They want to see me gone from this planet for good, I know that, they're seething, teeth barely clenched. Me, I just want to laugh, they can't stop me, they can't do anything to me… not without me then clamming up on them… and you know what, I like that leverage, it's nice to have a little control for once.
"Tell you what," I chuckle, despite myself, "You tell me where my family is- where the hell everyone else is- and then maybe I'll talk. If you don't, then fine, go ahead and kill me, but you're not going to get me to back down… so quit trying." I stand there, daring them do to anything, daring my nose to twitch.
They don't say anything. They don't even move...
Instead, it's almost like they're anxious…
Like they're afraid, and I wish I could tell, but all I can pick up is sweat and metal. You've got this, Nick, claws can take care of these bastards…
"Did you not hecking hear me or something?" I say, lips peeling back in a snarl. "Either you take me to my family, or I'm scat-canning all of you…"
"I wouldn't recommend that," one of them says, head swivelling to face me, one normal eye fixed right on me while the other blinks, slow and steady.
"You want to tell me why not?" I ask, trying to just stay calm, stay calm Nick, they're not going to hurt you they're not going to hurt you they're not going to hurt you…
Oh who the flock am I kidding they're totally gonna hurt me…
And I wanna fight them but I'm not… not the strongest…
"It's really kind of simple, Nicholas," one of the 'borgs says, a fox like me, with a metallic arm and a metal band over their eyes-
"We're mammals too, aren't we?" they ask, and I nod.
"O- of course…," I stammer. "So why does that involve me? I don't want anything to do with this, I just want to see my friend and my family and Mister and Missus Wilde again… not join you guys on a trek to wherever the heck it even is that you're all going?"
"We were just out on a bit of a rendezvous, Nicholas-"
"It's Nick, please."
"If you insist, Nicholas…," another one of them says, and at first I think that it's just trying to piss me off, but then my brain takes the second that it needs to actually process and I hear the levity and the sarcasm there…
"No, but seriously," I mumble, fiddling with my claws, feeling like this is a trap, this is too easy, there's no way that we get away with this, no way no way no way no way… "where're we going? I- um, I had a whole group of people out to kill me and now I'm being dragged along by the cyborgs that're supposed to kill me, I mean, what the hell?"
"I understand that we likely don't seem the most trustworthy-"
That's one freaking hell of an understatement if I've ever heard one- one really, really, really big understatement…
"-but your presence was asked for by the man who saved all of us…."
Yeah, like that doesn't sound suspicious as hell, I mean, come on, it's barely 2002, you expect me to believe all of this… as if I can honestly believe any of this is real, they're all just kitnapping me to kill me and dump the body somewhere where they won't end up raising any questions…
Yeah, that's probably it and I would seriously be trying to run right now if I didn't see that every single one of these folks are armed beyond anything I've ever seen before…
I wanna run I wanna run I wanna RUN oh sweet celestials above I wanna run so bad… but no that would get me shot and I would probably end up bleeding out and dying and I don't think that bleeding out any dying is entirely conducive to making it out of all of this alive… hmm yeah no, I really don't think so…
"And who was that?" I ask, not expecting an answer, really- I don't know why, maybe it's the smarm in my voice, maybe it's something more than that…
"I'm surprised you don't already know him," yet another half-metallic creature says, and I can't really fight back the shudders at that, I don't know why… just this whole thing makes me uneasy.
"Am I supposed to, or something?" I ask, trying to not sound snarky as hell, I've already gotten my sorry tail into enough trouble recently and I don't need my mother finding out that I made it this far, this freaking far, only to end up shot because I ran my yap too much..
"Maybe?" the first borg says, now sounding not too sure of themself. "I would have thought your mother would have told you about him… after all, he was supposed to be her husband… Stu Hopps, never heard of him?"
"Can't say that I really ever have, no," I say, trying to make sure that my head is still attached to my neck…
"So that's how that happened," I hear myself muttering. "So how long until I get to meet him? And maybe cuss his sorry hide out for ditching my mother all those years ago? I mean, come on, really? You get a woman pregnant and promise that you'll marry her and then go and leave her standing there on the altar and then leave her without any family because they've all abandoned her because she went to marry you and then she's left with a baby she can't afford and then she wants the kid back because she regrets it and in his place she finds a baby fox because apparently a swapsie worked? And that fox grows up to be bitter and angry and calls himself Nicholas Hopps?
Hmm, sounds familiar…
"Okay, let's go," I mutter, clenching my jaw, fist wrapping tighter and tighter…
Despite everything, I need answers, now more than ever… but for once, I genuinely have an answer.
For the longest time- and no, I'm not talking about the Filly Joel song- I've been seeking answers- well, an answer, singular- to "who am I?"
Who is Nicholas Hopps?
Well, it's taken me long enough... but I know that now. I'm Bonnie Hopps' son, I'm a friend, someone who loves, someone who is loved- and someone who's going to go get his family back, no matter what it takes.
"Alright," I nod, "Let's go kick some can…"
[END PART ONE: Chapter 40/ Part II Chapter I should be out some time in December, if life doesn't get in the way again...
AN: It's been way, way, way too long, I know, I've been incredibly busy with life- and I ground out this chapter in order to get started on NaNoWriMo- you can check out what I'm writing over at InkFoxPrints on FictionPress.
I'd just like to send an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who has followed, faved, and reviewed over the last four-plus years! It's been a ball, guys, gals, and enby pals! Hope you stick around for PART TWO.
So why "Part Two," and not just more chapters as is?
It's time, I feel, for a perspective switch- again- and I'd like to set that narrative thread apart with its own section. Now, we're going to get to find out where the hey everyone went… and the hell they've been going through in the meantime. Don't worry, none of our group's died... yet.
I'm not that cruel….
Cya, and thanks again!
-WP (Ink)