Chapter 9:
Simon wakes up and lays there looking at the ceiling. He thinks about how his life has changed over the last few days. He now has a beautiful wife and an intelligent son. "Life couldn't be any sweeter," he thinks. (Dad? Hey dad, you awake"?) (I'm awake, son; what would you like"?) (Can you tell me about the earth and her people"?) ("You know I'm out of date on the earth? I haven't been there for a long time.") (I've never been anywhere but here.")
("Well, son, the earth is a green and blue ball floating in space. Three-quarters of the world was covered by water, and we had a plethora of sea life. From what I've been told, all sea mammals and almost all land mammals were wiped out in the distant past. The world's reptiles didn't stand a chance as they are cold-blooded. They all died out in the nuclear winter.") ("What's a reptile"?) ("Can you see pictures in my head like Thomas, son"?) ("I can.") ("Then I'm going to try to project a picture of one.")
("STOP DAD, that's scary. Were all reptiles like that"?) ("No, that was just an alligator. They lived in the swamps of a place called Florida.") ("So, there were many more varieties of them"?) ("Yes, tons more, son. Some crawled on their bellies; most walked on short stubby legs. Komodo Dragons were much bigger and could eat you in one gulp. Ask your mother about them; I'm sure she has pictures in her data banks.") ("Did they eat humans"?) ("Only the stupid ones. Most humans were smart enough to leave them alone. Humans were the top of the food chain.") ("So, what did humans eat"?) ("Humans ate just about anything, from grains to bugs, to elephants. If it moved, we ate it.") ("did humans eat other humans"?) ("they did, son. It was called cannibalism in my time.") ("Do humans still eat other humans, now"?) ("I'm sure it still happens. There were deviants back in my time, and I'm sure they still exist now.") ("Hemm, I guess I'm a bit of a deviant then, I like the taste of mom.") Simon rolls over trying to stifle his laughter. Betty wakes up, "So, what's so funny? Do I have drool on my face"? "No love, but the cannibal in the other room wants his breakfast." Betty puts a puzzled look on her face as Simon returns to laughing. Betty gets up, cleans up their son, and starts to feed him. ("I was right; mom does taste good.") Marc says this as he bites her nipple. Simon rolls off the bed, laughing hard. Betty hisses with pain and then admonishes Marc for biting.
After breakfast, plans for the trip back to earth were finalized. Betty and Simon rode the tube system back to the alpha base. Marc's head appears over the carrier's top, and Simon sees him looking all around. Something was up with that; not sure what. Mavis, Brian, and six other personnel are going back with them. Thomas and Jessica would fly the other two shuttlecraft back to earth with all the personnel who wanted to return, and Scott would fly the Pegasus back. As they fly back, Mavis takes Marc and, with a wink at Betty, tells her she will look after him. Betty and Simon then go to the sleeper berth and become the newest members in the "twenty-five thousand-mile-high" club. They are greeted by wolf whistles and clapping when they return. They weren't very quiet about it. Two more couples snuck away to do the same thing. Everyone crowded around Scott, looking out the forward viewport to get their first glimpse of the new earth. Scott shoos when all back to their seats as they enter the final approach to earth. They were not expecting the crowds that greeted them. It wasn't as big a crowd as when they lifted off, but it still was big.
Scott wondered what they would think of the other crafts. But Thomas and Jessica didn't land at Wilde Industries; they landed at the Howard air force base. Both ships had graviton coils, but Thomas and Jessica came in like aircraft. It was fun to fly these crafts. All eyes were on Wilde Industries; no one saw the other crafts touch down except ZCIA personnel. Jack and Skye were waiting for the people and pilots to disembark. The people from the crafts were taken for orientation in their new lives and jobs. Jack and Skye took the pilots for top-level debriefing. They weren't allowed in that debriefing, but they did get to drive the pilots home. It was obvious to them both they were a mated pair. Skye sniffs the car's air, trying to place their scents; they seem familiar to her. Her eyes go wide with realization when she remembers where they are dropping them off. She gives them corner looks for the rest of the trip. Thomas and Jessica sigh. Traffic is heavy, so they go out the passengers' doors.
They all walk into the O'Hare apartment complex. Wallace is behind the desk and greets them all with a warm smile. "Afternoon, Jack; who are your friends"? Thomas says, "hi Wallace, I'm Thomas Lasiter, and my wife is Jessica." "Oh, very good; I'm pleased to make your acquaintance finally." He shakes both their paws and hands them the keys to their apartment. Just then, eight kits pile out of the house elevator. "MOM, DAD." They all scream as they glom onto their respective parents. Wallace sits there smiling at the joyous reunion and wonders when the Lasiters adopted Daniel and Susan's kits. The parents get hugs and kisses from all their children after they pick them up. The adults wave to Wallace as they all enter the elevator to go up.
As they enter the front door, it's a free for all as the kits jump from their arms and head for the living room. Betty had warned Miss Watts they were coming, and she had made a pot of coffee for their arrival. Jessica excuses herself for the facilities. Skye corners her as she exits the room. "So, Susan, when were you going to tell us of this change"? "Sorry, Skye, we didn't have Bob's permission to tell you. Would it have made much of a difference"? "It would have; I wouldn't have been so torn up inside when you died." "Well, I don't recommend dying; it really hurts." "I'm glad you didn't die, and it feels good to have you back again, my friend." Says Skye with tears in her eyes as she hugs her. Jack looks down the hall, sees this, and wonders, "what's up with that"?
Thomas could see that Bonnie wanted to tell him something; she was vibrating where she stood. "So, what is it, little love"? Jack's head snaps around to look at Thomas. The gears in his head may turn slowly, but they do turn. "DAD, I got in, I got in." "What did you get in, little love"? "I got in the mammalian Games, well, the training camp anyways." "That's great, Bonnie; where is the training camp this year"? "In New Zork this year, dad." "Do you need your mother and I to take you"? "No, I'll go with my trainer, Tom Davisson, and his father, Billy. He is a master from the meadowlands DOJO." "I have fought him; he's a good mammal." "I also got my black belt last week." "Well, that calls for a celebration." "Can it be cake and ice cream"? Asks Bonnie of her dad. "Anything for you, little love." Bonnie hugs her dad and heads for the other kits in the living room. Jessica grabs Bonnie as she walks by and tells her how proud of her she is. Miss Watts smiles and starts to make the cake.
"So, Daniel, could you not have let us know about this change in yourselves"? "Sorry, Jack, we couldn't. Bob told us to tell as few people as we could. Our family and Chief Bogo are the only ones to know, and Miss Watts, of course." "Who would believe me if I said anything? They would write me off as a crazy old female." Says Miss Watts as she stirs the batter. We all laugh at her joke. "Do you know how hard it was for my wife and I"? "Yes, Jack, we know, and your wife was the one to win our bet." "Bet? What bet"? Jessica and I had a bet to see which of you two would figure it out first." "IS THAT all we are to you two, a bet"? "No, Jack, you aren't, but we had orders from Bob Cromwell not to tell anyone else. This was for the greater good. The river of time has to flow the right way."
"How would us, knowing you were alive and in different bodies, going to change things"? We can't say, Jack. Now that you know, the timeline is a bit different." "Right, you have told me in the past you could see into the future; how come you couldn't see who won the bet before"? Jack, the time flow is like a river. We can see the eddies and currents and flow on the surface, but until a decision is made, we can't know the outcome. The river of time is very confusing. We can follow a time thread and see the outcome for that point in time, but it becomes more confusing the further ahead we look as more decisions are made."
"Jack jumps across the table and hugs Thomas, "I'm glad you didn't die, Daniel." Says Jack with a tear in his eyes. "Jack, we did die; we didn't fake that. We were allowed to come back as you see us now. These bodies we made over fifty years ago. We didn't know we would be allowed to come back. We hoped so, but no, we did die. A bullet to the brain is hard to take and final." Skye comes back in and hugs Thomas as well. Jessica then hugs Jack as he cries anew. The front door opens as the family returns from Wilde Industries.
Betty introduces her mate to everyone. Miss Watts notices the kit carrier as she puts the cake in the oven. She then clamors to hold the new kit in the house. Betty smiles as she passes Marc over. Vivian has tears as she sees Marc for the first time. Marc wakes up and snuffles Miss Watts. He is then passed to Vivian. Bonnie waits her turn to hold him. Marc is given to Bonnie, and she lays him down on his back on her legs. "All right, you little stinker, you can open your eyes now." Thomas looks at his daughter, "Bonnie"? "It's ok, dad. This little stinker has been in my head for the last five weeks. Just like William was in Amber's head. It was hard for me not to tell you about future events before you left for the moon." Marc opens his eyes and looks up at Bonnie. Bonnie leans down until their noses almost touch. A spark jumps from her nose to his, and they both freeze. The transfer doesn't last long as both have not lived very long. Bonnie rubs him nose to nose. Simon soon realizes that his son is being held by his future mate. She's just an adorable rabbit.
Marc starts to chuckle as this rank smell hits them all. Simon gets up to change his son, but Bonnie throws Marc over her shoulder and jumps down, saying, "She would take care of him." Simon sits back down and continues the conversation he was having. Sounds of dismay happen when all the kits in the living room get a whiff of Marc. Bonnie takes Marc down the hall to the changing table set up in the room next to Betty's room. She gets him cleaned up. She doesn't keep a paw on him; instead, she looks and reaches with both paws for a clean diaper. She hears a pop, and when she looks back, Marc is gone. She turns for the door to see his tail disappear around it.
"MARC, YOU LITTLE STINKER, GET BACK HERE." Everyone in the Kitchen hears her shout. Marc comes running around the corner into the kitchen. He skitters on the tiles with his claws and lands on his chin with an "oomph." He gets up on his paw pads and runs under the table as Bonnie rounds the corner. Everyone laughs as they lift their hind paws off the floor. Bonnie bends over to look under the table, but Marc is gone. A pop and colective gasp happen in the living room as Marc runs into the kitchen. He is low-slung to the ground, like a fox on the hunt. He lands on Bonnies back and licks her from her neck to the base of her ears. Bonnie shoots upright as Marc launches himself from her back. He does a half twist in the air, lands, and runs for the living room with Bonnie in hot pursuit. He promptly disappears with a pop. He reappears behind her when she bends over and does the same thing to her.
"Thomas, did you know that he could do that"? "We did, Betty, but we couldn't see its harm." "You couldn't see the harm in it? He could have hurt himself." He was cautious when and where he did it." "How could he see? He kept his eyes closed." "He could see because he was projecting his spirit out in front of his face. It took Jessica and I a bit to learn how to emulate him. Vision like that takes a bit to get used to, but when we did, we could see so much more than with the naked eye. He taught us to teleport as he does." "Did you teach him how to walk and run like that"? "No, he learned that on his own with Bonnie's help. We found him several times in the corridor, but he would disappear when he saw us." "And you never thought to tell Simon or me"? We watched over him, Betty. What kind of family members would we be if we didn't watch him"? He wasn't inquisitive enough to get himself in trouble. He used the link he had with Bonnie regularly to ask her questions. So, if he were curious about something, he would ask her." "You didn't know it was your daughter he was talking to"? "We did, but we thought it was Charlette, not Bonnie. They have a very similar mind voice." "Simon, you and I are going to talk with that boy. He kept a lot from us." Simon nods his head at Betty but has a secret smile for his son. Betty gives him a look. He then remembers the bond they have and lowers his head. Betty puts a smile on her face. "Simon, did you bring Marc to bed the other day"? "No, I thought you did." "Well, I guess we now know how he got there."
Marc is playing with Bonnie and gets her a few more times. Bonnie puts on a sly grin as Marc pops in behind her again. But this time, before he can pounce, Bonnie does a back flip and pins him to the ground with an "oomph." She picks him up and clutches him to her breast. Marc puts his paws as far out as he can and hugs her. ("I'm yours if you want me.") ("Not sure I want a little stinker like you.") ("You know you love me.") ("Not sure I do at this point.") She thinks to him as she nuzzles the top of his head affectionately. She puts Marc down on his hind paws and introduces him to all the kits. Mavis and Brian sit there in shock; they had never seen anything like it. When the greetings are done, Marc turns and walks into the kitchen.
Betty and Simon scowl at him. Marc seeing the look on his parent's faces, lowers his eyes and looks at the floor. "Marc, you have kept a lot from your mother and I; we need to talk later." In a high squeaky voice, "we will, dad, but can I get something to eat now? Doing all that took a lot of energy." Before he can move, Bonnie lays a paw on him. ("Take what you need, Marc.") Marc takes a little power from her so he doesn't fall flat on his face. Betty opens her arms, and Marc jumps up. Betty stuffs him into the kit carrier, where he falls asleep after a few minutes of sucking.
Elizabeth and John return from the hospital. They had been helping with the latest burn victim. They were nurses that came to visit the patients. Their agreement with the hospital was that no one knew what they could do. The head physician agreed to this as it helped individuals, but it also made him and his department look good when the patients recovered much faster. They are introduced to Simon Betty's mate. Elisabeth reaches out for the kit in the carrier on Betty's chest. Betty paws over little Marc. Marc snuffles at her and curls back up to sleep. John looks over her shoulder and runs a paw pad down his back. Marc purrs in his sleep. Elizabeth checks him over, then paws him back to Betty.
"Well, I can see the resemblance to his father; where are you from, Simon? It can't be from around here. Your coloring is quite unusual." "He's from animanial on the east continent. He's a hybrid, a cross between a red fox and a sand fox. Well, at least that's what we will tell everyone. He's a modified human from the far distant past." "Can I have your paw, please, Simon"? Elisabeth takes his paw and holds it for a few. "Wow, Thomas and Jessica, this is great work; I'm impressed." "Thanks, Elisabeth. We had to make Simon's body that way, so it explains Marc's coloring." "Yes, I can see you made Simons coloring this way. But Marc's fur color is natural and a very dominant trait. His kits should all have coloring similar to his."
"You mean our kits." Says Bonnie to Elisabeth as she walks into the kitchen. "What do you mean, Bonnie"? Bonnie points to the kit carrier on Betty's chest. "That little stinker has been in my head for the last five weeks. Just like Amber and William. I love him already." "You should have had a chance to grow up first." "I'm not complaining. We have spoken in our minds after I taught him to speak. He is very entertaining in his own way." "I've got a feeling that it will be story night tonight."
"Sorry to burst your bubble Elisabeth, but it's movie night tonight. Story night is tomorrow night. It's a movie you all need to see." "What is it"? "It's a surprise; you would want to spoil the surprise, would you, sis"? "Can you give me a hint, please"? "Since you asked nicely, it's about mom and dad." "Since when do mom and dad star in a movie"? "Since always, don't ask for more; you will find out tonight." Elisabeth harumphs and sits down at the table with a glass of juice. John kisses her neck, and she leans into him with a contented sigh.
Judy and Nick had a long day. They had to chase down a cheetah. Without Nick's encyclopedic knowledge of Zootopia's streets, the perp would have gotten away. They cornered him in a dead-end alley, and the perp had turned to fight. All the fight left him as two tranks hit his chest. He took two steps before he fell on his face. Both Judy and Nick winced as he hit his face on the pavement. After the long chase, it was fitting for the pavement to put his lights out. They knew he would claim police brutality, but their body cams would tell a different story.
They came in the house tired, panting, and just plain ready to relax. The grand kits swarmed them, and their moods lifted considerably. Greetings done; they then noticed the new fox in the kitchen. Nick raises his paw and introduces himself to Simon. "Hello, I'm Nick Wilde; you are"? Simon sat there stunned; he never in his wildest dreams thought Nick and Judy were real. He reacts slowly but eventually stands up to shake his paw. "Hi Nick and Judy, I'm Simon Conley, Betty's mate."
Marc moves a bit, and Judy, seeing the movement, reaches out for the kit in the carrier. Betty scoops Marc out and paws him to her. Judy cradles him to her breast as Nick looks over her shoulder. Marc lets out a cute yawn, tongue curl, and a farting noise from his butt. Judy almost drops him with the smell. Her eyes start to water. Nick got a good snoot full and reared back, pawing at his nose, trying to get rid of that stench. In his high squeaky voice, Marc says, "can you put me down, please? I need to use the facilities." Judy puts him down, and Marc runs for the washroom. The table full of adults laughs at Nick and Judy's reaction. "Thomas, did you teach him how to use the facilities"? "Sorry, Betty, it wasn't us. Marc learned how to control himself all on his own. How else could he create his smells on demand"? "Yes, I can see the logic in that."
Judy looks up at Betty as she wipes the tears from her eyes. All right, Betty, where did he come from"? "Why he's Simon and I's son." "You weren't pregnant when you left here, and I know it takes more than eight days to conceive, carry, birth, and get a kit to that size." "Your right; Marc was born almost four thousand years ago." Judy looks at Thomas and Jessica. "What is it with you two and time travel? And this time, you dragged Betty along? It sounds like it's story time tonight." "Not tonight, mom; it's movie night tonight. You need to see this movie."
"Alright, I can curb my curiosity for one night; what's for supper"? "Sorry, mom, we were so busy catching up, we plum forgot about supper. We can make it pizza, cake, and movie night." "Sounds good, but why cake"? Bonnie told us she got her black belt last week and asked for cake and ice cream." "OK, I can get behind that. What's the movie"? "Sorry, mom, it's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll like it." William, Amber, Rick, Ava, Betty, Simon, Mavis, and Brian all chuckle. Judy just stares at them all with an inquisitive look on her face. Nick pulls out a chair for Judy, and she jumps up and sits down. He then pushes it in and sits in his chair. Vivian calls for pizza delivery.
Thomas, William, and John all head down for the pizza when informed it has arrived. In the lobby, they met Davis and Peter. They all picked up the pizza and carried it up. Davis and Peter introduce themselves to Simon once they set the pizza down in the kitchen. They're a bit shocked and wonder when Betty had time to find a mate. The kit table had been set up, and the pizza was distributed between the two tables. Marc, sitting beside Bonnie, Sniffed the air with all the wonderful smells. Bonnie offered him a piece, but he refused. He wasn't ready for solid food yet. After a hug, he leaves Bonnie's and heads for his mother. Betty holds a piece of pizza in her muzzle as she opens her arms for her son. Marc jumps up, and Betty stuffs him in the kit carrier. He gloms on for his meal. He's asleep before the pizza is done.
After finishing their pizza, the kits went to the head table for more. The adults laughed to see the beach balls waddling over. They were given the last of the pizza from the table. There is no such thing as leftover pizza in this house. Soon most of the kits pass out. Ice cream and cake would wait for tomorrow night. Food coma it's a thing with the young. Jack, Skye, Thomas, and Jessica pick up their kits and place them in a pile in a spare bedroom. Then they all return to the living room to start the movie.
Some drinks are removed from the liquor cabinet and passed to those who want them. Marc wakes up and sits up between his parents. He had heard this movie many times, but this was the first time he would see it. Then the film is started. "Fear, blood lust, savagery, these were the forces that ruled our world." Judy makes a mad grab for the remote. She puts the movie on pause. "I'm going to kill my father. He said he would never show this to anyone outside the family." "And he kept his promise, mom. This animated movie is over four thousand years old." "Four thousand years old? How can that be"? "Not sure, Mom, but Jessica and I believe there have been other people like us throughout time. Gab even eluded to that fact. Can we please watch the movie? We want to learn from you and dad how factual the movie is." "Judy looks at everyone and can see she's in the minority, so she presses play with a sigh. She returns to Nick's side and, cuddling in, turns to watch the movie.
Throughout the movie, dad's ears lay flat several times, but that is all he shows outwardly. But we can see his conflicting emotions. Mom's ears and face go crimson several times, and she pulls her ears around to cover her eyes. Mom wears her emotions on her sleeve. By the end of the movie, all of us could tell when they first started to love each other. For mom, it was just after he told her about the cub scouts incident. For dad, it was when he stood up for her to chief Bogo. He could see how hard it was for mom. She was trying to be recognized as a police officer. And pushed herself to become one. Dad had it just as rough as mom did while in the academy, but for her sake, he persevered. We saw this as they both watched dad's graduation scene. They were surprised when it was announced that he was valedictorian, and mom hugged him hard. This wasn't in the movie. We saw this in their minds.
"So, son, is what I've seen the story of what happened"? "Well, with a few minor variations, It was mom. I can only see the antics of my flailing around as we fell from the drain as comic relief for the movie. You know I can swim and dive properly." "Well, it does make the movie more fun that way." "Fun? Ma, my hind paws and ankles hurt for days afterward." "I can see you left out much of what happened back then." "I did, mom. We didn't want to worry you." "Yes, I can see that. Did you ever pay off your back taxes"?
"I didn't, mom. The city paid them off for me. I guess this was their way of sweeping my involvement under the rug. The taxes weren't all that much. I lied to fluff here. I only made about sixty dollars daily, four days a week." "Well, I'm glad you don't have a debt from back then." "I do have debt from back then, mom. I owe this cute little bunny, and I intend to be paying her back for the rest of my life." "Nick, that was so sappy and corny, but what have I told you about the "C" word"? Nick cringed back as Judy raised her paw. But her paw continues up and drags him down for a kiss.
"Well, folks, thank you for the movie. It was very entertaining and enlightening. We should collect our kits and head home." "You don't have to leave, Jack. You can use the spare room by the kits." Says Nick. "And have to get up at five? I think we will pass on that." "Come on, Jack. You need to be tested for the belt you are capable of. If you're worried about clean clothes, we can throw them in the steam cleaner overnight." Says Thomas. Jack looks at Skye, and she nods to him. "All right, we'll stay. And clean clothes would be nice."
Jack and Skye are handed house robes. Their clothes are put in the steam cleaner, and it's set to cycle. After another hour, good nights are said, and everyone heads for bed. Jessica and Thomas blink out with three of their kits. Marc looks up at his mom, "Mom, can I sleep with Bonnie tonight, please"? "Well, if you're a good boy and suck your mommy dry, you can." Marc looks like a beach ball when he blinks out. He crawls into Bonnie's bed, and being the big spoon, she reaches out and draws him close. With a contented sigh, they then fall asleep. Betty and Simon take full advantage of the fact that they are alone. Nick and Judy are a little troubled by the movie but realize the family were the only ones to see it. They fall asleep, cuddled together.