Chapter 17: Bad News

The news reached Judy and Nick before their train made it back to Zootopia. Bellweather was dead, found hanging from the ceiling from a rope she'd made with her own clothes. It was even more of a shock to discover there was suspicion that it was not a suicide but murder.

Barely an hour after the news broke out, the Chief had contacted Judy, his tone dire and urgent.

"Come straight to the precinct once you're in the city Hopps. There's no time to waste."

Judy had a sinking suspicion that it was related to the sheep's death, and that once again, she was the centre of attention – for all the wrong reasons.

Bogo did not waste anytime once they arrived at the station, and surprisingly Dr. Rosemary was there as well. On the way to where Bogo revealed was a high class detention centre, he added that the mammal they were going to visit had requested – 'more like demanded' Bogo hissed under his breath – that a licensed doctor be present while they spoke to him.

In short clipped sentences, Bogo told them about Revere's weekend visit while the duo was out of town and the condition that he would only speak with them if Judy was present.

"Why me?" Judy asked, as they zoomed down the lonely highway, "What does he want with me?"

Bogo looked at her through the rearview mirror, "I want the answer to that question as badly as you do, Hopps."

There was a tense silence as Bogo slammed on the accelerator, as if deadly afraid of something chasing them and Judy was grateful when Nick took her paw, squeezing it reassuringly.

They arrived at last at a sprawling building of a detention centre, and at the gate, the guard let them pass when Bogo flashed his I.D card.

"This is where Revere is being kept?" Nick asked as they walked through a silent, creepy hallway, "It's fit for a king."

"He only has until next month before he dies. The court has ruled death by the electric chair for him and this is just to ensure that nothing untoward happens to him before that time. Tundratown's still seething from the damage he caused." Bogo explained, "We're here."

They had arrived at a large door, Bogo nodding at the guard standing by it who searched them and collected their phones, watches and all pieces of metal from them, even Rosemary's jewelry, only letting her go with her doctor's case. Even for that, he had demanded to see a license which Rosemary had fortunately brought with her.

Even still, Judy had a suspicion she may not have been allowed that if not for Bogo's presence.

Once he had made sure there was nothing more on them, he swiped a card through the small machine on the wall next to the door, it opened silently, a single light in the room automatically turning on and revealing the single occupant of the room.

Revere looked emaciated and sickly but as soon as he saw their small party, a broad smile overcame his unhealthy features. The door closed behind them, as if representing a sign of finality.

Revere was bound to the wall by both his legs, only being able to move about five metres away and Rosemary thoughtfully commented on it.

"All these precautions just for a weasel?" she asked curiously and Revere smiled at the question.

"Yes," he affirmed, "A weasel who murdered a little over 120 mammals with no accomplice nor a firearm." A small laugh, "I think I can be classified as dangerous."

It seemed he took pleasure in watching how her face paled and she looked away.

"Is Judy here?" he asked, and when he and Judy locked eyes, a very sad look came on his face, "Officer Hopps, you look good. How have you been?"

"I'm well, Revere, though I don't know why you would care."

He didn't respond to her and instead faced Bogo "I told you to watch the news. Bellweather is dead, isn't she?"

They all looked visibly surprised and Revere chuckled to himself "You all looked so shocked? Chief, I'm so hurt you didn't believe me."

"You never said Bellweather would die." Bogo said in a hard voice.

"Details, details," Revere waved Bogo's concerns away, "I did say something big would happen."

"Revere," Judy interrupted, looking straight at him, "Why did you want me here?"

"Because after Bellweather, I'm next. I'm not going to have to wait until next month for death to find me, and in a way, I'm glad for it. Saves me the trouble anyway."

"The trouble of what?" Nick asked, half angry that Revere wasn't going straight to the point.

"The trouble of killing myself." He expatiated, looking at Nick as if he were a slow learner, "But before I go into that, I need to show you something, so you can believe me."

He looked at Judy, "If I wanted to, I could be you."

In a second, Revere had gone from being a dirty mangled weasel to Judy Hopps, police officer extraordinaire. Judy felt a jolt of nostalgia wash over her as she stared at bunny her, the only difference being Revere's dull brown eyes, instead of her bright violet.

Resemary put a hand to her mouth and Bogo stumbled back, apparently stunned. Judy and Nick remained frozen in place, Nick running a hand over his shocked face.

"Or you" Revere's voice came out as Judy's, before he was suddenly Bogo, standing tall and imposing inside the large room.

"Oh my God." A stunned whisper escaped Rosemary's mouth.

"Or even Bellweather," and then the traitor sheep was looking at them, a smug look on her fluffy face, "The point is, I can be anybody I want to be, and very few people would be able to tell the difference."

He changed back to his normal self, "This is why I have called you here, Judy, to apologize for my father's action, and to warn you. When this alternate version of the Night Howler was being made, a test subject was inevitably needed. As you know, being in this business is kind of like a gang, and a member passes their membership to their children, whether they like it or not."

"I was part of those who didn't like it. I didn't want to be an illiterate whose only purpose in life was obeying my gang lord. I didn't want to commit crimes for a living. I wanted to go to college, and actually be someone important but in the eyes of my father, I was a rebel and when they needed a test subject, he threw me under the bus to gain his boss's favour. I was the only – forgive my language – guinea pig that survived the cruel tests they put us to. As such, my blood is the only thing that can change a mammal, or return them to normal."

Bombshells after bombshells were being dropped on them, and Bogo didn't know what to make of it. First, Bellweather's death and now this?

But Revere wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.

"How did you father come up with the idea of making an alternate Night Howler?" Nick asked, "It's not the most conventional method of revenge there is."

"He didn't." Revere said calmly, "Just as Bellweather didn't think up the original idea for the Night Howler as well."

"What?" Judy breathed.

"The gang lords call him Xavier. But I'm sure you know that's not his real name. Bellweather was frustrated, of course, at how much more privileged predators seemed to be more than prey but she was content to stew in it until he came along. He filled her head with ideas of a utopia where only prey lived and there was no more inequality between predator and prey, and he exploited her frustration until she agreed to carry out the Night Howler operation. She was loyal up to the point she took the blame for him. She fell for his words just like my father did."

"Jackson was angry that so much more illegal business seemed to be busted by the police or closing for fear of getting busted and Hopps was an easy target to lay all the blame on. Xavier was angry too about the ZPD's success, and my father was the perfect victim to use. He convinced him that Judy was the main problem, and filled his head with how much better everything would be if she was out of the picture until my father, just like Bellweather, was ready to commit a crime and take the blame for it. Xavier rarely featured, he was content to let other people live out his schemes and face the consequences of it."

Revere paused for a moment to look at all of them, "When I killed all those people, how I killed them, I can't even remember. That is the one weakness of the alternate Night Howler. You are lucky Judy, that it has been so short a time since you were shot or you would be facing the same problem. At first, the Night Howler only lets you get affected by the first mammal or reptile you come in contact with after getting shot but after a time, you begin to automatically absorb the DNA of every mammal you meet. This puts a strain on your body and overloaded by too much pressure, the body lashes out by sporadically transforming into a mammal you can't even control or choose."

"That is the stage I was in, when I arrived in Tundratown, after escaping from the lab I was locked in. I was looking for my father, and I stumbled across a party. Maybe it was the noise, or the stress I had gone through or something I may not be even aware of. I snapped and when I came to consciousness, I was surrounded by dead bodies and a river of blood. Now, I am in the stage where the burden of transforming is killing me like a terminal disease. It is a stage I do not want you to reach Judy, which is why I called for a doctor to come with you all here. There is a very real possibility I might die within the next few day, either from the Night Howler or because of Xavier."

"What does Xavier have to do with any of this?" Rosemary asked, fully immersed in the story, "Why is he after you?"

"Why else?" Revere asked, laughing mirthlessly, "Bellweather, Jackson and I were the only ones who knew his identity, and one by one, he is taking us out. Xavier is rich, but more than that, he has connections. His connections were what allowed him kill Bellweather in prison and they are what is going to let him dispose of me here. Money is the root of all evil afterall."

"Oh." Rosemary said after a second, at a loss "That is unfortunate."

"You are the doctor, aren't you?" Revere asked, pointing at her. At Rosemary's nod, he raised up his sleeve, "I hope you'll be able to find a vein, I haven't properly eaten in a few days now."

Rosemary looked at Bogo for permission, and when he waved, she walked over to Revere, opening her doctor's case.

"Please make a fist." When Revere did, Rosemary felt his arm for veins. He winced slightly when she stuck the needle in but then relaxed. As soon as she finished, he rolled his sleeve down, muttering a slight 'thanks'. Silently, he watched as Rosemary also drew blood from Judy, in case there had indeed been changes in her DNA as Revere had suggested.

"I want to talk to Judy alone." He announced when she was done. Nick was reluctant to leave Judy alone with a mammal he still perceived as a criminal but at the insistence of Bogo, he left the room with the Chief and Rosemary.

Judy spent a long time in there, and when she came out, her expression was ominous and bleak.

"He's going to die tonight." She said, when they were back in Bogo's car, "He said he could feel it when he was showing us his abilities. His body won't last past today."

Nick could see there was something else bothering her, and when she looked at him, he thought he saw a little fear in her eyes.

Dun dun dun!

What is going to happen now? Do you emphasize with Revere? Do you like him?

Let me know in your reviews!