-This is ZNN Evening News! With your hosts, Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge.
-Good evening Zootopia...tonight, we have some heartbreaking news. Friends and family members are mourning the loss of 35-year-old Grace Huang.
-Reports have stated that the panda's body and remains were found buried in a pile of snow near the docks in Tundratown. The cause of her death is still unknown and is currently under investigation by the ZPD.
-We also got a live message from the Huang family. Please take a look:
"Whoever did this to my daughter...shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on- *sobs* s-she didn't deserve this. She was loved by everyone and was taken from us too soon….and now my granddaughters will have to grow up without their mother!" Janet Huang, Grace's mother-.
"This once beloved city has been through enough bloodshed and losing my sister was my breaking point! I can't take this anymore…if Spider-Yena is watching this, then I only have one request for him: Please find my sister's killer and bring them to justice! That's all I ask." -Bo Huang, Grace's brother.
-It's such a tragic turn of events...no one should ever have to go through this...
-I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, that's all the time we got for right now. Stay tuned for more updates as we try to figure out the mystery behind this murder.
-Until next time Zootopia, I'm Peter Moosebridge!
-And I'm Fabienne Growley! From all of us here at ZNN, stay safe, and have a good night.
Later that night…
Inside the secret laboratory that rested in the lower levels of Alphasun, CEO Oscar Burnell watched as his top scientists were finishing up the final touches to his bioweapon; now known by its official name: Project Arachnid. The weapon itself was a misty cloud of red-and-blue substance mixed inside a large pill-shaped capsule. The capsule itself was constantly zapped with pure concentrated radiation beams, causing the substance inside to burst and reform every second.
"How much longer Doctor?" asked Burnell.
"Just a few more seconds Mr. Burnell," one of the scientists replied. "I want to make sure the bio-genes and DNA from the spider are fully merged before we stop the machine."
"Very well then," Burnell annoyingly sighed. "Just make sure it's done properly. I want everyone in Zootopia to face the true meaning of fear...especially Spider-Yena."
After a few more minutes of tinkering with the machine, Project Arachnid was officially complete. Phase three of Burnell's plan was in motion and the countdown to Zootopia's destruction has begun. The scientists then used the lab's mechanized claws to transport the capsule into the built-in compartment of a large military-grade drone that was resting in the hangar. Burnell walked towards the railing to get a closer look at the aerial vehicle as he gave an ominous smile.
The next day…
And here we go again! Are you guys still there? Awesome. Well, my "not date" with Nate went well as expected and we're officially a couple! We pretty much spent the rest of the night cuddling and kissing each other until it was time for us to go home. I'll be honest…aside from being Spider-Yena, this was the happiest time of my life. Being a teenager in love, getting into a relationship, and finding some inner peace. It has its perks. However, taking care of my family always comes first, and being a superhero comes, second. Speaking of my family...we might be in some financial trouble…
Downstairs in the dining room, Angela and Imara were going over the mini stacks of bills that were piling on the table and a letter they received from their sleazy landlord. Things weren't looking grand for the Nyani Family.
"This makes no damn sense!" Angela shouted angrily. "How could he do this when we're already struggling!?"
"Angela…!" Imara growled in a hushed tone, trying to get her daughter to lower her voice. "Please, calm down. What if Tajani hears you!? I don't want him to-"
"I know mama...I know…" Angela replied as she took a few deep breaths "...I'm sorry. I-It's just that...dad got killed, I get fewer hours at both jobs, my boss is threatening to fire me if I don't 'shape up' soon, and on top of that, I might have to get a third job and sacrifice the little hours of sleep I barely get." Angela vents as she begins to tear up.
Imara quietly wraps her arms around her daughter. Rocking her back and forth, in hopes of calming her down and melting the stress away. She gently whispers "it's gonna be alright my little sunflower…mama's here." She continues to comfort her daughter as she lets her cry quietly onto her shoulder. Gently patting her on the back in-between her deep breathing. "It's gonna be alright…" she says once more, but with a hint of somber in her voice.
As I was coming down the stairs, I overheard a bit of the conversation; things weren't looking good for us. Like at all. We were dangerously close to losing our house, possibly living on the streets, and the worst part? We still didn't have enough money to give my grandfather a proper funeral. Something has to change and my family needs all the help we can get. Plus I believe a certain wall-crawler has the perfect solution to this predicament…
After listening to his mom and grandmother's worries and plea, Taj pretended to come down the stairs with a bit of a cheerful tone in his voice to disguise his concerns about his family's well-being and money troubles. "Goood Morning ladies of the Nyani Family!"
"Oh, Tajani!" Imara gasped acknowledging her grandson's presence, "Good morning to you too. You're in a good mood. I assume a certain lion had something to do with it?" She asked with a sly smirk.
"Heh...it's a possibility…" Taj replied bashfully as his now wagging tail and burning cheeks gave himself away. "But yeah, Nate and I had a great time last night."
Angela, who has since wiped away her tears, gave a brief smile at Taj before giving him a good morning hug and kiss "I'm glad you had a great time sweetie. Any plans for today?"
"Um, yeah actually," Taj replied. "I was gonna go for a run and meet up with Nate later. Is that okay?"
The two female hyenas looked at each other for a split second, followed by a smile and a double nod of approval. This made Taj even happier as he gave Angela and Imara a big hug and a quick peck on their cheeks and says "Thanks! Love you! Be back later!" before grabbing his bag and sprinting out the front door.
"...It's nice to see Tajani being happy again," Angela sighed. "I just hope it lasts."
"Things will get better for us sweetheart...you'll see," Imara replied as she pulled Angela into another hug.
After suiting up, I decided to take a swing through the city to clear my head for a bit and figure out a way to make some extra cash for my family. I checked a few spots to see if they were hiring and unfortunately, I was either hit with 'we don't hire hyenas' or 'No teens allowed.' Tch...talk about being rude and specist. Whatever, as I continued with my web-swinging/job hunting, I get a few crime alerts from my phone and decided to take down some baddies to blow off some steam…
Over in the Rainforest District, a local car dealership was robbed as a gang of car thieves, which consisted of three coyotes and a ram, drove off with thousands of dollars in cash and a few of the latest model vehicles. The criminals cheered as they celebrated the recent victory of their heist. However, their little party is about to get cut short.
"What I tell you, boys!? In and out. Just like that." Said one of the coyotes as he smooches a stack of 100s. "Once we're further into the forest, we'll be home free-"
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Right as he said that, the criminal's little joyride was quickly cut short as their vehicle was trapped in a massive web-net, and had zero escape without getting caught in the sticky substance themselves.
"You and your big mouth O'herd…" the ram mumbled. "Now we gotta deal with Spider-Chump," he says as the titular hero plants himself on the hood of their car.
"Hey! That's Spider-Yena to you…Chump" sassed Spider-Yena, "And you guys have two lovely choices: surrender peacefully until the ZPD arrives? Or get your asses kicked by yours truly?"
"...BLAST THE FREAK!"
Yeah…they chose the wrong option and are now being sent to jail with bruised egos and missing teeth. After that little fiasco, I continued with my patrol throughout the district; from thwarting purse snatchers to webbing up wannabe robbers holding up a local ice cream shop. Ol Mr. Jumbeaux, however, wasn't too happy (or grateful) about "Some pajama-wearing buffoon" running around in his establishment…you're welcome, you jumbo jerk. I decided to take a break on a nearby rooftop and decided to text the boyfriend for a bit. It was going well for a bit until this happened…
-Are you busy later?-Taj
-Aww! Missing your big kitty already? Lol-Nate
-Like crazy! Lol…but last night was fun 3-Taj
-Yeah it was! But speaking of crazy…did you hear what Boehm at Barkfeed said about Spidey? It's pretty messed up-Nate
-Oh god…what did Mr. Short temper say? -_- -Taj
After a few seconds of silence and no response from Nate, Taj received a video link from the lion with the following title: Just the Facts w/Al Boehm - Spider-Yena is a Spider fraud.
Already filled with instant anger and a bit of anxiety, Taj taps the link and the video starts playing; it opens with a red panda sitting at his desk with an angry but determined look on his face, a cup of coffee by his side, and a background photo of Spider-Yena with the word 'FRAUD' stamped in front of it.
-Good afternoon, Zootopia, this is Just the Facts! With your host, Al Boehm! A new show I'm starting here on Barkfeed where I give you actual proof and facts. Whether you like it or not! And today's topic!? That cocky…arrogant…menacing…SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SUPERHERO, SPIDER-YENA!" Boehm shouted passionately. "AND I'LL PROVE TO EVERYONE THAT HE CAN NOT BE TRUSTED AND IS A MENACE TO ALL OF ZOOTOPIA!
Taj just rolled his eyes and mentally prepared himself to hear more of the loud red panda's supposed "statements" about his heroic actions as Spider-Yena.
-And speaking of menace...let's talk about the attack at Savanna Central by TNTiger and his men. For all we know, Spider-Yena could've been helping the terrorist feline in the shadows and providing info for the day and time of that massacre! I think that Spider-fool was...WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND UTTERLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF ALL THOSE INNOCENT MAMMALS! HE'S NO HERO! HE'S NOTHING BUT A MISTAKE, A HAZARD, AND A CRIMINAL!
-In fact, where was this supposed "superhero" when Zootopia was going through a crisis during the Night Howlers fiasco!? Huh? Where was Spider-Yena when innocent prey citizens were severely attacked by savage predators and they needed help!? Does no one have an answer? Fine. Here's mine: HE HID LIKE A COWARD AND ONLY CARES ABOUT HIMSELF! IF HE WAS TRULY A HERO, HE COULD'VE BEEN HERE TO STOP THIS MASSACRE FROM HAPPE-
Yeah…I'm just going to stop right there and give you guys the short version. I was pissed. Like, SUPER pissed. Boehm thinking I'm "buddies" with TNTiger is one thing, but calling me a "coward" and somehow making me responsible for the Night Howlers crap? That's where I cross the line. My family and I were constantly harassed and damn near blacklisted by everyone. So, I decided to visit Barkfeed and give Mr. Boehm a piece of my mind.
At BarkFeed Headquarters…
The news media company was at an all-time frenzy as people were blowing up their phone lines and social media pages due to the CEO's explosive rant about Spider-Yena and the "heroic" deeds that he's done for the city. Some listeners agreed with him, others disagreed, and some were in the middle ground of this situation.
With all of this going on, the CEO himself, Al Boehm, was kicking back in his predator-size office with a huge smirk and a feeling of accomplishment. Not only for possibly ruining the web-mammal's reputation but for also boosting Barkfeed's views and subscriber count.
"That spandex punk is toast!" Boehm says to himself. "We already have the ZPD protecting us. The last thing this city needs is some wacko in a costume."
Knock! Knock! "Hey, Mr. Boehm..?" A silhouette of a female opossum stood in front of the glass door with a stack of papers in her paws and standing next to her was the silhouette of a hyena.
"Yeah, what is it!?" He responds irritably as he struggles to sit up in his booster-adjusted seat and fluff his frizzy tail. "Can't you see I'm busy Ms. Branchwood!?"
And right as he says this, Boehm's door is immediately slammed open and in comes a very pissed-off Taj who's about to tear Boehm apart. This was not going to end well.
"COCKY!? ARROGANT!? MENACING!? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!?" Taj hollered as he slammed his paws on the red panda's desk, causing some papers to fly across the room. "And calling Spier-Yena a coward is a major low-blow coming from some short-tempered bas-"
"NOW YOU HOLD ON A SECOND YOU SPOTTED MOHAWK PUNK!" Boehm fired back, "YOU COME INTO MY OFFICE AND HAD THE NERVE TO CLAIM THAT MY…genuine facts…ABOUT THAT COSTUME FREAK WAS A "LOW BLOW" AND CALLING ME A BASTARD!?" he then stands up from his seat and gets all up in Taj's face, grabs the collar of his shirt and says the following in a lowly-angry voice: "Give me one, ONE reason why I shouldn't report your spotted ass to the ZPD?"
Taj briefly calms down and gives the small CEO a confident smirk before replying with, "I have a proposition for you, Mr. Boehm. If you're willing to listen."
Okay…let's fast forward this part of the story, shall we? So, long story short, I got the job with Barkfeed and all I have to do is take some stunning photos of yours truly and make sure they're not "mega crap" according to Boehm. Afterward, I called mom and told her and grandma the good news; mom was a little uneasy about it at first because she was afraid that it would distract me from school and cause more stress than good. However, I reassured her that I can handle it and that I want to contribute to the bills and rent. As for grandma, she was pretty ecstatic and was very proud of me for taking a big step in helping the family. "Your grandpa would've been proud of you" is what she said to me on the phone…she's not wrong though. As for Nate? Hehe…see for yourself.
Back at Savannah Central…
After spending two hours in Sahara Square, thwarting multiple crimes, and snapping photos for Barkfeed, Taj was finally free for the rest of the day and decided to give his boyfriend the good news. Once he reached Nathan's house and knocked on his door, the hyena's tail was wagging with excitement and anticipation. As the front door opens, the large feline comes out wearing a pair of black gym shorts, a matching undershirt, and a very tired-like smile.
"You seem happy…" Nate yawned. "What's up, dude?"
Without even saying a word, Taj runs up to Nate and gives him a big hug and a nuzzle on the cheek. "I-I did it, Nate…I finally got a job!" he exclaims happily. "I'll be able to help my family now!"
"Congratulations," Nate purred while embracing Taj's loving affection. "So…what kind of job will my loving but dorky boyfriend be doing?"
Taj giggled at the feline's sassy jab and simply replied, "You're looking at Barkfeed's newest photographer! Meaning, I'll be taking exclusive photos of Spider-Yena himself."
This shocking bit of news got Nate instantly excited as he picks Taj up and twirls him around for a moment. "Yooo! My boyfriend is gonna be snapping photos of Spidey! Am I a lucky lion or what!?"
"Lucky enough to get this…" Taj says as he wraps his arms around the lion's neck and leans in for a kiss.
"Well, then…" Nate smiles as he closes the gap between himself and his hyena lover as their lips connect with one another; sparks were flying and a sense of passionate love began to bloom between the two predators. Their kissing went on for another minute before they both had to come up for air.
"Well that was new," Nate shyly blushed. "What brought that kiss on?"
"Payback for that surprise kiss from our 'not date'" Taj laughed. "And for the first time in weeks…I felt happy. Genuinely happy. Honestly, my folks have been through a lot and I feel like things are starting to turn around. Not to mention, I have a pretty handsome boyfriend now."
"And I just hit the jackpot," Nate says as he pulls Taj into a warm and intimate kiss as their lips lock once more, displaying more of their true love for one another.
And what a jackpot it was…believe it or not, that was our very first kiss together. It was one of the best and most romantic memories from my adolescent years. Although, that was only the beginning of our relationship and things only got better from there. But enough about my love life! Let's get back to the story. After spending a few hours with Nate, I decided to go on a quick nightly patrol and called it a night afterward. However, after that night, Zootopia was about to enter a whole new world of hell…
Later that night at Alphasun Industries…
Oscar Burnell watches gleefully through a monitor of the drone carrying his bioweapon from the hanger of the secret lab to the streets of Zootopia. With its coordinates locked on, the aerial aircraft quickly made its way to the weather station in Tundratown. As soon as it was in position, the drone released the red and blue gas onto the station's vents down below. In a matter of seconds, the bioweapon itself started spreading across multiple districts and turning every citizen into an Arachnid-like monster.
Burnell watched as multiple mammals, predators, and prey, ran in horror and fear as they watched their friends and loved ones turn into these horrid beasts and rampage throughout the city. Tearing apart everything and everyone that stands in their way. Zootopia has fallen.
"Let the games begin…"
To be continued…