It was a few hours before a Tac-Lifter could bring North from Hope. They had to be careful that King's Guardians didn't track them back here. When he finally arrived, I could tell that he was very confused as to why he was plucked out of town in the middle of the day.

"Carrots? What's going on? I was busy tending my shop when out of the blue, a bunch of these Guardian brutes demanded that I come with them. I tried to tell them they had the wrong ghoul, but then the mayor said it was at your behest."

"I'm sorry for this, but I assure you, it's important. You have that badge on you?"

"Badge? Is that what this is about?"

"Do you?"

"Yes." He pulled it out of a pocket and held it up. "What do you need this thing for?"

"I think it's the key to saving the Guardians." I took it from him and looked it over. It didn't look special, but I gave it to Onion to scan. "Does the name Nicholas Piberius Wilde ring any bells?"

He looked as if he was lost in thought before he finally answered. "I… no, no it doesn't. Why?"

"Because that is who this badge belonged to."

"Miss? I can confirm that there is indeed a small radio frequency identification chip within the badge."

"Wait, I'm carrying around a tracker?" North seemed uneasy.

"Not a tracker. A key. Logan, we have the key. When can we move out?"

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Just got word from Agent Tess that the badge is only part of the key. A special password is needed, and just like the rest of the system, we only have one shot."

"Damn it! North, are you sure you don't remember anything about this? The badge, Precinct One, Officer Wilde?"

"No. I already told you I can't remember anything from my past."

"What about this, Judy Hopps?" Nate walked over to me holding a piece of paper. On it was a gray rabbit in a police uniform. He held it up for North to see.

If he hesitated at the name of Nicholas Wilde, it looks like he was about to have a seizure looking at the picture of this Officer Hopps.

"I-I… I don't know. I feel like I should know, but I just don't know." He seemed sad and disappointed.

"I wish there was some way to unlock your memories. I have a feeling it's going to be very important. If Chief Lazlo doesn't come back, and King's forces grow, it might cause troubles."

"Maybe I can help?"

Tuskgen walked up to us, as if trying to push herself through a thick fog. When it came to tech she was very assertive, but not so much when it came to other mammals. Kinda reminds me of Nate in a way.

"How?"

"Well, there is this place. It's called Memory Lane. It's a pre-war facility, but unlike most, it has been kept in operation this entire time. It's actually rather popular with ghouls like Mister West here who want to know about their past."

"Is it safe?"

"I've never been there, but I've also never heard of anyone complain about it other than remembering why they forgot in the first place."

"North, we need this information and I really do believe you're this Officer Wilde. Will you please help us?"

"What if there was a reason I forgot?" I could tell he was concerned about remembering his past.

"I promise you, as soon as I get the information I need, I'll leave you alone. I don't want to hurt you."

"I… okay. I'll do it for you carrots."

"Thank you. Now Tuskgen, where is this place?"

Memory Lane was located uncomfortably close to the same place I was lured into a false belief that my mother was alive, and where I was… taken. Apparently this entire area was dedicated to relaxation and entertainment facilities, half of which were either brand new or experimental. I did my best to ignore the relaxation facility, and I could tell the others wanted to as well. Mark, Holly, and especially Nate were keeping very close to me, and they too were keeping their eyes away from that building.

Once we got into the Memory Lane building, it was a bit better. All the windows were blacked out so that no one can see in, or out. It also made it very dark until a set of lights turned on, creating a path towards a small desk. Behind it was a young looking raccoon, who was wearing a very frilly pink dress.

"Welcome to Memory Lane, please take a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly." She may have had a very bright and colorful outfit on, but she sounded like she didn't want to be there.

I tried to tell her it was an emergency, but she simply pointed to the seats off to the side. We all took a seat and it was Nate who broke the silence.

"So, exactly why did we take a Tac here and not my APC?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't bring that up." Holly sounded uneasy.

"What happened to it Holly?"

"Well, in a rush to escape the Guardian base, we kinda had to… abandon. It."

"WHAT?!"

The raccoon looked up and gave us a deathly stare before going back to whatever she was doing.

"It's okay Nate."

"No. No, no, no, no, it's NOT okay! You know how long I've been working on that thing! My precious child is in the clutches of that lunatic! Please tell me you at least made sure to lock it!"

"Don't worry Nate, we made sure to sabotage it so they can't use it. Once we free Lazlo and take back the base, she'll be waiting for you."

"Oh, good. So she'll be okay. Thank you."

"Nate, should I be getting jealous or something?" I poked him in the arm.

"Oh, no. No! It's just that…"

"I'm only kidding. I know how you feel. If something ever happened to Onion I'd be the same way. Speaking of which." I turned on my Pip-Boar's communicator. "Onion, you read me?"

While the building was large enough for Jasmine, Zack thought it be best for the two of them to park the Tac-Lifter a bit away as to not be spotted and were keeping an eye on the building just in case anyone followed. I asked Onion to stay with them so that we could stay in touch without risking King intercepting their Guardian frequency.

"I am here Miss. We are rather uncomfortably far from where you are, but Miss Rothschild and Mister Grant say they have a good field of view."

"Good. I doubt anything will go wrong, but it's best to have some backup. I'll keep in touch."

It was nice that Logan had made sure to assign Jasmine and Zack together. I had no idea what type of policies the Guardians had, but I was afraid that the two of them fraternizing would have been against at least one of them. Neither he or Lazlo seemed to mind the couple, and I really do think it's best that she's with someone who cares about her, especially if any Reclaimers tried to show up.

"Ah, good day to everyone."

I looked around but couldn't see where the voice was coming from. Then a small brown bat with graying streaks in a white lab coat fluttered down in front of me.

"What brings you to Memory Lane?"

"Oh, well Doctor…"

"Fink. Doctor Julius Fink."

"Well Doctor Fink, I think my friend here has some trapped memories that we really need to know about."

"Sorry, I don't involve myself in things like that. I only service those mammals who need my help, not those who need their help."

"Doctor, it's important."

"I don't care if the whole world is in jeopardy, I have my reasons."

He fluttered away, leaving me getting very angry. "Damn it! Why the fuck can't someone just help when I ask?!" The raccoon gave me that look again. "I wasn't fucking talking to you!"

"'Livi, calm down."

"How can I calm down when Lazlo could be on his last legs, when King is fucking doing who knows what! I have Legionaries still out there for me, Reclaimers still after Jasmine, and no one can find that fucking boar! Between that and almost losing Nate, for once I just want something to go right!"

Doctor Fink suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "You're Olivia Springs, aren't you?"

"What the fuck do you care?"

"Task? Get the pod ready."

"Yes Doctor Fink." The raccoon got up and left through two large doors.

"Come with me."

The bat led us through the same doors and into a very dark room, darker than this one was. A single light turned on and highlighted a large teardrop shaped container. The raccoon, Task I think he called her, was busy typing into a small computer panel attached to the pod.

"Why the change of heart?"

"Not too long ago a group of Guardians shut down Wild Times. My sister had been taken by them and sold to who knows what vile mammal a few years ago. I haven't seen her since, but I have hated that place. I wanted to do something, but I am small, and I am not a survivor or a fighter. I have no place out in that world. I think of her every day and wonder if she is still alive somewhere."

"But why help?"

"Because it was you, or rather your capture that lead to Wild Times getting shut down. I don't know why no one ever stepped in to do it before, but when I heard it was all because of some rabbit, I told myself that I would thank her. I don't know what they did to you, and I don't want to know, but thank you."

"You're welcome, although that doesn't help your sister, does it?"

He sighed. "No, it doesn't, but it does mean that no one will have to worry about that place ever again."

"There are still slavers out there."

"Yes, but they are scattered, and I have a feeling if more mammals like yourself step up in the world, maybe they will cease to exist entirely. I know about your deeds. I wanted to see if you even survived that place, and in doing so, I learned of all the good you have done."

"I try, but it's harder than you think."

"I have seen things, rather, seen it through other mammals to know how hard it really is, and most eventually succumb to the difficulties, but you haven't, at least not yet. There is only so much a single mammal can handle."

"That's what my friends are for."

"Yes, friends. Another rarity in this world. Forgive my sentimentality. You have a reason coming here, don't you?"

"My friend here has information I need. Chief Lazlo, the leader of the Guardians, the one who also was in charge of shutting down Wild Times, is in trouble and we think my friend has the information we need to save him."

"That just makes this twice as important, doesn't it? Yes, I can help you. Task? Open the pod."

The top of the pod slowly opened as a portion of the lower half folded out small steps. Inside there was a chair and a bunch of small screens and flashing lights. Task came over and led North to the pod. He gave me a look of uncertainty, but straightened up when he saw me, and took a seat in the pod.

"It won't hurt, will it?" North was still a bit hesitant.

"No, well physically it won't. I can't say the same for any repressed memories."

"How does this work Doctor?" I wanted to make sure North was safe. I didn't want to put the life of one mammal ahead of the life of another, no matter how important Lazlo was.

"Rather simple really. A small gas causes the user to sleep while small nano filaments harmlessly find their way into the memory regions of the brain. Now, this is a two mammal experience. The user's mental facilities are too weak to unlock their own memories, so another has to guide them."

"How do I do that?"

"'Livi, why you?"

"I'm the one who asked North to do this, so I need to take responsibility for whatever may happen."

"Sit here."

Task pulled up a small chair with a large computer attached to it. I sat as she placed a small device on my head. I heard the noises of a computer warming up, and started to feel warmth where the device physically touched me.

"What will happen is you will be put into a controlled coma. Don't be afraid. It will not hurt you in any way, and as soon as the machine is turned off, you will wake remembering everything that happened. I have a monitor here for your friends to watch."

"I still don't understand."

"Well, Olivia Springs, you will be going into his memories."

"Wait, what? How is that even possible?"

"Well, a mammals brain is very similar to a computer, in the fact that electrical currents help to bring data back and forth. Who ever created this technology simply found a way to hijack those currents and share them with another, allowing for the 'hijacker' to create a representation of themselves in the memories of the user. I will explain more when you are inside."

"She will be safe, right?" I could tell that Nate was getting a bit worried himself.

"Yes. I have never had any negative physical or mental repercussions from use of the machine. I can't, however, guarantee that what she experiences won't emotionally affect her."

"You have no idea what I have been through Doctor, I think I can handle whatever is in North's brain."

"If you insist. Task, initiate system. Olivia, you will start to feel sleepy, don't fight it, just let it come. If the rest of you will follow me, I will show you the monitoring area."

I started to feel tired, but I didn't fight it. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting away. My head felt weird, as if it was trying to swim away from my own mind. It didn't hurt, but it didn't feel normal. Suddenly there were flashes of light that would have blinded me if my eyes weren't already closed. They got brighter and faster until all I could see was light.

"Open your eyes Olivia."

"Who is that?"

"It's Doctor Fink. I can talk directly to you, but you are in full control of your actions. Open your eyes."

I slowly opened them, the blinding light hurting.

"Open them fast, you can't hesitate."

Three. Two. One. Open. The blindness faded as soon as my eyes started to focus. Everything was hazy, but it wasn't my eyes. The world seemed… off. Like I was watching it through an old monitor. I looked at my arms, and legs. It looked like me, and it felt like me. Everything else felt… wrong.

"You are probably feeling as if you don't belong. It's natural. Your mind is now connected with his. Now, listen to me very carefully. While I told you this thing is safe, there are still rules. Rules that if you do not follow, you can risk damaging his or your mind. I didn't tell you before simply because it's hard to understand. Now, take a look around, what do you see?"

In front of me was a street. On that street were houses of all shapes, sizes, and colors. They seemed to go on for miles down either direction. Behind me was simply empty. No buildings, no streets, nothing but grass.

"Houses. A ton of them."

"Yes. Welcome to Memory Lane. Every house is a representation of a memory. Inside you will be able to relive the memory associated with it as if you were a fly on the wall. You don't have to worry about messing up anything, because to the memory, you don't exist. Now, for the rules. Behind you should be a field of nothingness. Whatever you do, NEVER go there. That is the void of the brain where new memories take residence. If you get lost out there, your mind will fuse with his, and you will become nothing more than a memory to him. I have seen it happen before, it isn't pretty."

"So avoid the empty field. Easy enough."

"The next rule. Only go in and out the front door, no matter what. Trying to go down the alleys between the houses, or trying to enter through back or side doors will only corrupt that memory. Once you are inside, you will start to experience the memory, and you can leave at any time. There will always be a small door that you, and only you can see. That is your only exit. Now for the last one. You cannot be inside a memory when you are disconnected. There is a failsafe that if your physical body is disconnected, your mind will remain within that memory until you leave it. You can only return to your own body outside a memory."

"What if I don't?"

"Corrupted memory and you die."

"Oh. You will warn me before disconnecting right?"

"Yes, of course. And this place has redundant backup generators, so a power failure isn't anything to worry about either."

"Good, you had me worried."

"Just making sure you have no surprises. Now, before I let you off to explore, I need to tell you about the doors. There are two types of memories. Active, and Inactive. The active ones, as you might guess, are the ones the user can call up at any time. For a ghoul these are usually post ghoulification memories. I can track these and mark them with a large X to indicate that they are active. Since you are looking for an inactive one, this can help avoid unnecessary trips. The inactive ones are different. They are locked and I can't track them until you unlock them."

"So what, do I have to find a key or something?"

"Sort of. While the memory is not active to the user, there are always traces of it leaking out. You need to find that trace, and that will serve as the key. It is always an object, something that has meaning to the memory. Now, every time you unlock a memory, you are not just unlocking it for you to see, but the user will now remember it when he wakes. That is why I told you that there might be emotional reactions. There are some memories best left forgotten, but you may wind up unlocking them."

I didn't like that. What if something traumatic happened in the past and that's why North forgot? I don't want him to have to experience that pain all over again. Part of me wanted to abort this, to find some other way, but if North didn't want his memories to come back, he wouldn't have agreed, would he?

"Are you ready, or do you want to quit? There's no shame in calling it quits."

"Yes there is. I'm ready."

"Okay, so just to prepare you for what to expect, I have marked a recent memory for you. Find it and open the door. Then, you can search the inactive ones."

I could see in the distance that a door started to shimmer. That must be the one he was talking about. I walked up to it and put my paw on the handle. It felt real in my paw, as if I really was about to open a door. I took a deep breath and turned the handle and walked in.

I had been expecting the inside of a house, but instead I walked into the trader area of Hope. I looked behind me and saw that the door was still there, it's edges glowing. This, was odd. It looked like I was in Hope, It felt like I was in Hope. I started to move until I heard a very familiar voice.

"North's Western Emporium is now open! Come get your knick-knacks, your odds and ends, find things you never knew you couldn't live without!"

It was North. He was standing on a ladder and shouting as loud as his raspy voice could allow him. I had hoped to see a line of customers at his booth, but it was empty. Mammals kept walking past him, not giving him the time of day. He kept rattling off different merchandise that he had, but no one even stopped to look.

I walked up to him, and was nearly trampled by an elephant. When he just walked right through me made me remember that I wasn't even here. I started to feel bad. He promised to go straight, but he was probably making less caps than he did as a hustler. Then someone walked up to him.

"Another bad day?"

"Yeah Letty. I keep casting but no one is biting."

It was Letty Oswald. The ocelot that made Nate go berserk. I had forgotten all about her. She was dressed in a bright purple dress that seemed to shimmer as the light hit it. She also seemed sad.

"Tell me about it. Only sold two drinks. The way Jeremy talked about Nyte Lyfe, I figured there would be mammals bursting down the door to buy drinks. Sure, I can draw a crowd when I sing, but when it comes to making drinks? I think I've spilled more booze than I've sold."

"Wish I could help you with that, but I was never really a drinker myself."

"Yeah, I know. But there's always one thing that cheers me up."

I saw her eyes start to sparkle nearly as much as her dress. I followed her sight and it ended upon Mayor Swift who was talking to a few traders. Letty's eyes looked as if they were stalking the mayor.

"Why don't you just tell her?"

"After what happened with Olivia? No way, don't want to risk another embarrassment on my part. Plus what if she rejects me, and worse, kicks me out? It's bad enough I'm already behind on my payment to Jeremy. I can't go back to living on my own."

"You'll never find anyone at this rate kitty."

"Stop calling me kitty. I'm a grown woman."

"You sure don't act like it. Gonna go hit up the other traders, see if I can find something worth selling. See you around."

Letty and North parted ways. I felt bad. North couldn't sell anything, and Letty was having troubles with both the bar and her personal life. I really am unsure if Mayor Swift is the best girl for her to be after, but from what she told me, the mayor does fit the bill. I'll have to find a way to help both of them when I'm done.

I turned and found the door. Once outside, I was back on the street.

"That was a bit of a trip Doctor."

"That's why I always try to make sure someone starts out easy. You are on your own. We will be monitoring your progress, just let me know when you are ready to leave."

"Sure thing."

There were so many houses that it was hard to know where to go. I picked a direction and started to walk. The first few houses had the X on it, so I knew it would be pointless to check on that. Two more houses down and I stopped in front of an unmarked door. I tried the handle but it was locked. Doctor Fink said there would be some object nearby, but what did he mean by that?

I started to look around, remembering not to go down the alley between the houses. I kept looking around until I heard something. It sounded like a flag blowing in the wind, but there was no wind out here. I traced the sound until I saw something red stuck onto the awning of the house. It kept moving, but there was no wind to make it. I finally was able to reach it and pulled it down. It was a red neckerchief. It had a dark line embroidered around the edge, with a diamond shape on the back. The Doctor said an object related to the memory would be the key, but this was just fabric, how could it…

Suddenly it started to glow, but faintly. I dropped it, not knowing what was going on. The non-existent wind blew it closer to the house as it's glow increased. I carefully picked it up again, and brought it to the door. The closer I got, the more it glowed. When I finally reached the door, it floated up, as if some magic paw was lifting it, until it flashed and a red key dropped to ground. I picked it up. It felt warm, alive. It wanted me to use it. So I did.

The key fit perfectly and I heard the door unlock. I put my paw on the handle and opened it. Inside I was transported… outside? It was nighttime and I was standing in front of another building. The large glass windows in the door were lit, with the numbers Twenty-Three Eighty-Nine above it. To the left of the door was a sign that read: Zootopia Junior Rangers Troop 914. I heard noise inside, and since this was the only building with a light, I decided to enter.

At first it sounded like the joyous laughing of children. I followed it down into the building's basement. The light at the bottom suddenly turned off. I heard rustling noises and what sounded like a faint scream followed by crying. I knew this was a memory but I had to find out what was going on, I had to try to help. When I got down there, I saw a group of mammals, all prey, surrounding a… fox. The kit looked to only be eight, or nine years old, but he had a muzzle on his face. Who the hell muzzles a child?

Suddenly the fox jumped up and ran, right through me, and up the stairs, crying. I chased after him and back outside. He finally stopped as he scraped at the muzzle trying to get it off. When he finally did he threw it and started to cry. I wanted to comfort him, I really did, but my words went unheard, and my comforting paw went right through him. Was this… North?

It didn't have what I needed, so I turned around and left, but the feeling of what I saw didn't leave. This must be what the Doctor said about the emotional aftereffects. I had to be strong, to make sure that I could keep going. I had to find the answer. I opened the door.

The next few doors were disappointments. One was of a much older fox, one that looked a lot like the picture that I got off of the ZPD personal files. However, instead of a police uniform, it was a green button up shirt and brown khakis, with a blue tie. I think this is the outfit that North was wearing right now. Two hundred years without a good cleaning, no matter it looks like crap.

The fox was simply selling frozen pawpsicles to a bunch of rodents in black suits. Didn't seem very special to me so I left. The next place showed a much younger fox, which told me that these houses were not in any chronological order. That made it very hard, and frustrating, to find what I needed. This one showed a teenage North slinking around what looked like an outdoor movie theater. It was late at night and there was a movie being projected onto a very large screen. There were tons of cars parked, all facing the screen and there was North sneaking between the cars.

Since by now I knew that I couldn't interact with the memories, I took a shortcut, right through the cars. When I finally caught up to him, I saw that he was picking up dropped candy, and popcorn, and any other once edible trash on the ground. What the heck was he doing? Was he poor and trying to scrounge to survive?

I followed him as he did this for another twenty minutes before he finally left, unseen except by me. Outside the theater there was a van, with its side door open. Standing in the door was a tiny fennec fox who was handing out buckets of stuff to a crowd, taking a few dollars for each bucket. I followed North behind the van and saw exactly what he was doing. He was taking scrap food and reselling it to passerby on the sidewalk! That was disgusting. I really hope the reason he repressed it was because he was ashamed of it. If not, I'll have to make sure I take a nice hard look at his wares in Hope.

I finally found a door that looked promising. It opened up into a small apartment. Small was an understatement too. Inside were two mammals, both dressed in police uniforms. First was North, and the other was the same gray rabbit from the files. That must have been his partner.

"So Nick, are you sure you want to go through with this?" They must have just gotten in, because she was taking off her jacket.

"Yeah. Though I wish you would have told them first."

"I'm sorry, it keeps coming up but then I just… freeze. They know I have a boyfriend, and they know I work with him, but they don't know that you're…"

"A fox?"

"Yeah. You're not mad, are you?"

"If I said yes you'd just get all mopey again. Why are you so nervous about telling them? Don't they work with a fox?"

"Yeah, and you're a lot like Gideon too. Both of you were a pain in my tail."

"Har-har Carrots. I'm the more handsome of the two though. Right?"

"Well I know some females who are attracted to a mammal with a bit of chub to them."

"Guess I'll be joining Clawhauser at the Big Donut more often then. Though I may want to get a bigger uniform."

"Very funny Mr. Wilde."

"You're the one who said it. But seriously. Don't you think it'll be a bigger shock me showing up without them knowing, than if you just told them ahead of time? If they don't like it, then we can postpone it."

"I already promised I would help them at this year's festival. That's the whole reason I sent in for vacation time. I just really want you to be there with me."

"Then tell them."

"Yeah. You're right." She pulled out a small device, a cell-phone, something that I've only read about in my books.

"Wait, you're doing it right now?"

"If I don't, I'll just freeze again. Hi, mom? Dad there? Actually I wanted to talk to you both. It's about… my boyfriend."

This is definitely not what I needed, and while this is only a memory, I felt like I was intruding on something way too personal. I snuck out, feeling like the one unwanted guest. Then it hit me as I left the memory. It was a rabbit, and a fox. Together. It was just like Nate and I, just like Holly and Mark. Could North be… no, it'd be too big a coincidence. Then again, coincidence seems to be my middle name.

Three more doors and they were all a bust. One of them I left nearly as fast as I entered. It seems that Nick and Judy were just as… passionate as Nate and I. That's one door best left for him, not me. It felt like I was never going to find the right door. I kept getting close though. More and more of them were of him in a police uniform. There was one where he was receiving his badge, another where he and Judy were chasing down an elephant causing panic over in some park, and another of him being yelled at by a buffalo that kinda looked like a younger Lazlo.

Finally, I think I found what I wanted. The door lead me to the office of the same buffalo, but this time he was much older. I could see his fur starting to gray, but just like Lazlo, he still held himself strongly. Nick and Judy were sitting in front of his desk.

"As you two know, we're in the middle of one of the biggest crises that we have ever seen. Mammals are afraid of each other, parts of Zootopia are facing riots and aggression, and the mayor is on my ass to try to keep the peace. That's why I'm forming a special unit. The Steel Guardians."

"Steel Guardians sir?"

"Yes. We've commissioned suits of armor called Exo-Armor from SwineCo. They've also been generous to aid in the construction of an underground bunker designed to store these. That bunker will be located directly below Precinct One."

"Why are you telling us this sir?"

"Because, you Officer Hopps, and your partner, are two of the best mammals we have ever had. I'm personally offering you a place in the ranks of the Steel Guardians."

"Thank you sir, but I'll have to respectfully decline your offer."

"But you want to protect this city, right? What better way to do it than being its shield."

"With all due respect sir, I want to be a shield for the citizens, but not like that. I've seen some of those designs, and they scare me. I think they would also scare the average citizen too, seeing walking tin cans roaming the city. We need to instill peace within their minds, not cause them to wonder when the next attack will be, if it even ever comes. We still don't know who is responsible. That's why I decline your offer. Sir."

"What about you Officer Wilde?"

"I would like nothing more than to have some fancy weapon straight out of a sci-fi movie, but I'm with carr… Officer Hopps. I think seeing these uniforms will be so much more settling than those. I've already seen the reactions to the mayor bringing in the military to parts of the city, and it has not been well received."

"Here." The buffalo slid two small boxes towards the fox and the rabbit.

"What are these?"

"Your new badges."

"But we already have badges Sir."

"These are special. I had a feeling you would turn down my offer Officer Hopps, but I had these made despite my suspicions. They look exactly like your old ones, but have a special chip inside, encoded to the bunker's access. You two have permission to come and go as needed. Once it's fully built, I expect you to at least take a look. Otherwise, this will be the last time you hear from me about it."

"Thank you sir."

"One last thing. To prevent unauthorized access, you will also need to provide a pass-code." He slid them a small device with a keypad. "Scan your badge and enter whatever code you want."

Judy did it first, but I didn't care about hers. When it was his turn however, I watched very closely. 0-N-L-Y-1-C-A-R-R-0-T.

"It's something you'll remember, right Wilde?"

"Trust me, I'll never forget it."

I finally had what I needed. Between that badge and that code, I'll be able to get us into that bunker and rescue Lazlo and his men, then we can take back their headquarters and finally be back to where I should be, finding out who ever was after me. I knew that should be priority, but I can't help but to help others.

"You got what you needed?" The voice of Doctor Fink echoed around me.

"Yeah, I'm ready… wait, hold on." I spotted something bright on the lawn in front of the next house.

"What is it Olivia?"

"Not sure, I think it's…" I walked over to it and picked it up. It was a carrot. A plastic carrot. It looked just like the… it started to glow. "One more house. Then I'll be ready."

"But you found what you needed, right?"

"Yeah, but something is telling me I need something else. Just, hang on a moment."

Just like the other objects, the carrot started to glow brighter as I got closer to the door, and just like the other ones, it turned into a key once I got close enough. I don't know why I was doing this when I already had what I came here for, but something deep inside me told me I had to.

Inside the door was something very familiar. It was a giant door, a Burrow door, and on it was the number: Seventy-Six. It was my Burrow, and there, sitting on the ground in front of it was Nick, dressed in his green and brown outfit, but the tie was torn, just like North's.

"Please answer carrots! Please!"

He had a phone in his paw, but eventually got aggravated and tossed it against the door. He was crying.

"Damn it carrots! Why did you have to do this alone? If you had just waited one more hour…"

He put his back to the door and just slid down.

"One more hour. I… do you even know?" I saw him pull out the same carrot shaped recorder from a pocket, the same one that I found, centuries later. "Carrots, it's me, Nick. I told you to wait, your test results came back, it worked carrots, you're… pregnant. Your gonna be a mommy, hell, I'm gonna be a dad. I never imagined myself as father material. I wonder what they'll look like? Will they have your gray fur or my reddish? I always loved your eyes, I hope they have that at least."

He threw the carrot onto the ground.

"Gah! I can't open up like that. Damn it carrots! Why did you have to go and get yourself locked in there. Thirty years. You said these things would be closed thirty years. Can I wait? No, I can wait. I will wait. But just in case…

He picked it up again, and I heard the noise of it rewinding.

"I tried to make it in time Carrots, I really did."

He was doing the recording that I found. This was the moment he said his goodbyes to his love, not realizing that she would never hear it. I felt myself tear up at the thought. What if something like that happened to me? What if Nate lost me and never knew that he would never see me again? What if I lost him?

"Olivia, you need to get out of there, now!"

The ground started to shake. I looked at Nick, but from his reaction, or lack thereof, it wasn't happening in the memory. "What's going on?"

"The brain, it's spiking! You need to get out of there now! I'm pulling the plug. Hurry!"

I turned and ran. The door was nearby, and I got to it within seconds. I turned to open it but a flash of light caught my attention. In the distance, I saw the familiar image of a nuclear explosion. The light was getting brighter as dust and debris started to flood the area. This, this was the moment. The moment Nick lost his girl, the moment he lost himself. This is when Nick Wilde, became North West.

I left the memory and got ready to leave, but then I heard slamming noises. They were coming from all over. I looked towards the houses. Every single house as far as I could see, all of their doors were flying open. Both active and inactive, ones I had visited and ones I never got to. All of them were opening, and violently.

"Pull me out, now!"

I opened my eyes. I felt as if my lung had emptied as I gasped for air.

"I thought you said it was safe Doctor!" Holly was mad.

"It is! I have never seen anything like this happen before and I've seen hundreds of mammals do this!"

"What the hell happened?" I finally caught my breath enough to speak.

"I don't know. It seems that something triggered every memory to open, all at once. The stress that would do to a mammal's brain… Task! Get him out of there now!"

Task ran over to the machine and fanatically hit the keyboard. Seeing her look like this made me worry. A lot. A hissing noise occurred as the pod slowly opened. Out fell North, looking barely alive. We all ran over to him and helped him up.

"He's alive. Task! Bring me the med kit."

"W-what…"

"Don't speak, you just got a massive memory overload."

"I-I… I remember. Everything."

"Good, your cognitive functions are still there. How are you feeling otherwise?"

"I remember. EVERYTHING."

"You said that already."

"No, you don't understand! I spent decades trying to forget these things, and now you bring them back to me, for what? Some fucking password to help a mammal I don't even know! I wanted to forget, but now I remember!"

"North… Nick!" I wasn't even sure what to call him now.

"Leave me alone. You got what you wanted. Happy?"

"Please, I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, but you did. I hope it was fucking worth it."

Nick jumped up and ran out of the building. I went to chase after him but felt a paw on my shoulder hold me back. It was Holly.

"Leave him. We saw what you saw. He's just as broken as us, but I have a feeling that right now, him being alone is just as good as us being there for you."

"B-but I didn't… if I had known I wouldn't…"

"You said it yourself 'livi, saving Lazlo is critical to many things. We need to choose between someone we can help, and someone who might not even want to be helped."

"Y-your right…"

I hated when she was right. Nick didn't want help, North didn't want help, but Lazlo did. I needed to help him, but afterwards, I'll find that ghoul and I'll do anything I can to make it up to him. I wonder if there even is something that can.

"Umm, not to add more to this than there already is, but if Judy and Nick had a kid, and Nick is North, and the pregnant Judy was trapped in the same Burrow you're from Olivia. Do you think that…"

"What are you talking about Mark?"

"I think… he's your ancestor."

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! So that was a pretty interesting chapter, was it not? I really do hope that this answers the burning questions that everyone has had. Yes, it will most certainly bring up other ones, and some of them will be answered later on, but sadly, not all of them probably will, at least not in the actual chapters. There is always the After Shows and comments.

"I want to start off by saying that Max and I are fine. We were discharged from the Guardians temporary base…"

[Max]

"You mean you got thrown out and had to drag me out of there."

[Stripes]

"Discharged sounds so much more pleasant, but suffice it to say, we have recovered nicely, although this cast is really itching. How long do I have to have this stupid thing on again? Now, I wasn't planning on doing this specific After Show today, feeling it was way too soon, but Max thought that it would be a good time, so here is Mister North West… or should I say, Nick Wilde? I'm not sure how I should address you now, is there a preference?"

[Max]

"Whoa! Don't you throw me under the bus on this one. I want nothin' to do with that memory place! NOTHIN'! you got me?"

[Stripes]

"Whoa there Max, no need to get your fur all riled up. Do I want to know? Yes, I kinda do, but not today. I think we will have our hooves and paws full today."

[Nick]

"You? What are you… I'm really not in the mood for this, zebra."

[Stripes]

"I know you had a rough time recently with all of your past suddenly flooding back all at once, but I've heard that talking about your problems is often very therapeutic."

[Nick]

"Therapy? You know how long I spent trying to forget my past? I spent decades trying to erase the memories of the love I lost, the city I lost, the life I lost. When I finally forgot, I felt happy again."

[Stripes]

"Did you really? I don't believe for a second that memories like that can ever be truly forgotten, no matter how much time passes. You must have had glimpses, or even feelings of your past even after forgetting."

[Nick]

"I… you're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

[Stripes]

"It is my duty as a reporter to uncover everything I can, no matter what lengths I have go through to do so, so no, I will not. Not this time."

[Max]

"You aren't a reporter Stripes… You've never BEEN a reporter. I swear… I swear! You just… ARGH!"

[Nick]

"Fine. Grab a seat, I don't think I wanna stand for this. So, what do you want to know?"

[Stripes]

"First things first. Why did you want to forget everything? You cared for Judy so very much, why try to forget that feeling?"

[Nick]

"It's… complicated. You ever lose someone you love?"

[Stripes]

"Yes, but it wasn't a death, and looking back I don't believe they ever really cared for me the same way I did for her…"

[Nick]

"Yeah, well I did lose mine and she did care for me as much, if not more than I did for her. You know what the worst part was? She never died, at least I don't think she did at first. She was trapped behind a door I couldn't open, and for all I knew, she thought I was dead and I might as well have been. You think she would have wanted me back after turning into… this?"

[Stripes]

"If she really loved you that much, then I don't think outward appearances would have changed that. I can say this however, she lived a long life. She even had a kid, but I'm sure you knew that. We all heard that recording."

[Nick]

"How did you…"

[Stripes]

"I know more than you can possibly imagine, but if I told you how, you would never believe it. Believe this however, while she did not live the best life in the Burrow, she lived a safe life. She gave birth to a rabbit, but a rabbit that had your genes within him. She raised him to in turn have kits of his own, and so on. You're blood even lives on to this day, but I'm sure you have felt that, haven't you?"

[Nick]

"I… did she… did Judy ever… forget?"

[Stripes]

"No, she didn't Till the day she died, she remembered. Unfortunately, your legacy was lost through the generations, otherwise, things might have turned out differently."

[Nick]

"I… I…"

[Stripes]

"Take your time. I know ghouls can't cry, at least not physically, and this is a lot for you to take in. I'm not heartless, despite what Max says. When you are ready to continue, let me know."

[Nick]

"I… I think I am… go on."

[Stripes]

"Now that you remember, how will this affect your present life?"

[Nick]

"I have a business to run in Hope. I can't just give up everything due to memories. Before I met Judy I was lost, even if I didn't believe it, I was never truly happy. Ever since I was a kit, I wanted to make a difference in the world but with everyone's view on foxes, it was nearly impossible so I resorted to do what everyone expected of me. After meeting Judy it changed. I had meaning, I had the ability to actually make a difference in other mammals lives. I was happy. Happier then I ever was. When I lost her, even after losing my memory, I was never that happy again, because I never had a real purpose. In Hope, I have that purpose again. Sure, not everyone likes ghouls, and foxes are still looked down upon, even there, but I am starting to create a pretty lucrative business there, and I even have help. I will need a few days to take all of what happened in, but in the end, I think I will stick around in that town."

[Stripes]

"I'm glad to hear it. Goods and services will always be needed, no matter how desperate the times are."

[Nick]

"And I am not even trying to scam anyone anymore! Wait, this isn't live, is it?"

[Stripes]

"It is actually. Don't worry, the mayor kinda has it out for me, so maybe that means none of them are listening… you might wanna think about some kind of sale or customer incentive however, just in case."

[Nick]

"Um… I was just kidding about that whole scam thing. It's the stress…"

[Stripes]

"Yeah… so I wanna ask. You are a fox, and a ghoul, yet people in Hope aren't trying to drive you out like some other foxes we both know. Why is that?"

[Nick]

"Well, I may be a fox but most of my species' features are kinda, well, rotted away, so maybe people don't see a fox? Plus, the mayor has been really kind towards me, even if it is just due to our mutual friend Olivia Springs. She has also gotten through to many of Hope's residents and not all of them seem to be as opposed to foxes, or even giraffes after one helped to save the town from those Red-Neck bastards. Although at least five families have moved out, but they were some of the most speciest mammals there, so no loss."

[Stripes]

"It's always hard to see a town lose citizens, but if they are against expansion and equality, then good riddance. So, you and Miss Oswald have been getting close. Anything going on?"

[Nick]

"Who? Letty? No! Yeah, she's a cute girl but I'm centuries older than her. I'm not even sure anyone would want a ghoul for a boyfriend, and she's kinda… involved already. With the mayor, but don't tell anyone that."

[Stripes]

"We're live, remember? Plus, from what I've heard, they're not exactly secretive about it."

[Nick]

"Well, crap."

[Stripes]

"Well, let's see, Max, you have any questions for our guest?"

[Max]

"Why… Why would you EVER agree to goin' into somethin' so god damn stupid as that memory hell? I… I GET Olivia Needed your help. I get that and I'd do what I could to help her too. But… Those places they're… Why?"

[Nick]

"I… I owed her. I had was a real jerk to her from the moment I met her. Ever since my life got 'renewed' as a ghoul, I really did not care what others thought of me as long as I was able to make a few caps. After Olivia, I… things seemed different. Meeting her, getting a hold of those coins, especially the one with Judy and myself printed on them…"

[Stripes]

"Wait, you mean the Treasures of Zootopia? Those were your images on them?"

[Nick]

"Yup. It was supposed to be some sort of publicity thing. The mayor, the pre-war Zootopia mayor, not Mayor Swift that is, wanted to sell them as the coins of Zootopia's heroes and use the profits to help fund the war effort. A few sets were made, but they never made it to mass production before everything… ended. Anyways, I think they triggered something in me, something that I knew I had forgotten, but had no idea what or why. Ever since then I felt… different. Yes, I felt that I owed her something, but I think a part of me wanted to know more about those feelings. I just wasn't prepared for what they actually were."

[Stripes]

"If you could do it all over again, Memory Lane that is, with what you know now, would you have still gone through with it?"

[Nick]

"No. Well, maybe. I really don't know. Those feelings they… they hurt, a pain worse than anything I have ever felt, at least since that day that I… If you asked me that after it had been done? I would have said hell no. Now that it is all starting to settle? I…"

[Stripes]

"You don't have to continue. I can see you are still trying to recover. I do have one last question for you however, and please, take your time answering it. While I don't want to keep bringing up what happened with you, I'm sure that many of our listeners have either gone through similar losses as yours, or know mammals who have. Any words of advice to them?"

[Nick]

"Never forget. I've learned that now. Yes, it may be hard to live with such a loss, and many might even give up, but don't. Don't forget, and don't give up. Life may not get better, I know that I am still no where near as happy as I was when Judy was alive, and I doubt that I will ever be, but life goes on. While it still hurts, forgetting I think hurt even more and I admit you will never truly forget, no matter how hard you try. If I could go back and start over, I would have remembered her, remembered us, and never forgotten. Pain should never last, but memories, they should be treasured forever."

[Stripes]

"Thank you for the parting words Mister Wilde. Well, that's all the time we have today folks. If you have any questions regarding events that happened this chapter, please don't hesitate to ask. Until next time, take care everyone!"