Zootopia Central Hospital
Rm. 219

Nick was by Judy's bedside when a nurse brought in a tray of food; carrots, alfalfa, oatmeal, and a bowl of assorted fruit pieces.
"Oh, I didn't realize Judy had a visitor, would you like me to bring you something to eat as well?" the nurse asked, placing the tray on the bedside table.
"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll take anything," Nick replied.
"Crab and fruit?"
"Sure."
The nurse left, and returned momentarily with a second tray of food, handing it to Nick.
"She asleep?" the nurse asked, turning his head to look at the rabbit.
"Yeah, but she asked me to wake her up if anything."
"You probably shouldn't, she needs her sleep; anyways, if you're interested, the mayor's office just sent out a bulletin. The chief of police is holding a press conference in about twenty minutes if you want to watch." The nurse motioned to the television.
"Chief Bogo?"
"That's the one. The remote's on the table if you care. Volume switch is on the side." The nurse left, closing the door.

Strange, Nick thought. Bogo shouldn't be holding a conference for at least a month. He reached over Judy for the remote, and turned the television on, switching to ZNN. There, a well-lit podium in what Nick recognized to be City Hall was clearly visible. The banner across the bottom was scrolling "Chief Bogo to give police interim review and special report on latest serial killer" repeatedly.
"Ahh, shit." Nick said loudly. He gently shook Judy until she awoke. This was something she would want to watch.
"What's up?" Judy asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"The screen," Nick stated, motioning to the television set.
"Chief Bogo to give..." Judy began, before interjecting, "But he's not supposed to do the interim for another three weeks!"
"Wait for it..."
"Special report on latest serial killer," she read. "Nick, do you think they're talking about-"
"Without a doubt," he interrupted, knowing what she was going to ask.

They waited and watched in silence as Bogo slowly walked on stage and adjusted the microphone. He talked momentarily with the mayor, who arrived on-stage with him, before clearing his throat and turning to face the cameras.
"I would like to welcome everyone to the annual mid-year police interim report, as well as thank everyone for showing up on such short notice. I would like to begin by mentioning that crime on average is down 7% from last year, thanks in part to the diligent work of our officers."
A round of applause went through the room.
"I would also like to mention that our wider recruitment initiative is paying off, and we have since recruited two more foxes, another rabbit, and another badger, as well as our first camel officer, and our first antelope officer."
Another round of applause.
"Now, time to get to the bulk of the presentation. Property crime is down 18% on average: Downtown has the largest leap with 22%, followed by Rainforest District and Sahara Square at 19%..." Bogo continued naming statistics for about fifteen minutes.
"...Violent crime is down 2% on average: Downtown is down 4%, and most districts have no net increase or decrease. However, Tundratown and the Meadowlands have seen a 1% increase since last year. We are working around the clock to see more officers installed in strategic locations to combat this increase."
A reporter's paw shot up.
"Please hold all questions until the end, just a moment more. Our officers have, in total, made 8412 arrests since the start of the year, in connection with any crime; this is down 4% from last year's interim report, but given that last year's interim report was given three weeks later, we can adjust to a net 2% increase from last year. Since the start of the year, 7 officers have died in the line of duty, and 87 have been injured in any way. Deaths are at a net 31% decrease, and injured are a net 7% increase." Bogo looked around the crowd. "I will now take any questions."

Instantly dozens of arms shot up. Bogo pointed at one.
"The violent crime increase in Tundratown and the Meadowlands, can that be attributed to the 'Night Howler Killer'?"
"Those districts have been ridden with crime for decades, and we are doing our best to enforce the law. The appearance of the 'Night Howler Killer' has no bearing on these crime statistics."
Bogo pointed at another raised arm.
"So the killer is insignificant to the police?"
"I did not say that. We merely haven't included him in these statistics, as we want to present a general trend."
"What have the police done to protect the citizens of Zootopia from this serial killer?"
"We are doing everything we can, but we ask that the citizens also employ some common sense. Do not go out alone at night, walk with someone else whenever you can. Stay safe on your own, and the chance that something bad will happen drops off exponentially."
Another question was taken.
"We've heard reports that every victim of the serial killer was in the act of performing a crime, or a past criminal. Can you confirm this?"
"No comment."
The next mammal spoke.
"Have you caught this serial killer yet?"
"As of now, he still remains at large."
"So he's still running loose out there, slaying innocents?"
"The killings appear to have stopped. This usually happens when a serial killer knows they are almost caught; as such, we are very close to closing out this case."
"What leads do you have?"
"For the safety of the case, I will not disclose them at this time."

Reporters barraged him with questions exclusively about the mysterious serial killer; the disdain on Bogo's face grew with each passing query, until eventually, he said "No further questions," and walked off stage. One of the mayor's assistants came to the podium to close out the presentation, and soon, the camera feed switched to a talk show with discussion about what was said during Bogo's speech. Nick turned off the television.
"Wow, they ate him alive," Judy remarked, mindlessly eating fruit from her tray.
"I wonder… He knows who the killer is, and he could have him in his clutches in minutes if he wanted to, so why did he go to such great lengths to protect him from the media?" Nick asked.
"Maybe the Chief has faith in him."
"I'd say it's misplaced," Nick said coldly. Judy sighed, and turned to finish her food; Nick went to do the same. After some time, Nick's phone rang. He checked the number, and grunted in disgust, silencing it.
"Who is it?"
"If it's important, he'll leave a message."
The phone rang again; he checked the number, but this time, turned it off. Two minutes later, Judy's phone rang on her bedside table. She checked the caller ID momentarily with a puzzled expression before answering.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.
"Who is it?" Nick asked. Judy put up her finger to silence him.
"Why didn't you answer your phone, Nick?"
"Damnit. It's him, isn't it? Put him on speaker."
"So, Nick, why haven't you answered your phone?" the voice spoke.
"If I knew you would pester Carrots I would have answered."
"I take it you are still in the hospital?"
"Yeah, why?" Judy asked.
"You see, allow me to explain something, madam. Before you were taken to the hospital, I gave Nick a syringe to administer in the event that your heart beat or your breathing stopped. If neither of those happened, he was supposed to burn it."
"Nick..?" Judy slowly turned to face him, an angry look on her face. He gave her an exasperated expression. What, he mouthed, shrugging.
"He instead gave it to the labs of the hospital for analysis, which of course, was the worst possible thing he could have done."
Nick covered his face with his paws.
"So, Nick. Will you come right your wrong and help me retrieve the syringe, along with any data they may have collected?"
"No."
"Allow me to rephrase. Your third task is to come with me and retrieve the syringe, along with any data they may have collected."
"Shit."
"I hope this is alright with you, madam?"
"You had better keep him safe. I swear if he ends up in the bed next door..." Judy began.
"You have my word."
"Fine. What do I need to do?" Nick asked.
"Exit the room and go all the way down the hallway to the right. At the very end is a staircase. Descend to the lowest level. I'll be waiting at the bottom for you."
"Wait, you're at the bottom of the stairs? How do you have any reception at all?"
"Why do you think I'm not in the labs? Don't tarry."
He hung up.

"Well, wish me luck Carrots." Nick gave a nervous laugh. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"
"Don't say that!"
"It's gonna happen one of these days, at this rate." He made for the door.
"Good luck," Judy said, as Nick closed the door behind himself.
Nick made his way down the long hallway; doctors and nurses shot glances whenever he passed them, before returning to whatever task they were originally performing. The hospital was designed like a web, with the central building housing the emergency facilities and labs, and the outer buildings dedicated to specific purposes, such as intensive care or the maternity ward; the buildings were all connected by long, snaking tunnels. The tunnel Nick was traveling down would lead straight towards the center of the main building, and the stairwell at the end to the labs.

Eventually, Nick exited the intensive care building into a long sky-walk that overlooked the streets below; he stopped to stare at the traffic, before continuing along his path. As he entered the central building, the walkway ended and merged into a hallway that wrapped around the perimeter of the building; dead ahead of him in the wall was a door that read "NO EXIT – Employee Only". Nick took a quick glance left and right; satisfied, he pushed the door open and descended. Four flights of stairs later, nearly at the bottom, he saw a dual set of doors with a scanner; leaning against the door was a wolf wearing a labcoat and badge, as well as red glasses; in his arms were another labcoat. Nick quickly hid behind the railing and peered over; the wolf seemed not to notice him, instead inspecting his paw, turning it over periodically.

"You made impressive time, Nick," the wolf said. "But you are not stealthy."
Nick descended the remaining flight and approached the wolf.
"Kai?"
"Of course, who else? Here, put this on." He handed Nick the labcoat.
"Where did you get these?" Nick asked, donning the coat. It fit loosely, but it was to be expected. "And what's with the shades?"
"I took a look around before I called you. Everyone walks in pairs inside; hence, to avoid suspicion, I asked for your help. And if you must know, I'm wearing laser goggles. Not because I need protection from lasers, but because it's more covert than an eyepatch."
Nick inspected the badge; it was a red fox, but it was clearly not him.
"You do realize if they stop us, we're totally getting caught, right?"
"They won't."

The wolf stood upright, cracking his neck left and right. He then pulled his badge to the scanner on the double doors; after a green light and a satisfied beep, the doors automatically swung open. He entered and motioned for Nick to follow. They walked through the halls, making several turns.
"How did you get in the first time?"
"Some one didn't shut the door after they entered, so I lagged just behind them."
"How long were you waiting for me?" Nick asked. "Isn't is suspicious to have two labcoats outside of the door?"
"Not long. No one entered or exited while I was there."
The pair passed another duo of mammals; they also had labcoats, but Nick could see that beneath them, they were wearing a set of light green scrubs.
"Kai, they're wearing hospital uniform, I'm not. They'll find me out!" Nick whispered harshly.
"They haven't yet, and we've passed several cameras and mammals."
"Alright; anyways, what's the plan? It looks like we're wandering aimlessly."
"We are."
"What?!"
"It's only temporary. I want to make sure we're not being followed before I go to the labs that have what we came for."
"And which labs would those be?"
"Well, there are twelve labs in total, arranged in a circular pattern. I don't know what possessed them to use rectangular flooring, so the numbering is off; while we're walking, I'm memorizing the layout. I've read from the requisitions that they haven't sent any out for external sampling yet, and the labs they are storing it in are numbered three, four, seven, and twelve. It appears that these four right here are the ones."
Nick looked inside. There were at least four mammals in each lab. In lab seven, they were working with some red substance, which he suspected was the blood.
"And how exactly do you plan on taking the samples and data?"
"Well, I could firebomb the labs, which would solve all of my problems. However, I promised Bogo I wouldn't kill."
"Funny, I didn't take you as the kind who would keep promises."
"My honor as a man is one of the precious things I have left, and I intend to keep it."
"Honor." Nick scoffed.
"Mock me all you want. The alternatives..." He paused to think.

"Hey Kai," Nick started.
"Yes?"
"It looks like all of these lab doors are externally sealing. Do you have some kind of knock-out gas on you? You could toss some in there and close the doors, and when they're all out cold, you can go get the data."
"That's genius, except for one problem. The closest thing I have to a 'knock-out gas' is lithiated ether."
"I take it that it's not a good knock-out gas?"
"It is a highly toxic nerve gas and amnesiac, among other things. If I threw the grenade into the room, they would be dead in perhaps thirty seconds. However..." he looked to the ventilation system.
"What are you thinking?"
"If I can get to the air filtering system and drop a canister near the ventilator, it would disperse in a low enough concentration that it would render everyone in the labs unconscious, without risk of permanent damage or death. However, you would need a respirator, and it would without a shadow of a doubt set off a toxicity alarm."
"What's the alternative?"
"Other than that or brutal murder, I don't see one. We'll need to work posthaste, and hope that whomever the alarm attracts isn't armed."
He reached past his labcoat and withdrew a small tube with a crescent shape sticking out of one end.
"How do foxes breathe?"
"What kind of question is that? With my lungs, I guess."
"Mouth or nose?"
"Either? Why is this important?"
He handed Nick the device.
"Bite down on the crescent, leave the tube outside your mouth. I don't have a full-face respirator that will fit on you, so that will have to do."
Nick inspected the odd gadget.
"Why do you have this? Also are these human-teeth shaped, because I'm not sure this will even fit in my mouth."
"In the event I lost my mask and needed a backup respirator, I packed one along and hey, it came in handy. Try biting down on it."
"Yeah, maybe if you packed a real sleeping gas grenade we'd be set."
He bit down on the bite guard, and closed his mouth around the device, such that only the tube was outside. It was uncomfortable to him, but he could still breathe through it. It would have to be a very temporary solution. He removed it.
"It works, but it sucks."
"All that matters is that it works."

They followed the ventilation ducts around the hallways, rounding corners and entering doorways. At consistent intervals, they passed other mammals in labcoats, as well as the odd security patrol every now and then. Eventually, the ducts went through the wall above a doorway with the label "Maintenance". A quick glance around showed that there were no cameras pointed in their direction, or even in any direction in the current hallway. They tried the door, and it was locked. The lock was electronic, and upon attempting to swipe a badge, it buzzed angrily and flashed a red light.
"Damn, they keep this place locked down really tight. It almost makes me wonder if they're trying to keep something under-wraps..." Nick began, before the wolf put up a paw to silence him. Kai was feeling the door with one paw, and rapping gently with the other, before moving several inches and rapping again.
"This door is fairly solid," he remarked. "This won't be quiet."
"What won't?"
Kai hit the door firmly near the hinges and handle with both of his palms; the strike made a resounding bang that echoed throughout the hallway. The mostly unscathed door nearly fell to the ground (hinges and bolt shattered but otherwise unharmed), but he caught it in the last moment.
"Inside, now."
Nick obeyed the command without question, scrambling inside the dark room as Kai put the door back up; the only indication that it was ever knocked down was the fact that the hinges on the inside were broken. That, and the door would fall over if anyone so much as leaned on it.
"Any smart mammal won't fall for that gag."
"Any smart mammal won't be working security for a hospital during an evening shift."
"Fair enough."

Nick turned around to get a look at the room. There were blinking lights that indicated some statuses of whatever device they were attached to, but provided no illumination whatsoever. A small whooshing, droning noise, typical of a fan or ventilator, could be heard off in the distance. The room was otherwise pitch black, and well below room temperature.
"I can't see anything in this darkness, you got a flashlight on that utility belt?" Nick asked.
"I thought predators had night vision."
"Minimal light, not absent light. Common misconception."
He reached for the light switch, but Kai grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"I don't know if the switch will throw a breaker or not. Better not try it."
"How do we walk if we can't see?"
"I can see just fine, speak for yourself. Grab my coat and follow me. Don't run into anything noisy."

"You humans are freaks," Nick said, grabbing a fist-full of the wolf's labcoat.
Kai gave off a quiet chuckle.

They walked slowly through the dark room; Nick was feeling around with his free paw, ensuring he didn't stumble into anything.
"How big is this room, anyways?" Nick asked, nervously.
"Why are you scared?"
"I'm not scared, why would you think that?"
They stopped.
"Your heart is pounding. You are perspiring, despite the cold temperature. I know fear, Nick; it was once my livelyhood."
"How can you..?!"
"Hear? Smell? A heartbeat is loud, yours especially so; in addition, you probably cannot notice it, but to me, the miasma of animal sweat is overpowering. You might as well be upfront, what bothers you?"
"It's not important."
"You can trust me."
"Can I? You made me kill in cold blood."

"This is about Badgerly, then?"
Silence.

"… yes," Nick finally responded. "He came at me from the dark, I didn't see him before he got me." He caressed his side, where his own knife had accidentally gone into his flesh.
"We are alone here, and he is dead. That should be closure enough for you."
"But what he did to those kits and cubs, the muzzles…" Nick began to cry. "I killed him. The first mammal I ever killed, and it was him. I thought there would be more to it, but I just tore his throat out like an animal."
"You are an animal, Nick. I am, too; hell, we all are. It's one great big animal kingdom."
"Your point being?"
"It's survival of the fittest, and he wasn't fit to survive. They say that it's a hell of a thing to kill someone, to take all that they have and all that they will ever have, but I find that it isn't true."
"Why not? I still feel like I'm tasting his blood, even now."
"You're a curious sort, Nick. Even after witnessing first-hand what atrocities he had committed, you still feel rue. That, I will never understand."
Nick turned his head away.

"However, I want to ask something of you," Kai began.
"What?"
"You say you tore his throat out. How did it feel?"
"Do I really have to explain?"
"From a psychological standpoint, working through trauma will help get past it."
"That's not why you're asking, though. Is it?"
"Observant. I want to know how it felt."
"What?!"
"To be wild and free, unrestrained by morality or decency."
"You're sick, you know that?"
"I will never know the feeling, Nick. Give me this one satisfaction."
"Eugh. We were wrestling over a knife when he knocked me over. He was standing over me, about to do me away. I don't know what happened next, but I was on top of him, and my jaws were just… locked around his neck."
"An automatic response to distress. The body is capable of amazing things."
"The worst part was, he was begging me for mercy, and I just clamped down harder."
"Naturally, you were almost killed. Why would you show him mercy?"
"When you put it like that it makes sense, but… there was so much blood after I crushed his windpipe, I didn't think a badger could even have so much blood in him."
"Ah yes. Your entire body is practically blood, minus some organs and connective tissues. You probably have a little over three liters, roughly a gallon if I had to wager a conversion."
"That much? Whatever, I just don't know anymore."
"What's there not to know?"
"Why I didn't hesitate."
"Biology dictates your actions, first and foremost. You didn't hesitate because your predatory instincts demanded you survive."
"Predation biology is just a myth."
"If it was a myth, why would any predator have evolved in the first place? Surely they could have all eaten plants and gotten along? No. One animal tried to eat another, and found it was more efficient to eat processed plant energy in the form of meat than to waste their own energy to process raw plant. Your sharp teeth, night vision, claws; all adaptations to help you kill more efficiently. Of course, in the modern age, they have grown obsolete, for the most part. Your pupils, for example, are round instead of slitted like foxes of yore. However, in the rare circumstances of life or death, your body will ensure your survival. Now it is your mind that must catch up. If you dwell on the past and forever live in your sorrows, you will never move forward. Your sorrows and misery, your past, will eat you alive. The faster you learn that you acted in the greater good, no, the greatest good, that being for your survival, the faster you can move on."
Another pause.

"So, why did you send me to kill Badgerly?" Nick asked uncertainly.
"I knew about his 'torture chamber', and about all of the techniques he employed in restraining the little ones. I also read about a certain fox who was denied a position in the Junior Ranger Scouts on the basis of being a predator, and about how he was muzzled and beaten. I figured I would see if you could get past your previous trauma, as well as kill one of the most twisted criminals in the city."
"Okay, now how the fuck could you ever possibly know about that?"
"A certain rabbit wrote a report about it."
"Eugh, Judy… You'll be the death of me one day..." Nick muttered.
"If you ever wish to confront them, I already know where they live, who they're married to (of the ones that are, anyways), where their kids go to school, the works. However, I think we've spent enough time talking. We need to continue with the mission. It's good to see that you've calmed down."
Nick threw a punch towards the voice, and ended up striking hard plate; he winced, shaking his paw, but was otherwise unharmed.
"I didn't need to 'calm down', I was fine before."
"A 'thank you' would have sufficed."
"… Thank you."
They continued moving.

The cold was beginning to get to him, despite his fur and labcoat.
"Gah, it's freezing in here," Nick exclaimed.
"Well, the room appears, among other things, to be holding server racks. Why it's this cold, I have no idea. In fact, why they have servers on the lab level and not off-site is befuddling; whomever drafted this floor plan should be hung."
"Servers? Like, data storage?"
"Those exact kind. They really shouldn't be here: it's not only a security flaw, but also a waste of energy to cool a single room, especially to this extent. Ah, here we are, the vent system fan."
There was a loud screeching noise as claw cut through aluminum duct; it pierced Nick's ears, even though he lowered them and tried to tune the noise out.
"Now, Nick," Kai began. "You have your phone, correct?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Turn it off and give it to me."
"Again, why?"
"It occurred to me that if they're dumb enough to store data on-site, I can just wipe it out on-site as well. One of my vest pockets is shielded with a Faraday cage, so if you don't want to get another phone, you should give it to me."
Nick pulled his phone from his pocket and was nearly blinded when the screen illuminated; squinting his eyes, he managed to turn it off and hand it to the wolf. He heard a small click, and soon after, a metal canister bounced against the floor. A quiet ringing noise droned for several seconds, before falling silent. The lights on the server panels went from green, to all red, to off; they were now in total darkness.
"And now, I need you to bite down on the respirator," said the wolf, before tearing some velcro on his vest to access the gas grenade.
Nick did as he was told, securing the device in his mouth.
"How lon' do I nee' to wea' thish?" Nick asked, mouth full.
"Until we leave. Close your eyes, nostrils, and ears until I lead you out of the room, the gas destabilizes on contact with water into lithium salts, and the immense concentration in this room will probably temporarily blind or deafen you, perhaps even permanently. Three, two, one..."
There was a loud puff signaling the grenade had deployed; immediately, Nick felt a pull on his shoulder, and he followed the source of the tug.

Soon, the grip on his shoulder released, and he heard a soft metal clang; he presumed it was the door being moved. He was led again, and the light falling upon his eyelids was indication that he was out of the room.
"You can free your eyes and ears."
Nick slowly perked his ears and opened his eyes; although he felt a slight tingling discomfort, it immediately faded. He moved one paw to adjust his respirator, and with the other motioned for his phone. After receiving it and checking that it was in working order, he replaced it in his pocket.
"All set?" Kai checked. Nick nodded. "Now, we head for the labs. In say… three minutes, the gas will be dispersed enough that we can waltz in and take what we came for."
They set off at a leisurely pace.
"Strange, the alarm hasn't gone off yet. What kind of lab do they run here, anyways?"
"May'e you blew i' ou' wif the servers?" Nick asked.
"I doubt it, unless the mammal who designed this building is severely retarded. No, something is off-putting about this whole building… maybe it was a silent alarm, but then I would have still noticed something. I highly doubt they would use a chemical alarm, or a pneumatic alarm system, that would be very outdated-" Kai rambled.

"Freeze! Don't move!" a voice from behind them shouted as they rounded the corner. They turned around to view the aggressor. "I said not to move!"
It was a small badger wielding a night-stick. Kai laughed boisterously.
"Who are you?" he asked, folding his arms.
"Security patrol two, and you're gonna wait right here until the police arrive!"
"Did you call them?"
"First, I'm gonna beat you. Then, the police get to know you're here."
Nick and Kai merely turned to look at each other, before looking at the badger.
"What's he got in his mouth?" The badger asked worriedly.
Kai feigned confusion, then looked erratically around the room.
"Wait, do you smell that?!" he asked loudly.
"Smell what?" the badger replied, before sniffing a deep breath; immediately, he coughed violently. "Hey, now that you mention it… something smells… kinda vile."
"Come, I think we're done with this fool," the wolf barked, leaving and motioning for the fox to follow.
"Hey, where are… you going!" he threatened, before coughing again. His eye-lids began to droop, as did his arms. "Hey, come… back..." His breathing had already slowed drastically to the point of wheezing, and he was leaning on one knee. "Come back… please."
He collapsed.

Nick couldn't help but feel bad about the mammal; after all, he was only doing his job. However, it was incredibly stupid of the badger not to call the police before confronting intruders, especially two intruders of considerably larger stature.
"Will he 'e o'ay?" Nick asked.
"He had a strong heart, and his breathing is still there, albeit weak. Should the need arise, we are in a hospital."
They walked up to the large glass windows of the labs; inside, nearly all the mammals were unconscious, save for two of the four in lab seven, who bore gas masks. They were currently panicking, and one was at the landline phone attached to the wall.
"Nick, round up the samples in the other labs, I will deal with them."
He nodded and raced to lab three.

When he approached the counter where the technicians were working, he looked around for where the samples might be stored; above were hanging cabinets, and below were a series of shelves. He decided to check the cabinets first. He pulled the handles one-by-one, but they were all sealed; the last one, however, had a key jutting out of it. Giving it a turn, the door swung open to reveal a refrigerated storage with numerous small vials in a styrofoam holder. Nick took the holder, discarded the vials that were not red and, taking the key, made for lab four. There, he repeated his procedure, making for the cabinet on the right. He was delighted to see that the key fit the cabinet as well (which most likely violated lab safety protocol), from which he retrieved three vials, inserting them into the holder.

As he exited from lab four, he glanced quickly into lab seven; inside, he saw Kai conversing with the two mammals, who were slowly backing away from him. One was holding a phone with a cut cord in his paw, which he wielded as a weapon. There was a knife stuck in the wall, thrown with the intent to sever the phone line. As he walked into lab twelve, staring intently at the happenings in lab seven, he felt a piercing pain in the back of his shoulder. Immediately, he dropped the vials on the ground and clutched at the source of the pain: it was a dart. He quickly pulled it out, but as soon as he did, he felt a burning sensation spreading throughout his back, followed by deadening numbness.

Nick cried out in pain, and immediately regretted the decision, as it caused him to drop the respirator. He held his breath and fished to the floor for the device, but lost his balance; he tumbled to the floor, and landed on his hip. The landing jarred his pelvis, and he took a deep breath; instantly he felt a hacking pain in his lungs, and his eyes began to water.
"I've got one of them, subject appears to be a red fox, mid-thirties. Moving to apprehend the second perpetrator," he heard from above him.
"What was in the dart..." Nick hacked, vision blurring.
"Oh, it speaks. I take it you caused this gas leak? If so, that's what, three years in prison?"
"Five," Nick corrected, coughing.
"Of course the fox would know, probably a serial offender. Come on Forest, let's bag these terrorists and call it a night."
"Kai..." Nick mustered the strength to yell. "Help."

The wolf emerged from the doorway, red vials in hand, and glanced down at Nick. The two technicians in the room with him absconded empty-handed behind him.
"I thought I heard a scrimmage." He looked up to face a horse and camel in gas masks and riot gear. "Who the hell are you two?"
"We got a call about a gas leak, and security footage revealed two suspicious mammals. We also saw you dispose of our night-guard, what was his name again Forest?" the Camel spoke.
"I think it was Melvin," the horse replied.
"Something. Either way, you two are-" the Camel tried to say, before being cut off.
"Slow down, bucking bronco. Everything except the phone call was ancient history. Second, you didn't answer my question: who are you?" the wolf barked.
"We're security," the horse responded, offended.
"In riot gear, likely story. Unhand the fox, and I might consider letting at least one of you live."
They laughed.
"Kai… You promised… No killing." Nick wheezed.
"I distinctly remember that I promised to avoid it whenever I can. And I cannot resist how much fun this will be."

The horse raised his tranquilizer and shot at the wolf. The first round bounced off of his chest to the floor.
"That was highly annoying. If you do that again I might have to break something, and that something will most likely be you," the wolf growled.
The pair emptied their clips at him; most darts deflected off of his jacket, but several embedded themselves in his neck. He reached and pulled them out, flicking them to the side.
"You know, I hate it every time one of you filthy animals tries to do that. No offense, Nick."
"None… taken," he hacked.
They reached for their vests in an attempt to reload, but in the blink of an eye, Kai was upon them, with both of their wrists in his clutches. He maneuvered around them and flipped them both head over heels, crushing their bones in the process. He put his foot on the camel's chest, and began to push his weight on it.
"Now, you will stay put here, yes?"
The camel grabbed a baton from his belt and swung it at the wolf's leg; the wolf immediately put all of his weight on the beast's chest, crushing his ribs. As he stepped off, camel gasping for air, he put his foot on the horse's chest.
"Now, you will stay put."
"Yes," the horse mustered.

Kai stepped off and entered lab twelve. After a minute, he exited, several red vials in hand. He grabbed the styrofoam holder off of the ground, retrieved its vials, and placed them into his vest, beneath his labcoat. Next, he picked Nick up gingerly, and held him in his arms.
"Horse, Forrest, whatever your name is. How many of you are there?"
"I won't tell."
"I will crush you underfoot like your companion. How many," he reiterated sternly.
"Just us, I swear."
"Good. If I find that isn't true, I will return. This, I promise."
"Please don't," the horse whimpered.
The wolf walked up and tore off their gas masks with one arm, cradling Nick in the other. The camel gasped and fell unconscious, but the horse attempted to hold his breath.
"Sweet dreams," laughed Kai malevolently.

The duo made for the stairs, and exited. After leaving the underground, the wolf discarded his labcoat, as well as the fox's. He placed the fox on the stairs, and fished in his vest for a syringe, injecting it into the fox's arm.
"You should be able to walk within several minutes."
Nick nodded. The wolf went to retrieve a small pack from under the stairs. Inside, he retrieved his dark overcoat, as well as a tranquilizer gun, which he handed to Nick.
"Why?" Nick coughed.
"In the event the horse was lying. Non-lethal, true to my word."
"But you killed the camel!" Nick protested hoarsely.
"He will live; I pulled their masks because the gas is an amnesiac, especially to the unconscious. I need to leave, as I have other pressing matters to attend to; I know it doesn't mean much to you, but thank you for your assistance today."
"You could have done everything yourself."
"I could have, but not without senseless injury. Remember how everyone marched in twos. If I were alone, that would have attracted attention, which I could have dealt with, but at what cost?"

The wolf didn't answer, and instead left up the stairs. Nick could only stare at his tranquilizer gun until he felt well enough to leave as well. He would have a hell of a story to tell Judy.


Twenty Miles Outside of Zootopia
Concurrently

At the request of Chief Bogo, Leora was the driver of the caravan. Inside, the mammals were sitting silently as they were driven to their end destination. Soon, they pulled up to a river bank; Leora turned off the vehicle and stepped out. The ground was firm, and only the grass was damp, as Kai had predicted.

The rest of the mammals had joined her.
"Scenic, huh?" Felix asked, beholding the mountains before them.
"Sure, but we see these mountains every day," Bjorn replied.
"Alright, we need to get set up," Leora stated. "We need to take inventory, and start collecting firewood."
"Firewood?" Neal protested. "But it's hot as hell out here, we'll melt!"
"Well, not all of us are arctic. Besides, rations need to cook, the sun's going to set, and I don't plan on eating cold food in the dark. Makes you wish he packed rations with flameless heaters, doesn't it?"
"Well, what else did the wolf pack for us?" Prance asked.
"You know he's not a wolf, stop calling him that," Rufus interjected.
Leora rolled her eyes; this was going to be a long week. She strolled to the back of the transport, opened the latch on the door, and swung it open. Inside, stacked rows upon rows of food; to the side, perhaps eight gallons of water, and next to them, a sealed crate with several notes on it.

"Well, we certainly won't starve," she announced.
"Holy hell, how much food is in there?" Neal asked.
"Well, a typical mammal takes three rations per day, you probably being the exception in our group, but let's put that aside, since you and Bjorn average out. Three rations per day for seven days is twenty-one rations, for seven mammals that's one hundred forty-seven. Double for redundancy, that's two hundred ninety-four, or about three hundred. There's easily at least a thousand rations in here."
"Why so many?" Prance asked.
"That's not what bothers me. He only packed maybe enough water for a day or two."
"Is he mad?" Bjorn asked.
"I thought that was already established. He left notes, let's see what they say." Leora took the notes off of the crate and read them aloud: "'I will rejoin you sometime between tonight and tomorrow at noon, I still need to bring supplies.'"
"He'd fucking better," Neal muttered.
Leora shook her head and continued.
"'Take the night to rest easy. Your first task begins tomorrow.' That's all the first one says."
"What about the next one?" Prance queried.
"'Inside the crate you will find some bedding materials. Do not worry about the apparent lack of water, I am bringing a water purifier with me tomorrow, and needed to save room in packing.'"
"If he needed to save room in packing, why the excessive rations?" Rufus commentated.
"'Worst comes to worst, drink the water from the stream.'" She turned the note over in her paw, but it was blank. "That's it."

"Now what?" Neal asked.
"Now, we set up camp. Prance, Felix, help me set up here. The rest of you, start looking for firewood, we'll join you when we're done here."
They split off; half an hour later, after Leora, Prance and Felix were finished, they set out towards the mountain at Felix's discretion. Sure enough, the closer they got to the mountain, the more wood there was to be found, but the longer trek was difficult with arms full of logs. However easier it might have been to take the truck and load it with wood, it was instead safer to leave the food inside; it would also be much smarter to conserve fuel instead of wasting it for firewood hauls. Several hours later, the sun was beginning to set, but they had enough wood stocked to keep a fire stoked for several days.


Soon, everyone had rejoined and there was a fire roaring between them. They had placed rations to cook, and had seated themselves on the crates that the food had come in.
"So, Leora, you say you know everything on him?" Rufus asked.
She shot him a glare.
"I said I know who he is, and why he came to the chief."
"So, tell us."
Everyone looked to her.
"It wouldn't be right."
"He doesn't have to know," Neal said.
"You might be a moral wreck, fox, but I have reasons not to talk."
"Hey!-"
"Do you at least know what species he is?" Bjorn asked.
"I have my theories."
"Care to share them?" Felix asked, after an uncomfortable silence.
She sighed.
"Alright, but only if you tell no one." She glanced around, and they all nodded.
"When you were still in grade school, you all went to the Downtown Natural History Museum, right?"
More nods.
"Remember the exhibit they used to put on once or twice a year about primates? I did some thinking; all the skeletons had several things in common: five fingers, either bony or no tails, approximately half to one ton body weight."
"Yeah, but they also all had flat faces, no claws, and as far as we can tell, no relation to cats or wolves in any way, other than being mammals," Rufus interjected.
"Hey, I did say it was a theory."
"They also all went extinct a little over two thousand years ago because they couldn't keep up with climate change and modernization. I think your theory falls apart."
"How do you explain the five fingers? Or perhaps his stance?"
"Stance?"
"I think that tail is fake. Did you see the way he walks? It's like it doesn't weigh anything, he doesn't use it for balance. Then there's the fact he weighs more than Bjorn."
They sat in silence for several moments.

"Where do you think he is right now?" Prance asked.
"With luck, getting supplies," Neal replied.
Leora pulled out her phone. Very weak signal, dwindling on no reception. One missed call from Bogo. She laughed.
"What's wrong?" Felix asked.
"I think I know why he chose this spot in particular." She attempted to call Bogo back, but the call dropped. "I can't make any calls."
"Well, to be fair, he asked us not to talk to Bogo."
"How did you-?"
"Who else would you call? I don't take you for the family type."
She squinted her eyes.
Eventually their rations had finished cooking. They ate their food amidst Neal and Bjorn's conjectures on who their mysterious trainer really was; it was an enjoyable evening, and soon, as they grew weary of fireside tales, they went to bed one-by-one.

Leora spent several hours staring into the stars well after everyone else had called it a night, transfixed, unable to fall asleep; she knew she should rest, and yet, she had no motivation to sleep. Whether it was because she was a nocturnal species with her circadian rhythm disagreeing with her decision to be awake during the daytime hours, or because her military training taught her to watch over camp while everyone else was asleep, or perhaps because she was afraid of the events that would come tomorrow, she did not know.
"And so great was the hubris of Icarus, that he looked to the skies with envy," spoke a gruff voice behind her.
She immediately reeled around to punch the mysterious voice, only to have her fist caught mid-swing. The character behind her was wearing a long coat with the hood up, and only his light gray snout could be seen.
"Responsible of you to keep watch of the camp, Leora, but you really should get some sleep."
"Kai?" she asked quietly. He released her fist.
"The one and only." He pulled up a crate and sat. "I will keep watch, if it bothers you enough to lose sleep."
"It's not that. I just don't feel like it."
"I highly recommend you do. Last chance for any fulfilling sleep this week."
"Something's been bothering me, sir. About you."
"I suspect it's about your theory?"
"You listened in?"
"Indeed I did. I just so happened to free up as soon as you began your conversation."
"Tell me."
"You were right."
"How though? Primates had no snouts, no claws, and I doubt they had red slit eyes."
"Do I?"
"What sort of question is that, of course you do."
He lowered his hood to reveal one eye of blue, and a second of iridescent green; both had circular pupils.
"But… Rufus told us you had a slit eye, and I thought I caught a glimpse of red, too." An expression of confusion spread across Leora's face.
"An illusion, a mask that I put up to protect my face. The cat eyes are for intimidation."
He could see a mix of shame and disgust on her face.
"Did I offend you?" he asked.
"Most, if not all, felines haven't had slit pupils in a long time, yet everyone seems to want to call it a 'cat's eye'."
"The cats and foxes of my time all had them."
"But… that would make you at least six or seven hundred years old!"
"Forsooth," he quipped.
"Your snout is also false then? What of your tail?"
"Ever the perceptive one, you are. All I have yet to witness is your ability to lead, but I think you'll make a fine captain."
She reached for his face, but he pulled away.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not one for intimacy. If you must know..." He reached his own paw and passed it through his snout, leaving a trail of smokey vapor that quickly reformed into its proper shape. "The snout is fake. The tail and ears are, too."
"Fair enough, but why couldn't I scratch you? Your uniform was torn to ribbons, but you were unscathed."
"Stab plates; similar to the ones your department issues to SWAT officers, except much denser."
"Is that why you weigh so much?"
He laughed quietly.
"It seems nothing gets past you. They are only part of the reason."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because if I am to lead you, I want you to trust me. Hiding behind a veil of shadows will do me more harm than good."
"Will you show your real face?"
"You keep your secrets, and I shall keep mine. Now that I have answered some of your questions, you really should go to sleep."

"I promise you, I'm not tired," Leora protested.
"Alright," he began, taking a small rectangular box, longer than it was wide, from within his coat and opening it for her.
Inside were seven small syringes, each labeled with a number from one to seven.
"What the hell are these? Are you giving me drugs?"
"Yes and no. Take the first one, it will keep you awake."
"How do I know you're not roofie-ing me?"
"Now why would I do that?"
"Because I am a leopardess; besides, you are a serial killer, how could I possibly understand your logic?"
"Are you implying you are worth more to me as a common whore than as a prized soldier?"
No response.
"I am your ally. As for everyone else, you should put more pride in your skills as a fighter; you should have nothing to fear when you fight like you do. Besides, if I wanted to tranquilize you, I could have done it from two miles out with a rifle, and if I wanted to ravage you, I could do it without the inept practice of tranquilizing."
She tried to imagine it, but the thought scared her; she shook her head.
"Fair enough. What do the rest of the shots do?"
"I'll get to those later."
She grabbed the first one from the case.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"Would I have given it to you if it wasn't?"
"Heh, I suppose I shouldn't doubt my commanding officer."
She uncapped it and stuck it in her leg, before depressing the plunger; there was no immediate effect, so she capped it and gave it to Kai, who placed it back in the case before replacing the box in his coat.
"That reminds me, why did you kill those mammals?"
"I am… was, rather, making up for lost time; I was in a prison of my own volition for a very long time."
"Why?"
"It matters not why I was locked up."
"No, I couldn't care less why you were locked away, I want to know why you're 'making up for lost time'."
"I am an assassin, Leora. I went years and years without killing. Do you have any idea what that's like?"
"Assassins work cleanly. What you did… it was savagery."
"If I'm going to kill, why not enjoy myself? After all, you were the animals when we were making laws, and now that you are making laws, I can be the animal." He gave a sinister and disconcerting grin.

They sat for ten minutes before Leora quietly spoke.

"Now what? It's only 1 am."
"I suppose it's boring, but we wait. You could have slept the hours away, I wouldn't begin before every one of you was awake."
"It doesn't have to be boring. Tell me about that Ichor you were talking about when you crept up on me."
"Icarus? I only quoted because I saw you staring into the stars. It's an old tale, and it wouldn't make much sense to you; it comes from a culture where most mammals, rather all animals save for us, were unintelligent."
"Is Icarus a primate?"
"In a sense yes, but we consider ourselves mammals before we consider ourselves primates."
"I want to hear it."

He sighed.
"I suppose I should begin with the tale of King Minos of Crete."
"Crete never had a king named Minos."
"Stories, dear. Not fact."
"Continue."
"The tale begins with Minos, son of the king of the gods, Zeus,-"
"Son of a god? I get polytheism, but how can one be the son of a god?"
"The entirety of this mythology revolves around gods who couldn't keep it in their pants, so yes, he was the son of a god. If you have a question, could you at least wait for me to finish the sentence first?" he explained, irritated. She apologized.
"Son of the god Zeus and the princess Europa. Raised in the royal palace of Cnossus, he eventually married Pasiphae, the daughter of the sun god Helios, and ascended to the throne."
"What does this tale have to do with Icarus?"
"Soon it shall be apparent. However, his rule was challenged by many, so he prayed to the god of the seas, Poseidon, for a symbol of his divine right to rule over the people. In response, a pure white bull rose from the sea to him; he was allowed to showcase this bull, under the condition that he sacrifice it to Poseidon in his honor."
"That's barbaric!"
"Keep in mind, these myths were written with the thought that all animals and mammals except for the writers and their kind were incapable of intelligent thought. To them, a bull was just another animal, much like a bird or fish to you. So, he paraded this immaculate beast around, and to his people, there was no question: he was their ruler. However, the time came to sacrifice it to Poseidon, but Minos did not want to; it was too beautiful a beast, and he dared not part with it. Instead, he took another bull from his vast pastures and sacrificed it in the white one's place. This enraged Poseidon, who in turn sent Minos' wife Pasiphae into a mad lust for the white bull. She spent hours of every day by it, and then came to the point where she desired to mate with it."
"Eugh."
"Make of it what you will. As a result, Minos contracted Daedalus, Icarus' father, to create a hollow wooden cow for Pasiphae to hide in, if only to return to appease her madness. Naturally, as with all meddling of the gods, after she bore the bull's child, nothing had changed: she took pleasure in being the bull's adulteress."
"Are all of your stories this far-fetched?"
"These stories are Greek, and… yes and no. Some of them get crazier, most are much milder."
"Alright, what of this bull-child?"
"The child was named Asterion, and had the face of a bull, and the body of a man."
"Man?" she asked.
"Us," he replied; she nodded. "Minos sought the council of oracles across the land, and they bade him to lock the beast, the 'Minotaur', the 'Bull of Minos', in a dungeon. As such, he contracted Daedalus again: this time, to build the Labyrinth."
"The Labyrinth? What's so special about this one?"
"It's where the word originates. It was inescapable, built on an island far from any other land. Anyways, after Daedalus' meddling, Minos locked him and his son Icarus in the highest tower of the Labyrinth. To escape below would be suicide, as it would mean drowning by the ocean, or being eaten by the Minotaur."
"Why would he lock him up?"
"Daedalus revealed the secret of the Labyrinth to Minos' daughter Ariadne, who in turn revealed it to the king of Athens, Theseus; that, however, is a tale for another time. Icarus and Daedalus sat in that tower, kept company only by their manuscripts and the seagulls that frequented. Icarus would oft stare into the stars, dreaming to fly with the gulls. One night, an idea drifted into the mind of Daedalus: he would use his candlewax to bind the dropped feathers of the gulls into wings, such that they could don them and fly away towards the mainland."
"That would never work; you can't design wings that provide enough lift to carry a mammal off of the ground."
"Bats can fly, and are they not mammals? Either way, you forget that this is only a story."
"So how does it end? Do they make it back?"
"Daedalus put on his wings, and gave his son Icarus a set as well. He warned Icarus not to fly too low, for the wings would take on water and be too heavy, nor too high, for the heat of the sun would melt the candlewax and they would fall apart."
"The sun doesn't work like that," she muttered.
"I can stop, if you don't like the story."
"Sorry."
"However, as soon as they took off, Daedalus went at a steady pace, but Icarus was so overjoyed with the thrill of flying, that he drifted up and down, left and right, and all about. Daedalus repeated his warning, but Icarus ignored it. As the gulls rose higher, Icarus dared to follow them, to experience the full thrill of flight. However, his father's warning proved true, as the candlewax began to melt. Daedalus called to his son to fly lower, but Icarus did not realize the peril he was in until it was too late. His wings fully dissolved, he began to lose altitude until eventually, he had nothing strapped to his arms but the belts that the wings were once attached to. He plummeted into the water; Daedalus was overcome with grief, but could not stop to help, lest he suffer the same fate. He watched as his son drowned in the nameless sea."
Leora covered her mouth with her paws.
"Daedalus made it to Sicily, where he managed to start anew, and eventually, the ocean current carried Icarus' body to an unnamed island. Much later the hero of legends Heracles came upon the body, and, recognizing it, buried it upon the island and named it, as well as the sea, after Icarus."
"The Icarian sea!" she exclaimed, having made a connection.
"The one and same, next to the island of Icaria. I'm glad to see they still teach geography."
"But I don't understand, what is the moral supposed to be in this story?"
"Hubris is a fatal fault."
"All he was guilty of was wanting to fly."
"Men are not meant to fly, simply flying as Daedalus instructed should have kept him content, and yet, he wanted more and more. I agree it seems unfair, and perhaps the tale of Bellerophon is a better one of hubris. Every story has a moral, and some convey them more clearly than others."

Leora paused for a minute.
"And what of the bull-child, the Minotaur?"
"That, Leora, is the tale of Theseus."
"I want to hear it."
He laughed.
"Very well, but try not to interrupt me as much this time, or we'll never get through; it's a long one."


A/N: I'm trying a new way of spacing paragraphs so it's not just one big pile of text. Hopefully it makes it easier to read, but let me know. Also I hope there are no typos, since this is nearly twice as long as most of the other chapters (and the longest chapter thus far for sure), and it gets difficult to proofread after staring at fifteen pages of text for a few days.

This chapter was fun to write, I just hope it's fun to read, too. Also I hope future chapters are going to be easier to write, since this took several days longer than intended, so my apologies about that.

I should also clarify that I got a review and a couple messages saying Kai isn't crazy. I'm trying, but it's hard to write in crazy when there aren't too many opportunities for it. However, I can almost guarantee (but don't hold me to this) that within three or four chapters shit is gonna hit the fan. Like, ruthless and sadistic insanity. I'll try to make it work in the next three or four, but I need to wrap up his squad's training and get through a side plot or two.

I don't want to drag the after note on too long, but I feel obligated to mention my vacation ends soon; not that it will influence the update frequency too much, but if there's no update for 10 days, I'm most likely not dead. I'm doing a lighter course-load for the summer semester with some philosophy, ethics, and logic to break the monotony of engineering, so if the chapters get philosophical all of a sudden, that's probably why. I'll try not to let it affect the grand scheme of things too much.