Chapter: 10 A Horrid Truth

Judy gripped tightly to the leather straps aboard the monorail. Her orchid eyes fluttered as her transport sped out of Bunnyburrow. It was later into the night and the glistening moon now stretched far into the sky. Amidst the inky blackness, Judy could still observe the moonlit fields and forests she left so swiftly behind. The monorail's mechanisms rumbled Judy's feet, offering her soles both a tense and therapeutic sensation. She utilized the time to slow her breaths while the monorail soared over a familiar body of water. Judy looked ahead to see Zootopia and was instantly reminded of her first visit. She recalled the anxious, excited bunny who wanted nothing more than to become a police officer. Judy admired her past self and respected her choice to remain with the ZPD. She knew the risks, but she did her best not to ever question them. She could only hope that her current endeavors would prove noble. No longer was she that innocent little bunny. She was a traitor to the eyes of the law and her friends had suffered for it. The moments of laying low in hiding had been gruesomely ripped away from her. Now Judy was headed into the very heart of her enemies. The once magical and welcoming city had become a militarized zone. Lydia Furwell was like a cold venom, slowly infecting all of Zootopia under her command. If what Jason said was true, his extermination was a mere routine for the ZBI. They had been exterminating humans for years, but Judy still couldn't figure out why. What threat did these creatures pose to Zootopia? Judy thought back to the human-dominated world that Jason had described. Was it possible that animals had risen up against humans and that she was living in the aftermath? So many questions only flustered Judy further. She needed to focus on the moment, or at least all that was about to unfold at the monorail station.

As the monorail passed into the city's borders, Judy pat her companion. "Just sit tight, Jason. We're almost there." Judy proceeded to balance her way to the front of the train. While doing so, she glanced out of the windows to see what had become of Sahara Square. The entire sinkhole had been sectioned off from the rest of the public and ZBI agents could be seen fumigating it. As she passed into Tundratown, Judy could see several trucks using searchlights to patrol the streets. "As a cop, I can't believe I'm saying this..." Judy whispered to herself. "But I hope that Mr. Big and his entire crime family are safe down there." The monorail whirred through the tunnel and entered the Rainforest District. Water sprayed from the canopy sprinklers and splattered against the monorail's windows. She was now just one section away from her destination. The automated monorail was completely desolate, creating an eerie ambience to rattle at Judy's prowess. The bunny kept herself together by focusing on her breathing and the rumble beneath her feet.

Judy advanced to the very front car of the monorail just as it pulled into the station. Sure enough, the ZBI had the entire place surrounded. Waves of jet black cars were parked on every side. Mammals took cover behind them, each pointing a firearm directly at the monorail. Judy was quick to notice how no ZPD units were involved in the operation, which only made her further fear Brock and Clawhauser's fate. Judy took a deep breath and stood tall as the doors opened.

"Please watch your step as you disembark," said the automated voice. "Welcome to Zootopia!"

"Yeah," scoffed Judy as spotlights immediately targeted her. "What a welcome."

A brown bear held up a megaphone and roared, "Officer Hopps! Get down on the ground with your paws behind your head!"

"I won't let you kill him!" she exclaimed for all to hear. Some of the agents became nervous and looked around as if unwanted ears were listening.

"Judy," said another amplified voice. Judy squinted her eyes to see Lydia approaching from behind the blockade. The white tigress slipped passed her agents and clenched her megaphone. "You've taken this far enough. Stand down and I will consider obtaining a pardon for your crimes."

"I haven't done anything wrong!" shouted Judy. Her rising tone was enough to get agents to remove the safeties from their weapons. "I want answers, Lydia! Why are you hunting humans?"

Lydia cringed at the mention of the word, fearing that hidden bystanders could have heard her. She couldn't waste any more time. Lydia yelled exasperatedly. "Come quietly and I will give you the answers you seek! I will show you the truth!"

"Oh for sure," nodded Judy sarcastically. "Just give myself up and we'll be best buddies. Not a chance, Lydia. If you want to kill me because I've seen too much, you're going to have to get your paws dirty."

Lydia growled with frustration, "Little fool. You think yourself to be some kind of hero. In reality, you are just another blind, delusional waste of taxpayer dollars."

As she stood her ground, Judy suddenly saw something move in the reflection of the monorail's window. Her nose twitched with suspicion until a wolf came swinging in from the roof. Lydia was only distracting Judy long enough for her stealth team to move into position. The wolf grabbed for Judy but she leapt back, bounced off of a seat cushion, and kicked him in the face. She then stuck her landing and bolted down the aisle.

Lydia furiously pointed a claw, "Get her! Kill the target!" ZBI agents rushed the monorail from all sides while the rest of the strike team swung in. They shattered the monorail's windows and tossed in smoke grenades. Judy stayed as low as possible and continued to dash for the back of the train. More agents were closing in, causing her to slide under one of the seats. She crawled down, using the stomping of her pursuer's boots to cancel out her sounds. "Cut power to the monorail!" ordered Lydia. "Do it now!" A weasel agent snapped several power cables with great haste. Each of the monorail's cars shut off almost instantaneously.

The agents rapidly equipped their night-vision goggles and laser sights. "Anyone got eyes on the suspect?" panted an agent.

"We'll be alright Jason," soothed Judy. "We'll be alright! I promise!"

"THERE!" a lion agent yelled. He led his team to follow the sound towards the back of the train. They reached the final car to see a human figure cowering in one of the seats. "Target sighted. Open fire!"

Muzzles flashed as the high-caliber rifles sent bullets burrowing into the silhouette. The shots went through the target and ripped the seat's cushions to shreds. Dark liquid splattered against the windows and leaked onto the floor in heaping globs. A grizzly bear agent crouched and ran his paw across the blood. The lion called in. "Ma'am, we have a confirmed hit. Target is neutralized. I repeat, target is-" The lion watched as his bear friend proceeded to delectably lick his paw. "That's disgusting!" he remarked.

"It's not blood," tasted the bear. "It's blueberry juice!"

"What?" snapped the lion while moving in for a closer look. The so-called human was actually a series of blueberry bags strapped together.

"My family's blueberries have saved me from tougher scrapes," jeered Judy from above the two agents. She quickly swung from the handrail and locked the door behind her. The bunny then made her way to the window and watched as Finnick's van sped into Zootopia. Judy sighed in relief at the success of her plan. Judy's stunt had bought her friends enough time to slip back into the city without any resistance. "Wait to go, boys." she smiled to herself. "Now to get out of here." Judy leapt for another handrail and proceeded to swing across them. She was almost to the door when she felt a tremendously sharp pain on her thigh. The bunny yelped with agony before loosing her grip and falling to the floor. She slammed hard and flipped over to see what had struck her. She immediately pulled out a sleek dart was deeply embedded into her thigh. Removing the dart caused even more pain as a swelling soreness began to emanate from her leg. Still, Judy persisted to stumble out of the monorail.

Whatever was in that dart was starting to take effect. Judy's fur soon became drenched with sweat and her eyes began to flutter. Her mouth and throat became dry and her nose felt runny. Judy began to feel incredibly lightheaded. She tried to speak but her words became slurred. Her paws trembled and she tripped over herself. Judy struggled to focus as the world began to spin around her. It wheeled faster as light sources became even brighter. So bright that they were nearly blinding to Judy. The ZBI agents surrounded Judy while Lydia stood before her. The white tigress was brandishing an ebony-colored, tranquilizer pistol."You," garbled Judy as she attempted to keep her eyes open. She fell over again and the pains on her leg suddenly faded...along with everything else.

The very foundations of the world around her began to spiral in hues of vibrant colors. The ZBI agents swirled into color streaks of their own, shooting up into the surreal sky. Her arms and legs went numb, rendering Judy helpless as she frantically clawed at the ground. It tormented her not to be in control of her condition. The wild array of colors turned into an overwhelming blackness that consumed Judy. Amidst such an atrocious experience, Judy could hear Lydia's distorted voice echoing in the darkness. "Sleep well, Officer Hopps." Within the following seconds, Judy was fully incapacitated.

Finnick raced his van through the streets while Jason held on for dear life. Meanwhile, Nick peered out of the window. His eyes remained fixated on the monorail station. He gulped grievously, as if somehow knowing that Judy had been apprehended. At least he kept telling himself that she was. He didn't even want to consider her death as an outcome. "She knew the risks," sighed Nick with a tight shutting of his eyes.

"We gotta go back for her," said Finnick.

"No," intoned Nick. "That's not what she would've wanted."

Jason worriedly nudged Nick. "Do you think she's..."

"I don't know, pal. We'll head to Acacia Street for the rendezvous when its time. Then we leave with...or without her." said the fox. "Let's just get to the contact's house."

"Can we trust this guy?" asked Finnick.

Nick nodded, "For sure. After all, he owes me for not locking him up last year." As much as Nick tried to find humor in his situation, he could not stop thinking about his best friend...wherever she was.

Judy slowly stirred to the sounds of car doors slamming. The swelling pain from her thigh had returned in full force, attributing to her forced awakening. She opened her eyes and observed total darkness. The groggy bunny thrashed with a huff, soon realizing that she had a black bag over her head. Her breaths were short and rapid. The bag made her feel increasingly claustrophobic and such anxieties were worsened by her shackled paws. She struggled to move, prompting unknown paws to grip her painfully. The more she struggled, the tighter they squeezed. She felt herself being dragged across a cold, tiled floor. Sounds of doors slamming and footsteps tromping echoed from every side. Such an echo prompted Judy to deduce that she was in some sort of hallway. She soon felt herself easily yet forcefully lifted above the ground. An enormous, furry paw wrapped around her entire body. Her handler was undoubtedly a bear, for she recalled such a grip from one of Mr. Big's men long ago. She wouldn't mind having some gangsters to help rescue her this time. Who was Judy kidding? They were all in hiding and her friends had proceeded with the plan. Judy prepared herself to boldly face whatever the ZBI had in store for her. She motivated herself to remain silent about Jason, even if she was subjected to some kind of torture as a result.

As much as Judy didn't want to believe she would be tortured, the feeling of being strapped into a bunny-sized chair only realized such fears. Judy struggled to remain calm and collected as she felt her paws forced against the arms of a chair. Her shackles were removed and replaced by the chair's built-in cuffs. Each tightly clanged on Judy's wrists while others snapped onto her ankles. Judy fought to withhold from panicking but her little heart was pounding tremendously. She gripped the chair's arms until her paws hurt. All efforts to squirm out of the chair were virtually useless

It was then that the giant paw yanked the bag off of Judy's head. The bunny was then temporarily blinded by the lamp above her. Her handler was indeed a bear. Such a stern-faced ZBI agent finished his task and trudged towards the door. Lydia's voice could be heard, "Leave us."

"Yes, ma'am." saluted the bear before shutting the door behind him.

Judy wriggled in the chair as Lydia stood before her. "You should've followed orders," said the white tigress. "All of this could have been avoided if you just would have stayed away from the sinkhole."

"Yeah," sneered Judy. "And you'd still be executing innocent humans."

Lydia chuckled, "Innocent? Don't tell me you've been listening to that vile creature's wiles. Humans are notorious liars, you know."

"You're the only liar here," said Judy.

Lydia didn't waste a moment to place one of her claws against Judy's neck. She began to press until the bunny felt pressure and winced. "Where is the human?" She applied more pressure, "Where is he?" Judy remained silent, goading Lydia to bear her teeth in frustration. She snarled, "Where is that savage abomination?"

"Savage abomination," winced Judy. "I know no one of that description."

Lydia angrily withdrew, lightly cutting Judy's chin with her claw. The bunny hissed with pain from the small, bleeding cut. Lydia stepped back but kept her eyes ferociously fixed on Judy. "You seriously believe that human is good."

"Maybe if you tried to understand him instead of shoot at him, you'd believe it too." said Judy.

"I don't need to understand him!" roared Lydia before hastily composing herself. "I already know what his kind are capable of. That's why they must be exterminated."

"You know nothing about humans," jeered Judy.

Lydia scoffed with a mild, sarcastic chuckle. "Officer Hopps, I know more about humans than any mammal in Zootopia." She began to pace around Judy's chair. "You and everyone else has been living a lie. Nearly everything in your history museums has been fabricated to meet the ZBI's needs. It's the only way to ensure our safety. Thousands of years ago, the humans roamed and ravaged our world. My father, and his mother strived to make sure such a past does not repeat itself. That is why the ZBI was founded in the first place. To protect Zootopia and the surrounding towns from the human menace."

Judy firmly shook her head with a grimace, "I have yet to understand just what kind of menace human's are. They are just outcasts, struggling to survive as you and your agents countlessly slaughter them. They have done nothing to be considered menacing."

Lydia shook her head and reached for a remote control. She glared at Judy and angrily pressed one of the buttons. Judy braced for some kind of electrocution, but remained unharmed. Instead, Lydia had turned on a television. "It is time you learned the truth," She held up a disc, "Years of research about the days of old led ZBI analysts to uncover the truth. It is hard to believe that these monsters once populated the entire world."

Judy watched as the screen flashed a black and white image of a monument. It was that of an enormous arch that stood above a wide, clean street. The beautiful monument was built as one of regality and triumph. It was then that a thin, black mass began to form under the arch. Judy squinted her eyes for a closer look as the mass came into full view. A thunderous stomping boomed down the street, allowing Judy to realize that the mass was that of an army. She soon saw hundreds of humans marching in unison, each bringing their legs up increasingly high. Firearms rested against their shoulders and extended far into the sky. The soldier's helmets were sleek and shrouded their eyes with an ominously casted shadow. Judy was confused. What was wrong with soldiers marching under a triumphant monument? It was not until she saw the saddened, frightened populace that Judy realized the soldiers were conquerors. They marched in just as the screen switched to a different film reel. Judy watched as the same soldiers were guarding a barbed fence. Behind it were hundreds of malnourished humans in prison garbs. Among the suffering were dozens of children and such a sight made Judy gasp. The soldiers took aim and fired at them, causing Judy to shut her eyes with horror. Lydia stood with crossed arms beside her. The soldiers were then seen marching passed a screaming man at a podium. He furiously waved his fist while Judy observed the disturbing symbol on his armband. Judy's eyes widened at the sight of a giant bomb blasting over another landscape. A mushroom cloud formed and the television flashed rapid images of scorched individuals.

The screen flipped again, this time showing aircraft dropping seemingly endless piles of bombs on cities below. More scenes showed screaming and panicking civilians. Some were trying to dig through rubble while others lay dead beneath it. Judy cringed as the scene transitioned to a panic on some other street. The bunny immediately identified the law enforcement officials by their similar uniforms to the ZPD's. Her heart sank as she watched the officers beating darker-skinned humans with batons. Signs amidst various businesses in the background read: WHITES ONLY.

The screen flashed to an image that was actually in color. It showed a silver-lined city overlooking glistening waters. Suddenly, a plane crashed directly into one of two identical towers. The scene swapped as another plane blasted into the second. Both skyscrapers came tumbling down as human's voice said, "We are reporting live on the scene of what has been confirmed as a terrorist attack."

A compilation of multiple voices from both males and females played from the television. "Terrorism," they all said.

Another anchor could be heard while footage showed a city with flames emanating from it, "Over one-hundred people are dead after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France." The screen swapped to a swarm of police cars on a beach. "Authorities rushed to the scene after a truck just barreled through a crowd," said an anchor. "The incident has been confirmed as an act of terror carried out by extremists from the terror cell, ISIS."

Judy watched with anguish as the screen showed multiple people hugging each other and crying. A woman could be heard reporting, "A sad day in Orlando. After the loss of forty-nine people, the Pulse night club terrorist attack has become the worst shooting in American history."

The next clips showed cities ablaze with rioters, "Reports are flooding in that another police officer has been shot. The cop-killing spree continues." Judy's eyes began to tear up as she watched a sobbing child place flowers atop a flagged casket. Police officers saluted in the background while others carried their fallen comrade. Factories were seen with multiple animals being slaughtered for food. Another clip showed two dogs fighting savagely while humans cheered. Judy felt sickened watching a man with a crimson cape stab a weak, defenseless bull for sport. She was even further appalled by the crowd of thousands applauding such a despicable and villainous killing.

More footage showed children arming themselves with guns and firing upon villagers in some sort of province. Drone strikes fired on such villages, obliterating anyone caught in the blast radius. The screen then flashed a seemingly endless montage of bombings. Everything from mortars to torpedoes was striking against a people. Judy watched the compilation as an anchor stressed, "The year is 2058 and the race for super drones is well underway."

An enthusiastic reporter soon boasted, "Leaders have authorized the manufacturing of atomic drones in an effort to win the war! We'll see how that scum minds being vaporized!" The next clip was that of a colossal array of bombs scattering across the landscape. Fiery, mushroom-shaped clouds climbed high into the skiy as all erupted into a sea of ash. With one final bang, the video ended and the screen went black once more. Judy deduced that this was the 'Fall of Fire' Jason had talked about.

Judy was mortified by all she had just witnessed. The bunny had been crying the entire time and did not even realize it. Streaks of tears drenched her furry cheeks as she sat completely shocked. Lydia stood beside Judy as she trembled to speak, "They just...slaughtered each other. I don't understand. Why would they do that?"

"Because they could," replied Lydia. "Because they were greedy. Because they were monsters. The humans murdered each other out of pride and persecution. They sought vengeance, not redemption. They belittled intelligence and favored their disgustingly large egos. They glorified stupidity for entertainment and banished innovation. They gutted the land of its resources and dug their own graves. In the final struggle for whatever resources remained, societies were on the brink of collapsing. Instead of working together to solve the issue, war erupted...and the humans blasted themselves into ash. I only wish it had been all of them. Sadly, many of the vermin survived for the next thousand years. But we evolved as well. Forget whatever you were taught about our ancestors in elementary school. Prey and predator did not simply evolve from their savage ways and then shake hands. They united to destroy a common enemy, the humans that ruined the world. They hunted them by any means necessary, and eventually drove the malicious creatures far beyond. Such a hunt never ceased, even as years passed and Zootopia was built. The ZBI was founded by the city's first mayor, and was henceforth sent to exterminate the remaining humans. The mayor believed that the knowledge of humans would only inspire animals to selfishly follow in their destructive footsteps. To prevent such a tragedy, the mayor authorized that all of the educational systems be changed to teach a false truth." Lydia sighed while reciting, "In Zootopia...humans never happened. That's what the first mayor wanted. When he died, he left his secret with the ZBI, ensuring that not even other leaders would know the truth. This secret remains to keep our society safe. Every agent, including myself, watched the footage I just showed you in order to become fully indoctrinated. We must all know what it is we are fighting to protect" Lydia eagerly closed in on Judy, "Now we are close. We are closer than we have ever been to exterminating the humans once and for all. I promised myself I would complete this mission, but I cannot do it alone. I need your help, Judy. The ZBI needs you in order to stop this human scourge from repeating its horrendous history all over again." Lydia stretched out her paw and made a fist, "Let prey and predator unite against a common enemy once more. Help me end this, Judy. Please."

Judy shut her eyes and thought deeply. All of the awful, unseeable images she had just seen now seared into her mind. Judy struggled to break free of such thoughts while she imagined Zootopia in ruins. Amidst her chaotic thinking, Judy decided to focus on Jason. She visualized his pleasant smile and kind prowess. Judy breathed deeply and said, "No. I won't believe it, and I won't join you."

"What?!" snapped Lydia. "After all of the atrocities I just showed you, you're still willing to help these monsters?"

Judy remained firm, "What you showed me was truly scarring. It was despicable and very cruel. But I am willing to stake a claim that aside from all of that horror, there was some good within. I guarantee those humans did great things. I bet they fought for freedom and strived for knowledge. I refuse to believe that all of them were monsters because I have witnessed their kindness. Jason matches none of the descriptions you have presented, and I would even consider him to be a better person than any of us are." Lydia gasped. "They made mistakes just as we have and continue to do. We're certainly not perfect, and it is wrong for you to pass judgment on the humans. You won't keep this secret forever," intoned Judy as Lydia became even angrier. "I'll stop at nothing until I expose everything. The animals of Zootopia deserve to know the truth, no matter what."

Lydia hissed while opening up her jacket. "I guess there is no way to reason with certain mammals. You're tenacious, Judy, I'll give you that. However, you just passed up the only opportunity to save your life." Lydia withdrew her pistol and took aim at Judy. She had just cocked in when there was a knock at the door, "What is it?" she growled.

"Special delivery," replied a familiar voice.

"Enter?" suspected Lydia.

The door opened and Brock Barker came sliding in. Lydia aimed at him, but the husky shot the pistol right out of her paws. The weapon cracked and collapsed in smoking pieces. "No cage can hold me!" he prided. Brock furiously aimed his retrieved pistol at Lydia. "Turn around. Get against the wall!"

Lydia snarled, yet obliged. "You're making a huge mistake, Officer Barker. The ZBI will show no mercy to-"

"Yeah yeah. Stow it." quipped Brock as he shot Judy's restraints off and helped her down. Sirens soon blared in response to the gunshots. "You alright, Hopps?"

"Brock," she sighed before quickly hugging him. "Am I glad to see you."

"There's no way these ZBI losers could keep me locked up," he grinned. "After all, they're dealing with a hybrid. I was being transferred to an interrogation cell when I saw an opening and sprung away. When I heard they had you, I got here as soon as I could!" Brock hastily reached for his stolen belt and reloaded his pistol. "Sorry I don't have a spare weapon for you."

"No worries," assured Judy. The bunny pulled open Lydia's jacket and grabbed her tranquilizer pistol. "This will work." She turned to see Lydia scornfully scowling at them. She ignored the tigress and gave Brock a shove. "Reinforcements will be here any minute! We need to move!"

Brock and Judy sprinted down the hallway as ZBI agents closed in from all sides. "GET THEM!" roared Lydia from afar. It would take all of Brock and Judy's cunning capabilities to escape such a deathtrap.