"Over here! This looks…"

H… Holly? I… What is going on?

"Blanche, Drake, you go and…"

I feel… I'm moving, but I can't… move.

"Clear that off now! Get Nate…"

Nate? What happened… The shot. His leg. My… face. It burns. I remember falling. My eyes… I can't see. Why can't I see?

"We need to stabilize her! Holly go get…"

Mark? They… they're safe. That's all that matters. The pain. It feels… it hurts. Everything hurts. I can't feel anything, yet I can feel everything. Every sore muscle, every burning pain, yet I can't even feel my body, I can't move my body. What… what happened?

"She's going into shock! We need to…"

I remember… I remember Nate. He saved me, but got hurt doing so. Then, the hippo. He… he tried to… Drake saved me. Blanche saved me. Then, the pain. My face… it still hurts.

"O… Olivia! It's… it's my fault! It's all… my… fault."

Nate? No, it's not… it's not your fault. You… saved me. You all… saved me. I want to tell them that, I want to, but… I can't speak. I don't even know if my eyes are open. It's so… dark. I hate the darkness. Bad things happen, terrible things, but this time, this time I have friends, mammals who care about me. They won't leave me to this darkness. Will they?

"She's convulsing! I have to sedate her, hold her down!"

It's quiet again.

I feel, better. My eyes feel heavy, but I managed to get them open. Light poured in forcing me to close them again. I tried to move an arm. It felt heavy too, but at least I can feel it. I was sore my whole body over, but I could at least feel my body. I was still whole, although my face, it felt… off. It didn't hurt, but I knew it wasn't okay.

"She's coming to." It was Mark's voice that made me relived that I hadn't gone deaf.

"Shh, don't wake Nate." Holly seemed, rather quiet.

"Are you sure this is the right time? I mean after everything that's happened today, don't you think she's been through enough?"

"We have to Mark. You've seen how Nate has been around her, he's… changed."

"I know, but, the burden of it all Holly."

"She has to know. I thought that maybe your brother was going through a phase but… this is real. If we keep waiting to tell her, it may end up being too late."

"Tell me… what?"

"'Livi, you… are you… how are you feeling?"

I tried to open my eyes again, but the light was too blinding. At least there wasn't any more darkness. "I hurt. Everywhere."

"I bet. You may not have broken any bones, but that plasma blast did a number on your nervous system… and your…"

"My face? How is it Mark? It feels… weird."

"It's well, how should I put it? Let's just say that the fur on your left side won't be growing back anytime soon. Once your eyes adjust again, well, it's not like I could hide it from you if I wanted. You pulled through, but it was close. Too close. You're one hell of a lucky rabbit."

Too close. Isn't that the way it always was with me? "What were you two just talking about? You sounded a bit apprehensive about something."

"It's… well… it's about Mark and I, and Nate."

"Nate? Is he…"

"He's fine. His leg injury was only superficial. He'll have a bit of a scar for a while, but he'll be okay. He was really worried about you, you know that? He… cares about you, more than we ever thought possible, especially after… Look...I, I think it's time that Mark and I tell you about Burrow Ninety-Three. About how they… treated us, more importantly, how they treated Mark… and especially Nate. I'm just glad he's asleep. It's going to be painful enough recalling what happened to Nate without having to watch him...Watch him break again... Mark told me about how he reacted to the Burrow-Tec logo when you three were rescuing me, so you must know that something bad happened in our Burrow."

"I… figured as much, but I can't even begin to imagine what could've happened to him to have caused such a reaction."

"Words can't even begin to describe it. Just thinking about it…" Mark turned to Holly, "are you sure about this? About telling her everything, even about…" Mark then turned to Nate, who was sleeping on the ground close to us, tightly curled into a ball, "Mom?"

"Yes. We have to tell her everything, it's the least we can do for everything she's done, everything she's been through for us… Especially for Nate."

I tried opening my eyes again. They didn't feel nearly as heavy. The light was still daunting to me, but I wanted to see them, to see him. I held my paw up to my face as I tried to block the light, letting my vision adjust. I saw the blurry image of a rabbit and a fox next to me. I let everything come into focus before setting my paw back down. Mark and Holly, their faces portrayed such a serious demeanor, serious yet… sad. Holly did most of the speaking. Her voice full of sorrow, yet at times, hateful.

"On the surface, Burrow Ninety-Three resembled something that we heard Zootopia was all about, harmony between predator and prey. Below the surface, it couldn't have been any further from the truth. If you'd told anyone there that preds and prey once lived happily together, they would've called you insane. Predators, they…" Holly looked between both Mark and Nate, "weren't just looked down upon, they were hated, they were… none of the prey even saw them as mammals. For foxes, it was worse. So much worse."

I saw Holly take Mark's paw, and noticed small tears starting to fall from both of their eyes.

"Everything started when Mark and Nate were, four or five. While I said that hate ruled the Burrow there were some, like their mother, who openly opposed it. She fought for equality in a Burrow that had bred prejudice since as long as anyone has known. The thing was, she was so adamant about changing the Burrow, that if she had just a little more time, she may have succeeded where others had failed."

"Mark said that their mother died when they were young. If she was having such an impact on the Burrow… what happened to her?"

"It was…" Holly looked not at Mark, but towards Nate who was still curled up on the ground, "Nate doesn't know this, he can't know this. To him, his mother simply disappeared one day. The fact is much, much worse. It was… the Overseer."

I could tell that she just wanted to scream, but I think she was holding it back simply so that she didn't wake Nate. The tears were starting to fall from both of them. I haven't even heard anything yet, but just watching them like this made me sad, and angry. Not at them, but for them.

"One night, the Overseer… my… father…"

"Your father was the Overseer?"

"He may have been my father, but he was a… he was a monster. He fueled the hatred of predators. It was by his paw that… their mother, who just wanted equality, was… what they did to her…"

Mark started to yell, but quieted down very quickly. "They raped her! They… raped her and then they… killed her. And I… I was watching. I saw the whole thing…"

"How… how could someone do that? How can anyone be so cruel, especially to do that in front of a child?"

"Mark, he… they didn't know he was there. If they did, they probably would've killed him too. The next day, Mark told his brother that their mother left, that she was… disgusted to have brought two more foxes in the world. It was… she loved them. She would have never done that, but Mark couldn't tell his brother the truth. The only one he ever told was… me."

"Why tell me this then?"

"You… he cares for you, more than you can possibly imagine, but he's also scared. Scared of losing us, scared of losing… you. You must have noticed that and the only way you can ever understand him, everything he's been through, is to know everything. What you do with this, just promise, no matter what you do with this knowledge, never, never tell him the truth about his mother. Please?"

"I… I promise." I didn't want to promise that. Knowing something like this and never being able to confront Nate about it? It would tear me apart, but the look on their faces, the fact that they didn't even have to tell me that, I had to keep that promise, even if it kills me.

"Thank you. Unfortunately, it just gets worse."

"How can anything possibly be worse than… that?"

"In Ninety-Three it could always be worse. The day after their mother… died, the real horrors began. Mark had it easy compared to Nate. The Overseer only hurt him through his brother. Nate, however, he's broken. Not physically, at least not anymore. Wounds can heal, bones can be set. Mentally? There are some things that not even the best medicine in the world can fix. The Overseer spread rumors about Nate. He not only allowed the other residents to abuse Nate, but he encouraged it. He started to find reasons for Nate to attend weekly 'readjustment' sessions in his office. Drop a pencil? Misuse of Burrow property, lose that pencil? Theft of Burrow property. It didn't matter how little the 'crime' seemed, the punishment was always the same.

"At first it was simply mental. Nate was told how he was worthless, how that his very existence was a stain on the Burrow. When he was ten, the beatings started. Before if he did something as menial as 'drop' a pencil, he was yelled at, but then? He was beaten, by his own teacher. Security started to physically abuse him, using their batons to try and break nearly every bone in his body, just to be healed up and beaten again. I… didn't want to watch, I couldn't watch."

"If you knew this was going on how could you… why didn't you do something?" I had to remember that Nate was still asleep. I was more than angry, I was furious. I had to calm down, they were here now, and I couldn't blame Holly. If she ever had any part of that, I don't think that Mark would be holding her like that.

"I wanted to, I really did…" Holly was crying, genuine tears. "The only thing I could do was join security. There were… some who didn't believe in my father's teachings, some who wanted what their mother did, peace. As long as I was part of security, I could keep those mammals close to me, and try to make sure that my team were always the ones between the Overseer and Mark and Nate. For a while it worked. I made my father believe that I shared the same opinion on them as he did. It was the only way to protect them.

"Like I said, it worked for a time, but things never work out the way you want it. While I was never able to prevent all the… torment brought upon them, I was able to make sure it didn't happen as often, unfortunately that was akin to taking a few buds off of a potato and calling it peeled. By then the mental scars were already too deeply rooted. All I could do was alleviate the pain, if only a little."

"Before I say, or do, something that I'll probably regret… how did you escape?" I think my words agitated them a little, because they stared nervously at me for a moment before Holly continued.

"I…" she had to stop and take a couple deep breaths before she continued, "I didn't know it at the time, but my father had decided that Mark and Nate were no longer worth his time, and wanted to make an 'example' of them. Even without their mother, there were still those who tried to spread equality, just not as effectively as she did. He sent my team as far away from Nate and Mark as possible on some fake 'mission'. He had found out about Mark and I somehow, and while he had no qualms about killing a pred, I don't think he would be able to do it to his own daughter. Instead I think he just wanted to 'punish' me for dating Mark.

"While my team was on the far side of the Burrow, he had another team, one more loyal to him, throw Nate and Mark in a cell, to be dealt with later, but not until after he personally beat them both nearly to death, just to do it again. He tossed their nearly lifeless bodies into a cell. I… can't imagine what he planned to do with them. When I finally returned from the 'mission', I saw the blood all over his office. He didn't even attempt to clean it, instead he used it to try to convince me that he had 'done away with those little submammal pests'. I didn't believe it, I couldn't believe it. I left his office that day, and what he didn't realize at the time was, it was the last time he'd ever see me again.

"I had been in security long enough to know more than I think my father even did, and long enough to make friends. I quickly found out what he had done to them and that he had them thrown into a cell. I gathered all the food, supplies, and weapons I could, went down to their cells, convinced the guards that I was sent to 'deal' with them, and that's when we broke out of that forsaken place, never to look back."

I could tell that telling me about this was hard on them. Having to remember everything that happened. They had gone from simple tears to being full on emotional wrecks. I knew something bad had happened to Nate in his past but I don't think I was ever prepared for… this. I could feel my paws clenching together the entire time as I sat there, feeling helpless to have stopped all of this. I know they've been out in the wasteland longer than I have, and that when this all happened I was locked away in my own Burrow, but I still hated knowing that something like this happened. And the fact that it could still be happening in countless Burrows, that it could still be happening in their Burrow.

"Y… you… told her?" Nate's voice shocked all of us as he spoke. I saw that he was no longer curled up on the floor, but sitting upright, a cross between fear and sorrow was on his face.

"Nate! We… I thought you were asleep!"

"I… I heard you… crying. Did you t… tell her? Ev… everything? E-e-even about… mom?"

"How… how did… did you… know?" Mark could barely get the words out.

"I… knew for… a-a-while. When w-we accessed the… computer… I… I d-downloaded… everything. I r-read…"

"Why didn't you tell us? We… we didn't want you to… we wanted to protect you from… that." Mark was doing most of the talking now, but his voice wasn't as calm as Holly's had been.

"I… I didn't… I'm not worth… p-protecting."

Before anyone else could say, or do anything in response, I found myself off of the makeshift 'bed' moving towards Nate. It must have been just as sudden for him because he looked, afraid. When I reached him I smacked him upside the head before bending down and kissing him, desperately grabbing at him and holding him closer to me.

"You are worth protecting." I pulled my kiss away from him just enough to tell him that before continuing. He was crying, I was crying, we all were. I gently sat down, not taking my eyes off of him. Everything he's been through made my past look, sane. I hated my life in the Burrow, but if I was in theirs, if I was the rabbit that I am today, I don't think I could've left without killing every single one who laid a paw on Nate.

"Tell you what, when we're all done. How about we go pay Ninety-Three a visit, and I'll make sure I bring the biggest nuke I can find, because right now, all I want to do is make them suffer a pain greater than the one they put you through."

"B-but what about t-the… others?"

"Others? What others?"

"T-there w-were still p-predators, and… o-others who don't d-deserve to die."

"After what they put us… you through? It's been years since we left that place. For all we know my… father, has already done away with them. I'm with 'livi on this, I say we just blow the whole place up!" Holly sounded dead serious, especially being the fact that her father was probably still alive, causing…

"I… I…" Mark didn't seem to agree with Holly and I, at least not at first. "No, you know what? To hell with that place… nuke it to oblivion, wipe it off the face of the planet for all I care!"

"N-no! We… we d-don't know if they're even… like that. What if… w-what if they found a way to… what if someone found a way to… succeed where… s-she f-f-failed?"

"My father is too cruel to let that happen, you of all mammals should know that Nate! He'd probably kill everyone before letting that happen!"

"Shut the fuck up!" I had enough with the bickering between them. "I'm sorry that I even said anything! I just… to hear something like that. It pissed me off. I want nothing more than to just walk in there and kill everyone right now, but Nate's right. I don't believe that it's possible for everyone in one place to be truly evil. Evil is like a cancer. Sure, you can kill the host and that in turn that guarantees that the cancer is dead, but you might be killing someone who can truly do some good in the world. Just to erase something you know is bad. I was never there, and I can't imagine the pain that you all are going through, but, I can begin to. I'm sure that I've told you that one of the first towns I came to was Beaverton, how I found it in a smoking heap. I was too innocent of this world to have known what true evil looked like. Everyone who had died there, the prey, the predators, the… children, none of them deserved that. Yes, I'm sure there were those who were so vile that they deserved to die, but if we went and killed everyone in your Burrow, even if ninety-nine percent of them were evil, then we would be no better than those who mercilessly slaughtered the citizens of Beaverton."

I don't think I had ever been so torn in my entire life. I felt as if I had two entities residing in me, constantly fighting each other. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to make those who caused my friends harm, who killed the innocents in Beaverton, the ones responsible for me putting everyone I care about in danger, I wanted to make them suffer. Suffer a pain greater than I could even imagine. My other half, it wanted to help, protect. Not by destroying, but by lending myself as a shield. To take all the suffering brought upon them, and channel it to myself, saving anyone from ever knowing that pain again. It was a constant battle, one that will eventually end, and when that dust settles. I'm afraid that I'll end up causing more pain to my friends, than I could ever do to my enemies.

I just sat there, holding Nate, feeling his heart beat as it slowed down to a comforting pace. No one said a word after my 'outbreak'. Mark and Holly sat there near us, sharing their own comfort in each other's arms. I never had brothers or sisters, I never even knew my father. When my mother died, and save for Onion, I had no one to call my family. Now, right here, at this moment. This must be what it feels like. To be with people who truly cared. This must be what it feels like… to have a family.

We sat there for I don't know how long. An hour or two? It felt like an eternity. We finally started to move as Blanche came to check up on us. She said that it had been clear so far, and that Drake was scouting the area while Onion kept a look out for any movement. She didn't stay too long before leaving us alone, something about us all cuddling together made her need to go vomit. I was so glad that she didn't come in earlier. I probably would have shot her.

Holly and Mark seemed rather relived to have that off their chests, and not just about telling me, but the fact that they thought they needed to keep the secret of Nate's mother from him. I was also relieved. I really didn't think I could keep it a secret. It was just too… he needed to know. If I found out that my mother had been killed, and that someone was keeping it a secret from me? I don't think I would have taken it well. A bullet to the face well.

Even though they had shared their deepest darkest secrets with me, and even though they all seemed relieved to have that weight off of their shoulders, no one talked about it again. Even after getting it all off their shoulders, I'm sure it still hurt them to talk, or even think about it. I didn't blame them one bit.

Nate still seemed very uneasy with the entire event, although he had calmed down tremendously as we held each other. Holly said that I had changed him somehow, and while I still don't know how, or why, I was starting to see what she meant. He seemed more comfortable around me, and while at times he seemed a bit too clingy, after seeing him risk his own life trying to save mine, he cared about me. I may have been uncertain about my emotions before, but now I know, I liked… no, I loved that fox. I just wasn't sure if I could tell him that. This still felt, too foreign to me.

"Hey Nate, I had an idea, maybe you can help me with it?"

Despite the tension between everyone having died down, and us returning to whatever normal was for everyone, I still caught Nate occasionally looking at the scar on my face. Mark had a small mirror that I had used a little bit ago to check out the damage. It was a rather ugly looking burn mark that went from just below my ear to near the corner of my eye. It was roughly the size of one of the coins I had. Mark said that once we got back to the bunker, or if we managed to find a way back to the Guardians, that the skin could be repaired enough to allow for the fur to grow back. I couldn't help think that Nate still felt responsible for it, no matter how many times I told him otherwise.

"Y-yeah. What is it?" I think he knew that I caught him looking at it.

"I was curious. Those plasma rifles, is there any way to shrink them down enough for me to wield, without sacrificing their effectiveness?"

"Probably… although Holly would need her weapon workbench to do it, so we'd have to wait until we went back h-home."

"Darn. I was really hoping that we could have a use for them when we finally reached the Legionaries."

"Wait, you… you want to CONTINUE?!" Holly had stopped whatever she was doing and moved over to where Nate and I were resting. "'Livi… sweetie, I know you wanna stop these bastards, I really do. I wanna stop 'em too. Not only are they putting your life in danger, but they're putting my boys, Hope, even the Guardians in danger, but look at yourself! You've nearly gotten killed, what, two times in just as many days? You're in no condition to go on like this! Look at Nate! He nearly got himself killed protecting you, we all have, but we can't keep protecting you if you get yourself killed!"

She was right, I was putting them, along with myself in danger. "I want to protect you as well. All of you. I keep throwing myself into danger, and dragging you right with me. I'm not afraid of getting myself killed, but I am afraid of getting you all killed. I… wouldn't be able to live knowing I got someone I cared about killed." I looked at everyone, at Nate. I couldn't let them get killed. I couldn't keep putting them in danger like this. "That's why I have to continue… alone."

I expected them to yell at me, to tell me that it wasn't going to happen. What I didn't expect was to be thrown to the ground, all four of my limbs pinned under Nate's weight. This entire time he had looked sad, terrified, even hopeless, but now, he just looked angry.

"NO! I will NOT let you! I… I don't… I WON'T leave your side! Y-you said you w-wouldn't be able to live i-if one of us… died, but t-that road goes t-two ways! If anything… happened t-to you, I… I w-wouldn't be able to live k-knowing I failed to p-protect you. Olivia Springs! I… I love you!"

I didn't know what to say. He… said something that I didn't think I could. He showed… no told me how he really felt. He made me hate myself for even suggesting that I leave them. The fact that the thought even occurred to me made me hate myself even more. I thought that by doing this alone I would protect them from harm, but the truth is, that by doing this alone I would end up hurting them, especially Nate, more than anyone else possibly could.

"I… I'm sorry." I couldn't hold back the tears. "I… I-I'm sorry for everything. For causing you to worry, for putting myself in situations that caused you… pain. I was s-stupid, a stupid rabbit that put my own selflessness before anyone else. I… I need to do this. I have to do this, and I won't rest until everyone is safe, but… I can't do it alone. I know that now. Will you… please help me?"

"I…" Nate loosened his grip on my limbs as he moved down, holding me tight to his body. "I-I will n-never leave your s-side."

I looked towards Mark and Holly. They had remained silent this entire time, probably just as shocked at Nate's reaction as I was.

"This place looks secure enough for the night. As long as you promise to sit here and rest, we'll leave at daybreak." It sounded as if Holly was trying to shake what just happened from her as she spoke.

I agreed. After the events that transpired, we were more mentally exhausted than anything else. And if we were to continue, we needed both our physical and mental faculties at their best. We had no idea what awaited us and I had a feeling that this attack was only the beginning. But now I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my friends, no, my family would be by me. There was just one thing on my mind, one thing that I just couldn't do.

Nate had expressed his true feelings to me, and while I shared them, something in me was preventing me from saying them. Four simple words that while I truly believed in them, I couldn't find myself able to say to him.

I love you Nate.

—

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is your host Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now before I begin today's show, I want to explain something. I've had some people asking me what exactly the purpose of the After Show is. It isn't me trying to up the word count of each chapter, and it isn't me simply rambling off like this was some blog or something, although I am looking into that. No, this is my personal attempt to show you things that may not ever be shown, or for those that do, to delve much deeper into it than the story could ever possibly do. I mean, Olivia is just one mammal, and it's impossible for a single person to see, know, and experience everything.

"You see folks, this world is so much bigger than you can possibly imagine. You ever read a story, or watch a show and ponder about it deeper than even the writers and directors did? You ever wonder, where did these people come from, or how did that place become the way it is, even if it seems like such an insignificant aspect of it? I know I do, that's why when developing this world I didn't just focus on the current events. I figured out where the story will end, where it will start, and then I started to develop the world. From factions, to creatures. Technology to places. Everything was thought out, and not everything will be used. Heck, Darkwater, aka Tundratown, aka Zootopia's largest accidental swimming pool, was developed but never meant to be utilized, only mentioned in passing until I needed a huge source of radiation to kick start Olivia's dormant DNA. It was either that or drop a nuke on her."

[Max]

"Olivia the ghoul? Make for an interesting change of events."

[Stripes]

"It sure would, but alas, it's not, nor will it be in the plans. That's the one spoiler I will give you folks. Olivia will not, in any shape or form, get ghoulified. So folks, I do hope that I have appeased your inquiries as to the significance of the After Show. Sure, this won't stop any of the foolhardy antics, nor the obviously placed fourth wall breaking and pop-culture references, but every After Show will have some meaning to it. Even if it's only a few sentences of substance."

[Max]

"Wait… Since when have you ever offered anything of substance to these mammals? Most of the time I hear them groaning in pain and suffering after your long winded speeches! I swear you barely hear half of what I say most of the time and talk just to hear your own voice…"

[Stripes]

"I rather like the sound of my voice thank you very much. Now, without further ado, let today's After Show commence! Now, all of you are at least somewhat familiar with the Steel Guardians up to this point, but there's much more to them than meets the eye, as you may have noticed this last chapter. Let me start with a small history refresher. The Steel Guardians were created by Chief Bogo at the onset of the war. It was a time of fear and anger. No one knew who started the war, but everyone was either afraid for their lives, or out blaming each other. This was causing distress in not only Zootopia, but the entire world. Chief Bogo took his best officers and formed the first of the Steel Guardians. Before you ask, no, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were not part of the original Steel Guardians. It seems that Judy wanted to be a cop, not a soldier, and where she went, Nick went. This is not any sort of spoiler, just a clarification.

"The original Steel Guardians were tasked with two jobs. Protect the citizens of Zootopia from any foreign or domestic threat, and to combat any evils that were to befall the city. Yes, they were trained as soldiers, but for the most part, they remained within the confines of the city, only leaving to aid other cities or to spread their training and ideals across the lands. Not every city was blessed to have such a caring police chief.

"Even after Chief Bogo's death, the Steel Guardians resolve to carry out their mission to protect was not diminished for nearly a hundred years. But as the times change, so do people's resolve. Nearly two-hundred and forty years is a lot of time for things to be lost and forgotten. I mean, time keeping is not as concerning when everyday may be your last out in the wasteland. As I was saying, at some point, the Steel Guardians had members who started to disagree with what they should represent. This caused a major rift that divided them into three aspects. First is the Steel Guardians, currently under command of Chief Lazlo. Their doctrine has not changed over the years.

"Then there's the Revolutionary Council of Steel Guardians, or RCSG. for short. Now the founder of this group of Guardians came to a realization. While the Steel Guardians mandate is to protect the people from outside threats, the RCSG was founded because they believed that the people were a threat to themselves. Let's face it, the wasteland is lawless. Sure, some people have tried to bring the law into their own paws and hooves, but they play by their own rules. The RCSG aim to change that. Not only do they want to re-establish a centralized policing system, they feel that mammals owning their own property, their own weapons and supplies, that this is what led to the war in the first place. Greed, they believed this is the sole cause of the war. As long as mammals owned their own things, there will always be others who want to take it for themselves.

"To combat this, the RCSG want to basically own everything themselves, giving the people what they need, when they need it. No more, no less. Need food? Visit the RCSG sanctioned farm. Need a place to sleep? You are free to live in RCSG sanctioned housing. They won't ask for money, only your commitment to working to provide the RCSG the necessities to in turn equally give to the people. Sure it sounds good on paper, but in actuality, they're taking away the one thing that separates a mammal from the savages. Free will. Thankfully, their plans have not been put into play very well, as they are currently based within the Rainforest District, and with the Steel Guardian HQ being so close to their boarders, they haven't been able to spread out far enough into the rest of Zootopia to enact their plans."

[Max]

"I'll be honest, I've run into simple minded fools who think the RCSG are the greatest thing since sliced bread and the holy father. Still makes me cringe to think what a wasteland under their control would be like. Here's a hint for all of you out there, steer clear of the RCSG. They're bad news in every way shape and form. I'd rather cuddle up with a giant Scorpion than go near their territory. Even my little buddy Gary knows to stay away from em. Ain't that right Gary?"

[Gary]

"Gary...Gaaaaary."

[Stripes]

"Go away you. Now we come to the Guardians we met last chapter. I use the term 'Guardian' very loosely as these mammals are more closely related to a raider group than an actual Guardian. Heck, even the RCSG want to make the world a better place in their own twisted way. No, the Corrupted Guardians, they only want one thing. They want technology. They're hoarders of the worst kind. They believe that the only way to 'save' the world is to rebuild it themselves, killing off anyone who stands in the way. In order to do it, they want to take every bit of technology that exists. Weapons, Exo-Armor, tools, anything, and they will do it by force. Found a shiny new Pip-Boar in that abandoned Burrow? They'd sooner kill you and strip it from your lifeless arm than to bother asking for it.

"You may ask, what do they do with all of this? Like I said, they're hoarders. Sure they use what they find, they have a special liking of plasma weapons and anything that goes boom, but most of what they take is locked away in some unknown bunker, and may never see the light of day. Despite their love of collecting all things that go beep and boop, they never once took the time to learn how these things even work. One of their weapons break? They toss it with their collection and trade it out for something that works. Their Exo-Armor is just as bad. While both the other Guardian forces use specific sets of gear, and keep them fine tuned and well operating, if the Corrupted Guardians armor breaks? They simply strip off the working parts from whatever other armor they have and force it to work with the existing suit. The positive to this is that it's very easy to tell a Corrupted Guardian from a Steel Guardian or an RCSG member. If their armor parts match, then they're one of the other two. If they look as if they just walked out of a scrap yard after rolling in a pit of junk? You got yourself a Corrupted Guardian."

[Max]

"That can't be the only way to tell them apart, is it?"

[Stripes]

"Actually, no. All three groups have their own unique symbol that represent themselves. Typically it's located on either the chest of the power armor, and on the back of the jumpsuits or Stalker and Agent armor, but they also have flags, even the Corrupted Guardians, despite the flag being whatever scrap of fabric they find and a can of spray paint. The Steel Guardians still utilize the original design. A sword, pointing down with angelic wings coming off the shield behind it and wrapping around the sword. The RCSG have a shield as well, but instead of a sword, it's a hammer with an angled sickle curving around it. It has wings as well, but more machined looking. Sharp and angled coming from the shield. Finally, the Corrupted Guardians live up to their name by corrupting the original design. The sword is pointing up, there's a rather mean looking skull on the shield, and instead of wings, barbed wire wraps the whole thing.

"Now, you might be asking yourself: 'Stripes, that's an awfully descriptive image of their symbols, is that really necessary?'. Is it necessary? No, but it's always best to have something for the more… artistic members of the audience. If you know what I mean. Well, I think this wraps up today's show. Thanks for sticking around for another history lesson! Next After Show we'll have not one, but two special guests, the Valiant Brothers! This is Stripes signing off and remember, I'll be doing everything possible to bring you the cold hard truth, no matter how much it hurts."