Fourteen minutes before…
Alyssa slipped out of consciousness for the first time, stirred by the gentle jolt of the helicopter touching down. Through a haze ringed with darkness, she saw the mammals around her scrambling to get out. Pale artificial light filled the interior as the door was slid open. The stretcher was swiftly lifted and carried out onto the helipad. Alyssa tried to turn her head, but even if she wasn't wearing a neck brace, she was to weak to even do that. Then a mammal in white came into her fading view, a female cape buffalo in a doctor's coat. So, this was a hospital. She'd almost expected a prison.
They pushed her into the bright interior of a waiting elevator, and she slipped back into the dark.
Two minutes after…
Alyssa came to when she felt the sting of an IV being inserted into her limb. She was in emergency surgery, surrounded by a group of about four mammals. The cape buffalo from before shone a light into her eyes, noticed she was conscious, and asked her a question.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" When Alyssa didn't answer, she looked up and addressed someone the vixen couldn't see. "Sir, what did you say her name was?"
She heard a frantic voice. Jack's voice. "Alyssa! Please tell me you can get her through this!"
She hadn't seen him in the helicopter. Of course, she wouldn't. He was a bunny.
"We're doing everything we can, but you need to leave now, sir. We're about to move her to the operating theatre." The buffalo said.
"Alright! If you need to speak to me, I'll be checking on Swinton!"
Alyssa tried to speak. She had to say she was sorry while she had the chance. She should have evacuated Slothfeld when she had the chance. She'd tried to save him when that monster showed up. It had been a gallant attempt, but a selfish one as well. Alyssa had been motivated to keep Slothfeld alive long enough for her to make him talk. Had she gotten the information she needed beforehand, she would have happily stepped aside. Now the entire city was likely paying for her hatefulness at this very moment.
Alyssa felt tear trickle sideways toward the back of her head. What had she done? That was her last thought before everything went black again.
One week after…
Seven days she'd been confined to this bed. Seven days she'd spent fighting the urge to move her limbs or open her eyes, playing the part of the comatose patient. Or paralysed, as the doctor, Kathryn Bogo, had theorised after seeing no sign of brain damage in her scans.
It had been on the fourth day when she'd managed to overhear a conversation between Kathryn and someone else; in order to ensure that Alyssa had gotten the treatment she needed, Jack had told Kathryn about the venom. He'd refused her request to know what had bitten the vixen, citing that information as classified, but he'd explained the venom's properties, what it was capable of, and how long it had taken her brother to recover from the paralysis. Alyssa hadn't heard from Jack since he'd transported her to the hospital
Knowing that he had divulged that information with full knowledge of the potential consequences made Alyssa both grateful and terrible. He'd learned to trust her in spite of her species, and this was how she repaid him?
All the more reason to keep up the pretence as long as possible. She knew it was irrational, delaying the inevitable like this, but she couldn't face them yet. Not the interrogators who would show up every day, eager for an explanation for how Slothfeld died, only to leave empty handed every time, and definitely not the people she'd betrayed and endangered. So she endured the frequent manhandling when the sheets and medical dressings were changed. She endured the dread that came with knowing what lying in bed for a week would do to her sexy body. She'd gladly risk the sores if it meant avoiding the disappointment on Jack's face.
On the seventh day, she heard the door open. She expected to hear the nurse's voice at any moment, muttering the steps as she performed the usual maintenance. Instead she heard the door close, and heard someone push a chair up to the bed. There was a gentle thud from small feet hopping onto the chair, and a second thud of something being placed in a hard surface.
"Afternoon, Alyssa."
Bollocks!
Alyssa almost let the consternation show on her features.
Jack kept speaking, oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Sorry it took so long to visit. I couldn't abandon my mission, and my superiors had a lot of questions about what happened in XIBALBA. They also weren't happy when I told Dr. Bogo about the venom, but I explained that she was more or less involved from the beginning. You may remember her as the doctor who treated Antlerson and poked holes in the cover-up story about his attack. It's also why I insisted that she be the one to treat you."
Alyssa felt relief when he didn't mention any punishment. She still dread the moment he would bring up her near-catastrophic fuck-up.
"They say you may still be suffering from the venom, so I'm going to assume you can hear me." Jack sounded soft and quiet, his tone missing the hard, scolding edge it had the first few times they'd spoken. "You may be wondering about what's been happening since our adventure on that mountain."
Alyssa was more than wondering. She strained her ears, desperate for news.
"I'll start with the bad news. Slothfeld's dead. We're fairly certain that Subject Zero got him. The ZBI's been searching for it these past few days, but I have a feeling it's realised that the mountain's not safe anymore."
What about Cheryl? Tell me, you bastard!
"We've managed to round up all the escaped test subjects. Well, I say all, but Sedor is unaccounted for. However, I know for a fact that he took the antidote before escaping. Whether that makes him more or less dangerous is a question of time. His whereabouts are unknown, but our informants in the underworld are keeping an eye out in case he returns to Koslov."
Who is also unaccounted for, I assume, Alyssa thought. The deadly duo may have already been reunited.
"If it makes you feel better, Roarson was the only one we found dead. We've got the rest under lock and key. I informed them that the antidote may cause memory loss, so they'll be interrogated before and after administration. Yeah, I know. They're victims, too. And that is why I am pleased to tell you that Cheryl only identified herself, Valentino and Manchas as the predators who actually took part in the attack on Zootopia. The rest were simply in hiding."
If Alyssa could smile, she would. She knew at least one mammal, Emmitt Otterton, who had a family he'd been taken from.
"And here's the really good news. Bad news with a silver lining, really, but I don't think you'll see it that way. Much of the prey population aren't fond of predators, it's true, but even the majority of them have standards. And the government is rather eager to avoid a national scandal by explaining to the public the full details of Project Twilight. And that is why they've decided to keep the identities of the terrorists anonymous, with the exception of Cheryl, Sedor, Manchas, and the wolf brothers. Well, in Cheryl's case they're cooking up a false identity to give to the press. They don't want it known that a ZI6 agent, someone who works for a country who's supposed to be our friend, was responsible for the attack. Yes, there's going to be a lot of lying involving in cleaning up this mess, and there's no telling how many conspiracy theories will come from this. But that's not so bad when you think about the alternative, don't you think?"
He paused, as if waiting for an answer. Alyssa didn't answer.
Wait… he said Cheryl had identified them… did that mean…
"Hopps and Wilde managed to stop Cheryl in time. She's in ZBI custody at the moment, but she's cooperating. So far as I know they haven't physically harmed her. ZI6 is negotiating to have her returned to Fengland, but nothing's come of it, yet. She knows about your condition. She keeps asking about you."
Alyssa willed herself not to cry. It was getting harder to maintain the façade, and she was now biting a tiny part of her lip, tiny enough that the motion wouldn't be seen on the outside.
"Okay, what else is there…" Jack paused in thought. "Ah, yes. Everyone else is okay, more or less. Wilde in police custody. Hopps and Bogo were given the all clear and are writing their reports. Clawhauser was discharged five days ago, and Mossberg and Foxtrot managed to get Honey and the others out of Mr. Big's hands. I haven't been able to get in contact with them to find out how they did it, but I'm confident they're still in the city."
Alyssa was glad to hear that. She wasn't looking forward to hearing her fate, however.
"And that's about it, I guess. Except for one last thing…" Jack said. There was a long pause. Alyssa felt his paws pressing on the mattress as he leaned toward her. She felt his breath on her ear and hoped he wasn't paying attention to her heart monitor. "In case this is the last time I ever see you, I want you to know… you were pretty crap in bed."
The sudden spike in her heart monitor gave her away, even if the involuntary clenching of her fists hadn't done it for her.
"Aha." Jack said lightly.
Alyssa set her jaw and bit down on her lip to keep from shouting as she opened her eyes. When they adjusted to the cool natural light of midday, they glared up at the shining blue eyes of the insufferable, loyal striped rabbit who had somehow found his way back into his fancy black suit.
"You bastard." She rasped.
"The nurse told me you don't have any bed sores. I guessed you've been changing positions whenever you're alone." Jack said.
Alyssa saw the nature of his smile, and her anger faded. There was amusement at her expense, yes, but relief as well. "I'm so sorry, Jack."
"About what?" He asked.
"I should have evacuated Slothfeld when I had the chance. We almost lost the city because of me." Alyssa felt her lip quiver uncontrollably. Tears sprang in her eyes.
Jack sat himself on the bed. "Luckily I managed to convince my superiors that you were not to blame for the failure of the mission."
Alyssa turned her head away slightly and gazed at the ceiling. "They have to blame someone."
She looked back at Jack when he didn't respond. He stared back at her with those cool, resolute eyes.
"You didn't." She breathed.
"I didn't lie. I let Slothfeld gave me the slip at the heliport, and he was ambushed by Subject Zero while attempting to escape. You tried to save him, and got mauled for your efforts."
Alyssa bent and slid her arm up the bed, touching the dressing covering her neck. "I couldn't let it kill him yet." She said.
Jack had that analysing look in his eyes now, one ear swivelled toward the heart monitor. He was focused almost entirely on her face, his eyes flicking every now and then toward her paws. Alyssa had known this was coming. Jack wanted clarity, and he deserved it.
It was still a struggle to come out with it, though. Christ, it was still a struggle to accept what she had almost done. After a good minute, Jack sighed and reached behind him for the bottle of water he'd brought with him and left on the bedside table. He twisted off the cap and wordlessly offered it to Alyssa. Having had nothing but an IV in her arm for a week, her throat was as dry as a nun's crotch, so she accepted the offer. She sipped carefully, the cool, still water taking the edge off with more efficiency than a pint of lager. Jack put the bottle back when she was done, leaving the cap off just in case.
"I was gonna make him talk." She spoke, her voice only slightly stronger.
Jack released a short breath through his nose, but his expression didn't change. His lack of surprise made Alyssa feel more sickened with herself. He didn't even look disappointed in her.
Was he even disappointed at all?
"That's as good a reason as any, I suppose." He said.
Alyssa turned her face away from him again. "I didn't want him to get away with it."
Jack looked down at his legs for a while, brows knitted together in his contemplation. He edged a little closer to her. "It's ok."
"No, it's not."
"Alyssa."
"Slothfeld got what he deserved, but what about the rest of those bastards?" The files in the church may expose Swinton and her evil cesspit of a family, but the evidence needed to expose the Triumvirate, Pottermass, Llamadeus and Bisoniing, was all in the disk. The disk that Jack said Subject Zero made off with-
Wait a second. It's a savage animal. Why would it-
"Jack, what really happened to the data disk?"
At that, Jack smiled. It was smug, but he may have intended it to be reassuring. "It's in safe paws."
"Jack, if there are spies in the ZIA, that disk could-"
"I didn't hand it in to the ZIA, Alyssa. Not yet, anyway." He said.
Alyssa couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she pressed on. "Who, then?"
"Someone with the skills to crack that disk without our help." Jack said. "Once she's had a little more time to recover from receiving a bullet to her spine."
Honey…
"I do not condone what you tried to do, Alyssa. But you're right about one thing. What Slothfeld created is not something any government should be in control of. Our people will get the disk eventually, but they will not receive it entirely untampered."
"I gave them a chance to stop this. I warned them that their plan would not end well. We create our own monsters, and then those same monsters come back to haunt us."
Benjamin didn't know why he kept playing the recording. The best excuse he could give himself was that he was making sure the recording had been corrupted somehow. The worst excuse was that he was listening to Pottermass's words over and over again, searching for something that would allow him to justify what his former boss had done. On its own, the death of his wife just didn't cut it. Benjamin had lost his parents. Nick had lost his dad. Finnick had almost been killed by the collars himself. None of them took out their grief on an entire city.
In any case, it was a relief to know that one way or another, this would be the last time he would listen. The phone fell silent as it lay on coffee desk in the corner of Bogo's office, the buffalo himself sitting on the longer half of the corner sofa, hooves intertwined as he gazed the device.
"Jesus Christ." He muttered.
Benjamin looked carefully at the buffalo, trying to gauge his feelings. Bogo looked like he hadn't slept well, and there were a few creases in his shirt. Benjamin's heart went out to him. He knew only too well the ache of being betrayed by the ones you trusted.
As for Bogo's reaction concerning the recording, he looked as stoic as ever, only his eyes were slightly larger than usual.
"Have you showed this to anyone else?"
"One of the other officers almost caught me listening to it, but I think he thought it was a Gazelle podcast."
"She did have Elkton John as a guest speaker last month." Bogo muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling heavily. "God. This… this is a lot. Why didn't you hand this over sooner?"
Benjamin had thought about that every day he put it off. "I didn't know why at first. The more I thought about it, the more I thought if I should."
"… You think making this public will be a mistake?" Bogo asked.
"It seems so pointless." Benjamin said. "Most of the mammals he implicated are dead. Bisoniing's still savage. Swinton's a roasted vegetable. She could die any day now."
"But the world should know the truth." Bogo said sternly.
There was a draught coming from the window. Benjamin rubbed his arms as he prepared to state his case.
"Back in the safe house, a little before we were attacked, you told me about why that elephant went crazy. City hall could have explained what happened, spread awareness about musth. The only catch was elephants would be hated. So they lied. Told everyone he was on drugs. Nothing really changed, but it didn't get worse."
"And this confession?" Bogo was frowning, but he didn't appear angry. Benjamin continued with a little more confidence.
"I keep thinking about Zoocell. So many employees. A lot of them are predators, like me and my friends. With circumstantial evidence and some good lawyers, Zoocell can make it through this. But if that confession gets to court, they'll have no defense against it. Zoocell could go down."
"What if Zoocell should go down?" Bogo asked slowly.
"You heard what Pottermass said. They hardly had anything to do with it. But if everyone thinks they did…"
Bogo sighed heavily and stood up. He turned and pressed his arm against the wall. He then pressed his forehead into his arm and was silent for some time.
Benjamin tightened his fists, suddenly fearful of how this conversation may end. "Mansa, please. Please don't take this the wrong way. I just really think you should think this one through before just putting it out there."
He caught Benjamin by surprised when he spoke. "Secrets are kept for a reason."
"What's that?" Benjamin asked.
"Something Pottermass told me a long time ago, when I was forced into staying silent." Bogo turned back to face Benjamin. "All this time, I hated them for their hypocrisy. I hated myself for being like them. Being the kind of cop who would stop a predator just for showing up in a nice neighbourhood but wouldn't give a radical elephant a second glance." Bogo sat back down and started to scratch at the dressing covering his bite mark as his tone deepened and softened. "I don't know when it fully sunk in. I worked to be better. To treat your people better. Even when it didn't seem worth it. Then that night, when I caught you playing that piano in Pottermass's mansion, that was the first time I laid eyes on a predator without assuming the worst. It should have ended there. It should have been a one-time thing. Then you showed up again, and again. You meet a predator who gets along with you, who makes all that effort seem worth it, and then they're almost killed because of you…" He glanced at Benjamin's arm, where the fur had fully grown over the scar where dozens of smashed pilsners had sliced deep into his artery. "I think that was the point when it stopped being about the job."
Benjamin felt flushed. He had no idea what to say. Bogo got out a clean handkerchief, picked up the phone, and slipped it into the evidence bag.
"I can't just tamper or destroy evidence." Bogo said. "But I'll just have this handed to Forensics for now. If there is any evidence that Zoocell was up to its neck in Project Twilight, a single scrap of proof, then this confession goes to court."
Benjamin nodded, smiling softly, glad to be free of the burden, and happy with the clarifaction of exactly what they meant to each other. "I know you'll make the right choice, Mansa."
Bogo gave a sudden, humoured snort. "Last time I needed to keep a secret, I wasn't given a choice at all. Thank you."
