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Caged Rat

By XP Author

She turned down the next corner, running as fast as her legs could move, the sound of boots hitting pavement following close behind her. Her pursuers were persistent, and many in number. Teala had no idea where her companions were, as they'd split up the instant they'd been spotted. She only hoped they'd all meet back up at their rendezvous later. For now, the rodent had to lose the men chasing her. She rounded another corner, only to nearly collide into a group of people standing outside a bakery. The group stared at her for a moment, dumbstruck that someone was running full tilt down the streets. She was already scrambling to run in the opposite direction when one of them seemed to fully register what was happening and shout out. "It's a rat! Someone call the police!"

Besarta had become incredibly unwelcoming to rats in the last few years. Didn't help that the previous regime had been led by a particularly brutal rat, Supreme Leader Tarak. The civil war against him had been a long and bloody one, but he was eventually overthrown and executed. Understandably, the new government had a distinct hatred of rats, but it extended to ALL rats, not just those that followed Tarak. One of the first decrees from President Bennet, the snowy owl leader of the new government, was to order all rats to leave the planet. Unfortunately, leaving a planet was very expensive, and most couldn't afford to just uproot and leave. This led many rats, some of which were from the old regime, to start a little rebellion of their own. Despite the rebellion being quickly crushed, it led the new government to declare rats as an enemy of the state, to be captured or killed on sight.

Ten years had passed, and the people that once used to decry the unjust treatment of rats had gone quiet or been silenced. Most of the rats that could leave the planet had done so, by legitimate means, or by smuggling themselves out. Those that remained stayed in hiding as best they could, but they still needed to eat. This is where groups like Teala's came in. Small groups would sneak into cities and towns to steal as much food and supplies as they could and get out quickly. It was incredibly risky, as there was a reward for the capture of any rat found. They didn't have to be alive for the reward to be claimed.

Teala dashed around another building, then turned another corner, then another. Each time she rounded a corner, she was sure she'd collide with cops or hunters, or end up in a dead-end alleyway, and that would be that. The heavy pack on her back, full of food and bottled water, slowed her down quite a bit, but she would only drop it if she absolutely had to. The supplies she carried would keep a dozen of her people fed for a week. The buildings were a blur of burnt orange paint and plaster, the local flare of the city. She wore a full body dress with the colors of a sunrise, made of light fabric that flowed loose, with a similar hood covering her auburn hair. This, paired with her light brown fur, gave a kind of city camouflage, enough that she might not be immediately seen at a distance.

She rounded another corner and nearly fell over herself as she found the barrel of a pistol pointed directly at her forehead. Her heart skipped several beats as she stared at what she thought was the end of her life. Then time moved again, and she saw the man holding the gun was Terrance, one of her companions in this expedition. He was dressed similarly to her, standard for the group that went into the city, so she hadn't even seen him on her initial glance. He looked just as terrified as she had been when someone suddenly rounded the corner into his hiding place like she had.

Terrance lowered the gun and let out a breath he'd been holding. "Shit... Teala. I almost shot you!"

Teala found she'd also been holding her breath and forced herself to let it out. Her body trembled with the surge of adrenaline, but it was starting to taper off already. "Sorry..." The pair heard the footsteps and shouting of the men who had been following her coming down the street. The pair moved further down the alley and hide behind a large, green dumpster. The men ran passed the corner, though two stopped to take a glance down the way. Terrance readied his pistol just in case they decided to do a more thorough search. Thankfully, they decided not to and moved on to join the rest of the hunting party.

Teala let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, nearly falling over as the adrenaline finally seemed to be wearing off entirely. Her companion took her arm to steady her. She found she was breathing heavily suddenly, all the running she'd been doing catching up to her. Terrance patted her shoulder as he held her arm. "Hey. Rest for a moment. I got ya."

She smiled at him and nodded, leaning a little more against the taller man. "Yeah. Thanks." She took several deep breaths to try and steady her breathing. "Have... have you seen anyone else?"

Her friend shook his head. "No, not since we split up. Hopefully they made it out."

They stayed in the alley for several minutes, ears twitching about as they listened for the sounds of the patrols. When they decided it had been quiet enough, they both started moving again. Teala pointed the way she'd come down the street. "We should go the way I came in, since they were running the opposite way. Shouldn't be as many that-" She winced as something flew past her ear so fast it made an ear-piercing whistle that hurt her ears. She instinctively flinched away from the sound a faction of a second after it happened, as if it would somehow help dodge whatever made it long after it had passed her head. There was another sound with it, something wet and meaty. Terrance was still holding her arm, and was pulling it down to the street. She looked at him to see why and her heart again skipped a beat.

The arrow that had whizzed passed her head had pierced through his left temple, killing him instantly. His body was just hitting the street by the time she even registered that fact. His eyes stared up passed her, blankly gazing at the cloudy evening sky above the buildings, blood trailing from the wound and pooling on the ground. He finally let go of her arm, his hand falling limp on the pavement at her feet. Feet! She needed to move them! She didn't even bother to spare a glance at just what was behind her that had shot that arrow. She needed to move!

She reluctantly had to abandon her companion's corpse behind her as she started forward at a sprint. Time was barely moving, and she felt like she was running through syrup. The end of the alley looked so far away, but she had to make it. She was surprised to find she was already halfway there when her right calf exploded in pain. Something hit it hard enough that her leg kicked out in front of her, throwing her balance completely off. Her heavy pack kept her momentum moving forward, and her face collided with the pavement a moment later, her nose bursting in pain as blood splattered across the ground. She had been moving pretty fast, as she tumbled over herself, her pack rolling over her and sending her tumbling several feet. She eventually slid to a halt, laying on her side and screaming in pain. An arrow was stuck through her calf, the arrowhead pierced completely through and pointing out the other side, blood drooling around wound.

She still had to try and move. She screamed as she rolled over and tried to crawl her way out, as if somehow getting out of this alley would mean her safety. The wind left her lungs as a boot stomped onto her back, hard enough to hurt and pin her to the floor, but not so hard as to break anything. "No no, little rat. You're not going anywhere. I can't go letting my paycheck get away." The voice above her was muffled by a mask of some sort. The foot lifted off of her and shoved her side to roll her over onto her side. The pack kept her from fully laying on her back. She looked up to see someone dressed in all black leather, a mask covering his face. In his hand was a self-loading crossbow. A bounty hunter, most likely. A lot of hunters had made good money hunting down her kind.

She could tell he was smiling, despite the mask. "Two for one. Shame I couldn't take you both alive. Get more money that way." He shrugged and leaned down over her. "Oh well. Good night." He smashed the butt of his crossbow against the side of her face. Her vision filled with stars for the brief moment before the darkness of unconsciousness claimed her.

* * *

Consciousness was slow to return. Something felt off about it, too. Her head hurt, but not from the blow, it was more of an dull ache all around. Her mouth was also very dry, like someone had stuffed it with cotton. Her arms were sore... no, just her wrists... and her right leg itched something fierce. As her consciousness returned, she realized she must have been tranquilized at some point. It explained the dry mouth and the headache, but not why her leg itched. She tried to open her eyes, only to wince as they met the light. It hurt like she'd just looked into the sun.

"Easy there. Take your time." The voice was male, deep but soft. Not the usual harsh tones she was used to hearing. The local accent told her she hadn't been taken very far, and she didn't feel movement, so she wasn't in a transport. She realized her wrists hurt from shackles binding them together. She groaned and tried to open her eyes again, only to be bombarded by the light again. She tried to force her way through the pain, but had to close her eyes again. Whoever was there wasn't helping her. Or couldn't help her. She guessed a fellow prisoner by the kinder tone.

Since opening her eyes was out of the question, moving seemed like an equally bad idea. So she tried talking instead. "W-who..." She coughed at just the first word. Her voice was hoarse to her own ears.

"Hey hey, I said easy there. Slow down and let yourself come back." The voice sounded concerned for her. "They hit you with a pretty big dose of tranqs. Apparently you tried to bite one of them while you were being transported." He sounded almost amused by that. She felt a little pride that even half-conscious, she fought back.

She tried again, slower and more of a whisper this time. "Who... are you...?"

"Oh me?" He hesitated. Long enough that she felt uncomfortable by the pause. "You can call me Aaron."

She nodded, and found the motion didn't make her nearly as dizzy as she thought it would have. "Teala..." she responded.

He chuckled. "It's good to meet you, Teala." She heard movement, and then the sound of something sliding smoothly. A cup was pressed close to her lips. "Here, drink. It's water." She opened her mouth and he helped her, tilting the cup to slowly trickle the water into her mouth. It was room temperature, but tasted clean and refreshing to her parched tongue. "More?" She nodded, and he helped her to drain most of the cup.

She took several deep breaths and tried to open her eyes again, slower than before. The light still hurt, but she was able to mostly bare it now. It helped that the silhouette of this Aaron person seemed to be blocking it a little. She couldn't make out details at first, only that he was tall and muscular. A hand was placed gently on her shoulder, and she saw the fur covering it was as orange as a sunset. Rats only had browns or cream to off-white, never that kind of orange, so he wasn't one of her people. He also wasn't bound by shackles like she was. She blinked up at him several more times to try and get her eyes to focus. She finally was able to make out his face. He was a fox... and he was wearing the uniform of a police officer.

She suddenly flinched away from his touch, staring up at him with a mix of terror and hatred. He looked down at her with sad eyes. "Hey... calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."

She sneered at his calm assurance. "Right, you're just going to make sure I'm nice and comfortable until my execution!"

He sighed, his eyes looking away from her. "I..." He couldn't deny it. "Yes..."

She would have spat at him if her mouth wasn't still dry. "Then just kill me now!"

He shook his head. "No. I... I can't do that."

She laughed at him, despite her soar throat. "Oh, suddenly one of you has a heart? If you really care, you'd put a bullet in my head right now. It'll be less painful than what they'll do to me."

He winced at her harsh words. "If I could help you... I would." Something about his voice and his pained expression almost made her believe him.

Almost. "Then just go away and leave me alone." She spat the words at him. She was too tired to do more than that. She couldn't even sit up on her own, let alone scratch her leg. Damn thing still itched like the devil.

Aaron sighed and nodded, standing up and taking a step back. He motioned to a table nearby. "There's a pitcher of water on a table nearby. It's clean. Same stuff I just gave you now. Help yourself to it when you feel well enough to sit up." He stepped out of her cell and closed the door behind him. She heard the lock click in place. "Just... take it slow when you get up... They-"

"Go away!" she managed to half-shout at him. She was met with another sigh from her guard, but he did walk away. She decided to count that as some little triumph. Then she let out a tired sigh of her own. She wasn't going anywhere for a while. Might as well sleep. Maybe her head would feel better after a non-drug induced rest.

* * *

She woke again... she had no idea how much later. Her head didn't hurt nearly as much this time. There was still that damned light, but at least she could open her eyes this time. Her body felt stiff, but she found she could move her arms. The shackles had enough chain that she could get her hands apart to shoulder width. She tried sitting up, only to fall back again as dizziness took her. "Slower..." She told herself. She took several breaths and tried to sit up again, slower this time. She found a chain on the wall within arms reach, probably something they'd hook her too later, but she grabbed it for support for now. She used it to heft herself up to a sitting position fully.

She had to sit like this for a long moment, eyes closed to keep the room from spinning her back down. She took several deep breaths, each one feeling like she was sucking in a little more strength. It wasn't much, but she was feeling better. She'd definitely want some of that water to help her body flush out whatever was left of the drug they'd put in her. At least now she could finally scratch her damned leg. She reached down to finally get ride of the damned itch.

The screaming was heard down the hallway. Aaron nearly knocked over his chair as he stood up so fast. He bolted down the hallway toward the sound of the screaming woman. He entered the isolated cell room and his expression dropped. He stared at the rat in sadness. She was sitting on her cot, shrieking in horror as she stared down at the stump of her right leg, severed just above the knee and bandaged tight. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, soaking into her pretty brown fur.

Teala grabbed at where her leg should have been over and over again, as if to dispel some illusion, only to be met with the rough sheets she lay upon. She kept grabbing, not believing this reality. He opened the cell door and stepped closer to her, reaching out to touch her arm. She flinched away, taking flailing swings at him. He just took the uncoordinated blows, weak as they were against his hip. He grabbed her upper arm gently, and she struggled to get free of his hold again. He just held her gently, and her attacks gave way as she just leaned against him and wailed her sorrow.

"They took my leg!" Saying it made it real, but her wailing gave way to sobbing.

"I know... I... I tried to warn..." He just put an arm on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

She struggled again against him. "Don't touch me! You took my leg!" she said again. He knew she meant 'you' in a more general sense. The people he worked for, not him specifically. But he was all she had to be angry at.

He just repeated. "I'm sorry... You know they don't give your... they don't give rats full medical attention."

She gave his chest a solid hit with her shoulder to get him off of her. "You people are monsters!" Her sorrow was replaced by rage, and she directed her fury at him.

He backed off away from her. "I'm sorry." he repeated. "I'll leave you be. But..."

"GO AWAY!" she shouted at him, loud enough it made her voice hoarse again.

He nodded and backed away again. "I'm sorry." He repeated as he left the room. She didn't see the tears in his eyes.

* * *

Aaron came into the cell, carrying a tray of food. He opened her cell door and set it on the table near Teala's bed. "Here." It has been three days since her screaming fit. She still hadn't talked to him more than telling him to go away or grunts. At least she'd started eating. She refused to eat for the first day and a half, but her hunger got the better of her eventually. He didn't push her to open up, either, just gave her sad looks every time he came in.

She was sitting on the cot, back against the wall and staring at the ceiling. She'd changed into the bright green prison uniform he'd left her as well, made to stand out starkly against the oranges of the city buildings should a prisoner somehow escape. It was better than the tattered remains of her dress that she had been wearing. At least it gave her a little more modesty than the dress did. She'd tied the leg pant leg off below her right knee, almost as if to make sure he or anyone else couldn't help but notice the difference in lengths of her legs.

He was just turning around to leave when she caught him off guard with a question. "Why do you bother bringing me food?"

He stopped and turned around to face her again. "Because you'd starve otherwise."

She turned to look at him. She looked tired, but her brown eyes still had some vigor in them, showing she wasn't broken, despite her situation. "They're just going to kill me soon, anyway. What does it matter if I'm starving or not?"

He sighed and moved further inside the cell. He took a seat on a stool within the cell, facing her, his hands folded in his lap. "What they want and what I want aren't the same thing. I don't want to see you suffering anymore than you already have."

She shifted how she sat, hanging her leg off the cot and leaning against the wall so she faced him fully. "What do you want?"

He was taken aback by this. "What do you mean?"

Her expression was hard. "People aren't nice to rats. If people are, they're thrown into the pit with us as collaborators. So why are you being nice? What do you want?"

He shook his head. "That's... I know what the posters and the broadcasts say. But that only applies to civilians trying to keep rats out of custody." He tapped one of the bars behind him with a knuckle. "You're already in custody." He gave a goofy grin, hoping the joke would lighten her mood a little.

It didn't, as she gave him a deadpan stare. "That hasn't escaped my notice..."

He let out another sigh. "Look... I didn't sign up to be a cop to hunt down innocent people." He motioned at her. "Most of you rats, you're not guilty of anything but existing. All those that tried that coup were rounded up already." She actually knew that wasn't exactly the truth, but she wasn't going to correct him. The leader of her particular den was one of the former rebels, a man named Jippa. He'd trained the team sent on food acquisition himself. He was like an older brother to her. She had only been twelve when the capture or kill orders came ten years ago, and Jippa had taken her in when her parents were killed trying to flee the city, along with so many others.

She gave him a dubious look. "So you're the one good cop in the whole city?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not the only one. There are a lot of cops that think like I do! But we can't do anything about it. If we speak up, they'll strip our rank or throw us in prison, too."

"Or just shoot you as a traitor." She added.

He nodded. "Yeah... but it's only a few people in charge that really think that way. If-" He caught himself before he said any more."

She quirked an eyebrow. "If what?"

He shook his head. "N-no, nothing. Forget it." He stood up again. "Look, I'm not a bad guy, okay? I can't... I can't help you out of this situation, but I can at least make it less... uncomfortable." He stepped out of the cell and closed the door behind him. "I'll see you in a few hours with dinner." She didn't bother responding as he walked into the hallway.

* * *

It was dawn of the fifth day when they came. Two men, a large, black bear wearing a fancier version of the police uniform, and a bull that was so muscular that he looked ready to burst out of his clothing. They didn't say anything as they entered her cell, and the bull grabbed her shackle chain and yanked her off of the cot. She let out a yelp as she was dragged to the floor. Aaron came around the corner just as the pair was glaring down at her. "Hey, hey, she's only got one leg. She can't walk!" He quickly snapped to attention and saluted the bear. "Uh... sir!"

The bear gave a long suffering sigh. "Fine." He motioned to the bull. "Yon. Pick her up and carry her." Yon nodded and reached down to grab her arm and heft her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She felt like a sack of potatoes being carted around like this. She was carried off, the pair leaving Aaron standing in the cell saluting and looking very uncomfortable.

The journey was brief, passing through two hallways and into a new room. The padded walls gave the impression of an insane asylum, but the floor was carpeted and the ceiling was wood. Sound proofing. Teala had helped do something similar in her den, nailing old cloth to the walls to absorb sound. She was dumped unceremoniously into a hard wooden chair. The chain at her hands was hooked to the back of the chair, and pulled tight so she couldn't move.

The bear dragged a similarly uncomfortable chair over and sat down. "I'm chief Bronsen." He motioned to the bull, who stood towering over her with arms crossed. "That is Lieutenant Yon."

"And I'm President Bennet." She said snidely. Her comment was answered with the bull's fist colliding with her face, hard enough that it felt like a few teeth might have been jarred loose. Her chair tilted to the side, threatening to dump her to the floor, but the bull's hand grabbed the back and righted it.

"Sass will only get your hurt. As will lies." Bronsen didn't seem phased at all by her comment. If anything, it helped to speed along the usual introduction process. "Tell me your real name."

"Go to hell." She was struck again, this time in the gut, all the wind being knocked from her lungs in a great whoosh.

"Tell me your real name." Bronsen repeated, his tone even.

Teala coughed as she caught her breath. "I told you. I'm President Benne-" This time the blow to her head did send her crashing to the ground. She lay there laughing to herself. "Beating a defenseless woman half your size must make you feel like a big man."

Bronsen sighed and stood up. "Soften her up a little. I'm going to go get some fresh coffee." As he stepped out of the room, Yon was reaching down to grab her by her neck and lift her bodily into the air. The sound of the fist hitting her in the ribs was cut off as the door closed behind him.

* * *

Yon dumped Teala's beaten body onto the floor of her cell, slamming the door shut behind him as he walked out. She just laid there, panting and coughing every so often. She was sure one of those blows had broken a rib with how much it hurt to take a deep breath. She looked at her cot, then just laid her head back down on the floor. She didn't have the energy to try and crawl into the thing.

Aaron burst into the room after a few minutes, looking down at the crumpled form of the rat. "Gods above!" He opened the cell and stepped in, kneeling down beside her. He gingerly reached out to touch her arm. "Hey..." He pulled his hand back as she flinched. "No no! It's just me!"

She looked up at the fox, then looked away. She didn't want to see that look on his face. "Don't-" She started coughing again before she could say more.

He reached down and took her shoulder again, steadying her through her coughing fit. "Don't what?"

She tried to shrug his hand off of her shoulder, but it was a half-hearted effort at best. "Don't... help." She actually wanted to say 'don't pity me' but couldn't bring herself to say it.

He shook his head. "Tough. You're in no condition to stop me, and I'll not have you dying on my cell floor." She heard some plastic container being opened. The scent of antiseptic hit her nose a moment later. He'd brought a first-aid kit with him. "This... it'll sting." She stiffened and winced as he placed a damp swab against the cut on her cheek. It certainly did sting.

He continued cleaning her wounds, at least the ones on her face and arms. Most of the damage was to her face, at least on the outside. She counted herself lucky that neither eye was swollen shut. Or maybe not lucky, since that meant the brute was good at his job and left more to hurt later. "If... they catch you..."

He shook his head. "You're no use to them if you die on the floor, right?"

She looked up at him. "What makes you think that I'm of use to them now?"

He shrugged. "I don't, but they seem to think you are. If they didn't you wouldn't still be alive, right?" She couldn't argue the point. "What did they want?"

She closed her eyes. "I don't know yet. They just kept asking my name..." She didn't know why she was bothering to tell him this.

He stared down at her. "But... they already know your name. It's on your prisoner file and everything. Teala." She just nodded. "Did you tell them?" She shook her head no. "Why not?"

She chuckled weakly. "Because that's not how this game works, fox." She managed to suppress another coughing fit. "They ask simple questions and try to get the real information out of simple answers. Before you know it, you're spilling your guts about all kinds of secrets."

He finished applying a bandage to the abrasion just below her ear. "What kind of secre-" He then shook his head. "No, never mind. You've been asked enough questions like that." He put the contents of the med kit back into the plastic box. Without any warning, he slipped his arms under her, one under her shoulders, the other under her knee, and lifted her with a grunt. She was gently deposited onto her cot a moment later. "Up you get."

She squeaked as she was moved. She shifted her tail so she wasn't laying on it, but looked over at him with a concerned look. "You're going to get in trouble for this..."

He shrugged again, standing up. "Then I'll be in trouble. I'm not changing who I am." He took a step back away from her, smiling down at her. "You get some rest. They'll probably be back to ask you more questions sooner rather than later..." He was visibly pained when he said that, but he wasn't going to lie to her, either.

She just nodded and laid her head back against the pillow. "Yeah..." He stepped out of the cell, closing the door behind her, and turned to leave. He was just moving to the hallway when he heard her. "Thank you, Aaron." He smiled.

* * *

Over the next week, the interrogations would continue. They'd let her heal up just enough that they could beat her again without risking instantly killing her. However, it was clear they Bronsen was getting very annoyed with her refusal to answer him. She had finally given up her name, and answered the following question of where she was born, right here in the city. It had taken almost ten days to beat that much out of her. It was growing quickly apparent her will wouldn't break before Bronsen's patience.

So Bronsen changed his tactics a little. When she was dropped into the chair like usual, she expected the usual repeated, simple question. The current one was what was her mother's name. Instead, Bronsen smiled at her. "Tell me, Teala. Where is your den?"

She blinked at him. "What?"

The bear smiled at her. "Your den. The filthy hovel you rats live in. Tell me where it is."

She laughed in spite of herself. "You've got to have rocks in your head if you think I'm going to tell you that." She braced for the blow that always followed such comments.

It didn't come. Yon had pulled back as if about to hit her, but Bronsen held up a hand. "No... I think we'll do things differently today. Our little rodent friend here is clearly willing to take all the beatings you give her." He stood up and moved around to her back. "Instead, I think I'm going to offer you a way out." She didn't respond. "Good. Now I've got your attention." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, by way out, I don't mean I'm going to let you go. No, you're too smart to fall for a lie that obvious. What I mean is I will end all of your suffering quickly. Painlessly."

She scoffed. "You'll kill me quickly if I give up my friends?" She silently swore at herself after she blurted that out. It was almost as good as admitting there was a den of rats to give up.

Bronsen smiled behind her, but kept his tone even. "Something like that, yes. All you need to do is tell me where they are, and you'll be free of all this torment. No more scrounging for food, surviving on scraps. No more beatings. No more sleeping in a cold, dirty cell. Though that might actually be an improvement for your kind."

She shook her head. "And if I refuse? You'll what? Keep beating me up? Kill me in a slower way? What does it matter? I'm dead at the end of the day."

He pat her shoulder. "My dear..." He leaned in close to her ear, his hot breath puffing out against her cheek. "There are fates worse than death." Before she could respond, he demonstrated by suddenly grabbing the base of her tail and digging his claws in. With a quick swipe, he raked them down the length, opening a trio of gashes along the sensitive flesh. She let out a horrific scream, nearly falling off of the chair to squirm away from him, but the chain of her shackles kept her bound to the chair tight.

The gouges dripped blood onto the floor, her tail twitching in pain, her body trembling. "Are you going to tell me? Or do I need to make things worse?"

She grit her teeth, trying to catch her shallow breath. "Fine... you want to know where my den is?" Bronsen smiled at her. "Make sure you get a flashlight and a dozen officers. It's the only way you'll search that far up your ass!"

The bear sighed. "I see you aren't broken." He pat her cheek gently, then growled at her. "Let's fix that!" He then swiped quickly to the side, slashing open her cheek. She tasted blood as she cried out in pain once more. He was careful not to cut so deep that she couldn't speak of course.

Despite the pain, she couldn't help but laugh. "Got tired of watching your lackey have all the fun. Wanted to make yourself feel like a big man, hurting the little girl!"

Bronsen grit his teeth. "My dear, why must you insist upon playing these games!? You only hurt yourself! Just tell me what I want to know!"

She spat a gob of blood at the bear, the crimson splattering against the shiny badge on his chest. "Go to hell."

Bronsen shook his head. "I see." He grabbed her left arm at the wrist, pulling it down to lock her elbow. "Perhaps I should show you what hell is like." He slammed his other hand into her elbow, the sound of crunching bone heard only momentarily before being drowned out by her shriek of agony. The grip on her wrist didn't weaken, only twist as the bones were snapped completely, the rat writhing in the chair. Claws dug into flesh and tore through tendons and ligaments. The room smelled of blood, her blood. She heard the horrid sounds of muscle and flesh tearing and connective tissue snapping as he kept twisting.

She was suddenly fallen to her side, the chain on the shackles released from the chair. She saw through tear-filled eyes the bear holding her forearm by the wrist, no longer attached to her body, blood dripping from the jagged wound. "Your life will be a living hell before send you to your grave, RAT!" Darkness took her after that, but before she fully passed out, she was sure she heard him taking a bite out of her arm.

* * *

Pain was the first thing she was aware of when she came back to consciousness. She wished she could stay in that darkness forever. She slowly opened her eyes, that damned light still shining down at her from outside the cell. At least this time she hadn't been drugged beforehand. She stared up at the stone ceiling, not wanting to move. Not wanting to exist. Eventually, her view of the ceiling was blocked by the view of a worried looking fox.

She sighed and finally acknowledged him. "What?"

He frowned. "I said are you thirsty? I could help-"

She closed her eyes and shook her had. "Don't help me."

Aaron grit his teeth. "They went too far..." His voice was shaking. "This... this is just too much! You're still a person!"

She shook her head. "No. I'm a rat. To them I'm just a thing." She was surprised how calm she was considering her arm felt like it had been dipped in molten metal and someone forgot to take it back out. Her tail felt wrong as well, and she didn't want to know why.

The fox shook his head. "You're not just a thing!" He sighed. "I... I did what I could to help. I wrapped your arm, and bandaged your tail and face, but-"

"Kill me."

Her tone was even and calm. He didn't know how to respond. "W-what?"

"If you want to help me, then kill me. Right now. Slice my throat, snap my neck, stab me in the heart, strangle me with my bedsheets, I don't care how. Kill me." She sounded so matter of fact about it.

He shook his head. "I... I can't do that. I won't d-"

She looked at him, and despite how tired and worn she looked, there was a seriousness in her eyes. A fire that he doubted any amount of beating would ever quench. "You said you want to help me. I'm not telling them anything. Ever. They'll keep doing this to me until my body finally breaks. If you want to help, then kill me!"

He flinched away from that gaze of hers, more forceful than most he'd seen from his superiors. "I..." He bowed his head, averting his gaze from her. "I can't..."

She laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes. "Then leave me alone. Don't treat my injuries anymore. Stop bringing me food."

He reached out to touch her shoulder. "I-"

Her words stopped his movement. "Don't help me anymore. They'll just punish you for it. If you won't end it now, then don't watch anymore. It'll just... get worse."

He let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes. Without saying anything, he set the cup he'd been holding down on the table and stood up. "I'm... sorry." He closed the cell door and walked out into the hallway, head hanging as he walked away.

* * *

She couldn't sleep. Her body hurt too much. She finally got the courage to look at her arm, bandaged like her knee had been when she first got here, a stump at her elbow, covered in bloody bandage. She looked back at her tail, finding it, too, had been severed, missing the last foot and a half, the rest wrapped tight with bandages, blood soaking through where the claws had raked her flesh open.

She looked about the cell for some way to end her own life. She might have been able to make some kind of noose with her sheets if she still had both hands, but she couldn't tie a knot properly like this. She debating trying to drown herself in the water, but she'd probably just end up reflexively spitting it up as she passed out. There wasn't anything sharp enough for her to slice her own throat open, either. Maybe she could just bash her head against the wall until she gave herself brain damage.

She was still going through her options when Aaron came into the room, looking around nervously. She gave him a disapproving glare. "I told you to go aw-"

He held a hand up to his lips. "Shh." He opened her cell door and dropped a large, black bag on the ground and opened it. It was a body bag. "Get in. Quickly."

She looked at him questioningly. "What? What's going on?"

Aaron looked at her. "I'm getting you out of here. What they did to you... it's too much. No one should go through that, even if they think you're just a thing. You're a living thing!" He pointed to the bag. "Now get in. Or... do you need help?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "They'll kill you if they find out..."

He nodded. "Yeah. But it's killing me watching you go through all this, too. Now get in. And stay quiet. You're dead now."

She shook her head slowly, but wasn't about to pass this up. "You're a good man, Aaron. Too good for this world." She slipped herself out of the cot and slid down to the ground. She squirmed her way into the bag and laid down flat.

Aaron zipped the bag closed around her. "I'm sorry. This might get a little rough, so try to bare with it." She just nodded and closed her eyes.

It took a lot of effort for her to not grunt as he picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. Thankfully, not moving was the easy part. She felt the movement as he carried her off. His pace was even, not too quick to seem nervous, but not so slow that it looked like hew as being cautious with what was supposed to be a dead body. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing down as much as she could. "What are you doing, officer?" She snapped her eyes open. That was the voice of Bronsen!

"Prisoner 114876 was found dead in her cell." Aaron responded in an even, official sounding tone. "Seems she somehow managed to drown herself in her water."

Bronsen growled. "Son of a... why weren't you watching her!?" He sighed heavily. "Show me." Teala braced herself. Aaron grunted as he set her down on what felt like a table. She took a breath and held it, closing her eyes and doing her best corpse impression. The bag was opened enough to show her face. "Ugh. Disgusting creature. Why didn't you strip the uniform off of her corpse?"

Aaron faultered. "Oh... sorry, sir. I forgot. I'll do that now." He reached in and started to unbutton the uniform top.

Bronsen interrupted him. "Don't do it here, you idiot! I don't want some rat's disgusting tits flopping about on the security desk. Just make sure you strip her before you dump the body. Now get it out of here."

Aaron breathed a soft sigh of relief and saluted. "Yes, sir!" He zipped the bag closed and hefted her back over her shoulder. He carried her in silence for some time after that. She could tell he went up a flight of stairs at least three times.

"Aaron! On body duty?" Another voice, though she didn't recognize this one. Female by the sound.

"Yeah. Another rat. Offed herself in her cell." He didn't really stop walking, only slightly slow as he spoke.

"Oh? Damn, bet the boss is pissed you let that happen." She laughed then. "Oh well. One less rat, right!?" The laugh sounded nervous.

Aaron shrugged, shifting Teala a little on his shoulder. "I guess... Anyway, I gotta dump this one, then I'm off for the night." He started on again.

"We still on for the game?" She called after him.

Aaron shifted to call back. "You know it!" He was finally able to get away from his coworker and continue on. He walked in silenced for several minutes after that. Eventually, he hefted her again and set her down on the ground, more gently than he had laid her on the table earlier. The zipper pulled back and cool, night air rushed into the bag. "You okay in there?"

Teala gasped for air, not realizing just how stuffy it had gotten in the rubber bag. "Thank the gods I'm not claustrophobic!" She took a deep breath again, only to wince at the rancid smell that hit her nose. She looked around. They were outside the police compound, at the top of a slight hill. She dared to look over the edge, and wished she hadn't. It was a corpse pit, filled with the dead bodies of many rats, plus a few others. Her eyes went wide as she spotted a trio of bodies wearing the colors of her den, her fellow scavenger team. She was the only survivor of the four. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself not to shed tears for them yet. "Dammit..."

Aaron frowned. "Sorry... I figured you'd know someone in there... but I had to get you to here or someone might have noticed."

She wiggled her way out of the bag, accepting his hand up to her feet... foot. She had to lean against him. "I need to get out of here then."

"Hold on." He stopped her, then reached into the bag and pulled out a bundle of dark red cloth. "I stashed a robe in there to cover your prison uniform."

She smirked at him and took the clothing. "So that's what was bumping against my foot." She threw the robe on over the jumpsuit. It was a little uncomfortable, but at least she wouldn't look like an escaped convict now. She was about to move when she realized he was holding onto her wrist, preventing her going very far at all. She looked up at him, confused.

He just smiled. "You're not getting very far with one leg." He leaned down and took her good arm over his shoulder and let her lean against him. "I'll be your crutch. You lead on."

She shook her head. "No... if we're caught, you'll be killed!"

He laughed gently. "I'm already a traitor just for letting you escape. I'm dead either way if you're caught, and that's definitely going to happen without my help. So damned if I do, damned if I don't, right?"

She shook her head, but leaned against him more fully now. "You didn't think this very far through, did you?"

He shrugged. "Not really, but I did a little thinking. Which way?"

She pointed northward. "Get me to the north side of the city. I can meet up with someone there."

He nodded. "Alright." The two started off into the city. "So, I was thinking. If I can get you to your den, maybe I could help you guys out."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Help... how?"

He grinned. "I'm a cop! I can be your guy on the inside. Maybe set up some way to give a signal to warn if other cops are in the area before you guys do a raid." He saw her expression. "Look, I'm not the only cop that think you rats shouldn't be treated like you are. I could get with a few of the other like minded cops, set up a kind of... I dunno, network of allies?"

She shook her head slowly. "I dunno... I wouldn't be the one to talk to about that..."

He nodded. "Alright. You can pass on the option to whoever would be the person, though." He felt her tense up. "Hey, I'm not asking to go to your den or anything. Just to set up some kind of meeting later, if they want. Tell them to leave a message where I'm dropping you off or something. I'll check there after my shift every night."

She bit her lower lip a little. "I'll... pass on the message. But... I can't make a promise."

Aaron smiled. "Hey, that's good enough for me." The two continued through the darkened city streets through the night.

* * *

The pair made it to where Teala had said without any real issues. There had been one scare as a group of drunks had passed by them, one of them shouting "Go get 'em, officers!" before the group continued on their way laughing. Now Aaron was setting his companion down on the stairs of an abandoned train stop at the northern edge of the city. He sat down beside her afterwards and just looked out at the field of overgrown grass that stretched out towards the northern hills.

The silence was nice, but it was getting awkward for the fox. "So... I should go, right? I don't think your friends will come if they see you sitting with a cop..."

Teala sighed and nodded. She still held onto his arm gently. "Yeah..." She hated to admit it, but she didn't want him to go just yet. He'd been a friend during the worst part of her life, and had just saved her life. She gripped his arm a little tighter. "Thank you for everything, Aaron. I hope that our leader listens to your offer."

Aaron smiled down at her. "Yeah, me, too." He looked at the way she was holding his arm, then back at her. "I hope I can see you aga-"

A male voice interrupted him, shouting "Hands up, cop! No moves!" Five armed figures suddenly approached from out of the field in front of them, all rats, all pointing rifles at Aaron.

He shot his hands up immediately. "Don't shoot! I'm a friend!" he blurted out.

Teala held her hand out. "Don't shoot! He's a friend!" They said it almost in unison.

The group hesitated, two of them looking at each other and shrugging. "A friend? He's a cop!"

Teala shot back "He's the reason I'm still alive, Yatta!"

The group got closer, and the lead rat finally saw the state Teala was in. "By the gods above, what happened to you?"

Teala shook her head. "Not now. I'll explain to everyone later. But let him go! He's an ally."

Yatta shook his head. "Can't do that..." He aimed the gun at Aaron's head. The rat looked about ready to blow his head open. The fox looked about ready to piss himself.

Teala managed to squirm her way between the gun and the fox. "Yatta! No! I'm vouching for him personally!"

The man bared his teeth as he hissed his disapproval. Finally he lowered the weapon. "Fine. We'll let J. decide, then." He pointed to two of the members of his party. "You two, keep your aim on the cop. If he flinches, plug him."

Aaron shook his head. "I won't do anything!" he then hesitated. "Th-there's a pistol in my holster. Right hip."

Yatta cautiously reached forward and relieved Aaron of his sidearm, stashing it in his belt. "Alright. You get up and follow us. No sudden moves or your body will be found in the river tomorrow."

Aaron nodded and stood up, keeping his hands up where they could be seen clearly. Teala shook her head. "This isn't necessary, Yatta..."

The man just slipped under her arm and helped her up. "Don't care if it's necessary, I'm not trusting anyone with a badge 'les J. says otherwise. Now c'mon. Let's get you home, girly. You've gotta tell us what hell was like."

* * *

The den was an old plantation house outside of town, long abandoned by the owners after the field went sour during the civil war. Nearly one hundred rats had somehow managed to cram themselves into the place. Most of them looked young, around Teala's age or younger, with a few older here and there. Refugees one and all. And every one of them was a mix of staring at Teala with horror, and Aaron with hatred, like he'd done that to her. He kept his mouth shut as he was led inside.

He was eventually led into what was probably the sitting room of the old house, converted into what looked like some kind of intelligence center. Banks of computer screens glowed dimly along one wall, powered by a portable fusion generator humming away out back. Dangerous things that tended to blow up if not tended to, but were workhorses if properly maintained. He was sat down in an old, rickety chair against the wall, the two guards keeping a distance, but also keeping their guns on him. Teala insisted she stay for this, and was sat in a chair at the table in the center of the room.

Soon, the mysterious 'J.' entered, and Aaron got why everyone was so hesitant about even saying the man's name. "Jippa." One of the most wanted men from over a decade ago, at least locally.

Jippa smiled. "I see my legend continues." He was an older male in his late fifty's, his rich mahogany fur only accentuated by streaks of gray, giving him a refined look. His black hair was kept short in a military cut, and his piercing green eyes were still striking, an unusual color for a rat. "So, cop. Why shouldn't we just shoot you now?"

Teala spoke up. "Because he saved my life, that's why!" Aaron nodded quickly, but kept his mouth shut.

Jippa looked at Teala and then back at the fox. "Alright. Let's hear this tale of yours." Teala then told what happened to her. How the raid had gone south almost immediately upon them exiting the food storage, how a hunter had killed Terrance and captured her, how she lost her leg, the interrogations. Aaron filled in the details of bandaging her up while she was unconscious, but otherwise the angry gazes of the rats around him kept him quiet.

Teala eventually got to the point of their escape and arrival here. "Gods... I'm sorry for what you've been through, Tea." He moved around the table to give her a gentle hug. "I should never have sent you all out on that mission..."

Teala shook her head. "It needed to be done..." She sighed then. "I'm the only one that made it, though. I... saw the others in the body pit before we left."

Jippa nodded solemnly. He then stood up again and moved around to stare at Aaron. He hopped up to sit on the table, legs dangling off the edge. "Alright, cop. You got one of my den back to me alive. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and hear this offer you mentioned."

Aaron nodded. "Like I told Teala. We got out without anyone seeing us. No one knows I helped you. I could be a man on the inside for all of you."

Jippa waited, but when Aaron didn't keep talking, he waved his hand. "Elaborate."

The fox nodded. "Oh, yeah. So, there's actually quite a few cops in the city that hate the anti-rat propaganda. Brass would have us all executed if we did anything openly, but I could spread the word around to... maybe look the other way at certain times. Give all of you more of a chance to get in and out without being caught."

Jippa nodded slowly. "Really? Well, it's certainly an interesting offer." He slid back to his feet again. "How long do you think this sort of little spy network of yours would take to set up?"

Aaron shook his head. "I... I don't know. It wouldn't be quick. We'd have to be really careful so the wrong ears don't hear, y'know?"

Jippa chuckled. "Oh, we're well aware of what happens when the wrong ears hear something." Teala winced and put her good hand on what was left of her elbow. "But maybe you are what we're looking for here." He waved a hand at the two on either side of Aaron, and they finally lowered their guns. "We'll have to set up a drop point for messages of course. Can't go just meeting with you out in broad daylight, now can we?"

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief, finally relaxing a little. "Y-yeah, that makes sense. Maybe set up a couple and rotate them? That way it's harder to discover."

Jippa smirked and pat the fox's arm roughly. "Ha! Now you're thinking like a rebel! Good call!" He walked around the table again, leaning against it. "We'll start working on setting everything up. Will you be missed until morning?"

Aaron shook his head. "No. I'm off duty for the next two days, now that my... uh... 'prisoner' has 'died' on me."

Jippa scoffed, but nodded. "Good. Can't promise much of a bed, but you can sleep here for the night then. We'll get you back to the city limits by tomorrow."

Teala smiled and offered a hand to Aaron. He gladly helped her to standing, and let her lean on him again. "I'll show him where he can stay for the night." she said. Jippa quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged and just waved them off. Teala nodded forward. "C'mon. My bunk is in the barn."

Aaron blushed, looking at her surprised. "Y-your bunk!?"

Teala laughed. "Of course. I have to sleep somewhere. You're more than welcome to bunk there, too." She nudged his shoulder with her face gently. "Or with me, if you want..."

Aaron cleared his throat. "I... uh... I mean... I'd... love to, but... You're..."

Teala laughed again. "I'm kidding, foxy." She then said in a low tone. "For now, at least..." He couldn't help but blush more as he helped her toward the barn.

* * *

Aaron's eyes opened. He didn't know exactly what time it was, but judging by how dark it was outside the windows in the barn, it was just before dawn. He sat up in the bunk he'd been given. It was a little too small for someone of his size, but he'd made do. The barn was full of bunks, each filled with a rat, sometimes two, sleeping away peacefully. He looked to his left, seeing Teala sleeping soundly for the first time in... well, since he'd ever met her. Nearly a month now? Hard to imagine he'd been watching her for so many weeks. She'd ditched the prison uniform, the garish green thing in a pile in the corner of the barn. However, she was still wearing the red travel robe he'd given her. He couldn't help but smile at that.

He was wearing only his trousers and a dark red undershirt, his police coat draped off the side of his cot. He decided to leave it there. He gingerly stepped out of the barn into the cool early morning. He made his way to the main house quietly, careful not to make too much noise. The last thing he needed right now was a jumpy guard taking a pot shot at him. He managed to slip into the house and towards the back room.

He just made his way into the kitchen when a voice nearly had him jumping out of his pelt. "Early riser?"

Aaron turned to see Jippa standing in the corner, holding a steaming mug of coffee. "Hah. Yeah... old habit, y'know?" He cleared his throat and nodded at the mug. "Is that fresh coffee?"

Jippa smirked. "That it is." He motioned to the fresh pot beside him. "Mugs are in the cabinet above. Take your pick." Aaron nodded, fetching a mug and pouring himself some of the coffee. He blew across the surface before sipping at it. "Black, eh? Man after my own heart there."

Aaron nodded, then closed his eyes. "Look, I'm really... I don't have the words for how sorry I am that... that people like my fellow cops have treated you all so..."

Jippa held up his hand. "Stow it, blue boy. We don't need your pity." He took a sip from his coffee. "We'll definitely take your help, though. Got most of the plans all laid out and ready. We can go over it once the sun is awake."

Aaron smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds grea-"

The conversation was interrupted as an explosion ripped the back of the building apart. The force knocked the pair off their feet, splintered wood and chipped stone raining down to cover them. Aaron instinctively covered Jippa as the rubble fella round them. The sound of fires filled the area, followed very shortly by screams and cries, mostly afraid children, but a few were pained. Aaron realized he was laying across Jippa and rolled off of him to let the man up.

Jippa looked at the fox with fury. "What the fuck happened, cop!?"

Aaron shook his head, holding his hands up. "I don't know!"

Jippa growled and shoved the fox to the side and took a glance out where the explosion came from. The fusion generator had detonated. They kept a close eye on that, and it was running fine, so it wasn't supposed to happen. He got his answer as to how a moment later as no less than twenty cops emerged from the morning mist. A familiar voice boomed out at the building, broadcast from a portable speaker. "This is Police Chief Bronsen. All rats, come out with your hands up! Do not resist and you will be safely deported. Resist, and we will respond with lethal force. You have one minute to comply! This is your only warning!"

Aaron swore. "Son of a bitch! He knew!" Jippa glared at the fox. "Fucking prick knew the whole time!"

Jippa grabbed the fox's collar. "I swear to all that dares listen, if you had something to do with th-"

Aaron shoved the man off of him. "We don't have time for this game! There's children in the barn! Get everyone that can move out of here! I'll... I don't know, I'll go stall them somehow."

Jippa hissed but nodded. "Fine. Try not to get yourself killed."

Aaron took a breath as Jippa bolted off into the building to warn everyone. "Thirty Seconds!" came Bronsen's voice.

Aaron stepped out of the building and onto the grass, his hands up, wishing he'd kept his uniform top for this. Maybe having the badge would help here. "Officer Aaron Ulthorn! I have this situation under control, sir! The only ones here are children and their caregivers!"

He heard the response as an order. "Kill that traitor!" The badge would not have helped.

Aaron swore and made a break for the barn. Gun fire trailed behind him, kicking up dirt and clumps of grass in his wake. He thanked whatever star was shining on him as he barreled into the relative safety of the barn, falling face first onto the hay-covered floor and kicking the door shut behind him. Bullets impacted the thick wood with loud thumps, splintering it, but none penetrated for now. Thank the gods for governmental budgets. Cops had low caliber bullets in all their low velocity guns, since they were cheaper. Just as deadly against flesh and blood, but crap against anything solid.

Aaron pushed himself to his feet, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a dozen guns. One was held by Teala. "Explain quickly." Her face was fury incarnate, her voice dripping anger, her gaze lethal.

Aaron blurted out as fast as he could. "That fucking asshole, Bronsen. He knew you weren't dead! He fucking knew what was happening! He set us up!" he stopped then swore. "The damned prison uniform! That's why he didn't want me to strip you right there! He put a fucking tracker in it!"

Teala hissed, but lowered her gun. The others followed suit... mostly. "Fine. But you're helping us get out of this mess."

Aaron laughed. "Did you miss my entry fanfare? They want me as dead as the rest of you. I'm in this to the end whether you want me or not!"

Teala did manage a smirk, then started issuing orders. "Alright. I want everyone with a gun to get to the nearest entry point and guard it. Anyone in blue tries to come into this building, put a bullet in their head. Or a dozen, if you want!" She looked at Aaron, "Not going to be a problem, is it?"

Aaron shook his head. "No. I'll never wear blue again." He then looked around for a moment, before turning back to Teala. "Um... if I'm going to help, I'll need-" He was nearly hit in the face with a rifle. "Yeah... one of these."

Bronsen's voice came booming across the field again. "Time is up, rats! Open fire!" The signal was likely meant for his own men, but it was the main building that erupted in gunfire first, a hail of bullets spraying out at the lined up officers. Nearly half of them were shredded to bits before they even got the chance to return fire.

Aaron laughed. "Take that, assholes!" He glanced back at everyone in the barn. So many kids looked back at him, all of them terrified. "Dammit, we need to get these kids out of here."

Teala nodded. "Yeah... but."

Aaron pointed at three of the adults aiming guns out the window. "You three. Round up all these kids and start getting them to the trees. Go in groups of..." he did a quick headcount. "uh... 8 each guardian." He was met with confused and blank stares. "What are you waiting for, a written invitation? Get out of here!"

One of the adults bared his teeth. "We don't take orders from you co-"

"Shut the fuck up and listen to the man!" Teala shouted at him. "Get your asses out of here and get those kids to safety!"

There wasn't much more argument after that. Aaron looked to his wounded friend. "Thanks."

Outside, the cops had finally started returning fire on the main house. The sun was starting to come up over the trees, bathing the ground in almost as much red as the bodies of the cops outside. And then Aaron's own blood ran cold as he saw a silhouette in the distance. "You've got to be shitting me..." The single silhouette split into multiples.

Coming slowly trundling over the horizon was a group of military class APCs, heavily armored, all baring the orange star crest of Besarta's military. The ramps dropped onto the grass, and a stream of armored soldiers started pouring out of the transports. Aaron looked at Teala. "We have trouble...."

The soldiers outside set up with military efficiency, and started opening fire with far better guns than standard cops. Then Aaron swore again. "Get down!" Rockets shot at the main house, all aimed perfectly to obliterate the top floor, sending wood splintering outwards in a burst of fire and shrapnel. Another salvo ripped into the next floor down, taking half the building in a fireball that would have been impressive if it didn't also signify the instantaneous death of so many rats.

A moment later, several of the surviving rats came pouring out of the backside of the building, laying suppressing fire as they dashed across the field towards the barn. They were likely headed to the relative safety of the treeline beyond. Aaron held a hand out to Teala. "C'mon, cute stuff. Seems like it's our time to leave." Teala quirked an eyebrow at the cute comment, but didn't say anything about it. She just accepted his hand up, and squeaked as he practically flung her over his shoulder to carry her.

The doors burst open a moment later, Jippa and several other rats looking singed but otherwise unharmed, though very pissed off. "Where-"

Aaron pointed to the woods. "I sent them with three armed guardians into the woods over there. If we hurry we might catch... are you fucking kidding me!?"

Everyone turned to see a trio of VTOLs streak overhead and start a hover pattern over the barn. "Get in here and get down!" Aaron grabbed Jippa and hauled the man into the barn, diving for cover with him and Teala just as the VTOLs' vulcan cannons opened up. It sounded like a swarm of extremely angry wasps. Several swarms of wasps that could explode wood into splinters around them. Aaron expected to be split into pieces any second.

That didn't happen. Other than the main doors, which had been turned to mulch, the bar hadn't bit touched. The rats inside the barn tentatively looked out, only for their collective hearts to sink. The target had been the treeline. Splintered logs were falling about all over from the barrage, following the exact line that Aaron had sent the children. "No..." his voice sounded so small to his ears, only partially due to the ringing in them.

Aaron dropped his gun to the ground and slumped back against the upturned cot behind him, looking defeated. "I... I led them all here... I..."

Teala slapped him across the face. "Shut up, foxy! You didn't do this!"

Jippa rounded on her this time. "Yes he did! If he hadn't-"

Teala rounded back on her mentor. "You shut up, too! Do you see those military out there? They had this planned! They were going to storm through everything sooner or later anyway!"

"Would have been later, but he helped make it sooner." The calm, even voice of Bronsen came from the door. A half dozen guns pointed at the bear. "I would drop those if I were you." Arrayed behind him was a squad of military, all aiming inside at the remaining rats. "I gave you a chance before to surrender peacefully. Drop the guns now, or you'll be cut down where you cower." A half dozen rifles clattered to the ground. "Smart choice."

Aaron was suddenly on his feet, an arm around Jippa's neck. He grabbed the pistol from Jippa's belt and pointed it at the rat's head. "Sir! Officer Aaron Ulthorn! I said I had this under control, sir!"

Jippa choked out. "The fuck!?"

Teala just stared up at the fox. "What the f-"

Aaron looked down at the rat. "Sorry, cute stuff. Wish it could have worked out differently."

Bronsen laughed at the situation. "Ha! I guess you did. Well, is this your way of asking that your traitorous actions be ignored?"

Aaron smiled at the man. "Not quite, sir. I just want to be remembered for doing the right thing one last time." He threw Jippa to the side and aimed the pistol at Bronson. The back of the bear's head exploded in a spray of brain matter and bone. Aaron dropped the gun almost as soon as he'd pulled the trigger. 'At least I got that bastard that tortured such a cute girl.' he thought. He didn't try to dodge or move, just closed his eyes, waiting for the hail of bullets to tear into him. 'Just when I finally find a girl I could really fall for...'

He was already dead by the time his body hit the floor. He never got to see Teala laying against him, wailing at his death.

* * *

The whole city was out for the event. The assholes did love a good execution, didn't they. Sick bastards. The platform in the center of town had been prepped the night before. Hundreds of beings were gathered around, cheering and jeering as the eleven remaining rats from the den were brought up onto the stage. Each had been stripped of their clothing, standing stark naked for all to see. Teala was held by a guard to keep from falling over.

One puffed up looking "For crimes against the government, murder of police officers, and theft of goods belonging to civilians, we, the people of the Beserta United Confederation, sentence you rebels to death!" The crowd erupted into cheers again, along with shouts to get on with killing those dirty rats, and other such insults.

Jippa was first, being the leader. He was brought forward and shoved over a wooden block. The official said one final thing. "May the gods punish you for your wickedness!"

Jippa scoffed. "Fuck y-" The axe came down with a heavy thud. His head rolled forward into a waiting basket. His body jerked and twitched, falling to the side as blood spurted from his severed neck. A guard shoved his body off the stage onto the ground. His head was removed and held high for all to see. The crowd loved this display. They loved even more when the head was rammed onto a waiting wooden spike, piercing straight up through his forehead.

Teala didn't even have tears to shed anymore. She just stared ahead, not really seeing anything anymore, only waiting for her turn. Naturally, the last for the execution were the women. There were only three, and she was the most damaged of the bunch. Which meant she was the last. They probably thought they were granting her some kind of mercy. The first woman onto the block was already in hysterics, bawling her eyes out and begging for her life. "NO PLE-" her last words were cut off with her head. Her body twitched and shook as it slumped over. Like all the other bodies, it was shoved into the crowd. Unlike most of the males, her body was dragged into the crowd. Teala was sure it was already being used to pleasure some horny men that couldn't help themselves. Her head was speared with the rest, frozen in a look of horror and pain. At least until the crows picked the flesh clean.

The second woman was more composed. She was still crying, but she didn't sob or beg for her life. Her head came off like all the others, her body slumping to the side, only to be kicked off the stage and disappear into the crowd. Teala wondered if anyone would even be interested in a body as horribly damaged as hers. She knew one person that had been, but he had been left in that barn when the soldiers had torched it. He'd be as burnt as all the rats he'd tried to help. She didn't want to know who else would want her body anymore.

She was aided to the block and bent over it. She stared into the basket, covered in the blood of her friends. She closed her eyes and waited. She just wanted it all to finally end. Ten years she'd been struggling. Over a month of constant pain. She just wanted it to-

THUNK

* *End* *