Hello, my fellow Zootopians!
My second real story was off to a great start! More than 500 views, 15 reviews, 39 favorites and 64 alerts sound more than impressive to me!
Thanks for the reviews and words of encouragement by ejmoya11, Galaxyexplorer74, LivingShadow13, dariusjio, Trooper9099, hpalex13, DaniChibari, Bukoya, ChaosWolfy, and Dirtkid123. And yes, Rhodanos, you're quite right: I think fluff and smiles will be in quite short supply over the course of this story. Is it going to be an uphill battle? Well, not all the time, but the hills they encounter will be very, very steep …
And to both Guest and SecretIdentity: Let it be known to you that it takes as long as it takes - I'm not going to rush things again, like I did with my first story. Even if you're itching for new chapters, I rather want to publish them with as few mistakes as possible, which in turn takes somewhat longer.
Finally, a huge shout goes out to my dear friend, PointyHairedJedi. Please, check out the story named "Pentinence." A truly magnificent effort I like very much. Kudos to you, PointyHairedJedi!
Just so you know, I will answer every review coming my way, and those I cannot answer personally (I'm mostly thinking of Rhodanos, among others, but it's okay), I am going to reply to within my author's notes. I'm also open to suggestions, although the story is, for the most part, completely laid out. I just like getting inspired, and who knows? Maybe I come across an idea too good to throw away!
Speaking of being laid out, because the question came up in one of the reviews, the rough outline I did before starting this indicates the story will be around fifty chapters long (which is bound to change over the course of time), with at least 250k+ words, maybe more, maybe less. As you can see, the scales I am going for are pretty big, much bigger than what I achieved with my first story. (I just need to edit this one: Fifty chapters seems like the absolute minimum right now - my best guess is that the story will end up being much bigger …)
And as for the obligatory disclaimer, since I'm too lazy to write what basically amounts to the very same stuff every time, you can find it in the first chapter.
Chapter Two
6655321 on the Run
I'm breakin' out and headin' home.
AC/DC: "Jailbreak" (Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott, from the album "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," Albert Productions, 1976)
"Alright, shut up and listen!" The voice of the rhino commanded attention, therefore it took the assembled mammals merely a few seconds before every conversation had ceased.
The massive mammal nodded. "You know the target, you know the plan. Keep in mind that we only need the target. If other mammals escape, all the better - the ensuing chaos will make our exit easier. But our focus has to be on our target, and our target only. Acquire the mammal and get the hell out of dodge! Yes?"
A hippo had raised his hoof. "Sir, how much force do you expect us to use?"
The rhino shrugged. "To be honest, I don't care about bloodshed. Just do what is necessary to acquire the target."
"Even when friends get in the way? You know that a lot of fellow brethren are being held there."
"Well, killing brothers and sisters in the faith may be unfortunate, but you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Every mammal dying is just collateral damage. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can try to avoid casualties, but it won't be held against you if you don't. Further questions?"
The assembled mammals all shook their heads.
"Good. We take off in ten. Check your gear, make sure you have everything, then board the boats!"
Nobody watching the mammal limp across the exercise yard would have guessed that this little sheep had once been the most powerful mammal in all of Zootopia - if only for three months.
And even those who had known her back then would have been hard-pressed to recognize Dawn Bellwether. For all intents and purposes, the sheep had been reduced to being 6655321. That was her identification number, and that was all she had been referred to since coming here. Dawn Bellwether had all but ceased to exist. Elkatraz had taken care of that.
That's what 1372 days of imprisonment can do to you.
Or rather, 1372 days of imprisonment amongst mammals who despise you. And have no qualms to show you in the most violent way.
Sure, there was a very strict "No-Violence" policy in effect in Elkatraz Municipal Penitentiary, but even the most observant guards were unable to prevent all those small scuffles erupting between inmates out of nowhere.
And sometimes the guards even tended to pointedly look the other way.
This was how Bellwether had lost half of her teeth.
And her left tibia had never been the same after an angry cheetah had mauled it.
The doctors had managed to save her leg, barely, but the damage had been so severe that she had basically been reduced to a cripple. Even climbing stairs had become a laborious process.
Not that anyone had cared about her misfortunes. Even the doctors, despite giving it their best effort to mend her leg, had left her under no misconception: they had only been doing it because it was their job. As far as they had been concerned, she could have bled to death, and they wouldn't have cared all that much.
As far as the system within the prison was concerned, she was on the low end of the food chain, literally. Hardly a day went by without one of the predators threatening to "finally" do her in. Predators who were still incensed at her attempt to let prey rule over predators.
Which was, of course, quite understandable to the common mammal. To Bellwether, however, is was all a huge injustice and proof that the city in which predators were allowed to get what they wanted was on its way down to hell.
And that many prey mammals also treated her with scorn certainly didn't improve things. Even those mammals who had supported her in her attempt to achieve rule over Zootopia offered her no support at all. Most were incensed that they had ended up in prison because she had been duped by Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.
Every day, she felt as if swimming in a pool full of ravenous sharks.
Nobody was on her side. She was on her own, fighting an uphill battle against a hostile world.
The one thing that kept her going, despite the feeling of being under constant threat to her life, was the thought that she would one day be able to exact revenge.
Revenge on Lionheart. Revenge on Bogo and the ZPD. Revenge on Zootopia as a whole.
And particularly sweet revenge on an annoying gray bunny and an even more annoying red fox.
She had no idea how she would accomplish this feat. Being sentenced to 35 years to life, most of it spent in solitary confinement, meant her chances of ever being able to breathe the fresh air of freedom were miniscule. Particularly because the last few years had heaped at least thirty years' worth of wear and tear on her fragile frame.
Following prison rules, her once lustrous, thick coat was trimmed almost brutally short. (Which, today, was a boon - the rainstorm she was forced to endure by her guards would certainly have ruined her coat otherwise.) Her orange jumpsuit, fitted to her when she came to Elkatraz almost four years ago, was now hanging loosely around her much smaller frame. Just like the other inmates forced to walk around on the exercise yard, she was absolutely drenched and utterly miserable. And every other step forcefully reminded her of her crippled leg - every other step caused excruciating pain, the likes of which she could never have imagined before coming to Elkatraz.
To all casual viewers, she looked down and defeated.
Only a look into her eyes gave her away.
The fire was still there.
Every day she spent plotting her possible escape. She knew there had been a few attempts in the past, all of which had ultimately failed. Hers would not fail.
She just had to survive long enough to find it.
The wolf sitting in the guard tower overlooking the whole prison compound and the sea around Elkatraz Island was the first one to notice that something was off. Using his binoculars, he confirmed his sighting and pressed the button next to the microphone on his table. "Uhm, sir, Michael here. Seems we have three boats entering the no-ship-zone."
"Any more details?" The voice of the mammal on the other end of the line was calm.
"Well, I guess they came from the Canal District, and their current bearing … they're on their way here."
"Good. Alert the Coast Guard and the ZPD. I'll be with you shortly."
"Should I alert the guards?"
"Not yet. Let's see what we have here first."
"Roger that, sir." The wolf released the button and picked up the phone. He had alerted the Coast Guard of their unannounced visitors and was just in the middle giving the ZPD a call when, true to his word, the warden of Elkatraz Municipal Penitentiary joined him less than two minutes later.
"Report!"
The wolf pointed through the window. "There. Three unidentified small vessels. Speedboats, by the looks of them. And I may be mistaken, but at least two of them are full to the brim with mammals dressed in black." He looked up at his boss. The chital had just shed his antlers two weeks ago, and without them, he looked positively small.
"Looks suspicious enough," the warden said calmly. "Ah. Unless my eyes deceive me, the Coast Guard's just joined the party."
The wolf nodded. His sharp eyes had made out the patrol boat long ago. It was approaching the boats from their port flank, running at full speed, Given the fact that the speedboats were loaded to capacity and not as fast as the engines would have allowed for, the patrol boat was catching up quite quickly. The warden looked down into the exercise yard, at the mammals forced to walk around in absolutely dismal weather. He was quite glad that he was up here and not down there.
Not for long, though.
"Rocket!"
The warden looked up, surprised. He didn't see anything amiss.
The huge explosion engulfing the bow of the patrol boat in flame and destruction, however, registered with him.
"Oh my god!" the wolf shouted. "They have an RPG! I saw the launch!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, sir!" Without asking for permission, the wolf brought his paw down on the huge red button. At once, sirens started to blare all over the compound.
It was to be the last thing he ever did.
It all happened so fast!
One second, Bellwether was wondering why every loudspeaker on the compound had started blaring, the next, an enormously loud bang rent the silence. She looked up in surprise.
Quickly replaced by shock.
The central guard tower overlooking the compound was no more. It had vanished in a cloud of black smoke which was dissipating fast in the gale.
What the heck had just happened?
"Fuck it! They blew up the tower!" an inmate shouted.
"Who?" another asked.
"No idea!"
She heard another boom, and all of a sudden, she felt like an elephant had given her a solid kick in the behind. She was thrown up into the air, and landed in a painful heap some twenty feet away. Gasping and panting, her face contorted into a grimace because of the pain, she turned around.
Just as the second rocket-propelled grenade hit the wall. It blew up in a spectacular fireball, throwing bricks and mortar everywhere. The guards on duty alongside the wall stood no chance of survival. Just like the inmates who had been too close to the blast zone.
The cloud of smoke had hardly dissipated when mammals appeared in the freshly created gap in the wall, dressed in black, with black hoods over their heads and assault rifles in their paws or hooves. There were at least eight of them, probably way more, running into the compound and ruthlessly gunning down guards. They were fast and hugely effective, taking down guards like targets in a shooting gallery.
Soon, the only mammals standing were attackers or inmates.
She looked at the black-clad mammals with a frown. Since they were masked, she had no idea whom she was facing. Only one thing was obvious: Predators were suspiciously lacking in their folds. She saw two rhinos, a few hippos, reindeers, a few smaller mammals. All prey. No predators.
A huge wave of relief flooded her, suppressing the pain from her numerous bruises.
They had finally come for her. It had taken them almost four years, but finally …
Moe had finally sent someone to get her out!
Strangely, however, the mammals seemed to completely ignore her. They were looking for someone, that was obvious, but it seemed like she wasn't among them. She was the only mammal in the vicinity, and despite the fact that she had visibly changed, she was still recognizable as the former mayor of Zootopia.
So she did the only thing she was able to do.
"Hey!" she shouted.
The nearest mammal stopped dead in his tracks. It was a caribou, much taller than she was, and if she guessed correctly, still quite young. He looked down at Bellwether, who was lying in a huge, muddy puddle. "Yeah. What d'ya want?"
His question caught her off-guard. "Wait a second, you didn't …"
She was interrupted by a shout. "Target acquired! Retreat! I repeat: Retreat!"
A sudden thought struck her like a hot knife.
They really hadn't come for her!
The caribou turned around and was about to embark again. "Hey!" she shouted again, getting up from the ground. "Take me with you!"
The young mammals stopped again. "And why should I do that?" he asked without looking at her.
"Because … I was the one who fought for you! For all prey! I was the one …"
He turned around. "Oh, it's you!"
"Yeah, it's me! So pick me up and let's go!"
The caribou approached her without another word, picked her up and ran towards the gap, holding her like a parcel. It was uncomfortable, but Bellwether wasn't complaining.
Freedom was finally in her sights.
The caribou climbed over the rubble, clearing the gap effortlessly. Carrying Bellwether didn't seem to slow him down at all. They reached the cliff in no time. She saw three grappling hooks firmly embedded in the cliff face, with thick ropes attached to them. Without hesitating, the caribou jumped down, grabbing the rope with one hoof while still holding Bellwether under the other arm. It was nauseating, still the sheep held her tongue. She didn't dare saying anything, lest she'd distract him - ending up one hundred feet deeper, five feet wider and merely two inches thick was not the way she envisioned her future to be.
Fortunately, the caribou was both quite strong and sure-hoofed. They reached the foot of the cliffs without problems. Bellwether saw three speedboats sitting on the shore. Several black-clad mammals were already sitting in the boats. One huge rhino seemed to supervise the operation. It all looked and sounded like military-style efficiency. Whoever these guys were, they were good.
A hippo approached the rhino, just as the caribou was setting Bellwether down. "Sir, we lost Cervus. Headshot. Saw his brains. No way he survived."
The rhino nodded with a grave impression. "He'll be missed." A tiny pause followed. "Other casualties?"
"No, sir. Caprini took one bullet through the arm, clean exit wound, the bone's intact. Blood loss is negligible, according to Simum. He's takin' care of it."
"Good. Carry on!" The rhino looked at Bellwether, frowning. It was only than that the sheep realized he wasn't wearing a mask. "Tarandus?"
The caribou who had carried Bellwether to freedom stood at attention immediately. "Yes, sir?"
Still eyeing Bellwether, the rhino continued: "Which part of 'we only need our target' did you fail to understand?"
"But sir," the caribou said, "this is …"
"I know who this is," the rhino interrupted him brusquely. "And I don't give a shit. You had your orders."
"But … I thought …"
"You're not paid to think, Tarandus! You're paid to follow orders. And where in your orders did it say you were to liberate other mammals, eh?"
The caribou lowered his head. "Sir, uhm …"
"Look at me when I'm talkin' to you!" the rhino hissed.
The caribou's head shot up immediately, looking at the rhino in what can only be described as trepidation. "I'm sorry, sir. I just … thought she'd be important to our cause."
"If she were, don't you think the boss would have told us?" The rhino closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Get outta my sight! We'll talk about this later!"
Bellwether had followed the exchange with her mouth open. Not only hadn't she been the target of the operation, it also sounded an awful lot like liberating her hadn't been part of the plan at all.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"None of your business, cotton!" He took a mobile out of the pocket of his combat suit, activating it. A few seconds later, a male voice answered. "Yes? Did you get him?" The voice sounded quite familiar, yet Bellwether couldn't say for sure if it was Moe.
"We have, sir," the rhino answered.
"Any problems?"
"No, sir. Though we lost Cervus."
The unknown mammal sighed. "That is a damn shame. Lot of promise in the deer."
"Agreed, sir. He'll be missed." The rhino cleared his throat. "We have, however, come across a tiny … hitch."
There was a pause. "A hitch? What kind of hitch?"
"Well, one of my men thought it would be smart to … liberate another mammal."
"Another mammal? Who is it?"
"Dawn Bellwether, sir."
Now the silence took several seconds. Finally, the unknown mammal sighed again. "Bring her to me!"
The rhino nodded. "Right away, sir!"
"And, Wallace?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Good work!"
"Thank you, sir!"
The rhino disconnected and looked around. "Alright, board the boats! Let's blow this pawpsicle stand!" He looked down at Bellwether. "You're coming with me!"
Why did Bellwether suddenly feel like a dead sheep walking?
Who is "Moe?" Is he "the boss?" What's his plan? How does Bellwether fit into this? Stay tuned to learn the answer - after quite a LOOOOOOOT more chapters! ;-)
The chapter ended up being completely different from what I first wanted it to be. After several changes in perspective, it finally became something I was content with. That's me, always tweaking and tinkering.
Just so you know, when Alex, the protagonist of Anthony Burgess's book "A Clockwork Orange," was doing time in prison, he was only known as 6655321. Thought it was fitting for our most devious sheep.
The name of the prison, Elkatraz, is an obvious pun on Alcatraz, an attempt to make the name sound more animalistic. Elk is another name for the wapiti, while in Europe, specifically in British English, the moose is called elk. But as it turns out, I needn't have bothered. Alcatraz is, in itself, a pretty animalistic name - it's a Spanish word meaning pelican. (Well, like they say in German: "Da wird man alt wie eine Kuh und lernt doch immer noch dazu." Loosely translates to: "Even when being as old as a cow, you're still learning new things.")
Oh, and I almost forgot: RPGs leave no real vapor trail to see. All you get to see is the launch and the explosion on impact. (In case you doubt this, go to YouTube and search for "Mythbusters RPG.")
Thanks for reading, and keep those reviews coming! They make up for the unbearable heat and stuffiness of today's weather. I'm really waiting for that thunderstorm the meteorologists have announced for today! Yeah, Germany, the home of bad weather!
Take care!
J.O. aka TheCatweazle
