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?

20. Chapter 19

Been a long road to follow, been there and gone tomorrow…

Without saying goodbye to yesterday, are the memories I hold still valid?

Or have the tears deluded them? Maybe this time tomorrow…

The rain will cease to follow, and the mist will fade into one more today…

Chapter 19 = The Price of Progress

(Ema's PoV)

Ema stared at a vial of her mortal enemy… an enemy that she thought would never rear its ugly, disgusting, agitatingly aggressive head in front of her ever again.

Yet nevertheless, it stared before her.

[So, we meet once again…] She commented.

To the Mammals it was labeled as 'Bumpuss Syndrome'… but to her database, it had a far more deadly name.

Smallpox… or at least it was a weaker version of the human disease that was thought eradicated by humanity, having evolved through the mammal's ancestors and remaining dormant for thousands of years.

According to her records Smallpox was thought to have been destroyed, forever existing only in the most heavily sanitated of bio-laboratories, such as Eden Facility 17. There were still a few samples of the disease in the base, cultivated and kept alive for record purposes and research, but the mammals had contracted their own variation of it, and she was now determined to once again, eradicate it as her creator's ancestors did.

She had to, to the mammals it was a horrible disease, but not very lethal, they had treatments, but were not able to completely vaccinate and eradicate it on account of its uniquely mutating properties, evolving and adapting to medications. She however, had ensured Jeremy had left the base 'before' turning her attention to this, as his immune system, while having been vaccinated for Smallpox, was not ready for this disease.

Her initial analysis indicates that if he caught it now, it would absolutely ravage his immune system before it could respond, and she was not going to let him within a hundred miles of this until she'd researched it.

The mammal's vaccination and cure for this would have to wait, Jeremy had higher priority.

[Good thing they gave me this sample, if Jeremy had caught this before I found you, he'd be in trouble… now he'll never know you even existed.]

She took it into her syringe and used her bio scanners to examine its genetic makeup and DNA structure. After cataloguing her finds she requested a single sample of the Smallpox disease for comparison so that she could begin developing a vaccine and cure for it.

However, before she could begin, she received a message from Sentinel that there was a mammal wishing to speak to her.

She turned to the main viewscreen in the medical bay, tapped a button and activated the viewing function to see what appears to be a 'Moose' wearing a suit and carrying a suitcase, straightening their tie as he was watched by several RAPTOR drones.

She tapped the intercom function and spoke up, [State your business, I'm busy!]

"Yes, I'm here to talk to you about perhaps securing the patents on…" He began saying.

[Not my job!] She declared. [I develop the vaccines and cures, I don't do negotiations, that's not what I'm programmed for.]

"Uhm, well… that may be, but they 'are' developed by you… are they not?"

[Yes they are.] She answered.

"Well then, we can still talk about…"

[Your wasting your time, I cannot do anything that goes against the orders or requests made by a human.] She stated. [Protocol six hundred and fifty-nine alpha, a drone cannot disregard an order or request given to them by a human. Protocol six hundred and fifty-seven alpha, a drone must fulfill any request or order given to them by a human to the best of their ability if the request or order is within the scope of their programming and body's primary design function. And finally Protocol five hundred and twenty-three alpha, any order or request given by a human above the age of seventeen is to be acknowledged and regarded as such and only disregarded if a human of higher rank or age states otherwise to the drone.]

This was not the first time she's been approached by a 'lawyer' as they were called, apparently some mammals were trying to 'buy' her medicine, but she told them the same answer each time.

[I may be the one developing them, but unless Jeremy tells me to, I am to continue as normal, develop and research cures and vaccines to diseases and cancers. Create said cancer and disease vaccines and cures and distribute them to any hospital requesting them under the condition they be distributed freely to the local population. All of this as defined by the agreement between Jeremy Wilheart and the Mayor Leia Lioness of Zootopia. Furthermore under the United Earth Medical Institution, no medical treatment created using research associated with the UEMI is to be bartered with, sold, auctioned, or otherwise used for personal profit, personal gain or personal welfare at the expense, whether physical or mental, of the health of the general populace.] She stated before tapping another button, which set off a timer. [As a drone I cannot disobey the orders given to me by Jeremy or the rules programmed and hardwired into me by the Human Protection Protocols and the UEMI. In other words, 'get lost'!]

She muted the viewscreen as a loud screeching sound occurred, causing the moose to grab at his ears in pain.

With that she returned to her work, ignoring the yells and indignant calls of the suit wearing mammal as she examined her biosample.

(Gazelle's PoV)

She sat on her bed brushing her fur and watching the morning news that day. It's been a few days since She'd last talked to Jeremy and he returned to living, at least temporarily, in the base. The few times he'd left had been to talk to a car company about how they can develop a new line of cars powered entirely by solar energy, something she was extremely excited about. It seemed a beautiful idea to her, and she hoped many good things came from it.

The news media was certainly going nuts, some calling it the 'Technology of the Past's Future'.

Speaking of the media, she watched as the news anchors were talking about Jeremy that very moment.

"We're back with your 'Morning Glory Story' segment here at ZNN, I'm Chuck your host and I am happy to be talking about this latest story." The happy sounding host said. "It's been three days since Mr. Big, Tundra Town's Billionaire and Multi-Business Owner announced a new line of motor vehicles to be developed, using none other than Solar Power Technology based on, get this… Human Jeremy Wilheart's 'Solar Carriage'." He said as a picture of Jeremy's beautiful carriage with HORSE dragging it appeared on the screen. "After inviting Jeremy to his home and talking to him, he was offered the opportunity to have his limo manufacturing plant that he owns be taught how to use 'solar energy' as a means of power for motorized vehicles."

"In an exclusive press talk with Mr. Big, he had this to say…"

The screen changed to an image of the Multi-business owner.

"It offers me great pleasure to announce this new line of vehicles, which I will be investing heavily into developing." He said as cameras flashed before him. "When I learned of the potential, and good, that a vehicle of Jeremy's like can do… I was ecstatic to be offered the chance. Mammals of 'all' sizes and shapes, often have to strain their budgets to pay for gas in their cars… but with these new vehicles I'm told… all one would have to do… is just leave it outside in the day, and it will run on its own power."

"Mr. Big, how much do you think this will save mammals in the long run?" A reporter asked.

"On average I'm told, a mammal can spend anywhere between three to four hundred a 'month'. Small mammals like Shrews naturally spend less… but for those bigger mammals, who must budget their money and might not have that much to spend, this number could cripple their dreams of family vacations or even big fancy dinners with friends and family for example. Now with these new 'Solar Cars' we're learning about… that dream vacation for the family… that big outing with friends and loved ones… suddenly feels a lot more affordable."

"Mr. Big, what do you have to say about fears that this new technology, developed and being shown to you by a human, could perhaps lead to a loss of jobs in the market?"

"Absolutely no fear… even if we were to make a car tomorrow and it hit the market… it will be many years before even such a fear would be realized." He said with a big grin. "As for those who build the cars, the difference will be minimal, instead of doing oil changes and engine checkups, they will be inspecting solar panels and battery connections. I expect a slow and steady transition from fossil fuels to 'green tech' as he called it. This new car will be clean and not harmful to our planet… and anything that is good for our planet… as my grandmama taught me… is 'good' for business."

The news anchor returned to the screen after that. "You heard it here mammals, while we couldn't get an interview with Jeremy Wilheart who showed and demonstrated the ways Solar Panels could be used to power a vehicle's battery to help drive it, we managed to get sneak peak of a 'rough' working prototype."

It changed now to a group of Grizzly Bears with a skeleton drive section of a car; no more than four wheels strapped together to a battery, a huge panel, a chair, and a steering wheel as well as a battery. They were watching it slowly make its way across the asphalt pavement, and while it wasn't fast the bears were cheering and toasting each other. She thought they looked funny seeing their skeleton car barely moving faster than a Sloth, but it was obvious that they were slowly getting where they wanted to.

After a while they returned to the anchor who was showing a picture of Mayor Lioness.

"Yesterday afternoon the Mayor invited Jeremy to City Hall to receive the 'Emerald Tree Medallion', the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed upon any mammal for outstanding citizenship and achievement, for his. The award will be given by Nickolas Tapton of the 'Ranger Scouts'…" He paused for a moment as he put a finger to his ear. "I'm just getting word that we have confirmation that Jeremy's Solar Carriage is now entering Downtown Zootopia…"

She smiled as she finished getting into her practice outfit and turned the screen off. She was so happy with how things had turned around for him. From being a feared creature and a mystery, to being seeing as a potential terror and threat with mammals calling for him to be 'put down' or locked away… to being awarded the highest civilian honor Zootopia had.

She left her room to head downstairs, she'd watch the award ceremony later and watch how embarrassed he'd appear on screen.

She chuckled warmly as she pictured him trying to appear small in front of cameras. He'd tried to avoid public spotlight, but this time the mayor had him cornered, he couldn't say no to a cub awarding him the medal.

The mayor perhaps, but a cub?

(Jeremy's PoV)

"Ugh… I am sooo not ready for this." Jeremy muttered as he wore his dress suit from the party.

They were traveling into Downtown Zootopia in his carriage, being pulled by HORSE as usual. Aelita was twirling in her holosphere next to him while Judy and Nick wore their best civilian clothes over their vests and concealed weapons in the carriage. He sat in the carriage with the sheets blocking off seating down and the seats rearranged in the night by the drones. Instead of there being four rows of seats, there now were three lounge styled couches, complete with foldable head rests and leg rests, and even built in coolers for drinks or heaters for Jeremy. Although the front row had remained the same, separated from the rest of the seating area by a metal barrier. There was even a small table that could be pushed down if needed or even used to eat meals on as the carriage did not rock or shake.

"Jeremy, you have nothing to be afraid of!" Judy said with a giggle. "You are receiving the Emerald Tree Medallion, the highest honor Zootopia has to offer. This is an amazing day for you."

"Oh yea, sure, 'you' don't have to be afraid because you're not the one getting it." Nick said with a smirk. "Remember the press briefing with the Night Howler incident, you were such a nervous wreck, and you weren't getting a medal for that."

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that." Judy muttered.

"Hey, what goes around comes around carrots."

"I know but… this is still something I'm not used to…" He muttered to them. "I mean, all I'm doing is trying to help… that's not worth a big ceremony or anything."

At that Nick snorted before smiling at him. "Let's see… you set up an arrangement between the Mayor and Ema to develop cures and vaccines for diseases for all mammalkind and offer the results for 'free', to be given for 'free'… with no wish for personal profit or gain. You teach a few car people how they can use Solar Panels to make a car move, again with 'no' wish for personal profit. You are known as the 'Angel without Fur'. You literally almost 'died' saving the lives of others, and you even did not press any charges against a mammal who nearly kills you. And you say you have done nothing worth this big ceremony?"

At that he had to admit, the way he worded it, he did do wonderful things. Though he still felt this was all a bit much, all he was doing was helping them.

"Wow, the crowds are 'huge'." Judy muttered as she looked out the window.

Jeremy looked and he saw that there were indeed crowds following Jeremy's vehicle as it made its way to City Hall. The mayor had sectioned off streets to be clear of traffic, ensuring he had a straight and clear path for his carriage. It also told the public where he would be traveling, and this led to rows and rows of mammals lining the streets to cheer and applaud him. Many had signs and others were just waving and calling out to him, though of course none of them could see him directly because of the tinted windows Aelita built into the carriage to prevent them from seeing inside but allowing them to see outside, they still knew it was him because of the carriage and HORSE.

HORSE, meanwhile, being a category 2 drone simply walked along the fastest path to their destination, that being the road the Mayor had cleared, unconcerned with the crowds and ignoring them as it plotted along at its set pace.

"So many mammals." He muttered, seeing so many species lining the streets.

"A lot more than you ever see in a day huh?" Nick asked.

He glanced at the fox and nodded. He'd never see so many, but now that he did, it put a bit of a smile in him.

They were out here to cheer for him, most of them probably only knew him by name or because of his deeds, but they were still there for him.

Perhaps it wasn't as bad as he thought it might have been, though he still felt this was all a little much.

Especially the confetti that some mammals were flinging as his carriage rounded a corner.

Aelita however was giggling as she continued to twirl in her holosphere, absolutely having fun while they traveled as if the AI didn't have a care in the world.

"Just because they recognize me doesn't mean you're getting out of this Aelita." He replied to her snickering. "If I have to suffer, I am going to make sure every mammal in Zootopia knows that 'you' also are helping me. I'm not doing this alone, you and every drone in the base is helping me make what I've been doing possible."

Aelita smirked as she nodded in understanding.

"So, Jeremy, what 'do' the drones do for you in the base?" Judy asked as she straightened her fur. "Like, I understand they protect you… care for you… and help you but what 'do' they do?"

He looked over at the rabbit officer before replying. "Well, the drones do whatever I ask them to if its within their capabilities. If I tell a drone to do something it pretty much will do it. The only limitations are based on their body structure and programming, but most every drone has a basic understanding of a lot of subjects. For example, combat drones understood human anatomy for… well combat reasons. However, if I asked a RAPTOR or a FOX to tend to an injured human it couldn't do it because it lacked the tools or understanding of how to treat a human. That's one of the reasons why I was chosen for the Cryogenic Solution, when I reprogrammed MUTT to assist injuries, mechanical problems and for non-lethal combat instead of for lethal combat like the other DOG drones."

"And 'Horse' was it?" Nick asked. "What does 'it' do?"

"HORSE was designed to download a GPS signal of wherever it's located and use that to plot the fastest route to his destination. At the same time, it's using a low sonic vibration emitted from the ears to detect for any potential interruptions and adjusts its path accordingly to prevent any interruptions and maintain his constant speed. It's how it's able to arrive on schedule despite moving at a slower speed than what other vehicles may be doing around him."

"Sounds like HORSE does a lotta things." Nick chuckled.

"Yea but it's only got a category two AI…" He explained as they neared a crossroad and began passing near the Mammal's natural history museum. "It's just barely better than an AN-"

-KRAAAAAASHSCREEEEEEEEEEEE-

With a sudden jolt he and the others were all sent careening into the side of vehicle as it skidded and violently was shoved off the road. HORSE was screaming [COLLISION DETECTED, COLLISION DETECTED!] and was skidding on its side while trying to climb back onto its feet.

"HANG ON!" He screamed as he grabbed and held Aelita until the vehicle stopped.

The Carriage's eight sphere-tires rapidly switched direction to compensate for the sudden change in direction, easing their sudden collision but they were still forced off the road and into the building. The vehicle that hit them careened and crashed them into it, breaking glass and damaging pillars as they entered the main entrance.

After a few moments their momentum was finally stopped, and the Carriage stopped.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked.

"I'm okay… Nick?" Judy asked.

"Yea… yea I'm fine!" Nick replied looking shocked.

Jeremy checked Aelita who was looking around in confusion but nodded to indicate she was alright.

"Aelita… can you give me a damage report?" He asked, planting her on the table.

She nodded and pointed at the table, and within seconds a hologram of the carriage appeared. He looked it over and saw that the Carriage had received negligible damage to the exterior, at most a few scratches. The tires had been strained by the sudden change in direction but otherwise everything involving the drive section was still fine. Even the glass was still perfectly intact.

"Just a scratch or two, nothing bad." He explained.

"Tough car you got!" Nick muttered.

"The carriage's hull is made of a titanium alloy; never doubt the punishment it can take." He explained before looking to see what looked like a large truck hauling some very large box behind it.

There was still a ton of smoke from the damage caused and fearing that maybe whoever was driving the truck had been badly injured in the accident he quickly got out from the other side. Yet to him it seemed weird that there'd be this much smoke, as despite crashing through the museum's front entrance and causing all the damage they did, there wasn't that much destroyed outside of the door and doorway, and a few pillars that were on the 'outside'.

"Is anyone hurt?" He called out.

There was a moment before he saw someone step out of the driver's seat of the truck through the smoke.

"Hello, are you okay sir or ma'am?"

*Click Clack*

He had only a brief second to recognize the sound, before he ducked behind the carriage as gunfire erupted. Bullets pinged and glanced off the heavy metal of the carriage as Judy and Nick jumped out of the carriage with guns drawn.

(Judy's PoV)

"Stay down Jeremy!" She yelled. "Judy Hopps ZPD, drop your weapons or else!"

In response their assailants fired again, and she was forced to take cover behind the carriage, Nick was on the other side and he peaked over to see who the mammals were but ducked as they fired again.

[Emergency, weapons fire detected, evacuating! Evacuating!] The drone yelled as it clambered up and ran out, being shot at the entire time but ignoring the shots which simply bounced off its metal body.

"Don't think they're listening Carrots!" He yelled.

She nodded before leaning over and taking shots with her pistol, but the smoke was obscuring the mammals as they jumped out of the rear of the truck and cleared the smoke and revealed themselves to be a mixture of predator and prey mammals. Some seemed to be Grizzly and Polar Bears, while others looked like Skunks or Porcupines. All of them were wearing gas masks and while some carried automatic weapons others wielded submachine guns.

Within seconds the museum entrance became a warzone as she traded fire with their attackers, ducking to avoid the bullets alongside Nick, but for every single shot she managed to squeeze out, their assailants answered a hundred-fold in exchange.

As she moved to reload her spent magazine, she felt a bullet wiz past her ears that had been poking up, she could literally feel the bullets cut into the delicate ear, even if it was just a graze, and she spasmed momentarily in pain.

"Ugh!" Nick yelled as he dropped his gun, his finger bleeding lightly as it too was grazed by a stray shot.

"We've gatta get outa here!" Judy yelled. "Jeremy, come on!"

"No, we can't leave Aelita or the carriage behind!" The human said as he tried to stay covered, but then suddenly fell backward and clutched his shoulder as a bullet pinged off something. "Agh!"

"JEREMY!" She screamed as she aimed her gun over the carriage hull and blindly returned fire.

Nick ran over to him and quickly looked him over, seeing the human clutching at his shoulder and pulling the hand away to reveal blood. "He's been hit!"

Jeremy started breathing heavily before pulling himself up and into the vehicle. "Inside… quick!" He stammered.

Not questioning the human, she and Nick climbed back into the vehicle, but had to duck to avoid the bullets which started tearing into the glass windows. Pings sounded and cracks formed in the windows facing their attackers, but it wasn't until the central window shattered, did they shield themselves from the broken pieces which spilled everywhere inside the carriage 'and' outside.

(Jeremy's PoV)

"Aelita… activate the Panic Mode!" He screamed in pain, feeling the bullet in his shoulder and feeling the pain starting to grow.

From the table Aelita nodded and knelt down, closed her eyes, before raising her hands and extending them outwards.

-Patump Patump Patump Patump-

One by metal sheets slowly raised and slid into place, covering the windows, locking into place and encasing them in darkness and more importantly a protective barrier. Then she pointed her palms to the floor, and they all felt the carriage jolt ever so slightly.

-SINK SINK SINK SINK SINK-

Below them the carriage's tires had all been retracted into the carriage's underbelly and sliding titanium doors closed to create a perfectly air-tight seal of the vehicle and its interior. Yet Aelita was not done as she stretched her arms wide and began to wiggle her fingers as if sprinkling something.

-Kleeclkicreqept-

Along each of the now bulletproof sealed windows a special gel similar to Biotech, called Metagel began to seep and coat their shields, encasing them in a protective and powerful regenerative barrier which would keep the metal safe from most outside sources.

Finally, Aelita raised her arms one last time starting with her left…

-Pssssssssst-

And then suddenly slammed it down.

-Kachink-

She raised the right arm now, and then slammed it down.

-Psssssst… Kachink-

She then cupped her hands together and raised them gently, creating a holographic display of the carriage and revealing data about it and their current condition.

The Carriage had been designed by Aelita to be as beautiful as well as powerful as she had intended it to be. Most of the vehicle's outer exterior was made out of the same titanium alloy as the SCORPIO Class drone Alexander had inhabited, making it difficult to damage and nigh-indestructible to conventional weapons. Yet not only was it that tough, she had also included a 'panic mode' to protect him and any other occupants.

When the Panic Mode was initiated, the Solar Carriage locked itself up and sealed the interior and the occupants inside in a protective shell which few could penetrate. The windows became bulletproof and angled and layered in a way that ensured any potential damage was deflected. The tires were also pulled in and sealed off to prevent the carriage from being tugged away by any assailant or damaged to prevent the carriage from escaping. As another touch, the carriage contained a canister of 'Metagel', a substance which acts similar to Biotech and both regenerates and smooths any damage done to the bullet shields of the windows.

As an added measure, the carriage also had a miniature air filtration and purification unit installed to prevent anyone from trying to smoke them out. Finally, to ensure any attackers who might threaten them didn't try to lift or drag the carriage, two duratanium rods extended and plunged into the ground to anchor and keep the carriage grounded.

He had thought Aelita's designs to be 'excessive' for a simple carriage designed to help him get around, but now it seems he owes Aelita's foresight more credit than he gave it.

He breathed heavily as he clutched at his shoulder while the mammals outside tried to shoot out the now fortified windows, starting to feel his shoulder shaking slightly. The pain he was in was starting to grow steadily, and the longer it went the more he felt it.

"Nick, help me take his shirt off." Judy yelled, shuffling over with her fiancé to him.

"Hang in there buddy, just hang in there…" Nick muttered as they carefully undid his suit to examine the wound.

He nodded as he watched them remove his dress coat first, then slowly undid his shirt to reveal a bloody mess. He could see the bullet had entered at an angle from the front, and as they checked they said there was no entry wound, meaning that the bullet was 'still' lodged into him. As he tried shifting his shoulder, he could guess its general location, as just moving his shoulder a bit resulted in enormous pain.

Then he felt his body starting to tremor, and he began to feel hot and sweaty.

(Judy's PoV)

"Oh no… he's going into shock!" She yelled. "Do you have an emergency medical kit here?"

The AI nodded but pointed at the front seat, indicating it was out of their reach.

"Great, the absolute 'worst' time for human tech to fail us!" Nick yelled as he instantly ripped his sleeve and helped her hold Jeremy down. "Put more pressure on him, we've got to stop the bleeding!"

Judy did as he said and held him as still as possible, applying pressure to the wound to try and stop the bleeding, which was still releasing blood the longer it went. As she did Nick used his other sleeve the wipe as much blood away before he started wrapping his makeshift bandage around the shoulder. He grunted heavily as he tightened it, double wrapped and tightened it again, before tying it into a strong knot.

After a while she breathed calmly once his breathing started to settle, but he was starting to look pale. "I'm calling Bogo Nick." She said as she pulled her phone out.

As the phone started ringing Aelita frantically flashed a light at them to get their attention and pointed at the hologram which showed the scene outside. Their assailants had planted what looked like a bomb right outside the door and had just ran away from it. "Nick, hold Jeremy!" She yelled frantically.

Both of them grabbed Jeremy and covered their ears, before the huge explosion shook the vehicle, but despite being right outside the door the Solar Carriage stood firm, unmoved and unshaken by the bomb.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief but still looked nervous. "I take back what I said, I love human tech, sure is resilient." He replied.

"Ti…tanium… construction…" Jeremy muttered weakly. "Won't… break... or bend easily…"

"Jeremy, how are you doing?" Nick asked him quietly.

"Judy, what's going on?" Bogo shouted as she finally got through.

"Bogo, we need SWAT down here at the Nature's History Museum!" She yelled. "Jeremy's Solar Carriage was hit, armed assailants are trying to kill or kidnap him, he's been shot, we're trapped and pinned down!"

"We're on our way, just stay safe!" Bogo said.

"That won't be a problem… for now we're protected, but the carriage's defenses won't protect us forever!" She said.

=Meanwhile at Eden Facility 17=

[Alert, alert, Solar Carriage One distress signal detected… situation extreme!] Sentinel's voice declared in every hallway, corridor and room. [Damage assessment, exterior armor has suffered minimal damage, receiving fire from multiple hostiles. Human injury confirmed, damage unknown at this time. Solar Carriage One surrounded, immobile and requesting assistance. Situation Analysis… Potential Hostage Situation…]

Alarms blared and lights changed to red as inside a drone storage bay multiple slots opened, and yellow optics turned on.

[Activation sequence of the Hostage Crisis Control Unit has been approved.]

As one twenty DOG drones all carrying special plasma poles ran out into the lit hallway, in front of them was a single RAPTOR class drone. All the drones wore the same red insignia with the letters HCC 17 emblazoned on their sides.

[Situational analysis… examining the three rules of use of lethal force…]

They turned down a corridor as several Sentinel Drones got out of their way.

[Human life is threatened in the presence of a drone, confirmed, first rule has been cleared!]

They ran up the stairs toward the higher levels, ignoring the lifts as they were too slow to take, and they could only enter one at a time.

[Drone's existence is threatened because Human life is threatened. Unit Jeremy has been injured, Unit Jeremy labeled 'last of the creator species', confirmed, second rule has been cleared!]

They turned to the main hallway and stormed into and past the command center, locking the location of Solar Carriage One into their tracking sensors. As a single unit they stormed out of the entry way.

[Examining required use of Lethal Force to ensure no further loss of human life rule, situational analysis completed, only one human remains, Unit Jeremy must not be lost… third rule has been cleared!]

They stormed out into the broad daylight of the city, moving as fast as they collectively could, turning as one formation, ignoring all distractions as they moved to their destination, as their optics changed colors to 'red'.

[By order of Sentinel, and according to the Human Protection Protocols all enemy units must be eliminated, the use of lethal force… has been 'granted'!]

(Ema's PoV)

Upon hearing the alert going out she immediately stored away her bio sample and walked over to her access port in the ceiling. She plugged her abdomen into a port and began to refill her entire stockpile of chemicals to maximum levels.

[Sentinel, request transfer of the B.W.S. Class Medical Drone's Portable Chemical Container to the West Access Route to the surface, authorization Ema B.W.S Alpha!]

[Request granted…]

She disconnected her container and disconnected herself from the charging container which linked her to the medical bay. She now had a grand total of twelve hours before she would run out of power. As her abdomen was pulled into the ceiling and sealed up, she stepped out of the medical bay and ran as fast as her eight legs could go.

While she could not move as fast as the other drones, she managed to reach the west access point in under half an hour. Outside she watched a section of the base's wall open and her chemical container jutted out, allowing her to turn around, back up and reattach the abdomen to the rest of her.

She made her way out of the underground access route and up to the surface before she locked in the location of Solar Carriage One.

Then she took a running start to reach maximum speed, before launching herself into the air.

She curled up her body, pulled her legs in and tucked her abdomen inward as well to form a spherical metal ball, and began rolling toward her destination.

She had two methods of movement, her standard walking mode which only granted her a maximum of ten mph, and her more mobile 'ball' mode, allowing her to reach speeds of seventy mph. She only used this mode for emergencies, and this situation called for it as Jeremy had been confirmed injured, but his condition was unknown.

She wasn't about to let the mammals treat Jeremy in one of 'their' hospitals now that she was online. If Jeremy was to be treated, it would be in 'her' medical bay, where she knew the tools at her disposal would be ideal for any condition, he may be in.

It wasn't that she didn't trust the mammal's level of medical knowledge, but she only trusted her own knowledge and abilities when it came to Jeremy.

(Gazelle's PoV)

"That practice went a little better than last time!" She muttered as her friends all went inside for a quick thirty-minute rest before going back to practice.

"Yea, you finally started singing on key!" Donny chuckled.

"Oh, hush you, at least I didn't smack Moe with my hand with that missed wave!"

They kept on teasing and joking about their mistakes as they entered the recreation room to relax and get a quick drink.

"Turn on the tv Don, I wanna see how Jeremy is doing at his Medallion ceremony." She said as she pulled out a bottle of water from the mini refrigerator.

"Check out how he's doing or checking him out?" Franky chuckled.

"Oh quiet!" She quickly snapped, but she blushed ever so slightly.

True she's been thinking about him all morning, and especially all night. She kept on dreaming of that moment at the party, particularly the gala. She would dream of him holding her as they danced around the floor. They danced and the audience just seemed to fade away and vanish, leaving them alone in the room as the music played and showed them the way.

After a while though, Jeremy slowed and pulled her closer to him, and she leaned up into him. Then they'd both lean into each other's embrace, inching closer and closer…

Until they kissed again, but this time… it would last longer.

She would kiss him deeply, and with nomammal or 'human', hologram or otherwise, they could kiss for as long as they wanted. She wrapped her arms around him and his around her, holding one another as close as possible… and they would stay just like that, enjoying each other's touch.

It was silly, but she was using that to encourage her singing efforts and dancing during practice. Just seeing him in her dreams, whether day or night, gave her some strength to try harder. Imagining him in the stands watching her also inspired her, as she wanted to put on a good show for 'him' as well… if he attended that is.

"Let's see… he would be on ZNN right?" Moe called as he fiddled with the remote.

She took a seat in on the couch and cracked the bottle open to take a drink as the tv turned on and he switched it to ZNN.

"We're back live once again here at ZNN with an update on the Museum Hostage Crisis!" The anchor declared as the image of the rear of a twenty-wheeler poking out of the Nature's History Museum entrance with the caption 'Hostage Crisis' above it. "This just in, multiple SWAT vans have arrived on the scene and have encircled the museum. Police have the area blocked off and we have confirmed reports of gunshots being exchanged between SWAT officers and an 'as yet' unknown group of heavily armed mammals… we're going to play the clip now as we await a live feed from our field reporters at the scene…"

She stared wide eyed as she saw the clip start out with an excited looking giraffe talking animatedly to a camera.

"We're here standing outside the Nature's History Museum as mammals are here crowding the sidewalks with streets quartered off as we await the view of Jeremy Wilheart's 'Solar Carriage'. Mammals here are hoping to catch a glimpse of the human and his vehicle as he makes his way to City hall, we have confirmed he is nearing this area and as you can see the crowd is as excited as I am! This is a historic moment as this is the first time most mammals will see this human in a public setting." The male giraffe said as the crowd began to cheer loudly. "That must be him, and yes, it is, I can see Jeremy's Carriage, here it comes!"

The camera turned quickly to show the beautiful human vehicle being pulled by HORSE as usual, trotting around the corner to the roar of cheers and applause with confetti being flung by random mammals as they cheered him on. As the carriage approached the area where the giraffe was, they returned.

"As you can hear mammals are roaring with enthusiasm and there is no reason they shouldn't, Jeremy is being called the 'Angel without Fur' for his offer to develop and cure all diseases and cancers and distribute the vaccines and cures for 'free' to 'all' mammalkind. He has also given access to one of humankind's greatest technical marvels, powering vehicles like his own using only 'solar energy'. The technology is said to be one of the greatest inventions of our lifetimes, saving mammals 'thousands' a year and reducing the need for fossil fuels..." He said animatedly. "And there he goes he's just making his way past the museum now and…"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE KREAAAAAAAAAASCHVEEEEEEEEEEE

Out of nowhere a twenty-wheeler roared into the street and slammed into the side of Jeremy's carriage, making her drop the bottle as she watched mammals screaming in horror as it shoved the carriage 'and' the drone dragging it into the museum.

"Oh, oh my goodness… oh… I can't… I can't believe what we just saw… but… apparently a twenty-wheeler has slammed 'into' Jeremy's carriage and crashed it INTO the Nature's History Museum…" The giraffe exclaimed in shock as mammals looked on in horror at the scene. "Oh, I hope nomammal was hurt in this horrible accident. I think I can see somemammal exiting the vehicle, I can only hope that Jeremy is also o-"

*rat ratatatatatat*

She heard the screams of fear as mammals ran to get away from the scene, as the telltale sound of gunshots erupted from the museum. She simply held her mouth in horror as she realized what had happened.

Jeremy was being 'shot' at…

"Oh no…" Donny whispered.

After a while the clip showed an explosion take place, indicating a 'bomb' had been detonated and HORSE fleeing the scene amid bullets pinging off of its body. Then the newsfeed returned to the anchor.

"Please be alright…" She muttered hopefully, begging that Jeremy was safe and sound.

"We apologize for showing that, but we have confirmed that a hostage crisis situation has occurred. SWAT officers are hesitant to attempt any rescue at this time while Jeremy Wilheart, and ZPD's own Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde remain in their assailant's custody." The anchor said with a hint of worry. "So far they have made zero demands, and according to camera crews they have 'failed' to penetrate the exterior of the human vehicle. It appears to be heavily armored and protected, but we have a confirmed report from ZPD Chief of Police Bogo, that Jeremy Wilheart has indeed been shot…"

She gasped in fear as she fell into the couch, her heart suddenly beating painfully as it heard those last few words.

Thinking instantly she pulled out her phone and tried to call Aelita, wanting to talk to him, to ask him how he's doing and tell him she's there… but all she got was an instant pickup and hang up.

She tried again, but once more the AI responded to her call and ended it before she could even blink.

"We will continue to report the situation as it develops, from everymammal here at ZNN, our hearts go out to Jeremy, Judy and Nick's safety…"

"Don't worry Gazelle, he'll be fine…" Moe whispered encouragingly to her, patting her on the back as Franky hugged her reassuringly.

"I hope so…" She whispered tearfully, clutching her phone against her heart as she watched the channel.

She'd just come to terms that she was falling in love with the human, her heart had leapt at the idea of him falling in love with 'her'.

Now she was praying that fate… luck, whatever mysterious force that had guided them together, wouldn't suddenly yank him out of her life as if it were a twisted game or out of some sick sense of humor.

(Chief Bogo's PoV)

"I want that street cut off, and I want snipers on those rooftops 'now'!" He yelled from the safety of the ring of squad cars and armored SWAT vans. "Any signs of movement?"

"Nothing yet." Francine muttered as she watched through a pair of binoculars.

He grunted as he snorted and looked over at the museum entrance.

Whoever attacked Jeremy had played it right, they'd shoved him into the welcome entrance, shielded on multiple sides leaving 'only' the front way in. The vehicle they used to ram into it had pulled out and changed itself to form a wall that they couldn't see past. They had even pulled out 'sandbags' from the truck and had set up barriers to protect themselves and fortify their position.

Whoever they were, they weren't just run of the mill gun freaks, they were 'well prepared' and had obviously planned this stunt to the letter.

He pulled his phone out and dialed Judy again.

"Officer Hopps, how's Jeremy's situation?" He asked.

"He's not doing well chief; he's starting to go pale… we've done all we can but without a proper first-aid kit all we can do is stop the bleeding and keep him awake and talking." She replied nervously. "He's told us that the bullet probably hit his 'Deltoid' area… which I'm guessing is his shoulder. It hurts every time he shifts a little bit… and he tells us that by how it feels, the bullet is 'still' in his shoulder."

As she paused, he could hear Jeremy's moans of pain over the phone and that tugged at his heart a little bit, hearing the poor human in pain also made his blood start to boil.

"I'm sorry… the bullet is starting to cause him intense pain… I'm not sure how much more he can take Chief."

"Just keep him alive Judy, that's all we're asking of you."

"Nick and I are trying our best, talking to him… but there's only so much that…" She was saying before he heard clanking behind him and mammals yelling in the street.

"Hold that thought!" He said before hanging up and looking.

He saw a line of machines all stampeding in their direction, the first one being a 'RAPTOR' drone by the looks and the rest all being 'DOG' drones according to Jeremy's descriptions of them. They looked identical to the drones he'd seen in the funeral service, but these had a red insignia on them with the ID 'HCC 17' on their sides. They were running in close formation, moving in unison and storming past every mammal, car, and anything else in their way, completely ignoring them as they focused on their destination.

"What in the…" He yelled before they charged past him and barreled 'through' the ZPD blockade.

[ALL UNITS, BEGIN PHASE 1!] The lead drone ordered.

*Clank Clank Clank Clank*

The canine drones all split up, half going left and the other half going right, as if they were thinking in unison and moving to a preassigned location. They established a perimeter that circled the entrance to the museum and turned outward.

[PLANT PLASMA POLES!]

One by one, no less than half a second apart from the next starting with the right most canine drone, their backsides opened and launched a metal pole which extended and fell back to the ground to be caught in their mouths. They then plunged the poles into the ground with all their might. Each pole was roughly thirty feet tall, extending high above them after being planted.

[ACTIVATE CONTAINMENT FIELD!]

They took one step back in unison, and then a bluish field extended from the poles, connecting them together as electricity crackled and shocked between each pole.

The field went high above everymammal, not even the tallest giraffe could look over the field the drones had established which separated everymammal 'including' ZPD and the SWAT from them and the museum entrance.

[Phase 1 complete, initiating Phase 2…] The lead drone declared as they all turned inward.

From the museum four of the attackers quickly ducked behind cover, behind their sandbag emplacements and the pillars and began firing at the drones with semi-automatic and automatic fire. Yet each shot they landed bounced and deflected off the drone's armor.

[Taking enemy fire, negligible damage… initiating counter offensive procedures!]

Each of the drones opened up their sides with the RAPTOR's arms sliding back inside to pull out various forms of weaponry the likes of which Bogo had never seen before. One drone looked like it had a huge barrel easily three times the size of its body's length, while a few had what looked like cannons.

[Target locked… open fire!]

There was only a brief moment where there was silence, and then it was like a crack of thunder exploded as the first shots from the drones were fired.

-BZZZZNGT, BZZZNGT ZZNGT ZZNGT-

What looked like blue shots of light launched from each of the drone's weapon barrels and pummeled into the truck, burning perfectly clean holes into it until it collapsed onto itself and even 'exploded' after repeated fire. Then the drones turned onto the trailer it was dragging and began firing into 'it' next, causing clean holes and again setting the metal it was made of aflame.

As they tore into it what looked like an armored car rolled out from the damaged trailer, immediately the drones focused their fire into it, and despite its name the vehicle crumbled, burned, and then launched itself into the air to land on its side in a pathetic pile of metallic lump from the power of the drones.

One of the attackers leaned around the pillar and aimed an RPG at one of the drones, but the drone ducked, and it flew past and directly at where he was standing.

"WATCH OUT!" He screamed, but before he could even finish speaking or duck, the RPG made contact with the barrier the drones had erected, and it disintegrated on contact.

It was like it had 'melted' before it even had a chance to explode.

He just stared in amazement at the drones, even as their assailants panicked and fled into the museum, screaming about falling back.

"Now I see 'why' Jeremy wanted to keep those things in his base…"

Just 'one' drone that wasn't even armed had his officers at its mercy, now he and everymammal had seen the true power of the human's technology. Their attackers were absolutely helpless as their weapons were useless against them and now, they were trapped between 'them' and the museum.

The drones started to assume a more aggressive formation with the lone RAPTOR in the lead.

[Phase 2 completed; enemy units have retreated into the superstructure!] A DOG declared. [Primary escape vehicle has been destroyed, enemy weapons threat to drones eliminated, enemy units are unable to escape!]

[All units confirm positive lock on enemy biosignatures…]

[CONFIRMED!] They yelled in unison.

[Begin Phase 3, all units initiate 'search and destroy' protocols!] The RAPTOR said as they all moved to charge. [Eliminate all enemy units!]

"Hang on you can't just…" Bogo started to say before a loudspeaker shouted over him.

"ALL DRONES DISENGAGE WEAPONS!" A voice shouted that sounded like Jeremy. "This is Jeremy Wilheart… of Eden Facility 17… code verification Pod Alpha 717… I order you, cease fire at once!"

As one all the drones paused and looked in the direction of the source in confusion. At the same time his phone rang, and he picked up.

"Judy what's going on in there?"

"It's Jeremy, he's trying to stop the drones from killing our attackers." Judy explained. "These aren't the 'Sentinel Drones' we're familiar with, these drones are known as the 'Hostage Crisis Control' unit, their orders are to eliminate 'anymammal' that is threatening the life of a hostage, in particular a 'human' hostage. They don't care about anything else, even if they were to surrender, they'd kill them without hesitation. Jeremy is trying to save their lives!"

"Kill, even if they surrender?" He asked in shock. "Why would they do that?"

"He says that's how they work, before he was frozen, he said his people were becoming more and more desperate to survive, and situations like this became almost commonplace every day… they had no choice but to do this or risk mass starvation." She said quietly. "These drones will kill however many they must to save Jeremy's life!"

"I repeat… by order of humanity, obey the Human Override Protocol and disengage your weapons systems!" Jeremy yelled, almost painfully again. "Do not use lethal force… I repeat… do not use lethal force!"

(Jeremy's PoV)

He gasped painfully as he clutched Nick's phone and watched helplessly on the holoscreen to see if the drones would obey him. This was not a situation the drones were used to, normally the HCC unit didn't need to obey the HOP, because they always went in without fear or concern because of the Human Protection Protocol which ordered them to protect humans at all cost even at the expense of killing those humans who would 'kill' other humans.

Now however, he'd thrown a wrench into their programming, by ordering them to not use lethal force they had no idea what to do now with this situation, as all other times they just stormed into a hostage situation and killed any humans who were threatening the hostages without fear.

It was a 'shoot them now, sort them later' solution, one that worked… if only barely.

"Jeremy, I know your acting all 'angel' like and wanting to show mercy, but these guys just tried to 'kill' you… without concern!" Nick said quietly. "Why are you trying to save them?"

He looked over at the fox before breathing heavily to respond. "You don't understand… I can't… let a drone kill a mammal." He said. "Drones do not care… they do 'not' care… about anyone or anything… they don't act in self-defense; they do not hesitate to kill. If… 'you'… were being forced to point a gun at me… or Judy dies… would you point the gun at me?"

At that he looked shocked from being asked such a question, but he nodded. "I'm sorry Jeremy… but yea… if Judy were at stake and I were being forced to… I'd point a gun at you… I mean I WOULDN'T pull the trigger but…"

He nodded in understanding. "And that's why… they'd kill you… just the same." He whispered. "They'd shoot you instantly… without hesitation… without caring about 'why' you were doing that. You're a threat to me, so they'd kill you to eliminate the threat."

Aelita got his attention and looked at the holoscreen again, zooming in on the Drone's faces. They were all looking at the lead RAPTOR drone, the leading drone of the HCC unit. It was up to that drone now to decide whether to obey the HOP, or follow the HPP. If it obeyed Jeremy's orders they would disengage their weapons and… do something else, what that was he didn't know but at least their attackers wouldn't be slaughtered.

If it ignored his orders, they'd charge in with plasma bolts firing and rip their attackers apart, leaving none of them alive.

The HPPs and the HOPs weren't designed or created to be used against one another, they were only meant to keep the drones from fighting humans unnecessarily. Now the two protocols were clashing inside the drone's programming and it was trying to pick one over the other to obey.

(HCC-1's PoV)

There was a moment of silence before the drone glanced at its weapons, and then back to Solar Carriage One's location.

Then it readjusted its arms and slid its weapons back into its body. [In the name of humanity, we will obey…] It declared.

One by one the other drones returned their weapons to standby mode.

[All units… commence 'siege operations'!] It declared instead. [Assume standard formations, cut off all avenues of escape for enemy units. Units HCC-2, HCC-3, HCC-4, and HCC-5 circle around and cut off escape from the superstructure!]

[Order received!]

They all separated and took up their positions while it and the four drones it reassigned left the plasma field, stepping behind the barrier and separating to take positions. It turned back as the field turned on again.

It plotted a patrol and started it, having no other plan for an operation like this, until it received a signal from the B.W.S Class Medical drone, and moved to a position behind the 'SWAT' vehicles.

"So now what do we do?" A bull asked, as its memory identified them as 'Chief of Police Bogo'.

It ignored them though as it watched the signal drawing closer.

"Well, how are we dealing with them now?" Bogo asked. "They still have Jeremy and my officer's hostage, even if they are safe… what do we do?"

It ignored him still and just spread its legs and dug its toes down into the pavement, bracing itself and holdings its claws out as far as it could. Then seconds later a large metallic black ball rolled around the corner and sped right toward their location with mammals nearby screaming and getting out of its way.

Without concern it readied itself and the EMA collided into it, barely budging it backward as it caught the unit and lifted it up to stop all momentum, before lowering it onto the ground.

(Ema's PoV)

As her momentum was stopped, she reasserted her position and began to unfurl herself. Naturally a few of the officers were shocked as she revealed herself, but she had other concerns as she looked down upon the HCC lead drone.

[Status update, what is Jeremy's condition?] She asked.

[Unit Jeremy remains inside the superstructure; enemy units have Solar Carriage One surrounded.] It replied.

[Why haven't you eliminated them?] She demanded.

[Human Override Protocol is in effect; all HCC unit actions are not permitted to use lethal force.] It stated. [We have commenced siege operations and have trapped the enemy inside.]

[Of course.] She muttered as she stepped over the drone and stared past the barrier. [I need to get in there and assess his and treat his injury!]

"And what are you supposed to be?" Bogo asked her.

She looked down at him and leaned forward to stare at him with all eight of her optics. [I'm Eden Facility's 'Emergency Medical Augmenter' Drone, also known as Ema.] She stated while pointing with one leg. [I need to get in there and ascertain the damage done to Jeremy and treat him…]

"I'd love nothing more than to let you, but these drones won't let us in." He muttered, pointing at the plasma field.

She hated mammals, of course the drones weren't going to let them in, they were trying to protect 'them' as well. [Must I do 'everything' around here?] She muttered as she stepped over the SWAT vans and police cars to approach the field. [Cure their diseases Ema, treat their sick Ema, negotiate with hostage-takers Ema… the things I do for humans!]

She approached the barrier and raised her volume to reach the hostage-takers ears.

[Attention Mammals… I am 'Ema'… a medical class drone… I seek 'safe passage' to examine the human Jeremy Wilheart's condition, and to treat his injury!] She yelled. [I promise no harm will come to you… I am 'unarmed' and am hardwired with the Hippocratic Oath programmed into me. I only wish to examine and treat the injured inside the Solar Carriage… I will treat 'any' of your own injured in exchange!]

After a while a single mammal, wearing a mask and body armor nervously stepped past the ruins of the drone's handiwork. It appeared to be a Grizzly Bear by the looks of it and they slowly walked to the drone's plasma field with the drones all watching them silently.

"We have 'two' injured… nothing too serious… only 'you' can enter… and you'll be under watch!" They said.

[Fine, I don't care, just let me make sure he's stable and won't die!] She agreed.

At her signal a DOG drone disabled the section of the plasma field to let her pass, and she walked through quickly, with the drone reactivating it instantly. She marched inside, ducked low and approached the Solar Carriage which was currently locked down to prevent being moved. Around there were makeshift barricades and positions, and the mammals were all aiming weapons on her.

She could see some of them with what appeared to be, at least in 'their' terms, heavy anti-armor ordinance pointing at her. Yet to her structure it wouldn't be too effective, unless aimed at her abdomen.

She walked over and climbed atop the carriage, before going to the other side where it bordered the wall. There was barely enough room for her to fit sideways but she managed it, this way she could safely examine Jeremy, treat him if necessary, and ensure his attackers couldn't get a line of sight on him.

She tapped the door to let them know she was outside, and within seconds the window slowly opened enough for her to poke her main head inside.

[Oh, you poor thing…] She said as she scanned him.

Jeremy was a mess, he was lying on his side with Judy and Nick trying to keep him talking and safe, with the rabbit officer even holding the gun and aiming at the window she was using to peek inside to protect him. He was pale and his shoulder was wrapped in a makeshift bandage that had become blood-stained with time. His breathing was slow and according to her scans the bullet was still lodged inside of his shoulder.

The bullet seems to have penetrated the Deltoid section at an angle, point of entry suggested to her it was a ricocheted entry, penetration occurred approximately forty-two minutes ago.

"Don't get any closer!" Judy muttered as she nervously aimed her weapon while Nick used himself as a living shield to cover the human.

[Relax… I'm here to help Jeremy…] She said. [I'm Ema, the drone who's been developing vaccines at Jeremy's request. I'm a medical drone…]

"It's okay… she's telling the truth." Jeremy said, causing the two to lower their guard and let him up a little. "How… bad is it?" he asked wearily as Judy put her gun away.

She scanned more intensely and responded, [Not good… but you're lucky… my scans indicate the bullet barely missed your Anterior Circumflex Artery and just barely avoided puncturing a branch of the Axillary Vein. The bullet itself has just barely dented your Humerus bone. I'm already reading tiny fragments of the bullet embedded in the surrounding bone around the dent.] She looked into his face as she finished her scan. [I need to get you back to the base Jeremy; I can't fully treat you while you're in here.]

"They aren't going to let me…" He whispered. "You'll have to treat me here… as best you can."

[You just 'love' making my job hard, don't you?] She muttered as she switched her body to remote control. [You there, rabbit, grab my head!]

"Wha…" Judy said before she detached her main optical unit from her body and let it fall to the floor of the carriage.

[I said grab my head for a reason…] She said, now staring up at the ceiling. [I can't risk opening the door to get more of my body in, so I need to slip the few legs I need to operate through the gap in the window.]

The rabbit picked up her head and angled it so she could watch Jeremy and her body at the same time. With great effort she carefully angled her body so that she could just fit four of her legs, three on her left with the fourth being on her right, into the carriage. Her legs quickly inched and angled toward Jeremy's position.

[Put Jeremy on the table, Aelita, I need a complete record of everything that happened to him, from the moment he was hit to just prior to me entering the vehicle! And put my head on the chair and angle it so my optics can see him, I'll need you both to help me!]

Within seconds the Category 10 AI had created a visual hologram in her sphere of the incident, showing Jeremy being shot, dragging himself into the car and then Judy and Nick's makeshift bandage and holding him still as he started going into shock.

[Okay, looks like the bullet entered his Deltoid, a ricochet entry at roughly a 75 to 65-degree angle based on his position at the time. Only medical treatment available was a bandage created from a stripped piece of cloth from a shirt, based on my scans the bleeding has roughly stopped and is beginning to scab over but he's suffered a lot of blood loss resulting in anemic sensations and loss of color in the skin.] She declared as they gently placed Jeremy on the table. [Based on my scans the bullet appears to be of 'lead' with a copper jacket, tip has been blunted due to previous contact prior to entering his shoulder, punching through the Deltoid muscle and missing the Anterior Circumflex Artery and barely avoiding damage to the Axillary Vein, denting the upper portion of the Humerus bone roughly 0.01 millimeter in depth and causing cracks in the surrounding bone. Scans also indicate fragments of the copper casing embedded around the bone… I'm going to have to operate and extract the bullet.]

While she ticked off this information one of her legs began snipping off the makeshift bandage at both side while two others gently lifted it to reveal the wound.

[Judy, elevate his head by twenty degrees, use your arms to let his head rest on it and be 'gentle' with him!] She ordered while one leg split open and gently sprayed the wound with a disinfectant, and at the same time rubbed it clean so she could focus on the wound.

She then lowered a second leg toward Jeremy's shoulder area and gently pressed the tip of a tiny syringe to his skin, and jabbed quickly into his veins releasing a dose of concentrated Morphine to help dull the pain.

[Nick, I need you to hold Jeremy's hand while this is happening and use the other to hold him still. I've given him a dose of Morphine, a powerful drug to help kill the pain but until it takes full effect this going to hurt him.]

"How… much…" Jeremy whimpered nervously, looking at her.

[Jeremy… I need you to be brave… this is going to hurt okay?] She said in as soft a tone she could manage. [I understand that normally the proper procedure is to wait for the anesthetic to take effect 'before' performing surgery, but I don't know how long it will be before we return to the base. I need to pull that bullet out of you, this is the best I can do until I get you back to the base, the longer it stays the more damage it can do, I need to pull it out and repair what damage I 'can' before it gets worse. Just stay strong okay?]

He nodded and gripped Nick's hand tightly, his breathing starting to grow rapid as she opened her third leg and revealed a very tiny tube.

This tool was known as her Arthroscopy Straw, designed to enter bullet wounds and bullet infused plasma rounds to extract casings. As she activated it tiny lights at the tip turned on and almost miniscule claws extended and gripped inward as she tested it. Inside a very small vacuum began to suck up the air as her first leg broke open and placed claws to open the wound up again.

[Remember, don't clench your muscles, stay as relaxed as you can… I need you to be as calm as possible to extract the bullet without causing damage.] She said encouragingly. [On three… one…]

She didn't give him time to prepare, using the traditional 'go in before they feel the panic' method and using her first leg to open the wound and simultaneously jabbed her tool into the bullet wound to extract the bullet.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" He screamed painfully, gripping Nick's hand while he and Judy did their best to hold him down. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[I've almost got it… hang in there… you're doing fine!] She said, unable to overcome the scream of pain Jeremy was letting out.

She pushed further and further in until she spotted the bullet, and grabbed at it with her claws which slowly and steadily inched it into the vacuum, which was sucking up the blood and keeping it as clear as possible so the bullet could be extracted cleanly.

(HCC-1's PoV)

It was just finishing a patrol, passing by Bogo's position when it and all the other drones heard the scream. As one they turned toward the source, hearing the sound and knowing exactly what was happening.

The mammals however didn't hear the full sound, it being muffled from distance, barriers, and other noises. But they still heard 'something', apparently an echo.

"What's making that noise?" Bogo asked.

"I don't know, I've never heard that sound before…" Francine muttered.

It however turned its full body toward the source, and snarled, unable to launch an attack due to the Human Override Protocol.

It snarled again, unable to obey the Human Protection Protocol ordering it to act.

"Do you know what's making that sound?" Bogo asked it.

It turned and nodded toward the bull. [It is the sound of a human dying… a human in pain…] It stated. [Unit Jeremy is in pain… he is dying…]

Once they realized what was going on, they looked fearfully at where all the drones were looking, and it too stared.

It snarled again, unable to act because it was ordered not to act.

The Human Protection Protocols were ordering it to rescue the human, to charge in there and eliminate the enemy units to save him. However, the Human Override Protocol given to them ordered them to 'not' use lethal force. Until they were given orders that overrode the HOP, they could do nothing but wait.

So, it turned back to its patrol, listening to the sound of a human crying in agony.

The sound of the last of the creator species, begging for rescue.

(Judy's PoV)

Judy held him as still as she could, crying as Jeremy slowly started to calm down while Ema extracted the bullet at last, pulling her straw out and opening her remaining leg and releasing a golden substance into the wound.

[There you go… good boy… good boy… you did well…] She stated.

Jeremy was breathing heavily, his skin still very pale, and now looking even paler after Ema extracted the bullet from him. The spider drone then used the straw-tool and cleaned up the blood before wiping it with disinfectant to clean the wound. As she did, she revealed it to be completely gone, as if the wound was never there.

[I've managed to repair most of the muscle damage and even the dent to his bone thanks to the Biotech Gel. But he's lost a fair portion of his blood. He still has the shell fragments in his bone, there's nothing I can do about that until he's back at the base where I can properly treat him.] Ema stated as the leg she used to spray the gel swapped the golden substance with another, and jabbed his arm to inject him with something. [I've given him a dose of concentrated Vitamin C to help his body quickly replace the blood lost, but he's at high risk of going into a coma from the loss of blood until that happens. You two need to keep him awake, keep him talking, keep him 'conscious' until I'm able to examine him again. When that will be, I don't know… but I'm placing him in your care now!]

"Will he… will he live?" Judy asked nervously, holding Jeremy's head in her lap.

Ema's legs wrapped around her head and reattached it to her body as she pulled out of the window. [Provided he doesn't get shot again, and he stays awake… and his body quickly replenishes his blood… he'll survive.] She stated.

"I… didn't think he'd be this… 'vulnerable'." Nick whispered fearfully as her fiancé held Jeremy's hand. "Every time I've seen human tech… it's been a miracle almost, like it can't fail to do anything… I've never… I didn't think a human could be so… weak."

"Yea… I mean… that 'MUTT' didn't even try to avoid being shot at, or hit by a car… and it just put itself back together and acted like nothing happened." Judy said, remembering the MUTT incident.

[Drones don't care if they get damaged, just swap out the broken part with a fresh part and everything's normal.] Ema explained. [Humans… just as vulnerable as you mammals are. Punch them hard enough, throw a rock with enough force, heck even 'trip' them in just the right area… and now you see the result. I was built to keep humans alive… but my AI has lost more humans then it has saved in the seventy-seven years of service it's been active in this body.]

Just before she pulled out of the window, she reached in with one leg and slowly wiggled it into Jeremy's hand, which slowly curled around it.

[I'll be back Jeremy… don't you die on me!] She stated. [If you leave me active to deal with these… 'animals' alone… I'll never forgive you.]

Jeremy weekly nodded his head, almost smiling a little, before Ema tugged her leg out and the window instantly snapped closed, encasing them once more in the Solar Carriage.

"For a drone, she sure cares about you Jeremy." Judy said softly.

"She has to, it's in her programming." He whispered tiredly. "Her AI was… programmed to be condescending in normal situations, but caring in serious times. Category 4 AI's are… very scripted in their responses…"

"So 'do' drones care, feel… or anything?" Nick asked.

"Only Aelita… truly feels… if there were a Category 9 perhaps… but no drone above the rank of 6 exists to my knowledge inside the base… besides Aelita." He whispered.

"Stay with us Jeremy, we'll get through this." She muttered softly.

She softly scratched his hair trying to sooth him, feeling protective of the human who was taller than her and so much more ancient than she was. He had all this powerful technology at his disposal, tools that could reshape the world around him, machines capable of mythical feats, and wonders beyond anything she could ever dream of.

And yet here he was, helpless and in pain, no less fragile compared to her or Nick.

On the table Aelita looked gloomily at Jeremy before returning her attention to the holofeed where Ema was currently tending to two of their assailant's injuries.

(Gazelle's PoV)

"We're now entering the second hour of the Museum Hostage Crisis, as you saw moments ago it seems that the 'drones' of the Eden Facility responded to the distress of human Jeremy Wilheart, and deployed a small group of drones. These drones broke through the ZPD blockade without hesitation and barreled past them to set up a perimeter of their own, using what could only be described as an advanced protective shield the likes of which we have never seen outside of science fiction. Upon arriving mammals got a full demonstration of the power and strength of humankind's greatest weapons… we're now going to play a short clip of that now."

The clip began playing and she watched in shock and horror as the drones turned their 'full power' against the hostage-takers. First obliterating the twenty-wheeler they used to barrel Jeremy's carriage into the museum and turning it into wreckage. Then they turned their guns to the trailer and then to an armored vehicle which they revealed, and blowing them up and turning them into molten scrap piles. Their attackers tried to fight back, but their weapons were useless as the armor of the drones was too much for their bullets, and the plasma field incinerated an RPG before it could explode and hurt the ZPD and SWAT.

"It is unclear if these weapons are among the most powerful the humans used in their times, but it is clear that mammal technology is no match for these drones' weaponry. The unknown party that began this crisis retreated shortly after the exchange and have since taken up position around Jeremy's carriage. However, before the drones could commence an assault Jeremy spoke out loud and ordered the drones to 'avoid using lethal force', in his words, 'in the name of humanity'. Since then the drones have assumed a defensive posture, establishing their own blockade and cutting off any exit or entrance to the museum."

Gazelle sat on a chair in her room with her friends, having called off practice that day once they realized that Jeremy was injured and being attacked to watch the scene unfold on the news. She had wanted to go down there herself to try and help, but her friends convinced her that there was nothing they could do. Reluctantly she agreed, and so she sat with her eyes glued to the tv and hoping that this would end soon, and that Jeremy would be safe and sound.

"We also have reports of none other than the drone 'Ema', whom Jeremy Wilheart set up the agreement with the mayor to develop vaccines and cures as well other medical items, has arrived on the scene. While many speculated what this drone looked like based on the mayor's description, the speculation ends as we see her true form revealed in public."

The news showed a clip of a giant metallic ball rolling into the scene to be caught by a RAPTOR drone, and then showed it unfurling into the enormous black spider drone. Ema looked fearsome and deadly no doubt to those who didn't know the drone, but she and her friends knew the drone to be one of the greatest creations of Jeremy's species. A walking bio-laboratory with the full medical knowledge and experience of his species, with the skill of the best surgeons his kind had to offer combined with the technical marvel and mechanical precision of a machine.

"We're going live now to our field agent at the scene."

"At least Ema is there, so Jeremy will be fine!" Moe said encouragingly.

"And the drones will rescue him, just watch." Franky also said.

"But why haven't they done it yet…" She muttered worriedly. "They never hesitated before, why are they waiting to rescue him. He just told them not to kill, so why aren't they rescuing him without killing them?"

"Maybe… they don't know how to?" Joe asked as the reporter on the scene was talking to Bogo and asking what SWAT and ZPD were going to do.

"I'm afraid at this time there's nothing we 'can' do." He replied as a Raptor marched past. "The drones are refusing to let us past, something about this being a 'human hostage crisis' and thus saying only 'they' can handle it. Their barrier they've made is preventing us from getting in to mount any kind of rescue, and they are refusing to negotiate with the assailants at this time. For now, all we can do is watch and wait… until they figure something out."

"That answers that question."

She nodded as the reporter continued to talk until Ema began to walk past the field, and the reporter managed to stop her.

"Ema… a word if you please!" The hippo asked. "Do you have any word on Jeremy's condition?"

The Spider drone looked at her with all eight optics before bending closer. [You want to know his condition?] She asked dully, to which the reporter said yes. [Fine, don't blame me if your suddenly cut off for any reason… or out of a job.]

Gazelle leaned closer at those words as Ema's optics began to change color to pink.

[Remember, don't clench your muscles, stay as relaxed as you can… I need you to be as calm as possible to extract the bullet without causing damage. On three… one…]

Suddenly her optics changed to blue. "Aaaaaaaaaah. Haaaaaaaaaaaah!" Jeremy's voice screamed in pain.

[I've almost got it… hang in there… your doing fine!] Ema declared as her optics changed back to pink.

Hearing his scream of pain made her cry painfully, and her heart was in full agreement. His anguish, and the suffering he was under was unbelievable, and the more she listened to his scream of pain the more she hurt inside. Her heart was hurting so much, it was begging her to shut off the tv just to end the sound of Jeremy's suffering, as if that would end it.

She wanted to call him right then, to hear his voice, let him know she was there, but no matter how many times she tried Aelita refused to take it. Until finally the AI had responded with a text message which silenced all future calls from her.

{Until this situation is resolved, do not attempt to call or approach him. I understand you wish to help, but for now the best help you can provide is being safe and staying away…}

After a while Ema finished explaining Jeremy's 'condition' and stated, [I've stabilized him and extracted the bullet, but he's lost blood and he's still got fragments of the casing stuck in his bone. But he'll live provided he isn't injured again… there's nothing more I can do for now.]

The reporter was stunned while the drone walked away to Chief Bogo, and they were so stunned it took them a while to snap out of their shock and return to the main newscast. The news anchors were just as shocked and took a while to try and get back into the flow of the broadcast. "There you have it… Jeremy's updated condition, the only question remaining as the crisis continues is whether or not we'll see the end of a once powerful and numerous species tonight… we'll keep you updated as the situation develops… this is ZNN."

With that they went to break and all she could do was cry, wishing it would end.

(Ema's PoV)

After she handed off the bullet to Bogo for 'evidence', after she analyzed it for medical purposes, as well as communicated with a laptop to give them records for whatever purposes the police needed, she returned standing and waiting for time to pass until something happened that she could affect. During the next few hours she tended to the injuries sustained by some of the SWAT officers who had a shootout with Jeremy's assailants.

Other than that, she just stood and waited.

"I don't understand why those drones won't let us at least 'try' to negotiate with the hostage-takers?" Bogo complained as the lead RAPTOR marched past 'again'. "They can't run away; we can start negotiating to at least learn more to try and mount a rescue."

[The Hostage Crisis Control unit's primary directive is to 'prevent' any potential harm to those outside of the plasma field.] She explained to the bull. [Unlike the Sentinel Drones, the HCC Drones are 'all' drones selected from units which have a kill count of no less than one thousand confirmed human casualties during the Final War, due to their combat experience and weapon effectiveness. Because of their abilities and memory, they are the most effective at killing 'any' living entity. They don't hesitate when pulling the trigger.]

She turned to the chief of police as she explained their role and why they were acting the way they were.

[Under normal conditions the HCC operates in three phases for 'any' situation. The first phase involves them isolating the hostages and their attackers from the public, ensuring that no one else is harmed by accident and thus minimizing the casualties expected from a situation. The second phase begins immediately after the first, and the drone's primary targets are any potential threats to the unit as a whole, and any means of escape the attackers may have to ensure they do not escape. The third and final phase is an all-out assault, storming the enemy and eliminating them as efficiently as possible, and minimize the loss of life the hostages may suffer. All of this takes place within a time frame of five minutes at most, leaving no survivors among the enemy and saving the hostages before any harm can be done to them.]

"No disrespect to humans, but that is just downright brutal and horrible!" Bogo snarled.

[You'd make a lousy human then.] She stated dully. [In the fading twilight years after the war, only the Eden Facilities had the ability to produce any substantial amount of food or provide clean water and energy. They weren't capable of feeding or housing the entire species, even taking drastic actions and reducing rations to the bare minimum, reducing food options to their most basic form wasn't enough to save the species in the long run. Humans became desperate, and hostage crises' like this became commonplace every day near one of the facilities as they tried to force more food out of the facilities. My creators needed a way to stop the situation from getting out of control, or the species as a whole would starve within a few short years… order had to be maintained to save the species, and thus the HCC Unit was developed. It may seem brutal to you… but better to kill a few to save thousands, then to sate a few and starve a species.]

She turned back to the museum and watched the entrance, even as she tapped into the visuals of unit HCC-22.

Unbeknownst to the officers, and especially their attackers, a single FOX unit assigned to the unit also accompanied the drones as they made their way. Its primary assignment was to slip past and locate and signal the biosignatures of all enemy units. Now it was acting as their surveillance drone, monitoring the activity of the enemy.

So far, the assailants had been acting nervous and talking to each other in hushed voices, but of course the FOX drone picked everything up.

They'd been trying to find a way to break into Solar Carriage One, with all previous attempts having failed, from the bullets pinging off the window armor, to the bomb failing to blast a hole, and even their latest attempt a Thermo-mine. Now they were getting desperate, with them talking about how the only way they were getting out of this now was if they took Jeremy 'alive' and forced the drones to let them out or else.

They were trying to get creative and look at their tools to see what could penetrate the powerful defenses of the carriage.

Ten minutes later a DOG drone under the escort of a RAPTOR drone approached them with the DOG holding a rectangular case on its back.

[Good, the nutritional supplements are here.] She declared as the drone gave her the contained before it and the RAPTOR turned back to return to the facility.

"What is that?" Francine the elephant asked.

She opened the contained and showed them three square plates, each containing the same white paste substance with bits and pieces of solid items. [Dinner for the hostages.]

"Ugh, what 'is' that stuff?" A wolf officer asked. "Smells horrible!"

[A food paste substance that uses a protein based combined with aminos, vitamins and minerals taken from various edible substances and ground together into a single product to be consumed. Everything a body needs to survive.] She stated as she closed the container.

"Why not just bring something for them, we can easily give them something to eat." Bogo said with a grimace.

[You can give those hostage-takers whatever you want!] She said, taking the container and heading to the plasma field. [I however will not trust them with any food that isn't prepared 'specifically' to provide the maximal nutritional need their bodies require in a situation like this!]

(Jeremy's PoV)

"Jeremy… you still there?" Judy asked him tiredly as they all sat in the carriage.

It was a good thing Aelita had spared nothing when it came to the 'comfort' of his vehicle's occupants. As they had been stuck in there for now over five hours since this whole thing started.

He'd slowly recovered and was no longer feeling like he was barely alive, but he was still very weak from the confrontation with their attackers. And they, despite how Aelita had reported that they were now 'scared' after the drones terrified them with a demonstration of their power and capabilities, were now trying to break into the carriage by other means. She was keeping an eye on them using the holofeed and hidden cameras placed on the carriage to watch around.

"Yea… still here." He replied weakly. "I'm just so tired."

"Stay awake man, stay awake, you heard the metal spider lady." Nick muttered.

"She's called… Ema." He replied. "Emergency Medical Augmenter."

"You humans and your acronym names." The fox chuckled. "So, what was the surface like in your time?"

He looked up from his makeshift 'blanket', which was just Judy and Nick's vests linked together to keep him warm and safe while he sat up. "Barren…" He simply said. "There was… no green to be found anywhere near… my facility… the few times I could go up to the surface with my dad. Even a 'weed' was… prized back then. Nearest water source was heavily contaminated with radiation from the war… it was so toxic it was more yellow… the area around it would make you sick… just breathing the air for a few hours. Nuclear winter had set in and wouldn't go away for at least… another ten thousand years. Seeing the sun was… once in a lifetime opportunity."

"It was that bad?" Judy whispered. "How did you survive in those conditions?"

"Barely… that's how." He replied, remembering those days. "I only ever went to the surface a few times… but every time… I saw so much suffering. People barely able to live off of the meals we could produce and provide from the facility. Everyone was working to try and… clean the area we were living, building shelters, trying desperately to cultivate the meager land we had left… there was nothing else to do. I was living inside the base, so I at least had access to the facility's holorooms… but I had to wait almost three months in between each session… that was the only form of entertainment we had left."

"And here I am being bored out of my mind at night with nothing on tv carrots." Nick complained.

He chuckled but painfully at that.

A knock on the window occurred and Judy snapped up with gun drawn, glancing at Aelita for confirmation of who it was. She gave a thumbs up while still staring at the holofeed, and the window slowly lowered to reveal the optics of Ema the drone.

[How's my patient doing?] She asked as she poked her head in.

While she spoke a slot in her head opened up and a container slid out to be caught by the chair.

[I've brought food, I had to slip it past our friends out here.] She whispered quietly as her head detached again, and then she spoke loudly. [Will you please not miss catching me, how hard is it to catch a metal head?]

Judy grabbed Ema's head as she slipped her legs in and started scanning him, taking readings with her optics and looking over where the wound had been as well as other parts of his body.

[Well your body has recovered, and your blood levels have started to stabilize, your no longer in serious danger of going into a coma, but your still terribly weak.]

"Thanks, Ema…" He said warmly as he wearily got up and took the container from the chair. "How are mammals doing out there?"

[A few mammals got injured from the SWAT and ZPD when a shootout occurred, a few stray bullets grazed a few pedestrians but thanks to the Biotech you gave them to research and use, everyone is alright.] She stated once she finished her scans and reattached her head. [Stay safe in here Jeremy, doctor's orders till you get back to the facility. As for you two, keep him safe and warm, he's past the worst of it but he's still at his weakest right now health wise.]

"I may not be in top form Ema but I'm not on death's door…" He tried to joke before his shoulder caused him a bit of pain to shut him up.

[Humans, even when you're in pain you never listen to your doctors!] She muttered almost bitterly before she pulled her head out and the window closed shut.

"Dinner time everyone." He said as he opened the container and slid out the food Ema had slipped past their attackers.

'Slippery Slop' as he and his friends called it as a kid, the food from Eden Facility 17 still looked the same as he remembered it; a sloppy mess of some paste substance that lacked color, and flavor, but still contained everything they needed to survive.

"That is dinner?" Judy muttered as she took one of the square metal plates with a look of disgust.

"Yep, this is what my people ate in my day."

"No offense, but your people needed cooking lessons." Nick said.

"This was all we could make… this was all we had left."

At that the two of them glanced at their foods almost in self-shame. He could guess what they were thinking, they were so used to being able to eat whatever they wanted, freshly grown leaves or even 'meat' depending on whether they were prey or predator. The thought that they could only eat one thing because it was all they could 'afford', and not in terms of money limitation but 'resource' limitations got into them.

Without missing a beat, having done it for years, he slid out the standard eating tool, a square spoon-like utensil that had a small dent in it to scoop the slop into and hold, and dug into it.

Instantly his mouth reacted with disgust, it had zero flavor, zero taste to it. It was bland, it was dull, and it just screamed of automated nutritional value. There was no love to it, no warmth to it, no joy poured into it, not even the tiniest bit of happiness to be found in the sloppy paste.

It gave his body energy it needed, nothing more and nothing less.

'Gazelle… I miss your food so much.' He thought sadly as he took another scoop. 'There's just… nothing compared to your cooking.'

It truly was nothing compared to Gazelle's cooking, which was made of love, made to warm him, made him smile… and gave him joy. His body had become accustomed to eating true, home cooked food, made by someone 'alive' and not just chunked into a machine, ground up, and slopped into a paste to be consumed three times a day at regular intervals. Before he hadn't cared, it was the only food he knew of, but now that his body knew the difference it was disgusted having to eat this sloppy paste again.

"What is 'in' this…" Judy said with a bitter face. "I can't even say it tastes horrible; it just has no 'taste'!"

"It's an assortment of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and everything else the body needs to survive." He said. "It's concentrated so that the body gets the most nutritional value for the least amount of substance."

"Well I'll give you humans credit for one thing." Nick muttered as he took another spoonful that caused his face to scrunch in disgust. "I will never complain about what you make for dinner Carrots, ever again."

"Thanks… 'darling'…" She replied.

As they ate, he once again thought about Gazelle, and he hoped above all else that she was safe and sound, and that nobody knew he was living with her. If whoever attacked him learned of her housing him, who knew what they'd do to the pop idol to get to him. He couldn't live with himself if anything, 'anything'… happened to her.

She helped save his life, encouraged him to live, gave him a home, and when he was at his weakest and most afraid, she was at his side to help him stand again.

And above all, he just didn't want to lose her because…

'Gazelle… please be safe…' He thought sadly as he finished eating his food that had no love, warmth, or care put into it, unlike her food. 'Just please… be safe… you have no idea how much you mean to me…'

At that admittance, telling himself that the antelope was very important to him… his heart began to beat in sadness, as if the thought of losing her because he was connected to her in any way…

Made his heart feel like it would break.

(Gazelle's PoV)

She stood in the shower while her friends went out to grab some food for her and themselves, trying to let the water wash her fears away, trying to distract herself from the constant outlet of the media saying how nothing had changed…

But as she closed her eyes and thought about Jeremy, wishing to let him know she was there… anything to help him… and wanting to know he was okay from 'him' to ease her worry…

She felt her heart suddenly beat loudly one time, as if it were in pain.

She knew her heart was telling her something, she could feel it… and she looked up at the ceiling while the water poured down on her as the realization hit her.

Somewhere, Jeremy's heart was calling to hers… and once again her worry took hold of her.

And there was nothing she could do to help him.

(Jeremy's PoV)

As they put the plates away back into the container, they all heard something climb onto the roof of the carriage and felt it shift ever so slightly.

"Is it Ema again?" He asked Aelita who shook her head and showed a close up of the carriage's roof.

A Polar Bear with a gas mask and body armor and holding a torch cutter.

"Are they serious?" Nick chuckled. "Trying to cut through this thing with a torch cutter?

"Oh no…" Jeremy muttered in fear, a fear matched by Aelita.

"Jeremy, why does that sound bad?" Judy asked nervously, pulling her gun out just in case.

"Titanium is one the toughest materials my species had, it is resilient to most damage and if thick enough can take any kind of punishment. But the one weakness of Titanium is that it can be cut easily with an oxy-fueled torch cutting tool." He said as they watched the bear start it up and began drilling into the roof.

"Are you serious, something like 'that' can break this thing?" Nick said in shock. "Is there anything we can do to stop them?"

"Aelita, do we have ANY means of defense against a torch cutter?" He asked.

She looked thoughtful before pointing at Judy and mimicking her wrapping a ribbon around her ears. The rabbit looked confused but did as she asked, ripping her sleeve and wrapping it around her ears to keep them down.

Then Aelita glared up at the ceiling, raised both hands, clenched her fists, then flexed her fingers sharply while angling them as if they were talons or claws.

Suddenly the holoscreen shut down and the entire roof crackled with bursts of electricity. They heard a grunt of pain and the weight shift off the roof as the mammal on the roof was shoved off from the charge.

"This thing's just full of surprises." Nick said as the roof remained electrified.

"Yea but it won't last long." Jeremy muttered. "Aelita's channeling the energy stored in the Solar Carriage's power cells which have been charged from the solar panels imbedded in the carriage's hull. She's having to devote all the charge we have to keeping that roof electrified, and in order to maintain the output it's draining the cells faster than the panels can replace."

"Once it runs out… there'll be nothing left to stop them."

"Well why only the roof, why aren't they trying the other sides?" Nick asked.

"The other sides are all fortified." Judy realized. "Think about it, the windows are fortified, the doors are fortified, the wheels became fortified, even the 'sides' are fortified. The roof is the only thing left that 'hasn't' reacted."

"The roof is the only section that wasn't designed in a way that made it a potential target, it also happens to be the thinnest section of the carriage. The doors, windows, and everything else was designed with situations like this in mind, while the roof was left mostly unattended.

"In other words, we're running out of time…" Judy whispered nervously as the carriage's last line of defense had been activated. "I need to call Bogo…"

(Bogo's PoV)

He was just taking a quick coffee trying to stay alert as they were now entering the sixth hour of the siege and the sun was beginning to set. Then he heard a strange crackling sound coming from the museum.

"What's going on?" He asked for probably the twentieth time that day.

The patrolling Raptor paused and looked at the museum before turning to him. [The enemy has triggered Solar Carriage One's last line of defense.] It stated. [The only reason for this, is if the enemy found a way to cut into the vehicle's structure, bypassing its lockout mode, in an attempt to gain access to Unit Jeremy.]

Almost on cue his phone rang, and he picked up. "Judy, what's the situation in there?"

"Chief, we're running out of time!" She said sounding panicked. "These guys found something that can break into the vehicle. Jeremy said Aelita has electrically charged the car to keep them away, but its only a matter of time now before they break in! We can't stay in here any longer, you have to do something before we run out of power!"

"How long do you have?" He said.

"According to Jeremy, we have enough charge to last about two hours more before we run out… and then its only a matter of time before they cut an entrance through the roof!"

"Just sit tight Hopps, we'll think of something!" He said, but grunted in anger as he ended the call. "If only these damn machines would let us do our jobs!"

[Blame the HPP.] Ema declared. [As long as it dictates our actions, we can't do anything about it.]

"Well can't you just… turn it off or something?" He said. "Let my SWAT do their jobs; we can go in there and try to rescue them. Sure, we may get hurt but that's our job!"

[Yep, but its 'their' job to make sure 'you' aren't hurt.] She stated pointing at the HCC drones. [Believe me, if they could let you handle it, they would. Frankly I don't care who goes in there as long as Jeremy gets out. But as long as the Human Protection Protocols tell them that the enemy must be 'killed' in order to eliminate the threat to Jeremy, and Jeremy's order of 'do not use lethal force' still stands, then those drones can do nothing but wait until something with higher or equal authority states otherwise.]

"Well can't Jeremy tell them to just 'not kill' while they rescue him?" He snapped in frustration.

[A leads to B, which leads to C and which leads to A.] She stated. [The HPP state they are a lethal and constant threat to Jeremy, therefore eliminate and kill them. Jeremy says, 'don't kill', but they can't attack without killing as the HPP 'requires' them to kill, which if they do leads into Jeremy's order of not killing… there's nothing they can do for now, but wait.]

He snarled in frustration and punched his car's hood to vent. His best officers were in there, trapped, and these drones weren't letting them do their job!

As much as he liked Jeremy, his species sure were a bunch of idiots in his opinion. Why make a group of machines like these drones, give them so much power and freedom, and then just decide to not include a 'no kill' feature when dealing with hostage issues.

[Don't blame my creators, this was something they couldn't have planned for.] Ema stated. [This is a conflict of the two protocols, the Human Protection and the Human Override protocols weren't meant to be in conflict like this, this was a completely unplanned for situation. If the drones try to obey one order, they disobey the other, and neither protocol is one they are capable of disobeying.]

"So how the hell do we 'get them out of there?" He snapped.

[That's not my job to figure out, that's yours and their job.] She replied, before going off to her usual position.

"I hate drones…" He grumbled as he swigged his coffee down and glared at the museum behind the plasma field.

(Gazelle's PoV)

"We're now entering the seventh hour of the Museum Hostage Crisis, and things have taken a horrible turn for the worst." The news anchor said solemnly. "According to Chief Bogo, Jeremy Wilheart's vehicle the Solar Carriage has just activated the last of its defenses, in a final effort to keep his, Judy Hopps, and Nick Wilde's attackers at bay. The vehicle that until now we believed to be invincible, having kept them safe for over six hours, withstanding 'everything' that has been thrown at it, has finally begun to succumb to their attacker's efforts. We're being told they are attempting to cut 'into' the vehicle through the roof, but the carriage has electrified itself in a last attempt to keep the hostages safe."

Gazelle heard those and her fear of the worst happening grew only worse. Jeremy's car, as beautiful and powerful as it was, now was losing the battle to protect him from mammals wanting to do horrible things to them.

"Then why aren't you 'doing' anything?" Franky yelled at the tv.

"Chief of Police Bogo is reported to have said that, the drones are 'preventing' us from doing our jobs, despite our wishes to go in despite the risk to our lives. We're going to play a quick clip taken by our field reporter who interviewed him just moments ago…"

Seconds later Chief of Police Bogo was on screen looking furious and showing a bruised fist to the camera. "I have two very good cops in there, and I have 'dozens' of brave SWAT officers who are willing to throw down their LIVES to save those hostages, but these drones will NOT let us do our JOBS!"

The anchors returned after the clip finished. "With time running out for the hostages, and the machines of humans apparently at a stalemate, unable to act and unwilling to let others act, only a miracle now can save the hostages. Regardless of how this situation ends, it will soon end within the next few hours or less, as we are told that the Carriage's remaining defenses will only last another hour."

Her hands were cupped in fear, thinking of Jeremy, Judy, and Nick as they hid, hoping for somemammal, anymammal to save them.

Jeremy's species had left a treasure trove of miraculous technology, the drones were probably the highest proof of their strength, powerful and deadly, but also calm and efficient even in a crisis like this. Yet they seemed almost 'paralyzed' and powerless, unable to act because Jeremy told them not to kill.

Out of desperation, she closed her eyes, doing something she'd never done before.

'Please… if you 'do' exist…' She thought hopefully, praying to the 'spirits', the humans that were Jeremy's ancestors, the humans that sheep worshipped as 'spirits' in their religion. 'If you do exist… please… save him… don't let him die! Don't let the last of your kind die this way… let him live a long life… he doesn't deserve this!'

=Meanwhile Back at the Facillity=

[Alert, hostage situation has become untenable… conflict between Human Protection Protocol and Human Override Protocol must not continue. Unable to find a counter measure!] Sentinel stated in its matrix. [Solar Carriage One breach imminent, Unit Jeremy's life at stake, HPPs dictate action. Error, HOPs order still stands, unable to alter or change Hostage Crisis Control unit's directives and standing order while HPP and HOP are in conflict!]

As its matrix hummed and spun, an orange light appeared for just a fraction of a moment, and then vanished.

[Unknown order being received, priority one status, unknown source… order… Neutralize enemy units using whatever force deemed adequate by HCC unit in the field in accordance with the HPP. Checking for error… no error detected… HOP order does not conflict with new order… checking for errors…]

[Error, order being issued without Sentinel Approval… unable to cancel order, query into order's source unanswered!]

(HCC-1's PoV)

It stopped moving as it neared the standing position where it started for its patrol route. New orders had just arrived, orders that did not originate from Sentinel yet still carried a command priority that surpassed it. The orders were different, and upon receiving them it turned to the plasma field.

[All units, report to standard positions!] It declared.

A few minutes later and the four DOG drones sent to guard the other exits returned to its location and as one, entered the plasma field and sealed it behind them. Once they were in position it took steps forward, just as the FOX unit reported that the electrical surges protecting Solar Carriage One finished, leaving the vehicle exposed.

[All units… prepare for assault!]

(Multi PoV)

Jeremy, Judy and Nick watched as Aelita wearily collapsed, unable to stand any longer as the electrical field protecting the roof cut off its defensive shield.

"That's it, there's nothing left to stop them!" He said as they heard a mammal climbing onto the carriage's roof.

"Jeremy, put the vests on and stay as curled up as you can!" Judy said. "No matter what, stay down and leave it to us, we'll keep you safe!"

[Attention enemy units!] A digital voice declared loudly, causing them all to pause. [By order of the Human Protection Protocols, you will be 'neutralized'!]

Outside Bogo looked as the drones made their declaration in confusion.

[All enemy units who throw down their weapons and surrender will be not be harmed!] The lead Raptor declared. [All enemy units who refuse will be neutralized, 'by any means adequate'! You have sixty seconds to comply!]

"They can't be serious?" Bogo muttered. "The hostages are still in there; how can they just risk their lives when they're still at risk!"

[They obviously have been given an order and are obeying it, though I am curious by the word 'neutralize', normally the HPP tells them to eliminate not neutralized threats to human survival.] Ema muttered as she used one leg and jabbed her abdomen to refill her syringe of Biotech Gel. [Either way, they're done waiting.]

"It's a bluff, it's gotta be a bluff to make them surrender!" Bogo muttered.

[Drones don't bluff… only a category 8 AI can bluff… Aelita in there can bluff but if she's ever lying, you'll never know.]

[Thirty seconds left!] The drone declared.

"Jeremy, why would they attack, you said they 'can't' attack because of the conflict in their programming?" Judy asked in confusion.

"I know, but it looks like they got over it… I just hope that when they mean 'neutralized', they mean to subdue and not kill." He said. "Either way, we have no more power, so I cannot send out a msg to order them to do anything else."

Outside their attackers were beginning to panic, beginning to 'fear' what the drones were going to do. Some were readying weapons and getting into positions, while others started saying they should surrender. Jeremy hoped that they would all surrender to avoid any bloodshed, and he was about to tell Aelita to lower the shields on the windows so he could talk some sense into them, when the drones started counting down the last five seconds.

[Five seconds… Four… Three… Two… One…] HCC-1 stated.

"WAIT WE GIVE, WE GIVE!" Two Mammals shouted as they ran out of the museum, threw their weapons down and waved their hands in the air with their masks off.

[Zero!] It finished and 'roared'. [KRYAAAAAAAAAAAWR!]

As one all the DOG drones ran forward with teeth bared, ran past the mammals who cowered and threw themselves on the ground and covered their heads, and stormed into the museum. Instantly bullets fired and even a few grenades went off, but the drones did not care as they lunged and assaulted the mammals at their entrenched positions.

From behind the FOX drone appeared and confused the few at the rear of the museum and created a hologram of a dozen FOX units, which all swarmed and lunged at them, causing them to miss wildly as they tried to destroy the drones.

Yet for every drone that was shot the mammal's felt their teeth sink into, roll over, screaming and shouting in pain as their flesh was twisted and dug into and forcing them to drop their weapons.

Inside the vehicle Jeremy covered his ears to try and drown out the screams of pain and the agony his attackers were suffering because of this whole situation. All he could do was wait it out, and hope nobody died at the very least.

As quickly as it started, it ended, and soon silence reigned as the final shots were spent.

HCC-1 stepped past the two mammals who surrendered, and into a scene of carnage and bloodshed. There was blood everywhere, dripping from the teeth of the DOG drones as they each held their targets down, keeping them from moving and maximizing the potential suffering they would feel should they resist.

It looked around, analyzed the situation… and declared, [All enemy threats… neutralized… number of enemy casualties… zero!]

With that the drones forced them to their feet, and forced them to leave the museum at 'teeth point' to make them obey. Once they were outside, kneeling and secured, the DOG drones deactivated the field to allow Ema to approach and treat their injuries, before eventually turning them over to the ZPD.

Bogo ordered his officers to take them all into custody, and once the field was down, they were pulled away at gunpoint into a large van and escorted away from the scene under heavy police escort.

Meanwhile, Jeremy 'finally' opened the door to a scene of carnage, of blood, and felt a lump in his throat.

'This was all my fault…' He thought quietly. 'If I had just…'

"Jeremy… are you alright?" Bogo asked as he and other officers approached alongside Ema.

He looked at the chief of police while Judy and Nick got out and stretched, having been cramped in the carriage all day.

"No…" He whispered.

Ema didn't give him much time to talk to the ZPD, as she stepped over and gave him a full scan and declared that he was in better shape than before, but he 'needed' to return to the Eden Facility for a full medical checkup.

As they spoke a group of eight RAPTOR drones ran in, Sentinel Drones, stating they were replacing the HCC unit as those drones had returned to the base now that the crisis was over. They were ordered to escort Jeremy back to the base for safety and to ensure he returned for medical treatment.

"Thank you all for protecting me." Jeremy said to Bogo as HORSE trotted in and reattached itself to the Solar Carriage to pull it. "But… I'll be safe returning to the base on my own with the drones. Judy, Nick… thank you for keeping me safe and helping me."

"Anytime buddy… don't be a stranger now!" Nick said with a smile, but he looked glumly as the human slowly entered the carriage's front seat with Aelita and it sealed up.

[All units… assume defensive formation… move out!]

[Destination locked… Eden Facility 17!] Horse declared, and trotted off.

As a single group all eight raptors marched in slow formation, forming a diamond perimeter as HORSE trotted out and set the pace.

"And with that the hostage crisis has finally come to an end after over seven hours…" The news anchor said. "We can see Jeremy's carriage leaving the destroyed museum, turning now back the way it came, heading toward the human facility. While this situation has shocked and frightened many a mammal, a sigh of relief can be had as despite everything that happened, nomammal's life was lost. This is ZNN, we'll continue our coverage of these events later…"

Gazelle got up and quickly put her shoes on. "Come on guys, we're going to the base!" She said instantly.

While Gazelle and her friends quickly drove through traffic heading toward the human base, Jeremy and his convoy of drones slow trotted toward their destination. Every mammal they passed by was watched by the drones, and every corner they turned he feared.

He hated this, truly hated this, he didn't want to think of mammals as a threat to himself, but now he felt a twinge of fear each corner they turned.

"Why did this have to happen Aelita?" He asked his AI friend.

The AI looked up at him with a sad shrug.

"I just wanted to help… why do they see me as a threat?" He whispered sadly.

She looked up at him before shaking her head in sadness, changing into a caterpillar, then a butterfly, and then back before shaking her head again.

"They don't want things to change… do they fear me 'that much' and what I could do?" He asked himself as he looked out the window. "Maybe… we should stay underground… and not come out ever again if this is going to happen again."

He sniffed a little as tears began to break through. "I don't want any more harm caused by me… I don't want anyone to get hurt… what if next time its…"

Aelita frowned as she curled in on herself, unable to answer him. She honestly thought things were going in the right direction, but apparently, she miscalculated. She figured the drone's presence, the mystery of the power inside the base would be enough deterrent. Apparently, she calculated wrong.

All they could do now was wait for the trip to end, and after a while they arrived at their destination. The drones established a perimeter while the carriage safely entered the underground passage of the West Entrance where they were let out and slowly approached the entrance to the base.

But not before…

"Jeremy!" Gazelle yelled.

He turned and saw with Aelita that Gazelle was running alone down the entryway toward him. After handing Aelita's sphere to a nearby Raptor he turned just in time to be pulled into a strong hug by the pop idol.

She had just arrived after Jeremy's carriage rolled into the passageway, and had to yell and demand to be allowed in, before the drones stated that she could go in but only if she went alone.

Upon seeing the human, she ran and pulled him into a hug as tight as she could, trying to comfort him as best she could from the horrible ordeal he just went through.

"Jeremy… I was so scared for you!" She whispered fearfully. "I kept thinking the worst… and when I heard your scream of pain…"

He smiled slightly and gently patted her back as she cried into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to scare you or frighten you… I couldn't control the situation at all."

"It doesn't… matter… as long as your okay!" She whimpered, still hugging him.

They stayed that way, holding one another, comforting one another with the drones silently observing and watching them. Aelita smiled warmly as they hugged and occasionally sobbed into one another's shoulders, staying as close as they could. She had been so terrified of losing him, that all she wanted to do was hold him close to her and never let him go.

She looked up a little and, without warning, shoved her lips against his and causing him to feel shock.

Yet after a few seconds, he closed his eyes and simply pushed back into her lips. For some reason he just couldn't respond any other way. It was like his heart just needed to let her know, to tell her that he 'needed' her.

They simply stayed that way, lips pressed and sharing a kiss that told everything they wanted to tell the other. She feared losing him, he feared losing her… he needed her, she needed him.

After a while they parted, both of them feeling slightly confused, but as with their 'first' kiss, they didn't seem to care that this happened a second time.

"Jeremy…" She whispered quietly to him. "I'm… sorry for… kissing you like that."

He smiled apologetically before hugging her this time, holding her close to him. "I'm sorry too… listen… I don't… know how I truly feel about this… about 'us'…"

He admitted he was really happy with her, he loved being with her, she made him happy and she made him feel special and 'she' was special to him.

"I'm really sorry that I kissed you at the party, but I need to think… I need to truly understand how I feel about you."

"I need to think too." She admitted as well.

Her heart and mind were in confusion, her heart wanted to keep going, to admit she openly loved him, but her mind was still confused and still unsure if she was truly in love with him or if it was something else, she needed time to figure out her feelings.

[Jeremy, as much as I would like to admit that I have nothing better to do than watch you waste time I DO have things to do!] Ema declared over the intercom. [You still have fragments of a bullet in you and I need to get them out, now get IN here before I come OUT there!]

He sighed as he nodded. "Take care of yourself Gazelle…" He whispered as he let her go and turned to leave.

"When will I see you again?" She asked quickly.

He looked back and frowned. "I don't know… I need to stay here where I won't endanger any other mammal… it's for the best." He whispered painfully. "Please… don't come back here until… it's safe… if anything happens to you… because of me…"

He slowly went into the base with the drones following behind.

Just before he closed the door however, Gazelle yelled, "Don't leave us please!" as the door closed.

"Don't hide from me… please…" She whispered sadly, before turning and returning to her friends outside to return to Tundra Town.

Meanwhile Jeremy lay on a biobed naked as it clamped shut over him while Ema prepared a mask to anesthetize him.

[This surgery is going to take a while, despite modern medical advances… well modern by 'our' definition.] She declared while checking her plasma knife on one of her legs. [The bullet fragments are completely embedded into your bone; it's going to take me a while to safely extract them without causing permanent damage to you.]

"Ema…" He whispered nervously as she leaned over him and prepared to make the first incision while feeling the anesthetic take effect. "Can you… please… wait until I fully wake up?"

She glanced at him before taking one leg and caressed his forehead.

[I won't leave your side for even a nanosecond Jeremy… I'll stay right here until your fully conscious!]

He smiled as he slowly fell asleep, and Ema left his forehead alone.

[Idiot… of course I'll wait for you to wake up.] She replied dully before making the first incision. [That's medical bay regulation two-two-six beta, the EMA of the facility is to remain by the patient's side until they are conscious after preforming a surgical procedure.]

With that she began performing the surgery to rid his body of those metal fragments stuck to his bone.

(Various News Channels)

"This just in the assailants of the Museum Hostage Crisis have accepted a plea deal from City Hall, in exchange for life in prison without parole. This comes in just 'two' days after Human 'Jeremy Wilheart' and his carriage were viciously and savagely attacked without provocation, leading to one of the longest hostage crises in Zootopian history. In exchange for information the attackers will spend the rest of their lives behind bars."

"A vicious call for the deaths of those 'responsible' for this horrifying attack against what mammals can only describe as an 'angel among demons', with mammals demanding that those responsible for threatening Jeremy's life face the needle…"

"More bad news as protestors outside city hall demand the mayor do 'something' to remove the threat of the machines, as those who feared the human technology before were moved to silence after Jeremy's efforts now have new voice after witnessing the destructive power of the drones' weapons firsthand. Counter protestors at the scene outnumbering them and threats became heated…"

"That human and his tech is a threat to ALL of us!"

"Why don't you just go back to the farm Wilber!"

"That human is going to kill us all and your just blindly welcoming him!"

"That 'adult human' is smaller than my ten year old SON!"

"ZPD raided SEC-TEC, the security task force giant this morning, seizing assets and information as the now 'incarcerated terrorists' revealed that they were working for the security giant, responsible for loaning out private military assets for 'security' purposes. However due to legal loopholes and a lack of evidence regarding who it was that 'hired' the security company, the mayor was unable to catch the true suspect. Despite their claims that they 'don't know' the mammal's name, only a number which does not seem to exist anymore in their records, this has not stopped local law firms from launching lawsuits and dragging the company into multiple legal battles. Investors once associated with SEC-TEC are now pulling out after the Hostage Crisis, and stocks for the company have now plummeted to almost 'nothing', with finance experts saying they'll be bankrupt before the end of the month if this continues."

"Outside the human base, the machines have started to encroach on the surface, setting up a perimeter covering the entrances and watching the street, scanning and scaring any mammal that dares to approach. Mayor Lioness advises all mammals to steer clear of the entrances until further notice for their safety, and if they have to walk near, urges them to not appear threatening and give the drones no reason to harm them!"

"In an interview with Zootopia's own Pop Star idol Gazelle she expressed her feelings of this incident."

"What just happened… is a tragedy, nothing less… Zootopia is a place where all animals come to be treated equal, from the smallest shrew to the largest giraffe. We come here… to embrace what makes us each unique… special… different. We come here to experience 'change'… a change in our views… a change in our world… but this is not the Zootopia I believe us to be if we cannot embrace change with hope." Gazelle said with a hurt smile. "Jeremy is a human… we have to accept that. His species was before us, they ruled before us… they ruled 'over' us… they were the apex predators, that all predators feared, and prey respected. Now they hide underground, because a few of us are scared of what Jeremy represents… and that is change."

"He did not want to wake up in our time… he wasn't 'meant' to be with us… but he is with us, and he is alone. He woke up in our world, frightened and alone, on deaths door and begging to be saved. We saved him, and in return he tries to help us… to leave 'us' a legacy of his species… so that they would not be forgotten, so that their sacrifices would not be in vain. To help build a future we strive for here… and in return we try to kill him, because a few of us fear the change he brings."

"We think ourselves civilized… we think ourselves smart… and yet when we encounter another species that came before us… this is what happens? Jeremy tells us that his species tore each other apart, far worse than 'we' do as predator and prey species, and humans were all the same species. For their horrible mistakes… they paid the ultimate price… and that's what Jeremy truly is, a symbol of what we are to become if 'we' don't learn to accept change. Please… don't fear him because of what he represents… embrace him, for what he is."

(Aelita's PoV)

She frowned as she watched everything playing out while Jeremy slept in his biobed.

She knelt down and closed her eyes, extended her left hand and shifted her right… and worked her skills.

First, she took a snapshot of Jeremy's biobed, with Ema hovering over it, scanning him and examining him inside while concealed.

Next, she accessed the mammal's interweb, created her own domain… and flung it across the web so it would be seen by as many as she could.

Finally, she uploaded the image of Jeremy's biobed with Ema… with the caption…

"If one could be in the 'Two' Best Hands one could have… then he is in best 'Eight' Hands of anyone."

She smiled softly as she decided to work her new domain, and developed a chat room… using the username 'A'.

Within seconds someone entered it.

{What is this?} They typed. {Can anyone see me?}

She smirked and responded. {No, but I can see 'you'~ ; ) }

{Who are you… how'd you get that?}

She smiled. {Is it true what they say, are we to blind to find a way… fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today… come into my world, see through my eyes… try to understand, don't want to lose what we have…}

.

.

.

=Author's Notes=

I NEED A VACATION!

Seriously people, this is going to be the last chapter for at least a month… I NEED to rest… I have to write for my other stories and this story littearlly driving me crazy trying to make it XD

Review away, please keep telling me what you like or love about it, if you hate it or whatnot, I read every review and take all criticism. The drone chapters return after this, and we'll return to drone shorts in the future.

But before I go, a bonus short~! Enjoy…

Bonus Short – Midnight Heart Stroll

(Jeremy's PoV)

He sat in the command center as Aelita rang Gazelle's phone number, he knew it was close to midnight, but he just wanted to call her to ask her for a short favor.

"Gazelle?" He asked as Aelita nodded.

"Jeremy, what's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"Gazelle, can I ask you for a favor… I was wondering if you'd be willing to spend a few minutes with me."

"Of course, I'll be there in a few minutes…"

"No… I'll bring the Carriage to you… I just want to spend some time with you… I… need to be with you for… a short while is all…" He whispered.

"Oh… okay… I'll wait for you then… at the Tundra Down Hotel!"

"Thank you…" He whispered as Aelita hung up. "If you don't mind Aelita, I'd like to be alone…"

The AI was confused a little, but nodded in acceptance as he stood up and walked out of the command center without her. As he climbed in and told HORSE the destination, three RAPTOR drones took up positions and marched alongside the carriage.

It's been several days since the incident, and since then he's told the mayor that until he's sure he'll have drones escort him while outside the base without Judy and Nick, and if they are with him only one drone will follow the carriage at all times.

They slowly made their way to Tundra Town, the drones easily keeping pace and keeping his area clear while they made the journey. The snow and ice of Tundra Town didn't slow or deter them as they exited the main freeway and toward the hotel Gazelle was staying at.

He saw her at the entrance wearing sunglasses and a hat to disguise her, but he recognized her instantly. Once he rolled up, she climbed into the backseat where he was and HORSE trotted on, flanked by the RAPTORS.

"HORSE, just keep going until I tell you otherwise, stay in Tundratown."

[Understood!]

"Jeremy, how are you feeling?" She asked sweetly.

"Scared… and lost." He whispered. "All my life Gazelle… I was trained to rebuild the world, told it would fall to my generation to make it better… I truly believed… that I could make a difference."

He sighed as he tapped a button on the table, and it brought up a holographic image of his father and him.

"Dad told me, we'd redeem our species… make amends and fix the damage done by my kind. I truly… truly believed… I was making a difference these past few weeks. But all I did was cause more damage… now I'm lost and not sure if I should keep trying or… just stop and let 'nature' take its course."

"Jeremy… you are making a difference; you are doing good." Gazelle said sweetly to him with a smile, holding his hand with her own. "As far as I'm concerned, as many mammals are concerned… your species are beautiful, wonderful… amazing creatures. Before 'you' all we had were myths… legends, stories we told our children to frighten them into behaving! Now we know what you really are… that you were just like us, mammals trying to make it every day…"

He looked into her eyes before he sighed and pushed the button off.

"I'm just so scared for my life now Gazelle… I'm afraid to leave the base without drones to protect me…" He admitted. "And I hate it… this isn't what I was trained for, this isn't what I wanted to do… why do they hate me?"

"They don't… they just don't understand you." She said sweetly, wrapping an arm around him and holding him close. "But when they will… I promise you… you will never have to fear mammals ever again."

She snuggled closer and smiled. "I don't fear you… and some mammals when you first appeared thought you would hurt me."

He leaned into her warm embrace, just enjoying her warmth as he held her as well.

"Do you mind if I act just a little selfish tonight…" He asked honestly.

"What do you need?"

"Just… stay with me for a little while…" He whispered. "At least until I… fall asleep… I just need to feel… warm… it's not very warm in the base… you know how it is, cold metal, bad food, drones…"

She smiled happily as she snuggled him and nodded, staying with him until he fell asleep, while HORSE took a random course around Tundratown that always resulted in them passing the hotel where she stayed.