A.N. Okay! Wow! I did not expect so many people that are reading this story. Because of this, I feel that I should warn you. This is one of multiple stories that I am working on. Because of this, updates are sporadic and can take longer times to be posted. I am sorry, but this is how it will be. Anyway, please read and review.
Judy groaned as her alarm began to ring. She quickly shut it off and sat up, but she didn't like it. She had been up late last night writing her speech and she was rather pleased with it. While writing was not specifically her strong suit, it wasn't something she was terribly lacking in. It was actually pretty well written in her opinion.
She stood up and wiped the sleep from her eyes before moving to get dressed in her uniform. Today would be a big day, and she would look her best. With a well known routine, she began to get dressed, idly thinking about what the day would bring. It would be great! He best friend now on the force with her, being back on the job after medical leave, and she had gotten two tickets to the Gazelle concert that was happening in a few days!
A buzzing from her phone drew her attention and she saw a message from Nick.
-Carrots, hope you've got your speech ready. -Nick-
-Of course I have it ready. -Judy-
-Good. We don't need another improv speech like last time. :P -Nick-
-Ha ha. Very funny Slick Nick. -Judy-
-I thought so, but seriously, are you coming? It's almost time for it to start. -Nick-
-What? -Judy-
-It starts in twenty minutes -Nick-
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy shouted as she hurriedly grabbed everything else she needed and ran out the door, forgetting to lock it. She skidded to a stop, turned back and locked the door before running down to the street. "Legs, don't fail me now." She ran towards the police academy as fast as she could.
The archeology team was studying the case with curiosity, each taking down notes on it. Some examined the front or sides while others examined the strange top of the container. The weasels were each looking at the back, or more specifically, the blue lit up pad. "Did it say 'OPEN' before?" Kirk asked.
"I don't think so," his brother replied. "You think this thing's some kind of tech?"
"It says open on it," Kirk said exasperatedly. "What do you think that means? It means it's able to be opened, and it's still fully functional!"
"What you guys talking about?" Don asked as he peered around it.
"This thing says 'OPEN' on it," Kirk muttered. "I mean, what would it be for?"
"Maybe to open it?" Don asked with a shrug.
"It's not that simple," Kirk said with annoyance. "Why would it be functional after hundreds or thousands of years? You saw those bones. They were easily hundreds of years old. I don't know how long they could have been preserved in that room. If it was sealed, they could be thousands of years old!" Kirk rubbed at his chin in thought.
"I think the only way to know for sure it so open it," Don said.
The twins thought about it but didn't answer. "You guys usually joke around. Is this bothering you guys that much?" Harrison asked as the joined them. "Just push it already."
"Hey, you want to do it so bad, then be my guest!" Kirk snarled.
"Fine," Harrison said with a shrug before turning and reaching for the button. He couldn't reach it. It was too high up.
"What are you guys doing?" Rachel asked as she came around the corner. "You guys had better not have broken anything."
"Nothing happened!" Patrick hurriedly answered. "But we're thinking about pushing the button."
"Button?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Kirk replied. "The one that says 'OPEN'."
Rachel thought about it, then nodded. "Do it. We'll be able to see what's inside without having to cut it open. We'll get answers."
Kirk stretched up as high as he could but still couldn't reach it. Patrick sighed and grabbed his brother around his legs before lifting him up. Kirk took a deep breath and pushed the panel. It lit up green and the others quickly walked to the front of the container.
"Activation in progress," A monotone voice rang out.
"Why's it in our language?" Patrick asked.
"We use their language," Rachel explained. "We used it as a common language because most species learned it from their artifacts. Now, everyone speaks it."
A hissing could be heard as the front raised itself up an inch as a cold fog billowed out. "Reversing cryogenic freezing," the monotone spoke again. The glass began to clear and the mammals were greeted by a figure unlike anything they had ever seen. It had no fur, except a patch at the top of its head. It's body was pale, and several scars crossed the body. It was naked too, and they could see it had well defined muscles.
"I didn't need to see that," Rachel muttered as she averted her eyes from it's lower body.
"If it was frozen," Patrick muttered. "Then whatever clothes it might have had could have been shattered by the change in temperature."
"Like with nitrogen?" Kirk asked. Patrick nodded.
The side opened and two screens swung out and on one was a single line that read 0 BPM. The other had multiple lines with labels including Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Theta. Each of these was still and non moving.
"Injecting Nanites," the monotone said and a mechanical arm holding a needle swung in before injecting some kind of fluid into the body. "Restarting mental functions." The lines on the second screen began to move. Slowly at first, but gaining in amplitude and speed. "Restarting heart." A flash of light emanated from the chest and the single line began to move such as a mammal's heart should. The chest began to rise and fall rhythmically, signifying breathing. "Disconnecting mental chip data insert cord." A small click was heard and the glass front began to raise, a hinge at the top lifting. The body inside began to be pushed out on the platform it was bound to.
"What is it?" Don asked as he leaned down to Harrison. "Is it a mammal?"
"How would I know?" Harrison snapped.
"Activating Nanite fabric," the voice said again. A deep blue material began to cover the body. It flowed almost like it was growing. It wrapped around it's chest and torso before beginning to radiate outwards. It wrapped around its arms and legs reaching down to its wrists and ankles. "Applying nanosteel body armor." Another material, this one looking like steel, with a dull shine to it, began to slide across. It also seemed to move flexibly, melding to the body. It formed a set of three metal riblike structures that encircled the torso. A tough metal front covered its upper body and more covered its lower body. The new material was quickly covered by the same material the rest of the body was covered in. All except for a small ring around each ankle and wrist.
"What kind of material is that?" Jackson wondered aloud. "Fabric? Metal? Liquid?" He tilted his head in confusion.
"Restoring cognitive functions," the monotone spoke again. The figure shifted slightly and the mammals around it took a step back. The metal bands holding it in place retract and the figure slid to the floor. Metal slipped over its feet and formed some kind of protective cover over its feet.
It yawned and raised its arms over its head, stretching for a bit. "What year is it?" It muttered. Then it opened its eyes.
William felt his consciousness stir. It was the first thing to wake up after time in cryosleep. He felt the extra machine remove itself from his conscious. Now it was just his mind and the implant chip. It already began to feed him information about what had happened. Several errors pushed to the forefront of his mind. Inconclusive location. Time unknown due to error. Lack of data servers apparent. They just keep piling up. He felt his muscles begin to return to his control as the nerves began to send the correct signals. He felt his senses begin to reestablish themselves and stretched.
"What year is it?" He muttered. The errors were bothering him. Something wasn't right. He opened his eyes and was greeted my small animals. They seemed to be standing upright, and they wore clothes. He quickly looked about and saw no one in a uniform he recognised. These could be enemies. He needed to leave. Now!
He reached back and grabbed the rod that he had been told about. He pulled it out and it rapidly expanded to become six feet long. His chip automatically gave him the information about his weapon as it began to prepare for battle. His suit automatically prepared, nanosteel moving up to create a half face mask over his nose and mouth with filters for poison, and the nanosteel at his wrists quickly covered his hands to make gloves that would protect him.
The information on the weapon was in his mind in nanoseconds. This was a military police grade lightning staff. Made with carbon fiber and able to stun the enemy enough electricity to knock out a bear. He immediately activated it and the two ends began to crackle and spark with electricity. The animals in the front took a hesitant step back. "We're not gonna…" a racoon said slowly. William quickly leveled the end of the staff at its head causing it to stop speaking.
The one that drew his attention was the bear in the back. He wasn't stepping away. "Beat it!" William shouted as he jabbed the staff towards the bear. The bear leaned away, but did not move. William shouted again and stepped forward with the next jab. The bear moved back this time, and William quickly moved back to his original position. He checked the other animals and noticed one was missing as the chip did it's work, computing what he couldn't in a fraction of the time. One was missing. A mongoose. Where was it?
He heard a click and immediately ducked, already bringing the staff around. The mongoose was holding a gun! He quickly smacked the mongoose with the staff and a zap of electricity sounded as the mongoose was thrown to the wall, brief wisps of smoke from the edge of it's fur. He turned to see the bear move towards him and he acted. He quickly swung again and the bear caught the end between two paws without thinking. The electricity coursed through its body, causing its fur to stand on end. William turned off the electricity and the bear slumped forwards, breathing, but unconscious. The other animals quickly stepped away and William reached behind him looking for the box, the chip helped him remember placements of objects behind him.
He quickly found the box containing his weapons and tools. Quickly he placed it on his back, the suit attaching to the box and holding it to his back. It wasn't too big, it was about two feet long by a foot. It wasn't too heavy, but it was slightly cumbersome, though the chip automatically helped to offset the problem.
The animals were at the door now and William was happy about that. They were well away from him now and he could leave. There was a window to his right. That was the way out. He needed to get away until he knew what was going on.
He shrank the staff and placed it at his waist before he turned and charged at the window, leaping towards the glass and tucking his knees to his chest and covering his eyes with his crossed arms. The window shattered and he began to fall. He looked to see that the ground was much closer than he expected. The chip helped him again, giving him a plan of action in nanoseconds. He hit the ground with his feet and rolled to his feet, reducing the impact, and readying him for the next course of action. He stood and looked around, preparing his next move.
Chief Bogo was having a good day for once. The city was quiet, Hopps would be back on duty after the graduation, and he'd be getting some new recruits. Not even crumbs on the case files could dampen his mood. He whistled a song from Gazelle unthinkingly, most didn't even know that he was a fan of the "Angel With Horns" as Clawhauser called her.
"Chief!" He looked to the door to see Clawhauser panting, out of breath. "We've got an unidentified mammal!..." He took a deep breath. "It just broke through the window of the archeology wing of the science center!..." Another breath. "And it's currently on Mane Street."
"Who's close?" Bogo asked as he walked towards Clawhauser.
"Officer's Delgado and Wolfard are the closest," the portly cheetah answered.
"Tell them," Chief said. "Do we have a visual?"
"Traffic cams possibly," Clawhauser said. "But I don't know yet."
"Well get on it then!" Bogo bellowed.
William stood and looked around, there were plenty of animals around, all of various sizes, and many kinds had cars that were closer to their size. He saw a large black car driving towards him, lights on top flashing while a siren wailed. "Time to go," he muttered. The chip already helping him to plan his escape route. He raced towards an alley that was too wide for the car to follow. As he made his way down the alley, he heard the padding footsteps of whoever was following him. He kept to a moderate run, no need to go all out yet.
"Officers Delgado and Wolfard are in pursuit of suspect. Assumed male of an unknown species. He is wearing some kind of suit. It's blue it color, though some kind of metallic fabric covers his feet, forpaws and half of his face." William turned to see a lion and a wolf, both chasing after him. They were by no means out of shape, and they were slowly gaining on him.
"You guys want to run?" William muttered to himself. "Then lets run." He began to push his speed to a near sprint and rapidly gained speed, feeling his breath enter his lungs and the muscles in his legs tightened as he took off down the alley and back into the streets where traffic was still going. This was unhindering to him, as he weaved in and out of traffic, easily passing cars, leaping over hoods, sliding under semi's and steadily pulling away, though he was in plane view.
"Chief," Bogo turned to his radio. "We lost him. He's fast. He's moving through traffic right now. We've got no way to catch up to him at his speed unless you've got a cheetah with fresh legs in your back pocket."
"Dammit," Bogo cursed. "Backup's coming to cut him off, just help them do so."
A rhino parked his car sideways across the road, creating a roadblock and waiting for the strange mammal to come to him. If he was moving as fast as they said, he'd be here in minutes. "This is officer McHorn," the rhino said. "I am in position. I have a roadblock to stop traffic and help us flush out this mammal." Traffic was already slowing to a stop blocks away, and he could see something dodging in and out of lines of cars.
"Roger that," Bogo answered. "Just keep him contained until backup arrives."
"Yes sir," McHorn answered.
William noticed the stoppage of cars. Why were they all stopping? Made it easier for him to move, but it also made it easier for him to be spotted. He still wasn't safe, especially around all these animals. What happened? Did the gene splicing change humanities genetic code or something? That still didn't explain where he was, or why he couldn't connect to any data centers! Even if the satellite data centers were the only ones left, they would have enough power and fuel to run for a few hundred years before finally running down. The sun would provide energy, so what was happening?
He leaped on top of car and used it as a springboard to leap further. He idly wondered how fast he was going and the chip immediately supplied it. Forty five miles per hour. He snorted. He'd gone faster before. The enhancements from Genesis were really helpful in that respect.
In front of him, he saw where the stoppage started and was greeted by the sight of a rhino. Large, standing in front of him, and likely very strong. William took immediate thought and skidded, tilting his feet as the nanosteel began to contort to how he wanted. Within seconds, the metal had formed wheels on the bottoms like with a set of in line skates. He already could see the best path as the chip outlined it for him. He resumed his movements but now it was much more smooth.
He raced straight for the large mammal and then to the officer's surprise, he turned directly towards the wall. Leaping up, he skated along the wall for a second before pushing off in a side flip and landing back on the street. He gave a dry laugh and continued down the road. Even if things were different, he could still kick ass.
"I lost him," McHorn's disapointed voice carried to Bogo's ear and the sighed. "Send in more backup," he said. "All available units, you are in pursuit of a strange mammal wearing a strange suit of a material we do not know of. He is considered dangerous, tranqs are clear to be used. He is currently on Mane Street headed towards the police academy, though it does not seem to be his target."
"If we drive him to the academy, we'll have more backup," one officer stated.
"Along with several civilians thrown straight into the mix," Bogo huffed. "Do not drive him there, try to contain him."
"Understood."
William raced down the street, still on his pseudo-skates. There were plenty of alleys he could dive into, but he didn't know where he was. It would be best to stay in clear streets and not get turned around in a maze of alleys. He saw a large complex towards the end of the street as sirens began to sound from behind him. He leaped into the air, and the wheels slipped back to his boots. He hit the ground running and risked a look over his shoulder. Another car was closing after him. This one held the rhino from before. Another siren signaled the appearance of the wolf and lion as they came in from a side street, closing on his left side. Again a siren signaled the approach of more problems. A hippo drove this car and it quickly came in front and right. They were boxing him in!
He needed to get away from these guys! The best way to lose them would be where they couldn't follow him anymore in those cars. He was much faster than them when they were running. He increased his speed again moving to a sprint. His chip notified him that he was reaching sixty three miles per hour. This wasn't his top, but he was already pushing his endurance. The enhancements could only do so much.
Steadily he pulled away until they began to accelerate as well. The gate to the complex was getting closer by the second and William knew that he'd be through it before they could box him in. The problem would be stopping. The cars hit their brakes as they were forced to by the imposing stone wall. Free from this he turned his feet to the side and began to skidd. At his mental comand, the nanosteel formed claws over his fingers that he dug into the pavement, slowing himself as much as he could. With the screeching sound of concrete on steel, he slowed to the point where he could stand again and run behind a building.
He laughed dryly as he took breaths of air to try to prepare for another possible chase. He peered around the corner to see the animals come into the area, each searching around. He saw the wolf bend down and sniff at the gouges he'd put in the concrete. "Shit," he muttered. "Time to go."
He turned and at a brisk jog went in the opposite direction. There were plenty of buildings, but he could end up trapped in them. Best to stay in the open right now. He slowed down at a corner and peered around it. Nothing. If the wolf got his scent, he had possibly two minutes before they caught up to him. No, he had a minute and twenty seven seconds, the chip removed all need to estimate.
He continued around the corner and saw an open area. There was the wall! He could climb that easily. "Hey!" He turned to see the wolf coming quickly. It was now or never. He turned and ran directly at the wall. He heard gasps and shouts of surprise, causing him to look over his shoulder to see a crowd of animals all watching. He turned back forward and took a step up the wall. A normal person could get two to three steps up a vertical wall, not nearly enough to get over it. The way that he would get over would be with a little help. The nanosteel around his feet and hands formed claws that dug into the wall, giving him the leverage to quickly scale the wall in seconds and get over it.
He dropped to the ground and rolled to his feet before taking off down the street. He'd need to find a place with information. And a way to keep hidden from whoever these animals were.
Judy had just finished her speech and had seen the new officers given their badges when she had seen the strange mammal run and climb the wall. The massive wall was easily three meters tall, and he had scaled it in seconds. "What just happened?" She heard Nick asked.
"Hopps!" She turned to see Francine standing there with a radio. "Chief just called. You're back on the force right?" Judy nodded. "Then first order of business is to go catch that mammal. We've been chasing him for a while, and he's gotten away. Wilde," she turned to Nick. "Chief says you're with Hopps, but he also says that if you screw this up, you're gonna be on parking duty for a month."
"Roger that," Nick said. "Well carrots? Ready to go?"
"Why are you asking me?" Judy asked as she took off at a run. "Let's go!"
William sprinted into the alleys and quickly made as many turns as he could. He could remember where he had gone and was quickly making a mental map. Finally he slowed and stopped breathing hard. The nanosteel around his face receded, allowing him to breath unrestricted. The nanosteel around his hands pulled back, and he rubbed his forehead. "Where the hell am I?"
"You're in our territory," a deep voice rumbled. William looked out and up to see a group of mammals walk in. They were all dressed similarly, with a leather jacket on that with a flaming paw print on the back judging by the reflection in the window that he saw. There was a tiger, a pair of wolves, a brown bear with a scar across his eye, and a lioness with a single stud in her ear.
The tiger stepped forward and held an aluminum bat in his paws. He tapped it into his hands a few times. "You lost, freak?"
"What happened to his fur?" One wolf asked.
"Maybe he lost a bet," the other chuckled. "But it seems like they missed a patch on top."
"That suit looks pretty good," the lioness purred. "Think it'll fit me?" She asked the bear. She was close to his height, and the wolves seemed to be a bit taller, though not by much. The tiger was taller than him by a few inches and the bear was taller by half a foot at least.
"What do you want?" William asked. Where was he? This place was insane. "I may not know where I am, but I'm not easy prey." The animals chuckled. "You're still weak. All prey are weak."
"I'm not prey," he said.
"Oh?" The tiger growled. "Are you a predator then? Where's your fangs? Or claws?" He bared his teeth in a predatory grin.
This time William smiled. "I don't need them. Never did, never will."
"Oh really?" the tiger asked as he walked closer. "How about you empty your pockets and give us what we want then?"
"No can do," William said as he gripped the rod.
"That wasn't a request," the tiger growled as he swung the bat at William. Quick as a snake, William ducked under the swing, pulled out the rod and spun, smacking it into the tiger's leg, causing him to roar in pain. Without waiting, William activated the weapon. The weapon sparked as the buzz of electricity filled the air. William pulled back and moved to a ready stance, allowing the tiger to collapse to the ground.
The others stepped back hesitantly as he turned to them. "So, now that I have your attention, how about you answer some of my questions." They looked at each other, growled, and turned back towards him. Together, they attacked William, causing him to be forced back. A strike with the rod would hinder them, but being unable to hold the charged end to them, was unable to put them out of the fight.
The wolves attacked together in tandem, but after breaking one of their forearms with a well place strike, their teamwork detireated and they ran. The bear was next to be beaten as he was struck repeatedly. His size gave him immense strength, but lacked the agility to avoid the blows. A blow to the back of the head dropped him like a sack of bricks.
When he came to fighting the lioness however, it was very different. She was quick and agile, keeping from getting hit by a deciding blow. Her strength was also a factor, strong paws that could hurt. This along with claws that seemed to be covered in steel caused damage. He was given several cuts as the claws cut through his suit. It was made to be bulletproof, which did not protect against edged weapons. He caught her in the side of the head with the staff, driving her back. "You asshole!" she yelled as she wiped the blood from her face. She growled and pounced. William was unable to get out of the way in time and was clipped by her powerful paws which threw him to the ground. He felt blood dripping from long lacerations across his shoulder, and when he turned to get up, he was hit in the back by her whole force. He grunted as the claws dug into his skin, cutting him more and more. He threw his head back, catching her in the face. With a grunt, she fell back, and he rolled to his back. He had lost some blood, but he'd be fine if he could get this finished.
He never got the chance to. A dart embedded itself in the lioness' neck, it's green fletching a stark contrast to her fur. A quick pain drew his attention and he looked down to see another dart embedded in his side where the lioness had cut through the suit. He looked up to see a rabbit and a fox, each holding a gun much like what the mongoose had shot at him before. "Well, what's this?" he asked. "Tigers using baseball bats, and rabbits using tranquilisers." The chip already had pinpointed the likelihood of it being tranquilizer, and he knew it would start kicking in for him in a few seconds, the lioness was already about to fall asleep, but with the genetic enhancements, he'd last a little longer. He pulled out the dart hoping to reduce the amount of chemical in his body as much as he could. The chip, now no longer occupied with helping him fight, diverted it's attention to repairing the suit, causing the nanite fabric to shift and restitch itself back together.
"Nice shot carrots," he heard the fox say as his vision began to blur. He sat down unsteadily, realising there wasn't any point in fighting. He'd been caught, and he'd be taken in. That was it, he'd lost. His eyes closed and he slumped to the side, his last sight being the rabbit and fox cuffing the groaning tiger and bear.
A.N. Another chapter finished! Okay, the next chapter will probably take a little longer to finish, especially because I have other stories I need to finish their chapters as well. Anyway, please review, and have a good day.
