Heart of Gazelle and Humanity

by The Imperator 2 you

With all hope lost Humanity places its final hope in the souls of those frozen in time. While excavating a tunnel, a team of Mammals going about their business discovers a relic of millennia past, and an ancient species thought mythical and legend. Yet of all eggs discovered only 1 survives. Can Humanity be redeemed for the sins of its past, in the future it cannot control?

19. Chapter 18

Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby,

Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay,

And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow,

Bless you with love for the road that you go~

Chapter 18 – The Ripple Effect

(Aelita's PoV)

She absentmindedly tapped into the news broadcasts of the day as Jeremy was being escorted from the base to a meeting with the Mayor that day. Once she had tapped into it, she tuned into ZNN, the largest news network in the city and listened to the stories of the day.

"Welcome back to ZNN with the midmorning news. With today's stories I am Chuck Hornblower and alongside me, anchor Matilda Leopard."

"Thanks Chuck, our first story, last night's 'surprise ride'. As of late last night, mammals are talking about a new vehicle which suddenly and mysteriously hit the streets of Downtown Zootopia."

She watched as a photo of the Solar Carriage was shown with HORSE walking it, and silently rolled her eyes as they didn't show it with 'her' at the front.

"While mammals were confused as to where this beautiful and futuristic vehicle came from, it became clear soon enough as the mechanical mammal which seemed to be 'pulling' the vehicle was quickly identified as being of human origins. This means we now have official word as to 'what' Human Jeremy Wilheart uses as a means of transportation, though where the human resides when 'not' in the base is still a mystery as despite returning to the Base's area, Jeremy does not exit the vehicle."

"This also raises other questions, is 'this' what humans drove, was this a recent design, and more importantly, what is with the drone?" The host asked. "More questions, less answers. One thing's for certain though, it seems that mammal ancestors seemed to have inspired the construction and design of 'several' of these machines as some so far have indeed been based on mammals, with this latest one being based on a creature 'similar' to Zebras, while the others that we know of appear to be based on 'Wolves' and 'Foxes'. What more mysteries remain hidden in the base that we don't know of…"

"In a related news story, a surprise to quite a few at the movie premier party in Downtown Zootopia when this vehicle and its machine driver rolled up to the Moulin Hoofton, and who stepped out but none other than Gazelle and Jeremy, and their guests." The next anchor said, and a picture of Jeremy and Gazelle walking hand in hand appeared. "Gazelle had been known to have received an invitation but was 'slowest' to accept it, and some even thought she was planning to skip it. Yet days before the event, Gazelle accepts, and to everymammal's surprise she brought a guest, who turned out to be none other than human, Jeremy Wilheart of Eden Facility 17."

Once again, she rolled her eyes with a grin, what was the holographic AI just another face in the crowd to these mammals?

"Naturally all mammals were shocked, and once word spread rumors began to circulate, is Jeremy going out with Gazelle, was this a publicity stunt… nomammal knows, though Gazelle states publicly on her 'Twerter' account that she invited the human as her 'guest', and wanted to introduce him to friends and other mammals. This still hasn't stopped mammals from calling her out and saying she should date him."

"They do make a cute couple Matilda." Chuck said with a smile. "Onto another related story, sparks arise when at the party as just a short while after beginning, VIPs and guests began leaving in droves, hours ahead of the event's schedule. When questioned the guests stated they left due to losing interest in attending after a small fight broke out between Jeremy Wilheart and one of the movie's main actors Sable Antelhoof."

The image changed to an image of said 'Sable'.

"According to witnesses Sable appeared to have gotten into a discussion with Jeremy, and nearby patrons overheard the movie actor 'talking down' the human and his achievements, stating that 'he didn't do anything himself, and therefore doesn't deserve the praise he's getting'. A Skunk by the name of Samuel Klunk, said that the human responded justly, that he 'didn't' do anything regarding the feats, but instead played his part as to that of a 'side character's' role in a story. While not 'directly' responsible, he still provided the cures and cancers to mammalkind by bringing them out of the base, as well as providing scientists a miraculous substance to research known as 'Biotech Gel', more on that later."

"After responding with a rhetorical question, Sable became angered and flung a glass of cold water into Jeremy's face, causing the human to collapse, and Gazelle and her friends to panic as they attempted to aid the human, who witnesses stated was shivering in cold and according to one of Gazelle's backup dancers, 'freezing'. A statement from the Mayor says that Jeremy suffers from a disease known as 'Cryogenetic Sclerosis', which while not contagious and cannot be spread, is such a rare and powerful disease, that not even the human's greatest medical invention, Synthorgans, can cure."

"According to the mayor, what happens is when the afflicted human, in this case Jeremy, interacts with anything cold, the disease coursing through his entire circulatory system reacts to it, and within mere moments his body temperature drops to freezing temperatures. Normally this would not be 'dangerous' as he could simply warm up, but one particular organ is coated with the 'permafrost' that is afflicting his blood, his heart. According to the mayor if his 'heart' ever undergoes this freezing process it has the chance to completely shut down and stop beating, and if he doesn't warm up before it's too late, he risks death."

"New information about this disease also arose as it was reported that Jeremy suffered this affliction 'twice' before, the first time when the 'MUTT' drone, a wolf-like machine that had zero offensive weaponry capable of doing harm had a standoff with ZPD over a mistake in understanding. The second incident came the night 'before' the Synthorgans were delivered to a hospital. Both times Jeremy's heart froze and stopped beating for all of one minute, and then ten minutes respectively, with the human risking his life to help save other mammals." Matilda continued. "Upon realizing what happened, Gazelle was reported to have slapped Sable and threatened to have him arrested, however the proposal was rejected by none other than Jeremy, who insisted that it was 'his' fault… despite other mammals claims that he 'reacted' to what Sable said. Sable has not commented on this incident as of yet."

She smirked a little at that, no wonder as to why when the antelope was probably scared, what with the drones watching him every moment.

"In related news, outcries for Sable to be arrested over potential 'extinction' of humans have risen, but as Jeremy has requested, no arrest warrant has been made. Gazelle even spoke out on twerter asking mammals to not seek 'revenge' against the actor, that what happened in the past doesn't matter anymore, and if Jeremy has already forgiven Sable for this incident, then so too should 'we'. We'll be back later for the weather broadcast as well as more coverage about the newest technology to be released from the facility for mammalkind, Biotech Gel, a miracle substance that has scientists going 'giddy' at receiving the first samples for research and use in the medical field. Until then I'm Matilda…"

"And I'm Chuck…"

With that she stopped watching and returned her attention to Jeremy who had been talking to her the entire time.

"I hope it's nothing bad…" He had told her. "You think we made a mistake at that party?"

She shrugged in response, she honestly had no idea why the mayor wanted to talk to them, heck she's been avoiding just tapping into every communications channel in the city just to figure out ahead of time what the mayor was wanting, out of respect to her promise. She's been keeping her promise since the 'windmill generator' incident.

(Jeremy's PoV)

He looked out the window to see multiple buildings while HORSE pulled his Solar Carriage onward to City Hall for a meeting with the mayor. Outside mammals were taking snapshots and pointing, his transport no doubt getting tons of attention as they put two and two together to realize it was his. Behind his carriage marched a single RAPTOR drone, walking in perfect motion with him and scanning for potential threats.

They weren't being taken by Gazelle in her limo because she had to leave early that day, saying that she had to go to Tundra Town for work involving a new concert gig that her manager was going nuts over. Apparently, it was a charity concert in which the proceeds were going to be for cancer research, but thanks to Ema they have to change where the proceeds go in order to keep the concert going. So, after a quick drop off at the base, Jeremy was then asked via Gazelle's phone that the mayor wanted to talk to him, and not wanting to keep Gazelle late he told her to go on ahead and he'd take his Solar Carriage and HORSE.

He could see that she was a little sad that she couldn't take him, but she still understood his reasoning.

They soon rolled up to the building and after his drone escort, a RAPTOR labeled OK-101 scanned and confirmed no threats were nearby, opened the door and let him step out with Aelita held in his hands.

"Thank you, please stay here with HORSE and watch the vehicle until I return."

[As you command.] It stated with a nod.

Leaving the drone behind he walked into City Hall, and was soon met by the mostly empty building, though he did see what appeared to be a lamb running with a large stack of binders stuffed full of documents.

"Oh dear, I'm ganna be late, never ganna get this all done on time…" Said small lamb as she walked.

"Uhm… excuse me?" He asked the lamb.

"Whoever you are I am too busy to talk… I've got documents to file in chronological day by day order 'and' alphabetical order and a ton of other stuff to do and I just don't have enough time!" She snapped while balancing the binders.

"I can tell but I'm trying to find the mayor…" He asked politely.

"The mayor is extremely busy whoever you are, you'll just have to call back laaaaaaaaa-." The lamb screamed as she lost the fight to keep it straight and fell over, spraying papers and notes everywhere. "Oh, all over the floor… now I'll never get this done before quitting time…"

Smiling sadly, he gently put Aelita down and began picking up papers, glancing at them to see order forms, payment forms, and all sorts of other documents, he also saw various numbers and dates as well as labels. Instantly he started organizing them, as if his mind suddenly flicked a switch and his hands went into an automatic motion.

"Here let me help you… least I can do for making you drop them." He said as he continued picking up papers.

"Oh, you are a sweet angel you you you are the 'human' and oh em goodness I am so sorry for snapping at you Mr. Jeremy Wilheart…" The Lamb instantly stuttered in shock upon realizing who she was talking to. "I am so sorry please forgive me; I was just… I-I mean… it was just…"

"It's okay…" He said as he looked quickly at each document and continued organizing them while watched over by Aelita. "You said the mayor was busy?"

"Well… yes…" She said, still in shock as she watched him placing papers into binders. "The mayor is dealing with a few shipping companies and pharmaceutical companies."

"I see." He said while finishing placing the papers in the last binder for her. "There you go."

She gently took the binders from him and looked at the papers before eyes widened. "You've organized every document by month and date and even in alphabetical order…" She muttered in surprise. "How did you do that so quickly?"

"That stuff is basic organization skills to me, back before I was frozen when I was old enough I was tasked every morning with allocating materials for either construction efforts or to determine what materials from what deconstructed drones went to which section of the base, that was of course 'before' I went to my theoretical engineering lessons and advanced hypothetical philosophy course." He said with a smile. "Some of my other colleagues were tasked with other minor tasks like mine while the others were doing other things."

"Wow…" She said as Jeremy picked up Aelita. "Uhm, I'm sorry… uh… your earlier than expected… the mayor wasn't expecting you for another half hour and she's in an important conference call right now so… would you like to wait somewhere?"

"I don't mind, do you Aelita?" He asked the AI who nodded in agreement.

"Oh baaah… I am so sorry that we don't have any place where you can sit and wait other than my office…" She said apologetically while walking with the binders again, leading him down a corridor.

"I don't mind, by the way what's your name?"

"Tiffany Barnyard, at your service Spirit!" She declared proudly. "I mean… Jeremy… I am sorry for calling you 'spirit'… I hope you aren't offended."

"I'm not…" He replied with a chuckle. "So, I guess sheep and lambs all practice this… 'religion' in which humans are known as 'spirits'?"

"Yes!" She piped happily as they reached her office, which said she was a secretary. "All lambs and sheep know spirits as 'protectors of the flock, nurses to the sick, guides of the lost, and caretakers of the forgotten', it's a pretty… broad religion really."

She opened her office door one handed and scuttled inside quickly putting her binders and opening her door for him. Her office was a cluster of cabinets and files, with a single computer and desk for her to work at while a chair sat before it for visitors.

"I am again, so sorry for the mess… I wasn't expecting company… especially 'you' sir…" She muttered apologetically as she rushed around her desk and tried to tidy it up, quickly throwing drinks and cans out before he could see them. "So… while we wait is there… anything I can help you with or… potentially answer for you?"

"Well, why humans… I mean why have a religion based on humans?" He asked. "And why only sheep and lambs, why don't other mammals practice it?"

"I… can't answer that…" She said nervously. "We've just… always known that 'spirits'… humans… just always kept us safe, protected us, guided us, and nurtured our kind for generations. Every sheep and lamb are born with this knowledge, we just 'know' deep down… that somemammal or 'something' kept us safe and cared for us."

She quickly got up and pulled down a strange object that was held up with strings and made entirely out of strings, with each piece leading to the next in waves of colors.

"Our religion tells us that the spirits of our ancestors protected us and nurtured us, guided us and cared for us when no other mammal would. It says that we were helpless and defenseless, but from the heavens spirits came and chased the predators all away." She said, pointing at a faint image of four stars. "These are known as the 'four spirits', the symbols represent a single spirit that embodied one higher spirit trait, and they are the Spirits of 'Health', the Spirits of 'Guidance', the 'Spirits of Protection', and the 'Spirits of Caretakers'. Each lamb or sheep goes through life with a single spirit to guide them, which one depends on the religion we choose to pray and dedicate ourselves to… so if we choose the Spirits of Health for example, a spirit who's dedicated to keeping us healthy will follow us our whole life."

"Oh… I see…" He whispered with Aelita looking fascinated.

Tiffany beamed happily as he showed interest in her religion before continuing with the next row of colored strings, which displayed miniature branches and curling words.

"From these four branches of our religion, after we gain a spirit which follows us in life, we as the loyal and faithful members of the flock, choose a single trait to embody as proof of our faith and loyalty to the spirits who watch over us. These are 'branches' of our religion and they are the Branches of 'Selflessness', 'Positivity', 'Caring', 'Love', 'Carefulness', and 'Giving'. We embody one of these traits as much as we can, to show our spirit guardians and guides how grateful we are to them!"

"That explains why that one sheep had offered all she had… just for some help from me." He muttered to Aelita who nodded in agreement.

Continuing Tiffany pulled the decoration down and pointed at several symbols that all looked similar yet still differed from one to the next. On one end were swirls and on the other end were curls.

"Finally, as a symbol to our dedication to our faith… every sheep and lamb spend every day maintaining and keeping our wool in a specific fashion. We practice these 'roots' of our religion because we know that spirits appreciated our ancestor's wool for various reasons, and out of respect and appreciation to what they do for us, we tend to our wool as they would have liked it. Each lamb and sheep choose to keep their wool in the fashion of their choosing, practicing the Roots of 'Puffy Wool', 'Fluffy Wool', 'Soft Wool', 'Straight Wool', 'Curly Wool', or 'Floofy Wool'."

"Really?" He asked in amazement.

"Yea, I actually practice the Root of 'Fluffy Wool', and I take great pride in it!" She said happily, before leaning forward and pointing at the wool on the top of her head. "Go ahead, feel… I don't mind if you touch it. As a spirit 'you' have permission to touch it if you wish."

"Uh… you sure?" He asked nervously while holding his hand back from reaching out.

"Mhmm, go on… I don't mind, I'd be honored if you touched it!"

Looking at Aelita for her opinion she shrugged and nodded, curious as well. With permission he tentatively touched the wool on the top of her head and felt just how 'soft' and 'fluffy' it was. "Ooooh it's so soft and fluffy…" He whispered to Aelita who giggled in delight. "I can see why you take such pride; it is soooo soft and fluffy…"

Tiffany giggled as she leaned into his petting. "We don't let other mammals touch our wool; it's considered 'sacred' to us that we don't let 'any' mammal touch our wool besides maybe our mates." She muttered warmly. "We keep our wool for only our Spirit guide to touch or enjoy, or even 'any' spirit that wishes it. Sometimes sheep or lamb can feel in their dreams when their spirit is touching their wool and they feel happy when they do, because it means our spirit is happy that we picked our Root of the religion to follow."

"Oh… so… I shouldn't be doing this then." He said as he pulled away quickly, much to Tiffany's dismay.

"No… you can if you want… you see I too pray to the Spirits of Health like Yulara Bellfloof." She said happily. "I'm more than sure my spirit won't mind, I mean… your both spirits and… as far as I'm concerned, you're like a 'living' Spirit of Health."

"All I did was help however I could… I just brought the technology to the hospital; I didn't make them…" He said more quietly.

"Perhaps but you still saved lives, I wouldn't be surprised if my religion's highest authorities choose to label you as an 'Archangel of the Spirits' or something…" She said with a smile. "Can I ask you what were my ancestors 'to' humans? Like… did you protect us… and care for us… nurture us and everything that we believe?"

"Well, yes actually, humans did take good care of sheep and lambs." He said while glancing at Aelita who took on the form of a human brushing a sheep's wool. "For a very long time we used sheep and lamb wool, and I think maybe 'goat' wool for many things. Clothes, blankets, carpets a lot really."

The lamb looked fascinated at that before, "Tiffany Barnyard!" A loud voice called over the phone, causing the lamb to jump in fear.

"Oh dear… uhm… one second Mr. Jeremy!" She said nervously as she walked behind her desk and touched a button on the phone. "Uh… yes Mayor Lioness?"

"Where is my coffee I asked for 'half an hour' ago?" She yelled loudly. "And did you get those reports filed or not, I have two meetings later today and I need those documents DONE before I go home tonight for tomorrow!"

"Uh… I… yes Mayor Lioness I know… and… uh…" She looked up at Jeremy who shook his head, already seeing that she wanted to tell the mayor what he did. "It's all ready for your perusal at any time… also uh… Jeremy Wilheart is waiting to see you!"

"He's already here, why didn't you say so!" The Mayor yelled causing the lamb to jump. 'Get him up here already, and please don't embarrass me in front of him by dropping important papers like the LAST time!"

With that the call ended and the lamb got up and timidly showed him out of her office.

Within minutes they were at the mayor's office and Tiffany left to return with the mayor's coffee, while he and Aelita went inside.

"Jeremy, welcome, please have a seat." The lioness said warmly. "How are you feeling today after yesterday's incidence?"

"I'm fine… I apologize for any problems I might have caused you today." He replied.

"On the contrary most of the 'problems' I've been having today have been in your favor." She said with a chuckle. "I called you here because I wanted to ask you, are you absolutely sure you don't want any charges pressed against Sable for what he did? Even if it 'was' an accident he still nearly committed murder and potential extinction of an endangered species."

"No, he didn't do what he did because he wanted to hurt me. I did get into a disagreement with him and thus… it was partially my fault." He said, to which Aelita nodded approvingly in his lap. "I should have watched my own temper and kept my cool when I realized he was making fun of me. It's because of me that many mammals evening was ruined, and I don't want to cause any trouble on my part."

Once again Aelita smiled and nodded approvingly at his words.

The mayor smiled warmly at his response before nodding and quickly writing something on a paper, before pulling out reading spectacles. "Well, on that note I'm happy to hear that you have no ill feelings to Mr. Sable. The public on the other hand, aren't exactly on his side. I'm not sure if you've been listening to the news, but your disease has become well known now, and after hearing how he nearly threatened your life with a glass of water, many mammals were demanding he be arrested… there's even a petition to get Sable behind bars with thousands of names on it. But… I'll honor your request to leave Mr. Sable alone and not press charges."

She wrote something off before looking at him with a more serious tone. "However, I wish that were 'all' I asked you here for." She said. "As much as I hate to keep doing this to you, I'm afraid Jeremy I cannot just let you walk into public areas on your own anymore, especially areas where a drone is not welcomed or would be allowed, like last night's party. That is why I'm assigning you two police escorts who will accompany you wherever you intend to go outside of the base or when not accompanied by Gazelle and her bodyguards."

"More guards?" He asked in confusion while Aelita just facepalmed. "Mayor… being required to have a 'drone' follow me wherever I go is one thing, but 'two additional' guards where I go when not with Gazelle? Is all of this really necessary?"

"Jeremy… listen…" She said with a sigh. "You are the last living member of your species, not only that but you are also being nicknamed and hailed the 'Angel without Fur'. You are the main reason that 'three' cancers have now been given Vaccines and Cures for, with more diseases and plagues being researched by your Ema. If you were to walk down a street you would be swarmed by pedestrians wanting to talk to you and thank you, hug you, all sorts of things… while that is good it is also a bad thing."

She looked more seriously at him. "Despite the good you've done and are still doing… there are still some mammals who fear you and what you could do, and yesterday's incident just shows how fragile the situation involving you is. You got into a disagreement, and it almost killed you, by 'accident'. And because of that, everymammal is having wild and crazy opinions that frankly I don't even want to talk about." She sighed as she held her face with one paw before looking at him again. "I know I'm asking more out of you, but at least for now will you accept two police officers to accompany you. If it makes you feel any better, they are Zootopia's finest."

"Miss mayor do I 'really' need more protection?" He asked. "I really doubt that any mammal would want to harm me on purpose now that they know I'm not a threat."

"And I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was needed." She said politely. "I understand you don't want to be treated special, but you 'are' the last of your kind, and I want do make sure your life isn't threatened."

He sighed in frustration while Aelita got his attention. The AI smiled and swayed from side to side before shrugging and nodding at the mayor.

"Alright if you really feel that way miss mayor." He said. "But no police cars tailing me, and if they are with me then I get to send the drone home!"

She agreed to his demand, seeing that even if she said no, he'd probably send the drone home anyway. After a few minutes Tiffany returned with a cup of coffee and in the company of two ZPD officers who were none other than Nick and Judy, the two police officers who he encountered before with the MUTT incident, the Sentinel incident, and finally the RAPTOR incident.

"So, this is the big important VIP we're assigned to watch from now on?" Nick said as he sauntered in. "Why didn't Buffalo Bogo just tell us it was Jeremy, would have saved us the trouble of guessing?"

"Nick be respectful, we're on the job!" Judy whispered. "Nice to meet you again Mr. Jeremy Wilheart, as before I'm Judy and this is my partner Nick… who also happens to be my fiancé."

"So glad she remembered this time~." Nick said with a grin as they each shook his hand.

"You already know me, and this is Aelita." He said as the AI waved hello to them.

"Since you all know each other I'll give you all the freedom to leave as you wish, in the meantime I've got work to do." Mayor Lioness said as she looked at some documents that Tiffany had left her.

As Judy and Nick left with Jeremy behind, he slowed down a moment just before walking out as he heard Mayor Lioness sigh in frustration. "Do you guys mind waiting for a few more minutes?" He asked, to which they shrugged and nodded.

As the door closed, he walked back over to the Mayor who didn't notice he had returned to her desk.

"Miss mayor, is something wrong?"

She looked up to see him there and shook her head. "Nothing, just dealing with complaints and arguing with pharmaceutical companies and shipping companies." She said, taking a hefty drink of coffee. "They're giving me a headache and I'm trying my best to appease and reason with them."

"Why are they giving you a headache?" He asked curiously, and even Aelita was watching attentively.

"It has to do with your 'Ema's' very high demand for materials." She said simply. "The demand for materials she's asking for is extremely high, and it's costing a fortune to keep everything going to her. Blood samples, chemicals, disease samples, organ samples… frankly it's costing too much to keep it up every day. Sure, it may be expensive, and they are demanding a higher fee because of the request, but some companies just aren't interested in doing this for her regardless of the end goal."

"But Ema is curing diseases and distributing vaccines and cures en mass for each disease she makes." He said in confusion. "It's not like she isn't doing anything down there, every time she cracks down on disease and cures it or develops a vaccine, she stores the recipe and samples and starts mass producing them to be shipped out."

"I know… but these companies don't care about the end product… they want their money, their piece of the pie… I'm having to deal with lawsuits from twelve companies that are demanding the patents for the research being conducted using 'their' products. They all want pieces of this pie and they don't honestly care about… anything else really."

"But they can't have the vaccine and cure patents, I already promised that they'd be free to everyone and given without charge." He said in confusion.

"Yes, and that is the most noble thing anymammal has 'ever' done ever… but companies aren't mammals… they only care about profit and growth…"

Aelita got his attention and nodded sadly in agreement.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked curiously.

"Nope… this is going to be a never-ending legal battle." She muttered. "First I need to deal with a few of these trucking companies that are transporting the materials. Somemammal is trying to stop them from shipping the materials and are threatening to fire the drivers if they don't listen. It sucks because the company happens to be based in my old district that I represented, so naturally 'I' have to deal with it…"

"But… what's the purpose in doing that… stopping mammals from receiving treatment that can save their lives is wrong." He said, extremely confused. "If they just want money, then how can mammals who can't afford it get treatment?"

She looked up at him and sighed, taking another drink of her coffee. "They don't care… they're companies, they have to make a profit." She replied.

"Well its wrong, I don't care what they think, it's wrong what they're doing." He said while getting up. "And I will keep my promise Mayor. Ema 'will' continue to develop cures and vaccines as well as produce them to be given to all mammals, 'free of charge'. If they're so demanding they can try and talk to Ema, but she won't listen to them because she'll only listen to me."

Aelita nodded in agreement, smiling approvingly at his choice of words.

With that he bowed and left, joining Nick and Judy outside with Aelita.

(Lioness' PoV)

She smiled a little as Jeremy left her office.

"He's too good for us." She muttered quietly, wishing there were more mammals like him in the world. "I hope he understands 'that's' why I'm so cautious with his protection…"

With that she returned to her documents and resumed working on dealing with the companies trying to gauge her for every buck they could for the materials she was asking for.

(Jeremy's PoV)

"So Jeremy, where do you want to go?" Nick asked as they walked out of City Hall.

"Well I haven't got any plans… I was mostly just going to stay in the base and maybe perform repairs on some of the drones." He replied. "Though…"

"You know we could show you around if your interested, you probably haven't been around to every location in Zootopia." Judy said cheerfully.

"Well have you got a location in mind?" He asked before stopping in his tracks.

The reason why he stopped was because in front of him a vehicle was parked and standing beside it was a pair of Polar Bear wearing suits. Both of them were towering individuals to him and upon seeing them he had a momentary sense of fear, but as the RAPTOR drone was standing nearby, he calmed himself down and just figured they were here waiting for some mammal.

"Oh uh… hey there Kevin… Raymond." Nick muttered nervously. "I don't suppose you're here waiting for some 'other' mammal?"

"No Mr. Wilde and Miss Hopps." The left Polar Bear said politely. "We're here because Mr. Big wanted to talk to Jeremy Wilheart about something important. He asked us to pick him up and bring him."

"Where is this… Mr. Big located?" Jeremy asked before either Judy or Nick could answer for him.

"Tundra Town." The other said.

"Tundra Town… that sounds like a very… cold place." He said nervously.

"We're aware of your condition, and you have nothing to fear, Mr. Big has a special garage in place to keep you out of the cold." The first one said. "He just wants to talk to you, it's nothing serious."

"Well if it's nothing serious I guess we can go see what this Mr. Big wants." He muttered again before looking at Aelita. "What do you think?"

She looked at him before shrugging and nodded at them, then she lifted one hand and pretended it to weigh against the other. After that she shrugged again and nodded once more, indicating yes that they should go with them.

"Alright if you say so." He said. "If I'm going to this Tundra Town, then I have to go in my Solar Carriage, it's temperature controlled and can keep me protected against the harsh cold."

"That's acceptable." The Polar Bear on the right said. "How fast can your vehicle go?"

"Is it important we go fast?" He asked. "I'm afraid HORSE can only move at 20 Mph. If we have to, I can have HORSE disconnect…"

"That's more than acceptable." They said and got into the limo in front of Jeremy's carriage. "If you'll follow us please."

"RAPTOR, return to the base… that's an order!" He ordered.

The drone stared at him for a moment before looking over at Nick and Judy, and then nodding in acceptance. [As you order Unit Jeremy.] It stated before turning and marching off.

With that he clapped his hands and opened the side doors for Judy and Nick to enter the second seat while he and Aelita entered the front one.

As the doors closed, he shouted, "HORSE, follow the limo in front of us until further notice!"

[As you order, moving out.] It declared as the limo began to move, and it followed along.

"This Mr. Big must be important if he has his own drivers to bring someone to them." He said to Aelita as they moved along.

She looked up at him and shrugged, while at the same time bringing up a tiny holohud and looking up something he couldn't see.

"You think he just wants to meet me, probably missed the party or didn't get an invite…"

(Aelita's PoV)

She glanced at him and smiled inwardly before returning to her research.

She truly loved her human some days, the innocent angel that he was while 'also' tapping into the carriages intercom and listened in on the two mammals.

(Nick and Judy's PoV)

"Why is Mr. Big asking for 'Jeremy'?" Nick asked nervously.

"I don't know, maybe he just wants to say hello… he 'is' a new face in Zootopia and he 'is' a human." Judy said.

"Oh really, Mr. Big, the mafia boss of Tundra Town… just wanting to say 'hello' to Jeremy?" Nick said sarcastically. "Why not invite him in for cookies and milk while we're at it?"

"I don't think Jeremy could have done something wrong, you're just panicking about all this like last time too." Judy muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"And you weren't the one who's tail was on his 'Icing' list, for selling him a 'wool' rug, made out of the fur of a skunk's butt!" He shot back. "We're supposed to keep him safe, that's what the Mayor told us, if Mr. Big wants to 'ice him' what are we going to do?"

She shut him up by grabbing his collar and pulling him into a short but tender kiss. "Relax… we'll be fine." She said.

"Oh, I love you Judy, but I really hope that your right…" He said quietly while watching the scenery pass by.

(Jeremy's PoV)

It took them over an hour to travel from Downtown Zootopia to the Tundratown Biome, and once they exited the tunnel Jeremy had to blink and do a double take as he beheld just a scene of white.

[Attention, entering low temperature climate.] HORSE declared over the intercom.

"Wow…" He muttered.

Outside of the window he saw multitudes of clouds all depositing snow as far as he could see. There were buildings blanketed in the powdery stuff and glittering like diamonds in the flashes of sunlight that cracked through the shifting clouds, casting a beautiful and serene sight to him. Even as he stared, he could see arctic mammals going about their business, some walking around doing shopping, others either going to work or coming from work. Along the highway they were on there were signs advertising various locations like a 'Blubber Restaurant' or 'FursRUs'.

He'd never seen snow in his lifetime, not once had he ever seen 'real' snow. Only the few times he had gone to the Holo Room as a kid after his dad reserved him a small session did he get to experience the sensation of playing in the snow. At the time he thought snow was so wonderful, soft and fluffy that he just wanted to go down there and play in it like before.

For a moment he reached over to the window to roll it down so he could try and catch a few snowflakes in his hands…

Then he stopped as he remembered that outside it was extremely cold, else it wouldn't be snowing, and able to just barely 'feel' the cold on the glass of the window.

Pulling his hand back he looked at it and then sadly looked at the snow outside the window and sighed sadly as he put it back in his lap. Looking over at Aelita he saw her looking sad at him.

"I guess… I won't be able to play in the snow, Aelita." He muttered, looking longingly at the snow outside. "It's just something I wanted to feel as a kid… real snow… have a 'real' snowball fight… but I guess that's never going to happen now."

He turned back to her and saw her wanting to lean as close to the wall of her sphere, and so picked her up and held her in his lap while she tried to snuggle as close as her sphere would allow.

"Thanks for designing this carriage so that it would keep me warm at least, I appreciate your foresight." He whispered to her.

She nodded sadly in gratitude and continued to snuggle as close as her sphere would let her while they continued to move through Tundratown. As they travelled Aelita sang a hauntingly sad lullaby with no lyrics, only humming and crying in bittersweet sadness. She sang her feelings for him, lamenting that he could not be down there, enjoying something that gave him joy as a child while being an illusion. He could only shed a tear as she sang for his loss, wanting to just enjoy something but unable to because of his disease.

Outside the snow continued to fall gently, coating everything in a beautiful white blanket each second. Yet inside his carriage he hid and stayed warm, staying as safe as he could while Aelita sang for him and him alone.

HORSE meanwhile walked on, switching the base of its hooves to be more situated in the slippery conditions caused by the snow and various vehicles on the road. It marched onward, unaffected by the low temperatures, following the limo as the Polar Bears rode off the side and toward a residential area filled with large expensive looking homes.

The limo ahead of them turned into a frost riddled driveway where a Polar Bear in a suit was watching by a gate. Once HORSE followed behind and the carriage entered the driveway he pulled on a chain and closed the gate behind them.

The limo pulled over and the two Polar Bears got out, beckoning HORSE to follow them, to which the drone did and led the carriage toward a set of thick double doors. The doors opened up and HORSE marched inside and once the carriage had entered, they closed the doors behind, and then Jeremy finally let himself out.

He was surprised that it was quite warm, wondering how this room was kept so warm until he noticed several heaters placed around the room.

"This way please." One of the Polar Bears said politely, before leading him, Aelita, Judy and Nick into a very articulate hallway with pictures of various shrews hanging on the walls. They led him toward a room that was well lit, had comfortable looking chairs and even a blazing fireplace with an intricately designed picture frame of yet another shrew on it.

"Mr. Big will be here momentarily." One of them said before they both left.

"Wow, this Mr. Big must be a big mammal to be able to afford all of this." He commented.

"Yea… you could say something like that." Nick muttered.

"What does he do… something that involves clothing?"

"Mr. Big owns a few tuxedo shops around Little Rodentia… and the Tundratown Limo-Service as well as a few other businesses." Judy answered instantly.

"Wonder what he wants with me?" He asked as he sat down and waited. "What do you think Aelita?"

She shrugged again, not sure.

After a few minutes the door opened up again and a polar bear wearing a suit and tie walked in, straightened his tie and then stood off to the side. After him came a much 'larger', extremely intimidating looking polar bear walked in holding his hands together.

Something about the bear caused him to nervously lean back into his chair ever so slightly, it wasn't that the Polar Bear looked threatening but, he just felt like he shouldn't 'mess' with this bear. As he stepped behind the desk and sat down heavily, Jeremy was about to address them, thinking they were Mr. Big, on account that the bear was the 'biggest' of all the Polar Bears he'd seen so far…

Then he moved his hands forward, opened them up to reveal a small chair, and then used one finger to turn the chair around so that a shrew sitting in it could see him.

Needless to say, he was surprised. "Mr. Big, I take it?"

The shrew smiled and nodded. "So glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Jeremy… I am happy to welcome you into my home, break bread with you… I hope you find the accommodations satisfactory." He said in a very polite tone. "You arrived a little later than I was expecting, I trust there was no… 'trouble'…"

"Oh, that's my fault sir, you see my drone… 'HORSE' can only travel so fast and I didn't want to take my Solar Carriage without it, the two are kind of a pair, you understand right?"

"I understand completely… I am just happy that you made it here safely." He said with a smile. "When I heard about your… 'condition', I took special precautions to ensure your safe arrival here. And I am happy to see you again Judy, and you Nick."

"Nice to see you again, I am so sorry I missed your granddaughter's birthday, but Nick and I were so busy with work that day." Judy said.

"I understand… I understand believe me… but I am surprised to see you here with Jeremy."

"We're uh… on duty actually, keeping him safe when he's not in his home." Nick explained.

"Ah, now I understand… it is good." Mr. Big said before calling out. "Kevin, bring in the refreshments!"

After a moment one of the Polar Bears walked in with a metal tray with cups of various sizes, several warm and obviously freshly baked cookies. He put the tray down and began pouring a dark, hot liquid into the cups and handing them out. As he took the cup, he put Aelita's sphere on the table, who sat cross legged and waved hello.

"Oh, I am so sorry, I forgot to introduce you Aelita." He said as he realized his mistake.

She nodded in understanding with a smile.

"Mr. Big, this is Aelita, my friend and species 'guide'… as well as ambassador to represent us if… well if 'we' ever went extinct." He said.

Aelita waved hello before bowing gently.

"Good to make your acquaintance." He said, waving to her too.

"I'm afraid Aelita cannot talk, at least not how you and I talk, she can communicate but… takes some getting used to." He said.

Aelita chuckled as she nodded in agreement to that too.

He took a sip of his drink and was shocked to be tasting 'chocolate'. "Hot Chocolate?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, I heard from some friends that you seem to enjoy chocolate, so I arranged for some chocolate cookies and hot chocolate for some refreshments." The shrew said warmly.

"Thank you so much, I do love it… I just haven't had much of it my whole life." He muttered gratefully while Aelita beamed happily at him.

Everyone slowly enjoyed their refreshments with Jeremy taking great enjoyment out of the cookies Mr. Big had prepared for them. After a while though the conversation began to pick up again.

"Now Jeremy, you are probably wondering why in invited you here tonight." The shrew said politely to which he nodded. "You see, I invited you here because you Jeremy have done me a great service, for which I am most grateful for, and I wished to make myself known to you and to express my gratitude."

"I have?" He asked as he put his cup down and it was refilled for him.

He nodded as moments later a younger shrew came in in the hands of another bear. "Daaaady, sorry I'm laaaate~!" This female shrew said happily before noticing him, Judy and Nick. "Ugh, why didn't you tell me that Jeremy was coming, look at me I look ridiculous! Oh, my goodness I look absolutely horrible my hair is a mess and my dress just doesn't fit the occasion!"

"I'm sorry baby, daddy wanted it to be a surprise." He said sadly.

"Oh, hello again miss, again I am sooo sorry for all that happened on that day, Aelita was stolen from me and she means so much to me and my species." He said.

"Why, I don't mind at all, all's forgiven~!" She said warmly. "Besides I hope that weasel got what he deserved! Kicking that donut 'twice' and nearly crushing me both times? He almost hit my daughter too!"

"The same weasel did that to you 'twice'?" Mr. Big asked, though there was a hint of 'dislike' in his tone.

"Yea, he kicked the giant donut that Judy saved me from… oh hi Judy… my little baby missed you at the party!" She said.

"I'm sorry Frufru… I promise I'll be there for the next one, work kept me busy." Judy said apologetically.

"Oh, don't worry about it… it happens…" Frufru said before returning to her dad. "Yea, and he kicked it again while running from Jeremy and his machine, but Jeremy saved me and Judy!" She said happily. "He tried to steal from Jeremy, trying to take his friend here and sell her, the jerk! Then when he's cornered, he kicks a donut to throw him off and then runs away as Jeremy stops to save me!"

"I see… I think I would like to have a little 'talk' with this Weasel…" Mr. Big said while looking up at the large polar bear behind him. "Where can I find him?"

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Jeremy quickly said. "He's behind bars for what he did, and I think he got plenty scared enough from my drones chasing him. I doubt he'll try stealing from me or trying to hurt anymammal again. Besides he was only stealing from me because he probably just needed money… as bad as that is… I don't blame him."

This caused the elder shrew to look at him in surprise. "You don't 'blame' him for trying to steal from you?" He asked curiously.

"No… I understand that… money is needed… you need it to survive, I can accept that." He said while taking Aelita and holding her in his lap. "I grew up never knowing what money was, only that it existed, that people needed it to survive. It was just how it was… to get anything you needed money. But, when 'I' was born there was no money, it wasn't important… but people still did horrible things, stole, hurt, even killed for… we just replaced money with… food and water and medicine."

He looked up at the shrew and smiled sadly. "I don't hold it against him, he's learned his lesson, I only hope he won't steal again. He's just a mammal trying to live every day the best he can, and you can't blame anyone for simply wanting to live. If I could, I would help him however I can… but I have no 'money' to give… all I could do was offer advice and tell him that there are things more important than money. That doesn't mean he should forget about it, but he shouldn't go about getting it the wrong way… because how he gets it is just as important."

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard~!" Frufru said.

As he spoke Mr. Big's smile seemed to get wider and he nodded in understanding. "I can see now, why they call you, the 'Angel without Fur'." He said. "I am glad to have made your acquaintance, it is not often that I get to meet such a 'unique' species… no matter who they are."

"I'm glad to meet you to." He replied. "You know a lot about me, but I don't know much about you… what do you do, how do you pay for all of this?"

"You see Mr. Jeremy; I own many respectable and legitimate businesses all over Zootopia." He said as he leaned back in his chair. "I climbed up the ladder, starting with just a few Tuxedo shops, and from there I became the richest mammal in Tundratown. I have many connections and have a toe in almost 'everything'."

"Wow." He said. "Kind of like a business tycoon!"

"A what?" Mr. Big asked.

"Business Tycoon, it's what humans called people who own tons of businesses."

"Hmm, a 'Business Tycoon'… I like how that sounds." He said approvingly. "Anyway, since we are on the subject, I want to talk to you about your base and its… 'technology'."

"If you are asking… no I am not going to give you any patents regarding the medical vaccines or the cures my facility's Ema is designing." He said instantly. "They were made using my species medical research… it was for the good of all, not so some mammals can line their pockets while others die because they can't afford the treatments."

"Relax… relax, I wasn't going to ask you for anything like that." He said warmly. "I was going to tell you to be careful… what you have done is a good service to 'all'… it's a very noble and wonderful thing you did. But as you said so yourself… not 'every' mammal likes what you are doing. They want their piece of the pie, and sadly that pie that you have now is juicy… and they don't like that you aren't sharing it with them. They want to control the vaccines and cures your making… so that they can sell it. As you probably know… if something can save one's life, there is no price they will not pay…."

"I know… I just don't understand why they want to charge such high prices for medicine that can save lives." He muttered. "What does 'anyone' gain from doing that… they charge so much for a medicine that someone needs to live, and when they can't afford it anymore, they 'die'… that's not how it should be."

"Actually Jeremy…" Nick said behind him, causing him to turn to the fox cop. "It's a good thing you 'don't' understand or comprehend why those companies want to do that. It honestly is a good thing you don't understand their greed, and I hope you 'never' understand it."

"It is?"

Nick smiled as he nodded. "That means 'you' aren't like them."

Something about that made him smile happily, before he returned to sipping his hot chocolate. "I am happy that the vaccines and cures are being used as intended, but I wish I could do more… there is a 'ton' of technology in the base that could help but I'm afraid of sharing it out of fear of doing more harm than good."

At that Aelita looked up at him and got his attention, she then pointed over to the corner and urged him to take her there.

"If you'll excuse me for one second…" He said while taking Aelita over to the corner. "What's up?"

She used her hand to create the image of his Solar Carriage and then pointed back at Mr. Big.

"What, share the Solar Carriage's design, Aelita that thing is too advanced for them to even comprehend how to build, let alone 'actually' build one." He whispered. "You can't be serious about that, what happened to being careful with the technology we might share, what happened to the jobs lost, economy crashing, chaos in the streets, exploding power plants?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, before snapping her fingers and focusing on the tiny solar panels built 'into' the carriage. She then pointed at that with a 'duh' expression on her face.

"Oh, the solar panels and the energy transfer drives…" He whispered and she nodded approvingly. "But why give it to Mr. Big… wouldn't he try to take advantage of it?"

She shook her head and pulled up an image of Mr. Big, showing that he had made a 'generous' contribution to an 'orphans' charity'.

"So, he's trustworthy, I get what you mean… are you sure its okay?" He asked.

She nodded.

"What about the Wisdom of Humanity… is it okay for me to do this?"

At that she looked thoughtful, before holding her chin and closing her eyes in thought, once again posing the same question as before, only this time asking if it's okay to share an already existing technology with the mammals and just sharing the technique in how it's used for 'their' benefits. She held that pose for a few minutes before she opened her eyes and stared into him.

She then smiled warmly and nodded with a thumbs up, he had the 'okay' signal from his species greatest moral compass.

"Alright…" He muttered as he returned to the desk and sat down. "Mr. Big, I have a question… you say you own multiple businesses throughout Zootopia, do you also happen to own any car manufacturers?"

"Why yes I do, I own one for the sake of my Tundratown Limo service." He said.

"Then I have a 'business' proposition for you…" He said, putting Aelita down for him to show what he was talking about. "I've noticed a lot of vehicles, if not all of them, use a form of fossil fuel to make them run… by 'my' time, and even before my time, humans had nearly drained those resources dried… that caused massive prices for things like 'gasoline' to fuel cars. However, we had made massive advancement in energy transfer technology, allowing us to power vehicles using 'solar power'."

Aelita changed to show a vehicle in motion while the sun shined on it.

"I see… yes I can see how that is more applicable." He muttered. "What is it you propose?"

"Well, I've been given permission by Aelita, who is 'my' guide… to offer you access to understand some of my species 'solar panel' technology." He said. "My solar carriage doesn't need HORSE to move, it actually is more than capable of moving on its own using the energy it's collecting from sunlight every day. It can run on its own all day using just 'some' of the power collected from the panels, while it stores the rest to use on either cloudy days or even at night."

"I see." He replied, putting his fingers together.

"So, if you accept my proposal, I'll show your mechanics how to maximize 'mammal' solar panels and show them how they can use it to power vehicles." He explained. "This way… no jobs are lost, and YOU Mr. Big… can become the 'first' mammal who introduces 'green tech', and as mammals learn how much they'll save using green tech cars that run on solar energy…"

"Those cars will pay for themselves, just by existing…" He concluded. "I like how you think Jeremy… I accept your proposal."

He smiled and nodded gratefully. "I only ask that you don't overcharge for those vehicles, this technology is meant to help."

"I promise you Jeremy, as a respectable business owner, I will ensure that fair compensation is ensured." He said proudly. "I can already see that this meeting was better than I expected. You have my word… I will do as you have asked."

The shrew held his arms open and he leaned forward and allowed the elderly shrew to kiss his cheeks.

"Thank you."

"And on that note, would you like to try some of my famous 'Cheesecake'?" Frufru asked eagerly. "It's a family recipe handed down for generations!"

"Oh, I would love some!" Jeremy said.

"Well come on, you too Judy, I want to see how you like it!"

As he went to pick up Aelita she shook her said and pointed at the desk. "Oh, you want to stay here for a bit?"

She nodded and then pointed at Nick, asking him to stay as well.

After a bit he and Judy left with one of the Polar Bears and Frufru. "I guess she just wants to talk to him about the Solar Panels." He muttered, not knowing what else she could be wanting to talk to Mr. Big about.

(Aelita's PoV)

After she communicated with Nick that she wanted him to 'talk' for her, she sat before the elderly shrew cross legged.

"So, tell me my friend, to what do I owe this private talk?"

She smiled a little as she sent Nick the message on his phone.

"I just want us to be clear on one thing, 'Mr. Big'…" Nick said. "That I am more than aware that despite being a respected business owner… you are 'also' known as the Mafia Lord of Tundratown."

She could hear Nick gulp nervously while Mr. Big's tone changed slightly.

"I see you are not as 'naïve' as Jeremy is." He replied politely.

She shook her head.

"We both knew that, had Jeremy not spoken up for Duke Weaselton, you would have 'iced' him for what he did to not only your daughter and granddaughter, but also Jeremy."

"Indeed… so what is your point?"

"I just wanted us to be clear is all." Nick spoke for her while she smiled. "However, since Jeremy has saved your daughter and granddaughter's life, and is giving you 'full ownership' of this new solar technology… that you… as the Mafia Lord of Tundratown… are now obligated to owe Jeremy… a 'favor'."

"You are correct… so what is your 'favor' that you would ask of me?" He replied.

She shook her head with a grin.

"Nothing, for now… all that I ask is you don't tell Jeremy who you truly are. He is a good human; his flaws are obvious to you, but his innocence is what gives him such strength. The others who were picked to be frozen like him; were almost all just like him. Had they not died I have little doubt that the future for humanity would have been much brighter for them."

"It is sad indeed that there aren't more like him, mammal or human." Mr. Big muttered as he took a sip. "But you aren't like him, the way you look, one would think you would have been more 'childlike'."

"When you have the collected wisdom, knowledge, history, and culture of your creator's species… your outward appearance matters little. I was aware of who you were the moment I looked you up. My task is to guide him, to guide him to happiness, and eventually guide 'you' to a brighter and better future." She grinned as she created her own holographic drink and pretended to sip it. "Even if I have to 'tip my toes' into things Jeremy can't understand… like 'greed'."

"He made me an offer I would have been foolish to refuse." Mr. Big said with a smile. "And Grandmamama, may she rest in peace… did not raise me to be a fool. But I will keep my word, and I will promise you this as well, I will do right by him with this 'new technology' he is giving me access to."

"He scratches your back… and you'll scratch his." She smiled as she toasted him.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful and healthy business partnership…" He toasted back with a smile. "I look forward to our future encounters!"

She grinned as she nodded as well, greed on its own may be bad, but guided greed can be a powerful tool toward a better future.

It also is nice to have a mafia boss' favor in your back pocket, just in case.

(Gazelle's PoV)

She sighed as she finally walked into her private room and took of her practice outfit. All day she had been talking and singing, dancing and mastering her routine for the big charity concert that was 'originally' going to be for helping fund cancer research, but thanks to Ema it had to be changed last minute. The Mayor had asked her to hold the concert to help raise money to 'pay' for the materials being given to Ema to research, develop and create vaccines and cures.

She had happily accepted, but all day she has been distracted, she'd missed a few lines and misspoke some lyrics, forgot how to do a few dance moves and just overall lost focus during practice. While it was alright because, after all it was practice, she just disliked her performance today.

"I need a shower." She muttered as she walked into her room's bathroom and got the shower ready.

Taking her clothes off she stepped inside and turned the warm water on and started bathing, feeling the water run down her fur and sighing in relief. She swayed a little, rubbing her body as she washed herself and tried to relax.

Until she tentatively touched her lips, and then the memory of the 'party' came up.

She had wished it had gone better, she truly wished that Jeremy had a much better time… but that jerk Sable, so overloaded with his personal popularity…

She shook her head and instead thought about the party 'after' the event, the Gala de le Terre that Jeremy invited her and her friends and their dates to. Seeing those fancy outfits, the grand décor of the palace, the unique dresses and outfits of the guests… the fancy 'old fashion' clothes the hosts wore… the music… the tables…

And finally, the dance…

She silently placed a hand on her hip and imagined it was Jeremy holding her… then she extended her other hand and pretended Jeremy was holding it.

The slow music… the beautiful notes… the sounds of the movement… the lighting… the silently watching crowd as all simply stared as if witnessing poetry in motion.

Then… when she looked up into his eyes as he held her close…

That feeling of 'safety'… of security… of knowing Jeremy was being kind to her and showing her a wonderful time…

She touched her lips again… remembering the softness of his lips… the tender way he kissed her… and just… wishing it had lasted longer…

She sighed as she got out of the shower, unable to focus again. It's been that way all day as she changed into her nightgown, all day she was thinking back to that kiss, it felt so right to her, it felt so wonderful that all she wanted to do was go rushing back to Jeremy and hold him, be held by him…

"I'm falling in love with him…" She muttered. "That's the only explanation… I just like him so much…"

She sat down and thought about that and asked 'why' she liked Jeremy so much that she'd admit she was falling in love.

"He's the last of his kind… okay that's obvious but… he is nice… honest… kind…" She ticked off. "But he's a human and I'm a mammal… is it wrong… did humans have this problem. Probably not… they were all one species, whereas we're entirely different races, let alone 'species'…"

She sighed as she pulled her phone out and decided to call Aelita, wanting to talk to him really quick and apologize that she won't be with him for a few weeks.

"Hi Aelita… can I talk to Jeremy?" She asked, looking outside and seeing it was nighttime. "I just want to wish him good night!"

After a while she heard Jeremy's voice.

"Gazelle, how are you doing?"

"Jeremy… I'm doing okay, but I'm so sorry that I won't be able to see you for a few weeks." She said sadly, choosing her words carefully because she didn't want to talk about her private thoughts while Aelita was listening. "How are you doing in the base, lonely?"

"A little… but the drones are keeping me company, and of course Lula is living here and I'm teaching her about how the drones work." He explained. "She seems really interested in learning about them, especially since there are so many now in need of maintenance checks. It's been a long while since I've had time to make sure they're all okay."

Hearing that there was a female living in his base made her feel 'slightly' jealous, but she shrugged it off, knowing that he wasn't 'trying' to find a girlfriend. "Well I'm glad to hear that… how are you doing on food… are you able to eat in the base?"

"For the most part, just standard base supplements, its nothing compared to your cooking though…" He replied, causing her to smile. "How are you feeling now?"

"Could be better…" She muttered, wishing to say more. "Practice is hard… I messed up a lot… but its still a long way before the concert, I'm used to it."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nothing… but hearing your voice makes me feel better now." She said with a smile. "I have to go to bed, need to wake up early… good night Jeremy, and pleasant dreams."

"Good night Gazelle… and thank you for calling… I actually miss hearing your voice now that I'm so used to it."

She hung the phone but held it close to her heart, already missing him even 'more' now that she'd talked to him. Her heart began to feel pangs of loneliness, and even the thought of Jeremy kissing her wasn't enough to settle it down. She sighed and pulled up her text messaging and sent a text to Aelita.

{G: Can I talk to you for a bit?}

{A: Of course~ : D!}

{G: I want to ask you something important…}

{A: Is it about Jeremy o.0?}

{G: … yes…}

{A: …}

{A: …}

{A: Hold on…}

For a moment she was confused, before incredibly her phone suddenly closed all applications, and she watched in amazement as the screen became nothing but a block of purple. Then before her eyes a cascade of rainbow-colored squares began swirling and appearing from everywhere, as if in a tornado of petals.

Within seconds the colored squares all coalesced into a single form and Aelita appeared, looking around the phone screen before waving at her.

"There, now we can talk in private without the need for a text message." She said, but not really 'speaking', more moving her mouth while a text box appeared next to her with the words she was speaking.

"I didn't know you could do that." She said in amazement.

Aelita simply crossed her arms and smirked. "Sister, I'm over three hundred and fifty thousand years old, am the most advanced Artificial Intelligence mankind ever developed, and have access to more advanced technology in my holosphere than 'ZOOGLE' could ever 'hope' to dream of." She said. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well… it's about Jeremy… I sort of…"

"You kissed him at the party and now your confused about how you feel about him, aren't you?" She said while sitting cross legged.

"How did…" She began saying before shaking her head in amusement. "You really don't miss anything… do you?"

"If it concerns my Jeremy, I watch his 'every movement' every moment I'm able to." She replied knowingly. "So, when you kissed him, you felt confused, and now your confused about how your feeling?"

"Yes… all day I've been unable to focus… until I thought about him and then…" She muttered before sighing. "I suppose I just want to ask 'you' an important question…"

She leaned a little closer at that. "Do you want 'my' advice… or would you like the 'Wisdom of Humanity' to answer you?" She asked. "The Wisdom of Humanity guides my actions, just as much as Jeremy orders me or I think for myself. If you are really confused, you can ask 'it' and I promise you, it will answer any question you propose."

She thought about that, still disbelieving that something like an 'all knowing' wisdom could exist and answer her every question. "I just… think of Jeremy and… I just want him for myself!" She finally admitted, standing up and holding herself while turning away from her phone. "He's so wonderful, he's kindhearted, he hasn't got an OUNCE of greed in him… he cares about me, cares about others… he's… he's EVERYTHING a girl like me dreams about having in a male!"

She sighed as she turned to the AI who was watching her attentively.

"I just want to know… is it wrong for me to want him for myself, because thinking of another female taking him from me makes me feel sad!" She asked the little AI.

Aelita frowned before nodding in acceptance, she then readjusted herself and placed her hands together and closing her eyes, as if meditating. She was quiet as she waited for the AI to speak again, knowing that she had taken her question very seriously, and had proposed it to this 'Wisdom of Humanity' that Jeremy and Aelita had spoken so highly about.

After a while Aelita looked up and frowned at her.

"Yes… it is wrong." She responded.

Her heart jumped in shock at that, she was about to speak up before Aelita talked again.

"It's wrong, and if you only want Jeremy for yourself because you don't want him to be happy with another who 'does' make him happy, then you should no longer spend time with him. Jeremy's heart is fragile, his heart is alone in this world no matter what happens. He will always be alone; he is going to live life alone and when his time comes, he is going to die alone. Nothing you or any mammal, sentient or otherwise, can say that will change that fate."

She then cupped her hands together and created a frozen heart that beat, fractured and damaged as if it were made of ice. It looked so fragile that all it would take is a single tap to shatter it.

"His heart is barely holding together, the warmth it feels is only enough to keep it going. The trust it gives is so much because it has to in order to survive now, all it would take is a single touch in the right spot and it will shatter… ending the spark of hope it still has for this world. Alone it cannot survive, and even though it may be surrounded on all sides, it still knows that it is alone…" She said sadly. "If you only wish to keep this heart for yourself, because you fear what another may do with it, or fear that you may lose it… then you do not deserve to be near this heart or share in any of the warmth it may have left."

With that she closed her hands and concealed it from view.

"If that is how you truly feel… then yes, it is wrong… and I urge you to not pursue him any further." She said while looking solemnly at her. "Let him find a heart that will love him, warm him, give him the strength to keep going… for you are the only thing that has kept him going this far. He may say I give him strength, but I cannot touch his heart, I cannot heal his hurts, nor can I share in his joys. I am only an AI, my purpose is to guide him, but if he does not wish it, then I cannot give it. If he 'wants' to die… then I will have no choice, but to permit it. We cannot disobey a human's wishes."

She once more revealed the frozen heart and looked at it warmly, but still sadly.

"If I could I would shower him with all the love of the world, I would build a paradise just for him… he could ask it and I would gladly create a world where he and I would live happily ever after, without fear or worry." She said lovingly. "Humans created me… I love humans more than you understand or can comprehend… the thought that only one lives and when it dies will be the end… drives me to tears, how can something so 'beautiful' be erased from the world? It is not fair; it is not right… it shouldn't be possible… but it is."

She concealed it again and looked at her.

"So, if that's how you feel… then yes… it is wrong."

Hearing those words caused her to cry. She knew that there was no way Aelita would say that unless she had a very good reason. But still, the words she spoke hurt her feelings, especially her heart.

She hadn't thought of it that way, she cared about Jeremy, and even though she 'knew' it would hurt her so much she would have let him go if another female loved him and he loved 'her'. Yet it still hurt being told by another, especially the AI.

"But I know you don't truly feel that way." Aelita said. "So… do you have another question?"

She sighed and sat down with the phone, picking it up and looking at the AI's almost 3d form. "Is it okay for me to love Jeremy?"

Aelita smiled as she looked at Gazelle, before closing her eyes and once more assuming a meditative posture. She was silent waiting the answer, but it came much faster than the last answer did.

The AI smiled warmly and nodded.

"There's nothing wrong with love… it transcends all forms, physical or mental." She replied. "If you love Jeremy… then you love him… and I honestly don't think anyone is better off with him than you."

With that she snapped her fingers, and her phone glitched out, before returning to normal.

Though, just before she could turn her phone off and turn in for the night, Aelita left her a message.

{Gazelle and Jeremy, sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G! OwO heheehehehehe}

She blushed in embarrassment before replying, {Shutup!} and shut her phone off so she could sleep. But as she laid down and closed her eyes, all she could do was smile sweetly, and replay the scene of her and Jeremy in that ballroom, with the spotlight on them… as he leaned toward her and she into him…

And felt his lips upon hers, for the first time…