Mahalangur
Evening

Nick was feeling a sense of immense boredom; whereas Judy was taking in all the sights and sounds of the land, he just couldn't muster the interest to do so. Felix had told them that they were around thirty minutes away from the monastery, but knowing the cat's previous time estimates, Nick took it with a grain of salt.
"Wow, Nick, look at that!" Judy blurted out, pointing off somewhere into the countryside.
"Uh huh."
"Everything alright?" She turned to face him.
"Yeah, I'm just…" He didn't know how to answer. "Tired."
"Lucky for you we're almost there," Felix stated. "See, there's the gate, up there."
Nick looked forward; far in the distance, but before the horizon, he could make out a wall of some sort in the dim light, very slightly contrasted against a tall mountain. Atop the wall were lit several fires, which shone like stars in the darkness.
"Finally."

After reaching the wall, they drove through a very wide gate. On the inside, a narrow road wound through a small village. As they passed the houses, the residents that weren't indoors stared at them.
"I don't like this," Nick stated.
Felix laughed.
"We're safer here than in the precinct. Don't worry too much."
Near the end of the road, Felix drove slightly off to the side and parked. The trio exited, taking their belongings.
"Now where?" Judy asked.
"Up," Felix answered, pointing to a long and winding stairway some ways off.
"No," Nick answered in disbelief.
"It's not that much of a climb. Only about seven thousand stairs total, and the monastery starts half-way up."
"What the hell is at the top?!"
"The Great Stupa."
"The what?"
"A place of meditation." Felix started up the stairs. "Well, are you coming?"

"And here we are! Three-thousand seven-hundred and forty-one stairs." Felix sounded very cheery, much to Nick's disgust. The entire climb up, Judy was marveling at the beauty, while he was hauling step after painful step, with sharp pains coursing through his lower back where the knife that he had fallen on long ago had once been. The stairs leveled out for a while, turning into a pathway that wound around the mountain. Nick and Judy followed the snow leopard as he walked towards a large archway. A robed Bengal tiger greeted them as they approached.
"Namaste," he spoke, holding his paws together and bowing. Felix repeated the gesture. "May I assist you in anything?"
"We were hoping for accommodations," Felix responded. "And, perhaps, to speak to the Geshe."
"Certainly. Follow me."
They followed the tiger through the arch and towards a few small huts.
"Where is everyone?" Nick asked.
"You are the first guests that have come to us for the last three days, and the only ones with us tonight. The monks are praying at the peak, and will return shortly for supper. Would you care to join us?"
"Of course," Felix responded in his stead.

They entered one of the huts, which seemed far roomier on the inside than the outside.
"Make yourselves at home. I will notify Geshe-la Bikash that you wish to speak with him."
"I wouldn't want you to go to the peak, you can wait for him to return," Felix replied.
"Oh, his health hasn't been kind to him as of late; he meditates by the reflecting pool. It won't be too much of an inconvenience."
He bowed, and exited.
"You know, considering we're on a mountain in the middle of November," Judy began. "I would have expected it to be colder."
"It gets colder at night. I would stay somewhat dressed," Felix stated.
"So, what's it like being back here?" Nick asked.
"It's… nice."
"That's it?"
"Well, it's hard to describe. I came here for a reason, and I don't want to get too comfortable."

They began to unpack; several minutes later, the monk returned.
"Geshe-la Bikash agreed to speak with you; if you would follow me."
They followed the tiger again; they entered a large, intricately carved cave, descending several stairs. The inside was lit by electrical lights, powered by some distant source; the incandescent lighting on the tunnel walls showed its ancient appearance, easily a thousand years old, but perhaps even double or triple that.

The tunnel branched several ways, and along each branch lay several rooms. Nick managed to peek glances here and there, and saw shrines, tables, and various other ornaments. In one room, he saw what appeared to be an ancient painting depicting a strange scene. Although the pigmentation was chipped away in many places, he could just make out a figure, familiar in form, standing with a glow around his head, holding his palm out above other very familiar figures who were kneeling before him. Very familiar, human figures. He immediately stopped dead in his tracks and stared. Noticing he was no longer being followed, the monk returned.
"What is this?" Nick asked, taken aback.
"That is the Buddha."
"Who?"
"The enlightened one. He is teaching the unenlightened."
"But he's human…"
"He's what?" Judy asked, confused.
"The final mortal rung in the cycle of Samsara," the monk explained. "It is not believed that anyone has achieved such good karma yet."
"Wow, Nick, I didn't think you were this cultured," Judy joked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick asked, brow raised.
"I mean... city fox, never travels... where'd you learn about Sagarmathan monk culture?"
"Come," the tiger interrupted. "We shouldn't keep the Geshe-la waiting."

Several winding turns later, they reached a large room with a shallow, perfectly circular, crystal-clear pool of water in the center. The bottom was tiled with another mural of the Buddha. At the opposite end of the room, kneeling before the pool, was an elderly corsac fox. By his side was a staff with a large circlet permanently affixed to one end, and looped onto the circlet were six smaller rings.

The tiger and Felix both stooped very low, holding palms together. The tiger addressed the master by name, and introduced the three guests.
"Felix Shingis? That name sounds familiar," the elderly monk stated.
"I studied here many years ago."
The corsac smiled.
"Now I remember; you also sent the leopardess to me. Come, sit."
They each took a seat around the pool.
"When did you last eat?" the elder monk asked, concerned.
"Around nine hours ago, just outside of the port."
"We must get you fed, then!"
"Actually, we can wait; please, continue your praying."
Nick let out a pained squeak, which only Judy seemed to hear; she shot him a sad look of understanding.
"I was already finished, but perhaps I could share the parable of the pond."
"This is a good one," Felix whispered to Nick and Judy.

"Look at the pond, and notice how still it is." He motioned to the pond; it was, indeed, motionless. "Here, in its isolated room in the caverns, there is nothing that can stir its waters, save for the might of the Earth itself. Here, the water is like the flow of the universe."
He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small bunch of flower petals, scattering them about the waters.
"The petals stay about their course, drifting with the initial force that I threw them. The petals represent each of us, drifting upon our separate ways."
Two of the petals touched, and began drifting together.
"When we meet, we form bonds; often inseparable, despite our different natures. Much like you two: fox and rabbit, and yet, you two are drifting through life together, inseparable." He gave a sly smile.
"How did you know?" Judy asked.
"The ring. That, and the way he keeps glancing at you." He smiled.
Soon, a few of the petals began to sink.
"And, in the end, we must die."
The elderly monk picked up his khakkhara and shook it slightly; the rings on the end rang out.
"However…" He dipped the staff into the waters, causing ripples to scatter out. Several more petals sank when the waves hit them. "Every action we take has lasting consequences on everyone around us, whether we intend them to or not. Notice how the ripples bounce around. This represents how our decisions take a long time to settle down: forgiveness doesn't come easily from others; it must be earned."
Eventually, the ripples died down.
"But, in the end, by learning to forgive, we can bring inner peace to ourselves and our community."
Suddenly, the waters began to ripple again. At first, it was hardly noticeable, but it quickly grew to be very violent; even the room began to tremble slightly. Every remaining petal sank. After a minute, everything was still again.
"Strange… earthquakes don't usually happen this time of year," the elder monk muttered. "Sanjit, please see that the reflecting pond gets cleaned. Join us for supper when you are finished."
The tiger bowed, took a net from the wall, and began fishing the petals out.
"You three, please accompany me."

The three followed him back through the caverns, out into the open, and into another large room, filled with several tables stacked end to end, very low to the ground. Instead of chairs, there were cushions on the floor.
"Please, I would be honored if you would sit with me. Yash and Manu should be returning from the village with the food soon."
"Food?" Nick asked.
"Yes, the villagers below prepare every night's meal for us."
"And you have to haul it up three and a half thousand steps?"
"Nick!" Judy reprimanded.
"It is a way of life. Good training, too," the corsac responded simply.
Soon, the rest of the monks returned from their prayer; not long after that, the food was brought, presumably by Yash and Manu, who also took a seat.

The monks said a prayer and began eating. The food appeared to be some sort of stew on rice, although Nick wasn't certain of its contents. They ate silently for a while, before Felix's phone rang. He tried ignoring it, as did the rest of the monks, but when it didn't let up, he stepped out and answered it. He returned shortly to the head monk's side, phone still in hand.
"Geshe Bikash," he began quietly. "I hate to interrupt your meal, but do you know where the leopardess is?"
The monk looked around.
"Strange, she isn't here. She left with Krishna a couple of days ago, and I presumed they were only going for a small trip around the mountains; I thought they would be back by now. Allow me to check."
He stood and exited, and Felix went after him. Nick, having already finished his meal, left to follow.

The trio walked around several buildings until they reached the huts. Bikash knocked with his sounding staff, but there was no reply. He then opened the door, but they found the room to be empty. He entered, and quickly returned with a small folded piece of paper.
"She's not here, but she left a letter." He handed it to Felix.
"Chief, she's not here," Felix answered into the phone. Nick could hear yelling on the other end. Felix unfolded the letter, cleared his throat, and read aloud:

"To whomever it may concern: I am safe. Three days before I wrote this letter, I met with a rabbit in the village market; a most peculiar fellow. He claimed to have recognized me, and also claims to be an old family friend. Although I was skeptical, he recalled my parents and grandparents flawlessly, as well as a few of my father's old bedtime stories. As per his advice, I have decided to travel to Honshu—"
There was more yelling from Bogo. After it quieted down, Felix continued.
"I have decided to travel to Honshu to meet with my living relatives. He seems to know that my parents have gone senile, and that I never actually found out about my lineage (at least, more than my immediate family). He told me that I could find them close to the districts of Edo. If it is necessary to find me before my anticipated return in one month from penning this letter, you should expect to find me either in Edo, or along the traditional monastic mountain path leading there."
Bogo yelled again before hanging up.
"Edo?" the corsac spoke. "This isn't good."
"Why? Is it a dangerous city?" Nick asked.
"No, safest in the world, but I presume you three are here to pick her up. If she's gone for a month, well…"
"We need to go after her," Felix stated with a sense of urgency.
"Whoa, we?" Nick asked, shocked.
"I don't want to rope you into this, but we have to find her."
"Before we go anywhere, I need to ask Judy, at the very least."
"Before we do anything at all," the head monk began. "Let's first decide if it's possible to reach her."
"The mountain path is five days travel, if I remember correctly," Felix stated.
"But no monk would travel it in less than ten."
"So if we set out at 4 and set up camp at 8, while she sets out at 8 and sets up camp at 4, then we should catch up to her sometime in the middle of the second day. That is, if she really left two days ago."
"She did."
Nick gently shook his head.
"Fine, let's go back; I'll ask Judy."

The trio returned to the dining hall. As Nick sat back, Judy leaned towards him.
"So, what's the news?"
"She's not here."
Judy's ears drooped flat.
"Where is she?"
"This leads me to my question: she went to Honshu; Felix is going, and he wants us to come with him."
She gave a subtle grin as her ears picked themselves back up.
"You think I'm one to shy away?"
"I thought you might say that."
"Oh come on, Nick! It's Honshu: land of sushi, cherry blossoms, and good service!"
"Yeah, and freaky porn. Come on, carrots, can't we spend time in the mountains?"
"Not a chance, slick."
"Well, it's decided then," Felix began. "The monks have agreed to pack us food and supplies for the trip."
"You got them to do that?"
"Of course; they're the nicest mammals on the planet." He shot a wink to one of the monks across the table; in response, the monk smiled and rolled his eyes. "You two should get some sleep; we're setting out at 4 am."
"What's with you, ungodly time-frames, and bad time sense?" Nick asked, frustrated.
"We have to catch up to her, so we're putting in an extra eight hours. We'll be with her no later than the end of the second day."
"How much do we have to carry?" Nick inquired skeptically.
"Nick, we're cops, you'll handle it," Judy responded, chuckling.
"Only the packs with food and supplies. We can leave our other belongings here."
They excused themselves and left for their hut.

"Nick, you've done nothing but complain since we got here," Judy started.
"Well… you know me, I don't like traveling."
"Really?" She was shocked. "Why not?"
"I like a good routine."
"What was that about adventure, then?"
He gave a nervous laugh.
"I didn't think this is what you had in mind."
"Well, think about it this way: you like to spend time with me, right?"
"Of course!"
"And I'm here…"
"So I should enjoy being here," he accepted, defeated.
"Exactly! Let's get some sleep, then. Full day tomorrow."

Mapleton
Seventy Miles Southwest of Zootopia
Platz Medical Tower

"Let me get this straight," Arcturus' voice muttered. "You want me to barricade the city off from the world?"
"Exactly," Kai replied.
"Why?"
"There is a possibility for an outbreak of rabies."
"Except it was eradicated," Arcturus replied, certain of himself.
"Apparently Regulus kept secrets from you, too. He developed a weaponized strain, airborne."
"How is there a danger of it spreading?" The voice grew concerned.
"He was infected, and decided to jump sixty stories and splatter himself across the pedestrians below."
"How did he get infected?"
"I'll tell you everything, just do as I ask. The crowd has already dispersed, and I fear they might try to leave town soon. We cannot let that happen."
"And the chopper?"
"Rooftop of the tower. Vega and I need to get out."
"Expect to see me on that chopper. I demand an explanation when you get on."
"ETA?"
"I could mobilize my troops in twenty minutes, the chopper in half an hour."
"Remember, no one gets out. Lethal force, if necessary."
Arcturus merely grunted.
Kai hung up and grabbed Vega by the arm, dragging her to the elevator.

"How can you tell him to use lethal force? These are our mammals!" Vega hissed.
"No time to argue."
"You're blowing this way out of proportion!"
"I only want to explain once; I'll tell you everything when we get on that helicopter."
The elevator seemed to ascend slower than before, but eventually, they reached the top floor. As they exited, Kai quickly searched for a rooftop access door. Several false leads, but eventually, he found a door behind which a staircase led up. They rushed up, before exiting into the frigid air. The tower noticeably swayed, and Vega quickly found a place in the center of the roof to sit on, while Kai approached the edge and crouched down; the small patch of blood grew while they were in transit, and had trickles that now stained nearly the entire entrance plaza.
"What now?" Vega asked, speaking up over the howl of the wind.
Kai didn't answer, instead gazing down at the streets below. She crawled over to him, reluctant to get to the edge.
"What happens now?" she asked again, louder than before.
"I heard you the first time."
"Why didn't you answer?"
"Because I don't want to face reality."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, raising her voice.
"Not every nightmare is a dream, Vega."
"What?"
"I have my fair share of experience with weaponized viruses. It never ends well." Kai's voice grew cold.
"You mean this has happened before?"
"More than once." He chuckled.
"What was the outcome?"
"You see," he began, deferring her question. "Some of the most dangerous viruses in the world were thought to be hemorrhagic fevers."
"But they only retain at most a ninety percent mortality rate. Rabies is invariably fatal."
"Yes, but think: what happens to an individual infected with rabies?" Kai spoke, mildly amused.
"Well, for the original strains, symptoms took the form of high fever, tremors, fatigue, and inability to walk properly."
"Then?"
"Well, if they were conscious long enough: hydrophobia, seizures, bite reflex, and then… death."
"Timespan?" he demanded.
"Well… three weeks before initial onset, and then death comes very quickly."
"And the only way it can spread is through bites."
"Or drinking from infected water," she corrected.
"It doesn't matter how your strains differ from the ones in my youth. The fact of the matter is, the symptoms are very recognizable."
"What's so different about hemorrhagic fevers?" she inquired.
"Once infected, you have anywhere from a week to three before mild flu-like symptoms show up: cough, chills, sweating, mild fever, and so on."
"… Followed by massive organ failure and internal bleeding a week later, yes," Vega finished. "Why is it so dangerous?"
"For the week where you only have initial symptoms, do you really expect everyone to stay at home, or to barricade themselves in? Or, do you think they will continue to go to work and go about their business, shrugging it off as a mild cold? Especially if they never traveled, and never expected a lethal virus to be dispersed over their city."
"Oh my God…" Vega finally began to see his bigger picture.
"You see, a person can be smart, but people are dumb. They flock together in times of panic, seeking solace in each other. Mammals are no different. Do you honestly expect them to believe that a disease that hasn't existed for almost forty years would suddenly resurface, now airborne? And now, the symptoms are different; Neal had flu-like symptoms after only three days, and the fox that bit him only showed the final classical symptoms several hours before death."
"You need to get more antivirals, you—"
She was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter growing in the distance.
"Our ride is here," Kai muttered, standing; he took one last gaze down. "Look at them, blissfully unaware of their own impending doom. And it's all my fault."
"You couldn't have known that he would jump, even I didn't think he would do that!" Vega shouted.
"Hmph."

The helicopter touched down several minutes later; the door opened, and sitting inside, wearing his military uniform, was Arcturus. Kai lifted the small vixen onto the craft, before himself stepping in.
"Now, I want the full explanation," Arcturus demanded.
"You must agree not to mention it to anyone," Kai warned.
"I'll make that decision on my own."
"Fine."
The helicopter took off and began flying due North.
"So, how did he get infected?"
"It's a long story."
"We have twenty minutes until we get to the base."
"Fine; one of his weaponized strains got loose via a researcher. Said researcher bit my subordinate back in Zootopia. After a long series of events, both he and Vega were dead. I collected a vial of his blood and, using it as leverage, demanded that Regulus resuscitate them both."
"So you did this?" Arcturus appeared angry.
"I gave Regulus antivirals and other medications to get the job done. Little did I know, he only fixed up Vega; he let my subordinate die and stole the meds I gave him for mass production. I came to confront him, and… forced him to ingest the contents of the vial."
"You IDIOT!"
"While Vega and I were on the way down, he jumped."
"So you didn't push him?"
"No."
"I always thought he had a screw loose, but damn…"
"This virus is different than classical rabies," Kai stated.
"How?"
"Symptoms take around three days to manifest, and it resembles the flu or a cold."
"Then?"
"Hours before death, it begins to resemble classical rabies. Time to death is a week."
Arcturus sat very quietly as he thought of the implications.
"We have a problem then," the bear began. "I only set up barricades on the roads and railroads. Someone could still drive out through the wilderness."
"And when they see the barricades, I have no doubt they will try," Kai responded.
"I can have bombers ready in an hour."
"WHAT?!" Vega shouted.
"I understand you're upset, but think: if someone who's infected gets out, we'll never be able to contain it," Arcturus explained.
"We could just get more medicine from Procyon, we could—"
"My stockpile isn't nearly big enough," Kai began. "There are at least a million mammals down there, and I won't know who's sick with the strain or with some other miscellaneous illness until it's already too late."
"We could manufacture some, I'm sure the labs are—"
"It's out of the question," Arcturus barked. "If the world found out that rabies still existed, and that we had weaponized it, we would lose all authority."
"Procyon, you can't let him—"
"Remember when you asked me about the outcome?" Kai interrupted. "Brazillian hemorrhagic fever wiped out nearly the entire country before we managed to contain it. Mongolian hemorrhagic fever wiped out Ulaanbaatar before we figured out what the problem even was. The only time we saved a country was when we found out that terrorists had released a weaponized strain of the Junin virus as they did it; we destroyed the city preemptively."
"Why?!" she cried out.
"You're thinking about it wrong. You're trying to maximize lives saved; we're trying to minimize lives lost."
"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?!"
"In your theory, you cannot accept loss, and when you try to employ tactics to save everyone, you end up spreading the virus. In our theory, we accept that lives will be lost, and we limit how many extraneous deaths there will be," Kai spoke.
"By destroying the virus before it has a chance to spread," Arcturus followed up.
"Precisely. Your bombers will not be needed," Kai spoke. "Get us to the base quickly."
"What, you have another plan?"
"Inevitably, when someone sees military bombers flying in, word will get out that this is a conspiracy. That, and firebombs take a long time to kill."
"So you do have another plan. Let's hear it, then."
"I'll take care of it. Just get us to the base, power down all of your systems, and shield anything flammable with reflective tarp."
"You think we'll be in danger forty miles from the city?"
"Yes."
"What's the chance that someone will get out of this?"
"Zero."
"Why so certain?"
"Nothing survives a thermonuclear explosion at hypocenter. At forty miles, we'll have to be indoors to avoid radiation burns."
"A lot of faith you put into this bomb. Fine, get it done. We're almost at the base anyways."

Several minutes later, they touched down. Kai held Vega close as he exited and made for an encampment, while Arcturus began barking orders to everyone that could hear.
"Why?" Vega muttered quietly.
"I'm sorry," Kai answered. "This is all my fault."
"Yes," she answered, beginning to shed tears. "It is."
He turned her loose and drew the remote from his coat. The signal was weak, but present. He punched in launch instructions, as well as missile discard instructions; he didn't want the discarded missile casing to fall into anyone's hands, so he programmed it to destroy itself once the warhead released. An indicator popped up:

CONFIRM LAUNCH?
WARNING! DANGER CLOSE!
Y/N

"Arcturus, ten minutes!" he shouted. The bear nodded, before shouting further instructions. His finger hovered over the display for a long time.
You know you have to.
He turned his head slightly; a mirage stood there.
"I don't want to," he whispered. "Surely there's another way?"
No. Remember Ulaanbaatar?
Kai sighed, before pressing down on the 'Y'.
"Radio the barricades," Kai yelled. "Tell them to drive as far as they can, as fast as they can."
Again, Arcturus nodded, before proceeding to call an order on his radio. Everyone began to make haste into the bunker, brushing past him. Arcturus was the last, and he paused by the man's side.
"Bunker's waiting. If it's as bad as you say it is, you should hurry."
"I'll be right there," Kai replied. The grizzly shook his head, and took shelter.

The missile gave off no vapor trail, but he knew where it was coming from; he could see the very slight glint of the sunlight reflecting off of its chassis. As the stages separated, the booster fell off and exploded, but not before deploying countermeasures; unnecessary now, but a remnant of its design long ago. He watched as the single warhead descended upon the city.
What the hell are you doing, Garrett? Take shelter.
He ignored the advice, watching as it began to glow from reentry.
Thirty miles altitude, you have twenty seconds!
He stood a little longer, before turning his back and descending the staircase into the shelter. Seconds after he cleared the stairs, he could see the light tracing its way down after him, he could feel its heat on his back. He continued down the hallway; the lights flickered as he went, before becoming stable again.

"Well?" Arcturus asked, as he reconvened.
"It's done," Kai answered after a while, voice laden with remorse.
"How long until it's safe?"
"Theoretically now, but be ready for earthquakes and a very slight shockwave in a few minutes. Get me a ride to the lodge."
They began the walk back up.
"Alright, I decided that I won't tell anyone what happened."
"Really?"
"This was necessary, Procyon, even I understand that. You couldn't have anticipated his actions. You have some guilt in this, but it all comes down to him."
"Why so friendly?" They exited into the open air; it was noticeably warmer, and the building's olive drab paint coat was bubbling and peeling from the surface. "You know I had an enormous role in this."
"I did some thinking. If the Court found out how much you were involved, they would try to keep you locked up, which you would obviously never agree to."
"Never again," Kai agreed.
"Which means the only option is war." Arcturus turned to the rising mushroom cloud, and ran a claw across the ruined surface of the bunker. "I already know that we don't have the power to win, and it would be pointless to try; you would just take the whole world with you. So, I'll tell the Court that we prevented an outbreak, and that Regulus' actions and behavior nearly cost us everything."
"Altair will know that I had a hand in this."
"He's got a brain the size of a walnut, he'll never see the bigger picture. How about this: you continue to work with us, and I'll keep him off of your back."
"We have a deal. What will we tell the public?"
"We'll tell them it was a meteor; we deployed troops to help evacuate, but nothing came of it."
Kai chuckled.
"You have this all figured out, huh?"
The bear smiled.
"We'll have faked radar readings in half an hour. Let's see about getting you a bird to the lodge."
"You still have a working helicopter?"
"We have a couple in the hangar. We should be alright if you take off now."
"Where's Vega?"
"She's Regulus, now," Arcturus responded gruffly. "As is tradition."
"I'll wait for the Court to make it official."

A couple of soldiers fetched the vixen, and they, along with Arcturus, boarded the helicopter, quickly taking off for the city. She was visibly upset, but Kai didn't dare speak. Along the way, Arcturus was continuously calling and messaging various individuals. They reached the lodge in ten minutes, and the trio exited.
"Alright; I've already contacted several members, everyone should be at tonight's meeting. Vega—er, Regulus, come with me."
They left, leaving the man alone in the hall. He shambled towards his abode, unlocked the door, and entered. He was met by frigid air, and by Sirius curled up on his bed. Upon a closer inspection, the window was wide open.
"You're back," Sirius muttered, opening an eye.
"Why is the window open?"
"I don't know how you can live with the temperature cranked up so high. I cracked the window a bit so it would be more tolerable."
"Cracked a bit? It's wide open!"
"Meh."
Kai shook his head and hung up his coat in the closet.
"So," Sirius began. "I didn't eat any jerky."
Kai grabbed the bag and threw it to the dog.
"Knock yourself out."
"You promised you would scratch me if I didn't eat."
"Not right now." He picked the wolf up and gently set him on the floor, before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Alright, what's wrong?"
"I just killed a million mammals."
"You what?" Sirius asked incredulously.
"I just bombed a million mammals into ashes."
"Was that the earthquake, then? I mean… that's sad and all, but you're the great General Kai. How is that any different from the forty some million that you killed in your youth?"
"They weren't the enemy."
Sirius let out a sad hum, before jumping back up on the bed and lying across Kai's lap.
"Sirius…"
"You promised."
Kai smiled weakly.
"You're finally getting the hang of it."

He took off his gauntlets, and began absentmindedly running his fingers through his companion's fur.
"So, tell me more," Sirius moaned.
"Only if you stop talking like that."
"Mhm."
"I infected Regulus with his own strain of rabies, so I could have some form of revenge. I didn't anticipate he would jump from the roof and splatter himself across the pedestrians below. I can't believe I didn't bother thinking of every alternative."
"Well, you know what they say about revenge: it proves its own executioner."
"I couldn't let it go, so I indirectly damned an entire city of bystanders. Innocents."
"But you stopped the spread of disease, right?"
"I almost started it to begin with."
"Look, Procyon…" Sirius rotated such that he was lying on his back. "We all make mistakes sometimes. They don't become errors until we refuse to fix them. You fixed your mistake and saved the world from an incurable disease."
"I suppose you're right. I don't know what's wrong, I shouldn't be feeling guilty like this."
"Happens to the best of us," Sirius joked.
"No, I was made not to feel guilt, ever."
"Maybe they didn't make you right. Good thing, too; I wouldn't want a remorseless killing machine holding me like this."
They sat, man petting wolf, for a while.
"Sirius, what time is it?"
"Oh, around noon. Why?"
"So I committed genocide and avenged the dead, all before lunch." He shook his head, letting loose a remorseful chuckle. "I need to see Bogo; my subordinates should be at the monastery by now."
"Aww, don't leave me."
"Help yourself to the rest of the bag while I'm gone."
"Get out of here, then."
Kai pushed Sirius onto the floor and quickly dressed, before exiting towards the city.

His transit was mostly uneventful; he passed a few frantic Court members while still in the lodge, and avoided the attention of most common folk by staying on the rooftops while in the city. Eventually, he reached the downtown precinct, making his way to Bogo's office. He knocked and entered, prompting a scowl from the buffalo.
"What are you doing here? I'm very busy dealing with the public about the earthquake and some strange lights."
"Felix and company should be at the monastery by now."
"Really? I haven't heard anything from them yet."
"Call, then."
Bogo picked up the desk phone, before pausing.
"What, no precautions like last time?"
"I don't think Savage will be watching me anymore."
Bogo rolled his eyes before dialing a number. After a lengthy amount of time, it was answered.
"Shingis?… Are you at the monastery?… Alright, good. Is Leora there?"
There was a long pause in conversation; after seeing Kai's stare, Bogo elaborated that 'he's checking'. Several minutes later, his expression changed to one of extreme anger.
"What do you mean she's not there? Where did she go?!… Honshu? Are you shitting me?! Why?!… Family? She doesn't have family in Honshu! In Edo no less!"
"At least none that she told you of," Kai corrected.
"Zip it!" he hissed. "Shingis, find out more. Call back when you do, no later than tomorrow." He slammed the receiver into the cradle.
"Honshu?" Kai asked. "Would I be correct in presuming it is the largest island east of the mainland?"
"Yes. Why would she leave? For family, no less…"
"We need to find her," Kai reminded.
"We have no leads. If she left more than a day ago, she could be anywhere by now!" Bogo slammed his palm onto the surface of his desk in rage, and sat deep in thought. "Where could she be, now…"
"I'm going to kill that rabbit."
"Hold on, there is still one more lead we could check out."
"That is?"
"Her parents. They could tell us about her entire extended family."
"They're senile!"
"It's the only shot we have. They're at the city asylum. You're coming along."
"Finally, you're being reasonable."
"No, I just don't want you ruining my office again while I'm gone." Bogo called the front desk regarding addressing the public, and fetched a thick coat from the hook.

They exited, quickly making their way to the train stop. The asylum was a lengthy ride away, and was nested in the far corner of Tundratown, near an exhaust vent, perhaps to limit any notion of escape. They walked through a fierce blizzard before reaching the entrance. As they walked in, a bell on the door rang; inside, a group of several doctors were conversing with a concierge, and upon hearing the bell, they turned to look.
"Ah, Chief Bogo and… the ambassador! How are you two today?" one of the doctors, a tanuki, spoke up.
"Bogo, see about getting us in. Doctor, may I speak with you in private?" Kai asked, walking into the corner and motioning for the mammal to follow. They walked into the far corner and huddled close. "Alcor, I don't resemble the ambassador."
"I'm sorry, but I can't call you Procyon in this company!" he hissed back.
"Feign ignorance, then."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see Leora's parents."
His eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"I wanted to ask them a few questions."
"They have dementia, you won't easily get any answers."
"That's fine."
The tanuki covered his eyes with his paws and let out a strained sigh.
"What's Bogo doing here, then?"
"Same thing."
"I'm going to warn you right now: don't push the conversation."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai raised a brow.
"You'll understand. See to it that Chief Bogo doesn't."
He walked over to the desk, exchanged a few words with the concierge, and walked over to the door.
"Alright, this way," he spoke.
The door buzzed open, and they entered.

A/N: I'd like to give an enormous thanks to Bosstwin for making coverart for the story. I've been in need of it for 33 chapters, and I finally have it now! I don't think words can sufficiently describe my gratitude.

Behold the anguish of a tortured man. All will be explained in due time, so if you're wondering why he feels guilty, it'll be explained eventually. As a note, the next chapter will probably be without Nick and Company. I still have some development to do, and they're supposed to be asleep, so I don't want the story to desynchronize. On another note, if you have any questions about the story, especially about things that I haven't done a good job explaining, or just anything at all, feel free to ask away and I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities.

The chapter title ideally has two meanings. The first is obvious: the hypocenter of a nuclear explosion is the ground zero. The second definition of 'ground zero' is the starting point of something; in this case, a very large and intricate series of events. I've got everything planned out for the next five or six chapters, and I hope it is as exciting to read as it will be to write.

I've also reached 300 pages of standard Arial 10-point font, excluding authors notes (325 with author's notes) and this chapter (~310?). I'm well on my way to a full novel, huh?

Edit: At a reviewer's suggestion, I cleaned up the dialogue between Vega and Kai, so it would be easier to tell who was speaking when.

Fun Fact #34: France has the most time zones at 12, but Russia has the most contiguous time zones at 9.