And so we now come to the second act! Brace yourselves for one heck of a rollercoaster, and let me tell you: this might just be some of the darkest stuff I've written so far. If you're familiar with the novel, or the Jeff Wayne musical, you can guess the trajectory this is going to take, but hopefully with enough twists and turns to keep you surprised!

Before we begin, I want to extend a big thanks to the readers at ZAA's weekly meeting for going over this, and everybody who has left comments, kudos and favourites!


ACT 2: THE EARTH UNDER THE MARTIANS

CHAPTER 1: THE CONSPIRACIST

While the citizens of Zootopia fled the Martians, me and the honey badger were hiding within The Sett in Badgerburrow, as the Martians built their newest machines just to the north of us. Once again, communication had been cut off with the outside world, so I had no way of knowing what was going on in Zootopia, nor could I get hold of Nick to make sure he was okay or to tell him that I was otherwise fine myself.

The two of us had hidden inside The Sett, which turned out to be a bar of sorts. We could hear the sounds of hammering from nearby. What had to have been hours went by, with neither of us daring to move.

Then a Fighting-Machine appeared to the north. We could see it from one of the windows at the rear. The honey badger immediately shut the blinds. It was a smart thing to do – if the blinds were shut, the Martians couldn't see us.

We stayed inside for the whole day. My company was… odd, to say the least.

"Knew something was going to happen," the honey badger said. "Just didn't expect this."

"Nobody expected it," I replied.

"And that's how they get away with it. That's how those box-eyes plan on scorching mammalkind for the taking."

It took me a moment to wonder what exactly she was talking about. I had never heard the term 'letterbox-eyes' before. But it didn't take long to figure it out, when I looked around. Attached to the walls were posters with anti-sheep images and slogans. So, it stood to reason that 'box-eyes' was a slur referring to sheep.

It was midday the following day when we saw the Martians coming across the fields. I was planning on trying to get out, to continue on with my journey, but the honey badger refused to move.

"This is my home, and there ain't no sheep-summoned titans that'll drive me out," she said.

"They're nothing to do with sheep," I explained, confused. "They come from Mars."

"I saw the signal in the sky," the honey badger countered. "They must have launched it, bringing them over here. Now… if I could just figure out how they were communicating with them…"

I would never doubt my decision to save a mammal, but I had to find this particular mammal. I was starting to clock on to the fact she wasn't exactly normal. My eyes caught a dartboard, and I noticed a photo pinned to the bullseye – a photo of Dawn Bellwether. Two darts pierced the photo.

Any plans I had made for leaving were quickly thwarted when the Martian Fighting-Machines arrived in Badgerburrow, spraying their Black Smoke across the village. We were hemmed into The Sett. Luckily, the honey badger had closed all the windows, preventing the Black Smoke from making its way inside. I peered through the blinds and saw that the fields to the north had been scorched. Red weed crept forward across the blackened ground, quickly taking over from the earthly plants that had originally been there.

Two hours passed, and the Black Smoke cleared. I could now see a clear route of escape, but the honey badger once again refused to move.

"We're safe here," she tried to assure me. "Safe."

I was happy that she was alive, but judging by what I had seen so far, I was sure she could take care of herself. I resolved to leave the honey badger behind and seek food and water before continuing my journey back towards Zootopia. Nevertheless, as I headed for the door, it became clear to her that I meant to go on alone.

"Are you mad?" She asked.

"I'm heading back to Zootopia," I replied. "I… have somebody there I need to get to."

"That fox?" the honey badger frowned. I was taken aback for a moment. Up to this moment, the honey badger had given no indication she had known who I was, but if she knew Nick was my partner, then that meant she knew of me.

"That'll be where these monsters are going," the honey badger continued. "And to think that the one who took down the lead sheep would go right back to the hornet's nest! They're probably waiting for you there!"

I realised that this was one very paranoid honey badger. Somehow, she believed the sheep were responsible for bringing the Martians down on Earth. She didn't realise that they had come for the abundant resources that we had. Didn't know that Mars had basically died, its own resources exhausted, and that this was one last act of desperate survival. The Martians were going to wipe us all from the planet.

"Look, I don't know where you got the idea that sheep are responsible for this," I said, "but these Martians want us all dead. That means sheep too."

"I don't believe that," the honey badger replied. "And I don't believe you, of all mammals, believe it either. You took down the head of the herd, and now they're finally taking their revenge. They'll use these Martians to clear the rest of us away, and then they'll take them down and claim the world as theirs. All the evidence points to it."

I had to resist the urge to slam my paw into my face in exasperation. I have met some seriously odd mammals in my time, and I had also met quite a few who decided we had a 'sheep problem' in the wake of what happened with Bellwether, but this was honestly the first time I had seen the two combined. It was quite the package.

"Look… come with me, or stay here, but I have to get going," I said finally. The finality of my tone must have stirred something within her, because she decided to come with me, after gathering some supplies into a backpack. I did notice that she had a taser and a dart gun in holsters attached to her belt. It made me a little uneasy, knowing that she was armed with things that had zero hope of even working against the Martians, but if it comforted her, I decided to allow it without reprimanding her.

I stepped outside, hoping to find the bike I had borrowed was still there. It was… or, rather, what was left of it was there. It was a disheartening sight, because it made getting back to Zootopia much harder. Luckily there was no sign of the Martians in our immediate vicinity. The next village along the route to Zootopia was Molesey, and after that, we had the woods and the western inlet between us. My hope was to find a new vehicle there, because we definitely would not find it here, now the Martians had been through. And that meant a long walk, with the honey badger trailing behind me. So, I set out.

As I left, I took note that the Red Weed had already crawled its way through Badgerburrow.

"You know this is exactly what they want," the honey badger piped up as we reached the border of the village. "They want us out in the open. Easier to pick us off here."

I would hear many variations of this on our way to Molesey. Honestly, it was starting to drive me mad.

Along the road, we saw the flames heading north towards Wolfsmane Plane and Foxhollow. As night began to fall, we found a group of mammals, all different species, running from the north. Turning towards the direction they had come, I could see the shape of a Fighting-Machine approaching, and I resolved to take cover quickly, before they could find us. There was a house, abandoned and mouldering nearby that I took cover in. The honey badger followed me in, again protesting the futility of trying to make it to Zootopia. Honestly, I was starting to get sick and tired of hearing it. She decided to plant herself there in an apparent refusal to go any further as the Fighting-Machine marched past our hiding spot and towards the south, where the group of mammals had gone.

But my fixed idea of reaching Zootopia would not let me rest, and in the twilight, I ventured out again. I left the honey badger in the abandoned house, but she decided she didn't want to be alone after all and caught up with me. I made my way through field and ditch, towards Molesey, not even daring to stop for sleep.

We reached the village the following morning, and found it creeping with red weed. It must have come from the north, as the fields we had come from Badgerburrow were not touched by it. I chose an inn to rest in, and for the first time, while I could rest, I considered the events of the past few days. I remembered the Martians had not simply annihilated the mammals fleeing from the north. Instead, they were pursuing them, and I realised that the Martians had to have some sort of purpose for mammalkind, beyond simple extermination. I would find out what it was soon enough, but at that time, I was completely lost for what that purpose might be.

Again, though, the honey badger was trying to convince me not to continue my journey.

"Look at this place," she said. "This is just a taste of what waits in Zootopia, if it's even still standing by the time we get there. This is the perfect time for the sheep cabal to establish itself. They'll be waiting for you, itching to capture you, the one who tried bringing them down before. Mark my words…"

"Enough, already!" I hissed back in reply. I was already tired, antsy, and needing rest. I found a bed on the ground floor and sunk into sleep.


After I rested, I meant to start out again, but I noticed that evening had begun to fall. I was ready to go, when what was to cause our imprisonment happened.

A blinding green flash lit the room, followed by an explosive roar. Anything not nailed down leaped from where they stood and crashed into the floor, lit by the green light. The walls buckled, the window became a mere slit, and the ceiling came down on our heads. I was knocked headlong across the floor and stunned. I became insensible for a long while, or so the honey badger told me, until I eventually came to. It was dark again, and the honey badger, who now had blood matted on her head, was wiping me with a wet cloth.

"Wh… what happened?" I asked feebly, making to stand up.

"Don't move," she said, placing the wet cloth against my head. I felt pain from my temple, a bruise becoming apparent.

"Since when did you know first aid?" I wondered.

"Pays to know these things in the face of an oncoming war," the honey badger replied. "Hold that to your head, it'll help."

I placed my paw on the wet cloth as the honey badger busied herself.

"Something crashed into us," the honey badger looked around. "Big, heavy."

A metallic rattling came to us, in short intermittent sounds.

"That!" the honey badger said, when it happened again.

"Yes, but what is it?" I asked.

"A Martian!" She answered. I listened for the sound again.

"Doesn't… sound like the Heat-Ray."

It was a strange situation to be in. Neither of us dared to make a sound. As daytime started to creep in, and we could see from the slit that was all that remained of the window, I saw a Martian standing guard outside in their Fighting-Machine. And upon seeing that, I realised what had happened.

"The fifth cylinder!" I whispered. "It's hit the inn, and we're trapped beneath the ruins!"

The honey badger was silent for a time, taking in the situation. And then she whispered: "Mercy be on us!"

We lay still. The only sounds that came were from outside, the unscrewing of the cylinder lid, the metallic hammering that followed, and the violent hooting of the Martians. We must have been there for many hours before tiredness finally took the both of us.