They made it back in one piece.
Well. Mostly.
Luke's leg armor was dented, his pulse scanner was in two sad halves, and his face had a scratch across it that made him look like someone who tried to headbutt a chainsaw. Hrum, as always, was perfectly fine, if a bit more judgmental than usual.
"You're not supposed to roll into the enemy's claws," Hrum said, watching Luke limp across the courtyard of FLUFF-13.
"I tripped!"
"You tripped heroically. Into a death pile."
The base was buzzing. Drones zipped overhead. Rabbits in uniforms crisscrossed the compound, some hauling crates, others inspecting gear. There was tension in the air — not the usual wartime anxiety, but something... colder.
Zina met them at the entrance to the debriefing chamber. She looked at Luke like he was a malfunctioning microwave.
"What happened to your everything?"
"Survived a Virmutt. Almost became compost."
"Congrats. Let's see if the intel was worth your broken face."
They sat. Lights dimmed. The encrypted file from Morkvotron-7 hovered in front of them, decrypting.
As the logs scrolled, silence settled.
Zina's ears twitched. She leaned forward. Then back.
"This isn't just data. This is a list."
"Of what?"
"Operatives. Call signs. Drop locations. It's a network. A full-on embedded spy ring."
Luke felt the chill again.
Hrum's face was unreadable. But his paw hovered over the comms trigger.
"I need to talk to Command," he said.
"Wait," Zina said. She pointed at one of the entries.
Call Sign: Duskpaw
Location: Sector Theta-9
Status: ACTIVE — Last Contact: 2 Days Ago
"That's... not possible," she whispered. "Duskpaw was recalled. Decommissioned after the South Burrow breach."
Hrum and Luke exchanged glances.
"Either someone's using the name..."
"...or someone's lying about who's still breathing."
A long pause.
Luke finally asked, "What do we do now?"
Zina didn't answer right away. Her eyes were locked on the display. Her voice, when it came, was low:
"Now we dig. Quietly. Because if Duskpaw's alive... this goes deeper than we thought."
[to be continued...]
"5 Things to Know Before Getting a Rabbit"
1. Rabbits don't live on carrots alone — it's like giving a kid only cake.
2. They need space — cages are prisons, not homes.
3. Rabbits need specialized vets — not everyone knows how to handle ears.
4. Rabbits are social. Isolation breaks them.
5. Never get a rabbit on impulse. It's not a toy — it's a life that trusts you.