Escape 1

"You not Bubba."
"Bubba got delayed so Mr. Scapaldi sent me instead."
"You take us airport?"
"That's where you wanted to go."

Fuzzy looked at the symp suspiciously, he was on the paunchy side and didn't look like he was used to wearing a suit. It fir him badly and was wrinkled rather than stylishly rumpled. Given the choice between stay or go though, they'd have to go.

"We go then."

Jake was not especially happy about having to ferry bunnies around but Antony had asked him personaly and he wasn't in a good position to refuse. Ever since his failure at the party, his assignments had gotten more and more menial. Not yet degrading but he sensed that was coming.

"What you name not-Bubba?"
"My name is Jake, Jake Ciccone."
"I Mudpaw, this Submentat Buffpaw. We go now."
"Sure."

Jake opened the back door of the limo and lifted the larger of the two brown bunnies into the car. She was a large sleek doe, a little sleeker than he'd seen before. She watched him nervously and squirmed a little when he picked her up.

"Thank you Jake."

The doe had already started curiously inspecting the inside of the car before Jake turned to pick up the other one. This one watched him steadily and Jake actually felt a little nervous. The smaller bunny was a buck maybe two thirds the size of the doe but solid. It had a floppy ear and a few scars but despite that seemed more like a stuffed animal Jake had as a boy. A stuffed bunny he'd loved most of the fur off of. Back then, being a symp had just been about spending time with bunnies and being happy. Not like now. The buck kept watching him carefully even as he was closing the door.

The symp turned the car onto the interstate, heading south. Fuzzy continued to watch him, Jake glancing into the rearview mirror always seeing the bunny's steady gaze.

"Have you enjoyed your trip to Rhode Island?"
"Is OK. Good to go home though."
"Where are you from?"
"Savannah Warren"

Fuzzy looked at the back of the symp's head, hair slightly thinning and on the greast side. His nostrils caught the scent of deoderant trying to cover body scent and ... something else. The symp was nervous, beads of sweat forming on his mirror reflected forehead.

"You drive much for Scapaldi?"
"No, but I was the only one availiable, like I said."

Fuzzy considered this. Maybe things were starting to go right. They'd be at the airport soon enough and after that, a long mover ride with an attractive doe. A little on the young side for him, but still ...

"There are some snacks in the minibar back there and some Snapple. Why don't you help yourselves?"

Woodsorrel nosed open the little refrigerator to reveal a greater variety of treats than she had ever seen. Granite Ridge was a pretty isolated warren and the Milbuns and the Mentat took all the best stuff for themselves anyway. Even at State House, the same things really. Sunflower didn't have nearly as much clout as she tried to make her believe and never shared the gifts her 'admirers' gave her either. Woodsorrel opened the bottle of peach Snapple and let it roll around on her tongue savoring each drop. She glanced over and noticed Mudpaw was still watching the symp.

"Why don't you have some, Mudpaw? It's really good."
"Is OK. You enjoy. Maybe later."

Fuzzy hoped Woodsorrel wouldn't give anything away in her enthusiastic fridge raiding. It would probably be OK. The symp didn't seem experienced and wasn't paying that much attention anyway. That was just as it should be since he was driving, but something nagged at the back of Fuzzy's mind.

Woodsorrel sat up on the seat to look out of the windows while she joyfully nibbled some Spam. Everything was new and exciting. Her life was getter better by the moment. Her first real trip, all the luxuries she'd been denied. And at the end, a powerful and mysterious buck who was interested in her. She watched the signs glide by. She drifted blissfully until the text of the last sign registered in her brain. They'd missed the exit.

"I go ask."

Woodsorrel watched the regbun scramble over the back of the seat, hind paws leaving tiny gouges in the soft leather. She turned and idly watched the scenery sliding past. The sky was lightening, night's curtain slowly parting. The moon would soon make her entrance. Woodsorrel was worried, worried about the symp and that he seemd to be taking them past the airport. She was worried that it might even be towards the Hunter base. She fluffed, shivering and hunkering down into the seat, ears twitching, rotating. The voices of Jake and Mudpaw drifted over the seat, voices further away than her own thoughts. Further than the worry that gnawed at her.

All her short life she'd been at the mercy of others. Mother, Comfrey and her other littermates, and then Monkshood before leaving Granite Ridge. At State House, Sunflower had been there to cajole and shove. At least Sunflower had been there when she wasn't trying to shimmywiggle her way to the top. Then the council meeting, all questions and simpering idiocy. All from buns who were going to decide her life. Buns who would mold her life to suit their needs without thinking about hers.

Here she was though, trusting someone she didn't even know. Some other bunny's will pulling her along in its wake like flotsam under the wheels of a train.

Someone was screaming somewhere. The voices had a different tone. Woodsorrel twisted her ears around and caught bits of phrases. She realized it would have been better if she'd paid attention the whole time.