Chronicles of

Zootopia I:

The Subzero

Conspiracy

Prologue

Many things can make a nation. Many more can break them. Two prominent figures in Zootopia – Nicholas and Judy Wilde – know this. They know this all too well. They saw it firsthand, and were able to stop their home from being broken by the hatred and bigotry of a public official. Ever since, they have advocated for the unity of Predator and Prey. So many believed in their message. Their eventual marriage? Seen as a symbol of Predator and Prey Unity. But things got stranger. It started when they decided they wanted to have children. A difficult prospect, but through a combination of perseverance and advanced technologies, they did – but when their first child – Skye – was born, they faced a new question – how Skye was born a grey-furred Fox. Neither Nick nor Judy could explain it. The doctors couldn't explain it. Even the best geneticists couldn't explain it. Test after test confirmed that Skye was, indeed, Nick and Judy's biological child – but there were anomalies in her blood that, while not life-threatening, could explain why she was born a Fox. After a long and worrying wait, it was eventually decided that Skye was a unique, but perfectly-healthy child, and sent home with her parents.

Raising her was a joy for Nick and Judy, despite Skye being a minor celebrity as the first Predator-Prey child born in Zootopia. However, as she grew, it became evident that she would reach a height much taller than even Nick. While surprising, it had no effect on how Nick and Judy thought of her. Indeed, ten years after Skye was born, Nick and Judy decided to have another, and birthed a bunny – Thomas. Thomas was born much in the same way Skye was, but as he grew, it was clear he wouldn't be much taller than Judy's father, Stu. Still, Nick and Judy were happy, working for the ZPD and raising their family. It was when Skye hit eighteen that she began dreaming of a figure in a black, hooded cloak. The dreams were never violent, but in each one, the figure always said, "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me." While this cloaked figure in Skye's dreams intrigued Nick and Judy, they decided that since the dreams did not entail any hostile intent, there was no real danger. So Skye went out to organize a source of income, and got a job working at a waitress not far from home. Little was she aware, on the eve of her twenty-first birthday, of the destiny that lay before her...

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Nick awoke at 4:30 AM, his arms and tail wrapped around Judy. Smiling as he saw his sleeping wife, he planted a tender kiss on her cheek. They'd come a very long way since they first met. From cynical banter to genuine kindness, then hurt and comfort... funny, Nick thought, how that eventually led to reconciliation, love, marriage, and eventually a family of his own. He had his doubts, at first, regarding whether or not they could have a child, let alone two of them. It was Finnick, Nick's old partner-in-crime-turned friend – whom Skye and Thomas had grown used to calling Uncle Finnick – that alerted Nick and Judy to the technologies available that made it possible for Nick and Judy to have their children. They agreed to "test" the tech, and lo and behold, it worked. Twice, in fact, resulting in very unique children. Still, as happy as he was with his life now, Nick occasionally got the feeling that there was going to be more to his life than being a husband and father.

Unable to go back to sleep, Nick rose from bed, threw on a robe, and walked to his computer. Finnick had set it up for him, and it worked wonders. He and Judy were off today; Skye had to go to work early, and Thomas was probably still sleeping, as he didn't wake until 5:30 at the latest for school. So, Nick decided to clean out his email inbox – he'd been putting that off for too long. He opened his web browser, accessed his email, and just as he got to his inbox, he noticed he got an email – from an unknown sender. His better judgment told him not to, but his instinct was to open the message. Inside was a message Nick was not in the slightest expecting to get:

To my childhood friend, Nick – I know we haven't spoken in many years. I hope you are well. You are a difficult man to track, and you covered your tracks well. Fortunately, I still know a few tricks – and a few people. I heard you helped Judy solve a major case that was threatening Zootopia, and now are a police officer for the ZPD. I'm happy for you, but I wish I could be messaging you under better circumstances. I don't know how long I have, so I'll be brief: I have a son. Not a biological son, but he is my son nonetheless. His name is Mesmerin Argent. I cannot describe him – not here. Not on this line. All I can tell you is that, like Skye, he is unique. He has been forced to leave my care after an attack by an unknown party of assassins. I don't know who they are, but they want Mesmerin dead. Neither of us know why. I thought it best if he go to Zootopia; that's why I am messaging you now, Nick. I implore you – help him. He deserves better than to be hunted like a criminal. He's done nothing wrong.

I know I won't live to see him again – please, Nick... take care of my little Mesmerin. Don't let anything happen to him.

Your old friend,

Sylvia Todd.

Nick was shocked. He hadn't heard from Sylvia since high school. He never knew she was considering having a family. And the last part – knowing she wouldn't live to see her son again... something about that raised red flags in Nick's head.

"Nick...?" Came Judy's groggy voice. "Honey, what are you doing up so early?"

"Was just checking my email," Nick replied, playing for time. He closed the browser and returned to bed with Judy.

"Anything interesting?" Judy inquired.

Nick knew better than to lie to Judy. "Just a message from an old friend – someone I've not heard from since High School."

"Oh?" Judy queried, still half-asleep. "What'd they want?"

"I'm not sure," Nick admitted. "She mentioned her son is coming into town... and she was begging me to take care of him."

Judy rolled over to face Nick. "Is everything alright, honey? You seem awfully worried, all of a sudden."

Nick sighed, then smiled. "Let's worry about that later, darling. I'll show you the message I got later." Judy was infected by his smile, and smiled back, then softly chuckled.

"Alright," she said, "But you haven't heard the last of me on this." Nick chuckled, wrapping his arms and tail around Judy and going back to sleep.

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Skye had been getting one "happy birthday" after another from her coworkers ever since they started showing up. She even got one from the computer when she clocked in. Not that she could complain; she was always happy to have another happy birthday. No doubt mom and dad were busy spritzing the house up for Skye's big two-one. She even heard Uncle Finnick had a surprise for her. Yeah, today was gonna be a good day. She could feel it. Yet, at the same time, Skye felt that here at work was the place to be today, as if her future had something to do with it. She was certain she would get an unexpected surprise. So, as happy and gleeful as she was, she went about her typical work tasks. The day went on at the usual pace, for a Monday; that was, to say, rather slow. Patrons would come in, order food and drink, maybe some would sit at the bar and have something off the tap, pay for it all in either case, and when ready, they would leave. Skye noticed, however, that those tables she had served tipped extra. She reasoned they overheard her talking about her birthday, so she paid it no mind. It was in the latter hours of the afternoon, when she was getting ready to clock out, that she was hit with something she wasn't expecting.

A stranger walked in to the bar. He was easily three inches taller than her, and had a reptilian appearance, though she couldn't see too much. What immediately struck her was that this person was wearing a hooded black cloak – the very same cloak that the figure in her dreams wore. He sat at the bar, and Skye's supervisor tapped her shoulder. "Bartender stepped out for a while," he said in that country accent. "Seeing as you're 21 today, would you mind getting that guy's order? I'll cut you loose soon as the normal gal gets back."

Skye nodded as she said, "Sure," and approached the hooded man. She was almost afraid to talk to him; his breathing was heavy and raspy, and sounded like no animal she had seen come through this place, let alone seen in Zootopia. She could see a little more under the hood, though, and the man definitely was reptilian; he had emerald skin-scales, a wide, somewhat short snout, and horns in the back of his head. In fact, he looked...

My god, Skye thought. Reptilian appearance, horns... she spoke to get his attention. "Excuse me... sir? Can I take your order?" Her voice snapped this man from his thoughts, and he looked up at Skye, and she saw narrow black slits surrounded by pools of steel-gray. This man... This man is a Dragon! Skye thought. She had thought their kind didn't exist on Zootopia! Just wild stories from ancient Zootopian myth!

"Just a glass of ice, for now, while I figure out what's..." the man paused, wincing in pain, before continuing, "... what's on the menu." He sighed deeply, then spoke in a language she didn't recognize: "Zu'u los gein voth fin Fus... ahrk fin Fus los voth Zu'u..." He evidently was having trouble with it, like he was fighting to stay conscious. Either he was injured, or he was outright exhausted. She got his glass of ice, and slid it to him gently.

"You must have traveled a long way to get here, huh?" She asked in an effort to make conversation.

"A long ways, yes... forced to leave behind home and family. Forced to pack up and go. Mother could not keep me there anymore, not after they attacked," the man replied. "So she bid me run. Come here to Zootopia."

Skye felt a pang of sorrow. Leaving his mother must have been difficult for this man. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be," the man responded with a shake of his head. "There was no way you could have known." He sighed tremblingly.

"If someone attacked you, why come here to Zootopia? It'd be easier for your attackers to find you here," Skye told him.

"On the contrary," the dragon said, drawing back his hood, allowing Skye an unobstructed view of his face, which bore a scar that evidently came from an edged weapon. "In the city, finding anyone – even a Force-User as I – is incredibly difficult."

"Force user?" Skye almost laughed. Was he serious? The Force? Like the Jedi and Sith from that Star Wars series? But his face said he ardently believed what he was saying. "So say I believe you're a Jedi-"

"I'm no Jedi," the dragon interrupted her. "I never was. At the same time, however, I am not Sith, either. I use both sides, yet belong to neither." He then seemingly produced a bottle of blue-colored drink out of thin air, and poured it into the glass of ice. Skye was taken aback.

"How'd you do that?" she asked. The dragon tapped the gauntlets he was wearing

"These things are very useful. Left to me by my parents for when I was old enough. Same with these..." He moved his cloak aside to reveal pair of Lightsabers clipped to his belt. Again, with the Star Wars references, she thought. Still, she wasn't going to hold against him his obvious fascination with the series. Cosplay was not a crime, and he evidently was acting in-character. Rather convincingly, in fact.

"So, say I believe you – why come to the city? It seems to me that it'd make you more a target," Skye continued from earlier.

"For one, the best place to disappear is often in a crowd. Cities house hordes of crowds. It makes finding anyone extremely difficult. Aside from that, mother bid me find someone – an old friend of hers," the dragon responded, clearly with a degree of Melancholy. Despite his clear Cosplay, he seemed very sad at leaving his mother behind. Assuming that bit was true. If it wasn't, then Skye thought he'd have a great career as an actor. He certainly had the talent for it.

"And who is this old friend? If they live in Zootopia, my mom and dad might be able to find them," Skye offered, playing along for now. The dragon sipped on his drink for a few seconds, looked at Skye, then sighed.

"She told me to find a Fox by the name of Wilde – Nicholas Wilde." Skye was completely shocked. This dragon was looking for her father! Despite her surprise, she asked:

"Do you have a name?"

"Mesmerin... Mesmerin Argent," the dragon replied. Skye turned to grab a menu, then handed it to Mesmerin.

"You take some time, figure out what you want, mister Argent. I'll be right over here," she told him. She left Mesmerin to look over the menu, while she got out of sight, got her phone, and dialed her father's number...

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Nick and Judy were getting into the car, already discussing the email Nick had received early in the morning. "... I can't understand how she managed to have a child – I thought you said she was infertile?" Judy said.

"She was – her message indirectly said the child is adopted," Nick replied. "What gets me is how she didn't think she'd live long enough to see her son again; something tells me that she was in trouble."

"Trouble with the law?" Judy asked as she got into the driver's seat of the car – a silver-colored Taurus.

"No, Sylvia was never in trouble with the law. She had no enemies. That's what's so disturbing. Why would anyone want to hurt her?" Nick asked, getting in the opposite side.

"Could her son be running from the law?" Judy queried.

Nick thought it over, then nodded as he admitted, "Possibly... but then, why would Sylvia say he's done nothing wrong? I can't imagine-" He was cut short when his phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and saw it was Skye. Answering it, he greeted her, "Skye! Happy birthday, young lady! Are you off already?"

"Not quite, dad – but you need to get to the bar, ASAP. Someone here is... looking for you," Skye responded. Nick was a bit troubled by this.

"Who? Who is it?" he asked.

"A dragon, believe it or not – you'll have to see that for yourself. He goes by the name of Mesmerin Argent," Skye told him. Nick's heart slowed. He paused for several long seconds, then said,

"Keep him busy – your mother and I are on the way," And hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Judy inquired.

"Sylvia's son just turned up at the bar where Skye works – we need to move," Nick said hurriedly as he threw on his seat belt. Judy put hers on, and they drove down the road. It wasn't far from the house to the bar where Skye worked – the Central City Bar & Grille – but en route, Nick and Judy were hit with a growing sense of dread. What were the odds that Nick would get an email about the son of a friend of his, and in that same day, that son would turn up in Zootopia? It was too convenient.

They parked in the parking lot, turned off the car, and walked into the bar. Skye was there to greet them at the door. Skye hugged her parents, and Nick immediately noticed she was trembling. "Is everything alright?"

"I've been talking with Mesmerin... something feels off about him. Like he's hiding something," Skye murmured to her parents. "He seems reasonable, but his eyes... something tells me he's seen things he won't share. He said he came here looking for you, dad."

"Where is he?" Judy asked. Skye subtly pointed to the lone figure at the bar. Other patrons kept their distance, as though he were a disease carrier. Nick approached from behind, but not subtly, so as not to make Mesmerin feel like Nick was sneaking up on him. Judy walked closer, and they both sat on either side of Mesmerin, who poured himself another glass of that blue drink. The bottle had a strange symbol on it, hand-drawn – one of a bird Nick didn't recognize with outstretched wings, talons gripping two orbs, half of the symbol was blue, the other half green. Looking over the man, Nick realized that Skye wasn't kidding – Mesmerin was a Dragon. He didn't realize they even existed. He read a history text in school, one time, about how dragons on Zootopia seemingly disappeared overnight, and no one ever knew where they went. But here one was, a true, flesh-and-blood dragon, sipping on this blue drink.

"Mesmerin Argent?" Nick asked.

Mesmerin paused to sip his drink, then started, "Who's ask-" He stopped mid-syllable as he turned to look at Nick. The way he looked at him, Nick would swear that, even with his serious face, Mesmerin had just seen a ghost. There was a long pause as he stared at Nick, before he closed his eyes and sighed, returning his gaze to where it was earlier. "So strange, that you look no different than you do in mother's photos." Nick took note of Mesmerin's melancholic tone.

But it was Judy who was the first to offer sympathy: "It must have been difficult, leaving her behind to come here. I know it was hard on her, too. It can be a painful thing."

"Painful indeed... but neither of us had a choice. After the first attack, she knew she didn't have long before they came again. She didn't want me to be there when they did; so she game me my passport and supplies, my equipment, and bid me come here, looking for you," Mesmerin said. He again looked to Nick. "She said you were the only other person she and I could trust; that you would take me in, make me disappear in the crowd, and to remind you of your debt to her."

"Debt?" Judy repeated. "What debt?"

"It's a long story, carrots – let's just say Sylvia helped me out of a messy situation when my own mother couldn't, that would have landed me in jail long before I met you," Nick said. He looked Mesmerin in the eyes. "As an Officer in the ZPD, I am obligated to ask – who attacked you?"

Mesmerin shook his head. "I don't know." He reached into his cloak and retrieved a shoulder armor piece with a strange symbol, one of a red snowflake-looking shape within a blue shield. He slid it over the counter to Nick and continued, "But their CO had that symbol on his armor. Mom knew you were working with the ZPD, and bid me give that to you, and hope you can make some sense of it." Nick examined the symbol, but it didn't ring any bells, so he handed it to Judy as he asked,

"Your mother, Sylvia... is she okay?"

Mesmerin looked Nick in the eyes, as though he regretted what he was about to tell him. "No... she was found dead three days ago. She stayed behind, to delay our enemy's pursuit of me. I felt her death through the Force... and cried for days. But still, I made for this place."

Nick felt a pang of sorrow, this time – He remembered how he lost his father. So sad Mesmerin lost his mother. And that Nick now knew he lost an old friend. That's why she sent that email – she knew she didn't have long. But many questions remained unanswered. But Nick had a debt to repay. "Why don't you come with us?" he suggested. "We can at least let you stay for a few days, till we know what's going on."

As much as Judy wanted to object, when it came down to doing something for a friend – especially a dead one – she knew there as nothing she could say that would change Nick's mind. She just hoped he knew what he was doing.

Mesmerin paid for what he'd ordered, boxed it up, and wordlessly got up with Nick and Judy. They were halfway to the door when he suddenly hissed, inhaling through gritted, sharp teeth and wincing as though in pain. One hand reached up and touched his temple. Nick immediately got the impression something was wrong.

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Skye was close by and heard the conversation her parents had with Mesmerin. Even though he was Cosplaying, his story was grim, but plausible. Skye felt more sorrow than before. She'd known friends who somehow sensed the passing of a friend or dearest blood, and then subsequently learned of it. But what surprised her was how her father was letting him stay with them. It was almost scary – but it would still be fun, and Thomas would have someone to talk Star Wars all day with him. Skye walked close to Mesmerin, and was the first to notice his sudden pain. When he touched his temple, she felt he was acting out sensing something through the Force. Another Star Wars reference. Thomas would get a kick out of this guy. It was when she looked ahead that she saw trouble. A group of panthers, armed with blades, were pulling up, getting out of their low-riders, and approaching the bar. Something wasn't right. Nick and Judy weren't carrying their sidearms. Before anyone could intercede, Mesmerin stepped forward, unclipping one of his lightsabers. Skye was astonished. Was he serious? Was he really gonna take these men on with a Cosplay toy? She realized then that his beliefs were well beyond insanity – he actually believed-

Every doubt Skye had of Mesmerin went out the window the second his Lightsaber flared to life with a snap-hiss! He held it reverse-gripped, and growled angrily. Skye was staring at a real Lightsaber, with an Imperial Crimson blade! "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me..." he hissed. The phrase shocked Skye. That was exactly what the hooded figure from her dream said! Every one of those men brandished a curved sword with a thin blade and ornate hilt, and they all started moving for them. Bad move; the second those swords were drawn, Mesmerin snarled, and leapt into attack, his voice carrying a hellish screech. Trying to fight this dragon was like trying to grapple with a shadow – Mesmerin, even with as big as he was, was a blur; dodging one attack while deflecting another, swinging his blade in fast, graceful arcs. One thing was abundantly clear to Nick, Judy and Skye – Mesmerin knew how to handle himself. One attacker went down after another, groaning in pain, but still alive. Mesmerin continued fighting until one attacker remained – and he was a very young attacker. Mesmerin stared this kid down, and finally extinguished his lightsaber. "Go home, kid – and take care who you choose to be friends with." The kid – no more than his late teens – shivered, dropped his weapon, put his hands up, and ran away. Police cars arrived not long after that, and the first officer to get out was Officer Wolfard. He was about to go for his weapon when Skye went between Mesmerin and Wolfard and put her hands out.

"He's with us!" she exclaimed. Nick and Judy also put themselves between Mesmerin and Wolfard, and his hand fell from his weapon.

"Then would you mind telling me what exactly happened here?" he asked.

"I believe I can," came the voice of someone Skye and her family knew. Finnick held up his phone. "As hard as it is to believe, our friend here saved Nick and Judy – protected them from that Saber Cat Gang. Caught the whole thing on my phone." He handed the phone to Wolfard, who reviewed the footage, transferred it to his own phone, and handed Finnick's phone back to him, then addressed Mesmerin.

"Mighty merciful thing you did, there," he said. He looked to the officers present. "Get the cuffs on these saber cats, read them their rights." His gaze turned to Nick and Judy. "I don't know where you picked this guy up, but he's alright in my book. Hopefully, that kid will stay away from this group from now on."

"No matter their crimes, I don't harm children," Mesmerin said solemnly. He stood at the edge of the scene, his back turned, looking out into the city. Nick, Judy and Skye walked beside him. "Where's your car parked?" he asked.

Judy hit a button on her key, and the car beeped once. Mesmerin never said a word as he drew his hood back over his head, and walked for it. Nick, Judy and Skye all followed, wondering just what else they would learn about this dragon and his past... and who it was that wanted him dead, not to mention why...