Bunny Apocalypse: The Novel?!
A thread for planning.
Date: December 28, 2011
Categories: Hot-Pink Bunnies, Ideas, Nonrandom Craziness, The Musiverse
Comments RSS TrackBack 47 comments
-
1
Rosebud2
in December 28th, 2011 @ 20:55Yay! Thank you very much, GAPAs!
In response to AL on BA:R: Hrm, I didn’t think about that. I’m not sure, but it seems like we wouldn’t need permission, considering that the GAPAs are able to sell HPB t-shirts on Musery Loves Company. Or did they get Muse’s permission for that?
0
0
-
1.1
Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)
in December 28th, 2011 @ 21:17We got permission.
0
0
-
2
Cat's Meow
in December 28th, 2011 @ 21:13I haven’t participated in the BA sagas at all, but you guys might want to consider that problems like copyrights are problems that can be worked out later on. I think it would be best to start by compiling, editing, and reworking the story and then cross those other bridges when you come to them. I’m a veteran of an editing-RRR-into-book project earlier in the blog’s history, and we found that the hardest part was really the editing itself! The BA story probably has a better chance of being told in book form if you start thinking about who is going to do all of that work, and how, instead of concerning yourselves with writing your own publishing contracts up front. I for one will be very excited to read what you come up with!
0
0
-
3
Rosebud2
in December 29th, 2011 @ 10:45You’re right, Meow. Let’s save the publishing-related hullabaloo for if and when we’ve got a completed novel in our hands.
So, what are we going to do for the plot? I wasn’t in any of the old bunny roleplays, so I don’t really know much… I did read the first 20 pages of the edited BA, though. There were some good ideas, but the edit is a bit hard to follow. It all goes really, really fast, which is understandable for an RPG. Are there any old BA hands around who have some favorite plot arcs they’d like to see? I mean, we’d probably change it around a lot, but it would be nice to have some starting point.
Or we could basically just make something up from scratch. What do you think, Rainbow? (This was your idea, after all.)
Like I was saying on BA:R, won’t we need to figure out the “canon” of the story? There seems to be a lot of confusion, especially regarding the HPBs’ appearance. Â Â Â
0
0
-
4
Agent Lightning
in December 29th, 2011 @ 11:25So. I guess we should try to piece together some sort of a basic plot to start with? For continuity?
0
0
-
4.1
Rosebud2
in December 29th, 2011 @ 12:02Eeyup. One thing I think we should include is the Resistance’s relations with the Nicegoodus bunnies. They could work together really well as allies, but they’re so different that getting along might be hard. I don’t know if this was touched upon in the RP, but it seems like it could be worked into the story quite well.
0
0
-
4.1.1
Kittymine, OSW
in January 1st, 2012 @ 06:43Note: I don’t think nicegoodius showed up until TNG. I’ll double check.
0
0
-
5
Shadowkat
in December 29th, 2011 @ 15:18Hey, ya’ll! Sooo…I’m kinda jumping in, here, but I think establishing characters first might be a good plan, so we know what we’re working with. It seems to me that working the plot around the characters would make the characters more believable, rather than the other way around.
I really hope that made sense, lol.
0
0
-
6
Castle
in December 29th, 2011 @ 15:44Is there a way for me to join in this bunny madness? It seems interesting.
0
0
-
6.1
Agent Lightning
in December 29th, 2011 @ 15:55Oh, most definitely. Go to the Bunny Apocalypse Rebooted thread and create a character for yourself and join the Resistance in the RPG, and/or help us plan BA: The Novel here.
0
0
-
7
Agent Lightning
in December 29th, 2011 @ 15:53No, it does make sense. Groundhog, IBCF, ZVX, TGYPWYA, Kokonilly, Aggie, Kittymine, Zinc, Avalon, Alice were basically what we established as being the ten “main characters” from TOS, which we were going to combine with TNG and Reboot to form the novel. I’m not sure who would be main characters from TNG- Kittymine’s characters, definitely.
The rest (read: less active) would be minor characters.
0
0
-
8
Rosebud2
in December 29th, 2011 @ 16:39Yes, we definitely need to flesh out the characters more. There appears to have been pretty much no pre-planning for the original RP, so we can’t just track down the profiles…
Also, it seems like ten TOS characters plus an unspecified number of TNG/R characters is kind of a lot. Maybe we need to choose a group of “main-main characters”?
0
0
-
8.1
Agent Lightning
in December 30th, 2011 @ 13:38I was thinking the same thing. But who?
0
0
-
9
Kittymine, OSW, with various characters on BA
in January 1st, 2012 @ 05:33I have a few points:
1) We have a definite beginning to the whole saga – Groundhog’s Prologue, which essentially explains how this whole fight came about story wise. IBCF also made a note way back when on Of with their Heads about how the HPBS originated magazine wise, which we may want to include as a preface to the entire novel, just as background info for the readers.
2) In terms of plots, I would definitely like to read the entirety of the original BA again and write down the best plots we had there. I’ll then post them and we can see what we want to use. Or at least consult the Edit. I would then do the same thing for TNG.
3) Aggie’s video, posted on TNG part 3, is a very good indicator for the fighters of TOS.
4) I would also agree (not in a vain way) that my characters from TNG would be main because of how central they were to the plot (i.e. Kitty ended the story).
5) Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the idea of BA:R was to be like TOS only with narrative style RPing, which would make BA:R something of an extention of TOS. It’s like adding more new plots to TOS. Therefore novel speaking, how would we differentiate TOS and BA:R? Many main characters are identical.
6) Bunny Melee was the precursor to TOS. I don’t really know how much we can glean from the Meelee, because that really was random craziness. It did have some good catchphrases though.
0
0
-
10
Kittymine, OSW, with various characters on BA
in January 1st, 2012 @ 05:50((SFTDP))
Here’s the History and Groundhog’s Speech:At first, everyone had thought that the Hot-Pink Bunnies were mere mutants of the lagomorph family. Cute, harmless, and would probably die out within a few generations, due to their eye-catching fur that would be bound to attract predators.
We couldn’t have been more wrong.
Within a few months, it became clear that the Hot-Pink Bunnies were far more than they appeared. Not only could they detach their heads from their bodies and float in the air like hovercrafts, they were also able to bend other animals and even humans to their will through hypnosis. Efforts to eradicate this dangerous species merely led to their continued evolution, which granted them sentience and the power to not only hypnotize, but also to zombify others. By this point, they had abandoned their attempts to control other animals, and shifted to controlling humans exclusively. The worst power that they developed, however, was bunnification, which allowed them to inject hot-pink pigment into a victim and thereby assimilate bunny dogma into the victim’s brain. (Complete bunnification requires surgery, to modify the victim’s body to look more like that of abunny. Partial bunnification merely involves the injection of hot pink pigment.) Other varieties of HPBs developed soon after, such as the Helibunny, which is able to use its ears as a propellor, and the Fire-Breathing Bunny, which breathes fire. A rare hybrid of the two, nicknamed the Dragonbunny, also exists.
The HPBs were slowly taking control of humans, but we were able to keep them mostly in check due to their methods of simply running wild and hypnotizing/zombifying/bunnifying people at random. We had also developed bunnyproof suits and BunnyBlasters, which gave us a small advantage. We were able to secure all of the victims in an asylum, and it seemed that we might actually defeat the HPBs once and for all.
Then disaster struck.
The HPBs managed to hypnotize several world leaders, who immediately allowed the bunnies into their countries and allowed them to bunnify or zombify their citizens. Suddenly, the bunnies’ numbers multiplied by ten, allowing them to overrun the rest of the world. Some humans went into hiding to avoid being bunnified. Others actively fought the bunnies, despite the overwhelming odds. After a few months of guerrilla warfare, the Resistance, as they called themselves, found themselves facing the entire forces of the HPB army…Year: 2008
A group of human fighters wearing battered bunnyproof suits stood in the middle of what was once the city of Chicago. Surrounding them were hordes of hot pink bunnies, who were all grinning maniacally at the prospect of bunnifying the group. Their leader, a bunny called William, surveyed the scene from his hovering position in the air. One of the humans, who was called Groundhog, turned to address her friends.
“People of MB, of the Kokonspiracy, I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.” she said, waving her lightsaber. “A day may come when the courage of Musers fail, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of Muserdom. But it is not this day. An hour of HPBs and shattered minds, when the age of Musing come crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Musiverse, I bid you stand, People of MB!” she shouted. The other humans cheered in response, drew their weapons, and fought harder than they ever had before.
0
0
-
10.1
Rosebud2
in January 1st, 2012 @ 10:21Yeah, we need to include some explanation as to what’s going on at the beginning, definitely. This introduction’s good, but it just feels slightly… exposition-y. I think that maybe we should frame it as a new recruit getting filled in on the details, or a handbook for new recruits, or something like that.
0
0
-
10.1.1
Agent Lightning
in January 1st, 2012 @ 10:33A handbook for new recruits sounds nifty, but did the Resistance ever have handbooks?
I’d be glad to be ‘the new recruit’, but I didn’t really join until the very end of TNG, so I couldn’t really.
0
0
-
10.1.1.1
Rosebud2
in January 1st, 2012 @ 15:59Well, we could easily add in a handbook, right? And I don’t think we’d need to name the new recruit.
0
0
-
10.1.1.2
Zinc
in January 1st, 2012 @ 19:04Maybe in the very early days, when there were more resources and less need for secrecy.
I imagine the RPed story as the win-or-die last sequences of the war, advantage: rabbit.
0
0
-
10.1.1.2.1
Kittymine, OSW
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 05:08We do have a handbook. ZVX mentioned it in TNG, when we had finished rescuing the parents and were inducting new recruits. Something or other about, “If you mess up big time you are liable to die.”
0
0
-
10.1.1.2.1.1
Agent Lightning
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 08:49Okay! I’m assuming this is a handbook which has been referenced and not actually made, in which case I’d love to help make it if I get the time.
0
0
-
11
Kittymine, OSW
in January 1st, 2012 @ 06:42Summary of Part 1:
•Prologue: History and Groundhog’s Speech
•Opening Battle of Las Vegas: We lose, safe havens fall, are driven underground, Alice is captured.
-Dragonbunny discovered
-HQ is relocated from Sierra to the BART System in San Francisco. No more said about that end.
•Prisoner Exchange, Black Bunny unleashed (hypnotized Alice is a red herring).
-TGYPWYA and Avalon captured when havens fell; Avalon Bunnified, debunnified by Groundhog.
-Denver relocated to Marianas Trench
-Alice Escapes
-Major fighting in front of Lab, lots of injuries, fighting in the lab
•Plan to retreat from current Lab in Las Vagas to Marianas TrenchActive Characters (in order of activeness): IBCF, POSOC, Groundhog, Alice, ZVX, TGYPWYA, Hypatia, Turquiose, Bookworm, AvalonGirl, TMFA, Kittymine, Pillsbury DoughGirl.
0
0
-
12
Zinc
in January 1st, 2012 @ 18:45Hello!
A while back, as you might know, Armada and Groundhog edited the original BA. I have a copy (some reason I’m credited for it, even though I didn’t do a thing).
Armada said she sent it to the GAPAs, but that was back in September when I received it. I don’t know. If you guys want, one of us could send it to the GAPAs for you to see.
(Main character? Aww. Flattered. Just please let me clean myself up. Please. I don’t like looking at that. I was 11. I was a bad, bad writer. Don’t keep BA!Zinc the way she is. She’s awful, and a secondary main character.)
I would say ZVX and Aggie are main characters as well. And Groundhog.
I think that combining some off-and-on active characters’ roles would be good. For example, Hypatia definitely dropped off, so what if we just took Armada, who came in late and made them one character? Have Hypada from the beginning to the end!
0
0
-
12.1
Rosebud2
in January 1st, 2012 @ 20:32The GAPAs posted a link to a Google Doc of it a while ago.
0
0
-
12.2
Agent Lightning
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 08:33Sounds good, as long as Armada is okay with it.
Should somebody post a Google Docs link to it on this thread? I’ve been looking for it (I know it was on one of the very last comments of a Random Thread, but I can’t remember exactly which one) but can’t find it.
0
0
-
12.2.1
Rosebud2
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 19:13
0
0
-
13
Rainbow*Storm
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 01:42Possible main-main characters: IBCF, Groundhog, ZVX, Kittymine, TGYPWYA, Zinc? I do agree about them needing fleshed-out personalities, though. Hm. This might be difficult since they’re based off real MBers.
0
0
-
13.1
Agent Lightning
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 08:31Yes, we should most definitely flesh out personalities.
0
0
-
13.2
Zinc
in January 5th, 2012 @ 03:45Oh, I know all about that.
The most important thing to this is making sure that we make them characters. It’s an RPG, mind you- role playing game. A role. In my opinion it’s fine to make them more differentiated and more fleshed-out characters as long as we keep the original personality in mind.
(Angsty backstories are always fun)
0
0
-
14
Kittymine, OSW
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 05:11Zinc – I definitely agree with the Hypatia/Armada character.
Speaking of the Edit, I’m reading it right now (Groundhog emailed it to me). Perhaps I could work on doing a second Edit of it as part of the novel creating process.
Also, is it even possible to make one novel that encopasses TOS and TNG? After all, TNG has a new slew of characters and loses some of the characters of TOS. Perhaps two books would be logical.
0
0
-
14.1
Agent Lightning
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 08:36Yeah, two books seems like a better idea. Bunny Apocalypse and then Bunny Apocalypse: The Next Generation, I guess. But Reboot would be combined with TOS, right? Seeing as it’s the same thing, just different characters.
0
0
-
15
Agent Lightning
in January 2nd, 2012 @ 08:37By the way, I’m just clarifying that I’ve decided to cut out my TNG character completely: she was a Sue, we have enough characters already, and I only joined around the very end.
0
0
-
16
Kokonilly
in January 3rd, 2012 @ 21:58For some reason, I find this incredibly hilarious. I’m done with BA, but I wish you guys good luck. I would also love to read the novel when you’re done.
And possible main character, Agent Lightning? You flatter me.
0
0
-
16.1
Agent Lightning
in January 4th, 2012 @ 18:12Thanks, but I was only reposting what somebody off the BA Reboot thread listed.
0
0
-
17
Zinc
in January 5th, 2012 @ 03:48Feh. I didn’t really like TNG. It was a massive pileup of confusion.
A vote against TNG has entered the fray.
Perhaps different books for different arcs? There are definite ones.
0
0
-
17.1
Kittymine, OSW, with various characters on BA
in January 5th, 2012 @ 04:43Like a series…sounds good. That would require isolating the arcs. It would also help with the myriad of characters, some of whom only showed up later and would therefore be missing in previous arcs. If its a series it is reasonable that some characters are only present in some and not others.
0
0
-
17.1.1
Rosebud2
in January 5th, 2012 @ 19:24If we’re going to do arcs as separate books, should we start with the first arc? That’d be the one where Alice is taken captive by the bunnies.
0
0
-
17.2
Rosebud2
in January 5th, 2012 @ 19:22I also vote against TNG.
0
0
-
17.3
bookgirl_me
in January 11th, 2012 @ 15:12I vote against TNG as well. I know, it’s the only one I participated in even then. I suppose if we re-wrote it entirely… nah. Let’s stick to TOS.
0
0
-
18
agrrrfishi
in January 5th, 2012 @ 06:27Oooh, this looks good. I will be watching to see when I can read.
0
0
-
19
Kittymine, OSW
in January 11th, 2012 @ 10:39I got a copy of the Edit from Groundhog and I am currently working on editing it per thread and then fusing it back together again. The edit was divided into two halves, so that could likely remain as well. I’m just trying to reorganize, condense, and reconfigure the Edit so that it reads more like a novel.
This will obviously take time. I’ll post Part 1 when I’m finished with it.
0
0
-
19.1
Zinc
in January 11th, 2012 @ 12:04Thank you Kittymine!
0
0
-
20
Kittymine, OSW
in March 13th, 2012 @ 06:31Okay, since it has been two months since I posted here, I should really give an explanation/update.
When I posted on January 11th, I got right to work on dividing things up, editing, etc. I almost completed round 1 of editing Thread 1 when I realized that I really did not have time for this. That is, I technically had the time, but I should really spend it concentrating on school. I’m in Israel for a “gap year” between HS and college. Especially since going to Israel is majorly expensive, in no way did I want to waste any money on the part of my parents.
So I stopped editing.
My plan is to take it up again over the summer, once I get back to the States. I hope that I have not crushed any hopes in the meanwhile. I am still committed to creating a book, but focusing on this year had to come first.
I hope you all understand.
Love,
Kittymine
0
0
-
21
Kittymine, OSW
in July 15th, 2012 @ 20:47I am taking it up again!!! Not tonight, because it is past my bedtime (I lifeguard, I need sleep), but I plan to get right to writing when I get back from work tomorrow.
0
0
-
22
Kittymine, OSW
in July 16th, 2012 @ 20:15Okay, since I don’t want to keep you all in suspense forever, here is what I have edited so far. NOTE: This is only part of Thread #1.
Have I ever mentioned that this is a momentous project? Warning – another long post. Second of the day. Also, I haven’t put in chapters yet.PART 1
Sierra HQ near Reno
Dr. Canix was at his desk, looking through some paperwork and hoping that today was going to be a bit more restful than yesterday. Actually, the day had been pretty good so far. None of the Resistance bases had been attacked, nobody had been killed, and–
His phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open.
“Dr.Canix, you’re needed in the lab.”
“On my way, Wyatt. What’ve you got for me?”
“I’m not sure, sir, but I think it’s Bunnius aerialis. The ball-and-socket joint at the base of the ear, the rigid cartilage, the powerful cranial muscle… â€
“So why are you unsure? It seems to have all the hallmarks of a standard aerialis.â€
“It breathes fire.â€
Dr. Canix paused and shook his head, swallowing hard. “What?â€
“It breathes fire, sir. Burned Grayson badly before the patrol brought it down.â€
Canix paused again, the momentous implications of the statement striking him. He had always thought the rumors about the new aerialis/draconis hybrids were hoaxes or exaggerations, but if they were founded on fact…
He took a deep breath, then spoke again. “Keep it confined, Wyatt, and don’t depigmentize it until I give the word. This is monumental. I want you to notify Groundhog, Earl Gray, Fiona O’Connell- every bunny researcher within range of our transmitter. They have got to know about this.â€Reno, Nevada
Hypatia screamed.
The helibunnies were swooping down on her small search party in great numbers. They had appeared from nowhere, and had taken the party completely by surprise. Hypatia could see people– the leader of their expedition, Derek; her friend Anna– being shot with blasters, or whatever the bunny equivalent was, and falling, bleeding––bleeding way too much to live. This was enough to shock her into action.
“Scatter and get to the base through whatever tunnel is possible!†she yelled with all the strength she could muster. “Try to get them off your scent so we don’t reveal our hiding place!†Praying that she would be listened to or that a better plan would be devised, she followed her own advice and ran madly away from the hot pink bunnies. As she sprinted, she let fly a couple of shots from her blaster. Fighting and planning really weren’t her strong points and she noticed that the shots flew far off their marks.
Still shooting at her pursuers, Hypatia dashed through the dense undergrowth that covered the base’s makeshift battlefield. Briars tore at her hands and she nearly stumbled over ivy leaves several times. The pain was almost intolerable and had it not been for her dread of bunnification, she most certainly would have given up hope. Vaguely, she considered the fate of the others. She was almost certain that she had heard IBCF yelling something about retreat, though in the general tumult of the battle, all specific instructions had receded to indistinct noise.
Hypatia realized that her pursuers, incapable of deftly navigating the flora, had dropped behind. She judged it an expedient moment to dive into one of the tunnels that opened into an underground Resistance hideout and cover the hole with what sticks and leaves were needed to camouflage it.
Meanwhile, Alice crouched in the bushes, clutching her blaster with sweaty fingers. “I’m not here, I’m not here,†she chanted in her head, but she knew as surely as she lived, that they knew she was there.
IBCF made sure everyone alive was accounted for before he sprinted into the tunnel. There was a deafening explosion as the entrance collapsed just behind him. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the light of day flickered out. Then all was still.
He turned on a flashlight, noting that it was from the kit that Groundhog had told him was pointless to carry around. He’d have to tell her when they all got back. If they got back, that is.
“Come on, guys, we have to keep moving. It’s not safe here, not anymore.†IBCF shined the flashlight around, taking in how many people had serious wounds. It wasn’t until they had all begun to move down the tunnel that IBCF noticed he had a mildly deep cut on his own leg. It was also at about that time that he began to feel it.
“Owww! Is there a doctor in the house?â€Sierra HQ
On his way to the lab, Dr. Canix passed through the situation room. General Valentine was there, with a huddled group of officers around him, listening to battle reports from the frontier. He overheard a bit of the conversation as he passed through.
“…large group of Resistance fighters routed, retreating in our direction, approx. 50 miles away. At least three battalions are in pursuit, mainly zombies and demibunnies with platoon of full bunnies, possible 29th or 28th Ear Lancers, under command of Magentaral William. Supporting squadrons of helibunnies are tracking west… â€
Canix whisked through the room and plunged on through the antiseptic white corridors of the scientific-medical wing, into room 49, where Wyatt was waiting with the specimen. Wyatt, a pale, thin young man, stood at a console elevated several feet above the floor. The room was mainly occupied by a hexagonal chamber of transparent carbon composite, currently filled with roiling white steam.
Wyatt turned and nodded to Canix. “I’ve had the sedative mist going for the past five minutes. This should keep her out of it for two hours at least.â€
“Good. That should be enough to conduct a preliminary examination. Siphon off the mist, and we’ll go in.â€
Wyatt flicked a lever on the console, and the humming of the blowers changed timbre. The mist vanished into vents in the floor, revealing the creature imprisoned within.
The bunny was completely unconscious, ears rigid and standing up straight, back to back, in the manner of the common aerialis when at rest. Its ghostly white eyes were shut tightly.
Dr. Canix noted its various characteristics. The rotor ears, the pale coloration, the streamlined ovoid shape––all were hallmarks of an undistinguished helibunny. However, the pink fur darkened to a fiery, deep magenta around the whitish lips, and hardened into horny scale-like protrusions. A trail of smoke drifted from the corner of the mouth.
“Anything unusual about the circumstances of the capture?†he asked Wyatt.
“As a matter of fact, yes. She was wearing this.†Wyatt pulled on long rubber gloves and reached into a sealed container near the wall.
“Wearing?†Canix inquired. “But HPBs have never really gone in for clothes, have they?â€
“Not clothing. Armor.†Wyatt pulled out a metal object that resembled a medieval helmet. It was designed to fit snugly around a near-spherical head, with substantial holes to allow the ears freedom of movement. Engraved upon its dully shining surface were weird hieroglyphs unlike anything Dr. Canix ever seen.
Wyatt indicated two oval pieces of metal with leather straps trailing from their sides, resting inside the container. “Those were fastened to the ears. Their edges are jagged and razor sharp. I presume, sir, that you can imagine the sort of damage a bunny flying with that sort of armament could cause. It’s like having a circular saw strapped to your head.â€
Canix grimaced. “Did you call the researchers?â€
“I called O’Connell, left a message with Groundhog. Couldn’t get through to Gray––â€
That was bad news. The last anyone heard of Gray, he’d been holed up in Glasgow. If Glasgow had fallen, that meant one of humanity’s last footholds in Europe had gone down. “What did O’Connell say?â€
Wyatt didn’t need to say more. Canix knew the implications. If she left her hiding place, the bunnies would descend on her like a pack of critics on a B-movie. That left them with Groundhog. He hoped she was still alive and in a condition to meet them.The Tunnels
As IBCF, Hypatia, and the others walked down the tunnel, IBCF limping exaggeratedly and being scolded by Hypatia, they were relieved to see TMFA melt out of the shadows of an adjacent tunnel and join them.
“IBCF, Hypatia, good to see you. IBCF, what do we need to do for that leg? A GashGuard?â€
IBCF nodded. TMFA opened the first aid kit he had with him and applied one.
“Now then, let’s go,†he said cheerfully.
The group hurried down the tunnel, driven by the sounds that echoed from the cave entrance. The bunnies would not be stopped by dirt and stone; they would dig until they broke through to the tunnel. It was probably a good idea not to be there when they succeeded.
“Who’s missing?†Hypatia asked, breaking the silence.
“We’re missing Eli, Matt, Ken, Anna, and Derek.†IBCF replied. “I saw Ken get bunnified–†he shuddered– “and Matt was killed by an explosion. If the others are alive or not, there’s nothing we can do for them here. We have to report back to Sierra.â€
After traveling about a mile in the dark tunnels, IBCF called a halt. He placed his hand on the left wall and walked about 15 feet, then felt a spot that looked like rock to everyone else in the group but apparently felt different than the rest of the tunnel. It was a curtain disguised a wall. IBCF moved the curtain aside and stepped into another tunnel.
Hypatia counted their group as they walked through the curtain. They were little more than a pack of desperate humans, doomed to failure. Their discovery was imminent. They had embarked on a desperate quest to postpone it. Sad, really. She was shaken out of her gloomy reverie when she noticed that IBCF’s tally of all missing was incomplete.
“Where’s Alice?†she asked.
IBCF stopped in his tracks. “Alice! Where is she? Have you seen her, anyone?â€
Nobody knew.
TMFA shook his head sadly. “There’s still hope. I thought I saw her leave before the battle ended. She may have escaped.†He inwardly hoped this was true, but he doubted it. Bunnies were ruthless and methodical. They would search the battlefield until they found every single human, and they seldom took prisoners.
TMFA looked around at everyone’s stricken faces. “I’m going to call the base. They might have news about Alice or the bunnies.†He pulled a radio out of his pocket and switched it on.
“Hello, General Valentine. We have left Reno, or what remains at least. I have to say, before you get mad at us for losing, There were helibunnies.â€
“So?†asked Valentine. “You are trained to attack and depigmentize all bunnies!â€
“These also breathe fire.â€
“WHAT!?!?â€
“I feel that we need to see Dr. Canix.â€
“Fine,†grumbled Valentine. “You know where to find a telephone.â€Sierra HQ
Dr. Canix’s phone suddenly rang again. He sighed, and answered. “Dr. Canix, Laboratory. Hang up unless it’s important.â€
“It is. We’ve seen helibunnies breathing fire.â€
“Oh, glad to hear you’re still alive, TMFA. About the helibunnies––so have I. Come down to the Laboratory and you’ll see what I mean. We’ll discuss this further. I’d appreciate the input of someone who’s seen these things in combat.â€
“What? You’ve seen fire-breathing helibunnies?†broke in IBCF. “This is a breakthrough! Show me!â€
“All right. Come down to the lab. I’ll meet you there.â€
“Sure. We’ll be right there.” IBCF hung up and turned to the rest of the group. “Okay, people. New scientific discovery. Let’s go see.”Reno, Nevada
Alice had not escaped. As a matter of fact, at the moment TMFA hung up, she was within seconds of being discovered by a band of bunnies, and as the little band hoped for her safety, the bushes were pushed back and a band of hot pink bunnies smirked through at her. She shot her blaster left and right, but there were too many of the bunnies, and soon her ammunition was exhausted. They bore down on her like a freight train, and she was overwhelmed. She felt a hot finger of flame on her hand, and she screamed.
Then everything went black.
At the blocked tunnel entrance, all was quiet for a few minutes. Then the surrounding woods suddenly exploded with bunnies. One, a large one with what seemed to wear a crown of some kind, screamed at the others, “DIG, YOU SLUGS! DIG! WE’LL SHOVEL THEM OUT OF THEIR RAT HOLE!â€
A smaller bunny with black strips of fabric on its ears walked up to the large bunny and bowed. “Oh great Commander William, we have taken a human prisoner. She was from the group that escaped into the tunnel.â€
“Good work…it looks like we won’t have to dig the humans out now. Bring her to me!†said the larger bunny William.
“Yes, sir!â€
Alice regained consciousness with a shock a few hours later, and found herself standing, bound hand and feet and with twenty HPBs at her back, in front of an especially large, formidable-looking HPB wearing even more armor than the others.
“Human, we will not hurt you, we will not bunnify you, as long as you do what we say,” the giant bunny said.
Alice shuddered. “What…†she faltered. “What do you want me to do?â€
“You must participate in a video. Let your fellow humans know that you are captured and need their help immediately. Tell them there is no hope in a rescue attempt, and if they surrender now you will not be subject to bunnification.”
Alice hesitated. She felt the bunnies’ eyes boring into her, and knew that if she refused, she wouldn’t last for two seconds. She swallowed hard.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll do it.â€
“A wise decision, human. You are smarter than the last one who refused to cooperate.” The large bunny grinned evilly. “PROCEED!”
“Yes, Commander!” The smaller bunny saluted, then held up a camera for Alice. “Speak now, human.”
“My dear, dear, friends,†began Alice. “I have been taken hostage. Don’t –” She winced as one of the spears pricked her back. “I mean, I need your help desperately. Don’t bother trying to me rescue me, though, you’ll never make it. If you surrender, they won’t bunnify me. Help.â€
She took a deep breath and leaned in closer to the camera. Her wits were befuddled with fear and a mixture of desire to live and loyalty to her friends and cause, and she had hoped that she might somehow give the others a sign – a sign to do what, she had no idea.
But this time the spear did not just prick her. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground, clutching her wound. It was not bad, a large but not life-threatening cut, but by the gods, did it hurt!
The large bunny grinned. “A taste of what would have have come of you hadn’t cooperated.”
Alice groaned and curled herself into a tighter ball.Sierra HQ
IBCF and the rest of the group reached the base in ten minutes or so, and found Dr. Canix waiting for them. They followed him down a few corridors, and soon arrived at the base’s laboratory. Canix gestured toward the cage that the ‘new scientific discovery’ was being held in.
“This is the hybrid. She’s still unconscious, and will hopefully remain so for another hour. Wyatt and I will depigmentize her in a few minutes. We’ll have to inject pigment 24 Indigo to suppress the fire-breathing reflex. First, though, we have to get some DNA––find out as much about these things as we can. Now– what have you observed about the hybrids’ tactics in battle? Their flight formations, any special abilities? Tell me anything you think might be useful.”
“Their battle tactics…†pondered IBCF. “Well, they often come from straight from above in large waves, and breathe their fire down on us. We don’t even see them coming. Then they swoop back up just before they hit the ground, but not before they use their spinning ears to cut through anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path. I myself was hurt this way.” IBCF winced at the pain in his leg. “They seem to have some sort of armor on their ear tips, too.”
“They’re horrific. They’re demonic. They’re infernal,” Hypatia put in.
“Yeah. Right. Forgot about that,” IBCF said, rolling his eyes.
Groundhog sat at her desk in her lab, working feverishly. The hybrid HPBs seemed to be able to cut straight through the original bunnyproof suit, and furthermore did not react to the depigmentizer darts. As the inventor of the original suit, she had volunteered to design a new one to defend against the hybrids.
The noise of the door opening made her jump. Despite the fact that the lab’s location was secret, and that the lab itself was fortified with titanium, Groundhog couldn’t suppress some nervousness that the bunnies were going to discover and break into the lab. She whipped around, only to discover that it was just Dr. Canix and IBCF, who were carrying…
…An unconscious hybrid HPB??? She leapt out of her seat and ran over to them as fast as was humanly possible.
“Guys!†she exclaimed. “Is that what I think it is? Because if it is, I’ll need the body after it gets depigmentized–I need to analyze its armor and weaponry. †At that point, she realized that she hadn’t exactly greeted them, and that IBCF appeared to have an injured leg.
“Are you all right? Apart from your leg, IBCF, I can tell that’s injured without any help.†She reached into her backpack and pulled out her first aid kit. “I’m not a medical doctor, I’m an inventor, but this should help until you can get to the hospital.†She pulled a bottle of disinfectant, some gauze pads and a rolled up bandage out of the box. “Dab the disinfectant onto the wound, then attach a clean pad over it with the bandage.â€
Groundhog then turned towards Dr. Canix. “Sorry I couldn’t reply to your messages. My phone’s encoding module broke some weeks ago, so I couldn’t reply without the bunnies picking up the transmission and hearing it. So, what’s happening on the battlefront?â€
“Thank you, Groundhog,” IBCF said, taking the medical supplies. “The bunnies routed us and chased us back to the cave. The last I heard of them, they were digging up the cave entrance. Do you think they’ll find us here?â€
TMFA walked into Groundhog’s lab in time to catch the end of Groundhog’s sentence.
“I doubt it IBCF. We’re moving!â€
“Moving?â€
“Yeah! Valentine is moving the complex over to ‘Frisco.â€
“Frisco? That place is a bunny nest! What’s Valentine thinking?†Dr. Canix gasped. Then it hit him. “Oh. The BART system. Of course. The bunnies sealed off the tunnels when they took over, so we should be able to remain undetected.â€
He turned to his companions. “Groundhog, Wyatt, I’ll need your help transporting this thing. Let’s put it in the portable cage.â€
“Hang on – what’s the BART system?†asked TMFA.
“The BART system is Bay Area Rapid Transport, the San Francisco Bay subway system,†replied Canix. “When they zombified the population of San Francisco, the bunnies sealed off the BART stations, but there’s still a few places where we can get in.â€
Dr. Canix’s phone beeped. Again. It was becoming a symbol of bad news, apparently. He flipped it open, and his expression changed to one of horror.
“Look at this video. They’ve got Alice.†There was a general gasp of horror and a clamor to look at the screen. Canix took a deep breath, his mind racing. Some of these people were Alice’s good friends. They’d try to make the group surrender, and he couldn’t allow that. The cause of the Resistance was greater than the life of a single person. But would it be necessary to leave Alice to her fate? An idea hit him like a thunderbolt. He turned to the surrounding company and indicated the caged hybrid.
“Two words: hostage exchange.â€
Groundhog stared at him. “Um, I hate to be a wet blanket, but are the bunnies going to go for an exchange? They have millions of bunnified slaves, is one bunny, even a hybrid one, going to matter to them? And if we give this bunny back, then we’ll never get to discover its secrets.â€
Seeing Alice on the verge of bunnification was very disconcerting for Hypatia, to say the least. Actually, it was downright unbearable. She did think Canix’s idea of a hostage exchange sounded like a good one, but that was assuming was possible to conduct an exchange with a bunch of loony hot-pink serial killers, which seemed unlikely.
“You’re right,†said IBCF, making Hypatia wonder if he was telepathic. “But there’s really nothing else we can do. We’ll have to try it.â€
“We are awaiting your answer, humans,” said the bunny on the screen. “Surrender, or we will torture and bunnify the hostage.â€
Groundhog sighed. “This is definitely our only chance to save Alice,†she said. “I just wish I could analyze…wait a minute!†she exclaimed. “That’s it! If we make the bunnies think that we can unlock all of their secrets by analyzing this bunny, then they will agree to an exchange!â€
“I think Groundhog is right,†said TGYPWYA, appearing suddenly in the doorway. “But it all depends on how much they know can truly be unlocked from the bunny. It’s risky, but our only chance.â€
“For Muses’ sake, TGYPWYA, where did you come from?” asked Turquoise, who appeared to be the only one thinking straight.
“I… never mind. We’ve got more important stuff to deal with right now.”Reno, Nevada
Alice sat painfully on the grass, watching the bunnies in terror. She could easily get away, if it wasn’t for the ten or twenty bunnies that were watching her instead of their commander or the camera. Please, she thought silently, let them do something wise. Preferably that involves rescuing me. In theory, it was all very well to be a martyr to the cause, but in reality, Alice wanted nothing to do with martyrdom.
“Foolish humans,†laughed the large bunny to what seemed to be his second-in-command. “So they want a hostage exchange, do they? This could work to our advantage…†He turned to the camera. “We will exchange the human for the dragon bunny, but only on two conditions: you must not run any experiments on the bunny, and they must be exchanged at the same time. You may take as many weapons and guards with you as you want. We plan no tricks.â€
William made some movement with his armored ears, and said something Alice couldn’t hear. It apparently had something to do with her, though, as the bunnies immediately closed in around her. She had a suddenly clear image of what they were going to do to her…what they had done to so many people…and she closed her eyes, but another spear jabbed her, and they were forced open with surprise and pain. The bunnies were close now, so close… Why couldn’t I have got to the base before this happened? Alice thought. Why don’t I have all the equipment…? The eyes were swirling and multicolored. They drew her in and she could not look away. “Help!†she cried, and that was all she knew before the whirling depths claimed her mind.
“You will spy for us, human, and you will tell us everything you know. Everything,†ordered William. Then he turned to the camera. “We are ready to exchange the hostages, humans. Bring the dragon bunny quickly, before we change our minds.â€
Alice heard herself, from a long way off, say heavily, “Yes, master.†Then she woke completely.Sierra HQ
Groundhog rolled her eyes. “Sure, they plan no tricks,†she muttered, so as not to let the mike pick up her voice and transmit it to the bunnies. “If they plan no tricks, then why are they letting us come with weapons and guards? Why aren’t they demanding anything else? Why are they making it so easy for us?â€
Then it hit her. Hypnosis. Something that the bunnies rarely used nowadays, but did all the time when they were starting out. She remembered cases of bunny hypnosis from her days working at the asylum. The victim would be outwardly unaffected, but there would be bunny dogma planted in their subconscious, making them into a willing spy for the bunnies, transmitting information back to them through the mind link created between the victim and the bunny that hypnotized them. They were planning on hypnotizing Alice, and then giving her back so that she could spy on the Resistance for them.
“Canix?†Groundhog called softly and urgently, still being careful not to let her voice get picked up by the microphone, and held up a test tube, as if to show it to him. “I think the bunnies might be planning on hypnotizing Alice before they give her back to us, so they can spy on us through her.†She made motions at the test tube, to keep up the illusion. Cake it, this was hard, saying one thing with her mouth and another with her body…. “So when we get her back, we’ll need to make sure she doesn’t see anything important until I can have a look at her. Whatever you have to do, do it, as long as it keeps her from seeing anything important.†She paused as another thought her. “And we should probably move all of our hideouts too, if that hasn’t been done already. If they do hypnotize her, then they’ll get the current locations of where everything is from her memories.â€
Dr. Canix stared at Groundhog for a moment, then “replied†loudly. “I see. The chemical mixture you proposed is an interesting possibility.†(Here he made an emphatic movement with his hands, away from the camera.) “I think your plan should be implemented. I’ll give you full authority in this measure. But remember not to add the quinine until it’s fully at a boil. We can’t allow anything to jeopardize this experiment. Our spare lab should serve the purpose well, although there’s a bit too much resistance in the high-voltage circuits. Carry on.”
Groundhog was slightly confused at the beginning of Canix’s reply, but she caught on quickly. “Okay,†she replied. “It’ll be ready in a few days then. I can’t do all of this myself though, I’ll need someone else to prepare the quinine. It needs to be ready at an exact time. I can do all of the rest of the preparations myself. I have all of my precautionary measures set up, except for the blast hood. I should really do a checkup on that burner though. The last thing we’d want is to get Alice back, only to give ourselves more troubles with a gas leak. But you need to get going, don’t you? I’ll find someone else to do the rest of this with me.â€
The bunny, apparently fed up with all this technical talk, hung up. Everyone exchanged high-fives.
“I’ll join TMFA and help,” suggested TGYPWYA. “This is going nowhere pretty, but the time has come to abandon caution and do what we must. In other words, count me in.â€
“Yeah,†Hypatia grumbled, “I guess I’ll help too, but only so nobody pesters my about my indolence…and out of sympathy for Alice, which doesn’t make much sense, but I’m not in the mood to, so deal with it!†Hypatia was grouchy. Failed offensives tended to do that to her.
“All right,” Turquoise said, shrugging. “Count me in, too.”
Now that the camera was turned off, Groundhog could speak freely to everyone. “Okay, what needs to be done in terms of making sure that any of the information the bunnies may get out of Alice is obsolete is this: All of our hideouts need to be moved. This lab is already on the move, so it won’t need to be moved again at this time, but all the others will. Secondly, we’ll need to recode our transmission channel. I can work on that right now with anyone else who can write codes, but when they bring back Alice, I’ll need to leave that completely to someone else. Can you four do that?†she rattled off. “I know it doesn’t involve anything heroic, but I doubt that it’s a good idea to send everyone to retrieve Alice, and this stuff does need to get done.â€
She then turned towards Dr. Canix. “I’ll do the psychological exam in a room in here, so you’ll know where to bring Alice. The rest of the hideouts are going to get moved as soon as possible, and we’re taking the secure transmission channel offline for a couple hours to recode it, so we won’t be able to communicate freely for that time. Oh, and I have a surprise for you and everyone else who’s going up to get Alice back.†She opened a closet near her desk to reveal a rack of sleek black jumpsuits and helmets.
“The Bunnyproof Suit, Mark III. I wasn’t going to give them out yet, because the new depigmentizer formula I was planning on putting in the dart guns to get those dart-resistant bunnies isn’t quite done yet. But they are loaded with regular depigmentizer darts, and they have a bunch of other new improvements.â€
She pulled out a suit which had little windows cut into it to show the suit’s various layers. “It has a fireproof layer right beneath the surface, as well as the standard titanium mesh. It also has a cooling system, since all these layers could get hot after a while. The helmet is coated in teflon, and the visor has a mirrored layer that will not only deflect any hypnosis or zombification attempts like the old one, but will actually make it rebound upon the bunny that attempted to do it. It’s got a built-in bulletproof vest, and the outer layer has a limited auto-repair system, meaning that it can reweave minor rips and slashes by itself. And best of all, this one isn’t so bulky, unlike the old ‘spacesuit’ versions. Hopefully this mission will be fairly straightforward, but all of us know that nothing is ever so simple with bunnies, so I thought that you should get them now, despite the fact that the depigmentizer isn’t quite done yet.†She made a theatrical gesture towards the closet.
“I’ll go to the hostage exchange†said IBCF.
“I’ll do the codes,†Hypatia volunteered. “Poor Alice, not really the welcome a returning warrior deserves, but what can one do?†The last part was more to herself than anyone else in particular. After a moment’s pause, she made her way into the code room.
Hypatia sat down in the code room on an uncannily uncomfortable chair. The wood bore into her shoulders, but she refrained from grumbling (out loud, at least), figuring that she had done quite enough of that for the day. Looking over the messages, she considered using a cypher, but settled into the simpler and infinitely harder to comprehend Ble. Within minutes, “Alice, probably hypnotized, is being returned to us by the bunnies. Be wary” had become: Alpr blh zed, isngre tubhe. Bar.
Hypatia started entering the algorithms into the computer. It was remarkably easy and for perhaps the 500th time she silently thanked Nak for inventing Ble. She could hear Groundhog talking and hanging up the phone, then felt someone else come into the lab, but continued to work, semi-feverishly. She knew that her procrastination instinct was soon to kick in and she wanted to get as much done as possible before this happened. The messages were almost coded, the program devised, it remained only to re-activate the system, but Hypatia didn’t have the authority for that.
“Groundhog,†she yelled, “Can you start up the lines again? They’re secure, or at least I think so.â€
“Oh gods, what have we gotten ourselves into?†muttered TGYPWYA as he pulled on his bunnyproof suit. “Okay, I’m ready for anything–-where to?†he asked Groundhog.
“You and TMFA need to go to all of the hideouts and move them,” said Groundhog. “They’re hidden beneath various cities, which are hinted to in their code names. The locations are Barrow, Aleutia, Vancouver Island, Canon Grande, Salt Lake, Denver Citadel, Wyoming, Toronto, Portland, Everglade Remnant, Newfoundland, Baffin, Canalia, Amazonia, Tierra del Fuego, Galapagos Outpost, Scotland, Switzerland…” She trailed off as she noticed that her two instructees were both beginning to have slightly glazed looks. “Um, sorry. I’ll give you a complete list along with this map of how to get to all of them through the tunnel system. Make sure to update it when you move the hideouts. They don’t need to be moved far, just enough that the info that the bunnies could get out of Alice will be totally useless. It’s a good thing both of you took one of the new suits. Your phones won’t be working for the next hour or so while Hypatia and I recode the secure channel, but when we’re done we’ll send everyone a message, so once you get the message, you should call us.†She handed TGYPWYA a mini screen which had the map on it. “Oh, and good luck.â€
“Thanks,” TGYPWYA said. “Come on, TMFA. Let’s get this over with.” He headed out the door, towards the pod hangar, and TMFA followed.
Groundhog went back out into the main lab. It had occurred to her that if Alice was going to be out of commission for a while recovering from her ordeal, they were going to need a few more people in the base. She pulled out her second phone, which could be more accurately described as a walkie-talkie, since it only communicated with one other phone, and turned it on. Please pick up, please pick up, she thought desperately. Luckily, the other end did.
“Hello, Kitty?†she said into the phone. “I need you pronto. Could you head over?†She hung up.
Minutes later, a bespectacled girl walked through the lab door and exclaimed “Hello, Groundhog!”
“Kitty!†Groundhog exclaimed, giving her sister, Kittymine, a hug. “Been avoiding the bunnies all right? Anyway, I’m glad you could come. One of our people just got captured by the bunnies, and we were short before that. We need your talents desperately. Will you join us?â€
“Of course I’ll join you! If you’re looking for talents, you’ve come to the right person. Now what can I do for you?â€
The sisters were interrupted by Hypatia’s holler. Groundhog rejoined Hypatia in the coding/hardware room. She looked over Hypatia’s shoulder, and discovered that she had already devised a new code, which appeared to be one of the shorter dialects of Ble. “Wow,†she exclaimed. “You’re good. Okay, so now all we need is to convert it to binary and send it to everyone’s phones. Could you enter your algorithms into the computer?â€
“Yeah, sure.” Hypatia nodded, and started entering.Salt Lake City, Utah
TMFA landed his pod in Salt Lake, and immediately noticed that something was very wrong. He jumped out of the pod–it was too noticeable to stay around–and dashed into an old hotel.
“Cakeitcakeitcakeit…–The bunnies are here!†He pulled a radio out from his belt and called Groundhog.
“Groundhog, we have a problem. Salt Lake has been lost.â€Toronto, Canada
“Okay, I’ve got Toronto moved, I’m heading to Newfoundland now,†radioed TGYPWY shortly after. He saw some pink movement off in the distance, heading the same direction as him–toward Newfoundland. He couldn’t see what it was exactly, but he knew what it was. He wanted to turn back and avoid them, but if they knew where the Resistance’s enclave was, well, one more reason for him to get there.
“I sure hope things are going good for TMFA, ’cause things here are might get ugly,†he murmured, and headed back to his pod.Reno, Nevada
IBCF, pushing the cage containing the hybrid bunny down the tunnel towards the outside–and the other bunnies–was joined by Kittymine and Turquoise.
“Hi, IBCF,” Kittymine said. “We’re going to be your guard. Right, Turquoise?”
Turquoise laughed. “Yeah. Right.”
“Thanks, guys. I need all the help I can get,†replied IBCF with a grin.
The three arrived at the tunnel entrance all too soon. IBCF smiled cheerfully at the bunny leader William, trying to appear nonchalant.
“Okay, William! We’ve got your pink little terror here in this cage. And take that as a compliment; he’d fry us all if he got loose. Nasty little thing, isn’t he? And now, ah, er, the hostage?â€
William smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. “HERE IS YOUR HOSTAGE, HUMAN.” He pushed Alice, who appeared to be dazed, in the direction of the Resisters.
“Thanks, Will.” IBCF smiled weakly. “I guess we’ll just be…on our way, now…â€
“AS I TOLD YOU, NO TRICKS.” William grinned evilly. If IBCF had had any doubts that Alice had been hypnotized, they vanished now. But of course he couldn’t let William know that.
“Yup, looks like no tricks. Guess we were wrong about you; thought you’d have something up your armored sleeve. Well, see you around, Will.†He started walking away, and Kittymine and Turquoise followed.
The smaller bunny who appeared to be William’s second-in-command looked to his leader pleadingly. “We cannot let them get away with such impudence! Stupid bipeds, thinking they can be smart with us…..â€
“PATIENCE,” said William, smirking. “THEY WILL ALL PAY, SOON.â€
“But they’re onto us! They’ll move their bases! The human will be useless as a spy!â€
“WE HAVE NO NEED OF HER; SHE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A DIVERSION. THE REAL SPY IS FOLLOWING THE HUMANS BACK TO THEIR RAT HOLE RIGHT NOW.â€
The smaller bunny looked slightly confused. “Why don’t we send the whole army after them, then? They’re vulnerable.â€
“THE HUMANS ARE NOT STUPID.” William rolled his eyes. “THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE A WAY TO BLOCK THE ENTRANCE. ONLY OUR SPY HAS A CHANCE OF GETTING THROUGH.â€
The smaller bunny still looked confused, but apparently decided to give up. Too much confusion was not a good thing in the bunny army. “Commander, you are truly brilliant.” Lay on the praise. That was the safe thing to do.
“THAT’S WHY I’M THE LEADER,” William pointed out, and grinned evilly again.
IBCF, Kittymine, and Turquoise relaxed somewhat once they were safely into the tunnel.
“Phew, glad that’s over,” Kittymine whispered.” That Willam is NASTY–and he should really do something about that garlic breath. Glad to have you back, Alice!†she added in a normal tone of voice.
IBCF looked around nervously. “Have you ever had the feeling that you were being watched?†he whispered.
Kittymine looked around too. “Yes… but I don’t see anybunny or anyone except us–besides, the bunnies are hot pink. You’d see them in here.â€
In the shadows, something sniggered quietly to itself and followed the group down the tunnel.Sierra HQ
Groundhog turned on and reactivated the phone system, sending a message to everyone that their phones had been recoded. As soon as her phone rebooted, it started ringing.
It was TMFA, calling to tell her that Salt Lake had been lost. Darn those stupid bunnies to heck, Groundhog thought.
“Okay, I guess we’ll have to do without Salt Lake,†she replied to him. “I just feel bad for everyone who was in there. I’ve got to go now. See you very soon, I hope.â€
“Yeah, I’ll be back to the Base as soon as I can.”
“Good,” said Groundhog, and hung up.The Tunnels
As the group walked down a tunnel, feeling uneasy, a figure slipped out of the shadows and said, “Oh, hello.”
Everyone jumped about a foot in the air. IBCF whirled around, and relaxed. “Oh, it’s only you. Nice to see you, ZVX.”
ZVX surveyed the group. “Good, we got Alice, but IBCF, I’m also getting the feeling that someone’s trailing us…someone that shouldn’t be here.â€
“I do too,” said Turquoise. “I can’t see anything…do we have sensors?”
“No-oo….”
“Ah, you know, it’s probably nothing. Never mind.â€Somewhere in Reno
AvalonGirl woke with a start, and immediately noticed BUNNIES. EVERYWHERE.
Trying to grab her blaster, she realized…she couldn’t. She was tied up. Fighting the urge to scream, she hissed into her radio, while mentally thanking the Muses for Groundhog’s insistence that all Resisters carry a radio. “Turquoise! I’ve been captured by the bunnies…In hostage holding room! HEL-GGZZHHhh….†She was cut off as a large bunny covered her mouth with a paw-ful of chloroform, sending her into unconsciousness.
“Now she cannot tell them where she is! Move her to the hostage holding cell!â€The Tunnels
IBCF pushed a button on the tunnel wall, and watched as the tunnel behind the group collapsed. “Well, that should stop anyone following us….”
Turquoise’s walkie-talkie crackled suddenly. She listened as the message came through. “AvalonGirl has been captured!†she exclaimed.
IBCF looked grim. “You two take Alice back, and tell them that we need reinforcements. I’m taking a detour.†He sprinted off through another tunnel.
The thing in the shadows watched and grinned.Newfoundland, Canada
TGYPWYA sprinted through the woods as trees exploded around him. The survivors ran alongside him- the ambush had taken even him by surprise. There was no way they got there before he, yet he had arrived during a full-scale battle. He knew something was different… but what?
Then it hit him. He tore out his radio and sent a message to anyone who could receive it. He didn’t think he could get out of this one. He had to tell the others while he could. He grabbed his radio.
“Newfoundland under attack *static* like nothing I’ve *static* seen before the hybrid *static* the worst *static* not all pink be wary of your *static* William is trying to *static* us don’t let it work–OHCAKEITTTtttt….”
TGYPWYA woke up with a start. His mind was all but blank, but he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered watching human after human fall to the bunny attacks and then a tree had fallen into the survivors’ path. They had turned to face the bunnies, and that’s where his memory stopped. He could remember nothing more. He had no idea where he was now for he couldn’t see anything.
Then he realized that was because his eyes were closed.
He opened them, and still had no idea where he was. But he recognized someone.
“Hi AvalonGirl,†he said cheerfully. “Where are we?â€
“Um…TGYPWYA…I don’t know. I was knocked out before I could hear where they were taking me…when I was in the hostage holding room. That was when they broke my radio. Regardless, all the other Resisters are going to head for the hostage holding room. So we’re stuck–oh, did I mention that, if injected into you, bunny venom can be an sedative? I don’t know if it’s coma-causing, or whatever…but don’t let them bite you! Every time they bite you, the sedative period becomes longer…I think it could cause a coma if they bite you too many times and–MMPFFF!â€
The bunny who had just gagged AvalonGirl grinned and moved over to TGYPWYA. It called to the rest of the bunny guards, “Tie them up! No more secrets will be revealed!”
As AvalonGirl struggled, she heard another bunny say, “Soon, we shall have information on the whereabouts of the hypnotized spy…and the REAL spy also!â€
Real spy? The hypnotized spy must be Alice…but then, who’s the real spy? She didn’t have time to wonder, though.
“Take them to the hypnotizing room!†The bunny smiled, showing sharp hot pink teeth. Oh, cake, thought AvalonGirl.
“Hypnotizing room? Aw, cake,†TGYPWYA thought out loud. However, he was gagged, so it came out as “Mmhm rmm? M mm.â€
As the bunnies started to drag the two off, he kicked at one with all his might. Even though his legs were tied together, it worked.
When the bunny rose again, it looked at him with its teeth bared.
“M mm,†TGYPWYA repeated, before the venom started to work.
0
0
-
23
Kittymine, OSW
in July 17th, 2012 @ 15:55Okay, a few more points:
– I like the series idea suggested by Zinc. I think it would work using one thread per book, making a total of six in the series. I think each thread has at least one new plot.
– What I posted above is still in rough form. My plan now is to finish formatting the thread, add in chapters, and also try to polish the writing so that it is cohesive, but without deleting too much and messing with the different writing styles. Part of what makes this RPG unique is the fact that you had several different writing styles, and I don’t want to destroy that in editing.
0
0
-
24
Kittymine, OSW
in July 23rd, 2012 @ 16:56Alrighty. I have completed the transformation of TOS thread 1 into novel form with chapters and such. I need to go through it at least one more time to weed out any last spelling and grammatical errors, inconsistencies, or formatting issues. Once I’m done, I’d love to post it somewhere for folks to read.
Due to possible copyright issues, it would be impossible to sell the finished product, but it could be made into a free e-book download for a kindle or similar device.
0
0
