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3:40 PM

"So it's done?" asked Pricilla, a slight note of delight in her voice. The voice over the phone grunted in the affirmative and she smiled to herself.

All obstacles had ostensibly been dealt with and things could proceed as she'd hoped they would.

"Yeah," replied Coal. "I darted her three times and pushed her off the side of a cliff."

"Spare me the details. Do we have our boys on the inside?"

"I just got a text back from them; they're both in. Savages are starting to arrive, now. A lot of 'em. The whole place is filling up, quick," said the koala as he looked around. The parking lot was crowding rapidly and predators were walking into the clinic in droves.

"That's what I want to hear. By the way, Bellwether's going to oversee it personally along with Rhinowitz."

"Who's working?"

"Doug and Woolter. They're helping set up." She checked a sheet in front of her again. "Remember, after the bomb, the barrels; after the barrels, get out quick."

"And my part?"

"Shoot any guards on the outside. You're going to need to clear a path to the cliff."

"So . . . you're saying we're going right down the side of the cliff?"

The pig put her head in her paws. "Doug said he was working it out."

Coal nodded. "Gotcha'."

"Alright, let me know how things go."

"Later," said Coal. He hung up as a relatively large truck pulled up alongside him. He saw Woolter in the driver's seat. They made eye contact and the ram smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

-.-.-.-

3:51 PM

The evening chill of late fall began to settle in as the sun began to set behind the hills. Its orange glow was reflected in the tall building across the water in Animalia. Street lights in Happy Town began to brighten up along the dirty avenues, casting their yellowish-brown and orangish casts along the pavement.

Inside the little side room in Wilde's office, Nick and Judy held each other tightly as they regarded the intimidating crowd of animals surrounding them. They were face to face with Mr. Big who waited for Judy's reply.

Outside the office, the large gathering of chompers in the park stretched from end to end of the grounds between the tributes that connected the warehouses. They milled about and talked amongst each other in a mild roar of voices that ebbed and flowed though the place. They were waiting for orders. For a plan of attack. For assurances that they would be able to survive if a cull were initiated. Anxiously, they waited for the meeting to begin. Anxiously, they waited to hear news of what the opposition were planning.

So here Wilde stood with Mr. Big and Koslov. He wanted to hear from this bunny what she and her fellow prey had in store because, he decided, he wasn't going a minute longer without answers for his safety and the safety of the others here. This had become a life or death situation and he had no desire to play games--he needed to make a plan; for as much as he may have been a central piece--a hub--in the predator subculture, he was just a fox--an animal as unsure of his future as anyone. As far as he was concerned, an attack on city hall and the establishment forces there was long overdue and seemed now to be his only option--their only option. He looked on as the bunny and fox clung to each other tightly.

'Strange,' he thought, considering who she was--or at least, who she appeared to be.

"Well, my dear?" asked Mr. Big, "I am a patient shrew, but I do not appreciate silence in the face of challenge. I ask you again, who are you?"

Judy looked at Nick and he looked back. "We have to tell them."

He sighed and nodded, holding her tightly as though he feared they'd take her away from him.

"Okay . . ." she began carefully, "first, bring me my phone."

Finnick scoffed and Wilde tisked.

The shrew hardened his gaze. "There is nothing on your phone that will save you if you do not tell me the truth."

"Please!" she insisted. "What I have to say will be a lot easier if I have my phone. It's too unbelievable to describe without evidence!"

He regarded her for a moment before he nodded. Addressing himself to the room, he asked, "Who knows where her phone is?"

"I'll get it," said Wilde as he walked back to the office to retrieve it.

"While he does that, let me ask you: Are you Sgt. Judy Hopps of the Zootopian Police Department?"

Judy took a deep breath and let it out. "I . . . uh . . . I am Judy Hopps, and I am a police officer or . . ." she looked at Nick "was." She looked back at the shrew. "But I'm not sergeant. And I do not do . . . whatever it is you seem to think I do."

The incredulity was apparent on the faces of all those who surrounded her. She knew her credibility was essentially shot at this point and had been, really, since the whole thing began.

"She's gotta be lying!" exclaimed Clawhauser. "There's no way-" He stopped abruptly when Mr. Big Hushed him.

She looked at Nick. "He . . . he's my mate," she said, gesturing to Nick with a slight blush on her ears.

Wilde returned with the phone and handed it to her, a doubtful look on his face as he tried to evaluate her as a creature. He had heard the exchange from the other room and thought it was ridiculous. But then he couldn't ignore the protective arm the fox had around her back and couldn't miss the soft look he gave her.

She swiped the phone to the menu screen and went to her camera roll, turning it to the side so that the pictures would rotate and enlarge.

"I . . . uh . . . that is Nick and I," she gestured, "we . . . uh . . . we're not from here."

Mr. Big had stayed quiet as he contemplated what she said. "You're telling me this fox here is your mate?"

She nodded. "And . . . his name is Nick Wilde."

After a quiet few seconds, Wilde barked out a laugh along with Finnick as he sputtered, "That's quite a coincidence, there, but I dou-"

Their laughter died abruptly when the rabbit held up her phone to show a picture of Nick and her naked, though undercover, on the couch together.

Everyone was immovable. Wilde suddenly turned his attention to the fox next to her and looked closely. His face was swollen and too damaged to really make out but he could barely see a resemblance. How could he have missed it! The pictures on her phone, however, were the proof of the pudding: That was him, no doubt about it! His rational mind, on the other hand, was screaming at him that it couldn't be! Her "evidence" could be explained away, he was certain!

She scrolled through photo after photo of the two of them together. Pictures depicting a happier Zootopia. Clawhauser was floored by the memories she had stored on her phone of all of them joined in more cheerful occasions.

She had hundreds more but stopped when Mr. Big asked her to. The shrew was staring at a picture of her at his daughter's baby shower.

"What is this supposed to demonstrate to me?" he asked. He had no idea what to make of the photos. These were things that had clearly never happened so what was the point? The photos, he was certain, proved nothing. The shrew was nothing if not certain about his own reality which meant that the photos, though appearing genuine, had to have been fabricated somehow!

"Uh . . ." began Nick as he tightened his hold on Judy, "I guess what she means when she says that we're not from here is that . . . well, we're not from here. As in . . ." and here he paused to take in a deep breath, "we're from another universe."

The silence was deafening.

Before anyone could say anything, Judy found a video taken on her phone of all of them at another one of Gazelle's concerts. Clawhauser, Nick, and Bogo were all together dancing. The camera turned around a few times to film a few shots of Judy before it was snatched from her paws by Nick in the video who then took a recording of a dancing Clawhauser and Judy.

"So . . ." started Finnick, "you're . . . ?"

"Nick and Judy, but from a Zootopia that doesn't . . . uh . . . actively try to murder you. Also, Nick's a cop and Clawhauser mans the front desk at the ZPD. Also, Nick and I spent last night together. We woke up this morning separated."

Nick nodded. "I really have no idea how we got here," he said, "but I do know that this place isn't the place we came from. Things here are different. People here are evil. I met her . . . her . . . double, I guess," he said as he indicated his bunny, "and she helped me out of being declawed but left me in the alley to fend for myself. I have no idea how we got here, only that we did."

"What you're saying is impossible!" boomed Koslov.

"Then believe this," said Nick as he pulled back the bandage. His whole face could be seen now. The swelling on either side of his head had gone down rather substantially, and though his features were still somewhat off, it was clear that he was a double of Wilde.

"If you wanna think that Carrots here is a twin, you can think that--it's easy to think she might be Sgt. Hopps' sister. But there's no denying this," he said gesturing between Wilde and himself. "We're not twins. We don't even have any siblings."

Wilde gave him a hard look. "What's the name of our high school girlfriend."

"We had three. The one I had for longest was Vixy."

Wilde grit his teeth. "And what happened to her?"

Nick wasn't sure but his counterpart seemed to be bracing himself for something, but he couldn't say what. "She grew out of my league," he replied carefully. "She became a lawyer and then a judge."

Wilde's face fell and his ears pinned back. "She's alive?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, she is. She's got four kits. The oldest one's name is-"

"Michael."

Nick started. "Yeah, Mike," he said slowly. "How d'you-"

"She always said she was going to name her first kit Michael." Nick wasn't sure why but a pall seemed to have fallen over the gathering.

Wilde looked around at his friends. The reality of his own life was set in stone. He could see its products all around him and stacked up in piles in his office. He was what he was and he had lived the life he'd lived. His mind was screaming at him to deny everything that was being said by either of them.

'The pictures've been doctored!' he told himself, 'The footage, faked! The bunny's a twin! The fox is . . .' and that was it, wasn't it? Every time he got to the fox his mind had no answer. He looked at the fox, into his green eyes, and was unable to deny the truth he saw in them. He knew what they were saying had to be true because he knew himself--and he recognised in this being before him his own mind and spirit. Wilde was looking into the eyes of a beaten and bloody version of himself who had had things far easier than he, though he recognised something familiar in him--the pain of fear, of rejection, prejudice, of being hated resonated in them both.

Everyone, he realised, had suddenly turned to him for an answer; to seek some direction since it seemed to be so intimately and personally connected with him. His mouth had gone dry and he had no idea how it was that he was even thinking what he was thinking, but there it was:

He licked his chops, opened his mouth, and said, quite to his own disbelieving ears, "I don't think we have any choice but to believe them."

-.-.-.-

3:53 PM

Gary stepped out of the lift and made his way to the decollaring booth. A worker there removed his collar and he proceeded to the southernmost end of the park. While suspicious by nature he couldn't help but enjoy the spacious feel to the whole area. The rounded roofs gave a bit of an open feel to the place, though the windows were all closed and padded in order to help soundproof the joint. He was stationed that day with his partner, Larry, and his friend, Garou, at the back of the park. He yawned in a whine as he stepped into the third warehouse some minutes later. This was the second time he'd had to be here with hardly a chance for sleep in-between. Larry had never left, deciding to stay after the ending of the first meeting to facilitate things as they readied for the assembly.

After about a minute of leisurely walking, he saw Larry and Garou chatting together against the far side of the warehouse. He was somewhat surprised when he saw Wilde pop out from behind the roar-a-coaster, presumably from his office, and start looking around furiously. He seemed to catch sight of Garou and run toward him. He couldn't quite make out what he was saying but he could definitely make out the words, "need your nose" and "gotta figure something out" before he and Garou dashed off into Wilde's office.

Gary heard the door slam shut behind him just as he reached his mate. "What was that about?" he asked as he looked back to where they'd disappeared.

"Dunno. Something pretty weird's been going on. I kinda feel like there's something they're not telling us and I don't know what it is."

"You know the meeting starts in a bit," said Gary. "Walk with me?"

Larry nodded and followed as they walked toward a side door in the back of the building.

The park, having been a garage-like warehouse before, had wide gates that could be pulled open to vent the place of harmful chemicals and other dangerous substances that hung in the air. The gates opened at the northern and southern ends of the buildings. Those gates were now used to connect warehouse to warehouse except in the first and second warehouse which opened facing north and south respectively while there were emergency gates installed in each tribute which opened toward the east and the docks.

The pair made their way out onto the shore, facing east. Their winter coats were some natural protection against the chill, but all security officers were wearing long dusters for extra protection.

After a moment of silence, Larry turned to his mate. "What d'you make of this?" He put his paws in his pockets.

Gary chuffed. "I have no idea, but I have a really bad feeling about all of this. I have no idea what's going on but it seems like . . . I dunno. Like we're fighting something unstoppable."

The grey wolf nodded. "I know. It's like, all of a sudden, today was the day. And why today of all days?"

A chill wind began to blow.

"I think-" Gary suddenly stopped midsentence as his nose caught something. He snuffled and followed the scent. It seemed to be coming from back behind the park, toward the cliffs.

"What's up, Gary?"

"Shh," he replied as his ears perked to listen. He growled and flattened them and started forward. He paused occasionally to get a better sense of where the scent was coming from before continuing. He got to the wide strip of land between the warehouses and the cliff.

"Gar, if you needed some private time with me you di-" The grey wolf stopped when his eyes landed on something grey and unmoving beneath the cliff and the first warehouse.

Gary had already broken into run, becoming a blur of white fur as he made his way there.

Larry caught up to him and knelt down to see a rabbit. He sucked in breath when Gary turned the creature over.

"Holy, shit! It's her!" exclaimed Larry.

"Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, man; that bad feeling I got suddenly just got worse!"

"We gotta get her to Nick!"

"Do you think she's alive?" asked Gary

"What the hell do I know? You're closer, can't you take her pulse?"

"I don't need to; I can hear her breathing," he sighed, somewhat relieved.

Larry nodded before sagging. "Oh, what the fuck is going on?" He pulled off his coat and threw it over the bunny. She was positively freezing to the touch.

"Damn," said Larry as he picked her up and started back to Wilde's office, "I really wanted a quick fuck, too!" he finished.

Gary let out a loud laugh as they headed back. "Later, man; later."

-.-.-.-

4:01 PM

Garou stood and only stared. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

Wilde had rushed out to grab him--one of the very few whom he could trust in this situation--only moments ago to get his opinion on something he-didn't-know-what. As much as Wilde trusted his own gut in these circumstances and had discerned to his own satisfaction what the facts of the matter were, he felt he needed confirmation from another outside source. And that's where Garou came in

He'd brought him into the office and explained to him the crazy turn of events, speaking over his objections and obvious incredulity.

Before he had a real chance to question any of this, Garou was quickly ushered into the side room. He'd barely gotten a handle on what Nick had told him. As the story got stranger and stranger he began to seriously consider telling someone that the poor fox was drunk and getting someone else to come out and deliver whatever information had been unearthed.

As he was led into the side room, he first noticed the large crowd of animals there, particularly three imposing polar bears. The white curtain was still dividing the room and Hopps was . . . Hopps was gone! Before he could say another word, Wilde nodded to Clawhauser who was standing near the edge of the curtain. The cheetah nodded back before grabbing the curtain and slowly walking it open from one end of the room to the other. To Garou's surprise, he saw fox and rabbit holding paws tightly and looking at him worriedly. He growled instinctively when he saw who the rabbit was but was sharply reprimanded by Wilde who nevertheless stood back.

Garou saw the fox before him put his arm around the rabbit somewhat protectively. Wilde had told him that he didn't want to say anything about whom he would see once he got into the room: just that he wanted the wolf to smell two animals and give his opinion--regarding what, Wilde was hesitant to say.

The wolf approached them slowly and sniffed the air around them carefully before cautiously sniffing the fox first. He jumped back as though startled and looked at Wilde, an astonished look on his face.

"H-he's you!" he exclaimed loudly.

He turned back to the fox on the bed and continued to look on in surprise before he turned his attention to the bunny next to the vulpine. He took in several sniffs and was unable to stifle a small growl before nodding to himself thoughtfully. He moved in closer to get a better idea of her scent. Again, he stood back and surprise.

Mr. Big who'd been uncharacteristically silent suddenly spoke up. "What is your understanding of their relationship?"

Garou turned around and looked at Mr. Big, having missed him when he first walked in. Hesitantly and with no small amount of trepidation, said, "They-they're mates."

"This is making absolutely no sense" said Finnick, who stepped forward now. His face was a mask of interest in spite of his tone. He looked at the couple on the bed. What he saw between the two of them was undeniable, but it went against all reason--not that he had a problem with mixed marriages, just that it was this fox and this bunny; and not only that but they were fucking copies of the real ones in this universe?!

Finnick was no philosopher and had no real interest in anything other than eking out his own mild existence in whatever way he could. He had never imagined alternatives to his own life, never having had any use for fanciful thinking, and yet now he was presented with the possibility of something new.

Both he and Clawhauser had never considered the option of a Zootopia where things were at least minimally functional; where the police didn't go out of their way to make the lives of preds a living hell. From what Finnick'd been hearing, though, in spite of the fact that their Zootopia was full of its own prejudices, there was a vision and a sense of hope for the future. Here, on the other hand, the authorities were actively working against the interests of predators.

This vision of the future--this ideal of what the city could be--was novel and spoke to the hopes with which the city had been conceived. Now, more than ever, the people in that room felt they had a sense of purpose. The war could functionally act not only as a means to defend against a cull, but serve to rebuild the city from what it was now. This reality wasn't lost on anyone in there as they contemplated the couple before them.

"Are you sure? Is there any room for doubt? Beware that Nicky has vouched for your credibility. Any lie on your part will endanger his credibility, as well."

Garou felt a bit more hesitant, now, but was as sure as ever about what he smelled. There was no faking the bonding scent--the two of them had been mates for ages, from what he could tell. Though, and here he chuckled to himself, they had only recently consummated their relationship.

He nodded slowly at the shrew and said, "I'm pretty sure. I mean-" he amended when the shrew gave him a look, "-to my knowledge, these two are mates. They've been mates for a while!" he emphasised.

Mr. Big looked doubtful.

Garou couldn't tell but it seemed to him that the shrew's doubt might stem from the presumptive implausibility of two species being together. An unexpected wave of anger surged through him.

"It can happen!" he shouted angrily, his deep voice drawing everyone's attention.

An uncomfortable silence followed where Kevin and Raymond moved to step around Koslov.

Mr. Big held up a paw to still them.

The wolf fumbled. "I-I'm sorry Mr. Big," he spat out. "It's just that . . . I'm in an interspecies relationship, too. Not only mates, but married, too. In secret. And-"

"Young wolf: My reaction is not to your personal . . . proclivities. Rather I was reacting to the young prey who has, until this moment, been obfuscating the facts of her presence here. Her testimony is subject to scrutiny because I cannot afford to make in mistakes. It appears we're getting ourselves into a life and death situation and time is of the essence."

"I'm telling the truth!" said Judy. She was insistent but maintained a respectful tone.

Mr. Big eyed the bunny warily. He read the room and got a sense that the tide was turning toward the two sitting on the bed. In spite of the logical answer that the situation would seem to indicate--that the pair of them were crazy--the ludicrous evidence presented and the confirmation of nearly everyone around him as to the truth of what he were seeing; therefore, could only really indicate one course of action.

"I believe you, my dear. But now we have a problem on our hands: What do we do with you?"

Nick was about to answer when a sharp knock could be heard coming from the door in the office.

"Are you expecting someone?" said Mr. Big as he looked at Wilde who shook his head no and went into the main office to get rid of whoever it was.

He had only barely opened the door before two wolves pushed their way through into the office.

"Hey! Hey!" barked Wilde loudly, his temper rising as he angrily followed after the pair. "What're you doing?! You can't just barge in here!"

"I'm sorry, Boss!" exclaimed the white wolf as he made his way into the side room, "But we have a problem! We found J-" He stopped talking the moment he saw the bunny sitting next to the fox.

"Sgt. Hopps! She's here!" he exclaimed as he turned to the grey wolf next to him in shock.

Lary, Wilde noted, was carrying a bundle in his arms. "You guys can't tell anyone!" shouted Wilde.

Gary and Lary gave each other nervous looks. They were beside themselves.

"You can go, now," said Wilde sharply.

"Actually," said Larry, "we can't, I don't think."

Wilde opened his mouth to rebuke the grey wolf when he saw him uncover what he had in his arms.

'Judy Hopps!'

There was a sudden flurry of action as the rest of the animals there crowded around letting out shouts of confusion as they gathered to see what the hell was going on. At the sight of the sergeant, the confusion as to what to do increased.

"What happened to her? Did you see her around here?" asked Wilde.

"I dunno!" said Gary. "I nosed her around the back side of the park--it was like she'd been leaning over the cliff. Or trying to climb down it or something. She was unconscious when we found her," he finished, gesturing to Larry and himself.

Wilde stepped forward and noticed a dart in her chest. A single dart.

'Police issue . . .' he thought.

Suddenly things weren't making sense as nearly as much as they had been. She'd been darted, or so it seemed, by a member of her own force. He grunted as he felt time slipping through his paws. The meeting was supposed to have started already! He could hear through the open door to his office the crowd wondering where on Earth Mr. Big was. Where was Wilde? Clawhauser? Finnick? Anyone?

"Okay," said Wilde as he looked around at everyone, "we have no more time. We have to start the meeting. But first . . ." he took the bunny from Larry's arms.

He set her down on the bed next to Judy and Nick who now jumped off to make room. Wilde carefully pulled out the dart and opened the bunny's shirt to reveal her naked chest. He saw two other wounds next to the dart wound he'd just pulled out.

"Did you see any other darts on the beach?" he asked either of the wolves.

They shook their heads and looked on.

The wounds were clustered together which indicated an experienced shooter. Wilde pulled out from underneath the bed what appeared to Judy to be a tool box. When he opened it, she could see that it was full of medical supplies: syringes, vials, gauze, pills and so on.

She watched as he pulled out a disposable syringe and a vial. He inserted the syringe and withdrew what appeared to be a large amount of fluid.

"What is that?" asked Nick.

"It counter acts the effects of the tranquilizer."

"Why does she need so much?" asked Judy as she looked on, somewhat embarrassed that everyone looking at this bunny now knew what she looked like topless. She covered her chest somewhat defensively. Nick noticed, looked down at her out of the corner of his eye and smirked. Judy saw him and nudged him with her elbow which elicited a small chuckle.

Wilde, somewhat distractedly answered, "She was darted three times. That's really enough to kill her given enough time, for such a small creature." He made the injection slowly into her left arm. She convulsed and Wilde held her down.

"Pretty good," said Nick as he looked on.

"Believe it or not," said Wilde as he looked down at the form in front of him, "I was going to be doctor at one point before things . . . took a different turn."

There was a comfortable silence that came over the room for a moment before it was broken.

"My friends," said Mr. Big to those in the room, "this meeting, it seems to me, is a bad idea--having us all together like this. I recommend leaving, as I plan to, now. I would adjourn the crowd and warn everyone to avoid any near occasions of breaking the law until we know more."

"What?!" said Wilde as he turned to the shrew.

"Are you sure is good idea? So many have come and need reassurances," said the bear holding him.

"Koslov," Mr. Big began, "as always I trust your council above all others, but even you must admit that with the presence of two police officers who're notorious for destroying our way of life, things are looking more and more dangerous by the minute. There are too many coincidences here and the missing information is a chasm over which I do not feel comfortable traversing. You may stay if you wish to give whatever comfort you can. You know what I'd planned for this meeting as well as anyone."

Koslov nodded and handed him carefully to Kevin who then shuffled out of the room with Raymond following behind.

"Wait, Raymond!" said Wilde, "Where'd you put Mike's trunk?"

"It's still in my van. I didn't know what you wanted me to do with it so I just left it there."

"We'll be leaving by ship, in any event," said Mr. Big. "Water passage at this moment is likely the safest mode of transportation."

"I'll have my men prepare a boat for you," said Koslov who sent a text to Delgato whom he had thankfully managed to get off his normal route for the day. "The ferryman will flag you down and meet you at the docks," he finished.

Wilde looked at Raymond. "Who's taking your car back?" he asked.

"Fangmeyer was driving and had Wolford with him. They were working on the van earlier but I think they're both inside, now."

Wilde nodded and turned back to the bunny who was gradually waking more and more.

Mr. Big made his apologies and walked out with the two bears.

Finnick and Clawhauser followed them out; as did Garou who was headed back to his station. Cevilla was meeting him and he planned to spend some time with her during presentation. He was stopped in the doorway as Wilde said, somewhat annoyed at the turn of events, "Garou, I want you to go on stage and tell everyone that we'll be starting at four thirty instead. And that plans have changed and that Koslov will be presenting Mr. Big's plans."

Garou nodded and went out.

Wilde stayed behind along with Gary and Larry, and Nick and Judy.

"So . . ." started Nick as Wilde began to redo the buttons on his patient's blouse, "what about us?"

"You guys can leave, if you want, but stay local," he said. "I mean, don't leave the park," he amended. "The beach is nice. Why don't you step out for a bit?"

Nick nodded and looked around for his shirt which he found neatly folded next to the bed. He put it on and draped his arm around Judy's shoulders.

As they stepped out into the park, Nick was taken aback by what he saw: Predators were strolling around freely. The place was positively packed and animals just seemed to be milling about, waiting for the assembly to begin.

He smiled as he looked around. "This place looks like a lotta' fun!"

Judy smiled next to him. "I know! It's like an oasis in the middle of a desert."

They saw ahead of them as Mr. Big and his entourage followed out a side door near the back of the warehouse. They made to go, too, but were stopped when they heard the sound of someone calling them.

"Dad!" shouted Mike as he ran up to Nick.

The older fox turned to see a younger fox run up to him and suddenly stop short and let out a gasp.

"Dad, what happened?!"

Nick looked on in confusion as the teen could only stare at his injuries.

"I'm not your dad," said Nick, somewhat stunned. Judy had definitely forgotten to mention that he had a son in this world.

The boy looked bemused and took a step back. "What . . . ?"

Judy stepped in quickly and said, "What he means is that he's your dad's look-alike! Like . . . for protection! A body double!" The lad looked incredulous. "Your dad's in his office," she finished lamely.

The boy looked on wearily. "How come I've never met you if that's true?"

Nick grinned widely. "Maybe you have and you never knew it."

The lad only looked at him, staring blankly for a moment before breaking into laughter. "Alright," he spoke between gasps of air, "tell dad when you see him that Morris and me're going to the beach."

Judy looked on as the teen walked out the door to the shore.

"Did you wanna see the water? It's really beautiful," she said.

"Let's just have a walk. I just wanna see what I built."

She snorted and nudged his ribs gently as she knew they still hurt. "Not quite. But I guess it's good to know that you have ingenuity. You could've been a doctor."

"But then I wouldn't've met you," he said as he leant down and kissed her.

She kissed him back softly and gently caressed his cheek.

"You're so sweet. I couldn't be happier that you're my partner in anti-crime."

He smiled down at her, offered his arm which she gratefully took, and carefully moved through the park, gently making their way through the large mass of animals.

-.-.-.-

4:07 PM

The quartet calmly strode across the parking lot, stepping carefully over the bodies of the five guards who lay on the ground. Woolter was in his truck and backing it up to the cliff, following the four slowly across the street.

Coal had waited till all the ferals were inside, leaving only the guards, before taking them out one by one.

"That was some nice shooting," said the rhino as he walked across the asphalt.

The koala smiled. "Thanks, it was nothing really. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Speaking of which . . ." he looked back at the truck, "we should have round two set up in just a bit. It's not that far down," he finished as he looked over the edge of the cliff.

The ram walking next to them nodded and grunted. "Give us twenty minutes. Woolter and me'll have it done."

Bellwether chuckled. "You two are the best."

Rhinowitz chuffed.

"Of course," she added hastily, "none of this would've been possible without your brute strength."

She peered over the edge of the cliff herself and frowned doubtfully. "Where's the sarge?"

The koala looked over the edge. "She should've been right there!" he gestured.

"You think there's someone out there?" asked Rhinowitz.

"There's no way she moved herself," said Coal. "Okay, new plan: I'll go down first and get to the roof of the building. I can do it quick!" he said quickly when Doug seemed about to cut him off. "Then the rest of you guys head down. If anybody's down there who isn't one of ours I'll pick 'em off. You should have a clear shot to the building that way. While I'm getting over there, somebody needs to throw those bodies over the edge, too." He gestured to the dead guards on the pavement. "Just try not to hit me! You catch that Woolter?" asked the koala as the ram got out of the truck and walked up to them.

He nodded as he joined the group; and the others standing around the koala looked to each other in agreement. It seemed the safest way.

"Okay," said the koala as he shouldered his rifle, "let's get started."

-.-.-.-

4:15 PM

Morris laughed as Mike playfully shoved him as they walked along the shore.

"I love your dad," said Morris. "This place is the best!"

"Yeah," laughed Mike. "But your dad's cool, too! It was fun that he took us out for lunch."

Morris nodded but couldn't help but notice his friend wasn't as lively as he normally was. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? What d'you mean?"

"I mean, uh . . . well, you seemed kinda scared when Raymond came to pick us up."

"No I didn't!" said Mike defensively.

Morris eyed his friend wearily. He wanted to say more but didn't. He had a hunch that the fox's fear had something to do not only with the worry that his father might one day end up getting hurt but also had to do with his mother having died when he was just a newborn kit. Losing two parents would be unimaginable and the bear shuddered to consider it

They walked on in silence a while longer.

"Do you ever get worried about your dad?" asked Mike suddenly.

"Sometimes, but not really. I mean, he's huge. I think it'd take a lot to take him down."

Mike nodded to himself. "Yeah . . . . Hey, I got an idea!" he started in a bid to change the subject, "D'you think your dad'd take us out on the water again?"

"Nah, the meeting's starting in a little bit. Actually shouldn't it already have started?" Morris asked as he looked back. "Hey, who're they?" he asked when he saw what looked like a group of four or five animals working on the roof of the warehouse.

Mike followed his gaze and looked west toward the mountains. "Probably just some maintenance workers," he said as he looked on. He turned to the young bear. "If your dad's supposed to be at the meeting, why'd he just go into his boat?"

"He's been here since early. He skipped his nap today and he probably went to go sleep a bit. Someone'll come out to find him."

Mike nodded.

They reached the boardwalk, and in the early gloaming that cast its long shadows about, they made their way from one end of the row of quays to the other, turning their up their collars to the cold as they went.

-.-.-.-

4:24 PM

Wilde had been at the side of the slowly stirring bunny for some time, now. Gary and Lary had left in order to take up their positions in the third warehouse, leaving Wilde alone to tend her. Gradually she'd been becoming more and more conscious. For a start, slurring her words and floating in and out of waking-life and every now and again she would open her eyes. After checking them both with a pen light, he could tell that they were out of focus. As she'd slowly become more and more conscious, he'd had to hold her down in order to keep her in the bed and from trying to get up. He saw the moment when she recognised him: She suddenly jerked to try and move away. She was weak enough still that he could hold her in place, though he was surprised by the amount of strength she carried in her upper body.

She'd stopped moving when she realised that her quick movements were doing nothing but giving her a headache. Her mind was still groggy in that way it was when she took a nap at the wrong time of day and woke up at an odd hour. The pain in her skull was ever-present but was lessened when she stopped trying to move.

"You have a headache because the muscle relaxant in your system slowed down your heart enough that it had an effect on the amount of blood going to your brain. The cold weather would have exacerbated it," he'd said as he looked her over. "The more you move, the faster you heart's gonna beat and that's going to make your head hurt until it gets back to a normal state. Can you drink?"

She didn't know how to answer. She didn't know if she could. She felt drained.

Wilde checked under the bed and found an IV bag in a box with some others, brought over the IV pole, and hooked it up to a line, and the line to a fresh needle.

"You sure you can't swallow?" he gave her a sidelong glance.

She opened her mouth and tried to speak but couldn't.

"That'd be a no," he finished.

He took her arm and gently inserted the needle before squeezing the bag to get the liquid flowing.

"The dart toxin dehydrates you. That's another reason for the headache and the grogginess."

The liquid went down the hose line and into her system. Judy felt a cold in her arm. Suddenly, after just two seconds of receiving the saline, her body jerked. Her headache seemed to be fading quickly and the aches throughout the rest of her body seemed to ease away.

After several minutes of careful observation he took a step back and was about to leave to go oversee the meeting when he heard her gasp from the bed.

"Conspiracy . . ." she said.

He came back in the room. "What did you say?"

"Conspiracy . . ." she wheezed again, "danger . . . something . . . wrong . . . ." She tried to sit up but he gently pushed her back down.

Could he interrogate her now? He had to take a chance. "What do you know about what's happening here?"

"Not sure . . ." she started. "Someone's been misdirecting me . . . . Mayor wanted you brought in. Don' know why . . . ."

"You have to have some idea!" growled Wilde. "What charge was I-"

"She said you were the one behind the feral animals." She still spoke weakly, though at least now it seemed to be in complete sentences.

Wilde snarled at her. "That's just a myth! Some propaganda to let them--let you--hate us!" He finished speaking but still rumbled in his chest.

She gently shook her head and looked at him, taking hold of his arm. She had a surprisingly strong grip for having just come out of a tranq-sleep. Perhaps the antitoxin was better than he thought.

"It's not a myth!" she said insistently. "I've seen it."

"There's no way-"

"I've seen it!" she said and tried to sit up.

Wilde had to apply a bit more force to get her back down on the bed.

"You have to have been mistaken."

She slumped back sadly. "That's what this is all about. If you don't accept what I'm saying you're not going to be able to figure out what's happening. It all starts and ends with this: animals--predators--have been going feral and I don't know why. We--Bogo and I--had suspected that there was some sort of contagion here in Happy Town but all of the transformations were taking place in Animalia. We further suspected that there were someone--here, specifically--who were the epicentre of the whole thing. Someone who were spreading it."

"And you're saying you and the whole police department are being led to think that that someone was me?"

She nodded slowly. "So you see: I came here based on that case. If that case is all just a big lie, why would I have wasted my time coming down here?"

Wilde looked down at her. "It's not true," he insisted. It couldn't be true.

"It is true." She cocked her ears. "There a lot of animals here?"

He nodded slowly.

She chuckled to herself. "You know, pack behaviour is illegal . . . ." She trailed off as a sudden thought occurred to her.

Wilde scowled in response to her comment but was taken aback when she sat up quite suddenly. He pushed her back down as she gripped her head painfully.

"That's what this is about! It's a conspiracy!"

"What're you talking about?" he asked as he pushed her back down.

She pushed his arms away and jumped up. "I have to get out of here!"

"Hey!" he shouted as he tried to push her back.

She forced her way and hopped off the bed, trying to ignore the extraordinary pain in her head. He grabbed her arm as she tried to dart forward. She wrenched herself free and darted out of the room. Wilde followed quickly, trying to catch up with her but there was very little chance he was going to catch her. Not only had evolution prepared her but she'd had training.

He shouted after her as she dashed out of the room. He followed after her as she tried making her way to one of the exits along the side. She skidded to a stop quickly and fell on her hindquarters when she saw Garou was manning it. He turned to look at her and it seemed that he didn't quite know what to make of her.

"Do not let her out that door!" shouted Wilde as he chased after her.

Garou's head perked up and looked over her head to see Wilde as he chased after her. Garou looked back at her, seeming to see her for the first time. He growled and made to chase after her.

"No! I'll deal with her; you stay put! Make sure the exits are covered" Wilde shouted as he chased after her.

She jumped up and started running back toward Wilde. She dove beneath his legs, tripping the fox in the process, and ran, threading her way through the crowd of people. There were several exits in the tributes that led out. She saw that they were manned, too and kept going. She ran through the second warehouse until she got to the first.

"Fuck!" shouted Wilde as he gave chase. "Someone stop that bunny!" he shouted loudly. No one was listening. He_ had_ to get their attention. "Stop that bunny, she's Judy Hopps!"

He knew it was a bad idea the moment the name slipped from his tongue.

At the sound of that name, many preds standing nearby turned to see the fox chasing after the rabbit. After a few stunned moments several in the crowd who recognised her gave loud shouts of recognition.

"It's her!"

"It's Judy Hopps!"

"She's here to arrest us!"

"The police are here, run!"

"Get her!"

In very short order the word spread through the crowd. As the rabbit ran she could hear the shouts behind her; could see the looks on the faces of those animals who turned to see her as she dashed by.

She held in her emotions as suddenly several paws started reaching for her. Claws, growls, and snarls followed her as everyone there seemed to become aware of her presence.

She could see the wall of a ticketing booth, could see the exit and, behind the counters, what appeared to be an elevator shaft. She was nearly out when she was suddenly tackled from behind.

Her head cracked on the ground and her breath left her in a rush. She grunted and was hauled up drunkenly. She turned around to see Wilde holding her. Wait, not Wilde! This fox looked like him but had been severely beaten.

'It's the fox from this morning!' she realised suddenly.

"Oh, shit," she said drunkenly.

"Yeah, 'Oh, shit,' is right," said Nick calmly as he looked down at her. He turned her to Judy who was standing nearby. "This is her."

Judy looked at the bunny before her. She looked like her in nearly every respect but there was something harder in her features, a sharpness to her violet eyes.

"You . . ." Judy trailed off.

She never got the chance to finish her thought as Wilde, followed by several other animals, broke out of the crowd. While the animals were taken aback at the sight of two Hoppses, Wilde's calm about the situation seemed to placate them, feeding them some nonsense about them merely being doppelgängers.

Wilde was breathing heavily and looked between the fox and his mate, to the bunny Nick was holding onto. He watched with some hesitancy as Judy came over and took one of Hopps' arms from . . .

'I need to think of a name for this fox.'

"Uh . . . Pi, you got this?" he said, testing out a name.

Nick looked up at him. "I think just P sounds better. Like Q from James Bond."

Wilde snickered. "Okay, then. P it is. So . . . you got it?"

"I think the two of us can handle her."

"Please . . . I have to get out. Something's gonna happen," slurred the rabbit.

"Take her to my office. I have to try and calm down this crowd," he said as he looked around. Several gawkers were standing around and many voices could be heard calling out in confusion. Things had gotten too ramped up and the large gathering seemed to be panicking somewhat.

Time to go diffuse the situation as best he could. He sent a quick text to Koslov who had probably ducked out to go hide in his boat.

He needed to defuse the situation quickly.

-.-.-.-

4:28 PM

The sun was nearly set and the onset of civil twilight allowed a few stars in the sky to become visible. The reddish haze that tinged the sky was fading into a dark purple and the autumn cold set in.

Bellwether shivered in reaction to the chill and finished texting back one of the two inside men. She sent them a warning to leave since it seemed everything'd been set. She looked up as Woolter walked up to her.

"Alright, Boss, we managed to get the bomb in place," he said. The ram and his partner stepped up to Rhinowitz and Bellwether who'd been busy carefully loading four large drums onto a trolley.

It was getting on and it was going to be dark in a matter of minutes. They had wanted to do this as close as they could tonight in order to maximise the element of confusion. Twilight was slowly overtaking the place, and a wind seemed to sweep in from across the water.

Doug and Woolter, with the aid of Coal's small hands, had just finished loading the charge and placed the incendiary device at the southern end of the second warehouse and now stood shuddering in spite of their fleece in the cold. The four barrels had been situated at the northern end of the rounded roof so as to allow enough space between them and the blast area. As an extra measure of protection they had all donned bullet proof vests and other protective gear and clothing along with noise cancelling earmuffs.

"Good," said the rhino. "Now we're gonna need you two to back away. You need to leave now, though, Coal. Once the blast goes off," he said to the two rams, "the only thing you need to do is wheel the barrels into the hole and get out of there as fast as you can!" finished the rhino.

Coal grinned. "Let's make some ferals."

-.-.-.-

4:29 PM

Wilde slowly made his way back to the dais from the ticketing booths as Nick and Judy held on to a struggling Hopps. He needed to inform the crowd what Mr. Big had decided. A full assault on city hall and the police force was a heavy task to undertake, but they had to do it. It was high time for the rebellion which now seemed inevitable. Everyone in the city was to be texted in order to brace for the assault and make preparations for a potential siege.

They had all barely made it to the second warehouse when amid the chorus of voices, Judy and Hopps both stilled, perked up their ears, and looked toward the ceiling.

"What's the matter?" asked Nick, seeing his mate's sudden confusion.

"I . . . I'm not sure," she started, "but I think someone's u-"

They saw the explosion before they heard it: A white-orange flash whose impressive heat nearly burned them. The blast was deafening when it arrove seconds later. Judy, Hopps, Wilde, and Nick couldn't see from their vantage point exactly what had happened, but they definitely felt the concussion and the whoosh of air that precipitated the explosion at the far end of the second warehouse that sent bits of glass and shrapnel flying in every direction but, most devastatingly, at the people standing below it.

All the animals their bent their ears back painfully as the echo of the explosion resonated loudly throughout the park. The predators in the second warehouse were all blown to the ground as an intolerable heat blew shards of roofing at them. Those unharmed and still conscious after the wreckage were stunned to see that the roof of the second warehouse, though made of metal, had been shorn open through the force of the blast. The scent of singed fur and burnt flesh seemed to immediately fill the air as smoke and debris fell in large chunks on the masses below.

In the confusion that followed several predators suddenly started rushing toward the entrance to the park. Wilde, Nick, Hopps, and Judy were forced to the front of the first building and even picked up and ran, managing to make it through the crowd only to be forced up against the ticketing booths, in the swell of bodies that immediately pushed forward in an ardent desire to escape.

Finnick, who'd been at the decollaring booth, to his credit jumped up on the counter and shouted loudly into the intercom for calm. He directed Clawhauser and several other workers to man the emergency exits.

While this was being done, another sound met the ears of the animals still trapped in the second warehouse. Something on the roof of the second building was scraping loudly and seemed to be edging further and further toward the blasthole in the ceiling. Suddenly, through the hole there fell what appeared to be four individual drums, one after the other, of what might have been oil for all anyone knew. They landed on top of several mammals in the midst of the crowd who now screamed as a few were crushed.

Upon impact, one drum burst open and what appeared to be a purple fog seemed to bloom from it. It quickly engulfed the area in front of the fleeing mammals. A current of wind swept it away from the front of the building and back toward the third warehouse.

Then a second drum exploded.

Then a third.

Then a fourth.

Though the view was obstructed, Wilde leant forward as the screams behind the veil of purple vapour increased and mingled with the sounds of what he thought were growls and roars. He was suddenly gripped with a profound sense of terror as the screams and pleas for help seemed to increase. He turned to a still groggy Sgt. Hopps and growled.

"What is this? What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!" she shouted back before gripping her head painfully.

'Bad idea,' she thought.

"What's that purple stuff?!" he shouted.

Judy gripped Nick's hand and squeezed it tightly as she turned to her mate with fear-filled eyes. "Nick!" she exclaimed in a horrified tone.

Nick, equally fearful, shouted loudly "We need to get out of here, now!" to everyone within the sound of his voice.

Wilde turned to the couple and shouted back, "You two! You know what's going on?!"

Before either of them could answer, Sgt. Hopps spoke from behind them. "It's nothing! I can smell it from here!"

Wilde turned to her. "Well?!" he shouted in his confusion, the crows of preds swelling around them.

"I recognise the scent! It's just midnicampum holicithias."

"What the hell is that?" he questioned.

"It's just a pesticide!"

"Pesticide?!"

"Relax!" she shouted. "It's not lethal in mammals!" she finished.

"But it does have the ability to make them go savage!" said Judy, quickly.

Wilde turned to her and his jaw dropped. "What?" said both Hopps and he in unison.

"We're in a room full of animals who're going savage! We have to get out of here now!" she shouted as both she and Nick began backing away from the fog as swirls of it seemed to edge through the tribute and into the first warehouse, headed in their direction.

"We don't do that!" shouted Wilde. "How long will it take for you to-"

"It's not about that!" shouted Judy and she began to turn away as the crowd rushed forward. "We-"

She was suddenly cut off when a tiger came leaping forward with a snarl from the fog: its jaws open, its claws outstretched, as it began attacking several members of the crowd in front of them who screamed in terror as the creature tore at them. The feline was followed by several other animals--a wolf, a lion, another wolf! They kept coming and the voices screamed more loudly in horror, terror, and surprise as feral animals began leaping out of the purple haze with greater and greater frequency!

As the fog seemed to reach the animals on their side, Wilde let out a cry of terror when he witnessed the transformation taking place right before his eyes. The transformed immediately set upon those around them, even others who'd turned!

Judy screamed and turned away at the sight of blood. She let out a gasp when suddenly she was picked up. Nick carried her to the side of the ticket booth and threw her up on top of one of the awnings that roofed the ticket booths. He seized Finnick from the top of the counter to throw him up, stretching the intercom cord as he did. Wilde took a chance and climbed up himself who then in turn began helping up as many as he could.

Sgt. Hopps, was pulled up by Judy and both of them then began hauling up as many predators on the ground as they could.

Finnick shouted loudly into the mic amid the shouts and screams for the emergency doors to be opened.

-.-.-.-

On the opposite side of the park, Garou and Cevilla were beside themselves. They had no idea what it was they were seeing as the horror unfolded before them. Hearing the order from Finnick for the emergency gates to be opened, Garou fought his way through the swarming mass of bodies to a red emergency switch in the corner of the third warehouse. He put in his key, turned it, and pushed the red button right below it. Immediately all the emergency doors installed in every tribute leading from warehouse to warehouse opened, including two large ones on either side of the park. Doors as large as those to a hangar were pulled apart with a loud clank which resulted in an immediate surge forward as people sought to escape. The thrust knocked Cevilla and several others over, and she cried out in pain as she and several others were stepped on in the immediate push that followed. Garou saw her fall and shouted for her even as he was swept away in the confusion. He was shoved to the side and landed hard on the concrete foundation outside the park and grunted as his wind left him.

He struggled to get up again as he heard several screams. He turned and saw to his horror a young otter get tackled and mauled by a wolf. He heard the young male let out a scream of pain as blood gushed from a wound on his shoulder. Immediately, Garou pulled out his tranq gun and shot the wolf twice. He turned to a feral lion and shot him thrice. Then he turned . . . and turned . . . and turned!

'Shit!'

There were too many of them! They were everywhere and attacking from all sides! He fought forward and started taking out as many of the ferals as he could.

-.-.-.-

Wilde and Hopps worked frantically to pull up as many as they could. Ticketing booths were knocked over as mammals rushed to the exits that all opened at once and pushed out toward the docks and the water.

Finnick in the mean time, abandoning the intercom and calls for order, led as many as he could across the tops of those ticketing booths which still stood to a ladder leading to a catwalk above the fray. It, in turn, led to an access tunnel that ran up along side of the elevator shaft, providing an exit all the way to the top of the cliff and through the clinic. He had a worker lead the way who knew how to open the hatches to the tunnels and who was aware of the safety procedures for the park. A constant stream of preds followed after them as the twin foxes and bunnies worked tirelessly to help animals to the tops of the booths.

It didn't last for too much longer though. When it was clear that more than half of the crowd were ferals and the fog was coming too close for comfort they all quickly abandoned what they were doing and ran for the ladder themselves followed by several other animals who were able to climb up to the roofs on their own steam.

Judy ran as she never had in her life, hearing the yowls and screams of animals behind her. She never stopped and didn't dare look back. Sgt. Hopps was the only one of their group beside Finnick who was ahead of her.

Judy didn't know how she was going to get out of this. She was certain she was going to die. It was all a whirlwind in her mind but before she knew it she was up the ladder, then across the catwalk, then up the dark shaft, then into the hall of the clinic!

'I right back where I started!' she shouted to herself. Then, before she knew it she was in the parking lot where she was met once again by screams of terror. She ran but was suddenly jerked in another direction as someone grabbed her paw.

"This way!" shouted Wilde as he dragged her along. She shrieked as several animals in front of her were suddenly set upon and tackled by the vicious beasts who suddenly jumped from over the cliffs to reach them.

She was suddenly yanked in another direction. First one way! Then another! She ran blindly, pulled along by Wilde until she felt herself shoved into a vehicle. She looked around as Nick and Hopps were crammed in as well, the reddish brown interior of the van filling her vision as she looked up at the roof. She turned to the side and saw Clawhauser in the passenger seat with Wolford at the wheel who turned to look at them all as they piled in.

Wilde stood outside, gripping the door frame. "Drive! Drive! Drive!" he shouted vehemently at Wolford, who'd already started the engine. Wilde pulled away quickly and made to slam the door.

"Wait! Where're you going?!" shouted Hopps.

"To find my son!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"Fu-" he shouted as his rebuke was cut off:

He was caught off guard when Fanmeyer suddenly appeared from the rear of the seatless van and yanked the fox into the back with them and slammed the door shut. The fox growled and fought him as the van began to pull away, bangs, scratching, and growls emanating from where he'd stood moments before as ferals attacked the side of the vehicle.

"Let me go! Let go of me you son of a bitch! I need to get to my son! Get the fuck off me!" He struggled and snarled fiercely to no avail against the wolf as desperation took hold of his rationality. He let out a roar of frustration as he fought; his continual pleading for the van to return going unheeded as they sped off.

-.-.-.-

Garou turned and started running when he saw the purple mist begin to change even fleeing predators into ferals. It swept out of the open doors as currents of air flowed through the vented warehouses, carrying the gas down toward the waterfront.

He pushed his way back through the crowd, back toward the building. He had to find Cevilla!

He turned when he heard her voice crying out behind him. He saw that a young mountain lion had her by the paw and was running with her down to the shore.

'To the docks!' he quickly realised.

It seemed as though many others had thought the same thing, seeking to escape on the boats there. Others behind him took to scaling the traitorous rock wall to escape; though they, too, were soon pursued by ferals. He turned and broke into a full run as he caught up to his wife and the mountain lion who'd helped her.

He took the doe's paw when he saw Koslov's boat and headed toward the jetty in which it'd been docked. He ran as quickly as he could in that direction shouting behind him to the mountain lion to follow him. He managed to run down the dock as several others began to crowd onto it, a large swarm of ferals in pursuit.

"What's going on?!" shouted Koslov as Garou and Cevilla made it aboard.

"The purple gas!" shouted Garou. "They're all going feral!"

Koslov's night vision was second to none and when he came out of the superstructure to get an unobstructed view of the shore he was taken aback by what he saw. Suddenly fully awake he tore around to the stern, dashed into the wheelhouse, and started the boat.

"Wait! There are people still coming aboard!" shouted Garou as he followed him.

"We have to hurry, my friend. If this is as you say we need to leave, now."

Back on the poop deck animals were shoving each other off while still others sought to fight their way below deck in order to make room for more. It appeared now to all of those standing on the deck that the beach had been overwhelmed by ferals!

Several who were on board screamed and shouted for Koslov to leave as many of the ferals were now headed toward them. The boat pulled out, dragging the gangplank down the dock till it was knocked loose by a pillar. Several preds still making their way up screamed and shouted as they were sent crashing in to either the dock or the water below them.

Koslov grit his teeth and shifted to go as fast as he could while the engines slowly warmed up and drove. "Tell all passengers to get below deck!" he shouted as Garou looked out at the dock. The wolf winced and shuddered, turning away as even the docks were soon overwhelmed by ferals. Sucking in a breath of air he set his purpose before him and went as steadfastly as he could to the aft section of the boat. He told everyone he could to get below deck and they obliged, shuffling down into the lower cabins one by one.

Garou looked back at the fading shore behind him and groaned as he fell to his knees. He heard footsteps behind him and turned as he recognised the sound of his wife's hooves. He felt her put an arm around him.

"How many?" he asked, his voice raw and gravelly-sounding from overuse.

"What . . . what d'you-"

"I mean how many did we let on?! How many . . . how many did we . . . did we . . . ?"

She knew what he was asking. "I'm not sure, but I think I counted . . . fifty two, not counting us." The number seemed so small and she was on the verge of tears.

Garou growled. "We should've stayed."

"Yeah? And done what? Waited for that . . . whatever the hell it was . . . to get us too? Whatever that was back there it could have gotten the both of us and we could have ended up killing each other!" she insisted, raising her voice in fear. She sank down beside him and tightened her hold around his shoulder.

"But it didn't. We're alive," he bit out.

"I know." She leant into his shoulder and wept into it. "I know!" she shouted through sobs. She knew exactly what he was feeling. They sat together quietly as the warehouses faded behind them, the whelms of guilt overtaking them as they embraced each other. She pondered sadly the awful realisation that he must've seen the faces of his friends in some of those whom he'd darted and left behind.

"I mean . . ." she said haltingly, "you can't--we can't--blame ourselves for wanting to live." She said the words but didn't believe them.

He'd seen his comrades transform right before his eyes; still others he'd seen attacked by ferals, and the scent of blood and fear still burnt in his nose--even at this distance.

They helped each other up and looked about to see that there were other boats in the water on either side of them that had managed to get away in time, also full to the brim with passengers.

Slowly and somewhat unsure, the two of them made their way into the superstructure and down below deck to find an empty berth.

-.-.-.-

As the van sped along, Wilde finally calmed to the point where Fangmeyer felt safe letting him up. The fox popped up quickly, stood, staggering a bit before he was able to walk straight, and slowly made his way to the back of the van. There were scattered tools on the floor, there, where Fangmeyer'd been working earlier. They continued on the corniche road, and as they drove along an edge that seemed to bend east along the mountain, full view of Wild Times could be seen in the distance below the cliffs through the two large panes in the rear doors of the vehicle. The fox's keen eyes could see that piers themselves had been overwhelmed by feral savages, and he bit his lower lip as his mind ran away with dark thoughts. He let out a shaky sigh, not wanting to think what he was thinking, but a father knew:

"He was down there . . . wasn't he?" he said quietly as he saw the crawling docks.

It was deadly quiet in the van.

"Wasn't he?" he asked again, somehow needing to hear someone say it.

Everyone knew he meant his son. They could only look at each other as they sat, unmoving.

"Wasn't he . . . ?" He was breaking.

'Say it! Say it, damn you! Someone say it!' he thought vehemently.

Judy, who'd been silent up to this point, swallowed tearfully. "I . . . uh . . . he wanted to go down to the docks . . . to hang out with Morris . . . ."

No one moved. No one blinked. The silence of those initial moments of terrible knowing seemed to suppress absolutely everything in the van. Wilde was still for a beat before emitting a low growl that suddenly turned into a cry of anger so loud it reverberated through the whole van. He began punching the side of the van, letting loose his fury and pain, as a profound sense of loss and hopelessness clouded his mind. He looked around, his eyes casting about for something large and finally landed on a heavy-looking wrench and picked it up.

"God! Fucking! Damn it! God! Fucking! Damn it! God! Fucking! Damn it!" he shouted again and again as with each blow he hammered the side of the vehicle, setting upon its metal frame with all the hate, rage, and sorrow that burned in him like a roaring wildfire, leaving dents as he shouted and cried out against it before dropping the tool at his side when he felt himself burn out. He breathed in and out heavily for a few moments before covering his eyes, roughly tearing his claws through the fur on his head.

He crumpled and collapsed on the floor of the van, his shoulders heaving for a few seconds before his composure dissolved and desperate sobs overtook him. He held them in as much as he could but was unable to prevent the others from seeing the depths of his resignation.

Fangmeyer took a chance and scooted over to him and put his arm around him and spoke haltingly through tears. "H-hey . . . w-we don't know-"

"Don't!" shouted Wilde, suddenly furious. "Don't you dare! You saw the coast as well as I did! You saw those . . . you saw how the coast was . . . !" And then he lost it as the pain swept through his being, his tears flowing profusely, now. "Oh God . . . oh, God . . ." he said weakly as he leant along the side of the van. "Do you think he . . ." and then he broke off and covered his face as the thought caused him to dissolve once more into tears.

He wouldn't dare let himself hope. He wouldn't be able to take it if he built up his hopes only to have them broken. But maybe there was something he could do! He suddenly sat up, pulled out his phone, and started texting his son furiously, sending message after message. Because God damn it, his spirit in spite of his despair couldn't help but hope for some miracle.

'No! No! No! This can't be the way it ends!' his mind shouted. He was frantic, texting everyone he could asking for his son. He would stop occasionally as his fears overcame him and break into weeping before becoming manic again and typing furiously.

Judy had turned away and had been crying softly into Nick's side. He petted her carefully and watched his counterpart furiously message everyone he could for news of his boy. The silence was deafening and was broken by Wolford in the front seat.

"Uh . . . should we initiate the universal text?"

Wilde didn't look up from his phone. "Do whatever the fuck you want." His tone was dejected. He didn't care anymore.

Wolford gulped and nodded to Clawhauser next to him. Clawhauser, Finnick, and Fangmeyer started texting and sent out the warning to everyone in the city to evacuate as quickly as they could. Ferals were not only at the docks but had successfully managed to scale the edge of the cliff and were escaping into Happy Town itself.

It was hard for everyone in the vehicle to contemplate the profound defeat of that moment. The lights of Zootopia shone brightly and beautifully in the fading sunlight, twilight eventually causing them to stand out in relief. As for the animals in the van: behind them, before them, and all around them lay, by contrast, a darkened Happy Town whose skyline was dotted by dim tenement lights spilling a brief flash of warmth out into the air before being hidden by smog, dissipating into the night time.