Chapter 2: Splice of Life

Some people say that you have to think about what you are doing may affect the world. What you do today will inevitably change tomorrow. You can only take one path, and you will never be able to go back to take the other one. For it will be lost in the past and the sands of time. Think of the world first. Which path do you choose to take? The Butterfly Effect at it's absolute finest. For Judy and Nick, they roamed their paths together. One's fate would be the same as the other. If one were to chase a criminal, the other would assist in the arrest. If one were to need something, the other would happily comply and aid them. No matter what, they always had each other's backs.

Nick kept to his word. He was not going to let anything happen to his wife again, not after what happened with Jake Bengali and Billy Stride. How that tiger and bunny beat her so savagely. How Billy violated her, but apparently immediately felt unbearable regret and guilt according to Judy. All of which were orders of of a red fox in a slick black suit. James Todd, Nick Wilde's older brother; more like ex-older brother. He could barely even call him an animal, nothing was detailed enough to define what James was to him; so a simple 'monster' would have to do.

It was not easy breaking the bad news to Bonnie, Stu, and Clementine. While the bunnies were furious that Billy was the one that hurt their daughter, and Nick prior, Clementine only felt remorse; both for her daughter-in-law and for her boys. She had not heard from her first born son in almost twenty years, and now she found out that he is not only alive, but is a crime boss beating up her children. At that moment, Clementine disowned James Todd Wilde, although she already had decades ago. But not Nick, never Nick. He was different, Clementine knew in the bottom of her heart that he was capable of more than his brother, that he would never leave her forever like he had. Nicholas Wilde in short was a mama's boy. A mama's boy who went and got himself a loving wife who they plan to adopt kids with. The word rang through the fox's ear: 'adopt.'

The solution the two of them had to start a family that many other fortunate couples would most of the time never have to worry about. Not many couples were interspecies, so they had the capability to procreate. While most animals, particularly females, would see the bunny as lucky to be filled with the warmth of her mate without the constant worry of pregnancy, it was a cruel reminder and almost a curse to Judy. She wanted to become pregnant, almost as much as she wanted to be a cop. She and Nick wanted to have children of their own. If their genetics could mingle, she was certain they would have already had more than a few litters by now, but they couldn't. Not everything about opposites can attract. Nick's seed could not seek out her egg, no matter how much they wished it could.

The Saturday morning sun shone into the bedroom. Tomorrow night was the secret ball hosted by James Todd. They pinpointed the location at an abandoned mansion deep in the Rain forest District. The fox awoke to the sensation of his wife's ears twitching against his nose. While Nick was up, Judy still slept. He huffed, then placed a soft kiss upon her cheek. The sensation brought the bunny to a state of awake. He smiled down at her, watching her eyes flutter open to reveal her gorgeous purple irises. Judy glanced up at the lingering presence of her husband, and grinned.

"Were you just watching me sleep? You creeper."

Nick leaned in closer, his muzzle almost touching hers. "Only for a little bit." He whispered.

He leaned in kissing her neck, one little peck at a time. She tried to force him off, but to no avail. Nick had her pinned beneath him, leaving her vulnerable to his loving attack. She melted into the kisses, which became slower, and longer, and lastly proceeded into licks. Judy almost was never aroused this early in the morning, but that fox got the best of her yet again. She stroked his fur as he ran his fingers up her figure. She moaned in his breath, and he returned it in the form of heavy breaths. The fox rested his wife atop him as he laid against the mattress. Judy slid down his figure to be met with his tip. She leaned in closer, and closer, and-
Bang-bang-bang!

The moment was shattered by the loud banging at the door, followed by a familiar deep voice calling to them from the other side. "HOPPS! WILDE!" Chief Bogo's voice was muffled greatly from behind the door. The two huffed, before quickly throwing some clothes on. Judy threw on her yellow night gown, and Nick found some sweats. Judy quickly turned the lock and opened the door.

"Mind if I come in?" asked Bogo.

Judy nodded with a yawn, and stepped to the side allowing the buffalo into their apartment. "Sure, Chief. Come on in."

The buffalo ducked through the doorway and the bunny shut the door behind him. Nick walked up to his wife's side.

"So what's this about, Chief?" the fox asked.

Bogo clapped his hoofs together as he proudly proclaimed, "I just want to say congratulations, you two. Your adoption papers have been officially fixed. You are going to be parents again." Judy gasped trying to hold back a massive smile.

"Oh thank you Chie-"

Chief Bogo put his finger up, cutting the bunny off. "But! You may want to wait for a bit longer." Judy turned towards Nick, they both looked at each other rather perplexed. They turned back to the Chief.

"What do you mean, sir?" Nick asked watching the buffalo walk back towards the door, opening it, and stepping through. He looked back, with a caring grin on his face.

"You'll know soon enough. I'd get dressed. Mayor Staggery has invited you to come to a special meeting today." With that, Bogo left. Nick and Judy looked at each other again. The fox simply shrugged and went to go get dressed, but Judy stayed stationary, staring at the door. What did he mean? She soon shook it off and joined her husband in the bedroom to get ready.

The citizens of Zootopia had come to the heart of Savannah Central for this special meeting. Mayor Staggery had a special guest with him who would speak today. The main reason for the speech was to alert the animals of Zootopia the current States of the Cleansing Case and the efforts the ZPD were making to bring their vicious crime streak in the name of 'equality' to and end.

Equality, the fox thought. What a sad excuse for a cause. Fighting physically against the authority does not bring equality, it only separates them more. They say that authority takes away the power, that they leave animals jobless in the streets, leave them discriminated. They are not. They are on the streets because they do not have the want to get their asses off of the ground and back into society. There is no discrimination, there is only guilt and wishful thinking for the predator refugees. The members of the Cleansing are lost because they follow a blind leader. James Todd, a leader without a real reasonable purpose. James Todd was not a leader, he was not a saint, a savior for discriminated animals. He was a monster.

Nick could see it now. He could see that fox behind bars in the maximum security prison. His tame collar fastened tightly around his fat neck to give him a well deserved shock every time he stepped out of place.

"We have nothing to fear citizens," said Staggery, "the ZPD shall bring an end to this outburst of crime from the Cleansing soon. Peace and re-established balance is imminent. These animals have joined under the influence that they are being discriminated, but i assure you. You will hear not a single drop of judgement from my lips. I love Zootopia for all of its differences. We are all unique, there never be another you, so embrace it. Love everything about yourself and everything about you, and spread that love to the new generation for many years to come. Encourage your children to love themselves, and appreciate everyone for who they are."

Applause rang through the crowds. The officers of honor on stage clapped along with the crowd: Judy, Nick, Delgatto, Snarloff, Hawthorn, and Bogo. As she clapped along, Judy still contemplated what the Chief told them. 'You'll know soon enough.' What the hell was that supposed to mean? Why would he encourage her and Nick not to start a family yet? Her thought was broken, and she was snapped back to reality at the sound of Staggery's voice echoing through the microphone again.

"Speaking of children. We have a special guest coming up here to speak about her new scientific discoveries today. Please welcome to the stage, Dr. Jane Hoover. The crowd applaud. Judy watched as the snow leopard in the white lab coat stand from her chair and walk to the podium. Cameras flashed, everything quieted down, and Hoover adjusted her speech paper as she began to speak.

"Thank you, Mayor Staggery, and thank you for such a warm welcome Zootopia. As it has been stated, my name is Dr. Jane Hoover, and I am the leading director for the new Splyce Incorporation. Our field of study is genetics. In case any of you have forgotten, we were the company who came up with the Nighthowler antidote. We care for the sake of the future of this city. We care about your future, and today, we care about the future of your children. A few weeks ago, our team made an unbelievable scientific discovery. We call it gene splicing."

Judy turned her head at the title. What was gene splicing? The snow leopard continued.

"If you are an interspecies couple, then you may want to listen to this. Gene splicing takes the reproductive genetics of two different species of animals, one male and one female, and that of the opposite sex's genes, and if the size proportions of the two subjects are compatible, then the genetics can be introduced through conceiving, and gestation can begin."

Hoover paused and turned to the next page on the podium as she continued. "In other words, if they are close enough to size, two different animals can have a baby together."

Judy Hopps froze, and her eyes widened. Two different animals...could have a baby? Together?

"Here's what I mean. For example, take a male lion and a female zebra, or vice-versa. Because the size comparison is close, either the female lion or zebra could carry the baby of the male lion or zebra. Here's how it would work. We would give the female zebra a lioness egg, and we would give the male lion zebra sperm. When the two were to conceive, both lion and zebra sperm would be released, and the zebra would give off a lioness and zebra egg. This leaves it up to a fifty-fifty chance of the mother having either a zebra foal, or a lion cub. And no, this does not mean they would have a zebra with a lion's mane or anything crazy like that. They would not have such drastic genetic mutations. However, they would have minor genetic alterations like having sharp and flat teeth or the zebra foal might have a lion's night vision."

Commotion rang quietly through the crowds. Judy could not believe what she was hearing. Did this mean... She and Nick...could have their own baby? That they could reproduce their own litter? She looked up at her husband, and he looked down at her; he had the same utterly speechless look on his face, but it was soon replaced with a genuine, heartwarming, and fatherly smile. He held out his left paw to the bunny. She looked at it, and his ring glistened brilliantly in the sunlight. As if she were staring directly at the Holy Grail; it called to her. She gave a motherly smile in rebuttal, and took hold of it, the diamond if her ring reflected the bright rays. Neither of them had to say it, for they both thought of the phrase; 'Until the end.'

They say a rose is a symbol of love: from the promise and hope concealed in its vibrant petals, to the strength and defense of its thorns; Judy was Nick's rose. She was elegant and beautiful, but at the same time tough and hopeful. He loved everything from the stems of her strong legs, to the petals of her long soft ears. For the last few weeks, she was dormant, trapped under the snow, but now she had begun to bloom once again. Nick loved his flower, and they both wished they could start a garden together; and now they had a chance. Nick just might be able to plant his seed inside of her, and she might be able to rejuvenate his. The soil has been amended, and fertilization was now possible. The garden could be started.

Judy's ear perked as the leopard said a certain line that peaked her attention. She now knew what Bogo meant this morning. She listened in, and she took immediate action. "So far we do not have any volunteers, but we-"

"Then I want to be the first one!"

Everyone gasped, and everyone's eyes turned to the little bunny who stepped forward, as sure as anyone could ever be at her sudden choice, and so was Nick as he joined close by his wife's side. Bogo and the other officers began clapping, as did Hoover herself.

"Well here you have it Zootopia. Animal history's first interspecies parents soon to be!" Rapid applause and whistles then bellowed from the crowds.

About an hour later, Judy and Nick walked paw-in-paw through the large automatic glass doors of the Splyce Incorporation building. As they entered, all the different animals in science coats waved hello and congratulated the couple, who waved back. The two walk up to the front desk to ask for Dr. Hoover, when the leopard comes down the hall to greet them.

"Welcome to Splyce Inc. Officers. I'm so glad you could make it. This way please." She said happily, guiding them down the hall. The fox and bunny followed. The two were separated, and guided into separate rooms to be injected with the necessary genes for testing; Judy went Hoover and a few female scientists. Nick went with Hoover's assistant, a male sheep and another few scientists. Nick was asked to get into scrubs, and was sat at a patient's chair. Nick watched as the sheep took a syringe and filled it with rabbit sperm. Unfortunately, their technology was not advanced enough, and there was no other way to transfer the sperm to Nick than injection. Nick took a deep breath, and winced as the Dr. injected the needle. Judy went through the same process. The two were then asked to wait for about thirty minutes, to let the new genetics start to take placement in their bodies. Nick's new rabbit sperm had to somewhat mix between his fox genes, and Judy's new fox eggs were to mingle in her ovaries. She was given three, so they would have multiple shots at conceiving, and Nick had enough rabbit sperm for about six ejaculations.

Later, Nick and Judy were guided into another room; it resembled a bedroom, with a bed against the wall, and two nightstands, one on each side. Judy looked at one of the walls which looked different from the rest. Her police work helped her to detect it as a one-way mirror. Hoover explained to them the process of what would happen next. "Well this is time for the actual testing." Judy and Nick looked up at the leopard as she spoke. The two of them had different wireless attached to their bodies. Sensors on their temples, in the center of Nick's chest, between Judy's breasts, etc. etc. "We will have you two have sexual intercourse, and we will monitor your body's actions. Body heat, heart pressure, arousal, pheromones, etc. to look for any troubles."

Judy blushed at the thought. She could hardly deal with hiding herself from people she knew like she had to when the officers came to show them Bengali's interrogation videos. Now she was to have sex with Nick? With tons of animals watching her? Judy was immediately turned off at the thought.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, the audio will be shut off on our side. Please get comfortable. You can begin whenever the two of you are ready." With that, Hoover left the room, leaving the two alone. Judy sat on the edge of the bed and Nick joined her. He could feel the tension in her body, so he placed a caring paw on her shoulder.

"Hey." he said. The bunny looked up at her husband. "Don't worry, Carrots. It's okay." The fox undid his tie, and slowly blindfolded the bunny. Judy willingly obeyed his actions. "Just relax." Nick then ran his tongue up her neck. She gasped at the sudden sensation. She began to relax, and then she became aroused as he stripped them both. Soon enough, they were both relaxed, excited, and they began. Soon, both of them disregarded their new genetics as Nick pushed his swelling knot into her, filling her; she felt as though there was twice as much as usual, considering there was. Judy undid the makeshift blindfold to gaze into his emerald eyes, and he gazed back into her lavender ones. Hoover walked back into the room with a couple of robes for the two of them. Judy instinctively covered her breasts, even though they were both well aware they have seen them.

"Okay, now we wait. Thanks to our new advancements in technology here, we can actually tell you whether it was effective in a few hours. If you want to wash up in the locker room and come back in a bit?" The two looked at each other, grinned, and nodded at the leopard.

"Okay. We can do that." Judy said happily as she put the robe on.

Judy could not wait as the hours slowly passed by. She paced around, and her foot would not stop thumping her foot. Nick rolled his eyes at his wife's impatience; even though he could not wait either. Finally, they were called back to the building, and Judy almost left Nick in the dust and ran off, but she refrained herself. As they walked in, they were immediately greeted by the snow leopard. She looked down to the floor before talking. "Hey there you two...unfortunately this time was unsuccessful."

Judy felt her heart sink a little. She already expected it not working the first time, but her sadness did not last long, she had more chances. She and Nick would have six chances to for them to conceive successfully. They prepared themselves. Judy brought some pregnancy tests, while Nick looked up foods and activities that increase sex drive, including positions that would increase the chance of impregnation. This is where their path lead them. They were determined to have a child. One try down, five remaining. Screw what was better for the world; this was all for them. The world would have to wait. Nick and Judy had a family to make.