"So, what brought you to Hope?"

I figured that when we left town, their mood would have been greatly improved, especially since they got their way and were joining me on the rescue mission. I really did not expect them, Nate especially, to have sunken back into their own personal despair. Hope was fading from sight as we started to venture deeper into the looming cityscape. Normally I enjoyed some silence, but this was getting to be too much.

"Well, needed to restock our supplies, and it was the closest trading town to us, plus the most hospitable to us foxes."

It was Markus who did most of the talking. The few times I tried to converse with Nate, he just stammered a bit and pretended that something caught his attention. Occasionally I'd look towards him and see that he was looking towards either me or Onion, but as soon as he realized I was looking, he's cast his attention elsewhere again. If we were going to travel together, we really did need to build some trust between us. This is why I didn't want them coming in the first place.

"Apparently I am the only one in this entire world who doesn't understand, but what is with the dislike of foxes?"

"Nate was right, you really don't see us like that, do you? Well, it's really hard to tell honestly, most of us foxes don't understand it ourselves. It probably had something to do back in the pre-historic days, back when we were nothing but primal savages. Some foxes must have done something to segregate themselves from the other species, and that stuck with them, eventually blending into the stereotype that is used to 'define' us. It has caused my brother and I nothing but pain over the years."

"That's… horrible. How can an entire civilized society treat a single species like that due to some, potentially over-exaggerated, event that happened thousands of years ago?"

"Civility is just a ruse. Deep down, this world is just cruel."

It was Nate who spoke this time. I looked towards him, but he had already move his eyes to the ground, as if he never said anything at all. I wasn't feeling sorry for him, but rather, I felt as if I wanted to comfort him, to tell him that this world has a goodness deep within it. Unfortunately, from everything I have seen, I often doubted that was true. If even a place like Hope, a town that was built around harmony, can still see these brothers as nothing more than foxes, despite how wrong they were, was there truly any good left in this world?

"I wanted to thank you Olivia. I doubt that anyone else would have wanted to rescue someone they didn't know, especially if it meant helping a couple of foxes."

Yes, there was good still left in this world. Mayor Swift, these brothers, Bo and his family, Chief Lazlo, and myself. Our numbers may be few, but as long as there is still a glimmer of hope for this world, I think things can change. We just need to show them the right path.

"There was no way I could sit back when someone was in trouble."

I checked my map. Twenty-eight-point-twelve percent. We were not even halfway there, but at least we were still heading in the right direction. Quiet fell upon us once again as I took a look around us. We were heading northeast, through what appeared to be a residential district, but directly north of us I could see enormous buildings looking down upon us as they climbed what looked like a giant hill. The structures around us must have only been five to ten stories tall, but the ones in the city proper to the north, some of them looked as if they had hundreds of floors! I was so preoccupied with looking at my surroundings that I nearly tripped over Onion who had at some point moved in front of me.

"Miss? He keeps trying to… touch me."

"What? Who…"

My eyes moved over to Nate who I saw had something in his paws. When he noticed I was watching, he quickly shoved it into a pocket.

"Nate… what are you doing?" Markus must have noticed as well.

"Umm… nothing?"

We all stopped and just looked at him. He started to twitch a little, probably feeling a little discomfort from all the sudden glares in his direction.

"Okay! Look, I have some… bad thoughts going through my head, I… needed a distraction. Your robot… he's fascinating."

"Well, if you wanted to know about him, you should have asked."

"I… didn't think…"

"What? You thought that since you'rea fox, that I would tell you no? Sure, I don't want anyone to be messing around with Onion's tech, and I am sure he would not appreciate it either, but I am open to telling you all about him. You only need to ask."

"I… I'm sorry. Didn't I over hear you say you built him?"

"Don't be sorry, and yes, I did. I built him from scratch, out of whatever scraps I could get my paws on in the Burrow."

The mention of the Burrow caused him to shrink back a little. Markus simply shook his head a little at me. I don't know why he seemed too afraid of me even mentioning the Burrow, but until I can find out, I need to remember to refrain from mentioning it. At least until we get to know each other better.

"So you built him all from junk?" Markus broke the tension that was building between me and Nate.

"Yeah. I was about thirteen when I built him. My mother had recently… died, and I had no friends or relatives. No one in the…" I caught myself for a moment, the thoughts of my mother almost made me let it slip, "… where I lived had ever even shown kindness to me, and if they did, I could tell it was feigned. There were so few rabbits where I lived, and the rodent population, most of them tended to look down on us, as if we were lesser beings."

That thought made me wonder if the same thing happened to Nate and Markus. Did they get treated badly just because of their species? If so, it must have been worse than what I experienced. I hated my Burrow, but Nate acts like he feared his.

"I'm… we're sorry. Nate and I lost our mother at an early age as well. We know too well what that that is like."

"It looks like we have something in common after all." I wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say at a time like this, my social skills really were bad. I watched for a reaction, and all I saw was a building sorrow between them, although it appeared more heavily with Markus.

"Anyways… back to Onion. He was probably the only friend I had growing up. Before my… placement test, which was a load of crap if I might say, I was always tinkering and fixing things. My mother would often be able to get me random bits of scrap, or 'requisition' broken electronics from being recycled, and that is where I developed my love for technology. Most of the rabbits, what few there were, brought me their broken things and I fixed it for them. After a while, even some of the rodent population came to me instead of going to the actual technician, who was always too 'busy' to help. I never did find out what that fucking rat was doing all that time, but when he died, I did everything I could to prove to the rest of the… population, that I should take over for him."

"Miss? You're getting a bit off subject if you don't mind me saying."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. So, after my mother died, I did whateverI could to find scrap. Salvaging 'broken' components from items I was fixing, trading with other residents, and even, on the rare occasion… stealing something. I wasn't proud of myself for doing it, but to be fair, it was always something that was never used, and almost always went un-missed. Once I had everything I needed, I build this handsome devil."

"He kinda reminds me of an eyebot." Nate seemed to have snapped out his mood and kept trying to get closer, each step causing Onion to get closer to me, using my body as a shield between the two.

"Eyebot? What's that?"

"Some type of surveillance robot that was used during the war. As the name suggested, they have a camera that can broadcast the locations of enemies to whomever was using it. Some of them even have two way communicators that can be used to send messages."

"Well, he was of my own design. Although the whole reason he looks like… well an onion, was due to the fact that when I was building his shell, all I could find was these expansion rings designed for pipe systems. I welded them together to create the inner shell, and simply attached whatever curved metal I could find. He isn't exactly combat worthy, but that hasn't stopped him from helping out in that aspect. At least he has his shock baton… which I still need to fix. You mind if we stop for a moment?"

Markus and Nate exchanged looks, as if they were to say no, but then they shook their heads in agreement and relaxed for a short moment. I know they were desperate to save Holly, but I wanted us to be one hundred percent ready, and that included fixing Onion's only weapon. I put my bag on the grown and sat down, pulling out my tools and scraps.

"Over here Onion. Let me see your arm. Do me a favor and power down that area; last time you nearly killed me."

"Yes Miss."

"Why does he always call you 'Miss?' Wouldn't that get old after a while?"

I started working on the arm as I talked, "It never occurred to me like that. That's just what he always does. Honestly, I don't even remember programing him to say that. He just picked it up at some point. Now when he keeps asking me if I am okay, when I am obviously not, that does tend to irritate me." I jabbed my screwdriver into a loose wire, causing it to spark harmlessly, causing Onion to drift backwards a foot or two before returning, silently, to me.

"What do you mean, 'picked it up'?" Nate's face was showing both curiosity and confusion.

"Oh, that's just his software. Rather than give him a stock OS that I dug up in the file systems, I decided it be much more of a challenge to make an 'evolving' A.I. Basically, Onion is designed to learn. Although that doesn't stop him from being so very stubborn at times. Ain't that right Onion?"

"Miss, really I…"

"Whoops, looks like I found your voice box. Sorry."

"He seems more like your child, or your pet, than a friend."

"I often think the same thing. Maybe I should get a leash for him."

"Miss! I object!"

"Darn, looks like he turned his voice box back on. What a shame."

"Wait a second…" Markus sounded as if he just came to a sudden realization, "… are you telling me that you built him, from the ground up, with just scrap?"

"Yup! That was the easy part too, getting a power source, now that is a story for…"

Nate startled me when he quickly moved closer, standing between Onion and I as he got a closer look at what I was doing. He was so close that I could feel his tail hitting me a few times. It felt kinda…

"Sooo. How did you come up with an intelligence code like that? How did you overcome Asimouse's Laws of Robotics? I mean a self-learning A.I. is bound to break at least one of them…and what type of power source is connected to that baton? You know that if you adjust the outflow settings and create an amplification loop you can probably increase the range of the electric discharge by at least a few feet. You mind if I take a look?"

"Umm… sure…"

I got up and took a few steps back as Onion started to object to a stranger rooting around in his chassis.

"You okay Olivia?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine… I think? Has your brother always been like… that?"

Markus just smiled at me as he followed my view back to Nate and Onion. "Yeah, he has. He was always tinkering with something in his free time. I think most of the time it was just to keep him distracted from… well, distracted."

"You two had a rough time in the Burrow, didn't you?"

"Yeah we did. He had it much worse though. Not something we really talk about much. I hope you can understand. Just know this - he's a good kid. I wouldn't trade him for anyone else."

The way he kept changing the subject, and the tone of his voice - both of theirs really - when mentioning the Burrow. If it really was that bad for them, it just made my sudden hatred of Burrow-Tec all that more justifiable. Makes me wonder if somewhere out there, there are more Burrows who are being put through similar, if not worse, fates. Why did bad things always happen to good people?

"Hey bro, when you're done messing around with her 'bot, we need to get going."

"Yeah, yeah, almost done. There! Hey Onion, show us some magic!"

"Miss?"

"It's okay Onion."

Onion extended his baton and activated it. It sparked on, but it didn't look any different from before.

"Turn up the juice!" Nate stepped away as he said that.

Whatever that fox did to Onion, it worked. A giant arc of electricity shot outward at least three feet, hitting against a large metal pole and arcing again towards a sign on the nearby building. The light show not only shocked me, thankfully not literally, but it also sent Onion flying back a few feet.

"Onion! Are you okay?"

"Well Miss, that increased output consumed nearly fifteen percent of my reserves, and caused quite the recoil, but my systems are still at optimal operating capacities."

"Whatever you do, don't ever fire that next to me, or else your scrap, got it?"

"Don't worry Miss. I'd rather avoid the need for it altogether myself."

Nate was dancing around, seemingly trying to show off that he did it, as if he wasn't sure if it would work. I really hope that wasn't the case, otherwise he is never touching Onion again.

"You know," Markus had moved next to me, talking with a low voice, "you two have a lot in common, and to tell you the truth, I don't think I have ever seen him happier."

Markus walked over to his brother and I heard him say that he needs to stop goofing around and get ready to head out. As for myself, I just stood there, my face feeling warm. Why the fuck was my face feeling so warm? And my tail, it felt… gah! I hurried over and grabbed my bag and tools. First the mayor, now this fox. Why is it that in the matter of days, I've been getting these… feeling? I sighed.

"Miss? I am picking up movement."

This is exactly what I needed, a distraction. "Where from and how many?"

"Three, and about forty feet to the south."

"Markus! Nate! We got company!"

I pulled out my gun and faced towards the south. Directly south of us was what once was a small road that intersected the city. Scattered cars made for perfect hiding spots for an ambush. We had stopped next to a building, but was otherwise in an open space. Since we had not seen any sign of life since leaving Hope, none of us must have thought about finding a better location to rest. I started to hear groans and growls coming from my line of sight. No, not these fuckers again.

"If you can understand me, please stay where you are!"

I saw the first one crawling out from under a large truck. Another one was slowly walking across the top of it. Once it reached the edge of the trailer, it took a step and fell onto the cabin of the truck, before falling again to the ground. It slowly got up and started forward as I saw another one come from the side of a van.

"Miss! They are not stopping!"

"Yeah, I noticed that Onion!"

Two of them were large. Tigers perhaps? While the other was small and very lanky. It was probably a weasel. I took aim. I did not want to shoot unless I was certain they weren't intelligent. After my interactions with Mr. Big, I had realized that there was more like him, mammals that had… changed but only physically, who maintained their intelligence. They were no different from us, and deserved to be treated the same. I was about to shout out again when I heard a loud crack and one of the tiger's heads exploded.

"Miss! Four more just appeared on my scanner!"

"What are you waiting for Olivia? Shoot!"

I snapped my head back into it. These were savage ghouls. I had to try. I had to try. I took aim and fired at the other large ghoul. I missed. Shit. Three more were crawling over cars while I couldn't see the last one anywhere. Another loud crack sounded behind me, but he must have missed. Next I heard a short burst of fire as the leg of the tiger buckled, but it still moved forward. The rest were starting to pick up pace.

"Miss! Two more!"

Fuck! How many were there? The sounds of gunfire must be attracting them. Nate and Markus appeared beside me. Markus had a rather large looking pistol in his paw, while Nate had a rifle. They both fired, taking out two more. I fired again, my bullet tearing the weasel in half. I turned towards my next target but movement caused me to return to the weasel. Its upper half was still trying to move!

"I fucking hate these things!"

"Then why didn't you shoot when they were not as close?"

"I had to make sure they were not like us! I don't want to kill an innocent!"

"Trust me, these are not innocent." Markus fired another round. The sound of his gun was almost deafening this close to me. "The more civilized ghouls never travel in packs. It's too dangerous for them."

"But my sensor's only showed three! How was I supposed to know?"

Nate spoke this time, "Your Pip-Boar must still be on short range format. I'll change that for you when we get out of here. Mark! Five more!"

"That makes… fourteen! We should really get out of here, now!"

"Miss! Behind us!"

I checked my scanner, movement was coming out of the alleyway behind us. Fuck me. At this rate we will be surrounded. I looked around us and noticed… oh that's brilliant. I put my gun away and pulled my bag in front of me. "Buy me time!"

"What?"

"Trust me!"

I moved backwards away from the overly noisy weapons they had and pulled out my last grenade. This better work.

"Okay, cover me. We are going through these fuckers!"

"Are you insane?!"

"We are being surrounded, and according to my map, this is the quickest way. On my mark, run as fast as you can to me."

Before either of them could respond I darted forward, towards the larger crowd of ghouls. Sure, we could have gone the other way, but more and more dots appeared on my scanner behind us. No matter what direction we went, we would have had to fight out way through a horde of these things, and I didn't want to waste the bullets when we are still so far away from rescuing Holly.

I made one last calculation in my head, and took a dive, sliding next to the first ghoul that they killed. The truck, I had realized, based upon it's warning signs posted on it, was a fuel transport. While I was certain that the fuel had been taken long ago, there should still be enough fumes in there to make a sizable explosion. When I stopped sliding, I was directly under the truck. I then noticed something else that will make this a show to remember. The decaying paw of a ghoul reached under the truck for me, but Markus shot it down with his weapon. I flipped the grenade's safety open, pressed the button and dropped it, pushing myself out from underneath. I jumped up and ran to the side of the nearest building, pulling out my gun and firing it up in the air towards an outcropping. My bullet made its mark, causing a ladder to drop down.

"NOW!"

I had no idea what was going on through their heads, but thankfully they were not second guessing me as they ran and followed me up the ladder. Two floors up there was a broken window and I dived in. A second later so did they, just as my grenade went off. I dove behind an overturned couch and looked out the window as the truck I was just under flew up in the air, and then came crashing down, setting off an explosion that shook the building. Nate and Markus, who had gotten inside just before the explosion, started to get up to look at the devastation.

"I'd get behind me if I were you."

They looked at me questionably as a series of explosions ripped below us, causing them to dive next to me. The ground shook so much that I was afraid the building was about to collapse, but thankfully it was still standing. That part did not quite occur to me, and this new series of explosions? That wasn't part of the plan either. Then again, I did only come up with it in a few seconds…

"What the hell just happened Olivia!" Markus was staring at me, his face a cross between fear and bewilderment.

"Well you see…"

I heard rattling noises rising in the building and small popping noises occurring below us. I looked to my left and saw a bathroom. Not again. I had no time to react before the pressure of the explosion caused the toilet to explode, sending bits of porcelain, and the contents of the now destroyed septic system flying everywhere. The smell was horrible, but we were alive. The foxes, however, were not too pleased.

"Ugh, it's everywhere. It's in my fur, it's in my clothes, it's even in my…"

I finished changing into some cleaner clothing. Thankfully I had thought to bring my old jumpsuit. I hope Mayor Swift isn't mad that I probably ruined her gift. My jacket was filthy…again. I tried to scrape what I could off but it was no use. It was getting ratty anyways. I tossed it on the ground and grabbed my bag.

"What exactly just happened Olivia?"

"Well, you see, I had noticed an old fuel transport, I recognized the hazardous materials logo on it. We had them all over the place back in the… where I came from. I figured, even if someone had drained all the fuel from its tanks, there would still be enough residual fumes trapped in it to allow for an explosion, and decided to use it to not only force the ghouls back, but also distract them while we made our escape up here."

"That doesn't explain the filth everywhere!"

"That was an unfortunate side effect. You see, when I got under the fuel truck, I noticed it was parked over a sewage access. It was still sealed, but there were enough cracks for me to smell methane leaking from it. There was probably decades of crap down there, slowly building up the gas. I knew what would happen, but it was too late, so I just rolled with it."

"Mark… come here."

Mark and I both got up and went over towards Nate who was looking out the window that we had come through. Out there, in the street below, was my handy-work. The pipe system that connected the sewage must have run down this entire strip of road, because the entire street was torn asunder. Smoke, fire, and debris were everywhere. Damaged pipes were sticking out all over the place, and ghoul bodies were scattered, most of them torn to bits. A few were still moving, but they were in no condition to follow us, if they even knew where we were.

"You see boys, that is why I didn't want you to come with me. Where ever I go, things happen and shit explodes, and not necessarily in that order."

Their faces were priceless. Jaws descended, shocked looks on their faces. It made me smile.

"Wow, you are something." Nate's shocked and bewildered expression was slowly replaced with that of awe. I felt my face get warm as he snapped his mouth shut and turned towards his brother.

"So, you okay Mark?"

"Yeah, all good here. Could use a shower. Or two."

"Hey Onion, what's your… Onion?"

I just realized that I didn't remember seeing Onion follow us in here. Oh no. Please don't tell me that…"

"Out here Miss. I could use a little help."

I ran to the window and saw that Onion was pinned between the metal floor and the ladder leading to the next floor. It must have gotten knocked loose from the explosion. I jumped out and tried to lift it up. It was heavier than I thought. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nate and Markus come over and help lift it. Once it was high enough, Onion rolled out from underneath and activated his levitator.

"Oh Onion, I am sorry."

"Apparently that shock test drained the power reserves from my levitator engine and I was not able to pick up enough speed and height to make it in time."

I turned to Nate. His smile turned into a look of slight worry. "Oh, well. I can fix it. I swear!"

"Just…" I sighed, "let's get going. It was just probably a feedback loop or something. I forgot to mention that all the parts are heavy modifications of cheap components. That's usually why I don't let someone else mess with him. It's a mess in him, but a mess I know by heart."

"I can help…"

I shot him another look and he stopped talking. "There should hopefully be another fire escape on the other-side of this building. I don't wanna go back down there, so we will cut through these rooms. As long as the other side is clear we can make our way from there. Sun sets soon, and I wanna make it there by then."

I looked at my Pip-Boar. Thirty-Nine-Point-Eight. We still had a way to go. I just hope this is the last excitement we have until we reach our destination. I don't know if my sanity can last that long and, once again, I am covered with shit. Hope better have a good shower system. Maybe I should invest in some waterproof clothing. Armored, waterproof clothing. That covers my whole body. I need a fucking suit of exo-armor, that's what I need. I wonder if it is too late to take Chief Lazlo up on that offer.

—

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is your humble host, C. Stripes with Stripes in the Morning, the only After Show that matters! I've finally caught up with Markus Valiant, the other half of the twin foxes. Mr. Valiant, tell us a little about yourself."

[Markus]

"Who are you?"

[Stripes]

"Does no one listen to the radio anymore? I'm C. Stripes, reporter extraordinaire! It is my goal to bring my audience the truth no matter where it hides. Now, there's been a little visual vagueness when it comes to many of the travelers of the wastes. Tell me, I notice that your eyes are heterochromatic, as in each one of them are a different color. Your left eye is a blue hue, while your right one is a lavender or purple color, may I inquire as to your rather unique look?"

[Markus]

"Lab accident, that is all I'll say about that, now if you excuse me…"

[Stripes]

"This would be a rather short show if we were to end it now, so tell us a little about your girlfriend. A fox and a rabbit? It's almost as if it's right out of a certain movie that may or may not have relevancy with this little tale."

[Markus]

"Movie? What are you yammering on about? Look, I don't have time to be talking with you, we have a long journey ahead of us, and I would appreciate you leaving us alone."

[Stripes]

"Fine, fine. I think the audience is awaiting a much more interesting interspecies couple anyways."

[Markus]

"Another interspecies couple? Who are you… wait, you don't mean…"

[Stripes]

"And that's all the time we have today! This may be a short one but don't worry folks, just as a psychiatrist can't solve a patient's mental woes in a single session, a reporter can't bring you all the news in a single episode. So until next time, this is Stripes signing off and as always, I'll be seeking to bring you the truth, no matter how much it hurts!"

[Max - Fox Recording Assistant]

"You… You seriously don't pay me enough for this Stripes and you still owe me like, 2 months worth of coffee! You'd best hope I don't drop the mic boom next time, cause if who you've got tagged next reacts in the way I think they will… I ain't gonna run it off like that damn Rad-Roach in your office last week… Damn Zebra can't even deal with a roach. And they say us Foxes are cowards.