The morning sun cast long shadows across the valley as Matta crouched on the hilltop, her rabbit ears twitching as she surveyed the camp below. Her pink nose quivered as she caught the scent of unwashed bodies and despair drifting up from the prisoner compound. This was supposed to be the second of the seven camps, but it looked almost identical to the first one Belle's squad had hit. Too identical.
MTA: Alright everyone, this looks like another standard rescue operation. Same layout, same guard patterns, same everything.
She turned to address her squad, but they were already settling into comfortable positions on the hilltop. Marcus, a hulking bear of a man, was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. Silva, whose snake-like features gleamed in the morning light, was coiled around a boulder looking bored. Even Pip, the youngest member of their team, was sitting cross-legged in the grass, picking at wildflowers.
MAR: You sure you don't need backup down there, boss?
MTA: I appreciate the concern, but we've seen this setup before. Standard perimeter, twelve guards, maybe fifteen prisoners. I can have them out in under three minutes.
SLV: Three minutes? That's generous.
Matta's ears flicked with mild annoyance. She knew her squad trusted her abilities, but their casual attitude toward the missions was starting to grate on her. These weren't training exercises. These were people's lives.
MTA: Just because it's easy doesn't mean we should get complacent. Keep your eyes open and be ready to move if something goes wrong.
PIP: Nothing ever goes wrong with your runs, Matta. You're like a blur down there.
She sighed, her fluffy tail twitching with nervous energy. They weren't wrong. Her speed had made these rescue operations almost routine. While other squads had to plan elaborate assaults and coordinate complex maneuvers, she could simply dash in, unlock the cages, and escort the prisoners to safety before the guards even knew what was happening. But something about this felt off. The setup was too clean, too predictable. After Belle's squad had hit the first camp, why hadn't the others increased their security?
MTA: I'm going in. Standard signals if you spot anything unusual.
She stood up, her powerful legs already tensing for the sprint down the hillside. Her enhanced physiology was built for this kind of work: explosive speed, incredible agility, and stamina that could keep her moving for hours without rest. In the field, she was a force of nature.
MAR: Good hunting, boss.
Matta nodded once, then launched herself down the slope. Her feet barely touched the ground as she bounded between trees and rocks, her white fur catching glimpses of sunlight as she moved. The world blurred around her as she picked up speed, her heart settling into the steady rhythm that came with maximum velocity.
The camp's perimeter fence was a joke. She cleared it in a single bound, landing silently in the courtyard. The guards were exactly where she'd expected them to be, their patrol patterns as predictable as clockwork. She'd mapped their movements from the hilltop, timing their rotations to the second.
MTA: Too easy.
She whispered the words as she moved through the camp like a ghost, her speed making her nearly invisible to the human eye. The prisoners were kept in crude wooden cages scattered throughout the compound, their faces gaunt with hunger and despair.
PR1: What... who are you?
MTA: Rescue team. Stay quiet and follow my lead.
She produced a set of lock picks from her utility belt, her fingers working with practiced efficiency. The locks were simple, designed more for intimidation than actual security. Within seconds, the cage doors were swinging open.
MTA: Move to the treeline. My team will escort you to safety from there.
The prisoners needed no further encouragement. They moved as quickly as their weakened bodies would allow, hope replacing the hopelessness in their eyes. Matta darted between the remaining cages, her lock picks working overtime as she freed prisoner after prisoner.
GRD: Hey! What's that noise?
One of the guards had finally noticed something was wrong, but by the time he turned to investigate, Matta was already on the other side of the compound. She allowed herself a small smile as she worked. Sometimes being the fastest thing on two legs had its advantages.
MTA: Last cage. Let's wrap this up.
She approached the final prisoner, a young woman who looked barely older than herself. As she worked on the lock, the woman grabbed her arm.
PR2: Thank you. I thought... I thought no one was coming.
MTA: Someone's always coming. That's what I do.
The lock clicked open, and Matta stepped back to gesture toward the treeline where the other prisoners were already disappearing into the forest. But as she took that step backward, something caught her foot. Not something. Someone.
Her enhanced reflexes tried to compensate, but the angle was wrong, the leverage unexpected. She tumbled forward, her arms windmilling as she fought to regain her balance. For someone who could run faster than most vehicles, falling down was both embarrassing and disorienting.
She hit the ground hard, her palms scraping against the rough dirt. Her ears rang slightly from the impact, and for a moment, she just lay there, trying to process what had happened.
MTA: What the hell?
She pushed herself up on her hands and knees, looking around for whatever had tripped her. Her eyes tracked backward along her path, searching for the obstacle that had brought her down. Instead, she found a boot. A very large, very deliberate boot that had been placed exactly where she would step.
Her gaze traveled up from the boot, past muscular legs and a broad chest, until she was looking into the face of someone who definitely hadn't been there moments before. He was tall, probably human, with dark hair and eyes that held just a hint of amusement. But what struck her most was his smile. It was the kind of smile that said he knew something she didn't.
SLZ: Slow down there, rabbit. You might get hurt.
His voice was calm, almost conversational, but there was something underneath it that made her fur stand on end. This wasn't a guard. This wasn't even someone who belonged to this camp. This was someone who had been waiting for her.
MTA: Who are you?
She started to rise, her legs coiling beneath her, ready to spring back into action. But something in his posture, in the way he stood perfectly balanced and relaxed, made her pause.
SLZ: Someone who's been very curious about the famous speed demon everyone's been talking about. I have to say, the reputation is well-deserved. That was quite a show.
He applauded slowly, mockingly, and Matta felt her temper flare. She'd been set up. This whole camp, this whole easy rescue, it had all been a trap designed to draw her in.
MTA: You're working with the king.
SLZ: Working with them? Oh, no. I'm working for someone much more interesting than these small-time rulers.
He gestured dismissively at the now-empty camp around them. The guards were nowhere to be seen, probably fled or dealt with by her squad. But this man remained, standing in the middle of the compound like he owned it.
SLZ: I'm here for you, specifically. My employer has been very interested in meeting the rabbit who can't be caught.
Matta's muscles tensed, her body dropping into a combat stance despite her preference for speed over fighting. Whatever this was, whoever this person worked for, she had a feeling the easy days were over.
MTA: Well, you've got my attention. Now what?
The stranger's smile widened, and in that moment, she realized that everything that had happened so far had been exactly according to someone else's plan. The question was: whose plan, and what did they want with her?
SLZ: Now, we have a little chat. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to run away?
The challenge in his voice was unmistakable, and despite every instinct telling her to retreat, Matta found herself staying put. She was a squad leader, and squad leaders didn't run from fights. Even when they probably should.