For Them Both
Two teenagers and a dare.
Two teenagers and a dare is all it took to uncover the biggest conspiracy in Zootopia's history.
A young cougar and zebra, whose parents had forbidden them from playing with each other, had dared one another to sneak into the closed Natural History Museum. After hearing an explosion from the subway underneath the museum, both of them hid behind some boxes in the main hall. When the zebra saw Judy, the hero cop, running from the explosion with a fox, he prompted his friend to take out his phone and start recording. Their excitement quickly turned to horror as they watched helplessly as Mayor Bellwether murdered Nick and Judy.
Two days later they went to the ZPD and turned in the footage. It was a media firestorm. Judy was regarded as a hero cop amongst everyone in Zootopia, especially prey, so news of her death shocked and infuriated the public. Everyone was looking for someone to blame, and when the footage was leaked, they suddenly had a target. The simmering rage and tension that had been building for months violently exploded towards a single sheep. Nick and Judy had been elevated to the status of local legends, and with all division gone, predators and prey alike focused their anger on one point.
When Bellwether was captured and brought in to the ZPD to stand trial, several thousand had gathered outside. All of whom called for one thing: Execution. The death penalty had been abolished years ago, a move now widely regretted. The justice department took days trying to find an impartial jury. Eventually they settled on twelve that were the best at faking it.
The trial went by in a flash, with deliberations taking less than one minute. The verdict was obvious from the start, and the punishment was the worst they could give. Life in prison in a maximum security facility, with no chance for parole. Most of Zootopia's citizens were satisfied with the result, knowing the limitations of the law. For some however, it just wasn't enough.
Mr. Manchas gazed warily over the desolate bridge. A hot wind ruffled his whiskers and blew up dust around his feet. In the distance, a run-down warehouse loomed over the field. The wind whistled through its broken windows.
Is this really where Nick used to live?
Manchas bitterly remembered the funeral. Hundreds had gathered outside the church, but only the ZPD, victims of Bellwether, and personal friends and family were allowed inside for the joint service. Manchas had felt guilty even being there, given what he nearly did to them. After it was over, he saw a group off in the corner of the church who looked more vengeful than sad. That's where Manchas met Finnick and the others, and where a plan was born. Finnick told Manchas to wait a few days, and then meet him under the bridge where Nick had lived. Time had passed, but the guilt and anger had not.
Gravel crunched and shifted beneath his feet as Manchas hiked down the embankment and peered under the bridge. As promised, a small fennec fox was waiting for him, leaning against the bridge in the shadows.
"Took you long enough."
Manchas' ears shifted slightly at the deep, impatient voice. It was a poor cover for the pain he could still clearly hear.
Getting right to business, Manchas replied bluntly.
"Do you have it?"
Finnick sighed and produced a small wooden box from his pocket.
"Of course I've got it."
He held the box up towards Manchas, who had to crouch to one knee to take it. Manchas opened the tiny box and inspected the contents with his one good eye. A patch had been placed over his right eye until the scars healed properly. Satisfied with what he saw, Manchas gently closed the lid.
"Thank you. I'll swear this will be put to good use."
Finnick stayed silent for a moment, and then responded in a burst of anger.
"You'd better! Do you have any idea how much one of those is worth on the black market? If I sold that I'd be set for life!"
Finnick turned and walked away.
Manchas, who remained stone-faced through the mini tirade, called out to him after he had taken a few steps.
"So why didn't you?"
Finnick stopped dead in his tracks.
Manchas continued.
"From what I've learned, you two were hardly friends. More business partners than anything. Why would you risk so much to steal this from the black market, only to give it away?"
Finnick stared into the distance as the wind gently swayed his large ears. He slowly turned around.
"He wasn't much of a friend, but he was the only friend I had."
Manchas didn't need his sensitive feline hearing to tell that Finnick was an inch away from breaking down. Sensing this, Finnick quickly turned back around and slowly walked away. He took one final look back over his shoulder.
"You do right by him… For Nick."
Manchas solemnly nodded back.
"For Nick."
Manchas was escorted into the room by two large polar bears. He tightened his jacket around him in a vain attempt to keep out the cold. The home office was below freezing, with small snowdrifts piled up in the corners. His breath plumed in front of his face with every exhale. Candles on bookshelves and the fireplace mantle provided just enough light to see. In front of him were two unlikely allies: Mr. Big and Benjamin Clawhauser.
Manchas approached his boss's desk and greeted him with a kiss on either cheek, as was customary for those Mr. Big considered family.
"How have you been? That eye been giving you any trouble?"
Mr. Big's raspy voice was filled with concerned as he peered out from under his bushy eyebrows at Manchas.
He shook his head.
"No sir, it's been fine. Thank you for paying the bills. The nighthowler cure couldn't have been cheap. I've had a few… relapses, but I'm slowly getting better."
"Anything for family. Now, I hate to rush into business, but did the fox come through?"
Manchas produced the tiny wooden box from his coat pocket.
"Yes, I have it here."
"Excellent."
Mr. Big gestured to the two polar bears in the room.
"Kevin and Raymond work part time at the prison as security guards for the front gate. They will get you inside. I always thought I'd need them one day to bust someone out. Never imagined they'd be getting someone in."
Manchas turned, and both of them nodded.
Mr. Big continued.
"I also have a pig named Henrietta on my payroll who is in charge of Bellwether's cell block. She has the key that will get you into Bellwether's visitation room. She asked around and found an old friend of Nick's, a badger named Honey. Honey is willing to start a prison riot to draw guards away from Bellwether, which should give you a clear shot at her. Don't waste the opportunity."
With conviction, Manchas responded.
"I won't. I will see that justice is served."
Mr. Big nodded slowly and turned to Clawhauser.
"What about you, Clawhauser, did you bring what you promised?"
He jumped at the mention of his name, and then frantically scrambled in his pockets.
"Yes! Yes I've got it here!"
The nervous tinge in his voice was obvious to everyone present. No one could blame him though. Very few ZPD officers walked out of Mr. Big's office, and he was the only one who had ever willingly gone in. A moment later, he produced a blank keycard.
"Here you go! This should get you through all the electronic doors in the prison. I made it look like a system bug gave authorization for the card, so it won't be traced to either of us."
Clawhauser held the card out to Manchas, who gratefully accepted.
"I also can remote into the prison's system once you get there. The second you're inside I'll crash the security cameras. You'll only have about fifteen minutes before the techs get them back working again."
Manchas and Mr. Big glanced at each other, obviously impressed.
Mr. Big spoke up.
"I had my doubts when you approached us, but you've proven yourself. I take it you and Judy were close in the ZPD?"
Clawhauser sadly shook his head.
"Not really… I kind of helped her with the missing otter case, but even then I couldn't do much. She was nice to me though, and didn't pick on me like some of the others did."
Clawhauser paused, obviously contemplating whether he should continue. He took a deep breath, and resumed.
"When the field officers brought Judy's body back… I had to see her. When I saw what Bellwether made Nick do to her I just… I just couldn't let that go."
A solemn silence settled over the group.
Eventually, Mr. Big broke it.
"That rotten sheep will get what's coming. Judy was going to be the godmother of my first grandchild. The guardian of my own flesh and blood. That sheep killed her, and hurt another member of my family."
Mr. Big gestured towards Manchas.
"That's not something I can forgive."
At Mr. Big's gesture, Kevin and Raymond passed around fancy glasses filled with liquor. Mr. Big had his own tiny cup handed to him. He raised his glass.
"For Judy."
Everyone in the room raised their glasses and echoed him.
"For Judy."
Massive steel doors swung open, allowing Manchas to drive inside. The prison was surrounded by a twenty foot wall. The only way in was through a single gate, which was buzzed open the moment Kevin and Raymond saw Manchas approaching through the cameras. Up ahead, a guard post with another smaller gate was all that stood between Manchas and the prison. After pulling up to the gate, Manchas rolled down his widow and handed Kevin the key card Clawhauser had given him. The two polar bears went through the motions of their job, and handed it back. Any other guards would have flagged Manchas, as all Bellwether's victims were forbidden from visitation.
Kevin picked up a phone and called Henrietta's direct line.
"Prepare Bellwether for visitation. Make sure she's restrained."
He hung up, and gestured Manchas to go ahead while Raymond opened the gate. They nodded meaningfully as Manchas continued.
The prison loomed over Manchas as he parked and marched to the front door. An intimidating fortress of stone, its dark and cold presence felt more like a mausoleum than a prison.
At the very least, it will soon be a tomb for one.
Manchas narrowed his eyes as held his key card against the electronic lock on the front door.
Clawhauser didn't let him down. It swung open with ease. The moment he stepped inside all the security cameras short-circuited. Manchas glanced at the cameras as their red lights dimmed into nothing. The door shut with an echoing boom behind Manchas as he stalked forward. Up ahead, deep in the prison, fighting and shouts could already be heard. Manchas hid in a doorway as guards rushed to the noise.
The badger did her job.
With the guards gone, Manchas continued on. Through multiple doors and winding concrete hallways, Manchas moved silently and unimpeded. After passing through one final door labeled "Visitation," he stepped into a hallway with several large steel doors lined in front of him. A single green light was above each door, save for one. The light above the door directly in front of Manchas was red.
At the very end of the hallway, the slight sound of movement could be heard. Two figures turned the corner ahead of him. One was a badger in a blaze orange jumpsuit, and the other a pig in an officer's uniform. Chunks of missing fur, several bruises, and a black eye adorned the badger. The pig had a carefully groomed tuft of blonde hair peeking out from under her cap, and a set of keys jingling at her side. They walked at a brisk pace towards Manchas while seemingly ignoring him. He stepped to the side.
As they passed, the badger glanced at Manchas with a sad smile.
"For Nick."
Henrietta, who was behind the handcuffed badger, tossed a set of keys to Manchas.
"For Judy."
Manchas quickly unlocked the door to the red visitation cell, and tossed the keys back. The two continued down the hall, not missing a step.
Manchas took a deep breath and opened the door.
He quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind him. It locked into place with a satisfying click. A panicked voice emanated from behind him.
"What's going on? Who are you?"
Manchas slowly turned and faced Bellwether. She was sitting alone in the center of a steel room. There were no windows, two deactivated cameras, and a single door. A long pair of handcuffs kept her right hoof chained to a bolted-down metal table. Her white face turned paler upon recognizing him.
"How did you get in here?"
"With the help of some friends."
Manchas stalked over to the metal table and pulled the wooden box from his coat pocket. He ever-so-gently set it on the table.
Bellwether's wide eyes darted between the box and Manchas in confusion.
"Though you've seen me in pictures from your hitsheep, I believe this is the first time we've met. My name is Manchas. You killed two animals whom I am indebted to. Prepare to die."
Bellwether's eyes widened in fear as she got off her chair and backed as far away as the handcuffs would allow.
"What are you talking about? You don't owe them anything! You barely even spoke to Nick and J-"
"Silence!"
Manchas slammed his paw down on the table. When he lifted it, a sizeable dent was visible in the surface.
"You do not get to speak their names…"
Manchas' gaze shone with fury.
"I owe them everything! When I was attacked by Mr. Otterton, I went to the nearest hospital and showed them my eye. When I told the nurses what happened, they laughed in my face! Nick and Judy believed me. They wanted to help me. But because of you, I nearly murdered them!"
Manchas reached over and grabbed the chair Bellwether had been sitting on, and hurled it across the room. It made an earsplitting clang as it smashed against the wall. Bellwether crouched to the ground, utterly petrified. Manchas took several deep breaths and held his trembling paws against himself. Once he had calmed down, he glared at Bellwether with cold fury.
"I wasn't always like this. Despite being a predator, I never used violence to resolve my problems. I was calm. I led a peaceful life. And then you had me drugged. The nighthowler cure is effective, but not 100%. I'm mostly in control, but occasionally I snap. The doctors don't know whether I'll ever be back to normal. I have to walk on eggshells whenever I'm around animals smaller than me. I have to hide my emotions behind a stony ask to stay sane. Every waking moment is a fight to not give in to the side of me you created."
Manchas looked at the floor and paused for a moment. When he looked back up at Bellwether, his mask had returned. All emotion had drained from his face. Manchas' dead eyes bored into hers.
With slow, deliberate steps, Manchas moved around the table. He gently shifted the box to the edge, where Bellwether could clearly see it. He lifted the lid. Nestled in cotton, a small dark blue orb sat in the center.
Manchas' voice was deadly quiet and calm as he spoke.
"The last one. All others have been destroyed, and the nighthowler flower is being eradicated as we speak. This is the last trace of your legacy and with it, I will end you."
Bellwether stared at the orb for several seconds. She was locked in a metal room with no way of escape with a panther and the nighthowler toxin. After that realization, the panic set in.
"Help! Someone help me!"
She screamed at the top of her tiny sheep lungs as she yanked on the chain holding her.
Manchas calmly took off his coat, and rolled up his sleeves.
"Please stop! You don't have to do this!"
"I do. When I was under the full effects of the nighthowler, it was the worst experience of my life. The burning pain, the primal bloodlust, and the loss of control over my own body were the worst feelings imaginable. But for the sake of poetic justice, I will subject myself to it. One last time."
At the point of tears, Bellwether cried out one last time while jerking on the chain with renewed desperation.
"Why are you doing this?!"
"Even now, you have the audacity to ask me why? Fine. I will tell you."
Manchas stared down at the blue orb.
"For Nick."
He picked it up.
"For Judy."
He crushed the orb in his paw.
"For them both."
A/N: With that, this story is done. Hope you all enjoyed the sequel, and I apologize for the wait. Also, for those wondering, I can assure you that Bellwether's funeral was not open casket.
I may write more fanfiction, though I might not. I'm working on a book called Noble, which takes up the majority of my writing time. Keep a lookout for it in the future.