jeriendhal | Fic: Arc, Part 10 (Reply)

“Where did you… How could you possible know?” White D6 stuttered.

“He speaks with the Holy Den Mother,” Lili said, with much more calm than she actually felt at that moment. “It’s better to ask him what he doesn’t know.”

“There isn’t any such thing as the Holy Den Mother, there’s only the Varn. There only ever were the Varn, there only ever will be the Varn! Everything else is a lie!”

“After what you’ve seen him do, you really believe that?” Lili asked.

“Fine, he’s a crazy psi. That doesn’t he’s receiving messages from some intangible being that’s supposed to be unhappy that we’re living here. Well I’m unhappy too, and I’ve got the chance to do something about it!”

“What did they promise you?” Lili asked.

“They’re going to let me off the station. I’ll have a real name and a chance…” Whitepelt’s voice caught in her throat. “I’ll have a chance to have a family.”

“If you’re working for the Varn, why didn’t you have them arrest us while we in the coupling chamber? We were trapped in there!”

“They wanted to see how many of the station’s workers wanted to hear what your brother had to say. How many of them would be vulnerable to his words.” Whitepelt laughed, a high pitched rasp that was somewhere between mirth and a sob. “Do you know how many wanted to hear him? Five hundred or so. Five hundred out of a station with ten thousand workers, that’s all. Now they’re all under arrest and being readied to be shipped to a re-education camp.”

“Whitepelt, they would never let you or them off this station, knowing what you know about the place,” Lili said. “Once the word spread around, every vulpine that still had the Goddess in their heart would rise up in fury.”

“The Wise Master promised that they would let me out of here! They have to keep their promise!” Whitepelt’s paw darted into the pocket of her coveralls and emerged with a small, compact energy pistol. She pointed it directly at Lili. “I’m not going to let you spoil it!”

She had exactly one chance. Your brother must not ever be permitted to fall back into the clutches of the Varn, Lili. Her hand dove into the pocket of her coverall, emerging with the box cutter. Even in the close quarters of the utility tunnel, Whitepelt’s first shot went wide, from sheer nervousness or lack of training in her weapon. Lili turned and slashed crossways, aiming for Marty’s throat.

She had poor aim herself, or perhaps in the end her will failed her, for her strike went low and left a long, bleeding slash that went through the front of Marty’s coveralls and the pelt and skin underneath. Then Whitepelt’s second shot caught her between the shoulders and she fell into her brother’s arms, his blood staining her coveralls. Lili’s mouth opened silently, trying to say You were wrong, Marty. I didn’t kill her after all.

And then all was Cold and Dark.

TBC