This is a draft version of a chapter from John Saye’s book, The Attack of the Atomic Bunny Rabbits!

Mrs. Orange pulled the van into a large black hanger hidden off the road. Maria watched as they went through sign after sign that said no trespassing and ‘Use of deadly force is authorized,’ and ‘do not enter on pain of death,’ and ‘private property.’ There were a couple of signs that this was government property, but they were closer to the street.

They pulled into the hanger, and inside was a small industrial complex. There was a line of vans, other agents here and there, a helicopter, and something else that looked a little different, and maybe had a camouflage covering on it. It was hard to tell.

As soon as they arrived, people started to unload the rabbits from the van. Maria was pretty sure that there wasn’t enough room to keep them all in the van. She watched as more and more of them were unloaded.

Mr. Red looked down at his watch. “Mike’s already chiming in. They’ve spotted the rabbit.”

“Let’s get rolling then,” said Mr. Green They pulled back the camouflage cover off the larger vehicle. It looked like a long rectangular craft. No wings, and no wheels. It was standing on little stubby legs. It looked like it had a large cargo area towards the back and good seating towards the front inside of a large chamber that could see everywhere through a wrap-around windshield. Mr. Red got on board, followed by Mr. Green. Mr. Green was about to sit down when Mrs. Orange pushed him out of the pilot seat and sat down. “We’ll have none of that!” she said. “I’m flying this round!” Maria and Annie got on board and strapped themselves in.

Mrs. Orange hit a button, and the whole place lit up. It took off from the ground, and soared out of the hanger, and up into the sky.

“Woah!” said Annie. She pressed her face against the window.

“Can anyone see us?” asked Maria.

“Not anymore,” said Mrs. Orange. She hit a switch, and everything rippled around them for a second. “Now we’re completely invisible.”

She turned the ship and headed back towards town.

“Where are they?” said Mrs. Orange. “It’s not like we’re going to miss a giant rampaging rabbit anyway.”

“Southwest,” said Mr. Red. “I’m linking the navigation system up to Mike’s transmitter. Each time he gives an update, you’ll get a course correction.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Mrs. Orange. “I’ve got him on the monitor now.”

Maria looked over her shoulder. There was a monitor there, with Destin and Mike on it, standing before the giant rabbit.

“How can you get that shot?” asked Maria.

“Satellites,” was all Mrs. Orange would tell her.

They flew across the land.

A readout next to the satellite camera feed showed their progress towards Mike’s beacon, which lit out again, and changed position.

The rabbit leaned in and sniffed at Destin’s face.

Destin froze.

It turned and sniffed at Mike.

Mike froze.

It licked Mike from head to foot.

Mike reached out and scratched the bunny under the chin. It closed its eyes and leaned into the scratch.

“That’s it,” said Destin.

The rabbit turned back to Destin and leaped over them.

Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks were starting to arrive. Their sirens blared in the distance but were getting closer. 

“Dad, we’ve got to get him away from the road. We can’t let the cops get him, or the firemen.”

“Why?”

“He’s already this tall, how big do you want him to grow if they start shooting fire hoses at him?”

Destin considered this for a moment. “Okay, which way?”

“Back to school.”

Destin got back in his car and cranked it. Mike jumped in beside him, and he took off, first toward the rabbit, running into his toes. He peeled around and headed for the school. The giant rabbit was close behind him. It crushed trees, and parked cars all along the way, giving the police and fire departments plenty to do.

“There’s the school!” said Mike. They pulled around behind it. The bunny jumped, clearing the school building and landed on the football field. It seemed to have grown again.

Destin pulled the car up onto the running track and started to circle the football field. The rabbit chased them for a moment, and then jumped into the middle, watching them circle around and around.

Destin pulled to a stop just as Mrs. Orange flew over the school, and dropped their invisibility field. It shimmered in the sky and appeared there.

Mike’s phone rang. He answered it “Mom?”

“It’s us up here,” she said.

“Okay.” He hung up on her.

The rabbit roared.

Fire licked the sky.

Mrs. Orange pulled to the left to avoid the flame.

Mr. Red hit a button, and a panel on the bottom of the craft opened.

“What was that?” asked Maria.

“What’s that?” said Mike, his finger pointing into the air.

From the bottom of the craft, the bay opened. There was too much light to see. It blinded the rabbit, and Mike and Destin had to look away. Lowering from it on a massive cable was the giant carrot from the science expo they’d seen earlier in the day. It looked like it weighed, at least, two hundred pounds.

The rabbit saw it and jumped on it.

It missed but knocked the giant carrot loose from the cable. It shot towards the earth and landed point-down on the football field.

Mike ran towards the giant carrot.

The rabbit ran for it as well.

Mike leaped up and grabbed for it, but it was way too heavy for him. He yanked it, and it pulled a little, but not much. He and Destin struggled with it, but it was firmly in the ground.

“Here it is!” he yelled.

The rabbit ran to him. It sniffed Mike. It sniffed the carrot, then grabbing the carrot in its mouth, it pulled it free and started to crunch on it.

Its color faded quickly to white.

Its eyes stopped glowing.

It shrank to the size of a normal rabbit and jumped into Mike’s arms.

Mrs. Orange landed the craft, which was hardly a helicopter if you could call it that, on the football field.

Maria ran out to Mike, as did Destin and Annie. They were all on the field, with the rabbit when Mr. Red and Mr. Green walked up.

“We owe the two of you a debt of thanks,” said Mr. Green.

“Without your help, there’s no telling how much more damage these rabbits would have done today,” said Mr. Red.

“Is there anything we can do for you?” asked Mr. Green.

Destin was about to say something when Mike stepped forward.

“Can we keep one?”

“Of the rabbits?” said Mr. Green.

“No one else has a fire-breathing rabbit.  I’d take care of it.”

“Yeah, we want a pet. We were trying to come up with what we wanted,” said Annie.

“Annie, really?” said Maria.

“We’ll consider it,” said Mr. Green.

“I’d love to have one for the school,”  said Destin.

“The school that was burned to the ground?” asked Mr. Red.

“Yes. They’ll have me teaching somewhere.”

“That they will. We’ll make sure of that,” said Mr. Green.

“We’ll see what we can do. The least we can do is offer you some compensation for all your troubles and reassurance that we’ll take care of you,” said Mr. Red. “We’re going to make sure this school is rebuilt.”

Mr. Green sat down with Mike. “What are you going to call him?”

“Fireball,” said Mike.

Mr. Green ruffled Mike’s hair. “It’s Fireball then.

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