Keepa stopped...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My hand on the door as I had been the first one to cross the threshold. My boot barely had enough time to sing into the desolate soil before the human's words spoke.

"What do we do?"

I froze, looking down at my pistol.

[i]~{"its not our fight"
"They are just humans..."
"...Aplesshar"
My own words ring though my head as I hear the screams of women and children, the siege already underway. None of us could say what would happen to them; likely a fate worse than death...until death would come. Either way, I had no hope of stopping them all...

[b]"<We couldn't find anyone...>"[/B]
'Uncle Hawlin made a debut in my mind. I wanted them dead...ANY of them, whoever walked the surface must have known; maybe a chemical, some kind of sonic weaponry...a punch to the back of the head- what? It-...I don't-...
What would have explained the unconsciousness those years ago? How would I have gotten back?

~You have materials tailored for this~
My voice coos. Not myself, something inside me while I thumb at the first release of the gas grenade I had. One of three which had yet to be tested; I would never put myself in a position to need it, much less use it indiscriminately. It was valuable, three of a kind...

[b]"<Please...we went back for her...don't-...don't cry>"[/b]
They had tried and failed, looking for someone who was dead or worse.
I had been sad.
I wanted to go out there to look for myself, but they had already lost someone from the search and that was the call for everyone, even me. They went back for [b]me[/b]...and why shouldn't I go back for them?

[b]"<We can only do what we can do for who we can, Keepa>"[/b]}~[/i]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We can only do what we can for who we can" The boy mutters in a dialect expertly rehearsed as the words meant something to him, before drawing a repurposed smoke grenade shall from his bag, hooking his thumb on the pin. [b]"<I have an...experiment...to conduct.>"[/b] They continue, taking a step back into the metro. It was clear by their expression that they were confusing themselves with their indecision, unwilling yet conflicted by their choices as they brush past Edgar.
[i]"<I intend on going back. I can stop this...I hope...I pray>"[/i] The bunny sighs, looking to the group's eyes for a reason to give himself more time or reason to talk himself out of his intentions.
[b]"<I want to help, only because the choice has been given to be my own; the humans in the station will be killed the same as our own would be and for that...>"[/b] Keepa began, unsure where to go with his speech. He shook, almost violently with what could be anticipation, nervousness, fear? He wasn't cut out to lead, and he knew this...but he was aware his voice would be heard as though he [i]was[/i]. Catching themselves with almost cocking their pistol a second time, he looked at the ground, wrought with indecision as the words carried a weight he had no intention to actually speak. [b]"<If we are superior...we should endeavor to teach through example...>"[/b] They started, hesitantly moving from wall to wall in pseudo cover back into the metro, still waiting to be talked down from his indecision. [b]"...for as the saying goes...it would be awfully human of us.>"[/b] They conclude with the slightest of half-chuckles, looking back at the group for a response. This hybrid pushing his social limits to inspire some kind of compassion in the group in which almost half even cared.
The Human in him cried out for justice.
The Arthro in him cried out for Science.