-Good Morning Zootopia! And welcome to ZNN! I'm your News Anchor, Fabienne Growley and with me today is my Co-Anchor, Peter Moosebridge!
-Thank you, Fabienne! And we got some breaking news this morning; last night, there was an explosion at an abandoned laboratory in the Rainforest District! News reports have stated that there were a few casualties in the massacre. Although, rumors are saying that the victims were believed to be scientists from Alphasun Industries.
-However, these said rumors have yet to be confirmed by the CEO of Alphasun himself, Mr. Oscar Burnell!
-The grizzly bear will be holding a conference at his company today! In which, he will be unraveling a 'Secret Project' that will up the ante within Zootopia's scientific division. ZNN will keep you posted as today's events go into fruition.
-And with that, we are signing off. I am Fabienne Growley!
-And I'm Peter Moosebridge!
-From all of us here at ZNN, have yourselves a wonderful day!
It was an awkwardly quiet morning in the Nyani household. After the fallout from a few days ago, things have been a bit tense between the teenage hyena and his family. Jamal was drinking a cup of tea while listening to the radio, Imara was eating smoked tuna while reading a BarkFeed article on her phone, Angie was fixing herself a cup of coffee before heading off to her first job, and Taj kept his head down while eating a bowl of cereal. Jamal looked over at his grandson and soon began to contemplate whether to say something to him or just leave him alone.
"Well," whispered Imara. "Here's your chance Jamal. Talk to him.
"I-I don't know…" Jamal stuttered. "He's been giving me the silent treatment for the past few days. I think he hates me now,"
"Oh hush you!" Imara exclaimed as she smacked her husband on the shoulder. "Taj loves you! And you know it. Besides, he's a teenager. They all have their angsty moments."
"And they can hear you talking about them," Taj says as he raised his left eyebrow and keeps the focus on his cereal. "But, grandma's right about one thing, I do love you and I'm sorry for how I acted a few days ago." He gets up from his seat and walked over to his grandparents to give them a big hug. "I know I'm still grounded, I need to do better, and no more stealing."
"Good," said Angie as she took a sip of her coffee. "Now finish up your breakfast and get your stuff together before you be late for school!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Taj lightly chuckled as he went back to finish eating cereal.
Jamal and Imara smiled at their grandson as they're glad that all of the tension and heated anger from a few days ago has melted away. However, this may be the last time that any kind of happiness will come to or from this family of hyenas.
I remember every morning after breakfast, mom would drive me to school before she went to work. I always thought it was convenient and I didn't have to worry about catching some dingy school bus, but in actuality, my mom was afraid of me getting into fights with the bus driver or with any of the other kids on the bus. Meh, who could blame her? I would've made everyone late because of my antics. As for school, I go to St. Zoo High! Your standard high school in Zootopia. Chock Full of mammals big, small, or just plain short. Ironically, most of the alma mater was full of predators and only a handful of prey. Luckily for me, I had a diverse group of friends to help balance us out.
As Angie pulls up to the school she kisses her teenage son on the cheek. Taj, who cringed like a little child, quickly grabbed his backpack and exit out of the vehicle with quick haste. "If you're done embarrassing your only son, mother, I will see you later."
"Yes, yes, pardon me for giving my baby boy some love" Angie sassed.
"Mom...I'm not a baby. Well, not anymore at least. I'll see you at home!" Taj replies as he begins to sprint towards the school entrance.
"Love you, sweetie!" Angie exclaimed as she waved to her son.
Taj nodded quickly as he continues to sprint, in hopes of not getting any unnecessary attention. "Just keep walking Nyani. She'll drive away eventually," he says to himself.
"Okay, so that's how you wanna play it?" Angie smiled slyly as she gets back into her car and immediately honks the horn. This immediately gets the attention of Taj and all of the other students going into the school. She then proceeds to roll down the window, stick her head out, and shouts "I LOVE YOU, SWEETHEART! BE A GOOD BOY FOR MOMMY!"
"Oh. My. God." Taj groaned as he covered his blushing face and quickly stormed into the building. Once he was inside, a handful of students looked at the hyena and began to snicker and start talking about him behind his back. Taj didn't take too kindly to this gesture and started to get mad as he was already embarrassed and somewhat infuriated. "What!? If you got something to say to me, speak it! Because talking shit about me is only gonna make you look more like a self-centered asshole!"
"Hey look! Momma's boy is trying to act tough," a male aardwolf, named Draven, chuckled as he and his entourage approached Taj and began to harass him. They surround the male hyena and began to push and shove him, toss his backpack around, calling him names, and verbally insulting him.
"Yeah, numbnuts! Fight back! If you know how!"
"Him? Fighting? That's a laugh. I bet he'll start crying after getting a bruise from a light tap!"
"Look at him! I think he's gonna cry! Your mommy can't come to your rescue now!"
"You're screwed now mama's boy! And there's nothing you can-"
"...How about you shut the hell up before I knock the living shit out of you dumb bastards!" Taj growled as he showed his fangs and clenched his fist. "I'm trying to have a good day and I don't need you and your dumbass cronies ruining it."
"And what makes you think that you can take us all on Nyani?" the aardwolf asked as he pushed Taj to the ground and empties the contents of his backpack on top of him. "I mean, just look at you, you dress like complete shit, you come from a crappy home, you have a broke ass family, it's kinda funny actually."
"Shut up Draven…" Taj says as he starts to tremble with anger.
"Awww! Did I struck a nerve Nyani…?" Draven chuckled. "Did I hurt your little feelings?"
"I said shut up…!" Taj says with more anger in his voice as he gets back on his feet and dusts himself up.
"Or what? You're gonna cry to mommy? Or your daddy? Oh wait, I forgot, he left! Because your mom was a lousy bitch and he had a dirty scum mammal for a son!" the aardwolf gave a cruel smirk before receiving a double high-five from his subordinates.
"That fucking does it!" Taj exclaimed as he ferociously tackled Draven to the ground and proceeds to beat him down. He grabbed Draven by his throat and repeatedly slams his head to the ground, followed by a series of punches to the face, and finally slamming his elbow on his chest. But before he could keep going, Taj would soon be overpowered as the more aggressive aardwolf kicks him off and slams him onto one of the nearby lockers. Draven then proceeds to punch and knee Taj in the gut until the hyena was on his knees clutching his stomach to suppress the pain. Draven then walks over to Taj and lifts him by the collar of his shirt.
"So...you're gonna kiss me now? Or what?" Taj smirked.
"Tch! I ain't gay like you Nyani," Draven scoffed. "And even if I was, I wouldn't kiss a dirty freak like you."
"Aww! That's too bad! Jackass pricks aren't my type anyway," Taj sassed. "And for the record, I'm bisexual. So get your facts, straight dumbass."
"Whatever! All I want to do now is to kick your sorry dirty ass until your shitty family can't recognize you. So get ready!" Draven says as he raised his fist in the air and prepares to strike the hyena until suddenly-
"Hey, didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit? Or were you just born a boneheaded jerk?" Said a female cheetah as she approached the aardwolf and his cronies.
"Hey, Charlize…" Taj laughed sheepishly. "Crazy morning huh?"
"And you got yourself into another situation. Oh, Taj, what am I gonna do with you?" Charlize said as she shakes her head and looks displeased.
Alright, Introduction time! The feisty cheetah that may or may not be able to save my butt is my childhood best friend, Charlize Yende. We grew up in the same neighborhood together, our families were close friends, and we were always there for each other. Especially after Charlize's mom and little sister were killed in a break in...she and her dad had to see a therapist ever since. Moving on from that, Charlize was like the big sister I wish I had, she always looks out for me, and scolds me when it's necessary. Overall, I'm lucky to have a unique and yet bold cheetah for a friend.
"Hey! Mr. Tall, dark, and dumb over here started it first," said Taj. "And I might have escalated it a bit…"
"I only half believe that," Charlize replied as she crossed her arms. "But as your friend, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and a rescue. Also, Draven, unless you want to get your ass kicked by a girl...again. I suggest you let Taj go."
"Tch! Fine, I was just getting warmed up too!" Draven says as he lets go of Taj and backs away from him. "But that's okay. I got after school to kick your dirty ass and your little kitty cat girlfriend can't save you then!" he sneered.
"This 'kitty cat' got claws and isn't afraid to use them." Charlize threatened as she took her claws out in a menacing matter. "Care for a demonstration?"
Charlize got her answer as Draven and his goons immediately took off running with their tails between their legs.
"That's what I thought...babies." Charlize sassed as she retracted her claws.
"Thanks for the save Charlize! I owe you big time!" said Taj as he patted his cheetah friend on the shoulder. "What would I do without you?"
"Probably serving detention for fighting," Charlize replied. "And how about you paying for lunch today and we'll call it an even?" she winked.
"Deal...but I also have some things to tell you…" Taj says as he pushes his ears back and rubs his mane nervously.
Meanwhile at Alphasun Industries…
Inside one of the labs, a few of the scientists were hard at work in getting Burnell's 'Secret Project' done before his big presentation later today. One of the scientists, a female honey badger, was an emotional wreck as she came to learn that her husband was one of the victims in the unfortunate lab explosion that occurred in the Rainforest District. When she went to go confront the bear, all she got was the following response: "Your husband was an idiotic fool. If he and the rest of his colleagues hadn't screwed up the experiment, they would've had a slim chance of survival. Now! Get back to work or I'll make sure you and that damn little brat of yours live on the streets for good! Do I make myself clear!?" This left the poor honey badger in complete distraught. All she could do was cry and scream, knowing the fact that her daughter will never see her dad again and the mammal she once loved is gone forever.
But before she could continue with her silent grieving, Oscar Burnell himself entered the room with his assistant and lawyer close behind. They were bombarding the grizzly bear with reports from the media, angry phone calls from the victims' families, and a personal search warrant from the ZPD.
"Sir, the ZNN need that confirmation about your possible involvement at the Rainforest District Massacre and officers Hopps and Wilde are here to search through the building," said the assistant. He was an antelope in his early twenties, he wore a pair of blue trousers and an open vest.
"Just what I need, more problems and nuisances." Oscar sighed irritably as he rubbed his temples. "Give the damn bunny and conniving fox the go-ahead, however, keep them away from the 'Private Areas' of the building. Tell those lousy news reporters that I had no involvement in that massacre, and as for those phone calls; send them to my voicemail. I will have the pleasure of deleting every last one of them myself."
"Yes, Mr. Burnell," his assistant replied as he wrote everything down in his planner.
"Hm, right. Although, you do realize that other mammals will eventually figure out what you're up to, and will use different tactics to expose your true intentions right?" his lawyer asked. He was a snow leopard in an all-black blazer and trousers combo and was carrying a brown suitcase in his paw. "I hope you know what you're doing Oscar. You may be one of the richest mammals in Zootopia, but not all the money in the world could save you."
"On the contrary Mr. Cisco, money is just one way to keep certain mammals off my back," Oscar sneered as he adjusts the cuffs on his suit. "Another way, which I like, is physical communication. If you catch my drift, Mr. Cisco," he says in a cold-mannered as he loudly cracks his knuckles.
"L-Loud and Clear Oscar…" the snow leopard stuttered nervously as he tugged on his collar and struggled to keep eye contact with the large mammal. "You won't have any problems with me...promise."
"Good boy," Oscar nodded as he grew a cruel smile. "Now then, back to the business at hand; getting the mammals of this pitiful city to bend to my will. Whether they like it or not."
Burnell soon turns his attention to a nearby test tube. Inside of it was a pattern of spider webs, rocks, tiny logs, and the radioactive spider as it crawls around the tube and proceeds to thread another web. The bear looks down at the tube and puts his paw on it before saying, "And soon enough...everyone will learn to not underestimate me." he smirked with a light chuckle.
After going through all of my morning classes and a couple of mid-afternoon classes, it was lunchtime and I was starving. Once we got our lunch, Charlize and I went to our usual table where the rest of our friends were waiting for us. As soon as we sat down, I told the gang about my little 'incident' from a few days ago; Charlize was not happy with me and she had her special way of showing it...
"Ow! Was that even necessary!?" Taj exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yes, yes it was," Charlize replied as she crossed her arms like a disappointed parent. "I should hit you again for how you snapped at your grandparents too! But it sounded like Ms. Nyani and Mr. Jerome set you straight at least."
"I have to agree with Charlie on this one bro," a male lion added. "I mean, going off on your grams and pops is one thing, but stealing? C'mon Taj. You're better than that."
Ladies and gentlemammals, Mr. Tall, tan, and handsome over here is my pal, Nathan Furaha. We've been friends ever since the second grade! And let me tell you guys something about Nate, he's a big softie and will always find a way to put a smile on your face. It came in handy at times when Charlize and I were sad or angry. Plus...I may or may not have had a crush on the big oaf. But can you blame me? He's cute, buff, sweet, and he has a nice -ahem- moving on, Nate may be a goofball at times, but he has a big heart and knows when to be serious at times.
"Alright. I get it already. I don't need another lecture! Especially not from my friends." Taj says as he pulled his ears back and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And I promised them that I won't steal anymore. Plus I'm grounded for two weeks and I have to work with the guy that I stole from."
"Well, I hope you've at least learned your lesson Taj," said Charlize as she playfully ruffled his mane. "But, seriously, we love you and don't want anything bad to happen to you,"
"Yeah, bro! Who would help me kick Charlie's butt in Ultimate Z-Fighter!?" Nathan says as he gives the two mammals a buddy hug.
"Pfft! In your dreams Nate!" Charlize smirked as she stuck her tongue out at the lion.
Taj smiled and laughed as he wondered how ended up with such great friends. However, he soon notices that a few members of his group were missing at their table. "Um? Where's the rest of the gang at? There's usually six of us here."
"Matthew and Riley have Soccer Practice at the moment," Charlize replied. "And you know how those two bunnies are when it comes to sports…"
"Yeah, and our girl with the brain, Maki, is currently at a luncheon with the Class President and the math club," Nathan added. "Eugh! I don't see how she can handle all of those snobby nerds," he says as he cringes at the thought of doing constant math problems with uptight students for hours.
"This is coming from the lion that's failing geometry and compares it to a puzzle-solving game," Charlize sassed. "If anything, those 'snobby nerds' could give you a tip or two on your math."
"That was harsh Charlie...very harsh," Nathan replied in an overly-dramatic way. "Alas, you are unfortunately correct. I have the mind of a gaming master, but not the mind of a nerd."
Taj just sat there and laughed as he watched his friends throw witty and sassy remarks at each other. "Maybe today won't be such a bad day after all…" he said to himself.
It was finally after school and all of the students, including my friends and I, were pretty relieved to be out of there and not have to deal with any boring teachers or classes. Unless you're in a club or have tutoring lessons. But enough about school! Let's get back to me and my friends. Charlize filled in Matthew, Riley, and Maki on what happened this morning with Draven, then I told them about what happened to me a few days ago and-yep-you guessed it. They too weren't happy with what I did...I honestly don't blame them. I deserved to be scolded. The bunny twins lecture me about how stealing was wrong and how I could get myself killed if I stole from the wrong person. Talk about foreshadowing future events. Finally, our brainy friend, Maki, got a turn to get on my ass for how stupid and selfish I was. The young doe can be quiet and even a bit shy at times, however, she can be brutally honest and fierce. Especially if she's given an extra boost of confidence. I know my friends mean well, they only want what's best for me, and we always look out for each other! Like one big family. And to this day, I still stay in touch with every one of them. But that's a story for another time...hehe.
"I'll text you guys later! My ma needs help at home." Nate says as he takes off the direction towards his house.
"I gotta do a book report for geography! Wish me luck!" Charlize added before she waved her friends goodbye and sprinted after Nathan.
"Race ya to the bus stop little bro! Try to keep up!" Riley chuckled as he made a running start towards the nearby laybys.
"You're on dude!" Matthew replied as he chased after his twin brother, leaving the rest of their friends behind in the dust. "
"Well, I gotta catch the train at Central Station. I guess I'll see you all later. Be safe everyone~" Maki smiled softly as she starts walking towards the transit at Savanna Central.
And with that, all of Taj's friends have gone their separate ways and the teenage hyena was the only one left. He sighed quietly as he adjusted the straps on his backpack and proceeded towards the grocery store, in which, is where he stole several items from a few days prior. He dreaded going back to the place where all of the trouble for him started, but he had no choice or say in the matter as this was part of his punishment; working for Mr. Hogson at the Savanna Central Grocery Store for two weeks. Taj would've rather had Chief Bogo or Officer Mchorn ship him off to boarding school for the next two or three years instead of doing manual labor without pay. He groaned as he knew that there was no in hell that he was gonna get out of this one. That is until a certain aardwolf and his gang of cronies got the young hyena's attention. Draven had a score to settle with Taj and he wasn't gonna leave until he got his message across.
"What's up Nyani?! You ready to get your ass kicked by a true alpha?" Draven asked arrogantly as he pushed his chest out and had his arms open in an attempt to show dominance. His cronies were also hyping him up by howling and rooting for their leader.
"Look Draven, I had a long, I gotta be somewhere soon, and I don't have time for your bullshit," Taj replied in an irked tone. "How about this; you let me go now and you can pick a day to whoop my ass into submission? How does that sound?"
Draven didn't like Taj's suggestion and was immediately offended by the fact that his attempted dominance wasn't taken seriously. "You think this is a damn joke!? I waited all day long to kick your teeth in and I'm not about to lose this opportunity because you want to chicken the fuck out!" he exclaimed with impatience and anger in his voice. "You wanna do this the hard way Nyani?! Fine! Hold him down, boys! I want to savor every moment of this beating."
And so, all of Draven's cronies begin to slowly approach and surround Taj. He looked around his surroundings for an escape route, but most of them were either blocked off or unreachable. The young hyena was in trouble and he had to think of a way to get out of this potentially bloody conflict. He had one idea in his and it sounded both crazy and risky. This plan was simply known as the following; Hit and Run. He first strikes a few of Draven guys, then proceeds to make a run for it. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" he mutters to himself as he looked back at the group of mammals chasing him and an extremely pissed off Draven who was pursuing him with his canine barred and his claws completely out.
"YOU'RE A DEAD MAMMAL NYANI! WHEN I GET MY PAWS ON YOU, YOU'RE DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME!? DEAD!" Draven shouted as he continued to chase after the hyena.
Once Taj heard that threat, he quickly picked up the pace and ran as fast as he could. He cuts through an alleyway that goes directly towards the center of Downtown Zootopia. He took a minute to catch his breath from all the running he did, but it was soon cut short by the sound of Draven and his group approaching. He had to think fast, and he had to find somewhere safe to hide until the heat dies down. The young hyena checked his surroundings and most of the places within the vicinity were either too obvious or he's been there before. This was not going to be easy for him. Until he notices a massive building from a distance; it was located by the Central Station and its logo consisted of a capital 'A' and the symbol for the sun. "Guess I don't have a choice," Taj says as he starts running again and begins to make his way towards the unknown building.
After 5-10 minutes of running, dodging, and maneuvering through the hustling and bustling parts of the city, and the still infuriated Draven, the young hyena finally made his towards the tall and mysterious building. He first notices that the entrance is guarded by rhino security guards, followed by multiple security cameras scattered around the building, and finally a whole bunch of mammals in business attire or lab coats. Taj whistled in amazement before saying "Whoever owns this place, must love their privacy,". He then proceeds to look for an entrance into the building.
Ah yes. Alphasun Industries. The piece of shit corporation disguised as a company that "supports The Science of Zootopia"...support my ass...uh, sorry about that. If it's not too obvious, I'm not a big fan of Alphasun or any of the things they've done over the years. To put it simply; they're the bad guys. Well, at least one of them anyway. More on that later! Let's fast forward the story a bit, shall we? I was able to get inside the building by sneaking through an open back door. Cliche I know, but it was better than trying to bribe the guards. Anyways, once I got inside, I knew I had to be careful. Because if anyone catches me, I was gonna be in big trouble, and boarding school was obviously out of the question at this point.
As Taj stood in the quiet but brightly lit corridor, he knew something was off about this place, and he wasn't going to leave until he gets to the bottom of it. He quietly walked through the hallway, sticking to the shadows, hiding behind corners to avoid detection, and snapping a couple of photos on his phone. Then suddenly, something caught the young hyena's attention. One of the doors in the hallway opened and out came two sheep scientists. They both seemed to be stressed about something and were having a private conversation. Luckily for Taj, he was close enough to hear what the two ewes were saying.
"Damn that grizzly bear!" exclaimed one of the sheep. "How the hell am I suppose to get this 'special project' of his done and deal with that damn genetic spider at the same time!? I sometimes think that massive ego of his blinds his judgment on the mammals around him,"
"Will you please calm down!?" replied the other sheep. "And besides, Mr. Burnell is a busy mammal and you know how he is when it comes to his agenda."
"Right, his agenda, wouldn't want to get in the way of that." the sheep scoffed as he continues to walk in an upset pace. "I need a drink after this,"
"Look, I'll buy a drink afterward okay? Let's just get through the tasks that Mr. Burnell wants us to do today. The more work we get done, the less chance we'll have of getting yelled at or even fired." the other sheep says as he placed his hoof on his colleagues' shoulder.
"I guess you're right…" the sheep nodded as he begins to calm down. "I honestly don't see the importance of that spider...I mean Subject SP-616."
As the two sheep continue their conversation and disappear further into the hallway, Taj makes his move as he stealthily moves towards the door before it automatically closes back. Once he was inside the room, he soon notices all of the computers, monitors, and test tubes throughout the place. He slowly walks around and takes more pictures on his phone. "Alright, science geeks! Time to see what you guys been up to," he says as he further explores the mysterious lab.
Meanwhile…
"Yes, Angela, I tried calling his phone, I left him a couple of voicemails, and I even tried texting. No answer!"
"Well, alright, just keep trying to call him dad. He was supposed to be at the grocery store an hour ago! I called Mr. Hogson at the store and he said that Tajani never showed up...I swear to god...if he skipped out on his responsibilities and punishment, I'm going to-"
"Now, now, there's no need to stress yourself out sweetheart. These kinda things happen. I'm sure he's on his way and probably ran into a little bit of trouble along the way."
"Ugh, I hope you are right about that dad. I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do with that boy. He used to be a sweet little pup, and now, he's this teenager with a bad attitude. Wh-Where did I go wrong with him?!"
"Now you stop that nonsense! You did nothing wrong. You did your very best while raising him. Taj is very lucky to have a hardworking and amazing mom. Plus you get your spunk and serious determination from your mother. I know it's been rough since 'you-know-who' was there and what he did to you-but he's gone now and your mom and I are here now. Things will get better my ua kidogo~ I promise.
"Thank you, dad...I needed to hear that. I believe things will get better too! And I couldn't thank you and mom enough for everything that you've done~"
"Anytime Angela, anytime. Uh, listen, I gotta go now. I'll be home later! Okay? Give your mom and Taj a kiss for me will ya?"
"Sure thing dad~ See you tonight! Love you!"
"Love you too sweetheart~ bye!"
As Jamal ends his phone call with Angela, his attention soon turns to the Savannah Grocery Store. He looks through the window and sees several mammals down on the ground, most of them with their paws rested on top of their heads. He then looks over to the register and sees Mr. Hogson being held at gunpoint by two large mammals; one of them was a black panther who was wielding a pistol and had it aimed at the pig in case he tried to pull any stupid heroics. The other mammal was a crazed wolf who was carrying a shotgun and keeping it aimed at the hostages. Most of them being with crying and scared kids.
"Hurry the fuck up you fat slob!" the panther exclaimed impatiently. "The longer you take to fill that bag up, the closer my partner gets to releasing his trigger finger! I'd be a shame to have the blood of dead mammals and kits all over your store. We wouldn't want that now, do we?" he says menacingly
"P-Please! I'm going as fast as I can!" Mr. Hogson replied with fear and pleading in his voice. "Just let the hostages go and keep me instead,"
"Awww! Little piggy is trying to make a deal? How pathetic! Hahahahaha!" the wolf laughed hysterically as he wildly waved his shotgun around. "Stupid! Haha! Very stupid!"
Suddenly, Jamal stormed into the store with fierce anger and was now standing face to face with the two armed robbers. The two larger mammals just stood still and stayed quiet and watched until the elder hyena decided to break the silence by saying the following, "You dumb punks got nothing else to do? Robbing the local neighborhood store and putting these innocent mammals in harm's way. How shallow can you get!?"
"Who the hell you think you are geezer!?" The panther laughed as he redirected his gun at the elder hyena. "I'll blow your goddamn brains out and then piggy over here. So go ahead. Be a hero. Watch what happens."
Jamal just smiled and got into a running position before saying, "Gladly, punk," and sprinting towards the panther. He first ducked under him and delivered a quick jab towards the feline's stomach, then he disarmed the robber by twisting his paw, which caused him to drop the gun, followed by a palm-heel strike to the nose, and finishing it up by throwing the large cat over his shoulder and onto the ground. The panther robber was down for the count and all he could do was moan and groan from the pain he endured.
"H-How did I…get beat by some old man…?" The panther muttered as he struggled to sit up.
"Ex-Military soldier and a few self-defense classes," Jamal smirked confidently as he stood over the defeated criminal. "That oughta teach ya some-" but before he could finish his sentence, the elder hyena heard the sound of a shotgun cocking and then...it was too late...
CHOOM!
A single shotgun shell fell to the ground. Dead silence all around the store. And then, a puddle of blood started to spill around Jamal as he took a minute to register what just happened to him. He looks at his shirt, then his paws, and soon notices that they were covered in blood. His blood. Jamal finally realized what had happened; he was shot in the chest and he wasn't going to make it. He struggles to stay on his feet until he collapses on the side of the floor with his left paw covering his gun wound. He was losing a lot of blood and could barely keep his eyes open.
"Guess they didn't teach you to watch your back in the military...dumbass," said the wolf robber as he rested his shotgun on his shoulder and walks over to the register with the intent to retrieve both the bag of cash and his partner.
"I believe this belongs to us," he says as he retrieves the bag of money from the store counter and then helps his partner up. "C' mon big guy! Let's get outta here before those ZPD chumps show up!"
The panther robber finally got back on his feet, with a little help from his wolf partner, and was slowly making their way out of the store until he saw Jamal bleeding and struggling for his life on the floor. "Damn...I didn't think he was gonna get shot.." He mumbled to himself as he and his partner disappeared into the night.
Once the two robbers were gone, Mr. Hogson dropped to his knees and begins to cry. He felt helpless in stopping those criminals and keeping the elder hyena from getting shot. But before he could continue with his bawling, he picked up the phone and immediately dialed 911.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"Y-Yes! I need the ZPD and an ambulance at the Savannah Grocery Store! We've just been robbed and one mammal has been shot! Please hurry!
"Okay, sir! We got your location and we have officers and an ambulance en route. Just sit tight and stay on the line with me. Okay?"
"Alright! Just please hurry, I don't know if he's gonna make it!"
With tears still running down his face, Mr. Hogson carefully knelt next to the fatally wounded hyena and says "H-Help is on the way...just try to hold on...okay?"
"...Thank you," was all Jerome could manage to say before coughing up more blood and wincing from the intense pain of his injury.
Back at Alphasun Industries…
Taj was continuing to explore the mysterious laboratory and has made a few discoveries along the way. He discovered footage of the explosion that occurred over at the Rainforest District, and files and documents with 'TOP SECRET' stamped on both of them. "This is huge," He says as he takes out a flash drive from his pocket and insert it into the lab's main computer and proceeds to download the video footage. Across from him stood the test tube, which is where the radioactive spider was kept. However, the top to the tube was left open and the spider was missing. Unaware to Taj, the green-and-black arachnid was slowly making crawling up his back, then onto his shoulder, and finally his arm.
"And that should do it," said Taj as the video finishes downloading into his flash drive. He then detaches it from the computer and quickly stuffs it back into his pocket. But suddenly, the young hyena gets a little surprise; the radioactive spider slowly crawled down his arm and onto his hand. "Hey, there little guy, where did you come from?" he cooed. "I've never seen an odd spider as you before-OW! Shit!" Taj shouted as the arachnid bit down hard into his hand.
"Sonofabitch! That hurts!" he says as he quickly swats the spider off his hand and takes a closer look at the bite it left behind; his hand had two bite marks in the middle along with a little bit of blood dripping out of it. "I'll have to patch this up later...for now...I need to get the hell out of here before those two scientists come back," he quickly grabs all of the files and documents from earlier and stuffs them into his backpack before making his swift but quiet getaway.
Once I made it back outside, I soon realized how late it was. Not to mention, there was no sign of Draven or his goons. For now at least. However, I soon realized that I was extremely late for working with Mr. Hogson at the grocery store; serves me right for stealing. Plus the fact I was late too? Wouldn't be surprised if my mom was there to 'visit' and see if I was working off my punishment for petty thievery. And so, I started making my way towards the store! Hopefully, Mr. Hogson won't be too upset about me being late. I mean, I have an actual excuse for being late, and it's not easy shaking off your local malcontent and his buddies that want to beat you to a bloody pulp. And this is coming from a former malcontent...very smooth Spidey…ugh, nevermind. As soon as I got to the store, the whole place looked like something straight out of a crime drama; ZPD officers were everywhere, ambulances were flashing their lights, and there was police tape covering the entrance. However, what I saw next, shook me to my very core. See for yourself…
Taj walked over to a lioness and asked: "What the hell happened!?"
"There was a robbery...two of the perpetrators were predators; I heard one of them was a black panther and their partner I believe was a wolf," the lioness replied somberly. "Luckily, none of the hostages or the store clerk were harmed in the attack. But…"
"But? But what!? C'mon! Tell me!" Taj pried impatiently.
The lioness covered her mouth and started to choke up before she replied with, "They shot someone…!"
"What? Who!?" Taj exclaims as begins to panic. "Who the hell got shot!?"
"He was a hyena," the lioness replied as she wipes her warm tears. "Probably a bit older? Like mid-late 40's?"
Taj's heart soon drops as he hears the description of the hyena and his worst fears coming to fruition. "No, no, no, it can't be…" he says as he begins to tear up. "D-Did they happen to say his name…?"
"I think they said it was Jamal-" but before the lioness could finish her sentence, Taj was already running towards the crime scene.
"Grandpa! Why did it have to be grandpa!? What the hell was he even doing here anyway!? Nevermind that. Please just be okay!" Taj thought to himself as he blindly pushes his way through the crowds of mammals, and ignores the sound of the ZPD officers telling him to get back and rejoin the other citizens. Once he was inside, he soon noticed a fox nurse and his bleeding grandfather on the floor.
"OH MY GOD...GRANDPA! GRANDPA!" Taj shouted as he begins to tremble at the sight of his injured but bloody grandfather. "What did you do?"
"Sir! I'm going to have to ask you to please leave," said the fox nurse as he attempts to redirect the distraught teenage hyena back outside. "I'm sorry, but it's for your own good!"
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry about this too," Taj stomps the nurse's foot and pushes him to the side as he runs over to Jamal's side. "I'm here Gramps…"
"Ta-Tajani…" Jerome groaned as held his paw out for his grandson. "Come here, son…"
The teenage hyena hesitated a bit before slowly sitting down next to the elder mammal and holding on to his paw tightly. "Yes...grandpa…I'm listening…"
"Well, this old man isn't gonna make it…" Jerome groaned as he struggles to talk. "I never thought it would end like this…"
"Don't talk like that!" Taj exclaimed as he starts to choke up. "We're gonna get you some help, patch you up, and you'll be home with grandma, mom, me, and-"
"Hush now cub…" Jamal replied sternly. "You're doing more talking than listening. Now then, my fate was already sealed when I confronted those two young punks…however, I don't regret a damn thing. I don't regret protecting other mammals. I don't regret standing up to bullies. And I sure as hell don't regret putting other people's lives first before mine! I lived a good life; married the woman of my dreams, had a beautiful daughter, and soon after, a handsome grandson. I love you Tajani...and I'm sorry for what comparing you to your-"
"Don't worry about it Grandpa," Taj replies as he gently hugs Jerome. "I forgive you…"
"Good, good," Jerome nods as he wipes some of Taj's tears off. "Listen Tajani, before I go, I need you to make me a promise; be a good boy again, look for the good in others, and watch over your mom and grandma for me. They're gonna need you now more than ever. Okay? Can you do that for me?"
"Sure thing gramps…" Taj sniffled. "I won't let you down, I promise."
Jamal smiled one last time and slowly closed his eyes before saying "I love you Taj...take care of yourself…"
"Grandpa...open your eyes…please," Taj pleaded as he shook his grandfather's now lifeless body. "Grandpa...G-Grandpa...GRANDPA!"
And just like that, my grandpa was gone. He died a hero, a soldier, a husband, a father, a friend, and a grandfather. Rest easy gramps. You did your family proudly. I spent the next minute hugging his body until Officer Mchorn and Officer Fangmeyer had to forcefully pry me off of him. I wasn't ready to say goodbye, I didn't want to believe he was gone, I wanted to hope that he would wake up and things would go back to normal. But they didn't. Things got worse. Once Fangmeyer took me home, she delivered the bad news to my mom and grandmother; my mom completely broke down for the first time in years and this was the saddest that I've ever seen her in. My grandmother, who was also heartbroken by this tragedy, comfort her only daughter in silence. As for Fangmeyer, she knelt and hugged both of them. She understood their pain, she knows what it's like to lose a family member, and she knew the road to recovery was gonna be a long one. As for me? I couldn't bear to watch my mom and grandma cry over the loss of my grandfather, so I ran upstairs and locked myself in my room. All I wanted to do at that moment was cry and disappear, but at the same time, I wanted to hunt down the bastards that killed Grandpa and bring justice to my family. But first, I needed a disguise…
Taj walks over to his room closet and pulls out the following items: a sleeveless orange hoodie, a long-sleeve blue t-shirt, blue leggings, a pair of orange fingerless gloves, an orange bandana, old black goggles, and finally a sewing machine. He then puts the pieces of clothing and all of the other stuff on his work desk. And right as he's about to sit down, something catches his attention, an old picture frame; inside of it was an old photo of Jerome holding a then 6-year-old Taj on his shoulders.
Taj lays the picture frame down and looks at all of his materials before saying, "Time to go to work."
To be Continued...