Sorry for the two week long wait, I'll leave the explanation for after the story, but as for now enjoy this long awaited next chapter!
(P.O.V. Third Person, Judy's apartment, 6:39 pm two months after Forrest and Nick left to the Academy)
I laid in the bed on Judy's apartment with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and think of basically anything to pass time. It was totally boring but lucky for me, just when I ran out of thoughts, Judy came in through the front door seeming more exhausted than ever. "Woah, what happened?" I asked as I helped her tired body to the bed, once grabbing her arm I then felt a liquid in it, upon letting go of her I checked my paw and saw blood. "I suppose it was another riot huh?" I said before letting out a sigh.
"I knew that some mammals were going to cause some trouble but I didn't expect this, the good thing is that after the fourth riot of the day the chief let me go for the day." she said pulling her right sleeve to take a look at her injury.
"Are we still not going to be telling Nick and Forrest?" I asked
"No, I don't want them to worry, they already should have enough trouble with the Academy." she answered before I placed rolled some toilet paper over her cut.
"I get it that you are trying to save money," I started "but some first aid should not come in the way of savings, besides, doesn't the ZPD have any first aid kits?"
"There are already many officers injured with worse thing than this tiny cut." she said before grunting as I pressed too tight her arm.
"Sorry."
"I still can't believe how frustrated the others are, even some officers are against the idea of having him as a cop." added Judy in a tired/annoyed tone
"No need to worry," I said after finishing the toilet paper bandair with some scotch tape on the end "I am sure that when the four months are done he will be accepted by most if not all of Zootopia." I was about to leave the bed but then noticed that an extra weight had been added to me, I turn my head and see Judy sound asleep. I carefully place her lying in the bed for her to sleep, she must have gone through more than two riots for her to not be able to stay awake at six in the afternoon.
I decided to leave the apartment to the ZPD in search for Clawhauser and ask for some recommendations for Judy's injury. "Hey Clawhauser," I called as I entered the building.
"Hey there Todd, what are ya here for?" he asked
"Well, Judy just arrived at her apartment all tired because of the recent riots so I do want to know what to do with her injuries." I answered
"Well, we did just get an extra supply of medical equipment, there are also some doctors visiting down the hall in the third door to the left. You can ask them what treatments Judy should have."
"Thanks, I owe you one."
"Oh no, my pleasure." he insisted as I made my way through the building following the indications that Clawhauser gave me.
I finally arrived at the designated door and knocked on it. "Come in!" called a voice from the other side. I walked in and spotted a puma doctor assisting a rhino cop with some bandages in his left leg. "Sorry kid, I'm only assisting officials of the law for today." said the doctor as he turned back to the rhino and finished placing the bandage.
"But sir, the officer Judy hopps is badly injured in the right arm."
"Then bring her here." said the doctor
"I can't, she is too tired, and she is in her apartment, I just came here for medical supplies."
"Fine," he answered giving me a roll of bandage.
I headed back to the apartment and was about to open the door, which I left unlocked because I didn't have the keys, only to find opening it while holding her now fastly bleeding arm. "Oh geez! Don't worry, I got some bandages from the ZPD."
"You were in the ZPD?" asked Judy as she let me in "Why didn't you leave me a note or something, I was scared half to death when I noticed you were gone."
"Sorry, I just wanted to get some medical supplies as soon as possible, I didn't think of that, now let me see your arm so that I can place the bandage on it." Judy showed him her arm and I carefully rolled it over her arm as Judy hissed in pain. "Sorry."
"It's fine." she answered rolling the sleeve back on. "Hey, how about we go eat somewhere to get this out of our minds."
"Sure, I do feel hungry after all." I answered enthusiastically, Judy, seeming to get back her strength, stood up from her bed, grabbed the keys and her wallet before leading me back to the hallway. She told me to wait as she planned to change from her uniform and after a couple of minutes of waiting Judy came out in a pair of jeans and a pink striped shirt. At first she tried to pull the door shut with her injured arm but after a grunt of struggle she closed it with the other. "You sure you're okay with going out, seems like you could use some rest."
"Oh come on Todd," she grined before locking the room "what's the worst that could happen?"
"Don't jinx it," I warned with a grin of my own and a moving clw in the air "life has it's ways."
"Either way, I think it would be better if we start heading out." said Judy as she walked past me.
"To where shall we go?" I asked
"It's not somewhere you would be familiar with so don't even bother guessing." she answered as I followed her, after some 15 minutes of walking and some small talk we arrived at the place with a sign reading 'Hopps' family dinner garden'.
"Um, is this owned by your family?" I asked nervously.
"Yeah," she answered happily "my family comes from a farm where we grow tons of food, and some of my siblings thought, 'why don't we cook our harvests and share it with the world?' and so began this restaurant, I heard they are going to make another one in the Rain Forest district."
"Well, I'll be the judge of how good they cook their blueberries that I heard Nick bragging about before they left." I answered in a tone of 'come at me bro'.
"Oh you'll love it, I know you will." she said pulling me inside the restaurant, once she opened the door and let me in we were welcomed by a bunny about Judy's size.
"Judy, it's so good to see you again." said a female sounding bunny hugging her tightly but then taking a jump back as soon as she noticed me.
"Calm down Penney, he's a friend of mine," Judy then looked back at me and introduced us to one another. "Todd, Penney. Penney, Todd."
"Hi, nice to meet you." I said extending my paw waiting as Penney slowly moved hers towards mine and shook it before quickly retracting it and giving Judy a slight grin.
"I always knew you were the craziest of us the quadruplets." Said Penney before taking us to our table, feeling incredibly generous and with the fact of Judy's injury I pulled the chair for her.
"Ooh, seems like someone's got a malefriend." teased Penney
"I'm barely 15." I complained as I took my own seat.
"Don't worry Todd, she's just trying to get on my nerves, like always." Explained Judy before we were both handed a menu, after carefully searching the menu I asked for a carrot salad and a blueberry pie.
"First time I've ever heard that come out of a fox." she said before receiving an elbow to her arm. "Hey, you know I was just joking."
"Just make sure it does sound like it."
"Calm down Judy, I completely understand that her means were for a harmless joke."
"Sorry," she apologized with her uninjured paw to the face. "I guess I did over react."
"So, changing subject," interrupted Penney "do I get you the usual?"
"Yes please." answered Judy still with a paw on her face, as soon as Penney left I decided to ask Judy of her situation because her reacting like that did not seem like her usual self.
"Is something bothering you?" I asked a bit worried.
"Aside from the riots, nothing I guess." she said now just looking at the table with lowered ears.
"I know something else is going on." I said now examining her
She let out a sigh and took a breath while she closed her eyes and lifted her head, then she let out the air and opened her eyes. "Yes, there is something else on my mind, but I am not completely sure of what it is."
"Does it make you feel bad?" I asked
"No," she answered. "well, only when I am not near it."
"Near what?" I questioned now at the edge of my seat
"I...I probably shouldn't tell you...it's way too crazy." she complained
"Judy, I traveled from a reality to another, at this point I think nothing can be crazy to me."
With that, Judy armed her valor, took a deep breath and released saying softly "I think I'm in love with Nick?" Silence invaded the table for a couple seconds before I talked
"Um...that sure was unexpected," I said with eyes wide open "but not that it's wrong or anything...I think what I'm trying to say is that, I am fine with you being in love with him."
"But, would he be weirded out by it? I mean, what if he doesn't love him?" she answered worried.
"Please don't ask me that, I am not the god of love, but if you love him so much you can give him some hints and then I can talk with him of what he feels about the situation and we could work out something."
"You'd do that for me?" she asked with her ears popping right up.
"Sure, it's what friends do right?" Instead of a 'yes' or an 'of course' or even a 'thank you' Judy just jumped from her seat and dashed to my side before landing a killer hug on me. "My...ribs." I barely managed to say.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry, just got a little over excited there." she replied as she retreated back to her seat.
"Well thanks to you, it now hurts me to breath." I answered before letting out a cough.
"What are you excited about now Judy?" asked Penney as she got closer to our table with our food in a tray.
"It's nothing, I just agreed to help Judy with something." I answered trying to cover Judy's secret.
"And may I know what that something is?" she asked looking at me while placing down our food, apparently Judy's usual was a carrot salad as well.
"He is helping me with the riots," Judy answered fast and calmly "I believe there is something other than the new species that is provoking the riots because there should be less by now instead of more."
"Oh yeah, I heard of the riots about the new species, and I also heard that you were the one that suggested for it to be part of the police force."
"Yep, that was me." Answered Judy proudly.
"Well then, I will leave you two to eat, gotta attend the other customers."
As soon as she left I asked Judy. "So, why exactly have you been saving money, because I don't recall you telling me."
"Oh yeah, the thing is," she started "I've been planning to move from my current apartment, and for the two months that you have been with me I guess you can see why."
"Yeah," I answered in agreement "I find it a bit disgusting finding the fur of other animals all over the public bathroom, makes me want to throw up." I finish before faking that I am going to throw up.
"Don't be such a baby, it is bad but not that bad." she said acknowledging my joke.
"So where will this new place be?" I asked
"It will be five blocks north of the ZPD, and it will also be right in front of the central park which will be a nice view to see in the morning." she said giving a chuckle and taking a couple bites from her salad, I also proceeded on eating my food and the moment I tasted it I just stopped and opened my eyes wide open. "Todd, Todd, Todd." I quickly blinked as Judy finished moving her paw in front of my eyes.
"Judy, these carrots are grade a quality." I said excited as I took another bite at them.
"Nah, they are just regular carrots from my family's farm."
"I am not kidding, remember Forrest and I used to have a farm, and in that time we even entered to a contest for the best farmers and although we would win first place almost all the time, it does not compare to this, please take me to your farm." I pleaded.
"Woah, don't get to excited now, my parents are not very stable when it comes to accepting other species, especially foxes, although they are starting to cooperate, so let's not tempt fate."
"I understand, but you will expect the same reaction from Forrest, and he won't let off that easy, he may be a bit more stubborn." I warned, just then Penney came running to our table with horror in her pale face.
"There is trouble outside, some mammals are getting assaulted by three guys with strange masks, and they have GUNS!" She screamed with fear
"Wait, weren't guns banned here?" I asked Judy
"They are supposed to." she said before getting up from her seat and running towards the exit.
"Wait, Judy!" I managed to catch up to her and grab her by the uninjured arm. "Remember that you are injured, you can't fight these guys, even if they have guns."
"But as my duty as a cop of the ZPD I must at least try." Judy said determined as she pulled herself away from my paw's grip.
"I swear you are going to be the death of me." I whispered to myself as I followed her outside, once the door was opened we were met by loud sounds of gunfire that made me and Judy cover our ears. I pulled her uninjured arm again but this time to a safe location behind a stone bench to talk strategy on how to deal with these guys. "Okay, so they all seem to have handguns," I said while peeking a bit over the bench "and don't seem to have any good aim." I said after they all failed to shoot a running elk, and they strangely seemed to all have that anonymous guy mask on them.
"Todd, you are not thinking of going out there are you?" she asked worried after pulling me back down and in front of her.
"There is no other way to stop them, if any of us go alone we will die but if we work together we might stand a chance, now we just wait." I said before peeking over the bench and waiting for one of the gunners ran out of bullets and was going to reload, I wasted no time and I made a mad dash to him. The others noticed me but before they could do anything I tackled the reloading gunner and took his gun. I then jumped from him and into another gunned who was about to shoot me but with my gun I moved his aim, causing the bullet to hit the already tackled guy. The third one was about to pull the trigger but was tackled and beaten by Judy while I struggled to fight against the remaining criminal. In the end I won and and pushed him to the ground before kicking him a couple times so he wouldn't stand up again.
"How about if you tell me when we are going to engage instead of just running head towards danger?" Suggested Judy as she stood up from the beaten gunner, I gave her a chuckle as in sign of saying that it was not big deal.
"Strength is not all when you know how to use strategy, although it does help in the overall."
Without warning, we then hear a loud bang, and I respond by shooting the guy I originally tackled, after that I could not breath although I tried. I couldn't move my sight from the shooter either, his blood was flowing out fast, I had impacted him in the head causing his eyes to stay wide open. The bullet must've had an intense impact because I could feel some of his blood in my cloths, but as soon as Judy gasped I knew it was not his, but mine.
Coming back to reality I let go of the gun, I feel like I am collapsing as I take a few steps backwards before my legs no longer work. I was catched by someone though, then that someone showed her face on top of mine and I noticed that it was Judy who caught me. She slowly let me on the ground leaning my head over the cold floor, I then felt a burning sensation in my left chest. It was then that I noticed that I had not only been shot, but also that I was going to die if an ambulance didn't come here soon. Judy knew that and so she quickly dialed on her phone with one paw while in the other she tried to stop my bleeding.
Once she was done with the call she quickly started using both paws to prevent me from dying. "Come on Todd, stay with me, keep your focus on me."
"I feel so tired," I slowly admitted "I just want to sleep."
"No! Don't rest, at least not now, keep it together and stay awake." I was then that I gave my first breath after a long time, it hurt so much, but the good news was they my lungs were still functionable. I slowly breathed in and out while groaning about the pain I was inflicted with, as soon as the ambulance arrived I noticed past Judy there was a guy that looked like the ones we just fought but coming out of a random building and getting away through an alleyway. "Resist Todd, just a little more." told me Judy while she helped the medics carry me to the back of the ambulance, as it took off I was instantly connected with several things that I couldn't identify myself since I was losing focus of both visual and audio.
My eyes were slowly beginning to close and Judy and the medics talking was becoming incomprehensible. Soon I felt a sudden electrical shock which made me yelp in pain and sit up, but I quickly retracted my action since the ribs hurt extremely bad. "I think that hurt more than my ribs." I barely managed to say before coughing some blood.
"We might have done it in an unappropriate time." said one of the medics
"Might?! You are causing him to spit his own blood out!" that was the last I heard from Judy because things did get the best of me and I went to the comma stage.
(P.O.V. Third Person)
"No no no no!" cried Judy as she was trying to wake Todd up.
"He's still alive," said one of the medics holding Todd's wrist "but he is in desperate condition."
"Can't this thing go any faster?" demanded Judy.
"Only if you want me to break the law, officer." answered the driver who sped past countless cars.
"Is there anything we can do to help him right now?" asked Judy worried.
"We are doing what we can, please understand that we are not able to stop him from dying with just what we have in the ambulance. Now, just sit down and relax, we don't need chaos happening here." Judy slowly sat at one of the seats of the ambulance feeling useless watching Todd die before him although she had promised Forrest that nothing would happen to him.
The moment finally arrives that they arrive to the hospital and everything is fast paced from there, Judy and the medics pushed Todd's unconscious self through the halls until arriving at a room. From there the medics tell Judy to wait outside while the operation is in process, doctors go in and out running making Judy worry even more. Every second seemed like an eternity, until five hours later, the main surgeon came out taking his mask off as tired as ever taking heavy breaths. "How did it go?" asked Judy nervously
The surgeon took a deep breath and finally said "He is stable for the next two days, but after that only faith can decide." Judy stood frozen in her seat as the surgeon left in a look of sadness and exhaustion, from there on the only sounds that could be heard would be of Judy's tears rapidly going down her face.
(P.O.V. Todd)
It was actually not quite like the experience from before when I had a memory of the past, this time it was more strange. I appeared to be in the same place that I was before passing out but no one was there, then the even stranger thing was that I could actually move then. I slowly stepped out of the bed and slowly stepped out of the ambulance, I looked all around and the entire city seemed deserted, and the sky was orange with grey clouds. I made small cautious steps through the abandoned area looking in every direction as all my instincts cried and prayed for me to hide.
Then I hear a sound from an alleyway that makes me jump to the opposite direction from said alleyway. I see a figure just staying there and seeming oddly familiar just watching me from it's hiding spot. "Excuse me, do you know what is happening?" I shouted out. In that second the figure took off darker inside the alleyway and I went in persecution of it shouting. "Hey, I just want to talk!" The figure did not pay any attention to me as it kept running, but I was catching up to it and once I was close enough I jumped at it making it drop. I quickly turned him around to see the same mask as the ones that shot me down. "Who are you!" I demanded to know.
The figure got me off of it and as I was readying to tackle him again it holded out it's gloved paw out but strangely enough it looked like a human hand. I got off my fighting stance and looked as the figure now retrieved it's hand slowly taking it to it's mask. The figure was about to take off his mask but it asked me with a familiar voice. "Did you really think you would escape that easily?". The figure was actually Dr. Kleinman himself, his grin extending from ear to ear with a devilish laugh.
"But that's impossible! The Teleporter should have been destroyed, it is impossible that it stayed intact after sending two organisms at the same time!" I complained.
"You're right," he said "the machine should have been destroyed, but I don't know what happened next."
"What do you mean?" I asked taking slow steps closer to him.
"Well, I am just some fiction of your imagination, do you really think that I would be here all alone without a weapon of sorts to kill you?" He said laughing in the most annoying way possible.
"So this is a dream?" I asked relieved.
"Of course it is," said Kleinmann approaching a wall "but your dreams might come true, after all your brain noticed that the shooters had five fingers, so it thought that I was behind all this."
"How would you know all this?" I asked taking a step backwards.
"Let's just say that I am you self but a part that you cannot control consciously, so you are technically talking to yourself." He kneeled to the ground and grabbed a little metallic piece attached to the wall slowly moving it up making a zipper opening sound. "Anyway, here is your exit, if I am not mistaken, this should take you to a door to wake up, question is, do you want to wake up?" He asked pulling me into the opening in the wall and quickly losing sight of anything.
I woke up standing in a room wearing everything in white, there were two doors and two windows, one of each were on each of my sides. The ones on my left was white while the ones on my right were black, out of pure curiosity I went to the white window and saw Forrest there sitting on the porch of our house with the sun setting its light over our farm.
Then I checked the black window and saw a hospital room only lit by a lamp and the medical equipment, Judy was in a chair beside my bed when suddenly a machine was making a long consecutive sound signifying death. Almost immediately the white door opened with a slam and I was being pulled in by some kind of strange wind. I grabbed hold of the window's edge as my legs were up in the air waving, Judy was now crying while tightly holding my right paw as a doctor patted her back and proceeded on unplugging the equipment. As the wind grew harder, my paws began to grow more slippery but in a desperate attempt I launched myself to the black door's handle and opened it. I made a strong pull towards the inside and once I was in I shut the door, then everything seemed to grow darker.
Although I couldn't see a thing I could feel something in my right paw being held tightly and so I answered by putting a bit of my force as well. As I began to wake up I coughed a bit feeling like my breathing was a bit troublesome. "You're alive!" shouted Judy as she hugged me with all her might.
"Ow, ow, ow, my bones." I said trying to get Judy off me.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just that...it was not expected for you to survive." explained Judy.
"So what exactly happened to me?" I asked now looking at the doctor.
"Well," began the doctor "the bullet did pierce through some main veins but it was fortunately stopped by one of your ribs before it could get to your lungs."
"It seems I am the luckiest mammal in the world." I answered. "So, how long was I out?"
"Three days." replied the doctor as he left the room.
"Oh geez, Forrest is probably worried as hell." I said nervously.
"I might not have told him you were in the hospital." confessed Judy looking away.
"Judy! Do you have any idea what he might do to you if he finds out?!" I shouted "Sorry, lost my temper there."
"It's okay, but in the good side of all of this, the riots are becoming less frequent." She announced lifting her ears.
"Well at least we have that to calm us down."
"But there is still something else that happened." said Judy making me grow more annoyed.
"Of course there is." I said rolling my eyes.
"Did you notice anything strange about the ones that shot you?" she asked making me nervous as I remembered the dream I just had.
"Why do I have to be right all the time." I said in a frantic/worried tone.
"So you know where those wolves got their equipment?" she asked intrigued.
"Wait, wolves?"
"Yes, wolves, the ones that shot you were wolves." finished Judy.
"Thank God almighty that those were just crazy theories and nothing more."
Okay, so here is how it goes, those past two weeks were very brutal as it is every school semester beginning, tons of exams to know how much you remember from last year, that also made me forget on a very good idea that I had for this chapter, and after a long writers block I remembered and here it is. Still, it is still amazing that although it was two long weeks to wait, views went up to +6900, so at last thank you guys for all the support and be sure to comment on anything that I might have done wrong or you want me to include, I like the feedback be it positive or negative. And just to throw it out there, the next chapter will probably come out by next weekend, yet until then I am all ears for what you guys have to say, Imagination Machine turning off.