PROLOGUE

It was a strange night for Jerry. Full of old memories and longings. Jerry was 60-year old blood hound with lots of memories. But with this kind of job a person had lots of time to think. Jerry Rathbone or JR as his friend called him was night security at the Zootopia Reproductive Centre. Every night going on 5 years now Jerry had walked the 10 floors of this building. He worked a 12-hour shift and had to make at least 6 rounds of the building's floors. Most of the time he made about nine rounds, unless his leg was acting up. He always rode the elevator to the top floor making the rounds of the floors and alternating either the east or west stairwell down to the floor below.

JR had been a beat cop for 35 years with precinct 2 in Zootopia. He was very good at his job, everyone in the neighbourhood knew and loved him. In that 35 years he only had to draw his service weapon twice with no fatalities. He had been shot at many times, but always managed to survive.

"Medical discharge" the paperwork said. This was why, after all the time on the force he was let go. One bullet shattered his left femur and his leg was never the same. Oh, he did all the things the rehab people had him do, but still he could not pass the physical.

They threw him a party, gave him a gold watch, and wished him well in his retirement. After all the years on the force It didn't seem like nearly enough. JR never saw himself doing another job. But after his wife died, he had to much time on his hands, and just sitting around the house, was too much.

JR thought he would spend his golden years with his wife Bessy. They were happy for a few years, but then his wife started to complain of head aches. The head aches got worse, till one day he found her passed out on the floor. He called for an ambulance but by then it was too late. His wife died on the way to the hospital. Brain tumor was the diagnosis.

At this point Jerry lost it. The next couple of months went buy in an alcoholic blur. And he was so tired, he just wanted to die. One night he pulled out his service revolver, loaded it, and looking at it, and passed out, a vision, dream? Came to him. JR found himself flat on his back, in a strange meadow. How did this happen, am I dead? He stood up and did a 360-degree turn taking in his surroundings. IT was beautiful here, so peaceful and calm. And he felt loved, no, this place was love.

What do you think you are doing you old fool? As he turned around there stood his wife, who had left him. Bessy? He called. He ran to her with tears in his eyes. Who else would call you an old fool? Oh god I miss you, how could you leave me? Said Jerry. I didn't leave you it was just my time. Do you know how lost I am without you? Yes, Jerry I know, but you are better than this," suicide Jerry" really? People still need you it's not your time yet. Jerry fell to his knees and cried. But how can I go on? Get out Jerry, look at all the people you helped, they are there for you if you let them, You Do Not have to be alone. Will you wait for me Bessy? Yes, Jerry I will be waiting for you when your time comes, until then will you live for me? Asked Bessy. Yes, darling, I will just for you. And in his vision? dream? they kissed with all the love they had for each other.

JR woke up the next morning, with the mother of all hangovers and a vaguely recalled dream. The pain in JR's heart was manageable this morning, but the sight of his service revolver in his hand scared him. What had he almost done? He unloaded and locked away the gun. He then took stock of his situation and as much as he wanted another drink, he swore never again, he would live for the people of his community, his friends, and what family he had left.

It took 4 months to show that he cared about life again, and his friends, which he found he had plenty of, started to come around again. Life wasn't great but it was bearable. After awhile he found himself starting to back slide, so to lift his mood he figured he had to find a job. One that would keep him busy enough so he didn't dwell on what he had lost.

Charlie a lion, and an old friend, suggested night security at the place where he worked, the kid he worked with just wasn't doing the job properly. He applied, and was excepted. The company loved the fact that he was ex ZPD, and was licensed to carry a lethal and non lethal weapon. The work wasn't that hard, just a lot of walking, checking doors, and reporting anything usual. His leg didn't have the strength for a beat cop, but straight walking, he could do that.

As JR came down to the fifth floor, he could hear the machinery in the lab running, but could smell no one. He reached for his radio. Charlie come in! Charlie here, what's up JR? Anybody come in for late night work? No JR, no one signed in. Copy, lab machinery running, going to investigate, Roger be careful. JR carefully opened the door to the lab, found no one inside, and the robotic arm making lazy circles. Charlie come in! what did you find JR? Looks like a computer malfunction, arm is making lazy circles again. What? Third time this month, writing a report now. Roger, continuing rounds, be down in about 20 minutes. 10-4 see you then.

It was just another routine Friday shift, boring as heck. About 3AM JR was on his seventh round, when coming onto the fifth floor he could smell something, Scent mask? No sooner had this thought entered his mind than a tranq went through his ear and into his neck. JR lost the ability to stand and hit the floor hard. He heard running foot steps, and saw something out of the corner of his eye, fleeing down the hall, and then it went silent.

JR never really was tranqued as the dart passed through his ear and into his collar, but was stopped by the heavily starched collars he wore. But as it went through his ear, the paralytic agent was released into his system, this lasts for only about 15 seconds which is usually long enough for the sedative to kick in. The sedative was ejected onto his neck, and skin absorption takes a lot longer to get into the blood stream. As he lay there, he could hear a beeping from the lab.

JR was eventually able to get up and stumble to the lab door. Looking in JR saw what looked like two 45-gallon plastic drums with a timer on top. JR read the time left 3:20 seconds. His adrenaline kicked in, and negated the effects of the sedative. JR flew down the stairs, he was no hero but didn't want to die either. When he hit the lobby, he pulled the fire alarm and saw Charlie slumped over the security monitors, dart sticking out of his neck. Words were scrawled on the wall behind Charlie, NO HYBREDS PURITY IN NUMBERS. JR grabbed Charlies chair, hit the silent alarm under the desk, and proceeded to wheel Charlie out the door. Charlie was just to big for JR to carry. As they got to the berm in front of the building, the chair fell over. Charlie hit the ground; JR then proceeded to drag Charlie to the other side of the berm. As they fell on the other side, the night sky lite up like day and the explosion deafened poor JR.

He lay there for a few seconds thinking about how close it had been. When he looked up, the building was on fire. He quickly put out the burning paper that had fallen on them. Who had done this and why? This was his last coherent thought as the sedative finally kicked in. He heard the sirens of the police and fire trucks as they finally arrived.

I don't lay claim to Zootopia the movie or any of characters from the movie. I have used some characters and ideas from other works of fiction, but they only play a minor supporting role in this story.

Chapter 1:

My name is Daniel J. I was born... ahh not sure when but I was definitely born. Ouch quit hitting me, that hurts. Let me tell my story the way I want to tell it, and not just the facts. Yes, I know you have a part in this, but who's to shy to put it on paper? All right, all right, I'll stop with the bad puns. As I was saying my sibling and I were born, 18 Years ago. We appeared to be part of a secret government experiment.

Some of my earliest memories, being born by c-section, harsh smells, a brisk rub to get me crying, being cleaned up, and wrapped in a blanket. I was then laid on a belly next to a teat, and I started to suckle. How you ask can I remember all this? I just have a really good memory. There was eight of us all together, and we all shared the same mother. As our eyes opened several days later, we could see that we were two different groups of mammals. The lights in the room were bright and harsh, and on all the time.

Mom was a red mammal, who I later would learn was a fox. She never spoke much; I don't know if this was by design or by environment. How do I tell if she was a good mom or a bad one, I had no bases for comparison. She did look after us though, so I guess I can't complain. She hummed some tuneless (music?), and rocked us back and forth to quiet us down when we would start to cry. But I felt her sadness and hurt about what, I was never sure.

So here we are in a big, cold, scary, bright, world.

Sir we have a problem. What kind a problem?

Well four of the mammals are hybrids and four appear to be normal rabbits. Appear? Yes Sir. But they all have genetic markers in their systems that we can't identify. Can't identify?

About five percent of their DNA Can't be classified as animal, vegetable, or mineral. Then what is it? We just don't know. Also, Sir they all have the same blood type. How is this possible? They are both predator and prey. Their collective blood type is what we are classifying as. "O". why O? Well Sir their blood is compatible with both pred and prey. Really? But that's impossible. We are running tests now to try to determine if it has something to do with their strange DNA. Maybe it has something to do with the mother? Well look into it, Sir.

All right then, would you say we have our test subjects? Yes, Sir it would appear that we have. Finally, some good news, as we have no more material for new test subjects. Then you have a green light for the tests. As we know about rabbit development, we have a base line for comparison. Oh, how is the fox working out?

Good, she took to mother hood really well. Once she has weaned the kits; I want her sent back, unless you find something. Yes Sir, won't be for about a year. Fine just do it. (From files found in the archives of the institute).