-Bad Science-
Zootopia: Several years before the Missing Mammal Case.
It was nearly dinner time in Zootopia and many mammals across the city were settling in for the evening.
Some were out with friends, while others were darting about trying to finish some last-minute errands.
One such mammal was busy in his own kitchen. Studying a newly bought cookbook that lay open on the counter before him.
Behind the moose, something was sizzling in a pan and filled the kitchen with a lovely yet odd smell, as if he had put a little too much garlic into the vegetable dish currently cooking away.
I am the Dean of Sciences, I can surely figure this out!
The moose's brow furrowed as he found where he had gone wrong, or at least where his first mistake had come from. Soon a few others began to appear on the page and the moose wondered if his family would be ok with takeout.
"Dad," came a sweet voice at the entrance of the kitchen.
The moose looked over to a young calf in a bright pink shirt, the words "Try everything" were written in a blue glitter across the chest.
"Dinner will be ready-" The moose began as he looked over at the pan that was now starting to smoke. "-eventually cutie."
"There is a work call for you dad," the calf said as she raised the dean's work cellphone up.
"Oh, thank you, Ella," the moose said as he hurried over.
He scooped up the phone with one hoof and gave his daughter a gentle pat on the cheek with the other.
The moose raised the phone to his ear as he glanced over at the pan, the smoke rising from the stove turning white to a dark gray.
Oh frick!
The moose hurried over and killed the heat to the stove, knowing full well this would now be a take-out night for sure.
"This is Dean Tracks," the moose grumbled, putting on a more professional tone than he would have liked to have had in his own home.
"Sir this is Officer Rolo of the UCF Campus Police Department, there has been an incident on campus," came a gruff voice over the phone.
"Is everyone alright? Are the students in danger?" Dean Tracks began as he quickly removed his apron and hurried to find his keys.
"A student has been…injured sir, the scene is safe but we are just unsure how to proceed, and seeing as this occurred in the science wing of the campus we felt you should be aware."
"Do you need me to come in?"
"Yessir, as I said we…well this is just out of our depth right now and we are still gathering information but seeing as it involves a member of your staff…"
Dean Tracks stopped mid-step and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he attempted to control his emotions.
"Dr. Salt?"
"Yes sir," Rolo responded, sounding surprised.
"I am on my way," Dean Tracks said as he turned the corner into his living room.
"Thank you, sir, we are at building 7 of the science campus," Officer Rolo said before hanging up.
Dean Tracks looked over at the couch, two sets of eyes looking back at him.
"I'm really sorry girls," the moose began, his tone immediately dropping in the presence of his daughters.
"Duty calls?" His oldest asked, looking up from her college work.
Dean Tracks nodded with a hesitant smile.
"Pizza or Subs?"
With a relieved sigh Dean Tracks strolled over to the couch, gently kissing his girls on the forehead.
"Thank you for understanding," he whispered.
He always did his best to make time for his daughters, ever since he had lost his wife Mr. Tracks had taken it upon himself to be there as often as he could for his family.
Sometimes though his work was a little overly demanding, especially certain porcupine scientists who seemed hellbent on causing some type of chaos with his experiments.
While Dr. Tracks secretly enjoyed the energy that Dr. Salt brought to the university he couldn't help but feel a knot form in his sJohnach with the call he was now responding to.
A student has been injured…damn it what have you down now Salt…
The drive to the university didn't take too long thanks to the time of night and the fact that Dr. Tracks pushed his truck a little faster than he would have normally.
He had been the Dean of Sciences for several years and had worked at the university years before that which meant he knew the campus like the back of his large hoof, cutting a few minutes off his drive time by using a shortcut around one of the parking garages built right into one of the enormous redwood trees that had grown across the campus grounds.
When he came around the trunk of the old tree he spotted a series of bright red, blue, and white flashing lights and knew exactly where he needed to go.
It would appear that half the campus was now present at the science building which made Dr. Tracks squeeze his steering wheel as he stopped at a traffic light. His heart was racing as he turned down the street where a makeshift roadblock had been set up.
Two large Campus PD squad cars and a ZPD cruiser idled in the middle of the street.
A polar bear and wolf duo stood by their vehicles, eyeing the new arrival as a tigress in a ZPD uniform approached.
Dr. Tracks rolled down his window and produced his staff identification card.
"I got a call from Officer Rolo about the incident," Dr. Tracks began as the tigress took his ID and inspected it.
She looked as if she was about to shake her head when her dark green eyes came across the moose's official title.
"You are in charge of the science building?" The officer asked as she looked up at the moose who nodded.
"In a sense yes, I am the head-" The tigress handed back Dr. Tracks' credentials before he could continue. She then waved at the other two officers who glanced at one another before the wolf hopped into his cruiser.
Seconds later the vehicle moved so Dr. Tracks could proceed down the center of the street.
"Park by the ambulance, that's where Rolo is waiting," The tigress said gruffly.
Dr. Tracks hurriedly put his ID away and put his own truck into drive, moving forward at a cautious pace.
A perimeter had been formed not just on the road but around the entrance to the Sciences building and Dr. Tracks grew even more uneasy as he parked his vehicle near the ambulance, its bright white and red light flashing overhead.
As the moose exited he noticed several other students and members of staff huddled nearby, several other officers from the campus police department forming a makeshift perimeter.
Dr. Tracks took a step forward but stopped when he heard something that made him look over at a bench that sat underneath a bus shelter.
A bunny in a gray t-shirt and black pants was sitting on the bench, her arms wrapped around her legs as she hugged her knees to her chest.
Someone had given the bunny a blanket but the doe had tossed it to the ground before her as she openly sobbed, rubbing her face against her knees.
Two ZPD officers stood on either side of the bunny, both of them had stern looks and one of them eyed Dr. Tracks with curiosity.
"Dean Tracks!" Came a shout that snapped the moose back to reality.
Dr. Tracks turned to see an arctic wolf approaching and extending a paw.
"Thank you for coming so late," The wolf said as he gave Dr. Tracks a firm pawshake before leading the moose down the sidewalk.
"Of course officer, what happened?"
Rolo took a deep breath, his eyes going to the brown bunny currently sitting on the bench nearby before looking back at the dean.
"It…well sir it's hard to explain," The wolf continued walking towards a squad car where a porcupine was acting in a rather animated manner as he spoke to two other officers.
"I told you, arrest me, Trisha has nothing to do with it, I am responsible for the experiment plain and simple," The porcupine shouted as he waved his paws about.
"Doctor calm down, we are still performing our investigation so right now no one is under arrest but you better believe you are both detained until we figure out who is at fault."
"That's me, I am at fault," The porcupine continued, his eyes fell on Dr. Tracks as the moose approached with officer Rolo. "Dean Tracks!"
"Dr. Salt, what in the world happened here?" Dr. Tracks asked, doing his best not to growl as he looked down at the porcupine in the lab coat.
"Bad science, plain and simple, I am at fault-"
"John!" Dr. Salt barked which silenced the porcupine.
The whole scene seemed to have fallen silent as everyone looked over at the moose responsible for the outburst.
"What happened?" Dr. Tracks asked, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead.
"An accident…in the lab…" Dr. Salt mumbled, not able to look at his colleague and instead deciding to look at the ground to his side.
"We have cameras in the labs-" Dr. Tracks began but Rolo shook his head.
"I.T. has a work order in from two weeks ago," Officer Rolo grumbled. Before Dr. Tracks could ask any more questions though the wolf continued. "We did find a phone tripod though and believe they filmed the incident. When we tried to access the drive it had a password connected to it and we are currently waiting on a warrant to access the information."
"As I said all you will see is me causing the incident so you should just save yourself some time and arrest me," Dr. Salt continued.
"May I have a moment with my colleague," Dr. Tracks asked coldly, looking over at Officer Rolo who looked as if he was about to protest but seemed to think better of it and simply nodded.
The three officers gave Dr. Salt and Dr. Tracks some space. When Dr. Tracks felt they were out of earshot he let out a deep sigh.
"John…how many times have I had to bail you out?" The moose's question was met with silence. "I like you, John, you are creative and think outside the box but I was told a student was injured, this I cannot abide by. Property damage is one thing but you put someone's life at risk."
The porcupine sighed but remained silent.
"Now it is obvious that there is more to this than you are letting on, it is also obvious to me that the bunny over there has more to do with this than you are letting on. Here is the thing, I don't care…I really don't. What I do care about is providing treatment to whoever was injured and the only way we can do that is if we give the authorities whatever information we have."
"Daisy," The porcupine said with a defeated sigh. "My password is Daisy."
The moose shook his head and let out his own sigh, "Should have known…"
Dr. Tracks looked up and his eyes wandered over to the group of staff waiting nearby, a porcupine in a UCF sweatshirt and glasses was standing on the edge of the crowd looking right at Dr. Salt with growing concern.
"Just promise me you will watch all of it, not just the incident," Dr. Salt said in defeat. "Please…not just for Hank, but for Trisha's sake as well."
"Your lab assistant?" Dr. Tracks asked as he looked over at the bunny who was still sobbing on the bus bench.
"My friend."
Dr. Tracks could hear the sorrow in his fellow scientist's voice and closed his eyes.
"I promise."
It had been several days since the event at the science building, more than enough time for rumors of an incident occurring to have spread all over the UCF campus.
The school was buzzing with rumors and gossip as to what had happened. Stories of a science experiment gone awry were the main subject, but what the experiment had done was up for debate.
Some speculated that an explosion had occurred and a student had been caught in the blast. Others attested that it was a simple slip and fall because someone didn't clean up a spilled chemical.
Of course, there were also rumors of some kind of horrible experiment in which a student had been bitten by a radioactive spider and that a certain pig student had started calling in sick to classes around the same time of the event.
Amazingly the truth had been kept under wraps for the most part.
All that was known was something had happened and now the Dean of Sciences was not available for any emails or questions.
Dr. Tracks had remained at home with his daughters since the incident. Keeping to himself in his study and only came out occasionally to see his daughters off to school or run a quick errand to pick up groceries. Otherwise, the moose had shut himself in his private office as he racked over his computer.
He would rest from time to time and leave his study open as he took a nap on the couch in the living room.
The large moose let out a thunderous snore as he tried to catch up on his sleep. Unaware that someone was slowly slinking into his study.
Natalie had always been the curious type.
While she respected her father's privacy the rumors around her school had grown to be too much for her to ignore. Some of her friends had been begging her for some kind of inside scoop about what happened and she intended to get one, if not for the students then for her own curiosity.
A loud snore made Natalie freeze as she looked over her shoulder and out the doorway that led into the rest of her home. When she was satisfied her father was still sleeping the moose tiptoed as best she could to the ornate wooden desk situated in the center of the room.
The desk itself was covered with papers and files that had been strewn around a keyboard.
Natalie eyed the papers, most of them were faculty files on Dr. Salt and student records belonging to someone named Rose.
The moose looked at the computer screen sitting on the desk, the monitor was blank but with a quick little flick of the mouse, the device hummed to life.
Natalie smirked as she eyed the screen.
Dr. Tracks had been looking over a student's record and from the looks of it she had made herself very busy during her time at the university.
Natalie chuckled internally as she read over the student's record card which read more like a rap sheet than anything.
Impersonated a member of staff and hijacked a new student tour. Leading multiple freshmen and their families through A janitor's closet, on stage during a theater presentation of Hamlet, the laundry room in building 10, the kitchen for the staff cafeteria, and ending in the main water fountain….the dead center of the fountain.
Accused of stealing a statue of one of the founding members of the university: Dr. Heart, a squirrel statue, currently missing from the main administration building hall. Campus PD claim they were unable to find suitable evidence to pursue further investigation of the student in question.
Natalie sat up a little straighter in her seat and smirked. She knew exactly where the statue was, half the campus did. A masked bunny student had been putting on a web series where she and the statue had dance parties. The squirrel bust having been decorated with big glow-in-the-dark glasses and glow necklaces.
Surrounded Dean Howls' car with snow bunnies during the last day of winter break. Several snow bunnies were also found in his office, and lecture hall. Dean Howl still claims he is finding them wherever he is going, like they are following him. Students claim it is retaliation for when Dean Howl purposely embarrassed a young painted dog student over a presentation she had made.
Destruction of Campus property. Found in the company of Dr. Salt during the 3rd campus fountain flooding. UAV detonated in the fountain when it crashed into the wall, flooding the main quad area and costing thousands in property damage. The student claimed it was her invention but upon further investigation, it was found to be one of the professor's experiments once again.
The list of events went on and on.
Natalie was half tempted to print them out and read them later to her friends, or maybe submit them to a publisher for a book series.
The moose thought better of it but one thing was for sure, she had respect for whoever this Trisha Rose bunny was.
Natalie continued to explore the computer's secrets.
She came across an email chain between her father and several other members of the administration. The subject of the Science Building incident seemed to be the main topic. For the most part, the staff seemed fairly split on how to proceed.
Some of them felt that the student and professor responsible should not only be expelled but face charges. Others however suggested merely a mark on the permanent record.
The idea of expulsion here and forgiveness there was tossed into the conversation.
There was one thing that seemed to stand out. They all continued to reference a video.
Natalie raised a brow as she looked at the minimized windows on the botJohn of the screen. Her pupils narrowed as she spotted a video app currently running in the background.
With a quick click the screen filled with a video player that was currently paused.
Natalie peeked over the screen once more, making sure her father was still snoring away in the other room.
When she was sure she was safe Natalie looked back at the screen and clicked the play button.
The screen filled with the image of a porcupine in a lab coat. Behind him was a room filled with different pieces of equipment, tubes, and of course bottles of liquid that looked tasty but were probably pure poison.
"Dr. Salt journal entry number 1," The porcupine began as he cleared his throat. "Finally managed to find a sponsor for this new experiment. Was hard at first and I have been turned down so many times I was starting to lose all hope. But with perseverance, we have found the funding necessary to begin our newest study. What is it? Well, let me explain."
The scientist disappeared from the screen as a small doodle popped up. The image of a tiger and a porcupine showed up on the screen. "So right now the ZPD and various other agencies depend on the use of tranquilizer darts to apprehend any mammal wanting to cause trouble."
The crudely drawn porcupine pulled a small gun out of thin air and fired a dart at the tiger.
"Only problem is it takes a few seconds to activate," the tiger swayed for a moment and then lunged at the porcupine whose eyes became giant "X"s.
"Also on rare occasions, the target has suffered injuries due to dart mishaps."
The porcupine and tiger image reset. The prey mammal firing at the predator only to have the dart land in the tiger's eye. The tiger made a frowning face before the image reset again.
This time the dart landed on the tiger's neck only to snap off and leave the needle buried in the tiger's skin.
Several more images played out. Each one ending with some kind of accident that lead to one of the mammals suffering more than just a hit of from the tranquilizer.
"My idea is to eliminate the use of those pesky needles," Dr. Salt exclaimed as his image filled the screen once more. "Imagine a delivery system that simply hits its target and knocks them out in half the time. It could save so many from injury."
The video ended and the next one began automatically.
"Entry 2," the porcupine declared as his image filled the screen. "Alright so turns out the hard part wasn't getting the funding..."
The scientist paused and rubbed his temple. "Turns out my math was a little off in the first equation. Sadly the gel I used was not thick enough and simply dissolved once the chemical compound was added…"
The porcupine looked right at the camera and sighed, "But this is to be expected. I mean if it were so simple it would have been done already…right?"
The video ended and the next one began.
"Ok so now the 'skin' of the pellet is too thick. It hits the target like a rock and causes bruising but doesn't shatter and spread the Tranquilizer... plus as it turns out I have terrible aim. On a side note, all test subjects are now required to wear goggles."
The video ended only for the next one to start.
"And cups…"
Seconds later another entry appeared on the screen.
"So as it turns out…I am not as smart as I thought I was." The Doctor admitted. There was some snickering off the screen and the mammal eyed someone out of view. "During my experiment of the new underwater automated vehicle battery test I may have…well…umm.."
"Torpedoed the campus fountain," Came a laugh off-screen that caused Dr. Salt to close his eyes and sigh.
"Well…if you have to put it in simple terms then-"
"Simple? I watched it. Still really impressed Doc."
The porcupine rolled his eyes and then chuckled.
"As I was saying. After the experiment ended with umm…"
"Explosive results," Came the bubbly voice.
"Yes.." Dr. Salt continued. "Well my previous lab assistant decided it was time to change careers but as luck would have it someone else volunteered."
The porcupine grumbled as he grabbed the camera and turned it. "I have a new lab assistant of sorts. This is Trisha everyone."
A blue-eyed doe was casually sitting on one of the tables in the lab. Her legs dangled over the edge as she smiled at the camera. The bunny's dark brown fur was adorned with a dark gray T-shirt with the words UCF written in black across the chest. A pair of khaki capris clung to her slender legs.
"Ello everyone!" Trisha said playfully as she waved at the camera and gave it a flirty wink.
The camera was panned back to Dr. Salt who smiled. "It's nice having-" Suddenly a pair of bright blue eyes filled the screen as Trisha hopped in front of the camera and stared into the device.
"Ello!" The bunny giggled.
A paw gently patted her on the side of the head as the porcupine shooed the bubbly bunny away.
"Well…at least it seems nice having a lab assistant," The mammal had a strained smirk on his face as the screen went blank.
Another video cued up and Dr. Salt returned to view.
"So lots 2 and 5 are looking promising. They are all well within the range I wanted them to be. Had been hoping that all lots would be viable but 2 out of 10 on a new experiment isn't too bad," The porcupine began to shuffle through some papers on the desk before him. He then rolled his eyes and lifted a sheet up, a series of fluffy clouds drawn on the top of the page along with a happy smiling sun. "Of course, it's hard to keep track with a certain artist seeing the world as her canvas."
"You know you love me!" Trisha shouted from somewhere off-screen, her voice sounding distant.
Dr. Salt rolled his eyes and then let out a sigh before looking back at the camera. "Might be time for a new lab assistant."
"I heard that!"
Dr. Salt winced and quickly reached over to the camera, shutting off the feed.
The next video started, this one, however, was slightly different than the others. It was in a new part of the lab. As it turned out the space was quite large. The all-white room must have been broken up into sections. The section from the first few videos had been from Dr. Salt's desk.
The camera was now set up in a cleared-out part of the room.
Two mammals stood before the screen with their backs to the camera. Dr. Salt's quills pierced through his lab coat. Trisha was in a pair of black BDU pants and a gray top. Her ears raised as she held what looked like a rifle to her shoulder and took aim at a test dummy just down range.
There was a loud popping noise and suddenly the floor in front of the two mammals was sprayed with a bright blue liquid. Trisha shook her head as she lowered the rifle and began to inspect it. Dr. Salt took in a deep breath and began to mumble something that the camera couldn't pick up.
The video went out of frame for just a second as another video started. It was the same scene as before. Trisha, however, was now in a green shirt. The bunny took aim and fired the odd-looking rifle. The same result as before but this time the spray went a little farther on the floor.
The next video had Trisha back in her gray shirt. She was rubbing Dr. Salt on the arm and smiling up at the porcupine before taking aim with the rifle once more. The two mammals were suddenly encased in a cloud of blue liquid as the rifle exploded.
Natalie gasped as she watched the camera shake and tip over. The angle was odd as the camera landed on its side. The image of Dr. Salt teetering as he leaned against a table came into view as the cloud dissapated
Trisha was sprawled out on the ground, groaning as she tried to right herself.
The next clip found the camera back to Dr. Salt's desk, the mammal sporting a bandage on his forehead.
"So…just having a little trouble with the delivery system..." The wounded scientist explained. "We are both alright though. Sent Trisha home for the day. Poor bunny took most of the hit when part of the barrel exploded. She will be alright though. Offered to drive her to the hospital but she insisted on just relaxing. Probably for the best, would be hard to explain all the blue paint to the nurses."
The next video began and this time a bunny was sitting in view, her bright blue eyes staring off to someone standing behind the camera.
"Alright one second," Dr. Salt's voice began as the camera swayed slightly, going in and out of focus.
"Have to say it's refreshing to be on camera wit my clothes on for once," The bunny teased which caused Dr. Salt to let out a loud laugh as the doe stuck out her tongue.
"Try to take this a little seriously please," Dr. Salt said as he cleared his throat.
"You want serious then you should get a new lab assistant," Trisha said as she adjusted on the seat, wiggling her shoulders playfully before looking at the camera.
"Well I have a feeling any other lab assistant would have turned tail by now, but you, oh no you are something different," Dr. Salt said off screen.
Trisha blinked a few times before a rosy blush went up the inside of her ears. She then cleared her throat and stared at the camera.
"So…what do I say?"
"Explain what you came up with, we are going to use this video for references later, most likely when you accept a big award for all your help."
Trisha chuckled, "I am going to hold you too that Doc."
The doe adjusted herself in her seat, took a moment to run a free paw over her ears before she began to speak.
"So after several tests that ended..well..with a bang, we realized that the problem was with the delivery system. Specifically the marker-"
"Marker being the term used by this bunny and all her friends on the paintball field," Dr. Salt added.
The doe smirked and nodded before continuing.
"The system had too many variables, one of which being the 'hopper' for the pellets. A sealant issue inside the device was causing us to either have too much pressure or not enough. There was an array of other issues so we went back to the drawing board-"
The camera swiveled to show Dr. Salt who was grinning, "We? Oh I wish, no this was you my little genius."
The camera panned back to Trisha who was looking at the floor, a smug smirk gracing her lips as she blushed. She then cleared her throat and continued.
"And they say I am the flirt… anyways. After returning to the drawing board I decided to toss the old system out and start from the ground up. Going with a less is more route we eliminated the bulky hopper and feed system and ended up with a storage system that was housed right in the gun itself."
At this point, Trisha lifted up a small device that
Natalie studied the device. It looked rather large in the doe's paws and resemble a pistol with a series of modifications. It looked to have some type of compressed air canister on the bottom just ahead of the grip. A large cylinder made up the barrel and looked like some type of silencer. The gun was black but had a few black and yellow stripes by the barrel.
"Once focused on the smaller side of things we were able to create a better seal. Which in turn allows more pressure to build up behind the pellet. The only problem is it can only contain about 3 rounds..." The bunny explained as she tilted the gun slightly, pressing a switch on the side and pulling back on the top to reveal three small blue pellets sitting in the slot.
The video ended and Dr. Salt appeared back on screen with a grin, "Have to say that is probably the most serious I have ever seen that bunny."
A paper airplane came into view and landed on one of Dr. Salt's quills.
"10 points!" Came a shout just off-screen.
The video ended and minimized. Several more video clips were on display in a folder and Natalie quickly scanned through them.
There were more images of Trisha and Dr. Salt as they went about their days.
One was a video from a birthday party that Trisha had apparently organized for the porcupine.
Others showed the friendship that had formed between the two odd scientists. One had Trisha plucking debris out of Dr. Salts's quills. Another was of the two laughing over lunch.
Natalie let out a pleased sigh at one that showed Dr. Salt gently placing a blanket on Trisha who had fallen asleep at the desk.
Eventually, Natalie found some more videos she felt had to do with what happened at the lab, and with a few quick clicks, she was back to viewing the events leading up to the incident.
Dr. Salt sitting at his desk, a smirk on his face.
"Well it's taken some time but I am confident we are almost there. We have several promising formulas to try out and a delivery system to get the formula to the target. I plan on starting mammal testing soon. Just need to find some volunteers." The porcupine thought for a moment and then chuckled, "Worse comes to worst; Trisha and I can just shoot at each other."
The next video nearly caused Natalie to jump back. A pair of bright blue eyes filled the screen before Trisha slowly slid back into the chair. The bunny was adorned in a lab coat that was obviously three sizes too big. This didn't deter the doe though who cleared her throat and then began to speak in a low voice, obviously impersonating her employer.
"Science science science," Trisha repeated as she began to spin on her chair before laughing. Just couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. The small brown doe acted a little goofier in her younger years apparently but was still adorable as ever. Trisha stopped spinning in the chair and placed her arms on the desk before resting her head in her arms. "Doc…if you watch this…" Trisha took in a deep breath, "just wanted to tell you thanks for...well everything. I mean the money is great and I can probably pay off all those loans that were starting to pile up. But that's not why I wanted to say thanks. I guess it's just..." Trisha let out a sigh as she looked at the desk and then back at the camera. "You took a chance on me. When I was little not many mammals did…"
The doe looked at the camera for a second or two before placing her paw to her lips, giving it a gentle kiss, and placing it on the camera.
Natalie had to wipe a tear from her eyes as the last video ended.
She had started to grow fond of the two mammals she had been watching and dreaded to see what had brought their experiment to an end.
With a nervous sigh, Natalie clicked the final video.
Dr. Salt was standing before the camera but there was a new mammal on screen with him. A fox was standing behind the porcupine. The predator was having a conversation with Trisha, the small brown doe sitting on a counter nearby with her paws dangling over the edge. The fox and bunny seemed to be conversing about a casual topic though as Trisha began to giggle as the fox waved his paws about.
"So it's been a long time coming but I think we are ready for mammal trials. Not a moment too soon either. As it turns out this project has eaten up a lot more time than expected and our deadline is growing closer. So we had to cut a corner or two but sometimes you have to do that in the name of science," Dr. Salt said confidently before looking over his shoulder.
The angle of the video changed with Dr. Salt taking up only part of the screen while the fox whose bright yellow eyes looked right at the camera smirked.
"Now just like we said," Dr. Salt instructed.
"I would like to say that I am doing this of my own free will. I am not being forced to take part in these experiments and fully understand the risks," The fox said in a confident voice. "But also I understand this thing pays and a college kid has got to eat, right?"
Trisha suddenly appeared on screen, her head popping from behind the fox as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The fox let out a surprised laugh as he was suddenly used as a climbing post.
"But he is also here to be eye candy!" Trisha teased as she began to unbutton the top of the fox's shirt. The russet-colored predator swatted away at Trisha's paws which caused the doe to pout and scurry away.
"Bunnies," The fox muttered as he rolled his eyes. The fox winced suddenly as a pen smacked him on the side of his head from off-screen.
The next shot popped up on the screen and it appeared to be multiple camera shots. One-half of the screen was filled with the three mammals busily preparing for something. The other had a yellow box painted on the floor and not much else.
The fox was grumbling as he began to unbutton his black shirt. Trisha let out a few giggles as she watched from her seat on a nearby table.
"That's right," Trisha teased, "Nice and slow."
"Trisha..." Dr. Salt said in a hushed tone.
"Tell me again Dr. Salt why is it I have to be completely shirtless?" The fox asked as he undid the last button. He had to take a step away as Trisha reached out and tried to rub the fox's fur.
"We need direct fur contact to ensure the chemical works on impact. This is kind of a full-blown demonstration of this device's potential," Dr. Salt explained as he began to hook up a series of monitoring devices to the fox. "Now you will probably feel a sting from the impact but after that, the tranquilizer will take effect and you should pass out. The area in the yellow box is actually a cushion so when you land you won't suffer any damage."
The fox had lost track of Trisha which allowed the doe to scoot closer on the table next to the predator. He let out a surprised yelp as the bunny grabbed tufts of fur and began to run her paws through the white of his belly.
"Eeeeeeee!" Trisha squealed as she rubbed the fox's chest. The fox gave up trying to avoid what he knew was inevitable and simply stood there as Trisha began to scoot closer.
"Ok ok, that's enough," Dr. Salt exclaimed as Trisha nuzzled into the fox's fur. To Natalie's surprise, the fox chuckled and even leaned down to whisper something into the doe's ear.
Trisha's cheeks turned a bright red and she began to giggle uncontrollably. The small doe fanning herself. Natalie wished the camera had a better mic so it could have picked up what had flustered the brown bunny on the screen.
"Just on the yellow box," Dr. Salt instructed as he shooed the fox across the room. As the predator left one part of the screen he appeared on the next. Turning around and placing his paws behind his back and puffing out his chest.
"You having fun?" Dr. Salt asked the doe who began to put on a pair of goggles to protect her eyes. Judy recognized them as a pair of shooting glasses normally used at shooting ranges. The fox on the screen flicked down a pair that had been resting on top of his head.
"That a problem?" Trisha asked playfully as she looked at the porcupine.
"Just didn't take you for the type is all," Dr. Salt said softly. "Not that there is anything wrong with it."
"I like to try new things doc," Trisha said as she loaded the small pellet gun with a series of blue orbs. "Who knows…he seems fun. Besides, you have that cute new fiance of yours so I need someone to keep me company while you two are acting all mushy."
Dr. Salt chuckled, "Have I thanked you for introducing us?"
"You could stand to thank me again, maybe throw in some groveling while you're at it."
Dr. Salt chuckled once more and gave his friend a pat on the back.
There was a knock at a door off-screen and the two mammals looked over. Dr. Salt waved and a few seconds later another mammal appeared.
"We late to see Hank take the hit?" a deer asked as he approached Trisha and Dr. Salt.
"Just in time actually," Dr. Salt said proudly. "Couldn't hurt to have a medical professional present."
"I'm really here to watch the fox get hit." The deer teased.
"I can hear you," The fox grumbled.
"I know," The deer in a lab coat shot back as they were handed a pair of goggles which they put on.
"Everyone ready?" Dr. Salt asked as he scanned the room.
Everyone nodded and there was a sudden serious air in the room. Trisha adjusted her body and took aim at the fox. Her look was one of pure concentration as one of her ears raised up slightly.
"Live fire!" Dr. Salt announced. "3, 2, 1"
There was a small pop as a pellet burst from the barrel of the gun. It hit the fox square on the chest and covered the vulpine's fur in a blue liquid. The fox let out a grunt from the impact and stood still for a moment before swaying in place.
"Sweet dreams," Trisha teased.
"Of you?" The fox mumbled as he fell to the floor.
"Good hit Trisha!" Dr. Salt explained as he hurried over to the fox now resting on the floor. The deer trotted over and studied the fox.
"He is ok right?" the deer asked. Though having made a few playful comments about the fox before it was obvious the deer was concerned for the predator.
Trisha meanwhile was clicking on a few safeties on the small device she had just used and set it down on the table. That was when things started to go wrong.
A series of rapid beeps came from the monitors nearby and an alarm chimed. The fox on the floor began to shake at first before a full-blown seizure took place.
"Oh no!" Dr. Salt shouted as he looked at the monitors and then back at the fox.
The deer ran forward and began to study the vitals. "Salt get clear of him he is seizing!"
Trisha turned as the scene played out, her expression was one of fear and panic as she ran over.
"No! No!" she screamed as tears poured from her eyes. "Hank!"
Natalie hadn't realized it but she was gripping her father's desk as tears formed in her eyes.
She had been so engrossed in the videos she hadn't noticed she was no longer alone in the room.
Her father was standing in the doorway, a sad expression on his face.
Natalie couldn't tell how long her father had been standing there but she could only guess it had been for a short while.
At first, Natalie was worried she was in trouble but her father surprised her.
Dr. Tracks slowly walked into the room, scooping up a bow of tissues he kept at the edge of his desk, and extended them to his daughter who quickly took one, dabbing her eyes as she tried to collect herself.
"What…what happened to him?"
"Sudden acute protein enzyme shutdown is what they are calling it," Dr. Tracks said with a sigh before strolling around his desk.
Natalie stood up and hurried around the desk, letting her father take a seat as he stared at his daughter.
"I am sorry dad, its just…its all over the campus and-"
"He is paralyzed from the waist down you know…" Dr. Tracks continued as he looked at the computer screen and then back to Natalie. "They aren't sure he will ever walk again…funny how the body works."
Natalie stood in silence, she could tell that this was one of those conversations where it was better to listen than interject.
"He had a unique condition…no one knew about it of course. A deficiency in his system that would not normally be an issue unless…" The large moose looked back at the screen and sighed.
"Wh…what will happen to Dr. Salt and Trisha?" Natalie asked, the suspense of the unknown getting the best of her.
"Dr. Salt will…well he will be excused from campus. He has caused us enough issues."
"Dad it wasn't his fault…"
"He has to take responsibility for his actions. He cut corners, plain and simple, and now one of our students is in the hospital."
Natalie knew this was out of her hooves and it was pointless to argue with her father. He was after all the dean at UCF and was most likely being pressured by other departments to take action.
"And…Trisha?"
"She was just a lab assistant, though she pulled the trigger she did not develop the formula or force the victim into the situation. Her device worked as intended and… she is probably going to live with that fact for the rest of her days…"
The graduation party at the 10-7 had ended and the bar resumed its normal operations.
As the patrons began to trickle in some of them noticed it was taking a little longer to get their drinks than they normally would.
Delta and Bravo had shown up to help Echo behind the bar which immediately raised some flags with the customers.
Whenever someone asked for a specialty drink they were quickly advised it was a "beer only" kind of night.
Echo arrived at a table filled with some old friends from the firehouse. Sliding the beers out around the table before wiping her brow.
"Busy night?" Cassie asked, the panther looking up at her friend in concern.
"Yea, little short staffed but we will manage," Echo said with a sigh.
"What gives? Thought you hired the best of the best?" Came a gruff voice from across the table.
Fire filled Echo's normally calm teal eyes as she stared at the guilty party.
"I do," The painted dog said with a growl. She then looked over her shoulder and around the bar. "Sometimes even the best need a break though…"
With that Echo excused herself and hurried back to serving her patrons.
When she finally had a free second Echo typed out a quick message on her phone and sent it on its way before glancing over at Delta who gave her a smile and a nod as he busied himself with pouring more drinks.
Across the city in a darkened apartment Em's phone buzzed as the screen came to life.
A message from Echo filled the screen.
"Tell her to take all the time she needs and that we love her."
Em however didn't look at the message, the otter's full attention was on Trisha who was curled up on the otter's lap.
"Just let it out love, it will be ok…" Em cooed as she gently stroked Trisha's ears as the doe openly wept.
Hey all!
That's right we are still around. College, Certifications, Job hunting, and just life in general sure have kept me busy. Not gonna lie though this chapter was also holding me up. I didn't know how to approach it and have gone through like 10 iterations. This one just felt the most right.
Some of you may have noticed some familiar scenes. Yes, I pulled the video footage from the last chapter in Nighthowlers and gave it a rewrite. I hope this didn't come off as too lazy but the story told about Trisha's past there was just too good to pass up. You will notice however that yes, I did to a lot of rewriting and editing to those scenes and they are now fully canon to the madness that is Trisha's history.
Thank you so much to the patient fans and to those who have sent me words of encouragement. I am still around and doing my best to write but it takes a lot out of me these days.
We will be wrapping up this story soon and then it will be back to the WildeHopps fluffiness you all seem to enjoy.
Till next time.
Pinecone!
-Blue