Horizon rising, up to meet the purple dawn
Dust demon screaming, bring an eagle to lead me on
For in my heart I carry such a heavy load
Here I am on Man's road, walking Man's road, walking Man's road…
Chapter 12) Humanity's Final Burial
(RAPTOR Drone VL4-331-P5's PoV)
The Drone analyzed the hologram and synchronized with the database of the new Sentinel.
{Directive: Investigate East Side Entrance… Confirm}
[Command Confirmed…] It declared, before stomping out of the command center.
It took twenty minutes of walking before they reached the East Side Entrance, but once they did, they requested access outside. As per orders, they could only 'override' the human directive in a limited fashion only via Sentinel for the sake of 'securing all entrances', as per their orders.
{Request to investigate East Side Entrance Access Route: Granted…}
[Open East Side Entrance…] It requested.
The door opened with a hiss, and all three drones walked out in single file.
The cavern had been excavated recently, more recently than the West Side Entrance, and the tunnel was dug directly to the door, again unlike the West Side Entrance. Off to the side were vehicle tracks leading to and away from the door, there were also a few lights knocked over and abandoned as if in a rush. There were also various digging tools, and the faint trace of explosive powder residue.
Yet there were no living targets to be found.
[Activate Thermal Sensors…] It said.
Thermal vision changed and they saw everything in thermal colors, they scanned for faint traces of warmth, yet only saw blue.
[No signatures detected…] One drone declared.
[Thermal sensors read nothing… confirm?]
[Confirm!]
[Confirmed.] It said. [Return to previous positions!]
With that they returned inside after confirming both East and West side entrances were secure, as they were the only entrances where Sentinel's sensors registered any activity.
(Jeremy's PoV)
"Alright, start from the beginning please Mr. Jeremy." Mayor Lioness said as Gazelle poured some tea for them after pouring coffee for Lioness.
It was around midday when the mayor had phoned Gazelle and requested to speak to Jeremy personally, and after he agreed he had changed into more appropriate attire. The reason why was because most of the morning was spent in Gazelle's bed fast asleep. She allowed him to stay asleep due to how late they got back to her home last night, they were both so tired, Jeremy especially, that they just didn't bother waking up when the sun rose. Now however he had to explain 'exactly' what happened last night and answer her questions.
"Right after we left the hospital, we headed back to the base underground." He said with tired eyes. "Aelita and I were attempting to access Sentinel and shut down its defense protocols, because, as I told you before, the reason why MUTT appeared in the first place, was because Sentinel detected a missing piece of technology that had been removed."
"Yes… the Cryopod, or 'egg' as we dubbed it." Lioness answered.
"Correct, Aelita didn't raise the alarm because she at first believed that someone had simply shut it off, disconnecting it to begin the thawing process. She didn't actually believe that someone literally unplugged my pod and took it out of the base. So, when she left the base, Sentinel took over control again, and detected the missing technology, thus thinking someone stole it, sent a drone to retrieve it and eliminate any potential threats. Fortunately, it sent a MUTT drone by mistake, programmed not to harm any living thing even at the cost of its own existence. If it had sent a DOG or anything worse, it would not have hesitated to kill…"
"Right, I get 'that' part… what I want to know is why every television station and streaming broadcast, both on the interweb and not, were suddenly hacked and forced to show… well… 'this'!" She demanded, before pointing at the news channel which was talking about and featuring clips from last night's events.
Both he and Aelita sighed as he knew this was going to really try the lioness' patience with him.
"To answer your question, after something happened, which resulted in Sentinel going crazy, activating its various defense protocols, I was forced to go through my base, reactivate systems manually and… we ran into a Category 10 AI, known as Alexander. It referred to itself as the 'Shield of Humanity'… who is the cause of the broadcast takeover, but not because it 'wanted' to."
"Explain…" She asked in annoyance.
He nodded and pointed to Aelita to help him. "Aelita is a Category 10 AI, they are exceptionally rare creations of my species… only 'three' were ever created, Aelita and Alexander being two of them. As for the third, Alexander said he was created alongside his counterpart, but he didn't know of that AI's fate." He said, which Aelita nodded in confirmation.
"So, what's the big deal, why is being 'Category 10' as you call them, such a big thing?"
"It is because, the differences between Category 9 and 10… are 'massive'." He said. "Being Category 10 is like… having a 'car' versus having to 'walk' to compare the two. Aelita's AI is so advanced, her algorithms and protocols, her intelligence pathways and everything else that makes her 'her' outclass a 9 by factors of 'tens'. The reason why we never 'made' them, was because we were afraid, they would… replace 'us' as a species. Anything a human can do, Aelita can do and surpass with ease. Name a problem, any problem, that would take a team of your smartest mammals 'days' if not 'months' to figure out, she can solve within seconds."
"And when a Category 10 goes active… they don't have full control over their capabilities yet. Which is why when Aelita began her call, she broadcast on every frequency she could think of, and sadly that meant she began broadcasting on your radios and everything else she did. Without meaning to, she took control of every network she could reach, and her reach was extensive as you saw. Aelita could theoretically take over everything in a human city if she wanted and there is 'nothing' we could do to stop her, and we were more advanced in defending against Cyber Attacks by hundreds of years compared to you."
Aelita nodded in agreement, before taking the form of a book with a lock on it and snapping it off in an instant and opening the book.
"So, if that's the case, why didn't she shut down this Sentinel herself?" Lioness asked the AI suspiciously.
"Sentinel had base priority, all Sentinels do. Despite being Category 3, Sentinel had full access to the base, and Aelita, being a Category 10, was programmed with the 'Human Override Protocol'." He explained. "All drones of Category 4 and higher, require 'human authorization' to do anything. Anything with a Category of 3 or lower don't require human authorization and can override or lockout as the situation requires. The Sentinel AIs reject all outside access that isn't input by a human by either from the Command Center, or directly from its mainframe. Sentinel didn't need a human to commence lockdown and lockout procedures, it only needed a potential threat to the base and those within. In that, Sentinel prevented Aelita from rendering assistance by simply locking her out, once Sentinel locked me out from the Command Center, the only way to stop it was going directly to the mainframe, and in that Aelita could not assist me."
Aelita once again nodded, before creating the image of two playing cards, an Ace of Heart and King of Heart, comparing herself to the King and Sentinel to the Ace.
Mayor Lioness held her face with both paws and sighed in annoyance, looking tired. "Okay… so this 'Alexander' AI… pulled what Aelita did, but instead of radios it took over television and streaming sites." She said. "What about this… 'Solar Core Overload'…"
At that he sighed as well. "The Solar Core, the central power source of the base, the most advanced means of generating heat and light my species created to serve as a new source of power for human cities during the 'Golden Age of Peace'. Our base contains… the last of the Solar Cores, it's so powerful and so advanced that even after over three hundred fifty thousand years of lying dormant, it still functions just as well as it did at generating heat and light for us to use as a source of power today."
Aelita smiled and took on the form of a glowing sun.
"However, all of that power and energy… comes at a cost." He said. "It must maintain a delicate balance of gravity between itself, other solar cores, and the planet. The elements that make it up must be maintained at a constant mixture. If either of those aren't kept constant…"
Aelita's sun form exploded, before she returned to normal.
"And unlike normal explosions, the Solar Core's power must go somewhere, so when it explodes it turns on itself and goes supernova, encompassing everything and everyone within range. And where it currently rests… it would take all of Zootopia with it should it ever go supernova."
"And WHY did you think to only tell me this 'NOW'?" She yelled.
"Because unless someone deliberately attempts to sabotage the Solar Core, it poses no threat." He stated. "It can't be moved, nor can it be shut down once activated, so as long as it stays where it is, it poses no threat to Zootopia."
At that the Mayor looked ready to fume, before sighing again and just sitting down in her chair.
"Well since nomammal can get to it, I guess its fine… besides… I can't exactly be mad at you after what we saw last night." She stated. "Everymammal got a good look at you, saw what you did, saw what you and Officer Nick went through, and above all watched as 'Alexander' sacrificed itself so everymammal could live. There were a lot of questions asking about you, are you really the last human, what were your species like, were they predators or prey… but mostly what happened to the others."
He looked out the window instead of answering. He learned what happened to the other humans. While Sentinel deactivated the facility defenses, protocol by protocol, he had a chance to discover what became of their fate.
Within the base there were over three thousand five hundred and seventy-two bodies. Nine hundred and ninety of which lay within Cryopods. The rest had all died within various sections of the base, most in their beds, preferring to die in their sleep, or others choosing to die at their posts. Much like his Father who died sitting in a chair in the Command Center, others had died within Air Filtration, Drone Parts Manufacturing, Repair Service Depots, Facility Maintenance and Cleaning… and even some dying within storage depots. These areas had been shut down and locked off because of the bodies causing toxic air from decomposing, thus causing all the lockdowns to prevent contamination.
For the Cryologists who died in their pods, a special gas had been released into their pods upon being disconnected from their power to give the remaining pods a chance to survive. The gas killed them in their sleep, shutting down their nervous systems and sensory inputs for their brains, eventually killing off the brain as well, ensuring a painless death for the victim. As cruel as it was to kill them in their sleep, he at least felt at peace knowing his fellow Cryologists didn't suffer at the end of their lives.
"All of them died… and their bodies… left to rot through time…" He muttered quietly. "I can't even burry them… there's nowhere in the base designed for disposing of bodies. We didn't have an incinerator to dispose of them in the base."
"About that…" Lioness said. "I know it may be impolite to ask this, especially with how I've been treating you recently… but… would you be opposed to the idea of a burial for them?"
She put down the papers she was carrying and pulled one out, revealing a map with a large outline.
"I've been discussing it with a few of the officials, the ones who 'know' of you anyway, and we've agreed to portion a lot of public land in Zootopia Central Garden, and dedicate it as a Human Graveyard, for the remains of your species." She said with a warm but tired smile. "I know it's extremely impolite to ask… but would you be for the idea? If you have another idea in mind…"
"I don't mind… I really appreciate the thought Mayor Lioness." He said instantly. "Is there… anything I can do to repay you for this kindness?"
She looked a little thoughtful before she glanced at the AI. "Would your little AI friend be against the idea of… 'sharing' any technology with us mammals? I already know about how she hacked into an electric company's accounts, created a false profile, and ordered a generator for a windmill be built while including a schematic. Would she be willing to share anything else?"
Aelita gave a 'really?' expression, before smirking and shaking her head, pointing at Jeremy and nodding at him.
"The only one who can authorize 'any' technology is me, and unless Aelita gives me the okay, I can't share anything." He said. "I told you how potentially destructive and dangerous the Solar Core is, despite how safe it is. However, I don't think Aelita would be opposed to the idea of letting Zootopia scientists and historians read our base's database and history."
Aelita smiled and nodded, giving him a thumbs up.
"I suppose that's fair enough. The company who got the schematic is already projecting record profits with their newest Windmill Generator design and taking all the credit for making it. Tundratown is slowly starting to recover from the energy crisis, and I'm trying to find a way to spin it so that its not obvious an AI and a human created it for them." She said with a smile. "This was all 'before' the big MUTT incident… sorry."
"It's okay…" He replied. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"
"Yes… do you know what 'caused' everything that happened last night?"
"Sentinel detected someone atempting to break into it the base from its 'East' entrance. The entrance I've been using for now is the 'West' side entrance. Someone tried to use explosives and force the door open, however the metal of the doors, despite being less powerful, are just as resilient as the rest of the base to damage."
"Somemammal tried to break into the base?" She asked seriously. "Who or what mammal would try that? There shouldn't be any digging attempts since I declared the ban on all further excavations!"
"Sentinel can't tell, all the new Sentinel AI can say is that the base experienced an attempted break in, and the previous Sentinel responded to it. It regarded anyone in the base 'not' in the Cryopods as an intruder because the 'all clear' signal wasn't given, I didn't have time before they tried. Once the base entered Defense Protocol mode, they probably got spooked and ran away. And since the drones are now active, they are monitoring the entrances and making sure nobody tries it again."
He didn't dare tell her the 'real' reason the drones were being ordered to stay in the base.
Last night, after it was discovered that mammals had attempted to break into the base while he was there, thus activating Sentinel and the Sentinel drones, and thus endangering his life, the drones now active had considered all mammals as potential threats. This included Nick, who he had to 'order' to leave alone for his safety. Despite being ordered to leave all mammals alone and not harm them, the drones still regarded mammals as a threat and thus refused to allow them entry into the base without authorization from a human.
He had to order them remain inside and guard the base, as well as await further orders in order to ensure no mammal came to harm. Until he could reprogram them all to not harm mammals unless 'he' was specifically targeted by them, the best place for them was to stay in the base.
Mayor Lioness continued to talk to him, asking questions about the base, the drones, and more about him and Aelita before she finally decided it was time to leave.
"Before you go Mayor, may I ask a favor?" He asked as she picked up her papers. "Will you permit me and the drones to handle the procession?"
"What about Security details, do you want ZPD to handle that?"
"I don't want any… just a clear path from the base to the burial site…" He said, glancing at Aelita who nodded in agreement. "We can handle everything."
"Alright, I'll work with officials and see what we can do, is there anything 'special' you want done?"
He smiled sadly before responding. "Just tell every mammal to be ready…"
She nodded in understanding and walked out.
As soon as she left Gazelle walked back into the kitchen to join him. "So, when is the funeral Jeremy?" She asked politely.
"I think with all the drones working around the clock to prepare the coffins, getting repairs done to the damaged drones, reprogramming some of the more 'violent' ones… I think in five days." He said.
"Five days?" She said in amazement. "For… that many humans?"
"Drones are very efficient, once I give them the diameters of the coffins, issue orders and finish repairing damaged drones, the drones will be able to work twenty-four hours nonstop. Heck the ANT drones alone could get the job done though it would take them a little longer because they need to recharge more frequently…" He said with a chuckle. "Preparing coffins for over three thousand people is still going to take a while… just glad the Solar Core is still working…"
Moments later a ring sounded, and they turned to see Aelita's eyes go wide in surprise, before extending her hand and creating a hologram of a FOX drone head.
[Unit Jeremy, your presence is requested, an additional seventeen DOG drones, fifteen RAPTOR drones, and seven FOX drones are in need of repair and/or maintenance, in addition to the-]
"Alright, I'm on my way, disconnect!" He ordered.
[As you order.] The FOX drone said before terminating connection, leaving Aelita to hold her head with her hand.
"Since when did the drones get Aelita's number?" Gazelle asked curiously. "Also why do they need you back there?"
"Aelita is the only active Category 10 AI, so naturally they follow the chain of command, contact her to contact me." He explained as he got up and picked her sphere up. "As for why they need me, they're drones, they need a human for almost everything. Repairs, orders, they can't do anything without orders from a human."
"Would you like a ride?" She offered. "I would also love to see these drones, they look kinda cute!"
"Well some of them might to you…" He muttered. "Well if you want, I can show you the Solar Core, that's about the only thing that's… really impressive looking."
"I would love to see it!" She said eagerly, grabbing her phone and dialing her backup dancers. "In fact, let's all go, it's not everyday you get to see a miniature sun!"
With that settled they waited a half hour before they were all in the limo and heading toward the base entrance. After a short conversation with the police officer on guard duty, he, Aelita, Gazelle, Franky, Moe, Joe, and Donny all took the short elevator ride down to the cavern excavation.
"Wow, never saw what a subway tunnel looked like 'before' the railway is built." Moe said.
"Little dark down here." Donny agreed.
"Whoa…" Gazelle muttered as she beheld the base's metal wall that had been dug out and revealed.
He chuckled inwardly as they admired the metal, he'd seen it from the inside so many times that it didn't faze him slightly. Though, he had to admit, having never seen it they would be amazed that something so vast was sitting right underneath their city.
They reached the door entrance and he entered the access code.
(Please stand back) Sentinel declared in a male monotone voice, the previous Sentinel AI's female voice having been replaced by Alexander's.
He nodded and backed up as the door hissed open.
And out marched a RAPTOR drone.
At the sight Gazelle backed up in fear and her backup dancers moved in front of her as if it was a threat.
-Clank, Clank, Clank… Clank-
It stared at them with yellow optics, before staring at Jeremy, and its optics changed to blue.
[Unit Jeremy… welcome home…] It stated before turning toward the mammals. [Scanning… potential threat detected!]
The drone pushed past Jeremy and began to snarl, opening up its mouth to reveal diamond tipped teeth and arms to reveal miniature repeater rifles built into them.
[Step back to a minimum of seventeen feet away from the human or you will be considered a threat, you have fifteen seconds to comply!]
"Hyeeeeeeees…" It snarled, causing them all to back up slightly.
"Stand Down!" He ordered.
The drone turned to him and nodded, obeying the order and retracting all of its weapons.
"These are my friends… they are more then welcomed to enter the base as per 'my orders'. Treat them with respect!"
Again, the drone nodded. [As you command…] It stated, turning to them and bowing. [This unit apologizes, you have been granted maximum level status. Welcome to Eden Facility 17, please disregard this unit's defensive procedure!]
It stepped aside and waited for them to enter.
(Gazelle's PoV)
After getting the shock of her lifetime, even more than seeing Jeremy in the street, she slowly walked with her friends after Jeremy walked in with Aelita past the RAPTOR drone. It still stared at them as they passed but did not threaten or attempt to bar them any further.
Once they were all inside it walked in and the door closed behind, and the drone stood in front of the door, acting as a sentry.
The inside of the base hadn't changed since the last time she saw it, it still had that cold, cramped, metallic dead feeling that she felt the last time. Yet it did feel 'brighter' than before, and it was much livelier than the last time as well. After she got past the shock and fear of the first drone, which she believed was designed to inspire fear, the other drones she saw running around as they walked looked more pleasant and familiar.
They walked from the command center, Jeremy being greeted and greeting various drones that passed him by. Along the way he explained each of the drones…
"That's a DOG drone, they're the most common drone besides the ANT drones, they're mostly combat drones, but now they mostly serve as just supply carriers." He said, pointing at a trio of wolf-like drones that stood around two to three feet tall, walked on four legs, and passed by them on their way to some room carrying various boxes
"That is a FOX drone… also a combat unit… they are xenophobic and… not very trusting at first." He said as they walked past a small two-foot-tall FOX drone, which stared and watched their every movement.
Or at least 'her' every movement, even as they turned down a side corridor, watching her every second it could.
"This place is huge!" Moe said as he looked down a corridor and saw numerous doors.
"Hey what're those!" Joe said, pointing at the ceiling.
She looked up and saw dozens of very tiny drones with segmented bodies, all milling about near a blinking light bulb. Some of them had long pincers that were clamping on the bulb, while others were drilling into the sides using their heads and rotating them, and others were gripping another bulb off to the side and all clinging upside down using only their legs.
"They're ANT drones, they're performing routine base repairs and maintenance." He explained with a smile. "Each drone performs a specific job, see the ones with the big jaws, they hold stuff in place while the ones that drill unscrew and help replace the bulb."
As he explained the drones did just that, the ones whose heads were spinning stopped and pulled out the screws their heads were attached to, backing up and allowing the ones who were carrying the broken bulb to lift it out of the way.
"Amazing…" She said in awe, as the ones carrying the new bulb positioned it and planted it, allowing the drones to screw in the new bulb.
Once the task was done and the bulb was on, they all formed single file and began marching along the ceiling, still carrying the bulb with them.
"Where are they taking it?" She asked.
"It's off to be repaired, guessing that light bulb needed replacement, most of the lights in this place probably do after being inactive for so long." He said and walked on.
As they did, they passed underneath the ANTs again and she heard a small 'Bing. Bong. Bing. Bong' every time they took a step.
"They're cute!" She said with a smile as the drones marched on.
"Yea, I guess they are sorta cute in that regard." Jeremy said with a chuckle. "But that sound gets rather annoying once you hear hundreds of em marching in unison."
She smiled a little bit, finding some 'life' in this place at long last, even if it was mechanical. Seeing the drones going about their business, the ANTs especially was a welcome change compared to the last time.
They walked on down the hallway until they reached a pair of cylinder-shaped holes, and she saw faint wisps of dust floating around in the tubes. "These are what we use to traverse from one level to another, anti-grav elevators!" He explained with pride.
"How do they work?" She asked in amazement.
"It's simple, one is set to go 'up' and the other 'down', they also detect if people get in or not, so they adjust to allow individuals to enter and exit without causing traffic jams and minimal delays." He said.
As if to demonstrate a RAPTOR drone suddenly floated up and stepped out, turned and walked toward the command center, causing them all quite a shock. At the same time a FOX drone moved in front of them and took the 'down' one and floated out of sight.
"You just 'walk in' and that's it?" She asked.
"Yep, just walk in and you go down, as you approach each level you slow down to provide you ample time to leave, and if it detects you leaving special fields push you out to prevent backups and potential injuries."
With that he stepped in first and floated down.
Taking his lead, she held her breath and stepped in afterwards.
It was truly the strangest feeling, floating in the elevator. She'd never felt so… 'light' in her entire life. She looked around and saw herself floating down at a slow and steady pace, without feeling herself actually moving with the air. It was almost like swimming, but instead of feeling the water and floating, she felt 'nothing'… and yet her mind told her she 'wasn't' light as a feather. Her clothes, a short skirt and tank-top floated ever so slightly as if they would fly off, yet still clung to her body.
"This is so cool!" She called.
"Your telling me!" Joe said and getting her attention.
She looked up and saw her backup dancers having fun. Joe was pretending to pose his muscles while Moe was doing a handstand.
"Get ready, our stop is coming up!" Jeremy called out.
She looked down at him and watched him step out and onto a new level. Taking the hint, she waited until the opening appeared, and moved her leg to step out. Just as he said would happen, she felt herself 'stall', not truly come to a standstill but she felt the elevator's effect of pushing her down lessen to nothing as she stepped out.
With her feet on solid ground again, she felt her body's weight return and felt just a 'tad' sick to her stomach.
"Ugh… my stomach doesn't feel too good." She complained.
"It's the gravity effect, it will fade quickly." He explained as her backup dancers left the elevator one by one. "Alright everyone, follow me!"
With Aelita in hand Jeremy lead the way down the hallway and to a large double door.
Already she could tell that 'this' was the room holding the Solar Core she'd heard so much that day about. The room was guarded by no less than 'ten' RAPTOR drones, who all had weapons and teeth, claws and eyes ready and searching for a threat.
[Unit Jeremy… Confirmed… Units 'Gazelle', 'Joe', 'Moe', 'Donny', 'Franky'… Confirmed…] They all declared after scanning them. [Access to Solar Core: Granted… you may enter!]
Jeremy nodded and stepped forward, beckoning them to follow behind. She watched them nervously, the drones, which scared her deeply. It was as if a part of her mind, a primal, archaic part of her mind was screaming in fear and begging her to run away and not look back.
It wasn't that she thought they'd harm her, not after Jeremy defended them and 'forced' them to leave them alone. No, it was something else, just the way they looked, the tooth, the claws… everything about them… frightened her. They looked like some creature from a time even 'her' ancestors, her most ancient and distant ancestors never had to fear or ever had to see. They just 'screamed' that they were killers, predators… even more deadly predators than even the deadliest scariest predator to Mammal history.
Yet they disregarded her entirely, not giving her a second glance as the door opened.
When they entered, she felt the temperature rise instantly, and looked around at all of the panels glinting light in the brightly lit room.
"Over here!" He said, running with Aelita to point below them from the edge of a raised platform with holo keyboards on it.
She walked over and stared down below her…
"Now that is something you don't see every day." Donny muttered.
"It's… beautiful…" She whispered in awe.
The Solar Core was a bright ball of molten 'flame', it was the only way to describe it. It rotated constantly, gave off a bright and powerful light that filled and touched every corner and space of the room. The heat reminded her of a beautiful summer's day, warming her to the very bone and feeling safe inside the otherwise dead, cold feeling of the base. She leaned forward just a little bit and reached out with her hand and just felt the heat, the warm heat touching her fur. It felt so wonderful, the warmth of that Solar Core, that she marveled at Jeremy's species for the first time.
Again, she thought of the old myths and legends Mayor Lioness showed her, 'They truly were gods of their time!' She thought.
"Jeremy… it's so beautiful…" She repeated.
"Oh yea… it's very beautiful." He said. "It's a miniature sun… and gives us all of the warmth and light we need to power this base."
She looked at him and saw the proud smile he had.
"That sphere can not only power this entire base, but also the entirety of Zootopia alone. All it would take is just connecting it to your city's power grid and for… thousands of years, it could keep your city going all on its own for free."
"Why don't you Jeremy?" She asked warmly. "This could help so many mammals…"
At that his smile faltered and he looked at her. "Because if I did it would destroy your world's economy… mammals would be out of jobs, your energy industry would go bankrupt. How can they hope to compete with 'that'? This Solar Core can power everything in Zootopia all on its own, for free… nothing you have can compete with it."
"Oh, I see… when you put it that way." She said, remembering when Aelita told him the same thing.
Everything in this base could hurt more than it could help, unless handled with care.
"Can we touch it?" She asked suddenly. "It feels really warm, I want to feel what it's like!
"No because it's currently contained in a large thick glass-silicon container because nothing else can keep it contained and allow both heat and light to pass through it without restriction." He said with a chuckle. "If you tried to touch the core itself, you'd burn your hand all the way to the bone and melt it in seconds!"
"It's that hot?" She giggled.
She was loving her short time in the base thanks to Jeremy, seeing this light side of his world was definitely worth the scare the RAPTORs had given her. That was until the door opened and a FOX drone walked in and spoiled the mood.
[Unit Jeremy, Sentinel requests that you organize drone units to carry out cleaning and repair duties to affected areas of the base regarding last night.] It declared. [Furthermore, an additional three DOG drones and another RAPTOR drone have requested maintenance, and base repairs are slow due to eighty-five percent of the ANT drones remaining offline. Sentinel requests that you head to ANT Mainframe and begin the activation sequences.]
Jeremy sighed and nodded. "Alright I'll get right on it." He answered. "I've got a lot of work to do down here anywhere, might as well get started."
She noticed that he didn't sound enthusiastic about working with the drones as he turned to her and her friends, before asking them to follow him out. As they left, she glanced back and saw that the drones 'increased' security since they walked in. Not only were the ten RAPTOR drones still there, but she also saw three DOG drones patrolling the corridor and another FOX drone watching them leave.
She couldn't help but feel like she was being 'watched'.
'Only Jeremy makes me feel welcomed here… everything else wants me to leave.' She thought nervously.
They went up the elevator again, and again as she left, she saw 'another' FOX drone watching them, watching 'her' the entire time. As they neared the command center, every time they had to walk down a different corridor or side passage, a FOX drone was there sitting and watching them, watching 'her'.
After a while they reached the entrance and Jeremy was accosted 'again' by the drones demanding his presence, causing him to ask a FOX drone, that had been sitting on the central computer unit watching them, to escort them out. The FOX drone in question nodded and politely asked them to follow it, and soon they left the Command Center behind for the entrance they came in.
The drone, another RAPTOR, that guarded it opened it and walked out in front before them.
As they left, she turned to the drone and decided to ask it a question before leaving.
"FOX drone… can I ask you something before we go?" She asked warmly.
The drone turned its head sideways before nodding.
"Can you explain why others like you have been watching me and my friends since we entered?" She asked. "I'm sorry for sounding like this, but it just felt like we were being 'monitored'."
[You were being monitored for security purposes.] It responded instantly.
"Is it just because we're mammals?" She questioned.
[Affirmative… we have no need to monitor Unit Jeremy, for he is a human… you are not.] It stated just as quickly.
"But… we're Jeremy's friends, he invited us!" She said in confusion. "Why would you need to monitor us? Do you not trust us?"
[No… we do not.]
That stunned her, despite being told they were 'welcomed', that they were 'friends' of his… being shown the Solar Core… the drones refused to trust them.
With what it said being said and no further questions being asked from her, it turned and walked back inside, with the RAPTOR following right behind, and making the door hiss shut tight.
"Talk about being 'speciest', right?" Joe muttered.
"No… it's not being speciest." She muttered. "The drones are just desperate to protect him."
"What?" They asked together.
She smiled sadly, a tear forming in her eyes. Despite the drone's words being plane and simplistic, her heart heard a different meaning.
"Jeremy is the last of his kind remember, his species 'built' them, gave them 'life'… they want to keep him safe no matter what." She said sadly. "Even if it means treating his friends as if they were a threat… they'll do whatever they can to keep him safe."
She didn't blame the drones at all as they left to go home, leaving Jeremy to call for pickup again when ready. The machines built by his species were made to protect them, and they took it so seriously that they'd be willing to threaten his friends to do it.
While in the limo her phone went off, and she saw it was Aelita, again using her own number, but this time she was sending a text message.
{Gazelle, if you ever wish to contact Jeremy via me, contact your own number. I have set up a fake number with the phone company and added a duplicate number that they cannot track or cancel. Unfortunately, due to the recent damages done to the base, the damages done to the drones, and the necessity of the funeral requirements, Jeremy will not be able to return to your home in the foreseeable future. He will have to stay in the base to manage the drones and all other aspects regarding the funeral. I will also have to remain to assist. I apologize that we must do this, but for now it is best that Jeremy and I remain here, as until the funeral service most mammals might be afraid of our existence, and our presence would put you in danger.}
{With regards, Aelita.}
She smiled inwardly, glad to now have a contact number for Jeremy and Aelita, if not a little sad that Jeremy would have to stay in that cold base alone with only drones and Aelita to talk to, before what the AI sent next made her chuckle even more.
{Post Scriptum, P.S. I am of the opinion that Jeremy will most likely require food, as the facility's kitchen has been disabled for over three hundred thousand years, and whatever food remained has no doubt gone rotten, if not disintegrated with time, or has grown into an unknown fungus as reported by two divisions of ANT drones. I am quite certain that, he would thoroughly enjoy any food 'you' cook for him. I will assign a FOX drone to arrive at your residence both in the morning and the afternoon so as to not disturb your working schedules, to take the food back to the base for him.}
{Just in case you were interested ;) }
Later that day when it was getting dark and she was home she was making food for herself and Jeremy again, she heard a knock on her door and went to go check. At first, she was confused when she saw nothing, before she felt something tap her leg and looked down to see a metal nose sticking out of thin air.
"Oh… you must be the FOX drone Aelita talked about!" She said, quickly stepping out of the way and letting the drone enter.
It clanked into her home, waited until she had closed the door and pulled down the curtains so no prying eyes could see inside, before it revealed itself to her in full. The drone was just like all the other FOX drones, roughly two feet tall, resembling a typical fox you'd see in the streets, but much more noticeably metallic and artificial. The tail wasn't as bushy, the legs were slightly thinner, and its head was roughly more triangular. The drone itself was also carrying in its mouth a metal box with padded handles.
[Fox Unit D7-84, awaiting food package for Unit Jeremy Wilheart.] It said in a monotone voice, planting the box down.
"It's almost ready, until then you can sit on my table!" She said cheerfully, picking up the box and going back to the kitchen.
When the drone didn't move, she awkwardly smiled and just resumed cooking.
"Or just… stay there… that works too!" She said.
It was very awkward just watching the drone out of the corner of her eye just stare blankly at her with its blue light eyes.
"So, how do you like my home? You know, compared to your home at least." She said while making her stew again.
Again, all she got was silence from the drone.
"Uhm… how is Jeremy?" She asked politely.
It just continued to stare at her.
Guessing that the drone either didn't know or didn't care for small talk, she just finished making the food and eventually put it together for Jeremy.
"Uh, do you… talk?" She asked at last as she put the finishing touches.
[This unit possesses the necessary artificial vocal programing for verbal communications.] It stated.
"So… why don't you talk?" She asked back.
[This unit only possesses a Category 5 AI, if you wish for more vocal responses please request a Category 6 AI.] It stated.
"But… what happened to the drone who sent us off, I thought you were all the same." She asked as she closed the metal box and placed it before the drone.
[That unit possessed a Category 6 AI. This unit was ordered by the Category 10 AI Aelita to perform this mission.]
"It's not a mission its…" Gazelle began saying before the drone picked up the box, turned to the door and concealed itself from view.
[Please open the door.] It stated.
"Uhm… okay."
She walked to the door, opened it, and heard the drone clank out, allowing her to close the door.
"I'm starting to see why Jeremy didn't sound enthusiastic about working with them." She muttered, not liking how her most recent 'guest' acted.
=Half an hour later with Jeremy=
"MUTT, switch to plasma torch level four." He said as he torched the RAPTOR's head back onto its body.
[Switching… level four plasma torch ready]
From behind his back MUTT shifted out the solder that he was using and switch to a plasma torch. Torch activated he began super heat the jagged metal off from the drone's body, at the same time MUTT was soldering some wires together and repairing some motherboard damage that had occurred thanks to being speared by the Scorpio Drone's tail.
After a while he pulled the pieces of metal off and finished the last bits of repair to the drone's body.
"There… good to go!" He said, leaning back and letting Mutt remove its head-vizor from his eyes, which he had been using to micromanage the repairs.
The RAPTOR, Unit TK-427, rolled its body joints around to test its movements, before turning to him and bowing. [Thank you… this unit is ready for orders!]
"Go to the Command Center and synchronize with Sentinel, Aelita will give you your orders and update your program." He said for the sixth time that day.
[As you command.] It stated before marching out, metal tail swishing from side to side and claws clanking into the distance.
He sighed as he looked next to him and saw the piles of drone parts and damaged drones. He's only fixed two RAPTOR drones and four DOG drones so far, and he still had over a dozen 'more' drones to fix.
"This is going to be a long night…" He muttered as he pulled MUTT's vizor back down over his face and dragging the next broken drone and parts to him.
As he began working on the next RAPTOR drone, he heard the door open and groaned inwardly, suspecting yet 'another' drone coming in and requesting maintenance from him.
[Unit Jeremy…] He heard a FOX drone say.
"You need maintenance correct?" He asked instantly.
[This was delivered to the base one minute and fifty-seven seconds ago.]
He stopped and pulled the vizor off to look at the drone behind him and saw that the drone was carrying a metal box with padded handholds. Signaling MUTT to put the tools away he took the box and opened it up to see a steaming bowl of soup covered with plastic, a capped cup of warm tea and wrapped utensils in a napkin sitting in the box for him. He instantly recognized it as Gazelle's cooking, having seen the bowl in her home before.
"Did Gazelle send me food?" He asked the FOX.
[This unit does not know, Aelita was notified of a package arriving and ordered this unit to take the box and bring it to you.] It stated.
Thinking, he pulled the vizor back down and accessed the base's communications grid.
"Aelita!"
An image of Aelita appeared on the vizor and nodded in response.
"Did Gazelle drop off food for me?" He asked.
She smiled and nodded, before ending the signal with a 'wink'. He chuckled at her little joke, obviously telling him he was lucky. Yet still, as he decided to take the time to eat his dinner courtesy of Gazelle, he felt touched that she thought about him, enough to cook food for him and even drop it off.
"Wonder why she didn't deliver it in person… probably for the best though, the RAPTOR drones scared her too much, I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to stay away from them." He muttered as he smelled her cooking again.
He took the spoon and ate the first bite of his meal, feeling the warmth, the loving warmth go down his throat and make him feel at peace.
'Thank you, Gazelle…' He thought, before continuing eating.
(Aelita's PoV)
She watched him through the corner of a camera, smiling as he ate her 'friend's' meal she made for him.
[Memory Wipe Complete!] The FOX drone stated in the command center.
She nodded and now gave it an order to return in twelve hours to pick up the box and once again take it back to Gazelle's residence and return with the food parcel she gave it.
[Order received…] It stated before marching off.
She smiled warmly as she returned to organizing the drones and planning the construction of the coffins for the fallen humans.
There were benefits to being a Category 10 AI, just as there were benefits to being a Category 5 AI. The number one, being able to be ordered to wipe one's memory by said Category 10 AI and not having to tell the only living human it was done.
[And so, over the course of the next five days, Jeremy and Aelita repaired the base, the drones, and got everything inside back into working conditions. Aelita used her capabilities as an AI to reprogram the drones to not harm mammals unless Jeremy's life was threatened. Even then, they could not cause potentially lethal harm unless a very distinct set of conditions are met precisely.]
[Gazelle continued to make food for Jeremy in the morning and evening, before she left to model, record an album, conduct an interview, and all other things regarding the most popular pop idol in all of Zootopia. A drone, always the same FOX drone, arrived at precisely the same time in the morning and afternoon to pick up the package. Each time it returned to the base its memory was wiped.]
[The media soon began to divulge information about Jeremy to the public courtesy of Mayor Lioness. When word of the funeral service, being entirely handled by the drones and lone surviving human for the humans who died within the base was spread, mammals gossiped and talked endlessly about it. Many had never seen Jeremy outside of the few clips that circulated the interweb, and of course the video that was played on every tv station and streaming platform or service. They didn't know anything much about him, his species, or what little about the subject that Mayor Lioness divulged.]
[Any attempts to approach the base however were blocked not only by ZPD, but those who managed to slip past were forced away screaming in fear. No mammals actually 'saw' anything, but each attempt to get a glimpse of the base were met with a fearful display of the drones, who without revealing themselves, scared every single mammal away.]
[Yet, in due time, the day of the funeral service arrived. The area of land allotted to Jeremy for use of burying his fallen species had been set, and in secret during the night before the service, drones had left under cover of holographic disguise via multiple FOX drones, excavated holes for every single human, as per ordered by Jeremy. No mammal witnessed the digging, and any mammal nearby saw nothing until the early morning hours, when three thousand, five hundred and seventy-three holes had been dug into the earth, each the same size and evenly spaced.]
[Streets were closed off to allow the service to proceed, and every mammal told to not go into the street until 'after' the service was concluded, out of sheer respect for the species that not only dominated the planet before them, but also was being given the final kindness they could be afforded. Lioness told mammals, they are going to go extinct once Jeremy dies, please give them this last courtesy and respect to them. They deserved nothing less to her, and to honor them the area around the grave site would be declared a national landmark, protected by law under penalty of life in prison for any who dared desecrate the site.]
(Gazelle's PoV)
She walked into the group with all of the other VIP's, public officials, notable names, other stars and idols, actors and politicians, all of whom were going to be a part of the funeral procession. With her were her backup dancers, all wearing fancy suits and talking to pass the time. She herself wore a special black dress with frills on the wrists and skirt, wearing a special rimmed hat and sunglasses, also black for the occasion.
"Well this is going to be exciting… if nothing else." Sable, the Antelope who tried asking her out that one time said. "I've never seen so many mammals turn out for just… well, anything like this!"
"Indeed Sable." She said quietly, glancing at the crowd.
The streets were absolutely packed, mammals of every species lining the sidewalks as they tried to get a glimpse of the procession. Predator and Prey staring around, milling about, talking, gossiping, playing on their phones, doing whatever they could to pass the time.
As she waited for it to begin, she fiddled with the grasp on her umbrella, hoping that it wouldn't be needed, despite the clouds overhead telling her otherwise. It had been predicted that it would rain that day, and she prayed that it wouldn't. Jeremy didn't need any 'more' bad things happening to him, she thought to herself.
"He's already suffered enough… please… don't cause him anymore pain today…" She whispered to herself, looking up at the sky.
"What's up Gazelle?" Sable asked.
"Nothing… nothing Sable." She said back, glancing at the tunnel entrance again.
This wasn't the same entrance in Sahara Square that she'd grown accustomed to, they were near the outer edges of Rainforest District, just on the outskirts of Downtown Zootopia. The Mayor had pulled a ton of strings to make a clear arrangement for Jeremy's species to have the final sendoff they deserved, ordered the media to be respectful, begged mammals to hold their silence and be courteous to them, no matter how 'frightening' they might appear.
Until today, nomammal knew what to expect really, and until it begins nomammal will.
She tried contacting Aelita on her phone again, just to see if she could talk to Jeremy, maybe give him some encouraging words, but she refused to acknowledge her requests. Her responses were strange to say the least, the first time she responded she said…
(War did not determine who was right… only who was left…)
The second time she tried to ask for Jeremy, she responded with…
(He denied it, he was angry with it, he tried to bargain with it, and depressed as he was, he learned to accept it…)
The final time she attempted to ask, simply saying, 'is Jeremy there?', once again Aelita ignored her request, and simply replied…
(I am surprised at his heart, it has been broken, beaten, scared, shattered, and frozen… and yet it still beats…)
After that, she accepted the hint and just had to wait until the service began to see him.
Then she heard some music beginning to play and realized that it had begun.
"Get ready everyone!" Mayor Lioness shouted, and a wave of hushes and quiets shivered through the crowd, as Gazelle stood next to her backup dancers and took a deep breath.
At first all they heard was the somber music, the slow hum of violin sounds coming from the entrance to the subway that had been abandoned because of the base being found. Then they heard the clanking, the dozens and dozens of footsteps marching and hissing as machines began to move in unison.
First came… the RAPTOR drones.
Everymammal, except Gazelle and her backup dancers, having seen them firsthand, stood back in fear as the mechanical raptors marched in unison, holographic flags hovering over them. Each flag represented a different nation at the time of 'The Final War' as Lioness had explained over the news and in various hall meets. The first row of twenty RAPTORs each bore a different flag on it, all staring forward and marching in order, slow and proud, their metallic armor gleaming brilliantly in the cloudy day and their sharpened claws cutting ever so slightly into the street. Each stared forward, almost defiantly, ready to defend the procession against any threat no matter its source!
Behind them were rows of DOG drones, all marching a solid line and carrying a holographic string that was white and covered in doves, the 'Dove of Peace' as she was told by Jeremy, who had given brief descriptions of the symbols she would see in the procession. The DOG's carrying the banner which carried the Dove of Peace, symbolizing that at long last humanity was at peace, that its wars had ended, and finally entered an era of peace. The holographic band indicating it was unified under the symbol.
On the sides marching alongside the DOG drones, spaced intermittently were FOX drones, each using their holographic emitters to cast images of humans at their best, at their proudest, at the height of their power, starting with images of a wall being torn down by humans using sledge hammers. As the procession moved on, more images appeared, showing them making leaps and bounds in the sciences, from the first plane being flown, to the sight of a rocket being launched into space and the dream of going into space. As it continued and neared the rear, the FOX drones showed images of human kindness, of humans offering aid to those in need, of starving people being saved, of homes being rebuilt, of people coming together to do good…
Yet it was in the middle, that caught everyone's attention, as row upon row of solid black silicon caskets, each tightly sealed to ensure nothing happened to the bodies within, marched seemingly on its own tightly together. Yet as she looked closer, she saw that each casket was being carried by about a hundred ANT drones, all of whom holding the caskets for all they were worth. The casket's themselves each had names engraved onto them, giving the name of the human who lay within.
As the procession moved on, halfway through DOG drones were seen carrying cylinders, each of which seemed to be carrying thousands of ANT drones, with another group carrying empty ones, presumably to recharge and replace the ANTs as was needed.
At the head of the column stood Jeremy, wearing only the clothes Gazelle had helped him get, wearing no hat but holding a small golden light within his hands, the light was so bright that it alone outshone everything else in the street.
Beside him was a FOX drone, with a holosphere, Aelita's, attached to it, and casting the holographic image of the human girl in her white dress and walking barefoot next to him, arms held before her and hands clasped as she solemnly moved with the procession
Finally, at the rear, behind another row of twenty RAPTORS, marched a behemoth 'SCORPIO' drone, carrying a strange object in between its mighty pincers that looked like a hollowed-out sphere inside of another hollowed-out sphere that was transparent.
She couldn't get a look at him, couldn't get his eye, but she knew his heart was heavy with sadness. All she could do was follow the procession on the sidelines.
They marched along, the procession stretching over two miles long with coffins and caskets, drones and the sound of clanking metal on concrete street. The sight of two worlds, one of the technological pasts of a highly advanced, dominant species, and the new dominant species of the modern yet primitive looking future. They looked so out of place and yet they were together.
-bdmmm-
She looked up and saw the first drops of rain beginning to fall.
Fearing the worst, she looked to Jeremy, but stared in awe as a blue light shone above him, extending all the way from the giant SCORPIO drone's tail. The light shivered and contained something metallic that kept him dry.
As the rain fell, one of the FOX drones stared up at it, as if confused, before it walked over to Jeremy to get his attention.
[What is this?] she heard it ask politely.
He glanced up to see what it was asking about before nodding in understanding. "It's rain… rainwater"
[Yet my scans indicate no radiation…]
She saw Jeremy nod before replying, "It isn't supposed to have radiation…"
The drone nodded and returned to its position, the procession not stopping or slowing down.
About halfway through as they began to enter downtown Zootopia, Aelita got his attention and nodded, as if asking something, to which Jeremy silently nodded back giving approval. The AI had the FOX move to the forefront of the column, and began to sing.
(Oh great Mandos, high among Valar. I come to you in sorrow, and with a broken heart!) She sang sorrowfully to the crowd, stunning them as she revealed 'she' was the voice that caused so much chaos weeks before. (Long has been my journey… that led me to these halls. But now I kneel before thee, as grief my spirit calls.)
She turned to the crowd and had her drone create an image of Jeremy's father, the same one that showed the father and his child, happy and alive, both young and full of life.
(I seek a man named Beren, whom I bid await me here. I pledged that I would find him, before he leaves this sphere!)
She moved ahead of the column, singing her mournful song, showing various images of the humans in the base, some funny, some cheerful, and some stupid. She showed a couple of teenaged humans having a food fight and laughing. She showed a woman getting angry and covering herself with a towel as someone peaked on her. She showed a little girl folding a paper hat on her father's head as he lay asleep in a chair.
(This man of whom I speak, he gave his life for me! But thence my soul grew weak, and at last it too broke free!)
She showed images of humans entering the Cryopods, being sealed, chief among them featured Jeremy. Surrounding them were dozens and dozens of humans, yet slowly, little by little, these humans began to fade out, lights going out, until only 1 very old man was shown rubbing a Cryopod, watched over by the AI in her holosphere. Until at long last… that last human too faded away, leaving the pods alone.
Gazelle began to cry as she thought of those humans, dying one by one, unable to save themselves, and bidding the survivors in the pods a chance for their future.
(So borne upon an urgent breeze, I travelled to this place. Where only one thing could appease, the torment I now face!)
She showed a Cryopod, with a green light and heart rate beeping, before showing it turn red and flatline… indicating the occupant was killed. She showed more images of multiple Cryopods being silenced, their occupants being silenced to save the rest in a dire attempt to save the species.
(Oh tell me I am not too late, to see my love once more. For that would be too cruel a fate, I beg him be restored!)
She showed an image of two Cryopods side by side, and showed one of them being terminated, and showed herself on the image cuddling the last Cryopod, crying desperately, as if begging it be spared the fate of the others. Around the crowd cried as well as Aelita sang the story of the humans who died in the base, and the fate of the last of humanity.
(That we may take a little time, to bid our last farewell. And remember all we shared erstwhile, such joy no one could quell!)
She showed the years passing, the time passing, the years and months, days and hours, minutes and seconds passing and growing closer to the end, until the final pod would inevitably die.
(For never was a greater love, than that within our hearts. Once born, forever binding us, E'en though through death we part!)
She showed an image of a mammal finding the pods at last, and showed, frame by frame, as an Antelope picked up the last pod's External Power Input plug, and plugged it into her phone, becoming that catalyst that saved the last pod. The face of the mammal, who 'saved' Jeremy.
(Once born, forever binding us, E'en though through death we paaaart~)
She finished her song, bowed to the crowed, and slowly returned to her place next to Jeremy, once more regaining the solemn look of sadness she had at the start.
Gazelle followed the procession and mourned in her heart, saddened that such a beautiful species, a proud and great people, who once dominated 'her' world… was reduced to such a state. So much about them was lost, so much more than Aelita was showing, only existing within 'her'. Jeremy had been so desperate to save her, because she was the heart and soul of his people, and yet 'she' wanted to save him because he was the heart and soul of 'her'.
"I'm so sorry Jeremy…" She muttered. "No mammal should go through that, especially 'you'!"
As the storm began to grow stronger, the rain battering them and umbrellas began to take a battering, the procession reached Zootopia Central Garden at long last. The drones began to fan out, the RAPTORs forming a wall to tell the mammals they are not to cross it. The DOG drones fanned outward and formed a square, showing the outlines of where the graveyard was and encompassing all of the graves. The FOX drones positioned themselves on the outer edges of the square, showing the images for all of the mammals to see. The ANT drones slowly maneuvered themselves into the holes and placed each casket in its spot.
Finally, she got a chance to stand near Jeremy as he moved to stand with the VIPs.
"Are you okay?" She asked quietly while her friends stood between them and the others so they could have 'some' privacy.
"No… but I'll get better… I have to." He whispered back.
She slowly reached down and gripped his hand, and he slowly gripped back.
"I'll help you…" She said.
"Thank you…"
It was a half hour before the final casket was laid into its resting place, and both she and Jeremy were surprised to see that there was one extra grave that was empty.
"Why is there an extra grave, who's casket are we missing?" He demanded.
[All humans are present and accounted for.] A DOG said.
"Then… I don't understand… why is there an extra grave?"
[Your orders… dig up a grave for 'every' human.] It replied.
"Wait… you mean that grave is…" She said, stunned at what the drone was implying.
The drones had dug 'Jeremy's' grave, he was still alive and already they made his grave to sit with the others.
"Don't blame them… they just followed orders… to the letter." He whispered silently.
She was about to say more before he moved forward and signaled the SCORPIO drone to drop its load. The drone placed the statue it was carrying in the forefront of the graves, and Jeremy took the golden light that he'd been carrying and placed it inside the statue.
Instantly it lit up and showed itself to be a miniature Solar Core, the hollowed-out spheres were magnifying it so that every mammal could see it. A steam cloud arose as the rain evaporated on the glass silicon statue, the heat from the core, despite being so small, as he later described it at being only half a centimeter in diameter, was still so much that it evaporated the rain on contact. Later on, he explained that he had to develop a means of extracting a tiny fragment of the core, and the only reason he 'could' was because the core he'd extracted was miniscule, and it would only last a hundred years at best.
Its small size meant it couldn't be used as the larger variant, a power source, it was just too small. This tiny core that would be guarded twenty-four seven by armed security mammals, was purely for display.
As one all of the drones gathered behind him, RAPTORs at the rear, FOX's in front of them, DOG's before them, and every single ANT directly behind him in rows upon rows. Aelita stood next to him using her drone, and the DOG drones bordering the grave turned inward to look at the graves themselves.
(Everyone's PoV)
"I'm sorry everyone, I'm sorry I couldn't save you all." He said sadly. "I'm sorry I'm alive… I'm sorry I'm alone!"
He stared at the grave of his father, wondering what he would tell him had he been alive.
"I don't know what I can do in this day and age, in this world. I'm alone, I cannot possibly believe that I and I alone can truly redeem our species… fix all the damage that no longer exists."
He stared forward, face set, and eyes determined, his voice only cracking slightly as he defiantly called out to his fellow humans.
"But I will not give up… I will not roll over and die. I will not let your sacrifices be in vain… I WILL… I WILL REDEEM YOU ALL!" He shouted. "OUR FLAME HASN'T BURNED OUT YET, IT BURNS ON IN ME!"
"SO, WAIT FOR ME… WAIT FOR ME BECAUSE WHEN YOU SEE ME AGAIN, I WILL TELL YOU… THAT YOU HAVE BEEN REDEEMED!" He screamed proudly. "EVEN THOUGH YOU LEAVE ME ALONE NOW, I WILL NOT GIVE UP OR GIVE IN… YOU CAN COUNT ON ME!"
He sniffed once, before at last he broke down in tears for the last time before them. Going to his knees and holding his eyes to fight back the tears, he cried openly, ignoring the rain falling around him and the wind blowing his clothes around.
Next to him Aelita also kneeled down, bent low, and bowed to the graves.
Behind him, in a massive wave, every single drone bowed, the RAPTOR drones getting on one knee and saluting with their tails held high and heads low. The SCORPIO drone aimed its pincers to the sides and bowed, the DOG drones leaning forward and lowering their heads as low as they could, the FOX drones lying on their bellies and covering their optics with one leg, and the ANT drones, every single one, lowering their head to touch the ground.
All Zootopia, every mammal present, bowed their heads silently in mournful prayer, and Gazelle, being the poster idol, was allowed to step past the RAPTOR drones and hold Jeremy closely, sharing in his sorrow and letting him know that despite being the last of his kind, he was not alone in the world.
All around him, he had friends… and as long as he had them, he would never be alone.
=Author's notes=
No more sad chapters, no more teary sadness chapters, from here on out its nice chapters and character building as well as romance building. Hope you liked the funeral service for humanity, hoped you liked how it was handled. And if anyone is questioning how Jeremy got a piece of the solar core, it was carefully extracted 'through' the glass silicon container, and he only got a tiny piece. This will be used later on in the story, much later to 'spark' something…
Just a question, who just wants a chapter dedicated to the shenanigans the drones get up to? Cause ya know, they will prooooobably get bored not doing anything in that base, who wants to see what goes on in the base when Jeremy aint around to tell them what to do?