Hey, guys. Well, we finally made it to the climax to the crossover fanfic, featuring the best disney movie ever, and the best naughty dog video game ever. So, in the last chapter, I wanted Judy to be unconscious too, because I feel it'll make the story just as good if Nick lied to her too, along with Clem, putting some heavy weight on all three of their relationships. Other than that, please enjoy.
Nick awoke with a jolt, finding himself in a bed. A hospital bed, with a ceiling light beaming down his face. Shading his eyes, Nick turned to see Danny, awake and in a hospital bed, too. Nick turned to see the same two wolves from before, and one familiar, female sheep. Dawn Bellwether.
"Welcome to the Fireflies, boys." said Dawn.
Dawn wore the same glasses, but was dressed in a black tank-top, a white tank-top underneath, and tannish green cargo pants.
"Sorry about what happened on the street. Larry and Gary here didn't know who you were." said Dawn.
"Clem and Judy. Where are they?" asked Nick.
"They're okay. They brought them back." said Dawn.
Nick laid back down, and sighed in relief.
"Might I ask you your new friend is?" asked Dawn.
"Daniel. We couldn't have got here without his help." said Nick.
"Sup?" Danny said, sitting upright on his bed.
"You came all this way. How'd you do it?" said Dawn.
"It was the girls. They fought like a storm to get here." said Nick, sitting up. "Maybe, it was meant to be."
"I lost most of my crew on the way, up here." said Dawn, sitting up from her chair. "I pretty much lost everything. But then, you show up, and we find you, just in time to save them. Maybe it was meant to be."
"Am I missing something here? How do you two know each other? Because, from the tone, that's what it sounds like to me." said Danny.
"Danny came all this way with us, so I figured to wait to tell him. Okay?" said Nick.
Dawn nodded, as Nick explained everything to Danny.
"So, that's the whole story, Dan. Sorry I couldn't tell you, sooner. I told Gideon, but I wanted to wait with you, since you were planning to join the Fireflies and all." said Nick.
"Wow. I get why you kept it secret, but that girl, immune? That rabbit, the 'Princess Firefly' I heard about? Who'd a thunk it?" said Danny.
"Speaking of which, can you take us to them?" Nick asked Dawn.
"You don't have to worry, Nick. We'll take good care of them." said Dawn.
"No, I worry. Just, let me see them, please. I need to know if they're really okay." Nick insisted.
"You can't. Judy is still resting up in the next room from Clem's. As for Clem, she's being prepped for surgery, right now." said Dawn.
"What do you mean, surgery?" Nick asked, wearily.
"The doctors tell me, that the Night Howler parasite, the growth inside her brain, has somehow mutated. It's why she's immune. Once they remove it, they'll be able to reverse-engineer a vaccine." Dawn said, beaming with joy. "A real vaccine."
"Yeah, but it grows all over the brain." said Nick. "If they try to take it out of her, it could end up killing her."
"Yes, I know..." Dawn said, matter-of-factly.
Nick and Danny's eyed widened at how Dawn was so nonchalant about what she just said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now, I want this whole pandemic over as much as anyone else, but Clem's just a kid. So..."
"So, find someone else." Nick finished for Danny.
"There is no one else." said Dawn.
"Now, listen. You are gonna show us where-"
Gary punched Nick in the stomach, before he could finish. Nick fell to his knees.
"Stop." Dawn ordered, as Danny rushed to his friend's side.
"Look, I get it." Dawn said to Nick. "But, whatever it is you've gone through until now, it is NOTHING to what I have been through. I've known Clem since she was born. I promised her mother I would look after her."
"Then, why are you letting this happen?!" said Nick.
"Because this isn't about me, or her!" said Dawn.
"Please, Dawn. She still has a lot to live for. There's gotta be another way." said Nick.
"There is no other way. Don't you get it, yet?" said Dawn. "There is NO other choice, here!"
"What about Judy? Aren't you waiting to let her have a say in it? You've been keeping her in the dark, all this time." asked Danny.
"Judy's my best friend. I trust her. I've known her since the start of the , you know how emotional bunnies can get." said Dawn. "But, if she were here, I know she'd agree with me, too."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that bullshit." Nick muttered, sitting up.
"March them both outta here. They try anything, shoot them." Dawn ordered Gary and Larry.
"Don't waste this gift, Nick." Dawn said, before walking out of the room.
"Get up." said Gary, pointing his pistol at Nick.
"He said, get up." Larry repeated, pointing his pistol at Danny.
Danny helped Nick up to his feet.
"Go on. Move." said Larry, pointing to the door.
Nick and Danny walked slowly toward the door, then stopped.
"We said, move!" Gary barked, shoving Nick. "Give us an excuse."
"Which way?" Nick asked.
Gary pointed to their left. The four started walking, when Nick and Danny spotted their backpacks on a reception desk. They were stripped of most of their weapons, though. They even took Danny's bat, Ol' Betsy. Nick and Danny stopped, and nodded to each other.
"What d'ya think you two are doing? Keep walking." ordered Larry. "I said, keep walk-"
Nick and Danny simultaneously elbowed both Gary and Larry's paws up, knocking their guns off their backs. Nick and Danny quickly grabbed both their gun arms, and smacked them across their muzzles. They both held them against the wall, pressing their arms onto their necks in a hold, while they swiped their pistols.
"Where's the operating room? Where's Judy Hopps' room?" Nick asked Gary, but both wolves refused to answer.
"We ain't got time for this." Danny said, shooting Larry in the private area. "Where?"
Nick shot Gary in the private area, too. "Where?!"
"Top floor. The far end. Their rooms should be next to each other." Gary gasped.
Nick and Danny shot both wolves in the heads, then they grabbed their backpacks. They still had some supplies, and all their valuables, like Nick's picture.
"I heard gunshots! Down here!" a voice called, from down the hallway.
"Oh, shit. We gotta move, or we're gonna get company." said Danny.
"Behind the counter!" said Nick.
The two foxes ducked behind the reception desk, as several Firefly soldiers came bolting down the hall. The soldiers kneeled down to check the two wolf bodies.
"The foxes are on the loose! They just killed Gary and Larry!" a skunk Firefly reported into his radio.
"Spread out! Find the targets, and eliminate them!" said the voice on the radio.
"Alright, check all the rooms! Do not let them get to the west wing!" ordered the skunk.
One badger soldier circled around to the room, behind the desk, when Nick grabbed him, and strangled him. Nick took his assault rifle. Both foxes crawled around the desk, and into an emergency room, where the skunk soldier was patrolling. Taking cover behind a table, Danny snuck up to the skunk, and strangled him, before taking his assault rifle.
Suddenly, one antelope Firefly heard the commotion, and rushed inside, The antelope spotted the foxes, and open fired. Danny quickly ducked back behind the table. Nick ducked behind a hospital bed, as another antelope Firefly fired at them, through an open window. Quickly grabbing a bottle from the table, Danny threw it at his antelope, stunning him, before shooting him down with his rifle. Nick's antelope fired at Danny, but Nick took this opportunity to fire at him, taking him down.
The coast clear, the two foxes hurried down the hall, leading to the entrance of the west wing. They both stopped, and took cover behind another hospital bed. There were several more Fireflies, patrolling the front lobby.
Picking up a bottle left on the ground, Nick threw it at the west wing entrance. The sound of the shattering glass distracted the Fireflies, as two leopards moved closer to inspect the noise, the other two Fireflies, bobcats, remained to watch their back. Nick aimed and fired at the two leopards, while Danny aimed and fired at the bobcats.
The coast clear again, They rushed through the main entrance of the west wing, but ducked behind another counter, as three hyena Fireflies came rushing down the hall. Danny and Nick ambushed them, and took them out with their rifles. They weren't gonna take any chances with these guys.
When they got to the main lobby of the west wing, a rhino Firefly burst through the double doors on the left, and fired at the foxes. Nick and Danny took cover behind a couch, and aimed at the rhino's face, taking down the massive mammal. Nick and Danny rushed into the stairwell, and Nick jammed the double doors behind him, jamming the handles with the front legs of a chair.
"That should buy us some time." said Nick.
Nick and Danny ran up the stairs, until they reached the top floor, the sixth floor. Bursting through the right double door, they continued down the hall to the right.
"Wait, wait. Nick, look at this." Danny said, picking up two voice recorders on the reception desk. One was labeled, 'Doug', and another was labeled, 'Dawn'. Danny played Doug's first.
"This is Doug Ramses, head surgeon. It is April 28. Dawn was right. The vixen's immunity is like nothing we've ever seen before. The cause is uncertain. As we've seen in all other past cases, the antigenic titers of the patient's Night Howler remain high in both the serum and the cerebrospinal fluid. Blood samples taken from the patient rapidly grow Night Howlers in parasite-media in the lab. However, white blood cell lines are completely normal. There is no elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and an MRI of the brain shows no evidence of Night-Howler growth in the limbic regions, which would normally accompany the behavior of aggression in infected patients. We must find a way to replicate this in the lab. We're about to hit a milestone in history, equal to the discovery of penicillin. After nearly six years, we're about to come home, make a difference, and put mammal-kind back in control of it's destiny. All the men and women who've bled for this cause, or worse, will not be in vain."
Nick played Dawn's recorder.
"It is 5:30 P.M. April 28. Hey, Anna. I know it's been a while since we last spoke. I just finished speaking, more like yelling, at our head surgeon. Apparently, there's no way to extricate the parasite without eliminating the host. Fancy way of saying we gotta fucking kill the kid. They asked for my go-ahead. I doubt I had much choice. Asking me was a form of formality... I'm just so tired. I'm exhausted, and I want this to end. I want you to know that I've kept my promise to you, after all these years. This is what we were after, what you were after. I already gave the go-ahead. This is a chance to save us. All of us. Despite it all, I looked after her. I would've done anything for her, and at times... I haven't told Judy, yet. I know how she must feel about her, but I know even she would agree with my decision. We're best friends, like you and me. I'm sure she'll understand in time, and forgive me. They asked me to kill Clem's other two guardians, Nick and Danny. I'm not about to kill the only other two mammals who might understand the weight of this choice. Maybe, they can forgive me, too. Oh, I miss you, Anna. Your daughter will be with you, soon."
"No. Not like this. I won't." said Nick.
Nick looked out the window to see where the far end of the west wing of the hospital was. From the curtain-drawn hall windows, they could see the shadows of Firefly soldiers, scrambling around the hall.
"Looks like they're gonna set up an ambush." said Nick.
"That means just at the end of the hall is where they have them. We're coming, girls." said Nick.
"Look, I think I see a way for us to get the jump on them, before they jump us." said Danny.
Danny pointed down the hall, where a doorway led to a kitchen, and then down to an office room, which connected to the hall where the Fireflies were staging their ambush. In the hall, the Fireflies had set up small forts for cover. That wasn't gonna do them much good, for long. Nick and Danny crouched and crawled through the kitchen, then towards the office.
In the office, there were two red panda Fireflies, which Nick and Danny quickly took out, by sneaking up and strangling them. One deer Firefly heard the commotion, and entered the office, only for Nick to grab him, and stab him with his knife. Soon, all the Fireflies in the hall were aware of where the foxes were.
With so much for the surprise attack, Nick and Danny took cover, and open fired at the Fireflies. Both sides switched from covering to firing. Of course, it didn't take too long for one victor to come out of this battle. Of which, Nick and Danny were those victors.
Moving out into the hall, and over the bodies of the dozen Firefly soldiers they took down, they hurried to the next set of double doors. They burst through, and Nick blocked it with a large medical cart. With no time to lose, they had to get to Clem first, before the operation. Nick and Danny burst through the red door, and found Clem, in a hospital gown, laid on a bed, with three sheep in surgery garments, standing over her.
"What are you two doing in here?!" said the head surgeon, Doug.
"I don't want any trouble. I just want the girl." said Nick.
"I won't let you take her!" said Doug, holding a knife out to Nick. "This is our future. Think of all the lives we'll save."
"She's got a lot to live for, too." said Nick, advancing to Clem.
"Don't come any closer! I mean it!" Doug warned.
Nick shook his head, and took down Doug, with his pistol. Danny finished off his two assistants, Woolter and Jesse. Nick walked to Clem, and took off her anesthetic mask, before lifting her into his arms.
"Come on, baby girl. I gotcha. Let's go get Carrots, next." said Nick.
Nick and Danny rushed over to the next room on the left, and found Judy laid on a bed, but she still had her same clothes on.
"Nick, look out!" shouted Danny.
Nick felt shoved, as he and Clem fell to the floor, then turned to see Danny take down two boar Fireflies, but one evaded his shots, and shot Danny several times, in the torso. Nick grabbed his assault rifle, and took out the boar. Nick rushed to Danny's fallen form, a pool of blood forming underneath him.
"Dan, hold on. I'll get you patched up." said Nick.
"Nick, wait. Just take a good look at me." said Danny, motioning to the several gunshot wounds in his torso. "What does this tell you? It means I'm a goner."
"Don't say that. I'll carry you outta here, and we'll find help." said Nick.
"Nick, I'll just slow you down." said Danny, coughing. "There'll be more looking for us, soon. Just take the girls and go. Please, I gotta know you made it out, alright."
"But, you're our friend." said Nick.
"You guys have been the best of friends to me, too. That's why I'm asking you to do this, please." said Danny.
"Thank you, my friend." said Nick, as he picked up Clem in his right arm, and picked up Judy in his left.
"Go, they're coming." said Danny, hearing more Fireflies coming down the hall.
Nick bolted out the door, and ran down the hall, reluctantly and regrettably leaving behind another true friend.
"I'm getting you girls outta here." Nick said to Clem and Judy.
"One fox is down! The other fox has the vixen and Judy Hopps! Stop him!" "He's headed for the pediatrics!"
Nick could hear Fireflies shouting all around him.
"Dammit, which way?!" Nick muttered.
Nick looked up, and saw a sign leading to the elevator. Nick started running, cutting across a couple rooms to evade the Fireflies.
"We're okay. We're okay. We're okay." Nick kept saying to the girls, but mostly to himself.
As Nick kept running, memories started flooding back in his mind. A feeling of deja vu swept over him. The hospital started to turn into the field Nick ran through, that night. The night the whole world changed. Instead of holding Clem, she was replaced by Abby. Instead of Judy, she was replaced by Cassie, running next to him.
It was then Nick truly realized what these two meant to him. Nick lost one mammal he loved once, and he lost one daughter once. But, he was not gonna let that happen again. This time, things would be different. Nick was gonna make them different, but in the right.
"Last chance! We already got one of you! Give them back, and you'll be spared!"
The threats of the Fireflies snapped Nick back to reality, as he saw the elevator, just within reach.
"I said get back!" Nick cried back.
The Fireflies started shooting, but Nick ducked, ran into the elevator, and pressed the down button. A couple of zebra Fireflies ran to the elevator, but the door stopped them, as the elevator went down.
Nick slumped back to the wall, and slid to the floor, still holding Judy and Clem tightly under his arms. Nick felt tears coming to his eyes.
"Oh, God..." Nick whispered, quietly sobbing.
Nick's mind flooded with all that happened. Nick just practically killed nearly all of what was left of the Fireflies, the only hope mammal-kind had left, and robbed them of two of the things that gave them hope. All the good it did was get his friend, Danny, killed.
But, even Danny agreed that this was the right thing. It might've been selfish, but Clem still had a lot to live for. Nick wanted her to live, to see the end of these terrible times. Nick wanted to start over, but with someone like Judy. Nick silently hoped she would understand, that if she were in the same predicament, she would do the same.
Nick wiped his tears on his shoulder, and picked himself up from the floor. The elevator door opened, Nick pushed the red button, and ran into the garage. Nick rushed to the only car he saw, but was stopped at gunpoint. Dawn slowly walked out of the shadows, holding her pistol at Nick, careful not to get Clem and Judy in her line of fire.
"You can't save them, Nick!" said Dawn. "Even if you get them out of here, then what? How long before they're torn to pieces by packs of Savages? That is, if they haven't been raped and murdered by hunters, first?"
"That ain't for you to decide." said Nick.
"This is what they'd want, and you know it." said Dawn.
"And just what do you know about what they want? About what I know?" Nick said, repeating the same, similar sentence his friend, Honey, said almost a year ago. "Please, Dawn. There must be a better way than this. Clem has a whole lot to live for. I don't want to see that taken away from her."
"Maybe, one day, when this is over, you'll get another chance to. But, if there was another way, don't you think we would've found it, by now?" said Dawn.
"Look, you can still do the right thing, here." Dawn said, raising her arms up, pointing the gun away from Nick.
"She won't feel anything."
Nick seemed like he was starting to be reasonable, looking down at Judy and Clem. Dawn slowly moved towards Nick. Nick looked back up, his face changing from guilt, to defiance. Nick slung Judy onto his shoulder, revealing the pistol he hid and carried underneath, and shot Dawn in the abdomen. Dawn fell, blood leaking out of her.
Nick rushed to the car, and laid Clem down in the back, then placed Judy in the front passenger seat. Nick slammed the doors, then looked back at Dawn. Nick walked back, gripping his gun tightly in his paw.
"Wait!" Dawn pleaded, holding her arm up to stop the fox. "Let me go! Please..."
Nick looked at the sheep pitifully, then looked back at the car, then back to Dawn, again.
"You just come after them." Nick said, as he blew Dawn's brains out.
Nick gasped at the deed he did, then took a sharp, deep breath. Nick rushed back to the car, and drove out of the hospital, at lightning speed.
...
The sun started to rise as Nick drove onto the highway, past the highway signs that led out of the city. Nick looked back to see no one was following them. Nick relaxed, but chose to be alert. That's when Judy and Clem both stirred awake.
"Aw, man. What the crap am I wearing?" said Clem, feeling the hospital gown on her.
"Take it easy. The drugs are still wearing off." said Nick.
"Nick, what happened?" said Judy.
"We found the Fireflies." Nick started his lie.
"Turns out, there's a whole lot more like you, Clem. Mammals that are immune. There's dozens, actually. It didn't do a damn bit of good, either. That's when the military found the Fireflies, too. They ambushed the asylum. They found out where the Fireflies were hiding at, and they've been planning it for a good while, I imagine. I had to get you two out of there, but Dawn and Danny... They sacrificed themselves to stop a whole group of soldiers after us, just so we could get away. I saw some of the Fireflies escape, but we got separated. But, after the failed test, after the ambush... they actually decided to stop looking for a cure, for now."
"Everyone, even Dawn and Danny, too?" Judy whispered.
Nick just nodded, silently. "We're in the clear now, I think. I'm taking us home."
Judy just leaned back on her sit, sighing a heavy sigh, while Clem just turned away, facing the back seat.
"I'm so sorry..." said Nick.
"Don't be, Nick. It's not like you meant for any of that to happen, back there." said Judy.
Nick never said another word, and just kept on driving...
Well, guys. That's it for this chapter. All that's left is the epilogue, and this crossover is done. Sweet!
So, please don't hate for me axing off Danny. I wanted the story to end with just Nick, Judy, and Clem. Also, the scene where they rescued Judy, and where Danny was axed off, was inspired slightly on an alternate version of the scene where Joel rescued Ellie, from the video game. Also, the story Nick made up, I included the part with the military, so Nick could lie to Judy, because this effects her, too. Thus, putting some awkward strain on all three of the trio characters, and their relationships.
I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the last chapter of this crossover fanfic.