long to pinpoint the source of the voice: one of the inoperable radio receivers at the communications station had been hotwired by Robbins, by bypassing the damaged mainframe with a laptop, allowing them to pick up any outside transmitions. They could hear a faint incoming voice over the semi-functioning radio, distorted by wild static, which sounded very familiar to Jamie. After having come all this way, he was finally hearing the voice of his father!
"…This is Major James McEwen transmitting on all frequencies. We are remaining on the air for as long as we can. I repeat, if anyone can hear us, you've got to find us! Our location is…"
Suddenly, a shower of sparks burst from a nearby circuit box, as the radio shorted out, and then the voice died away. Jamie lunged forward, desperately fiddling with the controls on the panel, yelling into the microphone, "Yes, Dad, I hear you! Can you hear me? It's me, Jamie! Dad…!" But the radio was dead.
Jamie sunk into a nearby chair, stunned. So Woundwort and Robbins had been lying; his father was still alive! Given that he was using a working radio, he, and whoever was with him, must have escaped from Efrafa and were now hiding out there somewhere, trying to attract attention from others who might have survived. How he wished that piece-of-junk radio had held on for a few more seconds, so he could have heard their location. Without knowing where to find them, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Still, just to hear his father's voice again, even for a few seconds, had completely renewed his hopes.
"Chaps, the water is coming in!"
At Coltsfoot's shouting, they all looked out through the broken observation windows of the control room and saw the water had indeed risen, gushing into the atrium through an open stairwell access nearby. It was that which had shorted out the radio at the worst possible moment. It seemed Level 4 was now completely flooded so the water was rising up onto Level 3, flooding the HAB like a bottle under a running faucet.
Wading through the swamped atrium and back down the corridor, they returned to the shaft. Even here, they could see the water was rising fast, pouring in through the elevator access. It was already up to their ankles and that this rate, this section would soon be completely underwater. They had to move! Jamie sprang into action.
As part of his plan, he took out the strip of curved metal and attached the length of wire to one end; then, bending the strip between his legs, he secured the other end of the wire, which he had fashioned into a small noose, onto the other end, improvising a bow. Then, taking the thin tube and cutting a gash lengthwise into one end using his multitool file, he stuck the stopper from the butterfly valve into it, improving an arrow. With the other end also cut into a pointed tip, and the fishing tackle threaded through a small screw hole in the middle, he stood ready to shoot.
His left hand grasping his new bow, balancing the arrow mid-section, his right hand pulling the fins of the arrowtail towards his cheek, he aimed skywards. His muscles straining to bend the tight cord far enough, his fingers in agony under the strain of the tightening bowstring, he let go; the arrow shot up the shaft, uncoiling the spool of tackle as it went, flying over the top of the ledge that led back into the warren, where it stuck tight by nailing itself into an overhead root on the burrow ceiling. Kenny and the others cheered and applauded.
Ignoring his friends' cheers, Jamie picked up the other end of the tackle and tied it securely to the end of the rope. Then he turned to Hannah, on his shoulder, muttering instructions to her. Nodding in understanding, the mouse grabbed hold of the fishing tackle, making her way up the shaft. The others stood watching her climb in silence, hoping the line would hold. But their luck held.
Soon, Hannah was topside, standing on the edge of the burrow leading back into the Honeycomb. Following the instructions her human friend was shouting up at her, she detached the tackle from the arrow and began pulling it up, while the boys below continued unwinding it from its spool. Walking over to a nearby pillar of roots, where a length of the rope the Efrafans had gnawed through was still tied, she circled round, trailing the tackle, before walking back to the shaft and lowering the end back down to her friends, improving a crude pulley. Just as they run out of line, Jamie saw the end of the tackle being lowered back down to them. Now they could pull the end of the rope up, so Hannah could secure it for them and then, they would be home-free of this death trap.
"Well done, Hannah! Come on, mate, grab hold! Pull!"
Pulling together, the boys hoisted the end of the rope attached to the tackle upwards, until Hannah was able to grab it. Heaving with all her might, she pulled it up to the pillar and tied it in a knot with its severed piece. Soon, the way up was open again.
Jamie was about to go first, but Kenny stopped him, "Wait, I'll go first on this one. It might not hold and I'm the lightest." True, as a result of his life with his stingy father, who only gave him a small portion of food at every meal, strictly forbidding him any second helpings, sometimes even denying him his meals altogether if he hadn't completed his chores satisfactorily, Kenny was much skinnier and lighter than his well-nourished friend, who had never gone hungry in his life.
"Come on, you duffers, hurry up!" screamed Hickory, trying to reassure the terrified Marigold. The water was knee-high by now and still rising. Time was running out for them fast. Not waiting for Jamie's approval, Kenny grabbed hold of the rope and began climbing.
Lacking the fitness for climbing ropes, Kenny fought tooth and nail to make it to the top, his hands blistering from the rough rope texture he was grasping. At any minute, Jamie expected the rope to come loose or his friend to lose his grip and come plummeting back down, and maybe break his neck in the fall. But Kenny, knowing that everyone's lives were up to him now, didn't screw up and was soon standing on the ledge, home-free.
Readjusting Hannah's slack, amateurish knot to something more secure, he signalled down to the others that they were good to go. Fitting the sling on the end of the rope around Celandine, Jamie gave his friend the thumbs-up. Pulling hard, Kenny pulled the doe up, who flung herself at him the instant she reached the top, nuzzling his face in affection. Hickory and Marigold followed next, this time making no scene on the way up, too eager to finally get out of this place than to care about their fear of heights. With their gear sent up as well, that finally left only Jamie.
Casting one last look at the HAB, which was the last tie with his old life, wondering if he'd ever see the interior of a man-made structure again, Jamie grabbed hold of the rope, making his way to freedom. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the shadow of a certain sinister figure, also looking for a way out, approaching from behind.
"Jamie, watch out!"
Jamie had made it about halfway to the top, when he felt someone jerk the rope beneath him. Alarmed, he looked down and saw a soaked and dishevelled Robbins also making his way up. For the second time in his life, fate had pulled Robbins out of the jaws of death. After being swallowed by the whirlpool, he had managed to make his way out of the flooded sections by swimming from air pocket to air pocket, until he had finally found another stairwell and made it back up to the upper levels, only to find the Efrafans had cut the rope, leaving him trapped. The kittens had also all miraculously survived, an air pocket inside the sack having sustained them underwater.
Thinking the flooding was detained, Robbins had gone back below, searching for something he could use to improvise another way up the shaft. Then, he had heard the water start rising again and spotted Jamie's group emerge alive from their entrapment. Realising they must have a plan up their sleeve, he had kept out of sight, watching their every move from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Realising he was in trouble, Jamie doubled his efforts as he frantically continued to climb, but Robbins, far more fit and experienced than he, could climb fast as an ape and in an instant was upon him. Jamie froze as he felt the madman's arm seize him by the neck, about to throw him off. He could hear the murderer's insane smirk in his ear.
"Leaving without me are you, you little rat? Well, think again, you foolish boy! Nobody is getting out of here but me! Nor Johnson, nor Woundwort could destroy me and you most certainly will not!"
Jamie struggled to breathe, nearly chocking under Robbins' neck lock. Any second now, he would lose his grip and plummet straight into the churning water below, to a watery grave, leaving his friends at the mercy of that murderous psychopath.
Up top, the group were staring down in horror. Their leader was in danger and they were unable to do anything to help him, other than hold onto the rope, now dangerously overloaded and likely to snap at any moment. Below, they saw Jamie losing his grip as Robbins seized him by the hair, wanting him nothing less than dead. And dead he would have been if Kenny hadn't spotted the arrow they had fired still wedged in the burrow ceiling.
Yanking it out, he grasped it between his fingers like a board dart, aiming downwards, where Jamie and Robbins were still fighting. He hesitated; he knew very well that if he missed, he could end up hitting Jamie. But then, he flung the arrow downwards. An agonising cry was heard as the sharp tip buried itself right into Robbins' left forearm – the one gripping Jamie. Finding himself free for a split second, the boy elbowed his would-be murderer hard in the groin, throwing him off-balance. Robbins lost his grip and plummeted downwards, barely managing to grab hold of the rope again partway down. He wasn't beaten yet.
Not wanting to give his pursuer a chance to catch up again, Jamie hurryingly continued his ascend, with an injured but still dangerous Robbins, the arrow still wedged in his arm, hot on his tail. His friends all grabbed hold of him and pulled him out of shaft. Looking down, they could see Robbins relentlessly gaining in on them, an insane look in his murderous eyes. But he wasn't going anywhere.
Casting Robbins a cold glare, Jamie drew his knife, bringing the open blade into full view so that the madman could see what they had in store for him. Robbins' eyes went wide, his efforts to climb out growing desperate, as he realised what Jamie meant to do.
"No, kid, wait! We can talk this out…!" he tried protesting, but Jamie wouldn't listen. This man had lied to them, manipulated them, gotten four of their friends killed, and caused them so much pain and hardship. The bastard would pay! Without hesitating, Jamie attacked the rope, cutting through the knot. Just before Robbins could make it to the top, the rope gave way. With a scream, filled with his swearing revenge, the evil mercenary plummeted back down the shaft, straight into the churning water below.
Jamie nursed his bruised neck, not feeling the least guilt at having just sent a human being to a watery grave. If anything, he felt a deep sense of pride, knowing he had punished the scoundrel who had betrayed his father and Johnson's group by selling them out to the Efrafans. Whether Robbins had died in the fall, or would be left to die a slow, lingering death down there all alone, was fine with them. Either way, they had just seen the last of him.
The survivors emerged from the Honeycomb into broad daylight. The afternoon sun shone down on their dirty, but smiling faces. It felt so good to be finally out of that underground death trap. Jamie lowered his head in silent grief, thinking of Speedwell, Acorn, Nildrohein, and the kittens. But that wasn't important anymore; right now, they had a ride to catch…if it was still there.
Staying alert for any Efrafans who might still be lurking around, the group of seven, consisting of Jamie, Kenny, Hickory, Marigold, Celandine, Hannah and Coltsfoot, made their way down the hill, towards where they had found Jamie's glider the previous night. It didn't take them long to find the disabled aircraft sitting abandoned a short distance away from the northern foot of the Down, on the edge of the meadow. The boys couldn't suppress a chuckle; it seemed the Efrafan Owsla hadn't destroyed it before pulling out.
While the rabbits, only now realising their hunger, went on a quick silflay, in preparation for a long journey, the boys unpacked the solar-cell blankets and spare parts from the machine shop and got to work. Following Robbins' notes, they 'dressed' the wings and fuselage in the solar blankets, taking great care not to obstruct any of the critical control surfaces. The chipped and smudged white paintwork had soon turned a shade of bright silver, making the glider resemble a giant tinfoil hotdog wrapper.
With the solar blankets firmly strapped in place, the boys began daisy-chaining their cell units together by joining the positive and negative cable lead-outs with ring connectors, for maximum current production. The circuit complete, they then hooked up the main positive and negative terminals, fitted with alligator clips, to a rectifier; this, in turn, was jelly-rigged to the end of the spliced voltage adaptor power inlet. This would convert the low-voltage DC current produced by the cells to a high-voltage AC, to power the glider's battery motor.
Then came the tricky part of linking up this homemade power-production assembly to the glider's motor engine, so they could test it out. They was absolutely no guarantee that this was going to work; and if something went wrong, they could very easily end up damaging the glider's electrical system beyond repair, leaving them to continue their journey on foot.
Following a crude diagram Robbins had made in his notes, they began cutting and splicing wires in the motor and battery assembly, linking up the solar cells so that they could directly power the glider, while, at the same time, keeping the batteries topped up, which could take over in the event that the external feed failed. The adaptor and trailing wires were then wrapped together in a bundle with duct tape and taped down inside the motor housing. An electrical multimeter on an extension cable, monitoring power readings, which Robbins had restored using his flashlight batteries, was taped to the sideboard of the back seat.
The repairs complete, Kenny unpacked a small plastic bag containing some safety fuses for the glider's electrical system, which Robbins had gathered by cannibalising pieces of electronic junk from around the HAB. Also uncertain if this hotwiring procedure would work on the first go, he had made sure to have several chances to get it right. Like with all aircraft, the glider's motor starter was fitted with a safety fuse, designed to burn out in the event of a power surge, protecting the motor from irreversible damage. Now that they would be running it on solar power, without knowing the precise current frequency required, they had no choice but to experiment and hope that they got it right before they run out of fuses.
"All right, mate, the show is yours," said Kenny, passing Jamie the four precious fuses they had, "Make us proud." Jamie counted the four cylindrical fuses with shaky hands; only four goes to get them out of hostile territory, or nothing, and it was all up to him now to determine that.
They all gathered round to watch what would happen. Marigold approached Jamie and nuzzled him encouragingly, "Good luck, Jamie. And don't worry. Whatever happens, we still did our best. No matter how this turns out, we'll carry on!" Jamie gave her a loving pat between the ears. Following her sister's violent execution, he figured she would never forgive him for leaving Nildrohein to her fate to save the rest of them. But now, after all the adventures they'd been through together, she had had a change of heart, having finally found the courage of taking control of her own life – all of which she owed to Jamie.
Climbing onboard the glider, Jamie seated himself in his usual seat. With Kenny monitoring the multimeter in the back, ready to make any adjustments to the adaptor if necessary, they were ready for the test run. The bag of fuses open on his lap, Jamie inserted the first one into the small, tube-shaped housing beside the starter switch on the control panel. Cranking the motor mast up and locking it in place, he flipped the master switch on and placed his thumb on the motor starter button. Taking a deep breath, he pressed it down hard.
The panel flickered for a split second as the prop gave a spin and then the fuse burst in its housing from the surge. As they had feared, the current settings were incompatible with the glider's specifications. Replacing the fuse, Jamie called out to Kenny, "Reset it to 12 volts at 40 amps."
Number one.
He hit the starter button again but got only the same result. What was wrong? Kenny did a thorough inspection of the assembly, making sure there were no crossed wires or short-circuits, carefully going over Robbins' notes again and again, in case they had missed something, but found nothing.
Number two.
Jamie sighed in desperation, weary of the low faces of his watching companions. He only had two more tries to get this going, or it was no go at all. What then? They were still deep within hostile territory and stool little chance of getting very far without a ride. Making Kenny cover up all the connections with duct tape, to insulate them, they tried yet again on an even lower current, but, like before, it didn't work.
Number three.
"Goddamn it, what's wrong with this thing?" Seizing the multimeter from Kenny, he studied the readings. The readouts looked okay, except for a small warning mark blinking on the edge of the display. After years of watching his father at work in their garage, playing with electronics, Jamie knew something more about electronic symbols than his friend did. In an instant, he realised what the problem was.
"We've got them in the wrong way, dude," he said, "All right, I need you to detach the adaptor from the motor and swap the lead wires round."
"But we've only got one shot left at this thing!" said Kenny incredulously, "What if it doesn't work…?"
"It'll work. Just do it!"
Although sceptical, Kenny complied and began rewiring the connections. Calling to his friend that he was good to go, Jamie, his hand quivering in anticipation, reached out to the start button, for a final try. Oh God, please let it work. Let it work… Shutting his eyes and holding his breath, he slammed his finger down hard on the starter. For an instant, he expected the see the sparks of the fuse bursting in its housing, but this time, it didn't.
A faint whirring sounded behind him as the motor sprang back to life, spinning irregularly. Jamie instinctively turned to the controls, monkeying about with the throttle, testing the motor's thrust. In front of him, his instruments danced, as the pilot's console slowly rose from the dead like cheap Christmas lights. Come on you bastard…
"Yes!"
Cheering and excitement broke out among the spectators as they watched the glider literally come back to life before their very eyes. After coming within an inch of being left stranded here, waiting for the Efrafans to return and pick them up, fate had granted them the last laugh after all. Now, the road was open to them.
"Come on, everybody onboard! Let's go!"
With the motor left running, to recharge the batteries, Kenny helped the rabbits into their usual seating places up on the wings. Only Coltsfoot stood aside, wondering whether this was where they parted ways. They had made it out, so their truce was over. His friends were going their own way; maybe it was time for him to return to Efrafa, where he belonged? The others, thinking along the same lines, looked at him intently.
"Well, what's it going to be, Coltsfoot? Are you coming with us or are you going back to Efrafa?"
The young Efrafan considered hard, caught in a conflict of emotions. Part of him felt that it was madness running off with these outsiders, to an uncertain future; but another part of him told him to ought to think twice before making up his mind. Returning to Efrafa would probably mean simply resuming his duties as an Owsla officer – assuming, of course, Woundwort decided he was clean, after he had made his statement. Although technically he hadn't done anything, he couldn't recall any exceptions in the stature laws about cooperating with outsiders, even in dire circumstances. No, Woundwort's law was clear; any Efrafan associating with outsiders, unless if it involved direct conflict on the battlefield, would be prosecuted for treason. That would almost certainly mean the end of his career.
Of course, he could take his chances and try and keep himself out of trouble by simply lying to the Owsla, claiming he had escaped on his own accord and that the outsiders had all perished. However, if anyone – mostly of all, Vervain – detected a slightest flaw in his story, he would lucky to get off alive. If he knew Campion was still in charge, he could have appealed to him; but his mentor was currently on his way to stand trial for treason. The fact that the two of them were friends would only raise the Council's suspicions of him even more.
On the other hand, he was presented with a rare opportunity here; an Efrafan didn't get the chance to see the world a free rabbit every day, not under Woundwort's dominating, militia law. And out there, Woundwort could never find him and prosecute him on some hearsay. And maybe this time, he could do something better with his life. He thought of Campion, whom he had always looked up to as a true leader, rather than Woundwort; he would have approved of this, betrayal or not. There was only thing for it then.
"I…I'd like to come with you. If you'll have me…" Although he had reached some understanding with them, he still didn't know whether they'd be willing to let him join them. To his utmost surprise, his new companions all smiled in approval, looking almost delighted that he had decided to accept their invitation. Coltsfoot felt his heart soar; for the first time in his life, aside from Campion, he was surrounded by companions whom he could regard as real friends. How he wished his former Captain were here to share this moment.
"Come on then, we have a long way ahead of us."
With Kenny's help, Coltsfoot climbed up onto the wing beside Celandine, where the late Lieutenant Ash once sat, and Kenny strapped him in, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder. Stowing their equipment in the back, he climbed into the back seat, and the boys closed the cockpit canopy, preparing for take-off.
Jamie completed his checklist; all his instruments were green across the board, with the exception of the busted-up radio and the missing ELT beacon. But who cared about those, when it was highly unlikely that they would be finding any use for them whatsoever? Putting on his father's flight helmet and gloves from the chopper, he pumped the throttle to full power.
The glider began taxiing along the meadow, gathering speed. Having learned a few useful tricks from his previous two solo flights, Jamie kept them running at ground level, waiting until they had gathered enough speed to compensate for their large passenger load. Eventually, feeling the aircraft begin to glide, he gently pulled back on the stick and they left the ground.
The glider soared over the trees, its solar-powered motor, now working much more efficiently than on its battery counterpart, racing on full thrust. With that enhanced power, Jamie got them up to two thousand feet, thinking of which course to set. Where do they go from here? Which was their next destination?
Circling round, he spotted the silvery outline of the new river running towards the south, possibly all the way to the coast. The sight of it gave Jamie an idea. Remembering from his father's survival training, people lost in the wilderness should find and follow a river all the way to the coast, where they stood a better chance of finding civilisation. That would be their new destination then.
Adjusting their heading, he set a steady course, following the river downstream. Below them, the now deserted warren on Watership Down slipped away in their baffles. Suddenly, something dead ahead caught his eye. The river split into two channels as they came upon a small, remote island situated right in the middle of the cliff-lined waterway. Close to one end, they could see a strange-looking crater, resembling a quarry, which Coltsfoot pointed out as Efrafa. They had found Woundwort's gloomy threshold.
Looking down into the crater, they saw there was some sort of gathering going on. Even from up there, Woundwort was clearly recognisable, standing atop a raised earthen platform at the warren's entrance. At the foot of the platform, surrounded by the Owsla, Jamie also noticed Captain Campion and some other prisoner he didn't know, facing the tyrant. There was a trial going on; Campion was being convicted for his betrayal. The other prisoner who, unbeknownst to Jamie's party, was Hyzenthlay, an Efrafan escapee and leader of a group of runaway does who had met and joined Alan Johnson's group not so long ago, recaptured at Watership Down, was also on trial for treason.
At first glance it seemed that there wasn't much they could do for them but leave them to their fate. But Jamie, remembering Campion's sacrifice to save them, was determined to repay the favour. He had an idea; it was crazy and reckless in the extreme, but at least it would mean a chance for Campion, if the Efrafan captain seized the opportunity in time. Ignoring his companions' protests not to go ahead with this, he trimmed nose down, going into a steep dive, heading straight the crater, much like a hawk closing in for an attack.
It happened very fast; one moment, the Efrafans were watching the trial proceedings, many with heavy hearts for the popular Campion, but knowing better than to show it publicly, as Woundwort announced the usual death verdict for the two prisoners. Just before the executioners could spring into action however, what looked like a hawk of blazing sunlight fell out of the sky, seemingly in attack.
Blinded by the flash, which was the sunlight reflected by the silver solar blankets wrapped around the glider, all the rabbits scattered, ducking for cover. All except Campion and Hyzenthlay, who, despite having no idea what had just happened, didn't miss the opportunity and sprang away from the confused Owsla, running for their lives. With the Owsla in hot pursuit, they barely managed to make it across the island to Buxton Hall, where, unbeknownst to Jamie, Major McEwen and the rest of Hazel-rah's group, who had managed to evade capture, were holed up, awaiting rescue.
Up in the air, Jamie brought the glider back at altitude, shaken by the stunt he had just pulled, amazed that he hadn't caused any stress damage to the aircraft. Glancing down, they saw, to their greatest satisfaction, their little trick had pulled off; Campion and his fellow prisoner had broken away from their guards and were making a run for it. But that was as much as they could do for them.
Getting them back on course, Jamie followed the river. He had no idea where it would lead them; would they eventually come down in safe territory or another enemy lair? Likewise, he had no idea how long their journey would last; would he even return to his own time or would he and his friends continue touring this future Earth for the rest of their lives? Perhaps they would, until they reached some place they could call home, or run foul of some danger beyond their capabilities and perished.
So far, they had already lost many good companions; the courageous Ash, whose widow doe would mourn him, the caring Nightshade, who had died helping his friend, the rebellious Willow, who had fallen victim to Cowslip's custodians, the loyal Snitter, who had given his life to protect his master, and the dedicated Speedwell, who had died valiantly doing his duty. But no matter what further adventures lay ahead of them, they'd brave them together all the way, as a united group of loyal friends and companions.
Activating his phone video, Jamie recorded one final message: "The search for Dad – and for safety - is still on. I don't know where we're going from here, but we'll keep going until we can't anymore. This is Jamie McEwen, on the fifth day in the new world, signing off…"
Back on Watership Down, in the bowels of the semi-flooded HAB, a soaked and worn-out Speedwell dragged himself out of the water, making his way back up the stairwell to the upper levels that were still dry. After being sucked under by the whirlpool, he had found himself swept along a water slide, along flooding corridors, until he had finally managed to find some solid footing and barely managed to make it to the stairs.
There was no point making his way back to the shaft; the silence alone confirmed that his companions, believing him to be dead, had left without him. He was now stuck down here and all alone…but not completely. Curling up to rest, he suddenly heard a familiar oily voice coming from a nearby doorway, "Misery loves company, I see…"
Turning, Speedwell saw Robbins, who had also survived the fall, holding him at gunpoint. In direct contrast to Jamie's group who had taken pity on Coltsfoot, Robbins, furious at being bested yet again, desperately wanted to kill someone, simply to burn off steam. Speedwell barely managed to duck down a nearby passage, the madman's bullet sailing over his head, missing him by inches. Robbins was tempted to chase after him, and enjoy a spot of sport killing, but he had more important things to do.
"That's right, fur ball, run! Go and say hello to your friends drowning in their cage downstairs!"
Taking his mind off Speedwell, he made his way back to the control room, to try and repair the radio. Since he couldn't get out of this hole on his own accord, he had no choice but to wait and hope for rescue. Tenderly, he placed the bag with the kittens on the chart table, beside Drake's journals. If he got out of this, he would be returning home triumphant! And help did indeed arrive the very next day. It would be from here that he would pick up Max Pete's distress signal and guide him to the HAB, to get him out.
After giving Robbins the slip, Speedwell made his way back downstairs on a new mission. Hearing Robbins' taunting words, the trooper had realised something he and his companions had forgotten all about: the prisoners that Woundwort's Owsla hadn't moved in time. Some of his friends were still down here, including Violet's kittens, whom he now knew were still alive, but in Robbins' custody.
The arrival of Alan's rescue party the next day was a Frith-sent miracle for Speedwell and his companions, who were eventually freed from their cage. Unfortunately, Speedwell was shot dead in the ensuing conflict, before he could tell anyone about Jamie. Robbins escaped but was too late to make it through the Aurora, to his home time, before it receded, sealing up the time portal forever. Stranded for good, he tried taking refuge at Cowslip's warren with Vervain, who fled Efrafa after Woundwort's downfall. But ultimately, he was hunted down and killed in a hand-to-hand combat with his nemesis, unbeknownst to anyone, taking the secrets of Drake's journals to the grave with him, leaving someone else to rediscover the secrets of the new world…
Author's note: And this is the conclusion of the in-between events that occurred in parallel with the first story. From this point onwards, we pick up after the epilogue of book 1, and shift back to the original characters. Coming up next, we pick up in 2017 London, four years after Alan's departure, introducing a couple of new characters… I suggest you go back and reread the ending chapters of the first story (which I am currently proof-reading, by the way), so you don't get confused. The next update I am afraid might take a little while, so I can proofread what I've written so far. In the meantime, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!