Ch. 23: The Master Plan

"…cer?"

"Off…?"

"Officer!"
Judy forced her eye lids open, her body sluggish from the dart. It took a second for her sight to clear, she was on her back, looking up at a gray ceiling. She was still in the asylum. Hadn't she heard a voice?

"Officer," the voice repeated and Judy turned her head and her eyes widened.

It was Eleanor Sugar, her clothes torn and looking like she hadn't changed in days, her body thin underneath and her wide eyes terrified at she stared at Judy through the bars of a cage.

"Are you alright?" the sugar glider asked softly, as if she was too scared to raise her voice.

"She's Judy Hopps, Eleanor," another voice spoke up and Judy looked behind her to see Billy Beardby in a similar condition and trapped in a cage as well.

The rabbit forced herself up, managing to sit up and look at the two with concern, "Are you two alright?"

"As well as we can be," Billy replied bitterly.

Judy turned her attention to Eleanor, "Suzy is safe."

The sugar glider's eyes widened, shimmering with hope, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yes, don't worry. I'll get you out both out of here I just…need…" Judy's voice trailed off as she took in the rest of her surroundings. They were on a second floor, railing keeping someone from falling down to the bottom floor that must've been a cafeteria or activities center, the tables and chairs pushed to the corners of the wall to make one large empty space. She swallowed when she saw splatters that looked like dried blood. And all around the second floor were cages, full of felines that were lying in a subdued manner, collars wrapped around their necks. Judy swallowed, her throat dry, this was the missing Felino gang.

Judy looked between Eleanor and Billy. "What…what's going on?"

"Let me tell you something," a new voice spoke up. It made Eleanor flinch, Billy scowl, and Judy turn stock-still. "There's a reason that masterminds and villains are surprised when they are discovered by the heroes. It's because they lack respect, Bellwether didn't respect you, Ironclaw didn't respect you, but I do. I respect you greatly Judith Laverne Hopps… And I'm such a big fan!"
Judy looked over her shoulder to see Officer Aaron Ronno walking out of the shadows, passing the cages in ease and stood before the rabbit, a small smile on his lips and he looked older, more mature than when he had first appeared at the ZPD precinct. He lifted a hoof and revealed the carrot pen Judy always kept on her person; her paw went to her pocket and felt the phone and rattle still there. "And I know everything about you, you little sneak."

Judy stared up at him, mute with disbelief, meanwhile Billy continued to glare at him and Eleanor had started to shake in fear.

It had all been Ronno, the kidnappings, the tampering with security cameras, ever stealing the Night Howler antidote; he had used his training for his dark advantages. And no one, not even Judy, would have suspected him because they wouldn't have looked past his badge.

"You're incredibly smart, Judy," Ronno went on in an almost melancholy tone. "Determined, brave, you are truly one of a kind. Same goes for that fox of yours." He let out a sigh, "Which is why it's going to be such a shame that I'll have to kill you both, figuratively or literally…either way it'll be a tragedy."

Judy's heart sky-rocketed, "Nick…" She looked desperately around, trying to catch a glimpse of red fur.

"Don't worry," Ronno made himself comfortable atop Eleanor's cage. "He'll be here shortly. Until then, want to ask any questions?" He dropped the carrot pen to the floor and smashed it under his foot, breaking the pen in half. "In confidence of course."

"What did you do?" Judy shrieked, "What's going on!? How did you do this? Why did you do this? You're a cop you're suppose to protect mammals not take them!"

Ronno lifted his hooves and made a calming gesture and Judy fought the urge to strangle him. "Make yourself comfortable and open those ears: I say we can begin from when I was a fawn, mainly this one important thing I witnessed. My brother had a older friend who was a predator, a cougar, who one day got on the wrong side of a bear and they had fought. But not like some punches and kicks I mean an actual fight, they tore at each other with their teeth and claws, blood was everywhere! And for the life of me I can't recall why they were fighting…

"My brother took me away before I could see the end of that fight, but I never lost my…admiration of that fight, I was almost envious of predators and there natural gifts to kill. The years went by as that thought would plague my mind on sleepless nights and dull classes. Eventually I grew up and became an Officer of Evergreen City, and lived as average a life as a cop could, and then I heard about the Night Howler case." His eyes glittered with sincere admiration as he stared at the rabbit, "I heard everything about that case, you were an inspiration Judy, but it wasn't just you I admired, it was the Night Howlers, I studied them and a plan starting to come into fruition. And then I went to a museum one random day and heard about the Tame collars. You know them, I suspect?"

Judy nodded wearily, Tame collars hadn't been used centuries, they had been hateful, prejudiced shock collars that predators had been forced to wear.

Ronno moved off Eleanor's cage and dropped to his knees in front of Judy, his face alit with unbridled excitement, "The Tame collars were awful but they can be used for good! They can control anyone whose been darted with a Night Howler, use the shock to subdue him. But then I went farther than that, more what ifs until finally-it came to me." He stood up, "You see Judy I'm not a dirty cop or a wannabe evil genius, I'm an inventor, an entrepreneur. Ray, come here and be my example."

Out of the shadows came the silver fox and Judy, for a moment, wondered what else was hiding in the shadows of this forsaken asylum. And then she noticed the collar wrapped around the fox's neck and Ray stood before Ronno in a subdued manner she hadn't seen before.

Ronno waved his paw in a showy manner at the collar; Judy noticed two square shaped bulges on it and a green light. "Look at this part," he pointed to the right knob, "That is where the Night Howler serum gets injected into the predator veins, thanks to the lovely Eleanor we dabbled with it and decided less on mindless savagery and more on primal, feral instinct." By the expression on the sugar glider's face she had no say in the invention of this device. "And then this left lump over here that has the antidote, with a press of a button from my universal remote that I will show you later the antidote replaces the serum and our predator is back to normal. And if they try to do something immature like take the collar off they'll get a quick little shock reminding them that's a bad idea."

He shooed Ray away who appeared all too eager to leave, Ronno sighed wistfully, "It was so lucky, finding him and his two friends' half-starved out on the streets. I took them in, fed them, and while they were asleep put my prototypes on them and just like that I'm the alpha of their little pack, whether they like it or not."

He turned back to Judy and looked affronted by her scowl, "I don't hate predators if that's what you're thinking! I told you I admire them, especially the fact that a small, feral army of them could take down Zootopia. I know some other mammals who'd share my admiration, and would pay to see my collars at work, most of them mafia boss but I bet after the show I plan on putting on some higher ups will probably want to cash in on the deal." He knelt to be at Judy's eye level, his eyes dark and light, hostile and lively, "I will go down in history for making the most effective weapon of all time, predators themselves."

Judy tried to edge away from the deer she ended up having her back pressed against the cold bars of Billy's cage. "What did Beardby have to do with anything? Why take him? Why turn his brother savage?"

"Beardby here helped perfect my collars," Ronno answered, smirking at the goat. "It seemed fitting since his family were the original creators of the Tame collars. As for his brother that was a decoy, to throw the ZPD off. After all, who'd think a prey would turn another prey savage?"

"You mentioned a show…" Judy began as the deer stood up straight.

"Oh, let's just say I'm going to have quite an audience to show my collars. And since I have a pack of giant cats at my disposable it's going to be so easy to throw one injected with a Night Howler but no collar in there, and then have my collared ones protect the innocent citizens of Zootopia."

"You're crazy," Judy breathed, her mind already running through the possibilities of escape, she took notice of a door down on the second floor.

"I knew you'd say that and it's a real shame I can't get you on my side with this, Judy," Ronno replied, "A shame but not a surprise."
"Then why did you tell me all of this?"

He gave her a pitying smile, "Because odds are you're going to die here, very shortly, and in a very painful manner. But as I said I studied you Judy Hopps, if anyone can get out of this predicament it's you. So listen very carefully to my next words, my pack will be watching out for the precinct, the hospital, and if you escape and try to tell anyone what is going on here…I will send my collared ones to Bunnyburrow and straight to the Hopps household."

Judy tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and Ronno's smile only widened, "I know exactly where to hit you Judy Hopps." The sound of snarling and struggles had him looking down at the bottom floor below, "Speaking off…it's time."

Judy looked over the railing, her fear rising, "For what?"

"I told you Nick would be here shortly."
The door opened and in came the maned wolf and hyena, between them a snarling, snapping, savage Nick. He was thrown into the middle of the floor and it was then Judy saw the collar wrapped around his neck.