"So... remind me again what we're doing?" Nick asked Judy.
"Davies is a guest speaker for a conference on autism." Just said while she was dressed like her brother.
"Alright... considering what that guy has accomplished I suppose that's right," Nick noted. "But now to the important question... why are you dressing up like him?"
Then Davies kicked the door in, he was wearing Judy's uniform. "Davies! Use the knob!" Judy said in disbelief.
"Because I have enemies," Davies said, imitating his sister's voice. "The entertainment industry is far more cutthroat then you'd believe. The sheer number of people who'd want my career in the garbage just out of spite for my popularity, and for Anna is obscene."
"Can you think of any specific examples?" Nick asked.
"If you mean specific individuals... all I can really think of is Badgerton," Davies said, still imitating his sister.
"Can you please stop that?" Judy said in exasperation. "And really, you're just being paranoid."
"Only if I'm proven wrong," Davies said. "And besides, I'm absolutely terrified by public speaking."
"But I'm not much better!" Judy said, frustrated with her brother. "There is no way I'm getting on that stage! And pretend to be you!"
XXXX
Judy was on a stage, nervously pretending to be Davies for his speech. "So... this is never going to stop bothering me. But why can you perfectly imitate Judy but she can't do the same with you?"
"That has been a puzzle ever since we were kits." Davies mused. "Though I will give her credit. She's catching my anxiety, perfectly!" He said as Judy stammered. "To be fair though, she's never really been that great at acting. She ever showed you the pageant she was in when she was eight?"
"We watched it all throughout our honeymoon!" Nick said. "Blood, blood! And... death!" He said, mocking his wife's childhood acting. Then without warning, purple gas began filling the auditorium. "What the?... Oh NO!" Nick said in disbelief. "Davies, please tell me that everyone in there is vaccinated against Night Howlers."
"No!" Davies said anxiously. "That's what this whole thing was about! Everyone in there hasn't been vaccinated! THIS IS A PRO-VACCINE CONFERENCE THING! THAT'S ALL I REALLY KNOW, I LET MY ASSISTANT HANDLE THIS!"
"Oh... well this is going to really wild. Really fast." Nick said as he hastily applied a gas mask to his face. "I am so glad these things are standard issue now... they're not comfortable but they at least help with gas." He said, followed by Davies farting in terror. "Case and point." He said as he ran to help his wife.
Judy coughed, as the entire auditorium was filled with Night Howler gas. Turning everyone else into a mix of Savage's, and conduits for the Legion of Night.
XXXX
Eventually, the three of them were outside of the High School were Davies was supposed to be speaking at. Anna was there as well. "Davies... I am so sorry." Anna said, hugging Davies.
"It wasn't your fault," Davies said as he returned the hug.
"Okay look," Judy said, rallying from the shock. "We need to find who was responsible, and work on getting the parents and kids cured... not in that order mind you."
"But who in their right mind would even WANT to try that?" Nick asked, referring to the whole incident.
"Well, it would save innocent people from..." Judy then noticed that her husband was face-pawing. "Or... or it could just be someone who would have access to enough Night Howlers to uh... to drug an entire school." Just said, embarrassed that she didn't catch on to Nick's intended meaning right away.
"I can think of one person who wouldn't mind a whole bunch of-"
"Davies," Anna said. "Just because Badgerton has proven to be a bigot against the disabled. Does NOT mean that he's responsible for this tragedy." She said trying to reassure her boyfriend.
"Lady, I wasted a Saturday afternoon listening to that badger rant about how his career went down the drain," Nick said. "While I agree it would be impossible for an elderly badger living off dwindling royalties, I still wouldn't put it past him. Just to get back at you through Davies... maybe, I'm just spitballing here."
"It could be Draco Long-Fang." Judy speculated. "He would know about the effect of Night Howlers on mammals with autism and other conditions. And he has a motivation." She said.
"Then I will go inside, " Anna said boldly. "Vampires are immune to the effects of Night Howlers. I will see if anyone can be helped." She said as she ran towards the building.
XXXX
Inside of the High School's ventilation system. Steven Badgerton had just released the last of the Night Howler gas. "There, I'm done Mr. Long-Fang." He said into a walkie talkie. "All Night Howler canisters have been released, and every ****** in this building is rambling about escape, and destroying civilization, or is savage. Over."
"And is Davies Hopps among those taken by the Legion of Night? Over." Draco asked.
"I haven't found any trace of that rabbit. He was at the stage when I first set off the gas. But I have not seen hide nor hair of that worthless upstart since. Over." Badgerson said.
"A pity, still I shall uphold my end of our deal. For this deed, I will grant you a position as a writer." Draco said. "And return the career you loved so much to you, that Blackpaw so cruelly denied you. Just make certain that you get out of there alive... and unseen. Over."
"I'll see you again Mr. Long-Fang. Steven Badgerton, over and out." He said as he began to crawl through the ducts... and found a decidedly angry Anna Blackpaw. "M-Ms. Blackpaw!" He said in surprise.
"You know something, Steven," Anna said as she thumped against the metal lining of the vent. "I had hoped that after I took Davies aboard, that you would retire with some measure of dignity and grace. In spite of that terrible excuse of a book that 'Mr. Badgerton's Wee Compendium of Facts, Fun, and Games' turned out to be." She said, concealing her white-hot rage at this development. "I was disappointed in you when I learned that you were bullying Davies. Not even directly, but through intimidating a young goat with Downs Syndrome." She listed. "But this... deliberately gasing a public place, with a substance that is even more dangerous for mammals like him then to neurotypical mammals." She said as her calm veneer cracked.
"How...h-how much did you-"
"All. Of. It." Anna growled. "I heard that Draco Long-Fang has basically offered you a king's ransom to do this." She said venomously. "All out of petty revenge!" She yelled as she grabbed on Badgerson and forced him out of the vent. "You made an entire career out of how revenge can be disastrous, and in over thirty years you never INTERNALIZED THAT!?" She roared as she forced Badgerton to the floor.
"But... HOW ARE YOU NOT GOING SAVAGE!?" Steven screamed in terror.
Anna just looked exasperated with her ex-employee. "There... there is a vaccine for Night Howlers." She said in aggravation.
"But why aren't you coughing?!" Badgerton said panicking.
Anna then took in an unnecessary breath. "Then you do not know?" She asked.
"About what?!" Badgerton responded.
"That all depends," Anna said, as she slowly changed into her monstrous Vampiric form. "Did Long-Fang give context for this?... that he was Vampire? Just like me?" She said ominously. "That we have a history of retribution upon one another? That I gave up my mortality to avenge myself on him for destroying my family except for my AUTISTIC brother and home town over a thousand years ago? How he had dedicated his very being to wreaking revenge on for what I had done?" She asked with an unnatural calm.
All Badgerson did was scream in terror at the sight.
"Not a word I said even pierced that thick head of yours," Anna said in disbelief. Of course, she quickly took note of Savage mammals and conduits of the Legion of Night that heard the scream. "Blast!" She said in frustration as she took hold of Badgerton, and made a hasty escape from the High School.
XXXX
Later on, at Anna's home at Blackpaw Mansion. Badgerton was being interrogated by Nick and Judy.
"So, in short," Nick said as he went over his notes. "After that whole cyberbullying affair. You got a call from Draco Long-Fang. And he offered you a job, and you took it... and you didn't once question why a wolf you never met before in your life. Offered you a fortune to gas a High School with Night Howlers. One where the rabbit you hated most in the world was going to do a speech... and at no point. Did you second-guess the whole thing?" Nick said in disbelief.
"No..." Badgerton said, exhausted from his day-long ordeal.
"I can't believe it..." Judy said, furrowing her brow. "We found a normal mammal whose actually WORSE, THEN DAWN BELLWEATHER!" She said in outrage as she flipped over the table that Badgerton was sitting behind.
"WHOA!" Nick said as he restrained his wife. "Okay, Badgerton! Let me explain what's going on. My wife is livid that you'd put her brother's life in jeopardy. And it took hours... HOURS to clean up your mess. We ran out of Night Howler vaccine halfway through for Reynard's sake!" He said in exasperation.
"I wasn't going to attack him," Judy muttered defensively.
"Yes, you were," Nick said. "We're not playing 'good-cop-bad-cop' here Badgerton... Judy really does want to give you a piece of her mind for your antics."
"Well... you're not wrong," Judy muttered.
"And I'm trying to keep her from killing you," Nick said, then Anna burst into the room. "And I've got my notes." He said nonchalantly as he handed his notepad to the ancient Vampiric bunny.
She looked them over... then she started to chuckle. "Oh... Steven... you are the most broken mortal I have met in years." Anna said as she handed the notepad back to Nick. "Now... let me make this abundantly clear. After I fired you... I gave you multiple opportunities, multiple chances for you to try to find employment. But do you take any of them?" She said, ominously circling Badgerton. "No. Instead, you waste all of your time and energy, harassing a relative child. Just because I gave him your old job, and his work is more popular, and profitable than your work ever was!" She said furiously.
"But I-"
"And then when you're caught. Instead of trying to turn your life around. You throw in your hat with Draco Long-Fang." Anna continued. "The same mammal who orphaned me, and my AUTISTIC, brother! And apparently, your job was to gas an entire High School with Night Howler gas! THE SAME PLANT THAT WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY BROTHERS DEATH!" She roared. "And then... there's the elephant in the room... you've built up your whole career, on themes of revenge. Specifically, on how it's ultimately a hollow affair. Something I agreed with from bitter, personal experience. And I presume... not once, did you internalize the running themes of the books that put your name on the map in the first place." Anna seethed.
Badgerton stuttered. "B-But-"
"I am not interested in excuses," Anna said as she slapped Badgerton across the face. "Now... Nick, Judy? Are your body-cams on?"
"Yes... why does it matter?" Judy asked.
"Both of you, look up at the ceiling, and ignore anything else until I explicitly command it," Anna said using her Vampiric powers to cause Nick and Judy to look up at the ceiling, like turkeys in a storm. "Now listen carefully Steven Badgerson. You have failed, as a writer, and a decent mammal, AND in more ways then I care to list. But most importantly, you have failed ME. Mortal punishment will not suffice for your clear degeneracy. So I will remake you, into an object of pity and scorn to the masses." She said as she took hold of an ice pick. "And as a consequence... you will be unable to tell anyone of what you have learned from me."
XXXX
Later on at Precinct 1. Bogo was vomiting into a trashcan after seeing the footage that was recorded on Nick and Judy's body camera's. Nick, Judy, and Anna were there as well. The married couple looking in disgust, while Anna just looked disappointed. "I am sorry Bogo... but for his crimes, I saw no other viable option," Anna said apologetically.
"Sir, you saw that she used that voice thing of her's to make us not do anything," Nick said.
Eventually, Bogo sat back up. "Okay... did... did you at least get more information AFTER that... gorefest?"
"Not much, he has no idea why specifically Draco wanted him to do what he did. Or where he could be." Judy said.
XXXX
Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location. A gazelle from the High School, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Gazelle. Was bound and gagged, and strapped to a chair. "INJECTION COMMENCING." A robotic voice said. Then a robot arm came down from the ceiling and injected something into the gazelle.
Then the gazelle was released from her chair. "WHAT... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The Legion of Night screamed as it's host was slowly changing into a robot.
"YOU ARE OF INTEREST, ENTITY: LEGION OF NIGHT." The robotic voice said. "WE MEAN TO RESEARCH YOU. TO ANALYZE YOU. AND ULTIMATELY, MAKE YOU SERVE US."
"I WOULD SOONER TAKE OBLIVION OVER BEING A THRALL!" The Legion of Night roared.
Behind a one-way glass pane. Draco Long-Fang was watching. "We have taken an awful risk." He said solemnly. "Not was it an immense pain to get this child in the first place. But none... not the Night Dragons Cabal, not the Tribunal of Night. Nobody has been crazy enough to try to tame the Legion of Night." Draco said as the Legion of Night possessed gazelle finished her robotization. Then the Legion of Night started screaming.
"Patience..." A mechanical voice from the shadows said. "Any beast can be broken. This one will be no different."
"The Legion of Night despises all forms of civilization. And what's more endemic of civilization in this era then it's technology." Draco said. "And by extension, we Vampires for planting the seeds for such devices."
"I KNOW THERE ARE VAMPIRES HERE! WHAT HAVE YOU UNDEAD CREATINES DONE TO THE LEGION!" The Legion of Night roared as it banged against the walls.
"Then I suggest that you give the Legion of Night a wide birth." The shadowed figure said. "All though... my indoctrination programming is not working."
"I WILL FIND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! ALL SHALL FEEL THE WRATH OF THE LEGION OF NIGHT!" The Legion of night roared as it used it's built-in weaponry to try to escape.
"I'm arming the EMP device," Draco said as he typed into a nearby computer.
"You do that if you wish," the shadowed figure said. "I will address it personally." Then it went inside of the Legion of Night's cell.
The Legion of Night charged at the figure. "WHO ARE YOU?! ARE YOU IN LEAGUE WITH THE VAMPIRES?!" The Legion then froze in place.
"Please... calm yourself." The figure said. "I am no Vampire, in fact. I am as much a victim of this atrocity." He said reassuringly as he stepped out of the shadows. "I... am Mulerson. I have been transformed into a robot. Just like you."
"For what purpose mule?!" The Legion of Night demanded.
"I cannot say... but I am here to free you, my dear," Mulerson said.
"I am almost certain this vessel is nowhere near the age of consent. And I am not interested in affection robot!" The Legion of Night said.
"Fair enough," Mulerson said.
Draco looked in disbelief at the security camera footage as Mulerson aided the Legion of Night in 'escaping' from the facility. "Yorrick... this better work... or I will remake you into a suit of armor that I can actually make proper use of." He said as he opened a bottle, and drank the blood inside hastily.