The Afterward

Chapter Six - Grenade

TUNDRA POV.

"What do you mean, 'rebels'?" I ask, panicked and also berating myself because I was stupid enough to not bring backup when I had the chance.

Kitty and Foxy exchange looks. "She's got no idea. We shouldn't tell her," says Kitty, cautiously looking at me like I'm some sort of alien. Foxy, on the other hand, is looking into space like he's just witnessed the creation of the world. In awe, he says, almost to himself, "We just said something in unison."

Kitty and Parth roll their eyes, and Foxy snaps back to reality. "Really though, we're not the bad guys here. The government... you've seen how possessive they've gotten over the city. They want control and they'll stop at nothing to get it. We've collected information about their forces and they want to take total control of everyone, including innocent children and the elderly. Thankfully, we've created the Rebellion, or the Citizen's Force."

That still doesn't explain why they're all here, though. "Are you saying that everyone in this casino is part of the Citizen's Force?"

"No, not exactly," Kitty interjects, "Some animals care about keeping their families safe, and we respect that. They can't exactly sneak around like we can, not with kids or grandparents to protect."

That made sense. If I had any kids, I wouldn't want them in danger, either. "Most of these animals here aren't even part of the Citizen's Force and we can't trust them," Parth went on to say, "You'll know if they're part of the Force or not."

I was tempted to ask things like "How?" and "Why can't we trust them?" and "Why shouldn't I arrest you now?" But I was sort of intrigued by the idea of not being under constant surveillance and being able to think for ourselves without being restricted by rules and walls. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a commotion beginning to form by the entrance. Parth, Kitty and Foxy didn't see it and Kitty said, "If you're a police officer, we think you'd be able to make a good undercover cop to help us."

I kept my eyes on the crowd, and Parth paled to a very light pink the minute he saw it. "Is there something going on there?" Suddenly, I could spot a flash of royal blue, matching my uniform. Oh no...

"Tundra!" Doggy yelled from below us, "Get down here, fast! It's--" I think something happened to him, because he got cut off before I could hear him finish.

Time seemed to slow down. Foxy ran over to the balcony and yelled his head off at the crowd below him. "WHAT IN THIS CRUEL WORLD IS HAPPENING DOWN THERE?!" I hear gunshots. Gunshots from a Lucellian M-34, a small handgun used by police. Then there were the ever-continuing stomps of Capitol Soldiers. They'd found the casino, and us... but how?

I looked down, fumbling for my radio, but my hand brushes past a small chip in my belt and I falter. Tracking chips. I was so stupid.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Kitty push me and Parth into an elevator and shut the elevator door on us before we can react. Parth whips around to face me in horror. "They'll find the rebels and kill them." "Then what do we do?!" I yell. The elevator stops at a large corridor, which Parth started  bolting through the minute the door opened. "We'll have to stay here and get out!"

That made absolutely no sense, but okay...

The corridor led back to the hidden door we'd entered through. Parth shoves it open and we collapse in a heap on the floor. Sheila had vanished, supposedly caught by the soldiers in the casino. Parth leaned against a wall and puffed, heaving air like it was running out by the second. 

"Oh no," Parth cried, "We have to get away from here." 

"And go where?" I ask him back, "If I could just talk to them, maybe they won't kill you."

Parth sighs and lets out a frustrated scream. "Do you really think they'll trust you? You've broken the rules. You've conspired with us, now you're on a kill list!"

"SO WHERE TO NOW?!" I end up shouting.

"SHUT UP AND FOLLOW ME!" Parth stomps away and I wisely follow suit. 

FOXY POV.

First things first; grab a drink. Just kidding, it's tackle the closest soldier available and try to rip his head off. They're puppets of a higher power, what's not to hate? Especially after they tried to rip my head off the minute they found me in a cage, instead of getting help for my wound that's been there for nine months or so. 

Long story short: I was part of a survivor group during the infection, narcissistic leader hates me, and me and Pony (nice guy) try to leave group. We get caught, Pony turns on me, I get held against a wall and punched like 90 times, and Pony stabs me as they shove me in a cage. Talk about overkill. Thinking about this makes me attack the soldiers faster and more aggressively, and two of them get away with their necks severed, and the thought of them painfully bleeding out is just what they deserve. Not that I'm like Willow, the evil leader of that survivor group; I tend to be forgiving at times.

If Felix ever hears about this... I take down another soldier, Felix better not hear about this.

A small grenade or something goes off at the bar, making everyone who's still here scatter. Okay, Felix is definitely gonna hear about that.

Two of them notice me (wow, I've been noticed, FOR THE 10,000TH TIME) and try to trip me up. One has a gun, fires it, hits my leg. Dammit! That really puts me off and they go for me again. I have to get out of the way, fast. The sharp leg pain makes me hiss and the stupid soldiers in their white uniforms and armor get their weapons ready. Then bang, Kitty shoots them from behind. Geez, that cat is good.

"Need help?" she asks, and by the very heavy breathing it's clear to see she's tired. I shake my head, knowing that I've been through worse. Much worse. As soon as she gets to attacking some other soldiers, a grenade gets tossed in front of that police dog guy.

"MOVE!" The dog has to get out, so I tackle him out of the way by a few meters and the grenade goes off in a flash of orange and white.

The last thing that happens is pain, and then my eyes just give out. I can't get up, move, or even see because I feel too sore to even open my own eyes. I feel around for the dog, and he's still moving. Good.

I'm thinking, I'm probably gonna stay here for a while... and then I pass out.

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OoOoO cliffhanger again! I'll be getting to Mari later once we encounter her. As for Pony, The Unnamed Character and Willow, I'll be getting to them too once we see them!