Whiplash

Chapter 25 "Sharks Don't Sleep: Finale"

By DragonMan1997

Zootopia © Disney

Lily stared up at the stars. "The sky looks beautiful tonight."

"Skye? Where!?" Savage leaned over the basket and looked everywhere.

"Dangit Frank!" The pilot, a ram named Jake, got tense when Frank shook the basket. "It's bad enough that I gotta fly this thing, I don't need you making it worse."

Adam ignored Savage and Jake as he peered over the edge of the red zeppelin. "I almost forgot the stars existed. The sky has been black for so long."

Their odd mode of transport hovered above the black mass that was the clouds. Smog, pollution, and smoke from the war had accumulated into giant ceilings that blacked out the sky. But here, they had completely escaped the darkness of the world around them. As they approached their destination, the night sky evolved into a blue which was stained by the bleeding orange light that crept over the horizon.

Savage climbed up one of the ropes and shaded his eyes with his paw. "Aw, Skye. You'd love this here sight fer sore eyes."

Lily felt the warmth that the rising sun brought. It felt good to be free from the war below, to glimpse at the one thing that never changed between worlds. The moment had to come to an end once their tracking device started to beep. She looked once more at the sun before they began their descent, once more, into darkness.

"We're right over the base." Adam watched as the basket sunk slowly into the black clouds. "Goggles on!" Everyone put on their goggles so as to avoid severe eye damage from the toxins that hung in the clouds. Each animal picked their respected way of covering their mouths as the light disappeared around them. A different light became visible through the clouds. The outline of a complex became clear. "Ready Nick?"

"Ready." Nick readied a tablet with controls for their torpedos.

"Franky?" Adam looked over to see Savage nod over excitedly. "Alright. Remember Nick. First the tower, then the generators, and then the east side." Adam looked over his shoulder and nodded to Savage.

Savage dropped the first torpedo. Nick went to work on his tablet and steered the torpedo to its destination until his video feed cut out.

Adam looked through his binoculars. "Visual conformation, the tower is down. Communications are dead. Drop the next torpedo."

Savage dropped the second torpedo. Nick went at it again and brought the projectile right on top of the generators. Immediately after the initial explosion. The complex's lights shut off. A dim glow followed.

Adam smiled. "Generators are down. Emergency backup generators are running at minimal power. Take out a section of the east wall."

Nick shook his head. "It's gonna be close." Savage dropped the last torpedo. Nick curved the torpedo outwards so that it had enough room to curve back and hit the wall. He managed to hit the wall on the upper levels of the complex. "Got it!"

Adam strapped on his parachute. "Abandon ship!"

"Hey boss, no hands." Savage fell backwards out of the basket and did a backwards swan dive.

Nick looked fearfully over the basket as he finished strapping into his parachute. "I better get promoted for this!" He jumped awkwardly over the edge.

Lily leapt into a controlled dive.

Jake looked at Adam with pleading eyes. "Please don't make me jump."

Adam laughed as Jake regretfully strapped into a parachute. "We need you down there. You see, we're ditching the balloon here for one of the really nice helicopters down there. Now, we're all going so, after you."

"No." Jake crossed his arms. "I'm not going. I would rather pee lightning that do this."

Adam nodded to Jake. "Okay I understand." Acting fast he grabbed Jake and jumped over the edge with him. "You'll forgive me later when we have a totally awesome war story to tell!"

The four pulled their chutes on time and all landed in the hole pre made by their torpedo. Lighting a flare, Lily lit up the darkness as she stepped forward. "Isn't it odd that there's no alarms."

"Yeah." Nick commented. "They didn't even try to shoot us out of the sky."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Jake began to yank at all his straps to get rid of the parachute.

Lily cared the flare up to a door. Looking at the side of the door, she saw a keyboard. She brushed off the debris to see the letters better. The passcode was twelve digits long. At first she was a little disheartened, but then she heard a voice repeat familiar word. She began typing. "Veni, vidi, vici." The door automatically slid open once she punched in the code. "Guys, we're in business."

They tread softly through the doorway, single file. Lily dropped the flare as she raised her arm to signal everyone to halt. Hearing that no one else was around, she motioned forward. They walked forward until they came to a catwalk that hung over the lower levels.

Nick looked over the edge. "Ugh, woah. That's, that's a lot of soldiers."

Everyone peeked over the edge to see the thousands of dimly lit soldiers who stood at attention. Paired up in groups of hundreds, they didn't move a muscle.

Adam moved to the front. "They're inactive right now. Ready your blasters. Don't use your guns unless the blasters prove ineffective."

They continued their trek across the catwalk until they came into a hallway. The hallway was lined with doors that were marked by signs. Nick suddenly sneezed. Everyone held their breath as they expected the guards to come running. When no guard came. Nick sighed with relief. "Whew. For a second I thought we were in-." Nick choked on his words when a white paw grabbed him by the throat out of nowhere. His body rose up as the polar bear holding him stepped out of the shadows.

Lily automatically drew her blaster on the polar bear and fired and electromagnetic pulse at his head.

The polar bear collapsed on top of Nick. "Nice shot." Nick grunted as he wiggled from under the bear. "Wait a minute." Nick looked at the polar bear. "Adam, is that who I think it is?"

Adam looked at the polar bears face. "Anthony?"

The polar bear grabbed at his head. "Ah, I have the worst hangover. Awwww."

"Anthony?" Adam pat at his face to sober him up. "It's me Adam. Remember?"

Anthony suddenly flinched and retracted. "What? Where am I?"

"Anthony." Adam slowly approached him. "Are you okay, do you remember anything?"

"Adam? No, it can't be." Anthony backed up against the wall. "Prove you're not under his control."

"Buddy?" Adam smiled cautiously.

Anthony blinked as he recounted what he just heard. "Tumor?"

"Cancer." Adam laughed.

Anthony wheezed into his own laugh. "We used to say this about girls. Cute from afar?"

"Far from cute." Adam erupted into a hushed laughter.

"Buddy!" Anthony grabbed Adam by the arm and shook it. "I haven't seen you since we were held up in the high school." Anthony remembered where they were. "Okay we enjoy a reunion later. Right now we need to get out of here."

"Wait!" Lily harnessed her blaster as she approached the polar bear. "We need your help finding someone. We're looking for a red wolf named Sara."

Anthony shook his head. "No, you don't understand. We have to get out of here. I need to find Rachel."

"Hold on! Rachel's fine, just listen to me." Adam grabbed Anthony by the shoulder. "Anthony, you trust me. Okay? Well, believe me when I say that I trust her." Adam pointed to Lily. "We took out their communications and their power. We just need-."

"Hold up." Anthony raised his paws to stop Adam from talking. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

Adam looked left and right. "Because earlier you were being controlled by a psychopathic villain that wants to take over the world."

The polar bear shrugged his shoulders. "Meh. Details, details… Anyway, new plan. How about we get everyone out of here."

"Yes, all of us. You, us, and Sara. That's what I've been trying," Adam's eyes went wide, "oh. You don't mean, do?"

Anthony shook his head. "Just because I've been under control, doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention."

Adam whistled. "But that would mean, oh wow, yes. Genius. Fantastic!"

"Absolutely fantastic!" Both Adam and Anthony jumped in excitement.

Nick and Lily began to laugh while Jake stood dumbfounded. "Uh, what's so funny."

Nick's grin couldn't get any more sly. "Why just steal a helicopter to escape, when you can steal an army?"

Judy stared up at the ceiling when she woke. She felt awful. Aside from the fact that she had been skewered by a piece of shrapnel, her thoughts made it worse. She couldn't forget what Nick had said to her. Struggling to take a deep breath, she let it out with even more pain that followed. When she tried to move, she was startled by a squeak. Looking over she saw a plush bunny that was mostly intact. However, the one arm was a different color as if it had replaced the missing one. There was a string tied around its waist. Pulling on the string, Judy saw that it lead to a gift bag by her bedside.

Pulling the bag up, Judy removed the tissue paper and reached into the bag. She was surprised to feel fur. Pulling the object out, she was surprised to see an arm. But upon further inspection, she noticed that it was a prosthetic similar to her other arm. Slipping on the prosthetic, she was amazed when the arm came to life. Each finger moved at her will. Aside from the padded straps that held the arm in place, it was almost symmetrical with her other arm.

Something else was in the bag. Judy reached in with her new arm. She was surprised by the familiar police uniform that she pulled out. It was her original neoprene garbs she had first started out with when she was just starting as a meter maid. The badge looked as if it had been recently polished. Judy couldn't find any indication of who left this for her, but she had a pretty good idea as to who left it for her. She forced herself to sit up. Fighting the pain she threw the blanket to the side and stood up. Pulling on her old uniform, she looked down at herself.

Judy was amazed. Aside from a few age marks and dirt on her face, she could almost see that bright eyed and bushy tailed bunny from so long ago.

"General?" Daniel had woken up.

Judy walked over to the deer. "Hey soldier, how are you holding up?"

Daniel looked distant. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Judy pulled up a chair and carefully sat down. "What's on your mind?"

"I really screwed up." Daniel's eyes began to water up. "I shouldn't have said those things to Lily. I was angry and upset, and I was scared. After my dad died, Caleb and Sara were the only family I had. And before Caleb died, I promised him that I would take care of Sara. Then she was gone. There was something she told me she wanted to tell me, but now I'll hear what she had to say." Daniel started to cry at the memory of his friend. "Then Lily shows up. And, I wanted nothing to do with her because I thought it was all her fault. It wasn't. Now I realize that I just turned away from the last family I might ever have." Daniel gave a vain laugh. "I remember begging my dad to tell me the truth about Lily. As a kid, I thought for sure that she was my mom. Then she disappeared."

The Phoenix laid off to the side, quietly listening with a broken heart as she pretended to sleep.

Judy sighed. She didn't think she really had any say in this matter. But then again, what kind of person would she be if she said nothing? "She's back. She still cares about you Daniel. I can tell. Don't beat yourself up over this. Talk to her. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Really?" Daniel sniffled as he tried to collect himself. "Even after what I said?"

Judy remembered how Lily pushed to give soldier forty two a chance. She was right about that. She remembered how Lily desperately tried to connect with Daniel both times. "She's a person full of chances to give. I'm sure she'll give you another chance."

Judy cracked a smiled at the now familiar squeaky leg brace that followed Nick Wilde everywhere. "Speaking of chances." The sly fox walked right up Judy. "Looking nice. I bet that arm has a better grip than the last one."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Thanks Captain Wilde. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Nick hummed to himself in thought. "How about lunch after we process all these missing soldiers?"

Judy raised her brow. "What soldiers?" Judy looked behind Nick and gasped as hundreds of soldiers began to step forward. "What? How?"

Nick laughed nervously as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "We sort of went on a rescue mission while you were resting."

Judy looked at all the soldiers. She saw how each ripped off NP patches or altered their uniforms to make it known that they were not affiliated with that group. "Who are they?"

Nick grinned as he pointed out the obvious new faces and the familiar faces. "Some are ours who were lost in battle, some were slaves, and others are some very angry NP's that didn't like the thought of their free will being taken away. We freed them all by shorting out the circuits in their implants. This is only half of them. Your brother and a few other captains are sorting out the rest in a newly established safehouse." Nick looked back and pointed out what he was most proud of. "And here comes Captain Lily with the NP prisoner we originally set out to save. Someone, I'm sure our young Lieutenant Wolfenstein would love to see again."

Judy was truly surprised to see Lily guiding a red wolf wrapped in a blanket, her arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Sara?"

Daniel struggled to lift his head to see for himself. It really was her. "Sara?"

Sara looked up. "Daniel!" She ran to Daniel's bedside and knelt over to embrace him.

Daniel ignored the pain he felt as she embraced him. She was worth enduring for. "I thought you were dead."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell them where we were. I couldn't stop them." Sara cried into his shoulder.

Daniel wrapped his arm around her to comfort her. "It's okay, everything is going to be okay."

Sara lifted her head up and cupped Daniel's face in her paws. "I should have told you. I thought I was going to die, and the only thing I could think about was how I wasn't brave enough to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Daniel asked. "Sara. What did you want to-." Daniel was cut off by Sara as she pressed her lips against his.

After a few moments, Sara broke the kiss. Not knowing how he would react, she kept her eyes closed. "I love you, Daniel."

Daniel eyes began to tear up again. Though this time, they were not tears of sadness.

"Daniel?" Sara began to shake. "Daniel say something."

Lily watched as her son pulled Sara in for another kiss. She smiled when he pulled her into his bed to stay by his side to rest.

"Young love." Adam laughed thoughtfully as he stepped up from behind Lily. "If only Whiplash were here to see this. He's just like his old man."

Lily smiled when Daniel mouthed a thank you from across the way. "I think I really understand what it's like to be a parent. You love them so much, that you'd do anything to see your child happy."

Adam hummed at the thought of his daughter. "Sounds about right. And love, it's not about giving up everything. When you love the right people, you don't have to give up anything, because you'll have everything you need."

The moment almost seemed like it would never last. But, the moments turned into hours as Nick, Judy, Adam, and Lily all worked together to initiate their new and returning troops. After all was said and done. Several circles had come together. Adam and Anthony found a group of form former NP's that were once their peers in school many years ago. Many NP's shook paws and made amends with the soldiers that they once fought. Never before had such unity been seen among animals in the whole duration of this war.

Lily sat down in a circle with the Phoenix, Nick, Judy, and Sara who sat next to Daniel with a blanket draped over the two of them. The Phoenix smiled as Lily sat next to her. "Why?"

Lily smiled because she knew something that the Phoenix didn't. "Why what?" And, she was completely willing to milk every ounce of satisfaction it gave her.

"Why did you do all this?" The Phoenix brought her voice to a whisper. "This world won't exist once you fix the timeline. It means nothing to you. It's just a chapter in your life that will eventually be forgotten when everything is back to normal."

Lily brought her own voice to a whisper as well. "Doesn't matter. Even if this world disappears, I could never live with myself if I didn't even try to fix it. That's why. Sometimes you have to take the time to fix things. Whether it's a toy, an unfinished story, or a lamp; sometimes you just gotta fix things. And besides, I've learned more since I've been here."

The Phoenix reluctantly smiled as she stared at her younger self. "I've forgotten how well we used be able to raise hope from the ashes."

Lily grinned at that. "I guess that's why we're called the Phoenix. I don't know." Lily looked at Daniel and Sara as they nuzzled into each other. She felt a strange sensation in her fingers. Looking at her paw, she almost swore that her fingers were dimly glowing. Lily snapped her fingers and a spark of pink energy flared up before disappearing into thin air.

"Not a bad name for a superhero, is it?" The Phoenix smiled a knowing smile. "You passed the first test. And, you did it years before I could. Maybe you have learned something after all."

Lily looked at the Phoenix, confused. "First test? What do you mean first test?"

"You'll have to ask mom about that when you get the chance. When you fix the timeline and get back, tell her you passed the first test. That's all I can tell you now." The Phoenix fiddled with a different ring on her right paw that Lily hadn't noticed before. On it was the emblem of a phoenix.

Lily sat back up straight and let it be. She turned her attention to Daniel who had been staring at her and the Phoenix. "Hey there Daniel. How're you holding up?"

Daniel glanced back and forth between Lily and the Phoenix. "Are you two related or something? Because, you look alike. I mean a lot."

Lily was about to speak before the Phoenix jumped in immediately. "I'm her aunt."

Lily nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm her niece."

Daniel nodded, awkwardly. "Okay, that's cool."

Sara had started to laugh. "That's Daniel's covert way of trying to say he's sorry."

"It's okay." Lily smiled at her grown son's attempt to make peace with her. "I fixed what needed to be fixed. We're good now."

Daniel half smiled as he tried not to let the embarrassment get to him. "Okay." Then the smile fell from his face. "Mom?"

Lily's face lit up with joy as if any glimpse of pain or sorrow had suddenly been banished. "Yes, son?"

For the first time, Daniel gave Lily a genuine smile. "Thank you."

Suddenly the lights around began to flicker. Soldiers stood up as the whole building began to rattle to the point where glass from the ceiling windows began to rain down upon the masses. Masses came crashing through the wall. Everyone was faced with over ten thousand pounds of steel as five tanks surrounded them. Mounted on the tanks were plasma cannons that hummed, charged and ready to fire. A static voice filled the air. "You're weapons are useless. The only thing that can get through these tanks is the fire power they carry, so drop your guns unless you want to be blown away." Lily took a dare by hiding her holstered revolver behind her trench coat while everyone else lowered their weapons. The center tank's hatch popped open and everyone gasped at the sight of the Raven. "Pathetic. That's what you all are. Weak and stupid. Predators and prey, should remain separate. They are not equal, for the predators are far superior than these prey scum."

"It's over!" Adam shouted. "Your reign will end! The word has been spread. Everyone knows how to defeat your armies."

"How cute." The Raven snorted. "If it isn't the little tiger cub who plays dress up. What do you think you've accomplished. You've accomplished nothing. All you've done is merely postponed the inevitable."

"You're wrong." Judy stepped forward. "You're denying your inevitable defeat. You've already lost control of one army! You'll lose control of the next army, and the next one…"

"I am in control!" The Raven screeched. "You think you have the upper hand just because I let you walk into one of my facilities? Think again." The Raven pulled up a red button. "I've always wanted to say this." Everyone watched as the Raven smashed down on the button. "It's a trap!"

Lily watched in horror as sea of taming collars suddenly turned from green to red. Electricity shot out from the shock collars and sent even the toughed lion to their knees. Lily watched as Judy cry out Nick's name as he collapsed in her arms. She watched her own son and Sara twisted in agony from the pain induced by the collars. "Stop," Lily cried, "please, I beg of you!"

The Raven released the button. A collective of groans followed as the pain finally stopped. "Lily Clawhauser. What do you think of the taming collars? At first they were just there to inspire predators to join my cause and uproot the government. But now, they are my failsafe. It's funny how I failed to see how useful they could be, even with the matter of time."

Lily rushed to Daniel and Sara. After hearing what had been said, it all clicked together. Lily understood. "You changed how it happened."

"That's right, Lily girl. I changed it all. I made sure the taming collar laws never got vetoed, along with all its amendments. The very reason that pathetic deer has a collar, because law demanded all children raised by predators should be treated as such. The rabbit never solved the nighthowler case, so predators became even more angry with the persecution they faced. There are so many points that I rewrote to create this world where I am in control. And, all it took was you. You were the first paradox I created. I stopped you and halted your path and what you would have become."

Lily stared curiously up at the Raven. "What would I become?"

The Raven pointed an accusing finger. "Lily Clawhauser, you would have been the one to kill me. But that's all in the past, thanks to my paradox machine. As long as it lives, my world stands! Now Lily Clawhauser, time for you and your counterpart to die." The Raven readied the plasma cannon.

"Wait!" Lily waved her arms frantically. "There's something you should know."

The Raven groaned. "What could you possibly have to say?!"

A twitch at the corner of Lily's mouth formed a grin. "It's a trap. Frank! Now!"

Two separate explosions annihilated the first two tanks. In this chaos, animals ran for their guns and scurried away. Adam used his sniper plasma rifle to shoot the button out of the Raven's paw. "What?" The Raven turned in anger as the hyena in question blew up another tank. "This shall not stand!" The Raven pulled out a plasma gun and blasted a hole straight through Savage's lower torso.

The hyena's face twisted into a sincere smile as he stared into the night. "Skye? Is that you?" Savage fell backwards into the fourth tank with a live explosive in paw. The tank erupted with Savage disappearing into the fireball.

The Raven shouted with rage. Then, the Raven's gaze turned to a certain wolf and injured deer. A maniacal laugh echoed from under the Raven's mask.

Lily watched in horror as the Raven pointed the tank's plasma cannon right at Daniel and Sara. "NO!"

Daniel and Sara closed their eyes and clung to each other, expecting the worst. But, the worst never came. Opening their eyes, they saw a ball of flaming plasma floating in the air, enveloped by a pink ethereal aura. Daniel looked and saw Lily with her arms outstretched.

Lily's paws were glowing with the same pink ethereal light. Her face was stricken by focus and determination that swept over the remnants of her dried up tears. "You ruined this world, you took Adam from me, but you will not take my son!"

The Raven stared in astonishment at the feat of Lily's power. "Uh oh."

Lily cried out as she redirected the plasma blast towards the Raven. The plasma cannon was destroyed along with half the tank but not before the Raven could jump to safety. The cannon burst into pieces that took out several columns. This caused the roof to collapse entirely. Dust and dirt engulfed everyone who stuck around.

Lily maintained a field of energy that protected her, Daniel, Sara, and the Phoenix. Once the remaining debris had settled, she let go of the force field. "Wow." Lily blinked as she felt a strange rush that she could only describe as adrenalin on overdrive. "That was pretty cool."

The Phoenix smiled with amazement. "We should probably get out of here."

Lily nodded. "Sara. Take Daniel and the Phoenix out of here."

"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked.

Lily lit up her paws with magic, a determined look glistened in her eye. "I'm going to finish this."

Lily walked head on into a maze of rubble and debris. She controlled her breathing and fought every urge to jump at an echo. She knew the Raven was aching for a fight. "Coward! You manipulate others instead of fighting your own fights. Are you afraid of showing people who's really behind the mask?"

"Hypocrite!" The echo of the Raven's voice sent a chill down Lily's spine. "When we last met, you had a tranquilizer gun pointed at me from behind your own mask."

Lily began to lose control as her magic became sporadic and she jumped at every shadow that could have been the Raven's. "You twisted this world. You made it so bad things were never resolved, hoping that it would lead radicals to you, but even then, you needed to control them because they knew you wanted more that to just enslave prey animals. What do you got against prey?"

"Everything. They are the reason I am the way I am. But now, I have the opportunity to make things right. Things will be as they should be."

Lily heard the faint foot steps behind her. Jumping in the air, she dodged a shot from the Raven's plasma gun. But even after throwing bursts of energy, she still landed with a plasma gun to her head. She thought this was it, the end.

The Raven cackled. "Any last words?" Before the shot could be fired, a beam of plasma blasted the gun from the Raven's grasp.

Adam quickly reloaded his plasma rifle. "I hate monologues."

"Fool!" Before Adam could react, the Raven produced several throwing knives and launched them at him.

The knives struck Adam in the chest and sent him to the floor. "Gah!" Adam smacked down to the floor as blood began to leak from his chest.

"Adam!" Lily called to the tiger but was silenced by the Raven's fist as it crashed across her face. She felt her face go numb before steadily falling backwards, defeated.

"Why don't you get it? Why don't any of you get it?! Don't you see what I'm trying to do for you?!" The Raven shifted at the sound of aluminium crutches. "Getting old. You have no power here."

The Phoenix dropped her crutches. Lighting up the magic in her paws, a waterfall of pink light swirled around her leg and made a new ethereal foot that she could stand on. "I've avoided killing you for so long." She stretched out her arms and engulfed the Raven in her power. "You're so lost in your pain, you don't even understand any more."

"Fool! You'll kill us both!" The Raven snarled.

The Phoenix. Looked back at Lily. She looked at the chestplate with the emblem her husband once wore as a symbol of hope. "Then I shall see my husband again, while you die alone."

The Raven squirmed in the magic as it tightened. "Veni, vidi, vici." The Raven wailed under the weight of the pink aura. "I came! I saw! I conquered!"

An audible snap brought silenced the Raven once and for all, in this world. The Phoenix dropped her magic and fell to her knees and paws. She began to wheeze as tiny pink cracks began to travel and open up and down her body. It was inevitable now. She was going to die.

Lily regained her senses and stared at the small lifeless limp of a body that once belonged to the Raven. She had know. Lily moved to remove the mask.

"Stop!" before Lily could grab the mask, the Phoenix shot a burst of energy that reduced the Raven's body to ashes. However, the use of that much energy cost her a portion of her body. Her legs had completely disappeared now.

Lily rushed to the Phoenix's side. "No, why did you do that?"

"Your time has to unfold naturally. Any alteration of specific events could change reality as you know it." The Phoenix clenched her teeth together and hissed from the pain she was in. "You know all you needed to know, even more. But now, you must go back."

Lily didn't know what to do. "You're fading."

"It took a lot of magic to hold me here. Now that it's all gone, I'll vanish with the remnants of my timeline." The Phoenix looked up at Lily. "Lily? Take my paw."

"No." Lily shook her head as fresh tears began to roll down her cheek. She was watching herself die. "You'll only fade faster."

"I want you to have this. It's a memory of my time with our Adam. I want you to have it." Lily didn't stop the Phoenix as she grabbed her paw.

Lily woke up in her bed. She smiled brightly as she took in the smell of peaches. She knew getting Adam that new shampoo would be worth it. Looking at her husband, she wasn't surprised to see he was awake first. "Good morning, sweety."

"Aww," Adam sighed, "you woke up earlier than usual."

Lily laughed. "Why is that bad?"

"You purr in your sleep. It's adorable." Adam brushed his paw over Lily's head and around her ears as he had been doing before. This elicited a purr from Lily who squealed with embarrassment.

"Adam!" She buried her face in his chest, not just to hide her face, but also for the peaches.

Adam wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Lily made a pouty face. "I can't work today. I'm too tired, and you smell like peaches."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Okay. I'm sure that Zootopia Times won't collapse if its editor in chief misses one day."

Lily curled up her legs to warm her feet up next to Adam's. "Don't you gotta work too? Crime fighting doesn't pay for itself."

Adam smiled at his wife. "Daniel is the leading Ranger today. He's got that forest all to himself along with the Otterton boy and Sara."

Lily furrowed her brow at the mention of Sara's name. "I'm not sure I trust Sara."

"Oh, this again?" Adam laughed. "They've been friends since they were kids. What are you worried about? It's not like she's gonna corner him and seduce him."

Lily frowned at that. "You're not helping with that image."

"I'm sorry." Adam brushed Lily's face with his paw. "Hey, how about I make breakfast."

Lily fake groaned. "You're tempting me with food, my weakness." Sitting up she looked into her husband's eyes. "Adam? Do you think I'm attractive?"

Adam looked curiously at his wife. "Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question." Lily demanded.

"Yes, of course.," Adam stated, "is something bothering you?"

"I don't know." Lily rubbed her shoulder which was a little sore from how she slept. "Sometimes, I get the feeling that you don't look at me that way. I know, it's crazy."

"No, I understand." Adam sat up as well and interlocked his paw with hers. "Lily. I love you. Because of the fact that I love you, and we're happily married, you've become the most beautiful creature I've ever known. I'm lucky to be with you." He leaned in and kissed Lily. He kissed her long and good to drive the point home. "Even if we grow old, I won't be looking at you with young eyes, I'll see you and love you as an old wolf. You are and always will be beautiful in my eyes Lily. I have no regrets with you. If I could ever start this life again, if I somehow lived a thousand miles away, I'd find a way. I'd find a way to live my life with you. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Lily pressed her forehead against her husband's. She whispered to him.

"I love you, Adam." The Phoenix let go of Lily's paw. Nearly her whole body was gone aside from her face and her paw. Her paw faded away entirely. A sad smile accented her decaying face. "Goodbye, me."

Lily watched as the last of the Phoenix faded to ash and dust. "Goodbye, me." She was alerted by the coughing that escaped from Adam the tiger. Lily rushed to his side when she saw how much blood had come out of his body. "Adam. Oh my, oh no."

Adam smiled despite the blood that dripped from the corners of his mouth. "Did I do it? Am I like you? I helped rescue Sara, and I saved you so you can be with Daniel and Sara. Am I a hero?"

Lily knew she couldn't stop the bleeding. Even if she could, he had already lost so much blood. All she could do was comfort him until the end. "Yeah. You are." Lily lifted his head into her lap. "Daniel and Sara, they'll be a family and raise kids of their own." She remembered the memory the Phoenix had given her. "They're gonna be forest rangers and preserve nature, so everyone will be able to see how beautiful the world was." Rain started to come down through the broken roof.

Adam smiled. "I like that. Maybe they'll be there to take my little Zira on her first hike. I always liked the forest, and camping. Maybe your son can teach my daughter how to fish when I can't."

Lily felt the cold overwhelm her as the rain soaked her fur. "That, would be great." Lily looked up as spot lights lit up the dark. One focused on Lily and Adam.

The tiger reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo of his father and the green handkerchief he always carried. "Give these to Elizabeth. Tell her, about the stars and how they're still out there."

Lily could see his wife rushing over. "Adam, you can tell her yourself. She's coming!"

Adam's eyes went glassy. "Tell her. Tears in rain…"

By the time Elizabeth reached her husband's side, it was too late. Adam had passed quietly without so much as a gasp for a final breath. "Adam? Adam? Please, no. Not like this." The gazelle gripped the handkerchief and photo tightly when Lily handed them to her. "Don't leave me! Adam!"

Lily shook her head. She couldn't believe this happened. After all he had done, he would never get to see the bright future he helped forge for all these animals. Carefully, she closed his eyes.

Anthony the polar bear stepped forward into the scene as rain gently washed the blood of his friend away. "Josh? Michael? Leo? Jake?" A grizzly bear, a raccoon, a jaguar, and Jake stepped forward next to Anthony.

Lily watched as Adam's five friends saluted him. Their tears were lost in the rain that came down upon them. She watched as the grizzly took a knee and cried, "Oh captain, my captain."

Six months passed. Most of the NP control stations were taken down. Those that remained loyal to the Novus Purificatio cause, disappeared into the darker places of the world. Nick set up shop to build a new city across from the remains of Zootopia. He was appointed Mayor, while Judy stuck around as the first sheriff. Anthony went on to become the new leader of the Post Office Batallion. When their services as soldiers were no longer required, they continued to deliver messages of hope between each new city state that sprung up. Elizabeth continued to raise her daughter and tell everyone about her husband's life. Daniel and Sara started up a wildlife renewal project to plant new trees and restore forests. They established a new park in honor of Whiplash and the Admiral who had perished at the hands of the Raven. They called it Adams Park. A statue was erected, depicting the two soldiers with clasped arms. Wilde Times was converted into a memorial museum to honor those who had fallen in war. In its opening a glass case stands with the tiger's post office cap and the remainder of the wolf's old battle suit. Animals came from far and wide to pay their respects to the ones who fought so valiantly for the freedom of others.

Then there was Lily. After searching for so long, she found it. She found what the Raven had used to create this reality where such drastic events had taken place. Lily finally came face to face with the devious machine as its red light mocked her. "The paradox machine." Lily nodded to herself. "This is it."

Mayor Nick Wilde felt a sense of uneasiness as he stood in the presence of the machine. "Are you sure."

"Yes I'm sure." Lily circled it round about, looking for a way to deactivate it. Though, she wasn't sure exactly what would happen once she did manage to shut it down.

Sheriff Hopps looked the machine up and down. "So in this other time, I was a Detective?"

"Yes," Lily remembered when Judy first showed up at the garage, "So was the Mayor. You both were partners. You were asking me for help, investigating Whiplash."

Nick and Judy left Lily to examined the machine for a moment while they talked.

Nick scoffed at the notion. "Me? A cop? I find that a bit of a stretch."

Judy jabbed him in the arm. "We were partners."

"I guess that makes it a bit more believable." Nick winked at Judy.

Judy tapped her foot and tucked her hands into her trench coat's pockets. "Mayor, please. Show a little professionalism."

Nick brushed off the lapels of his grungy suit. There wasn't exactly any dry cleaners working yet, but he managed. "An interesting idea. How about we discuss this further, I don't know, maybe Saturday evening?"

Judy smiled. "Perhaps. Maybe Deputy DeClaw can take over that evening."

Nick's usually slick and smooth smile faded to a more sincere one. "Are we too old for this?"

Judy looked around to see if anyone was watching. Seeing that there wasn't she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed Nick on the cheek. "Of course not you dumb fox." With that, Judy walked away.

Nick chuckled to himself. He felt like a million bucks. He turned back to Lily who had seen the whole ordeal, but frankly, he didn't care. "We're gonna clear outta here before you do anything, so wait for the radio signal. Alright?"

Lily gave a quick thumbs up. "Okay."

Nick was about to walk away, but something kept him. "Lily? Are Judy and me, you know?"

Lily sighed. "I don't know. The last time I saw you, you both seemed to have a pretty professional relationship."

Nick lowered his head. At the debriefing, he had heard how this machine could reset time to the way it was supposed to be. No one outside the debriefing was told about this. The public was strictly out of the know to prevent panic. Nick felt a little panicked now. "Well, if you see me again, smack some sense into me will you?" The sly fox smiled as he hummed.

"Will do." Lily felt melancholy as she realized that one way or another, she would be leaving this world behind. On the other hand, she knew Adam was waiting for her.

Nick stood at attention and saluted Lily. "It was a privilege serving with you, Captain Phoenix."

Lily returned the salute. "The feeling is mutual."

Nick turned with a smile. "Okay Daniel, she's all yours."

Lily was surprised to see Daniel and Sara walking arm in arm along the platform. Nick nodded to Daniel as he passed him. "Hey mom."

Lily found it even harder to look her son in the eye. If this plan to destroy the paradox machine didn't work, she could die and fail. If that were the case, she'd lose the chance to be with her son who was already here. "Hello son. Did you come to see me off?"

Daniel nervously stared at the floor as he scratched behind his antlers which had grown back. "Yeah, and I wanted to tell you some things." Daniel squeezed tighter on Sara's paw. "We're engaged."

"I asked him." Sara interjected. "The dope had the ring and was too scared to ask."

Lily laughed with Sara. "These Wolfenstein boys, it's like they're playing hard to get. Am I right?"

Daniel looked at the machine and took it all in. The machine towered all the way to the warehouse ceiling. The tangled mess of wires spread around its sides like tentacles. "Is dad somewhere out there."

Lily nodded. "I know he is. And, you and Sara are there too. You're still just six-year-olds." Lily couldn't contain herself as she rushed forward to hud them both. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too mom." Daniel began to tear up as he embraced Lily. "Who knows, maybe none of this will be reset. Maybe we'll both remember."

Lily kissed her son on the forehead. "Perhaps it's like many streams going the same way."

Daniel smiled. "And when you look back far enough, you see they all branched off from the same river."

Lily forced herself to let go of Daniel. "It's time for me to go home."

After an hour, Lily finally got the call through the radio. "We're all ready down here at a safe distance of five to ten miles."

"Okay." Lily shook her arms to get rid of the shakes.

"We're here with you mom." Daniels voice on the radio was a great comfort to Lily.

"Okay." Lily lit up her paws with magic. She approached the machine and pressed her paws against it. Focusing, she forced the magic through the intricacies of the machine to cripple it. Automatically, an alarm went off. A digital voice warned about a radiation leak. Lily continued attacking the machine. Heat began to rapidly fill the room to the point where the machine started to burn Lily's paws. She continued on. There was a shift in the gravity that made her body feel ten times heavier. Still, she continued to attack the machine with her magic. In the reflection of the machine, Lily could see her fur melting and falling off. Blisters began to form on her skin.

The pain was almost too much. Then Lily heard a voice. "Lily? It's time to go home, Lily." Looking up, Lily saw an ethereal shadow of herself, the Phoenix. Behind the Phoenix, another figure appeared. It was Whiplash. The two stood side by side with Lily. This pushed Lily to keep going. Even though her paws had now fused to the metal, she was determined to keep pumping magic into the machine.

"Oh captain, my captain." Lily felt everything slow down as a third figure appeared. It was Adam, the tiger. "Thank you miss. Thank you."

"Anytime." Lily closed her eyes as everything went white. The rumbling of the the warehouse was replaced by a quiet hum, and then nothing. For a moment, Lily was blind. She felt that her back was pressed against a cold metal table. An uncontrollable force caused Lily to sit up on the table and heave up what felt like tubes running down her throat. She ripped them out to take a breath of fresh air. Her senses were met by a comfortable temperature that was neither too hot nor too cold. She opened her eyes. A salty aftertaste caused Lily to pucker her face and squint. As her vision slowly became her own, she was confused by what she saw.

Lily saw that she was in a white room with stainless steel tables and medical equipment. She had on the same neoprene suit she had before, except it was clean. Looking behind her she saw a window. She rushed to it. Looking outside she was met by a beautiful sight, blue skies with a few scattered white clouds. Looking down she could see building and roads, perfectly in tact. "I did it. I'm back." A red glow sent a chill through Lily. She turned back to see the paradox machine. Only, it was smaller. It was damaged and its light seemed to fluctuate between bright and dim.

A stray portable radio near the machine sprung to life. "Hello? Hello, hello. Lily? Did it work? I repeat did it work?"

Lily ran over and grabbed the radio. "Yes, this is Lily. It was a success. I made it."

"Mom? You really did it?" Daniel's voice was more static than the last.

Lily looked at the machine. Its light was getting dimmer. "Daniel, we don't have much time to talk." The machine was the only thing keeping her connected with the other timeline.

The door to the room suddenly burst open. Lily noticed that it was an NP soldier. Before she could do anything, a dart hit his neck. The soldier passed out. She could hear the squeak of footsteps outside the door. She felt her heart stop when she saw that it was Whiplash, Adam, her fiance. "Lily?"

"Is that him?" Daniel's voice still came in through the radio.

Lily walked over to Adam and pulled him over to the radio. "Tell me. Please tell me how much you love Daniel."

Adam pulled off his mask. "What?"

"Adam! Are you proud of Daniel?" Lily grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Answer me."

"Of course. He's my son, and I'll always be proud of him. What-" Adam found himself silenced by Lily's paw around his snout.

"Now. Do you love your son?" Lily released her grip.

"Yes. I love Daniel. I always have, and I always will." Adam looked at the radio when he heard sobs coming out of it. Then the red light of the machine died out along with the signal from the other side. Static filled the air.

Lily whispered a goodbye before falling against Adam. "Adam? Is it really you?"

"Of course. Lily are you alright? You've been gone for over a month now." Adam was cut off by Lily who shoved him to the ground and pelted her fiance's face with kisses.

"It feels like it's been six months." Lily locked her lips onto Adam's and refused to let go until she couldn't breath. Eventually, she had to breath. When she pulled out of the kiss she was surprised to see Detective Nick Wilde with a tranquilizer gun. Her heart shattered as she felt like her happy return was suddenly unraveled. Adam wasn't wearing his mask, and the Police knew he was the vigilante.

Nick holstered his tranquilizer gun. "Seriously, Adam? Try and show a little more professionalism next time. Geez. I signed up for a rescue mission, not to see whatever that was."

Lily was surprised by this reaction.

Detective Hopps came running down the hall. "Nick? What is it? What's wrong."

Nick was still trying to get the image out of his head. "Just missed damsel in distress snogging with her super hero boyfriend."

"Fiance." Judy corrected Nick.

"Whatever." Nick waved her off. "I just don't like seeing animals kissing each other."

Judy tapped her foot and crossed her arms. "Is that why you close your eyes during kissing scenes in the movies?"

Nick furrowed his brow. "Shut up."

Adam helped Lily back to her feet. "Hold up. You're all working together?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah for about two weeks now."

"Lily," Judy went on to explain, "the police are up to their necks with Neo Puritan gang activity. Nick and I are the only two cops that know about Adam. His secret is safe with us." Judy motioned to Nick and Adam. "Okay, let's go."

Lily kept Adam behind for a bit. "Adam, where are we going? Let's just go home."

"We get you to a hospital first to make sure you're alright. Now come on." Adam froze when a flash of pink slammed the door shut. He cautiously looked at Lily. "Lily? Did you just?"

"Adam. I'm tired, I want to go home, and I want to tell my son I'm his mother before he thinks otherwise. I don't want to go to the hospital right now, I just want to be with you!" Lily wrapped her arms around Adam and embraced him like there was no tomorrow.

Adam sighed as he picked her up in his arms. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Open the door." When the door didn't open, he sighed. "Lily, I promise I won't leave your side through all of this. Now please, open the door."

"On one condition." Lily looked up at Adam. "I'm moving into your room, not the guest room."

Adam started to laugh. "Okay." He smiled at Lily as he kissed her cheek. "Okay." The pink light returned and the door gently swung open. Adam carried Lily down the hall as gently as he could while being quick about it. "So," Adam hummed, "you have magic now?"

"Uh huh." Lily felt like she could just fall asleep then and there, but she was afraid to escape the real world.

Adam nodded. "So, how exactly does that work?"

"It's magic, Adam. Don't overthink it." Lily pressed her face into his shoulder. "Now, you gotta tell me. What did I miss?"