Lesser of Two Evils

Our duo make a long overdue call to their mysterious legendary fox friend. While they discuss quite a great many things they primarily discussed their fox buddies Mom, a new business venture and finally how to deal with The Protectors. The duo has some very weighty choices to make which could lead to the complete destruction of the very Zootopia they hold dear. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Zoodate: 123 P.C. - Evening

As the entered their room, the two were still a bit shaken by the reaction of their friend. A fox normally so cool and collected, normally never indicating he had a care in the world. But under that outward exterior lay a torment of swirling anguish, pain, sorrow and regret. For buried far away into the deepest recesses of his brain lay memories buried deep, impossibly deep. Memories he had forgotten were there long ago, replaced with only painful memories of his childhood and the family that never was.

Drew wondered what possible troubles had been buried there deep down collecting one on top of the other. Nick was very private and he must have been holding all those painful memories inside for so long. How he so wished Nick could just open up and share everything releasing it all in a torrent, in wave after wave of pain and frustration, of the sorrow and betrayal of his missing father, of the blame and accusations of his mother, and finally of self-doubt and self-rebuke placing the blame on himself for all that transpired. Drew knew that if the fox let them, he and Judy could help their friend work through all those buried feelings and provide the love and understanding needed to counter that sense of abandonment, and help him realize that he had done nothing wrong. That sometimes bad things happen, but you pick yourself up and recognize those issues and share those feelings with the ones who love you as they will not judge you, they only seek to support and comfort you.

As Drew hopped up on the bed after Judy he sat on top of the bed with his back to some pillows so he could sit upright. He held Judy's right paw in his left hand and expressed all those concerns and ideas about what may be buried inside their friend's head with her. Finally he asked her a question he hoped the best friend might have an answer to, "Do you think it's possible for him to open up to us?"

Judy: trepidation "I really don't know."

Drew: "He has a lot of demons."

Judy: "He has always been a private type. I am wondering how much those issues from his childhood caused all that."

Drew: "He must have been holding all that pain inside for so long."

Judy: "He has opened up about a lot of things he never would have. It is just the topic of family that has always been a trigger for him to collapse inside and refuse to let me in."

Drew: "I can only hope that if we can bring that family back together it can help to at least open him up to sharing those feelings and help him to start to remove that sense of abandonment."

Judy: "Speaking of that, how did your meeting with the doctor go?"

Drew: "He is definitely an odd one. But I have found that leading experts in their fields such as scientists and doctors are much more eccentric. I suppose it has to do with the kinds of personalities it takes to push to those extremes and to be the top of their field. It just takes a different kind of mammal and those qualities just seem to go with the territory."

Judy: "You mentioned he had some unique conditions for treatment."

Drew filled Judy in out their complete conversation both on the phone and the meeting at his home.

Judy: disturbed "It was extremely dangerous for you to do what you did to him."

Drew: "I know Judy. At a minimum I needed you there to help break me out of it if things became dangerous. If I hadn't had my focus interrupted, I am not sure what might have happened."

Judy: upset "It was reckless. Please don't ever try anything like that without me there."

Drew: "I would never have done it if he wasn't seemingly holding Marion's treatment hostage."

Judy: "I am worried he is a bit reckless if he would want you to do something like that with no one else there to help."

Drew: "I am quite sure he vastly underestimated the strength. But if we want someone who is open to all avenues of treatment, we need someone like that. But now you see why I would never attempt anything like that with Marion without you by my side."

Judy: "Absolutely! When will he be able to begin treating her?"

Drew: "I am thinking he will have a more informal discussion with her in the next few days. I hope to get him all the data from the human world in a few days as well. It will probably take several sessions over a couple weeks before he would consider bringing us in on a session."

Judy: "Okay… did you get in touch with Reynard?"

Drew: "Yes he is expecting our call anytime now."

Judy: "Well let me get ready for bed first.

Drew: "Of course… I will as well."

Judy changed into some soft pajamas and both completed their evening ritual of brushing and flossing teeth and washing their faces. Drew grabbed a pen and pad for each of them and grabbed the list he compiled of the topics they needed to discuss with their mysterious fox. The human grabbed the special encrypted phone they had been using for Reynard and joined Judy in the bed. He grabbed her in an embrace while lying on his side behind her. Judy always enjoined this feeling or closeness immensely, but when she sensed the very slight barely perceptible air blowing in her sensitive ears, she knew she had better put a stop to this now or they would never get to this important call. She really hated to do it, but she was the only adult in the room at that moment as she moved her head slightly forward out of his range and gently reminded her furless one, "I don't think this is the best time for that."

He quit blowing in her ear and just hugged her close, "I know. I just couldn't help myself. You're quite irresistible."

She turned around to face him with a slight smile on her face looking deep into his eyes and giving him a gentle peck on the mouth, "We have a lot of important things to cover."

He sighed in defeat realizing the gray voice of reason was right, "It just seems everything we do lately, every discussion, every phone call is so crucial and life altering for everyone. I have forgotten what just being silly and having some fun feels like."

Judy got a big grin and hugged him, "I know. Well hopefully we can have a little time for fun after the call."

He got a grin of his own and kissed her, "Can I get that in writing? I have a pad right here."

She kissed him back a bit more insistently, "What's the matter? An oral contract not good enough for you?"

He then held her face in his hands and gave her pink little nose a kiss, "It's fortunate Nick didn't hear that. But that was a clever one."

She lowered her head and buried it into the nape of his neck and snuggled there as he wrapped his arms around her, "Thanks, I could just stay here all night just like this. But I know we have to get to this call. Just give me a minute."

The furless one gently rested his chin on top of her head in between her sizable ears which seemed to have a mind of their own finally deciding to flop down on the back of his neck in an embrace of their own. He caressed the fur on top of her head between those ears. After about a minute, each seemed to sigh in unison and pulled themselves apart and sat across from each other with their legs crossed and the phone in between them on speaker. Drew called the number and waited patiently for almost a minute listening to the steady ringback tone until finally a voice they hadn't heard together in almost a week answered.

Reynard: "Hello my unique one-of-a kind pairing."

Drudy: "Hello our mysterious fox."

Reynard: "How are Saphira and Lancelot finding themselves lately."

Drew: "Quite busy."

Judy: "And exhausted."

Drew: "We could really use something lighthearted and fun for a change. I am afraid times have gotten quite serious and foreboding lately."

Reynard: chuckling "I have some experience with that."

Drew: "No doubt you do. I suppose all this is just an annoyance compared to what you have been through."

Reynard: "You seek to trick a fox? I know you are fishing for more of my story. You will have to be patient my friends. I will tell the subsequent part when next we meet. Provided you complete your side of the bargain of course."

Drew: "Of course. We would not think to try and trick you. We merely have an urgent need to know more of what transpired shortly after your last revelation."

Reynard: "Ah, you are referring to my sister mayhap? I know you two went to see her the other day."

Judy: "We were not hiding that from you. But how did you know?"

Reynard: "Let's just say I keep a close eye on her."

Judy: sadly "She is so lonely. It is terrible."

Reynard: "How is she doing?"

Drew: "Like Judy said. She is very lonely. She is very sweet as well and I can tell she is very kind. We just want so much to help her."

Reynard: "You delivered something to her? We saw the boxes and tracked the wolf back to your office."

Drew: "We delivered some supplies to her. Food stuffs from the human world. She was dangerously low."

Reynard: "I take it you found some excuse to justify her accepting them?"

Drew: "Yes, she is quite proud. How has she been getting by there if she doesn't leave the home?"

Reynard: "Well as far as financially, she won a sweepstakes she didn't know she had entered awhile back if you know what I mean."

Drew: "Clever fox."

Reynard: "Clever human. Usually Nick brings something by for her, but he hasn't seen her in quite awhile. I was getting worried about the food situation, but I didn't know it was quite so bad."

Drew: "She should be fine for a few weeks. Hopefully we can get Nick to drop something off to her after that. But he has been acting very irrationally lately. Did something happen to him as well when he was younger?"

Reynard: "Trying to trick me into revealing something again I see. But I had thought he was too young, but perhaps I was mistaken."

Judy: "He is showing some similar symptoms as Marion."

Reynard: "It is unfortunate if that is the case."

Drew: "Even more reason to have you reunited."

Reynard: "I am quite bound to my promise. You know what my promises mean… especially to my family."

Drew: "Who knew having you be so honorable and virtuous would be such a bad thing."

Judy: "Drew, if you ever hear me force you to make that same promise to me you have my prior permission to break that promise."

Drew: laughing "Okay, that goes the same for me. Never hurts to be safe right."

Reynard: "I have a feeling your circumstances won't ever be the same as mine."

Drew: "I am quite sure are right about that. But your sister seemed to have forgotten she even had a brother until we pulled that memory from her."

Judy: "Is it okay to tell him that?"

Drew: "Well that was knowledge obtained prior to our confidentiality agreement, and we never promised her we would not discuss it. She also knew we would have to talk about certain things to get her help. Talking to her brother would definitely qualify as that as well."

Judy: "I suppose you are right."

Drew: "And when have you been such a stickler for the rules all of a sudden? You wanted to tell Nick and break our promise to Reynard before."

Judy: "I'm trying to do better about the rules now."

Reynard: "Breaking the rules every once in awhile isn't a bad thing. Now breaking MY rules. Yes that is a very bad thing."

Drew could sense there was definitely a bit of a threat behind that last statement. He never had any plans to ever break those rules.

Drew: "I assure you we have not mentioned you or any part of your story to the doctor I found to treat her. I only told him what Marion told me or I read from her and nothing more. The doctor only knows that there is another party we made a prior agreement with and that we could not break that agreement under any circumstances."

Reynard: "Ah, so you actually found someone who could help her?"

Drew: "I hope so. What concerns me is she has no knowledge of so much of her past. How do you get her to reveal the information we need when she has no memory of most of her life before her husband left her?"

Judy: "We were able to get her to remember the names Renny and Aza and that there were kits that were her nieces and nephews as well as vague memories of where she lived. How could she have forgotten all that?"

Reynard: "I am afraid you may need to hear the rest of that part of the story for a better idea why."

Drew: "But she has no idea she even made the demand you referred to. She only knows her mind won't let her ask us to help find you. How do we fix that?"

Judy: "I am afraid we may have confused her even more. She now can't understand why she forgot everything."

Reynard: "I am afraid that is a good reason why we have been separated for so long."

Drew: "Had you ever seen about having someone help her… a doctor?"

Reynard: "No, there wasn't anyone we found that could help her."

Drew: "Did you ever look at Dr. Scrofton?"
Reynard: "We may have, but must have dismissed him for some reason. Possibly he couldn't be trusted to not reveal sensitive information about us. It was so long ago when we looked. But I have to admit that is one area I didn't understand very well. If I had, I would never have let her leave my home."

Judy: "I don't understand it either. I have gotten to understand it a bit more being with the human here, but it is still difficult to understand all these illnesses of the mind."

Drew: "You couldn't have kept her locked away as a prisoner. That would have done horrible things to her as well and made her resist you more."

Judy: "How could it be any worse than it already is?"

Drew: "Well, at least I believe now she has the capacity for forgiveness once she remembers some of what is hidden in her mind. If she had memories of being held captive against her will by her brother, I am not sure that forgiveness would be so easy to come by."

Reynard: "What should have been done?"

Drew: "The problem was her mind was already fractured by the events of her childhood. I know you got her back from that catatonic state, but she was still broken. You needed to have her treated at that time to come to terms with what had happened and make peace with it so she could go forward."

Judy: "You wanted her to remember all that? So horrible!"

Reynard: "Realize we were just thankful she was back with us. I didn't want to risk anything that would take her away from me again. Also no one knew what to do about anything like that. Generally any of my kids that had something similar happen had counselors and others who had gone through similar experiences to help. The kids would turn to their brothers and sisters for help and support. That sense of family is what got them past what happened to them."

Drew: "Every case is different. Everyone reacts to trauma differently. I haven't discussed this with the doctor because I can't since it requires the foreknowledge of your story, but my gut feeling is that the problem was Marion already an anxiety disorder which fully manifested itself after the death of her mother. This is what led to her episodes in the foster homes and what resulted in her being moved to worse and worse homes as few foster parents could deal with them. As the environments became worse and worse her disorder got that much stronger. Finally after experiencing some of the worst possible trauma imaginable, it caused her mind to completely splinter as a way it thought to protect itself. The underlying disorder prior to the trauma is what caused her reaction to be so extreme."

Judy: "But Reynard was able to survive the trauma."

Drew: "His case was quite different Judy. He did not have the underlying disorder. In fact his experiences of protecting his sister, and taking the beatings and abuse actually helped to make him partially immune to it. It was like he had built up a kind of armor by the constant suffering and it almost became expected and a normal part of his life. So his reaction to the extreme trauma was to create a powerful alter-ego represented by the entity he sees as The Angel of Death that sheltered and protected him. This alter-ego became so powerful it allowed him to ignore pain, gave him strength and a focused mind to deal with horrors no one else could have handled as if they were nothing to him. It is the same principle behind certain events where individuals are capable of incredible feats of strength or acts of heroism. But his alter-ego became an entity unto itself creating the capacity for him to become seemingly supernatural. As he grew older, it became stronger and more closely melded with the rest of his mind, even becoming part of his conscious self allowing the development of abilities others would be incapable of. This was enhanced greatly by a brilliant clever mind and his innate adaptability to any environment or situation."

Reynard: "Fascinating… that is one brilliant clever mind of yours as well. I never thought I would be capable of being so psychoanalyzed. It is hard to wrap my head around the concept of my mistress being an alter ego. But it does feel like she is with me always. That she is part of me. I suppose your theory makes sense, but I am incapable of seeing her as just a part of my mind. To me she is a separate entity."

Drew: "Many with split personalities or alter-egos are also incapable of recognizing them as such. It just so happened your mind developed something which helped to keep you and your sister alive. It helped you to accomplish what you have been able to do. I never would have thought something like that could be so… well I can't say healthy… but functional."

Judy: "But what about Marion?"

Drew: "Yes Marion. I apologize. I got off topic. The whole idea was individuals deal with traumatic events in different ways. Reynard was able to find a functional method but Marion could not. Merely ignoring that it ever happened left her mind shattered and fragile. She may have seemed to be fine outwardly, but inside her mind that support which was developed in others during childhood was incredibly weak if not destroyed completely. A major traumatic event or a combination of minor ones could set off a complete break which is what I believe occurred. I don't know the details since we haven't heard the rest of the story, but based on what we saw from Nick tonight it would have been major. It must have been something both witnessed that literally haunts them to this very day."

Reynard: "Well you will learn what sometime soon. But what are her prospects for recovery?"

Drew: "The doctor will begin treating her shortly on his own using his experience and all available research from two worlds. He will ask for help if it is required only when he has exhausted all conventional methods of treatment."

Reynard: "What would you two be able to do to help?"

Drew: "I would attempt to help push her mind to get past her blocks."

Reynard: "Push?"

Drew: "It is a recent alteration of being able to read emotions where you can direct them as well."

Reynard: "This is safe?"

Drew: "No. That is why I would only do it with Judy present as she is able to negate some of the unforeseen problems with it. It is why it would only be used as a last resort. But some of those blocks are so deep it might need something drastic to expose the memories."

Reynard: "I am not so thrilled with the idea of something like that used on my sister."

Drew: "I am not thrilled either after I have seen some of the potential consequences of such an action, but leaving her the way she is seems worse especially since it impacts so many others."

Reynard: "You are talking about my nephew."

Drew: "And yourself, Aza and the kits."

Reynard: "Well they would be a bit older now."

Judy: laughing "They are far older than us. But we still think of them as kits."

Drew: concerned "You said would be. Not are. Did something happen to them and Aza?"

Judy: upset "No. Don't tell me something happened to them. Did they die?"

Reynard: "You know better than to ask questions like that. You have to be patient and wait for the story."

Judy: frustrated "You are mean. Leaving us to worry."

Reynard: "They are either alive or dead. No amount of worry by you will change that."

Judy: sighing "Dealing with you is infuriating."

Reynard: chuckling "I have been told that before, by mammals suffering quite a great deal more than you due to my actions. Sometimes not all the answers are always available to you."

Judy: upset "I just want to meet them all so much."

Reynard: "I am sure they would have wanted to meet you as well. Aza always had a soft spot for bunnies."

Drew: "Quite unusual for a fox I would think."

Reynard: "And what could possibly make you think anything about Aza or myself was normal?"

Drew: "So true. You would have to think of anything considered normal and toss it out of the window when it comes to your family. I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Judy: "What does that mean? Why would apples be falling?"

Drew: "It is a human phrase just meaning that children or in this case a nephew seems to have inherited the same capacity to think outside the normal."

Judy: "Oh I see. Nick has the same unusual ways of thinking just like his uncle and aunt."

Drew: "The force is strong in your family."

Reynard: "The force?"

Judy: "Oh I get it. It is from a human movie called Star Wars. It is one of Nick's favorites. But he sees the lead as a space traveling fox saving the day."

Reynard: "They have human movies about foxes?"

Drew: "Oh they do. That is just not one of them… but Nick believes the lead, Han Solo, is a really a fox in disguise."

Judy: "Well I can kind of see it. I mean like in spirit of course not in appearance."

Drew: "But Nick doesn't even do the driving. How is he going to pilot a space ship?"

Judy: "Didn't he have the bear driving."

Drew: "It was a wookie, and I guess it kind of fits as Nick thinks of Finnick in that position."

Reynard: "Perhaps we have wandered off topic a bit."

Judy: "Oh… Marion… yes… we both love her."

Reynard: "Well she is quite lovable so I can see that. But I am glad you get along. So what do you think the chances of success are?"

Drew: "Hard to say. For someone who has had a fractured mind for so amazingly long it is really hard to say. I am not sure if I have heard of a case or situation anything like this. We will just have to see. I have no idea if I can help get past those blocks or not. They are so far beyond anything I have ever felt before. Nick is able to mask his emotions so his blocks are similar but nothing close to as powerful as that."

Reynard: "Have you tried to see if you can get past his blocks as an experiment?"

Drew: "The thought of doing anything like that to Nick makes me nauseated. I would only do it if he gave me complete permission to rummage around in his head. What do you think the chances of that would be Judy?"

Judy: "About the same as him wanting to go muzzle shopping."

Drew: "Good one."

Reynard: "Well you will just have to keep me informed of your progress, or at least what you can tell me. I understand you have special restrictions with respect to discussing her treatment, but as someone who loves her and cares about her more than anyone, I would be very appreciative or anything you can tell me."

Drew: "Of course we will. Judy will figure out some way we can get around the rules."

Judy: frowning and punching Drew "Hey! I am trying to be good."

Drew: "And you wouldn't want a way to let Reynard know how his sister is doing?"

Judy: sighs "And I was being so good. Well I am not a saint."

Drew: "Exactly. Sometimes your rule bending is quite useful."

Reynard: "Well glad to know it works in my favor. What else did you want to talk about?"

Drew: "Well before we get to more serious topics, I have a business proposal for you."

Reynard: "I did not expect that out of you. Oh I wanted to thank you very much for the golf equipment you got me. Also the cases of wine. I foresee a mutually beneficial partnership between us that could serve all of us quite well for many years. What did you propose?"

Drew: "Well I know you had a large shipping business, and had mentioned you were quite talented at opening up markets for profit. Do you still have those kinds of contacts?"

Reynard: "Perhaps I do."

Drew: "I wanted to be able to grow a lot of human foods that have been quite popular here, but only grow in more temperate southern zones. I propose having your contacts grow them providing you all the seeds, technical guides, irrigation systems or anything you need to grow these fruits to supply to Zootopia or any other markets you desire. We need to try growing bananas, pineapples, coconuts, mangos, papayas, star fruit, pomegranates, and citrus fruit which include oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and lemons among others. We desperately need sources to bring those in to Zootopia as it is far too expensive bringing them in through the portal. If you control growing or contracts in the southern region and shipping you would control the whole market."

Reynard: "And what do you want in return for all this?"

Drew: "Well I didn't think about that."

Judy: "How about a discretionary fund reflective of what a business partner would deserve."

Drew: "Judy, where did you hear about such a thing?"

Judy: "Well I grew up growing all sorts of things on a farm and I am my father's daughter."

Drew: "Well I never got the impression you took after him."

Judy: "Well I kind of learned a few things while I was at home assisting him. He setup similar things with his business partners. That is how he collects profits from the other growers."

Drew: "But I am not doing this for any personal monetary gain."

Judy: "Well just think of it as funds to help your friends if they needed it."

Drew: "Okay, well that I can get behind."

Judy: "Does that sound good?"

Reynard: "Well you are fortunate to have such a smart companion my human friend. Normally I would take advantage of such a situation with others. But I want a long term partnership that will last many years, so I will give you the best terms I would ever give which would be 30% of net profits."

Judy: "Why not 50%?"

Reynard: "She is a ruthless one. Maybe she really is her father's daughter. But the percentage is because I will be doing all the work after everything is up and running and sharing the profits with many others. Your mate just has to watch his account grow bigger and bigger. Does that make sense?"

Judy: "Oh okay. I guess that does seem fair."

Drew: "That is fine. Do we need some kind of contract?"

Reynard: "Well normally you know my word is my bond. But since this is an actual business venture, it would be operating through a subdivision company of mine which deals in expanding markets so the contracts and dealings will all be through them. I will send over all the details, contracts, and your contacts in the next few days. This will be how most all your business dealings with me will be handled just like how you handled the other items your sent me. None of these businesses know who I am so don't think you can use them to find me for Marion. I still have no idea how you will be able to find me even if you do get the information from my sister. She doesn't know much even if she did have her memory. She never really cared to know much about my other life. In fact the less she knew, the happier she was."

Drew: sarcastically "Way to encourage us."

Reynard: "I never suggested this thing for you in any way. You just took it upon yourselves. I only want you to be realistic."

Judy: determined "We will find a way."

Reynard: "She is an unstoppable force isn't she."

Drew: "You have no idea. I don't think I will ever have any peace until she can see your sister, Nick and you together, and she can see Aza and the kits if they are still… around."

Reynard: "Well I really think she is up against it. I mean I have been trying to find a way for over thirty years."

Drew: "You have never tried the energetic unstoppable unrestrained tenacious stubborn force of the bunny that never gave up on anything. It is why I feel a little sorry for any of the criminals and conspirators out there trying to harm her city and world."

Judy: smiling "Thanks. But how could you feel sorry for those terrible mammals?"

Drew: "I only said a little. Just because they have no idea how screwed they are."

Judy: "Oh. Well that is okay then."

Reynard: "Well speaking of conspirators. I assume you called about the election."

Drew: "Yes. We wanted to find out what possible options you might have to help, what you suggest or anything else you can think that could help."

Reynard: "Well I have contacted many of my former and current associates and found out all realistic options that are available. I will try and tell you about the risks and dangers associated with each option. It will be up to all three of us to decide which actions if any should be taken."

Judy: "We have learned more things that suggest these Protectors could just be the start of something far worse."

Reynard: "Can you expound on this?"

Drew: "Well unfortunately the details are classified at the highest level. Just like we agreed to keep your secret. This is also one that can not be broken. But we can say that it makes stopping these Protectors far more important. I can mention some things which were not classified specifically since they are based on other information we received. We believe that the take over by these Protectors is a prelude to another much larger power at work which may seek to control Zootopia once the Protectors have broken the will of the citizens and have them completely busy fighting themselves instead of looking at the real threats from the outside."

Reynard: "So many secrets. Well then I don't feel quite so bad for bringing the solutions I am going to propose. But you need to understand what you are asking if you wish me to bring my entire might to bear on the election."

Judy: "What? How can it be so bad in comparison?"

Drew: "Judy, I am afraid you failed to realize where Reynard's story was going. Don't you remember what you told me those that lived in the past said about him?"

Judy: "Those… I didn't take them seriously… the stories were impossible."

Drew: "I suspect they were not."

Reynard: "I am not sure which stories you are referring to, but I will say there is some truth in all of them. Although I will have to say some of the stories were quite kind to me. I was a real fucking bastard. They were far too complimentary."

Judy: "But… but… you are so… you are hero."

Reynard: "My bunny friend I am anything but a hero. I suppose those I sided with or defended may see me as such, but I was nothing like that. If you got in my way or interfered with my goals, I had no qualms about doing anything necessary to get my way. Nothing was off limits. Nothing was off the table. Heroes have morals. I had none."

Judy: "But… you did have morals. You helped those that were innocent or defenseless. You helped to save so many lives and make the lives so much better for so many others and even for future generations."

Reynard: "I can only say you have only heard a small part of my story. Please reserve judgment on such things until you have heard it all. Then see if you judge me the same. I only bring this up to emphasize what you are truly asking if I release my full wrath on these Protectors."

Judy: baffled "But… but… "

Drew: "Judy… let's hear him out first. And then decide."

Judy: resigned "Very well..."

Reynard: "Well to begin, I warn you that everything I will attempt has risks and consequences, some of them quite dire. Even the more subtle things have a chance they will be detected and exposed especially if these Protectors have mammals in place ready for any such attacks. Once any of these occur they could react very quickly and detect others. They could also expose the evidence to the public. The first move I can make is the assassination of key leaders or candidates of The Protectors. The assassinations could be surgical, some could even be made to appear accidental. But once numerous members begin dying, accidental deaths will be useless as the public will know they are deliberate. Then there is the option of mass casualties and mass assassinations. For example taking out an entire rally or a mass slaughter of members. The problem with any of these is that it could turn public support completely behind The Protectors and throw the entire region into chaos. It is hard to say with those kinds of things."

Judy: aghast "Assassinations! Surely you can't mean to kill them."

Drew: "Judy, what do you think assassinations are?"

Judy: "But… but… we don't have assassinations here."

Reynard: "Well not now. As I said, I have no idea of the potential ramifications of assassinations of political candidates. I would imagine the panic and horror of the public would be quite high. Well then there are the many other options. Kidnapping, threats, blackmail, bribery, torture, whatever it takes to get the cooperation of whatever officials we need."

Judy: "What officials?"

Reynard: "Election officials, election workers, government officials, members of the Protectors themselves, whatever we needed to manipulate the results of the election."

Judy: horrified "Oh… no…"

Reynard: "I am only getting starting. We could also deal with intimidation of the voters. We could disrupt certain polling locations known to be friendly to The Protections. We could destroy polling places. We could create a distraction in the city causing mass panic. We can manipulate the results swapping out the results and replacing them with the results we wanted. With the right intimidation of the correct officials we can have them rewrite the results of the election. We could manipulate voting equipment to cause them to vote the way we want. We could hack the election results. We could always cause such a mass crisis in Zootopia that martial law would have to be enacted and the election suspended."

Judy: appalled "No. All those are terrible."

Drew: "Judy you had to realize what you were asking. How could you not suspect this is what he could do?"

Judy: "I don't know... I just thought..."

Reynard: "Well I have a few possibly more palatable options. I looked into all possible evidence against these Protectors, and while I couldn't find any solid evidence, I found enough that I could spin or manipulate to accuse them of a whole host of atrocities. Also my people can just manufacture any story and evidence we like and put them out there discrediting their whole organization."

Judy: "You would spread lies?"

Reynard: "Isn't that what they are doing now?"

Judy: "I suppose. But it is wrong."

Drew: "Judy, what did you expect?"

Judy: "I was hoping he could find some evidence we could present to the media to show the Mayor was the better choice."

Reynard: "I suspect they are too good at covering their tracks. But realize with all these options there is a chance of discovery about what we are doing. Many of the options will result in dire consequences. Understand the risks."

Drew: "Is that all the options?"

Reynard: "Yes. You have to understand the ramifications of asking me to come out of retirement. You can't just let loose the devil and then expect him to go quietly back in the box. I will pursue this cause to its very end. Even if that means the death of every member of their organization and every supporter or sympathizer."

Judy tries to speak but can't. She looks a bit sick and is having some problems breathing. Drew realizes she is having trouble and climbs over to her and holds her in his lap and sends her pleasant thoughts to calm her down. She finally seems to relax a bit and weakly asks, "Reynard could we have a bit of time to discuss this privately?"

Reynard: "Of course, take your time. I will go get some refreshments and catch up on some reading until you are done."

Drew: "Thanks for understanding."

Drew mutes the call.

Drew: concerned "Bun, you okay?"

Judy looks down sadly and then turns to look up at the human with a sorrowful look in her eyes, "I just didn't expect everything to be so…"

He gives her a gentle squeeze.

Drew: understanding "I know. It is not an easy decision. You are choosing between the lesser of two evils. What is the better choice?"

Judy: "There is no good choice. The Protectors are horrible. I just know they will do terrible things and possibly lead to these Overlords of Honeys. But everything Reynard has suggested could lead to terrible consequences."

Drew: "The other problem is that many of the more palatable options could make no difference and risk discovery. They could make more of the public support these Protectors. The discovery could have grave results and could impact Zootopia for many years to come."

Judy: "Would his more… extreme… options work?"

Drew: "The main problem is that there is no organized opposition that it would throw any support to. He could burn the city to the ground and it would make no difference. Disrupting the election could very likely put the Mayor in a far worse position. The only result may be to delay The Protectors or Overlords from taking over, but putting the public firmly behind them with no chance to help them change their minds and reject them."

Judy: "We can't just do nothing."

Drew: "We wouldn't be doing nothing. I am presenting all the options to the Security Council tomorrow. They can accept some of them and use that to turn the support back to the Mayor showing she has a handle on the situation. We could sway the public to reject these pretenders and see them for what they are, bigoted liars and manipulators seeking to destroy the very fabric and spirit of Zootopia."

Judy: "So what are the dangers of accepting some of his options?"

Drew: "You are talking about interfering with or destroying democracy. You are discussing destroying the freedoms the citizens of Zootopia hold so dear. You are considering doing exactly what The Protectors themselves may seek to do. We could very well cause events that will hand the entire city over to The Overlords with our actions."

Judy: "But… how… how could that happen?"

Drew: "Many of his options could tear this entire city apart. They could turn mammal against mammal. They could cause mass panic and cause all citizens to lose complete faith in their government, in the ZPD and in democracy itself."

Judy: "Even the ZPD?"

Drew: "Yes, because you are not equipped to handle the fallout of mass panic and catastrophe on an epic scale. Just think how the public reacted to just a few predators going savage. Think how quickly the public lost faith in the ZPD's ability to protect them. Imagine events ten times that scale, even hundreds of times that. What would the public's reaction be then?"

Judy turns to face the human looking at him in horror.

Judy: anguished "They… they..."

She looks down in defeat.

Judy: despondent "You are right. They would lose all faith in us."

Drew: "As Reynard admitted himself. If you let the devil lose, be prepared to accept the consequences."

Judy: "But something has to be done."

Drew: "The worst part of all is that even if those same options are taken they could make no difference at all and even give us a far worse result."

Judy: "How?"

Drew: "They could get most of the public behind The Protectors. The options themselves or their discovery could turn all those undecided completely behind them and make just normal supporters into zealots."

Judy: "But..."

Drew: "And nearly every option seeks to destroy democracy and what Zootopia stands for."

Judy: "I just hate the thought of sitting by and depending on the public to wake up and stop following the herd. I of all mammals know how easy it is to just follow the group and conform. It is so easy to just let others tell you how you should act and behave. You don't have to make any decisions yourself and you feel like you belong to something greater. You feel you have the whole group or herd behind you. It is an addictive feeling."

Drew: "I can't pretend to understand what that feels like as I have always been a bit of a loner and someone who rejects the norm. But I can see the appeal of it for many. As a bunny, being such a social species it must be quite unusual and difficult to step out and dare to go against what everyone else is telling you to do. I have a lot more respect for what you and Tala have gone through. You are far more special than a human who rejects the normal. It is seemingly simple for us to do something like that in comparison. You truly are one in literally millions and millions. A single shining star in a sky devoid of any other light."

Judy: embarrassed "I… I… thanks but I don't feel that special."

Drew: smiling "It is what I love about you. That uniqueness and humility."

Drew knew exactly what to say to cheer the little bunny up as she got a small smile and leaned over and the human gathered her in giving her a hug slightly rocking her back and forth in his arms. He hated to see her so sad. It is her love for her city, for her Zootopia that made her want so much to save it all the time. But this time she was trying to save it from itself. There was no criminal, no secret organization, no direct cause which she could bring down. The citizens and public themselves would make the decision. That is what democracy was all about. Sure they could be misled, but it was the responsibility of the media and the public themselves to know when they were being fooled. If you could arrest politicians for taking advantage of a situation or spinning a story for their own self interest, every politician on human Earth would be in prison. Drew thought not that such a thing would necessarily be a bad thing as he smiled imagining that. But that is how politics worked. Maybe it wasn't the way things were done in Zootopia before, but it wasn't illegal. These Protectors were just taking advantage of how democracy works to gain the advantage. It was the responsibility of those like himself and Judy to discover the truth and help the public see that truth.

After a bit Judy released herself from her embrace, looked up at Drew and asked the important question.

Judy: "So what option do we take?"

Drew: "I think you know my standpoint on this. I believe the potential risks of any of those actions to be against the principles of democracy or truly destructive and detrimental to the entire city."

Judy: "What about spinning the evidence Reynard found?"

Drew: "Well that is probably that most acceptable of all of them. It is not something I believe in or condone, but it seems to be how politics is done. At least how they are done on my world. It would have been nice to see politics done the way you had it before, but you may have to fight fire with fire."

Judy: "I could not live with doing nothing. I can accept using the same tactics against them. But aren't you doing the same thing with presenting the options from the humans as showing the Mayor in charge and in control of the situation when she is anything but."

Drew: "No Judy because she has done everything possible she could do. She has done everything to protect her constituents. I can't fault her for anything. She could have overreacted and requested all sorts of things to bring out before the public and say see look what I am doing. But she didn't. She acted in the smart and responsible way and tried to keep her citizens from panicking which would only do harm to them. She investigated the situation and gathered all the evidence with proper analysis and is considering the proper courses of action with which to protect her citizens. She does not wish to accept help just for the sake of accepting something which might make her look better when the consequences of bringing human military technology to Zootopia could be incredibly harmful."

Judy: sighs "I suppose you are right. Mayor Le Pew always has such a calm level head. The thought of anyone else sitting in that position is quite frightening. Especially when they are associated with these Protectors."

Drew: "I can not fault you for trying to use the same methods they use to fight them. While it would be preferable to be the bigger mammal and not stoop to such tactics, maintaining the high ground and your dignity but losing doesn't help much."

Judy: "And the other options?"

Drew: "Seem far too destructive and dangerous. The potential results could be catastrophic. The worst part is they could make no difference and even make the situation far worse."

Judy: "So you support my decision?"

Drew: "Of course I do. I see it as the only reasonable option presented with the least chance of any detrimental consequences."

She looked at him with a partial smile on her face and he gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. She just stayed in his arms holding on tight. It was a hard choice. He knew that. She wanted to do so much but he respected her restraint and careful consideration of the choices. Sometimes it is much harder doing nothing. They would both have to go forward with what they could each do and just let the chips fall where they may. He may not agree with her decision, but it was the only one offered he could fully accept. The biggest concern about all their actions was that they were too late. Was there any way to stop The Protectors momentum and start to swing it the other way before the election? He certainly hoped so.

Judy wanted to just stay in Drew's arms forever and just forget the whole world. She wished she could sleep and wake up and realize the whole Lights in the Sky, Protectors and Overlords were all a nightmare. How could the choices by Reynard be so horrible? How could anyone think to do what he had offered? Maybe she had misjudged him. He did seem like a superhero like she had seen on the human world, but she supposed she was blinded to his true nature. She still believed he had much good in him. He loved his family, his loved all the kids he had saved, he loved his sister more than anything, he loved Nick, he protected the innocent and defenseless. He saved those enslaved or used as sex slaves and punished those that would do such horrible things to others. How could someone like that be bad? But he was capable of acts so horrible she couldn't even imagine them. Acts of assassination, torture, mass murder, blackmail, intimidation and corruption all were on the table by his own admission. He offered to completely undermine democracy and oppose those freedoms that she held so dear. The thought of releasing that force onto the innocent citizens of Zootopia sickened her. Yes, she was sure she was making the right decision. And she had the support of Drew. She couldn't have lived with making a decision he couldn't accept. Especially if it ended up leading to those terrible consequences both he and Reynard had mentioned. She knew he would forgive her, but she knew he would be disappointed in her. That was something she never wanted to ever happen. She didn't know why he thought so much of her, but if he lost that even just a little it would leave her heartbroken and despondent. She wished he didn't put her on such a pedestal. It was really hard trying to be perfect all the time. She wasn't so delusional to think that he imagined her as perfect. He always said he always loved her because her heart was in the right place even if she did screw up. She thought following the rules more closely would make him happy, but she realized now that he had not made her realize how she had broken the rules before to chastise her, but merely so that she would acknowledge that she was making the conscious decision to break a rule to do what she felt was right. He was a clever human even if he was a bit funny looking. But she had gotten used to his strange furless self, and had grown to love it.

Judy finally separated from the warm embrace and accepted an affectionate kiss and a gentle ear rubbing.

Judy: decided "I am ready."

Drew: "Aye aye captain."

Drew released the mute on the call.

Drew: "Mysterious fox?"

They waited a few seconds and Drew repeated the call. After thirty seconds more they heard some noise on the other end.

Reynard: "Ah, I was afraid you might have taken a break for other more intimate activities."

Drew: excited "I wish!"

Judy: concurring quite emphatically "He does… he really really does."

Reynard: chuckling "So no such fun?"

Drew: "No, we gave a careful consideration of every option offered. I believe we came to an acceptable compromise."

Reynard: "Spoken like a true ambassador."

Drew: "Guess I had to learn quite rapidly these past months."

Judy: "We wanted you to know how much we appreciate and respect all the options you have offered."

Reynard: "Are you buttering me up right before a good rejection? You do realize I have done the same to hundreds of others in the past."

Drew: "She is just trying to be polite. Do you really wish to bring your mistress down onto the entire city after how much you have done to help get it to where it is now?"

Reynard: "I would be lying if I didn't admit a part of me was looking forward to bringing back some golden oldies from the old days for a reunion tour. But the more rational side of me knows what the result of that could and mostly likely would be."

Drew: laughing "Only you could equate golden oldies to murder and mayhem."

Reynard: "You have your golden oldies… I have mine. So my bunny friend. I take it you are the one calling the shots."

Judy: "No. I would not have made the decision without support from Drew. It is far too important a decision and affects far too many mammals for me to go rogue. I realize I am the middle ground between two extreme opinions, but it is unfair to put the entire decision on my shoulders alone. We made a decision together that both of us can live with. It is not ideal, but under the circumstances it is acceptable."

Reynard: "And that is?"

Judy: "We would like you to do anything in your power to take any story, any evidence, any weakness of these Protectors and turn it against them showing them to be the scum they are. We would also like you to spin anything you can in favor of our good Mayor and all candidates who support her. If you can help produce a public relations campaign outlining all the amazing things she has done for the city and it's citizens, we could be grateful for that as well."

Reynard: "Do you wish us to make up stories?"

Judy: "No, because that is just plain wrong. But also because if the public thinks the stories have no truth then that will discredit all the valid stories you run. Each of the stories needs to have enough evidence and truth so the public can accept the story as having some validity."

Reynard: "Do you wish any other action be taken against these Protectors?"

Judy: "Not at this time. We don't want you to come out retirement right now. The potential risks and dangers of any of the other actions is just not acceptable. I appreciate all you have offered to do so much, but any of the other options are so against the Zootopia that I love, that I may see myself as worse than the Protectors themselves for choosing them."

Reynard: "Very well said. I understand. I am slightly disappointed but not surprised by the decision. It is very well thought out and considered. What is you opinion on this my human friend?"

Drew: "While not ideal, I fully support the decision. It is the best choice available. I hate to stoop to the same level as these Protectors, but smugness does not win elections. I believe the brilliant bunny has come to the best political choice available."

Judy: "I couldn't have done that without your analysis on all the other options."

Reynard: "Yes yes you are both great… humility all around. So do you want me to use every method available?"

Drew: "Yes, all media options, advertising firms, counter rallies, pamphlets, posters, anything you or your people can possibly think of. I can make certain funds available for your needs through some creative accounting. I can also help with all the internet options. Have your people contact me directly and I will assist them in any way I can."

Reynard: "The money is unnecessary. I think I have some ways to make these Protectors even pay for much of it themselves. Is that okay?"

Judy: "We just don't want to know about that."

Reynard: "Ah, see no evil, hear no evil. I get that. Bending the rules again?"

Judy: "Nope. Just don't want to hear about it. Do what you need to do."

Reynard: "Excellent. Well it is late and there is still quite a lot to do in very little time. I will bid you two adieu."

Drew: "Thank you so very much for another amazing conversation."

Reynard: "The feeling is mutual. I will have by business partners and media team contact you tomorrow with the details on both the ventures we discussed tonight. I wish you good luck with my sister as well. There is however one final thing that I ask of both of you."

Judy: "What might that be?"

Reynard: "That you two have a bit of fun with each other. Well actually have a lot of fun with each other if you know what I mean. Things have been far too stressful and tense as of late. Letting all that keep building up will drive you insane unless you find a release. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Drew: "So you are recommending us play checkers or video games?"

Judy: "Oh jokes again I see. I told you that you are not going to make it here as a comedian. Stick to your day job. Well your day, afternoon and evening job since it never seems to end."

Drew: "I think we quite know what you mean our mysterious fox. Good luck to you and be sure to contact us if you need to talk further."

Reynard: "Until we meet again. May your fur be soft and shiny. May your days be long and fruitful."

With that the call ended.

Drew: "Hey! I don't have any fur."

Judy: "It was metaphorical you big fur brain."

Drew: grinning "Ah well, I guess I do have fur somewhere then."

Judy: "Well you did hear our fox give his last command. Are you planning on refusing his request?"

The furless one began stripping off the bunny's pajamas and rubbing his face in her belly as she giggled. The human then pulled off his shorts and tackled the bunny displaying his great appreciation for her.

Judy: amazed "Yowzers!"

A wrestling match commenced with only winners and no losers. Let the fun commence forthwith!