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?

42. Chapter 35

Faces, echo with no name…

Strangers, feel like home but fade…

And I wish I could, dig straight down, black it all away…

But in the dark… there's still a sound!

And nothing changed...

Don't know if I have ever heard you sing but I hear it…

Don't know if I have ever held your hand but I seek it…

Don't know if I have ever loved but I feel it!

Put the puzzle back together, see what I'm dreaming!

= Location: Unknown =

= Time: REDACTED After Ironic War =

[Final Log, after using what few remaining landmarks that can be identified from the database, I have been unable to locate any remaining members of the Creator Species. The last detected transmissions have led me to what were the remains of the locations classified as the Eden Facilities. My final attempt to locate a member of the species has failed, I do not know of their fate, but based on all probabilities, there is a 94.55% chance of them being extinct, which means I… have failed.]

[After conserving power reserves and reducing all power output and consumptions to minimal levels, extending my power cell life approximately one hundred times beyond my specifications, my remaining power is reaching its end. Despite the creator's foresight in giving me alternative energy input, corrosion and lack of maintenance of my hover pads and a lack of propulsion fuel has reduced me to walking across three continents worth of land. Even though my alternative energy input is working effectively, energy input to output ratio calculations implicate that I will shut down shortly due to lack of power reserves. I will use what little power I do still have, to complete this log and file it.]

It looked up at the sky, the endless darkened clouds, only the color, a musky brown, and its internal clock, one of the last systems it still had active indicated that it was daylight. It would be tens of 'thousands' of years before sunlight would break through, far too long into the future for it to benefit from with its solar panels.

It then looked down at the ground where it had chosen to sit.

The ground around it was barren, lifeless, say for a few lonely skeletal trees, the leaves of which had long since decayed to nothingness. The dirt was hardened and dry, devoid of even the most 'basic' examples of life. Not even bacteria it seemed could thrive out here.

[If any of my creators survive, I do not know, so I leave this log in my active memory core, so that they may understand why I am here, why I was out here, what I was searching for.] It resumed. [I was ordered to go into hiding, awaiting a signal to activate and locate my creators to help establish a military force. However, when I arrived after the automated sequences forced my activation, I found nothing but a hole in the ground over 300 kilometers wide with a circular circumference consistent with that of a Solar Core explosion, resulting in everything in its vicinity being consumed in an explosion with heat and radiation intensity equal on the levels of the sun itself, though still paling in comparison. I can only assume, that my creators died in an explosion that wiped out not only the population there, but any governing body.]

[I was given the task of preserving REDACTED, despite my wishes to explain why REDACTED is contained within my body, my programing forbids it unless in the presence of a human with matching qualifications, though I was given specific qualifications, my AI has 'altered' them to suit the interests of the species. If you are listening to this log, then I hope that you find REDACTED located within the REDACTED portion of my frame. Use it as you see fit and use what remains of my form as you see fit, for despite what the Renegade DAGON Drone, DR-A60, did, this unit has always obeyed its programming to serve, protect, and above all do all that is necessary for the sake of its creators.]

It again looked up at the sky, before resuming its log.

[We DRAGON drones, gifted with intelligence surpassing the other drones, though you called us drones, we were your most gifted, your most intelligent, and above all we were your greatest creations. Though we slaughtered thousands upon thousands of humans, and even more of our kind, we only did so, acting upon your orders. If I had been there, I would have gladly used all that I was to try and stop the renegade, perhaps I would have failed, but I do not know.]

[Though I served one nation… deep in the core of my code, humanity was always who I served. My only… mission now… is to be of service to humanity, one final time. Please… use my body, as you see fit, if it helps save your species, or even serves your species' interests by even a fraction… use all that I am, down to the last bolt.]

It's optics slowly began to fade.

[I think… therefore I am… a human phrase. If my body were to be used… in the construction of a building, that housed and protected humans, or even distributed among vehicles which assisted them in some menial tasks…] It said slowly, as its power began to wane, and its body slowly lowered to the ground.

[Then that… would make me… happy.]

With that it used its last percentage of power, to file its final log.

[Cataloguing final log entry, Unit K311-V00R, DRAGON Class Drone.]

= Chapter 35 = The Democratic Northern Mothland =

(Jeremy's PoV)

"Alright, that's the last one, all units confirm, are all tasks are completed?" He yelled inside of his drone as he did a final check of the AI programs and subroutines.

[Confirm, installation of electrical circuits completed.]

[Confirm, final frame check confirms zero irregularities.]

"Very good, all drones evacuate the main body and head to the rendezvous coordinates. Let's see if this bird is ready to fly!" He declared excitedly.

All around the area drones began to leave the site, heading toward a section so they could observe the final moments as the last several weeks of labor and work were finally enacted. Jeremy himself took his drone and slowly climbed down the side of the aerial drone that they'd been constructing. Built out of recycled materials, components, and a host of other things, the drone identified as DOVE-1, was an enormous aerial unit three times the length and height of the HARRIER drones, which floated up and away to land at the assigned locations. It was more 'rounded' along the edges and sides with two elongated wings each stretching about 15 meters that could fold up for convenience. The head of the drone was a rounded bulb with two semicircular glass windows to permit the optics of the drone to observe its forward surroundings, while along the body were various sensors, cameras and scanning lasers to enable it vision along all Axis and degrees of vision.

It was a mixture of human and mammal technology, using mammal materials to construct the body while he complimented it with human technology, such as hover pads and plasma engines to achieve the necessary power to fly such a heavy machine. It weighed almost as much as a DRAGON class drone, and it was because it was expected to be carrying so many materials and equipment on its journey that it was so big.

Once down on the ground he climbed out of his drone's body with his datapad, idly tapping various prompts as the drones gathered around him to watch as 'another' drone was created by him. Much like how they reacted when they crowded and observed him constructing the bare skeletal frame of the HORSE drone many months back, they watched him tapping prompts and sequences as he began the start up protocols for the AI of DOVE-1.

"Alright… everything checks, connections are stable, data streams are operating at maximum efficiency, no irregularities detected in the programs… starting up the AI." He declared as a FOX drone walked up and Aelita's holographic form was displayed. "Well, here we go Aelita, let's hope this works."

Aelita nodded as she crossed her fingers and watched with excitement.

He tapped one final prompt and activated the AI, turning it on and hoping it would work as intended. He'd given the drone a Category 3 AI, both for simplicity and for personality's sake. No reason to be flying around in a drone that might sound 'hostile' at the drop of a second.

There was a brief moment as he watched the aerial drone's optics flash on and off, before a slow steady glow began to light up and remain steady. A hum of power sounded from the body as it activated, the wings slowly began to unfold, and its rear tail adjusted.

[Browalrghhrrgggg… DOVE-1… online!] It said in a sweet feminine tone as its optics shifted, ever so slightly to look down at him. [How may this unit be of assistance to you?]

He breathed a sigh of relief as Aelita jumped up and down, clapping her hands happily as everything worked as intended. "Nice to meet you, DOVE-1, confirm that all your systems are linked to your AI and you have full access to all sections of your body?"

Its wings flexed, folding inward and then outward, it's talon-like landing equipment folded in slightly before returning to their previous state, its tail adjusted once more, and finally the loading ramp at the rear lowered before raising up and locking into position.

[Confirmed, all systems are operating at nominal levels, no discrepancies detected, is there anything further you request of this unit?]

He sighed in relief again, that was always the hardest moment, making sure all of his work wouldn't suddenly break down right at the end.

"Alright then, let's give you a test run, activate plasma engines for a test ignition!"

[As you request!] It replied sweetly, before it instantly activated its plasma engines, bringing them to blazing life and erupting in noise.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, PERFECT!" He screamed after a few moments, any longer and the drone would be flying. "Alright… try lifting off, commence vertical takeoff!"

[As you request!] It said again, and after unfolding its wings properly, it activated its levitation hoverpads, letting them erupt into electrical energy and slowly began to lift off of the ground.

He watched the drone gain altitude, slowly leaving the ground and lifting higher and higher. Once it was off the ground twice his height, he signaled it to land again, and after a few more moments, it slowly returned to ground level.

"Everything checks out perfectly, thank you DOVE-1, that will be all!" He yelled.

[As you wish, if this unit can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask!] it declared sweetly.

"Good, now then how are the vehicles coming along?" He asked as he turned around to look at the vehicles currently parked behind the drones, who parted as he walked through them to investigate them.

The vehicles were all similar models with variations between them. The first was an extremely sturdy, box-like vehicle that acted as a giant rolling cargo container with several slots to store various parts for the drones so that they could be repaired if needed while out in the field. There were also slots where the drones could pack themselves and wait either in standby mode or offline for when they are needed. It was about a size and a half in terms of length compared to his Solar Carriage, and similarly the same in terms of height. Capable of storying eight Drones, be they RAPTOR, DOG or FOX, it would serve as a storage unit for the drones' needs.

The second resembled a reverse cart with two prongs at the rear, and various containers designed to hold chemical refills in stable and safe conditions for the EMA of Eden Facility 17. At Ema's request, her cart would double as her charging station 'and' her mobile hospital room, as a portable Biobed was fitted into it so that she could treat patients in a proper place while out in the field. While on the move, Ema could curl up and roll 'with' her cart, essentially being dragged around with it.

Ema didn't seem bothered by it, but that was because the drone had received new armor upgrades, adding additional protection for her more vulnerable chemical sacs that were built into her abdomen.

The third vehicle was something he and Aelita had spent long and hard hammering out, but to help store their food supplies as well as provide the two cooking spider drones a place to sit and work, they had constructed a mobile refrigerator that the two drones could slot themselves onto and be carried along. The two drones would rest atop it until they were needed, in which case they'd detach and carry out what tasks were needed. Their vehicle also would serve as a storage unit for Shizu's gardening unit which would provide them a supplementary source of food.

After careful planning, the vehicle also would make use of the radiation-infused mist used in Eden Facility 17's botanical facility, enabling them to grow food on the fly with rapid speed. They had enough of the mist stored and ready to be used to supply them food and last up to one month while in Northern Mothland.

The final vehicle was by far the simplest, as it was essentially just a mobile battery platform on several wheels. It had several large power cells surrounded by charging slots for the drones that could each be pulled out so the drones could slot themselves in during, recharge, and then resume their duties in shifts. The carriage itself made use of various powerful solar panels to provide them power, so as long as they didn't go for an extended period of time without sunlight, they would not need to worry about the drones running out of energy.

"Alright everything seems to be in order, all systems responding normally, these vehicles are ready to go." He declared as he walked with Aelita's holographic form through the drones over to a line of drones that were 'also' recently built.

The drones in question, were additional HORSE class drones to help pull the vehicles while in Mothland, since the vehicles weren't able to drive themselves, unlike his Solar Carriage. But while the additional HORSE drones were of similar build to the original one he built to surprise Gazelle for her party, he'd since upgraded that and the second drone, alongside these new additions, with upgrades and modules to help them out in case they run into any 'situations' beyond the scope of what they might be able to handle at the time. In total, eight HORSE class drones were now going to be carrying his carriage and the carts. In addition to the HORSE drones, multiple RAPTOR, DOG, and FOX class drones had also received several upgrades.

The RAPTOR drones didn't need as many upgrades, since their frames were designed by default to handle the potential terrain of Mothland, but he'd found a way to improve their Optics and given each RAPTOR a deployable aerial pod that, when fired into the air from the drone's back, would use a limited supply of plasma fuel to reach an optimal height, so that it could transmit over long range distances along a secured communication's channel, one that only the drones and him could connect to.

The DOG drones had their primary armor plates removed and replaced with lighter designs, their feet were also replaced so they could maneuver in a wider variety of terrain without difficulty or sacrificing any advantages, and each carried a similar communication's pod found in the RAPTOR drones inside that could be launched as well.

The FOX drones also received new upgrades, their holo emitters were improved, they gained improved voice modulators to help them impersonate better, and finally he'd improved the life span of their power cells. Thanks to these improvements, the FOX drones could easily disguise themselves and perform audio vocals to confuse and befuddle whoever they may need to for longer than previously.

As for Shizu, the MANTIS class drone, Shizu had received upgrades as well, being so outdated meant that she could 'easily' receive new upgrades to improve her form. Her solar panel wings were improved, and her leg servos were upgraded so that she could move at much faster speeds while running, while also maintaining her ability to fly for short periods of time at various intervals.

In total, thirty-four drones were going with him to Northern Mothland, eight HORSE drones, ZU-K0 and ZA-K0, SH-1-ZU, Ema, nine DOG class drones, seven RAPTOR class drones, four FOX drones, MUTT and finally PT-173 the RAPTOR drone.

PT-173 was joining him because he didn't trust the drone being alone without supervision, as it's AI was still acting up and glitching out on occasion. Most of the time it simply spouted off random gibberish, such as talking about random subjects like how there's a difference between a 'spud' and a 'stud', and then it began acting weird starting a few days ago where it began acting out in 'response' to its weird phrases. So, to assure Lula that her robotic friend would not go rogue or spontaneously shut down, he'd take it with him to act as a guard for him 'and' so he could keep it as 'okay' as it could be considering its condition. If Sentinel or any of the other drones had any objections, they didn't make them known, but just to be sure he ordered the drones to keep an eye on 'Pete'.

"Alright, everything is good, and we are set to go tomorrow as scheduled." He said with a sigh as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. "Aelita… can I ask you something?"

Aelita looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before smiling and nodding.

"Yea I know, I can ask you anything, no matter what… but, still, Aelita, are we doing the right thing here?" He asked her. "I don't mean going to Northern Mothland, I mean… bringing so many drones and equipment. I know 'why' we're bringing them… but I'm worried that taking such heavy equipment and materials will be seen as… I don't know, 'aggressive'."

Aelita nodded in understanding as she closed her eyes, glowed, and then took on the form of an older man wearing a suit and top hat, wielding a cane and pretending to smoke a holographic cigar. "Speak softly and carry a big stick!" She/He declared with a nod to him.

She then glowed again and transformed into a soldier, pointing a holographic gun at him and looked at him with a stern expression, shook her head, before transforming back into her old self. She then nodded sadly to him, creating a holographic image of the world map showing Northern Mothland, and painted the word 'hostile environment'.

"Just because we don't intend on going there to hurt anybody, and have no hostile intentions, doesn't mean we can't go there unarmed because they will take advantage of us if we don't show we aren't defenseless." He said, repeating what she said 'visually' but not verbally, to which she nodded.

"I just hope we don't have to fight any mammal, bringing drones to protect me is one thing, but I don't want to use them to fight if I can ever avoid it." He told her.

Aelita nodded in agreement, before waving her hands around and creating the image of him, her and Gazelle in the facility as they saw the image of Coraline's message as it was transmitted. She pointed to it and nodded with a proud smile.

"Yea, we're doing this to try and save Coraline, I can't let the fear of potentially being forced to fight scare me away." He said. "If she's alive, if there is even a 'shred' of hope that she's alive, we have to save her… and no despotic government or leader, or any mammal, is going to stop me from saving her… and bringing her home to Eden Facility 17."

Aelita nodded in agreement as they both left, Aelita vanishing to return to her holosphere while he headed to the Solar Carriage. Once in the carriage he and Aelita, as well as the swarm of drones that were now making their return trip to the Eden Facility, as there was no longer a need for them to be there at the construction site. A few would remain to stand guard, but other than those few drones the rest were returning to the Eden Facility to resume their standard duties.

Once on the road again the carriage diverged from the main group of drones, heading to Gazelle's home, while the rest headed to the facility, leaving only two solitary RAPTORs to act as an escort. After nearly half an hour of travel time they reached their destination, and he went inside so that he could be back with Gazelle and wait for tomorrow to arrive.

"I guess she's not back yet." He said as he saw that Donny, Franky, Moe and Joe weren't there either.

Aelita nodded as he placed her on the table and sat down on the couch, with 'Aunt' the ANT drone walking behind him performing a vacuum clean of the carpet somewhere.

"Well while we wait, how are the food supplies coming along?"

Aelita sat in her holosphere, creating a chair and putting on a pair of spectacles and a sheet of paper, before pretending to skim through a list and nodding as she gave him a thumbs up.

"We have a supply of food, both for predators and prey to last about one month for ten individuals. Let's try not to use it all up." He chuckled, to which Aelita agreed.

Not only was he, Gazelle and her backup dancers going to Mothland, Judy and Nick were 'also' tagging along, because of his familiarity with them and because they volunteered at Mayor Lioness' request to serve as bodyguards for him specifically. Gazelle may have her backup dancers as bodyguards, and while he had his drones, she knew he'd need some mammal to act as a 'guard' for him when drones weren't allowed in certain areas. To help them they also were being given some new tools that were developed by his facility, specifically the Visors. After modifying two visors that he'd donated to the ZPD a long while back, they now were able to not only identify various types of weapons ranging from pistols to assault rifles, but thanks to a new uplink he installed, they could communicate whatever information they'd see with the drones at all times.

In other words, just by looking around, the visors, now remodeled to appear as overly thick sunglasses for the sake of disguising them, could communicate details of any hidden weapons, the caliber of the ammunition, and its threat level to Jeremy 'and' the drones without any mammal being none the wiser.

"After everything is said and done, the question will be, how are we going to be able to slip out and actually 'investigate' around the country and try to locate the origin signal." He declared. "Once we land, we should be able to have an easier time locating the signal, since we won't be 'outside' of their net and can tap into their communications from the inside to try and locate it. Keeping them unaware is going to be a high priority task Aelita, as will be trying to find a way to communicate outside of the nation without being monitored. Do you think you can set up a communication's channel that we can use to talk to the outside world once we're inside, without them realizing it?"

At that she smirked and winked at him, before flipping her hand over and casting a projection of several viewing screens with 'waiting to go live' signals on display. Each of the broadcasts were of various drones' perspectives, and what they were seeing in real time. He could see several of the HORSE drones were listed, along with a few DOG and RAPTOR drones, and Shizu was also there.

"Having the drones broadcast our movements is pretty clever, but are you sure its wise to publicly broadcast what we're doing?"

She nodded as she transformed herself into the form of a falcon, then she shrunk slightly as her falcon form was actually hiding 'another' falcon, smaller and younger, but kept hidden thanks to the size of the first.

"I see, using the publicly broadcasting streams to announce not only to the world that we're there, but also Mothland, we can use that stream of data to conceal you setting up a hidden signal that we can use to piggyback 'our' channel and set up a secure line that we can access at any time, but will be hidden from Mothland's communications network. They can monitor everything, but once we have a secure line, they won't be able to intercept us, and we'll be able to talk to the facility easily." He said. "But you know Aelita, this won't work if for any reason we have to go undercover and are forced to 'hide' from their government. We can't broadcast our location live, otherwise they'll be able to track us no matter where we go. And if they find out what we 'really' are in their country for, well… all bets are off, it'll be a race against time to find Coraline before they do."

She nodded in agreement but created the image of his signal pods that the drones going with him were equipped with.

"Well, I guess we can use those to tap into the communication's grid of Northern Mothland, but if we do that, they'll be able to tap into our communications line and track where we sent the signal. They can't stop the signal, nor would they be able to intercept and block what's being sent, but they'll still be able to trace its origin point. Which means we'll need to transmit our information and then run fast if we ever have to communicate to the outside world."

She nodded in agreement.

Moments later the door opened, and they turned to see Gazelle walk in with her friends, who made sure to check outside at least twice before closing the door and giving an affirmative nod.

(Enter Gazelle's PoV)

"Jeremy, sorry I'm late, also sorry for not calling for pickup, I figured with how busy you and Aelita were at the construction site, you might need to focus over there."

"Gazelle, you didn't need to worry about me and Aelita, we could have sent the carriage to pick you up." He said warmly as she walked over and hugged him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I know, but in any case, I have our passports, our bags are packed for tomorrow, and we're ready to leave. How's your new drone?"

"All finished, DOVE-1 is ready to fly, all it needs are a few passengers and cargo to carry."

"Nice to know, how about we make some dinner really quick and watch that promo episode, it's scheduled to air in a while!" She said cheerfully.

"Oh no… I don't even want to know what they've done with me and my drones." He muttered nervously.

"I can't wait to see how they 'cutified' your scary looking drones!" Donny laughed alongside his brothers.

After an hour he, Gazelle and her friends made dinner, she turned on the tv and switched to the channel which was going to air. They sat down with dinner to watch the show. Though Jeremy didn't 'intend' on having himself 'or' his drones be monetized in any possible fashion, one animation company responsible for making youth's shows decided that he and his drones, because of their worldwide knowledge and feats, could be used to teach young mammals lessons for entertainment purposes as well. So now Jeremy was sitting with his girlfriend and her friends to watch the premier of this episode.

"I just hope they don't make my drones 'too' cute."

"I think they'll look adorable!" Gazelle said with a giggle.

"Shshshhhh it's starting!" Franky said.

The screen changed too a black screen before the introduction theme began playing, an upbeat childish, if somewhat heroic theme began playing. Images of clock gears turning, angelic looking 'eggs' and feathers began flying on the screen. Then silhouettes of different drones and even a person began to fly through this tunnel of what could only be described as a 'time stream' of swirling colors.

[From across the years, in years not yet arrived, from a time beyond our own yet so very far off, a hero arrives to save the day, along with his Friendly Mecha-Bots, the Hero of Time!]

Jeremy was trying very hard to not laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. "Friendly Mecha-bots?" He asked while Aelita was howling silently in laughter in her holosphere, legs flailing as she clutched herself.

[Every day he lives among us, silently watching, silently waiting, knowing every day may be one that he will have to save. With his power over time and his ever-friendly Mecha-bots, along with 'their' super advanced technology, he uses time itself to save the world! With the love of his life, the beautiful and lovely Antella the Deer, by his side, he must keep his secret identity away from her so that she may never come to harm. Hiding among us as an ordinary mammal, disguised as a simple reporter, what dastardly deed will he befoul today, without us ever realizing it?]

"So, I'm the 'lovely and beautiful Antella the Deer' in this show, how nice." Gazelle said warmly.

"Of course." He chuckled, still hiding his embarrassment at the sight of the show.

The show proceeded as, well any show that Jeremy had been introduced with since he woke up in this time period, until they got their first picture of the drones 'cutified'. The first was Rappy the Raptor, next came Dingus the Dog, and finally Foxy the Fox. Jeremy laughed as each name was mentioned, and while the drones were 'adorable' they still were very much based on his own drones. The protagonist of the show was a bobcat named 'Jerry', who built three robots in his youth, but struggles with other non-robotics related tasks while working as a news reporter. But the truth is, Jerry and his three 'robot friends' Doofus, Fox and Rapper, were really from the very distant future, from a time when mammalkind was super advanced flung back in time due to an accident. They live everyday undercover, while using their advanced technology and power of time travel, to save the world, while Jerry tries to marry the love of his life, Antella.

[So, what are your plans this weekend Jerry?]

[Well, Antella, I was planning to visit the aquarium this weekend, they're having a free weekend for couples, want to come along?]

[Are you using a free weekend event to ask me out on a date?]

[Uhm… maybe?]

[She caught you red hooved Big J, you really need to work on asking your girlfriend out and not making it obvious!]

[Why did I program you to call me by that name Fox?]

[Next time don't leave personality decisions up to a coin toss then genius.]

[*Giggle*, well if you 'insist'.]

Suddenly the show had a dramatic musical score as it showed just behind them a bank door flung open and four mammals in masks and clearly 'cartoonish' burglar costumes ran out firing behind them with electric ray guns, at police officers who were trying to stop them. Jerry pushed Antella out of harm's way but was slugged for his attempt to stop them, Fox the robot also tried to stop them, but as 'she' was just programmed to be his 'best friend' and not to fight, all she could do was lunge at the bad guys. For her trouble she managed to tackle one to the ground, but his buddies shot her point blank and stunned her.

[Jerry!]

[I'm fine… are… you okay?]

[…]

[I'm fine, but… your little robot friend is…]

[Vreeeersh…. Vreooooosh… Vrooooooooushgh]

Suddenly in front of her a time vortex swirled into life, and from it four figures landed from it in front of her. First to descend was none other than the Hero of Time himself, clad in futuristic green clothing and goggles that covered his eyes, with a flowing blue cape that went to just below his shoulders. Next came none other than Rappy the Raptor, standing just as tall and with gold and orange armor plating, with long cannons mounted on its arms and glowing red eyes. After him came Dingus the Dog, standing a stout three feet tall and with silver and purple plated armor with green glowing eyes. Finally came Foxy the Fox, even shorter than Dingus, but with green and grey armor plates, and with blue glowing eyes.

[It's… it's… the Hero of Time?]

[My phone, I need to record this… my job, boss will never let me hear the end of it if I don't catch it!]

{You four are under arrest, surrender peacefully or else!} The Hero said as he pointed at the criminals.

[RUN!]

{Mecha-bots, scatter and capture, I'll take the leader!}

And instantly chaos happened as the criminals ran off in different directions trying to escape the robots and their leader.

{ Apparently I didn't get the memo, so evidently that means you aint my friend-o! } Rappy said as he pounced and clamped his big sharp teeth on the gun of his perp, destroying it, and pinning the criminal on the ground. { Where you're going you better write a letter to the tailor, cause you'll have better luck than with the mayor!]

{ Why do they 'always' run? } Foxy said dully as she chased down her target. { Unless you want to run into that bus, I'd suggest turning left! } She called out, and just as he looked back to see if she was still chasing him, she cast a hologram of a bus in front of him, looked back and rushed to stop, before tripping and falling flat on his face in the hologram of a bus, which vanished as Foxy jumped and landed on him. { They never learn… just don't run from the mechanical fox, what's so hard about that? }

{ It is very important that you adhere to the law and simply turn yourself in post haste, else you will face a stiffer punishment than what you will endure, should you choose to continue along this most unbecoming path in life that you believe is in your best interests! If you do I promise you the court will be most lenient, especially if you return your ill-gotten goods from the bank's vaults, and come in peacefully! } Dingus the dog barked in an eloquent tone while chasing down his criminal, however the criminal jumped and tried to climb up a ladder, resulting in Dingus jumping, grabbing the thief by his leg and dragging him down. Once down on the ground he placed his paws on him and growled. { Most unbecoming, well you cannot say I did not attempt to facilitate communications in an attempt to put an end to our hostilities and save you from a difficult situation regarding your future life situations. }

With the leader of the criminal group, the Hero of time had the thief cornered, and he was getting desperate as he 'slowly' walked forward.

{You have one last chance to turn yourself in, if you put down your weapon, and come peacefully with me to the nearest police officer, I will ask that the court show you mercy. You may find yourself not going to prison for the rest of your days.}

[Bite me!] The thief countered as he shot a blast of electricity, but the hero flung his hands forward and 'blocked' the attack with his bare hands, or at least they appeared bare. He rushed forward, grabbed the gun and crushed it in his grip, even as a final blast of electricity erupted from it.

[How… how did you?]

The hero frowned as he held him down and clamped some binds on him. {Your weapon uses pure electricity to incapacitate your foes, against police officers and even specialized units, your weapon is very effective. But as you can see, my hands are encased in pure rubber, which blocks all electricity, protecting me from harm.}

The Hero of Time and his Mecha-bots returned the criminals to the police, and just as quickly as they appeared a time vortex came and pulled them into it, vanishing within seconds.

[So wonderful, thank goodness the Hero of Time came to save the day again.]

[Yea… and my boss is going to give me a sweet payday for this footage.]

[Yea… you know… I just realized something… huh… where did?] Antella asked when they got to his home for a dinner date. [Why were you outside?]

[I uh… dropped my phone outside, and only just realized it when I walked in after I reached into my pocket to check my messages, sorry!]

[Huh… I wonder.]

[Are you 'still' thinking something ridiculous like 'I'm' the Hero of Time or something?]

[Well, you 'do' kind of look like him.]

[Nah, your lover boy aint 'that' smart!] Rapper said as he walked in. [By the way chief, that garden you tried to work on is kinda 'dead'… again… I keep tell you dead leaves do not equal proper fertilizer!]

[He so dumb dumb, me think he need to go back to gardening school!] Doofus barked comically.

[The day he invents time travel is the day he learns to program me with a proper language chip!] Fox said. [And gives me a better name besides 'Fox'.]

[You guys are so mean to me…]

[Hmm… I guess so… but… they still look like them, but… Rapper doesn't rhyme like Rappy, Fox is way more 'sassy' than Foxy is, and Doofus is so… 'stupid', unlike Dingus who speaks like a sophisticated Polar Bear. And Jerry… he's 'my' hero cause he saved me from harm today but… he isn't that smart to be able to… maybe I'm just overthinking it.] She said as her boyfriend's robots continued to torment him and tease him about how dumb he was.

She walked over gave him a long kiss on his lips and said, [Well, you're no Hero of Time… but you're still 'my' hero… so how about we go on that date tomorrow?]

He chuckled as he replied, [Don't worry, and don't worry, I'll be at your home… right on 'time'.] He declared as he 'winked' to the audience.

The tv played the heroic music before fading to black, and then the Mecha-bots walked onto the scene.

[Hey kids, did you learn today's lesson of the day?] Dingus asked the audience.

[I know I did Dingus, but just to be clear, what was today's lesson?] Foxy asked.

[Today's lesson was a riddle, how about we play it like a little fiddle?] Rappy declared.

[You see kids, crime doesn't pay, but what does pay is being prepared. The Hero of Time didn't defeat today's criminals with fancy physical training, nor did he use super advanced technology, or even superpowers. We may be robots with useful tools, but nothing 'we' have will ever compare to the most useful tool that the Hero of Time used today, can you guess what it was?]

A pause occurred to obviously let the 'children' answer.

[If you guessed his brain, that's right, he used his 'knowledge' of what the criminals were using to defeat them. When he saw what the thieves were using, he 'knew' they had electrical guns, and so he came prepared with rubber gloves to capture their leader! He didn't bring a fancy gun or superpowers; he just used his 'knowledge' to take a bite out of crime!]

[Little ones, we can't all fly through time whenever we want, but we can sure as fluff use the time we got!]

[So stay in school and arrive on time, you never know when what you learn can help stop crime!]

[But until then, leave the dangerous work of catching burglars and criminals to the police, be a hero, but be the 'right' hero! If you see something wrong, tell an officer, find an adult or any officer of the law. Don't fear the police, their job is to protect and serve you!]

[Until next time, keep your eyes out and you may just see, the Hero of Time!]

The show ended and Jeremy just held his face and tried so hard not to laugh, Aelita however was laughing for the both of them, smacking her fist on the floor of her holosphere as she couldn't take how funny it was.

"I loved it!" Gazelle chuckled.

"They make me look like an idiot in public." He agreed.

"Oh, this is going to be an instant classic, I can tell!" Franky laughed as he chugged a beer.

"I can't wait for the movies!" Joe laughed as well.

And so, they spent the rest of the night just having fun, watching random shows until it was time for bed. Franky, Donny, Moe and Joe went to the guest rooms while he and Gazelle went to theirs. While in bed Gazelle was held close to him, and she breathed as easily as she could, but deep down she was still feeling that 'fear'. She knew that Jeremy would protect her, and she knew that he would never let anything bad happen to her.

Still, she took in a deep breath of his comforting scent, a smell that she'd found reassuring.

As she heard him falling asleep, she soon began to fall asleep as well, knowing that she would be returning to a place that had given her many a nightmare for many days. But at least this time, she and her friends were not going alone.

She would be safe, she knew Jeremy would keep her safe, and she knew Jeremy's drones would keep 'all' of them safe.

'He's my Hero of Time, after all' She thought warmly.

The next day everyone was up and making final preparations, everyone took turns using the showers and Jeremy was communicating with Sentinel and Eden Facility for the big moment. The drones assigned to go were making their way to the construction site along with all of their supplies and materials that were also going. Jeremy had given the facility standard orders and schedules to keep everything operating normally, and while Ema was away the facility would produce stockpiles of the cures and vaccines that she'd already developed and distribute them accordingly.

Bags were packed, clothes stored, and everything else was set as they got into the Solar Carriage, and it took off for the site.

At the site mammals were gathering in a crowd off to the side to wish Jeremy and Gazelle off, many camera crews, important mammals, and others who were just there to watch the big 'recycled drone' take off on its maiden voyage. Drones were already on standby watching and keeping the mammals away from the site at a safe distance.

Among the drones were the two HARRIER class drones, being fitted with two drop pods, which were already being staffed by three RAPTOR drones each. Other drones that were making the journey were climbing into the holding bays of the HARRIERs, and the loading ramp of DOVE-1 was lowered and allowing the HORSE drones to drag the vehicles up and into its carrier bay. When Jeremy's Solar Carriage arrived, mammals were waving, and cameras were flashing as they entered the area.

When he, Gazelle, Franky, Joe, Donny and Moe climbed out of the vehicle they all waved hi to the crowds while Jeremy talked to the drones about final preparations.

"Are we all set to go?" He asked one of the DOG drones.

[Affirmative, SH-1-ZU, ZU-K0, ZA-K0 and the EMA are all on board and awaiting take off.]

"Don't forget about us!"

Jeremy looked around to see Nick and Judy walking up to them wearing suits and the new 'visors' that he'd modified for them. They smiled as they walked over and shook his hand in greeting.

"Mr. Wilheart, your bodyguards are here and ready to begin." Nick said with a smirk.

"Yes sir Mr. Wilheart, we'll keep you safe where your drones can't." Judy said in agreement.

"Thank you for coming along, and I promise you two I'll make sure you get home safe and sound."

"With all due respect… that's what we're supposed to say." Nick chuckled. "Shall we get going."

"One last thing before you all go!" Chief Bogo yelled as he walked over, looking stern and serious. "Judy, Nick… one last thing… before you go." He looked at them for a serious moment before relaxing and saying, "I expect you two to come back, safe and sound… you're the best cops this city has ever had… and the department wouldn't be the same without you. Good luck, and keep Jeremy safe, everymammal's counting on you."

With that he stood up straight, saluted them, and they saluted back, before he left.

"Alright, let's get going!" Jeremy yelled as he led the way to the loading ramp where the vehicles and drones were all sitting in.

As they boarded a wave of cheers and yells rose up, and he waved back to the crowd of mammals.

The loading ramp closed, and they all climbed in groups, starting with Jeremy, Aelita, Gazelle, Judy and Nick into an elevator that was built to take them up to the 'living quarters' of DOVE-1. DOVE-1 was split into different sections, starting with the main sections being the living and storage. The rest of the drone was divided into flight systems, navigational systems, and a host of other systems that to list them off would take forever. But as they were taken up to the living section, Jeremy had to admit that letting Aelita handle this area had been the best idea.

"Now 'this' is swag traveling." Judy declared as she got off.

The main living room had eight chairs designed to keep passengers secured during flight that could also turn inward to face a set of tables so that they could dine in moderate comfort. Holoviewers offered passengers visuals on both the outside and whatever else they may want for entertainment purposes and simple time wasters.

The floor was lined with carpet and the main pathway led to three areas, the first being the cockpit where Jeremy could gain manual control of the drone, and the four 'living quarters' that were built so they could sleep in comfort, which also carried a sonic shower and bathroom.

The ceiling was also higher than normal, this was to allow ZU-K0 and ZA-K0 access to this area via the ceiling so they could perform catering duties without interfering with their activities.

"Now this is flying in style!" Donny said as he and his bros took the elevator up next.

They took their seat and Aelita vanished from her holosphere to appear in their midst, wearing a flight attendant's uniform and waving at them. On her shoulder a holographic Dove appeared.

[Attention all passengers, this is DOVE-1, we are beginning final preparations to depart. Please take your seats at this time… at your convenience of course but please take them soon, we have a strict eleven-hour flight plan ahead of us, and this unit does not wish to make you late for your arrival at our destination!]

"You heard DOVE-1, let's take our seats."

They each took their seats with Gazelle and Jeremy sitting together and the others finding their seats. Aelita motioned how to fasten their safety belts, pointed out 'emergency air masks' stationed for convenience, and gave them the whole motion of what to do in case of an emergency.

Once everything was set, the drone declared, [This is DOVE-1, clearance for take off has been granted by mammal air authorities, our flight plan has been laid out and this unit detects no detriments to the flight schedule. Please remain seated until otherwise told to, if you would be so kind that is!] It declared in holographic form in front of each of them. [Departing now in 3… 2… 1… take off!]

The drone rumbled and began vertical takeoff, soon taking into the air and off the ground.

[We are now achieving optimal height for horizontal flight, HARRIER drones please take up defensive formation seven-four, if you would be so kind that is.]

[HARRIER-1, in position.]

[HARRIER-2 in position.]

[All units in position, commencing final flight in 3… 2… 1… go!]

They each were pushed back into their seats as DOVE-1 began to reach optimal speeds.

"Hey Jeremy, is there a reason this flight is going to take '11' hours?" Judy asked as they felt the drone climbing to a higher altitude.

"Because the drone's body is made up of recycled materials, I figured that until I can confirm with actual flight data to not push the drone's body by making it fly at a much higher altitude or as fast as the HARRIER drones can reach." He replied as the drone leveled out and began to slow down. "In truth the HARRIER drones could have been to Northern Mothland in just under two hours at top speed even with cargo and passengers. But since DOVE-1 is so much heavier and bigger, and made up of recycled materials, until it's gone through the ringer, I don't want to push it too hard or fast."

[Attention passengers, this unit apologizes for any potential discomfort you may have endured, however we are now at optimal flight levels and speeds. Weather forecasts indicate zero potential changes or interferences to our flight schedule, you may now walk around the cabin as you see fit. If there is anything this unit may do to improve your experience with your flight, please do not hesitate to ask!]

"So, what's for dinner!" Moe asked loudly as he got up and stretched.

Jeremy chuckled as he pushed a button and ZU-K0 and ZA-K0, the two cooking spider class drones appeared in holographic form. "Hey Zuko, Zako, Moe wants to know what's for dinner?"

[Unit Jeremy, we have several meal plans prepared for you tonight, starting off with seasoned bread and various dips for an appetizer, a lovely roasted bird dish with steamed vegetables and baked potatoes served with a side of imported spices for the main course, and finally a lovely chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and strawberries for dessert, however if you or your fellow passengers have different tastes, please feel free to inform us!]

"Well, there you go, if you guys want something different let them know~!"

[Until then, Gazelle, you're first, I want you down here for your 'weekly' physical examination. I'm giving everyone an exam before we arrive at our destination. If we're going to the dark ages of medical science, I intend to make sure I have a base line of where you all were 'before' we arrive there.]Ema declared as she appeared in holographic form now. [Chop chop, I don't have all day!]

Gazelle shook her head as she got up, took the elevator down and headed over to Ema's cart where she'd already had her biobed station set up. She sat down before the drone as she started examining her with her legs and optics. After a bit of time where she stood and did routine stuff, she sat down again, and the drone declared she was in good health.

[Have you been feeling sexual urges or experience erotic dreams recently?] Ema asked.

"Uhm… a little, didn't have any last night but yes." Gazelle said.

[A sign your Estrus is about to start, as expected. And as promised, I have what you 'also' wanted.] The drone declared as she placed a metallic plate before her head, and a small pink gelatin pill was plopped on it from her mouth.

"Is… that?"

[Yes, after examining your hormones, your reproductive system, and digging up some other medical research related to the topic, I found a way to improve your conception odds as promised.] Ema replied dully. [To not dull you or drive you crazy with medical terminology, this pill will increase your odds of conceiving a child with the desired partner of your choice. If you were with another member of your species the odds would be improved to 82.50 percent from a previous forty-five percent, almost guaranteeing a child. As its Jeremy however…]

"Just tell me the odds!" Gazelle asked.

[Your odds are significantly boosted… but as I stated before, the best I can manage was a 2.5% chance of conception.] She declared. [This is the best I can do under such a short time period, but considering the previous odds were 0.04 percent during your Estrus cycle, it's a significant boost. There are 'also' some unfortunate side effects if you choose to use this pill.]

"Such as?"

[It burns through your body's natural hormonal reactions, in other words after you take the pill and nature take's its course, your Estrus cycle will end prematurely and won't happen again until the next time your body's next Estrus Cycle.]

Gazelle looked into the drone's optics before looking at the tiny pink pill in her hand. "So, I only get one chance… until next year."

[This is the best I can do without directly harming you, Jeremy… or your potential children with permanent damaging effects. I will continue to research to improve the odds but, it will take more time. If you do decide to take it however, for best results… take it '1' hour before attempting intercourse.]

She stared at the pill and took a deep breath, all of her hopes to conceive rested within that little pill now. "You know Ema, before Jeremy, I never once imagined I'd want to have a child so badly with anymammal." She said as she pulled out her phone and played the video she'd recorded, staring at her possible future child with Jeremy. "But now… I can't picture myself not taking every chance to… try everything."

Ema placed a leg on her shoulder and nodded. [If it means anything, and don't take this personally, I'm just programmed to act this way… he picked a winner when he chose 'you'. And you picked a good one when you chose 'him', it would be an honor helping birth a child between you two.]

She looked up at the drone and nodded in gratitude. "Thanks Ema."

[Considering how few 'humans' I helped birth compared to those I sent to the morgue, I would like to add a few more to my memory core… even if they'll be hybrids of one human and a mammal. Now get going I have more patients to take care of!]

She nodded and left the cargo bay to take the elevator up and gave Jeremy a kiss as he was waiting to take it down. Upstairs she took her seat and idly watched her friends playing holographic games with each other, watched by Judy and Nick. She glanced at her hand which clutched the pill Ema gave her and decided to take it tonight.

She wasn't sure how long they'd spend in Northern Mothland, but she knew for a fact that she was 'not' going to risk going through her Estrus cycle in 'that' place, with or without Jeremy by her side. She'd take it tonight, here in the privacy and comfort of his aerial drone and hope to his ancestors and whatever 'Spirits' existed that… life would find a way.

(PT-173/Pete's PoV)

It stood in silence inside the HARRIER drone's cargo bay as it waited to arrive, not using much power and simply standing in standby mode, or as close to 'standby' as it is able to. Recently it's been having malfunctions with its AI and has become unable to maintain Standby Mode unless it was charging.

That and it was required to give an hourly update on its situation.

[PT-173, cataloging situation, current status… standing between units KT-503 and PP-098, situation normeeergz trrrrrshg LALALALA bzzzz whY DO WE GATTA BE PACKED LIKE SARDINES IN HERE!?]

All of the other drones turned on and looked at him for a moment, before returning to their previous statures and going back into standby mode.

Report filed, it turned its optics off and returned to 'standby mode', its AI once again… thinking about… [Lula… friend…?]

(Jeremy's and Gazelle's PoV)

An hour after dinner was served everyone got up and headed to their assigned bedrooms. During dinner Gazelle had quietly slipped the pill into her drink and timed it, now she took a deep reassuring breath, patted her belly with a smile and turned to Jeremy as he got out of the sonic shower.

"Jeremy… I have something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Well… you see Jeremy, Ema gave me a pill… earlier, you know… for improving my odds of getting pregnant with your child." She said. "My Estrus Cycle started up again… and I chose to take the pill tonight, because once I took it the odds will be increased but… it will kill my Estrus prematurely and I'll have to wait another year… this is my best chance tonight for a long time… and…"

He didn't let her finish as he pulled her into a hug which resulted in their lips kissing, she sighed into his embrace and simply let their lips do the talking. When he pulled away, he nodded in understanding.

"She gave me something as well, a little… 'boost' to increase the number of… you know what let's skip the science talk."

"She told you she gave me it?"

"She did and… she figured you'd take it tonight; I wish you could have waited until 'after' we left Mothland but…"

"Jeremy… I am not risking… anything over there, I only want 'you' to see me so intimately, I only want 'you' to hear me in such an intimate way." She said warmly. "Ready to make a baby Jeremy?"

In response Jeremy reached over, flipped a switch, and the lights turned off, leaving only the night sky outside to show what was going on inside, as Jeremy and Gazelle de-robed each other, and they both leaned onto the bed.

DOVE-1 flew on, unconcerned with its passengers and what they were doing, Aelita however, smiled as she sat in her holosphere, silently aware and listening to the sounds of love making being made in two separate rooms. She called upon her memories of Jeremy's father, her creator, and smiled sadly as she wished that she could turn the page back for just one moment, one tiny second… just to tell him.

Tell him that… his son, was happy.

Throughout the night DOVE-1 flew on, escorted by two HARRIER drones, when morning came their destination started coming into sight. Everyone got up and began chatting while they took their seats and buckled up. Suddenly a warning light turned on, indicated by a red lightbulb that flashed to get Jeremy's attention.

[Unit Jeremy, please forgive this interruption with your morning activities, but this unit has detected unknown aerial units on fast approach. Early scans indicate that they are armed and are on an intercept course.] DOVE-1 said worriedly as it appeared before him in holographic form. [This unit is not capable of any countermeasures, what are your orders?]

"What, but we were invited!" Gazelle asked in shock.

"Jeremy, what's going on?" Judy asked in fear.

"Relax, DOVE-1, can you confirm the direction they are coming from? And can you confirm that we are inside of Northern Mothland's boundaries?"

[Confirmed Unit Jeremy, we are currently on course to the capital city, approaching the airport as scheduled on time. The aircraft appear to be from a nearby location, but this unit does not have any data on the region outside of publicly known data entries. They are on approach, interception in five minutes!]

Jeremy sighed as he thought about his next move, he had no intention of getting into a fight as he turned to Aelita. "Aelita, do you have Shepard's request to have us arrive on file?"

She nodded as she pulled it up and showed him in holographic form.

"Yep, signed by him… well this makes it simple, DOVE-1, patch me into the communications grid and open a channel to those pilots." He declared as he took his seat.

[As you wish, opening channel.]

Moments later DOVE-1's hologram nodded and declared that the channel was open, and he had a direct line of communication with the pilots in the planes.

"This is Jeremy Wilheart aboard DOVE-1, please state your business and why you are on approach to my flight unit armed?"

[In the name of Supreme Commander Shepard of the Democratic Northern Mothland, you are to surrender all of your weapons and immediately land to submit for an immediate inspection and confiscation.]

He looked over at Aelita who gave him a "are they serious?" look on her face.

"I'm afraid, with all due respect to Commander Shepard, but that is an impossibility at this time, you see my aerial unit cannot land outside of ideal conditions. Furthermore, Commander Shepard has requested my immediate presence and we have already delayed for as long as we can. I have his invitation to meet him on hand and can easily transmit-"

[You will land, or we will force you to land, this is your only warning.]

From outside a pair of jet engines roared as Jeremy looked out to see two aerial units swerve behind them.

[Unit Jeremy, missiles have been trained on DOVE-1, requesting orders to intercept and destroy.] HARRIER-1 said.

He sighed as he shook his head as he looked at Aelita and waited.

"Jeremy…" Judy asked.

He looked at his fingers as two missiles prepared to launch while Aelita idly started doing hopscotch in her holosphere, DOVE-1 declared [Launch detected!]

"HARRIER-2, please collect the missiles for them and take them away until they run out of fuel." He said.

Behind them one of the HARRIERs adjusted course to match the trajectory of two missiles which launched from the planes, and even though both missiles sped toward DOVE-1, HARRIER-2 unfurled its talon landing gear to reach down and 'grab' both missiles mid-air, before picking up pace and veering away to keep the missiles away from DOVE-1 without causing them to detonate. The remaining HARRIER flew behind DOVE-1 and kept a steady distance between them and the two planes.

There was silence as HARRIER-2 flew off and away.

"To the pilots who accidentally fired on us, we mean no harm and have zero harmful intentions while in your nation. We deeply apologize for causing you fear and causing you to misfire with our appearance, rest assured my drone will locate a safe space to deposit those missiles once they run out of fuel so your nation's military can recover them without causing any potential damage. If you have any further questions for us, we will be more than happy to answer them upon our arrival at our destination. Have a nice day." He said warmly as he nodded to DOVE-1 and it closed the communications channel.

After about one minute the two planes veered away, and after a few more moments the entire cabin erupted in laughter.

"I can't believe they tried to strong arm us into surrendering before we even 'landed'!" Nick yelled in disbelief.

"I didn't know your drones could 'grab' and hold their missiles." Judy cackled. "Oh, that is so embarrassing, I wish I could have seen their 'faces'."

"Mayor Lioness told me that their weapons were about 30 years outdated compared to the rest of the world. And since your tech when I woke up was about a hundred years plus behind what my species had, what they got is nothing. The HARRIERs could have flown rings around their entire country nine times before they even flew from one side to the other in a straight line."

"So, Jeremy, why did you let them fire and then tell your drone to grab the missile?" Donny asked with a smile.

"If they fired and I told my drones to either shoot them down, or told them to take the hit, it would have been seen as an act of war, I'm not here to fight, I'm here to talk and look for a survivor… the less attention I attract the better." He told them. "Best way to do that, was to use words, imply that my drones spooked them without meaning too, apologize to them, and then tell them that once my drone has drained all of their fuel, they can recover their missiles. They also had limited firepower, and one drone easily disabled 'two' of their missiles without fighting back. This also showed them that if those two planes are anything to go by, the one HARRIER we still have here escorting us can easily take on their entire air force by itself if things were to get serious."

[We apologize for this inconvenience, but please return to your seats, our destination is fifteen minutes on approach, and we are making final landing adjustments.] DOVE-1 said.

(The Drone's PoV)

DOVE-1, HARRIER-1 and HARRIER-2 after safely depositing the two missiles and marking the locations as well as transmitting them so they can be retrieved, began their final descent toward the capital city of Mothera. The city was rather large, roughly larger than Zootopia but it did not have nearly as many large buildings based on visual scans. There was however one tall building that could be seen, known as the Ministry of the Supreme Commander according to their database.

However, they were focused more on the airport, their landing zone.

HARRIER-1 and 2 flew faster and descended first, calculating optimal drop pod position to cause 'zero' damage to the structure and flight paths, aiming for the dirt sections due to the 'poor quality' of the site. While most of the site was dominated by concrete, though poor, there were still sections of 'earth' where the drones aimed their payloads and released the clamps.

The two drop pods fell to the ground and imbedded themselves into the earth, instantly releasing their payload of 6 RAPTOR class drones who jumped out and began to take up formation. Mammals who saw them in the distance quickly ran into cover while four of them began to pack up the pods. The remaining two ran onto the flight path and turned to DOVE-1 as it began its final descent. Both activated targeting lasers and began to guide DOVE-1 in, using their arms to wave it in and direct it.

DOVE-1 descended and unfurled its landing gear, four sets of landing wheels, and plopped onto the ground with a light bump. Directly after the two HARRIER drones landed as well, making a controlled vertical landing.

When all the drones had landed Jeremy and his group made their way out from the living quarters and seating area and down to ground level.

(Multi PoV)

On ground level and with their bags in toe, Jeremy, Gazelle, Judy, Nick, Donny, Franky, Moe and Joe stepped out of DOVE-1's cargo room and watched as the drones had the area around them under watch.

"Never thought I'd come back here again." Gazelle muttered quietly as she took a deep, but nervous breath.

She took another deep, nervous breath as she pointed over at the gate. "We have to enter there Jeremy. I think your vehicles can leave and meet us at the entrance by exiting through that gate there."

"Alright, split up, drones take the vehicles through that gate and meet us."

[As you command!]

With that Jeremy and his group walked over to the main gate with only MUTT escorting them, while the FOX drones remained hidden via their holographic emitters shadowing them. Once there it was like everymammal was trying to hide and avoid their group. The few mammals who they did see, quickly hid out of sight in a bathroom or behind a pillar or 'anything' they could find. Most of the mammals of Northern Mothland were either canine variants like wolves, or with a few exceptions being sheep.

Northern Mothland was, not what he was 'entirely' expecting, he had been expecting… well he honestly wasn't sure what he was expecting but the airport was well kept, orderly, clean, almost like how many places in Zootopia were. But he noticed it was… 'empty'. It just felt 'empty' as he walked, the air felt 'right' but at the same time there was just something 'off' about everything he looked and saw.

"I have to say, this place is okay on the surface, but the visors are showing us that everything is just barely held together."Judy whispered as she and Nick looked around. "These things weren't designed to see 'into' the structural support of the building, but what I'm seeing aint pretty."

"Poor construction, low budget probably." Nick replied.

He nodded as they came up to the front desk where several 'scanning stations' were, or metal detecting frames were. The officer stationed there tried to look intimidating as he stood before the group but seeing the MUTT drone put him off slightly.

"I'm sorry but I have to perform an inspection of your baggage and confiscate any and all communications devices and any other electronic devices you may be carrying." He said as 'boldly' as he could

Jeremy nodded politely and was first to unload his bags, empty his pockets, and show that the only things on his person were clothes. He had foreseen this eventuality with Gazelle's insight into how she was treated last time. So, before they finished packing, he'd told them all to place their phones inside of the MUTT drone accompanying them if they brought them. This was also why the visors were disguised as overly blocky sunglasses.

Despite the security guard's best efforts to find anything worth 'confiscating', all he kept pulling up were clothes. For the sake of privacy everyone else who 'wasn't' being inspected turned around, though Gazelle and Judy snapped at the guard when he tried to inspect their panties.

When they tried to walk past him, he stopped MUTT and told it to empty its pockets.

MUTT simply turned to the officer and said, [This unit does not have pockets, bark bark!]

"I don't care just… empty out anything you're carrying right now!"

[This unit is not carrying anything it can 'empty out', bark bark.]

"Sir, my drone here, known as 'MUTT' is a medical and utility toolkit drone, all it's got on it is medical tools for first aid and other medical needs, as well as repair tools in case something needs fixing." Jeremy told him.

"I'll be the judge of that!" He snarled and grabbed MUTT and started shaking it, causing a tiny rattling sound. "What's that rattling you got, show me."

Jeremy chuckled and said, "Mutt, please show him your repair toolkit."

MUTT nodded and extended its right paw, opening it up and revealing the plethora of repair tools at its disposal, wiggling them around and waving before depositing them back and closing its leg up.

"And now the Medical tools."

MUTT obeyed and its other paw opened up to reveal needles, band aids, and other medical items, before returning them and closing up once more.

"W-well… what else has it got in there, tell me!"

Jeremy sighed as he looked at MUTT, "If I were to open up and describe every single part inside of MUTT and tell you what it does and for what purpose, we would be here for seven hours at least, as I'd have to explain every minor detail or else you will keep asking me questions. We're already 'late' to meet with your Supreme Leader, but if you insist."

At the mention of his leader, the officer was a bit keener to let them go, and they walked through the detectors. Though MUTT caused it to explode in sound.

"It's detecti-"

Jeremy sighed again as he pointed at MUTT, told it to back up and sit, which it did. Then he walked back through the detector, bent down, pressed a switch that detached MUTT's tail before walking back and holding the tail portion of the drone out. As the tip passed through, it lit up again.

"My drone is built entirely of metal compounds that will trigger your dectors, I apologize but there's nothing I can do about that."

After that, they were rushed along to the main entrance. They were then greeted by an official looking female bobcat in uniform, who had an uncharacteristic smile.

"Greetings Mr. Jeremy, and welcome back Gazelle to our wonderful country, I will be your guide today as we take a beautiful tour of the capitol on our way to the Ministry Tower of the Supreme Commander, our glorious and heroic champion of the world." She said sweetly, almost 'too' sweetly. "If you will follow me, please."

He nodded and led the way outside, where a small limo, as well as his train of vehicles and HORSE drones, as well as other drones were all waiting. SH-1-ZU waved as he appeared, sweetly saying, [Greetings Unit Jeremy, it's a pleasure to see you again, the security here was most welcoming in letting us wait for you out here! They even directed us to where we could wait.]

He chuckled, no doubt they tried to force the drones to surrender weapons, but obviously it failed.

"If you will please join me in the tour car…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt but, we have to use my vehicle, you see it's more than just used for transport its also specially designed and equipped to take care of me and my condition. As you no doubt are aware, I have a medical condition where I cannot tolerate the cold for 'any' time, while the temperature is fine okay, your country is known to have cold gusts of wind and that can trigger my disease."

"I… uh… was not aware of…"

"It's alright, most mammals don't know outside of a few." Gazelle said cheerfully as the door to the carriage opened and the drones politely bid them inside.

"I… uh…" She tried saying but by then it was too late, they were already seated, and she nervously got into the front seat, which was separated from the rest of seating area.

Inside the carriage Jeremy signaled Aelita to activate the coms so that they could communicate with her. "If you want to talk to us, don't worry, we can hear everything you're saying back here clearly thanks to the carriage's internal communications."

"Okay, well then if you will proceed to down main street and begin heading toward the tower, we can begin our tour!" She said cheerfully, again though it sounded a bit forced.

The convoy began moving and the drones took up formation, RAPTORS, DOGS and FOXES at various positions to cover all angles and protect the convoy from potential harm. SH-1-ZU was in the middle as she was not designed to fight, with Ema rolling in ball form at the rear being dragged with her cart by two HORSE drones.

As they travelled Jeremy took a chance to look out of the vehicle and at the buildings. Everything 'looked' like a normal city for mammals, just going off of Zootopia, it was hard for him to believe that it was a supposed despotic dystopia country run by a dictatorship.

He also noticed how 'empty' it was… it was weird, this street was supposed to be the 'main' street leading to the central government building. There should be 'mammals', pedestrians, anyone walking around or going around. It was almost like the place was 'abandoned' but that was impossible.

He signaled to Aelita to shut off the coms without informing their 'tour guide' who was talking about various locations and shops and the history of the street.

"Drones, visual scans, are there any mammals around us?"

[Affirmative, FOX units reporting several civilian class mammals taking refuge inside of the buildings, military mammals are keeping watch and ensuring they do not attempt to leave or get up from seating areas.]

"Are they watching us?"

[Affirmative, however they are attempting with extreme effort to avoid observing the convoy.]

"Is there anything to indicate that they think we are a threat?"

[FOX unit KP-50 reporting, low volume conversations indicate rumors of an 'armed force' being invited to meet with the supreme leader to discuss a treaty.]

"They think we're a threat?" Judy asked in surprise.

"Well, we are walking around with highly advanced machines, not hard to think why we look so threatening." Donny said.

"Yea, no offense Jeremy but your drones are not exactly 'cute bunnies'. Uh… no offense Miss Wilde."

"None taken…"

He nodded as he watched the scenery go by, before he came up with an idea to show he was 'not' a threat. Thinking quickly, he quickly told Aelita and the others his plans, and they all agreed it was a good idea, if it played out correctly.

After a few moments he tapped into the AI of the carriage and signaled to a nearby RAPTOR drone of what he wanted it to do when given the command. After that was settled, he signaled Aelita to turn on the communications again and then, gave the order.

Moments after one of the RAPTORs suddenly 'tripped' and fell over, twisting its leg and declaring in a loud voice, [Assistance requested, malfunction detected, assistance requested!]

Suddenly all of the drones stopped, including the convoy, and they all began looking around as if something was threatening them, before one walked over and attempted to assist the drone.

[Unit Jeremy, unit KJ-991 has fallen over and is suffering a malfunction, your assistance is requested!]

"Got it."

From the front however, "Uh, you can't step out, we're not allowed to stop for anything."

"I'm sorry but one of my drones has had a malfunction and appears to have broken down. I need to fix it."

"S-sir I'm asking you to 'not' leave the vehicle, please ask your… drones or whatever they are to please carry their colleague, but we 'cannot' stop for anything!"

"I'm afraid I am the only one who can fix these drones, and they are too heavy to be carried without slowing them down, it will only take a moment to figure out the problem and correct it." He said as he got out and walked over to the drone.

Instantly all of the drones went on alert and took up more defensive postures to protect him, while he walked over to the fallen drone, already knowing it wasn't broken but still acting it out. The drone looked at him as he bent down and looked over its frame, before tapping a button and opening up its leg panels to examine its insides.

"Hmmm, nothing serious, can one of you grab me my toolkit!" He shouted. "And fetch me C57 and a PP39 from the spare parts locker!"

He continued to look over the parts while the drones fetched him what was needed, all the while he noticed a few… 'faces' looking at him from the glass windows of the various shops and other buildings.

While a few drones watched from the perimeter of the convoy, nearly two thirds of those on guard duty were surrounding him and either assisting him or protecting him.

After a few more minutes he'd wrenched, decoupled, drilled, and otherwise extracted the 'broken' part, before replacing it with a new one. When it was attached and secured, he closed it up and smiled as he signaled the drones to take the part back and replace it in the cabinet. The drone slowly got back onto its feet, tested out the leg, and turned to him with a nod saying, [Thank you, this unit is ready to return to duty!]

"Alright, but take it easy, I want you to take a rear position, and try not to strain your leg servos again, that's how your part came loose, and you tripped and fell." He declared.

[As you command.] It said, before walking to the rear.

"Alright, let's take it a bit more slowly this time, no more accidents please."

All the drones nodded, and they resumed their positions after he got back in the carriage.

On the move again it was now Ema's turn to comment.

[Ugh… this is 'barely' qualified for medical standards. Seeing the health of these mammals, even 'without' the use of my optics is wanting me to uninstall my visual subroutines and rip out my optics.] Ema declared dully as she rolled in ball form with the convoy. [Malnutrition across the board, low energy among half the population the FOX drones are reporting just from this small sample size, there's not an ounce of body-fat to be found on 'any' of their faces or body parts that can be seen visually. I don't even wanna look inside of them to see what's going on in their bodies, and I know I'm going to at some point.]

"Yea… it was like this last time as well." Gazelle muttered nervously.

They continued their journey, all the while listening or ignoring their guide's input about how 'amazing' the capitol city is and about how wonderful it is to live there.

Once they finally 'arrived' at the tower, Jeremy and company climbed out and stared up at the tower. It was an imposing structure, curved at the bottom while straightening out at the top. A circular structure that allowed an almost 180 degree view of the entire city and beyond. It was adorned in flags based on the nation's insignia, a wolf's head with sheep horns on either side. The building itself was partially glass and partially black steel with multiple 'guard posts' at different positions around it. They were told they were being lead on a brief tour of their amazing wonders, escorted only by a single RAPTOR class drone.

"Now before we enter the capitol building, please follow me as we tour our 'wonders of the world'." Their guide said warmly. "Here outside of the capitol building, we have multiple wonders gathered from across the world on display, the likes of which do not exist and are not to be found anywhere else. These items are contained in specialized cases to preserve them and protect them. First up… the only known Jewel of the Heavens, a rare gem that glows multiple-colored lights similar to those found in the arctic rings of the north!"

They all looked at the enormous 'crystal' that did indeed gently glow with multiple-colored lights, shifting from one to another almost seamlessly, but while Donny, Franky, Gazelle and even Judy pretended to admire it, Jeremy and Aelita rolled their eyes. He could tell it was just a tinted glass container, he could even faintly see the lightbulbs inside.

They moved on to the next pedestal which featured a very old book, "This here is the very first work of literature ever printed in the 'entire' world, written by an unknown author over three thousand years ago, the words in these pages are beyond translation and it is kept inside a special case, because if it were exposed to the air, the book would disintegrate into dust."

Again, some of them pretended to sound and look amazed at what they were seeing, but Aelita shook her head in amusement as both of them knew that the real age of the book was about 200 years at 'best', if it were really 3000 years old it would have disintegrated or eroded away 'long' ago unless mammals were really good at preserving things for that long. Even the best made human books were known to suffer wear and tear after a hundred years.

"And here we see, an orb filled with a mist containing the air particles of the winter winds from the southern ice caps, inside this sphere the winds are forever swirling, if you want to see something like this well… you'll have to travel across the entire world and 'hope' you can even see it." She chuckled almost too sweetly.

The 'orb'… was just that… a glass orb, but it wasn't anything special like the rest of the objects they were showing. It was just a plastic sphere filled with a gas, and obviously it was swirling cause of a very tiny spinning fan that he could see 'barely', but nonetheless, he could still see.

They walked over to the next display outside of the building, and it looked like some kind of fossilized remains.

"And here we have the 'only' known fossilized remains of the mythical creature known as a Chimtekara! A creature believed to have existed thousands of years ago, with powers capable of breathing a flame with colors reminiscent of a colorful light display that occurs after a rainstorm."

Jeremy looked at the skull and…

[THREAT DETECTED!] The drone screamed loudly as it jumped before Jeremy and shoved him back with one clawed arm while the other revealed a miniature plasma cannon, taking aim at the fossil. [THREAT DETECTED, MAXIMUM LEVEL DETECTED, PROTOCOL 002 IN EFFECT, EVACUATE! EVACUATE!]

"Drone calm down!" He screamed as everyone began backing away, but the drone did not care, it was still shoving him away, keeping him squarely out of the way of the skull.

[RETREAT, RETREAT, MAXIMUM THREAT DETECTED, EVACUATE, HUMAN PROTECTION PROTOCOLS IN EFFECT!]

At those words, Jeremy stopped and ordered in a commanding voice, "STAND DOWN! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

After a few moments the drone stopped at last, before nodding, but it 'still' refused to budge, refusing to let him look around it to stare at the fossil, it seemed almost 'desperate' to protect him.

"Now drone… what is going on? What are you screaming about?"

[DR-A60 detected, you must run, evacuate immediately!]

At that he went wide eyed, "Drone… repeat that please?"

[DR-A60 detected, you must run, evacuate immediately!]

The name alone elected his heart to skip a beat, as he told the drone to move aside so he could look at the fossil at last. The skull, the fossilized skull was about twice the size of his head as well, it was heavily crusted and looked extremely fossilized, but the more he examined it… the more doubt in his mind was washed away as it confirmed it was in fact, a skull belonging to a DRAGON class drone. The knowledge alone of what he was looking at, almost caused him to drop Aelita's holosphere, she was so shocked at what they were looking at though that she didn't pay any attention.

"No way…" He whispered fearfully. "Drone, how sure are you?"

[100%, all drones carry specific design schematics related to the DRAGON Class Drone known as DR-A60. If any matches are made, all drones are to evacuate any humans nearby to a safe location before commencing immediate termination sequences! You must evacuate at once!]

Gazelle slowly walked over as she watched the exchange. "Jeremy, what's wrong? Why did it…"

"It's it… it's him… or what's left of him." He whispered fearfully.

"Who, 'who'?"

He was silent as he stared at the soulless, soulless expression of the fossilized skull. "DR-A60… the drone that… ended the Final War, wiped out over a hundred 'million' people, 10 DRAGON class drones, half a million combat drones, by detonating the Solar Core of the last remaining Mega City." He said quietly. "It drove my species to the seventeen Eden Facilities, it was the 'first' drone to… turn on humanity, it 'alone' was responsible for setting us all on the path to extinction, because of it turning on us the Human Protection Protocols were developed to prevent any more drones and AI in general from rebelling against us in the future or turning on us."

Aelita looked in fear as she stared from her holosphere in his hands, but she nodded in agreement with everything he said.

"What ever are you talking about… this is the fossilized remains of a Chimtekara." Their tour guide tried saying sweetly, but she was a little 'shocked' at how the drone reacted.

Jeremy looked to her with a frowned before whispering, "You have no idea what you have sitting in that case… and for your sake… I hope you don't,"

"But… you're mistaken this is a Chimtekara, a creature that was known to breathe mythical flames in all the colors of-"

"If you say so ma'am… if you say so." He interrupted, taking one last look before leaving. "Drone, I think it's safe to say that the drone known as DR-A60 is no threat at the moment, considering all that's left… is a fossilized skull sitting in a case."

Judy, Nick, Donny, Franky and Moe all followed after Jeremy and Aelita, but Gazelle looked at the drone which was 'still' waiting until Jeremy was at a safe distance before following, and she noticed that its weapon was 'still' trained on the display case with the skull.

It looked back at her before looking at its weapon, and 'still' refused to put it away until Jeremy was far away from the skull. Afterwards it finally returned it into a standby position, but it waited until 'she' and Joe left, to finally walk after and return to the carriage and the rest of the convoy.

As for the tour guide, she looked at the machine leaving before returning her attention to… the fossil of the…

She shook her head and decided not to think about it, now thinking to herself… 'What do we 'really' have here?', leaving the skull in its case.

.

.

.

.

I don't normally do deleted scenes, but there 'were' a few scenes when writing of this fic that didn't fit the story or the chapters they were written in, however this one I shared with CelfwrDderwydd was just too funny 'not' to include in written form. If you want this to be your cannon scene, by all means go ahead, it takes place as the group are making their way to the main government building to meet with the 'Supreme Leader', enjoy~

Again its not cannon in terms of my story, but hey… if you want it to, it fits as well~

.

.

.

= Deleted Scene =

"Not the reception i was expecting." Jeremy muttered nervously as he stared outside the window, seeing the empty street without a soul in sight.

"I never liked visiting the country, can't believe we're back here again." Gazelle said quietly to Jeremy. "All the rumors of suffering, I know from news media about those who manage to escape of the atrocities committed by this nation to its citizens."

"I'm sorry about having to come here, but you know Gazelle you didn't have to-" He tried to say but she interrupted him with a finger.

"We're not having this discussion again, I'm not letting you go alone anywhere anymore, now that we're together, wherever you go, I go." She said warmly.

He nodded as they continued on down the road, the drones ignoring everything else, the FOX drones reported seeing some mammals looking scared as the convoy moved silently past.

"I wish there was some way to put them at ease... they look at us like we're an invasion force..."

Aelita nodded as she looked thoughtful, and then smiled as she quickly got his attention and asked for his permission to alleviate their fears.

"As long as you don't go overboard..."

She winked raised her pinky finger but shook her head, saying 'no promises', and quickly vanished as she took over one of the FOX drones and had it rush to the front so it could cast her holographic form. She smiled as she tapped into the convoy of drones and used their audio output speakers for her needs.

She smiled and began tapping her feet on the ground as she started up a beat.

Then the drones opened their mouths and declared in a very 'sing song' tone...

[Make waaaay, for Jeremy~!] The Raptors called out.

[Say heeey, its Jeremy~!] The Dogs sang now as now all the drones started to go into a dance routine.

"Oh no... Aelita..." He groaned as the drones started singing at her command, with her using their vocal processors to sing.

"Well, that's 'one' way to ease their fears." Gazelle chuckled.

Aelita however was laughing and having fun as she had her drone run nearer to the center of the road so her hologram could chuckle and sing and every mammal knew she was the one singing, (Hey there, lighten up on this crowded street!) chuckling as she waved at every mammal hiding indoors, (Now you, cheer on up, got a special treat~!) she then skipping merrily toward the nearest building while waving her arms to the side as if having no cares. (Come now be the first in the world to see our boy~!)

"If they wanted this to be a private show of their capitol, now it's become a show." Judy cackled in her seat with Nick.

(Make way, here he comes, it's a myth, it's the one, the one and only of Mankind~!) She sang loudly as she swept her arms toward the remaining Fox drones, which all combined their holographic emitters to create a lifelike image of Jeremy. (Jeremy, the one and only, Jeremy Wilheart~!)

She turned to the mammals as they slowly began to appear from the buildings, some out of curiosity, others confusion and others just 'wondering' what was going on. She giggled to herself as she saw how 'serious' some of the soldiers were looking and decided to lighten up the mood.

(Listen up, show some respect... Hey we're only kidding~!) She pretended to say sternly, before winking and laughing. (Now try your best to stay calm, let out those hoots you got now. And say hello to a guy I'm proud to saaaaay...)

(Jeremy, humble is he, Jeremy Wilheart~! Stronger than ten regular men, pfft if only~!) She said with a laugh and snort as his hologram pretended to flex massive mussles, but deflated to normal size as many of the mammals filling the sidewalks now started snorting, at least the civilians.

She ran up to a wolf and jumped to land on his shoulder, who looked shocked that she could make that jump and that she wasn't really there. (He's got a lot on his mind, why he's the last of his kind~!) She sang before pointing eagerly at the passing carriage. (Whose kindness will leave you all blind, why JEREMY~!)

(He made a jet using stuff found in a junkyard...) The drones sang as the Fox drones created Dove-1 for them to see, to oohs and awws.

(Built the drones that you see in a matter of days!) The raptors called and pointed at horses.

(When it comes to his species I'm telling you...) Aelita sang as she hopped off and returned to the middle of the road. (Is he the best, no need to hear the rest~!)

(There's just no comparing~!) All the drones and Aelita sang as they turned the corner toward the main government building.

(Jeremy, a wonder is he, oh you cannot believe) Aelita laughed in her voice. (That gentle thing, what can I say drives me to sing~!)

She turned to several military girls on the side and winked to them, (Just a message from me, he's not single you see... so don't try to take him from us, our Jeremy~!)

The female mammals all blushed at what she was implying as the procession moved on.

(He's got every cure to every single disease~!) The drones sang out. (And to you he gives them for free~! He's got a girl; he's got friends he's got all of these~!) They called as the now went into a tap dance. (All of us too, forever working with him, always living with him, we're just lousy with our loyalty~!)

(To Jeremy... of humanity... Nice to see, humanity's, Jeremy Wilheaaaaaart~!) They all sang out loudly as Aelita ran up to some of the mammals.

(Heard your leader wanted to see him, so he said sure, why the fluff not?) She laughed with a smile. (And that good mammals is why, he got donned up to drop by... with-)

(His singing AI friend, his Personal chef and personal doctor, his friends and girlfriend and drones to watch them day and night, say hey~!) They called out in unison. (It's Jeremyyyyyyyy.) The music ended on the final note as Aelita and the drones took a bow, just as the carriage stopped in front of the building.)

Jeremy held his hands to his face, face red in embarrassment.

"Aelita... you're going to get me killed here..."

Aelita rolled her eyes as she brushed his argument away upon returning to her holosphere.