A Fox in the Machine

by Blkdragon7

A deep dive into the psychosis of my muse. This one is both light hearted and dark as hell. In either case, it should be fun. Any summary beyond that would give away the farm, as it were.

3. Chapter 3

Hello again my good and loyal readers. Welcome to chapter 3 of A Fox in the Machine.

I do not own Zootopia or its characters, that's Disney. I only own my own OC's. Though with hints and teases of Z2 at some point in 2024, one can only hope it will come up to the standard we hold Z1 to.

Anyway. On with the show, such as it is.

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Chapter 3

A week to the day later, Judy was heading to her private cyber-operating theater in the lowest levels. There were going to be a number of layered procedures taking place, which would include her brain being removed from the remaining parts of her skull and stuck in a new housing to protect it and keep it alive. Along with a whole mess of extra implants and connections to make it all work properly. It really was a big step, but less so for her than a lot of mammals.

Walking into the theater in her most stripped down body, little more than bare cyber-limbs, just enough to move around, but that's it. "Hey guys. All ready?" The body didn't even bother with ears or other such aesthetic items. Her scared flesh on full display, the small section of lung visible, along with the bare encasement for the remaining two thirds of her spinal cord and half dozen intact vertebrae.

Fin looked up. "Hey, Judy. Yeah, just finishing up the last preparations for my part. Honey went to check some things and will be back and ready for the operation in a moment. Gonna ask one last time. You sure?"

Judy nodded. "Yeah. Worst case I wake up in a few weeks in the cloned body and we go a different route. Right?"

Fin nodded. "Fair point."

Honey entered. "Hey, Judy… Oh, wow. I… You know. You use that body so rarely, I forget just how little rabbit there is left. I guess your point really stands up, given that. So, we're going to be hooking you into the holo-projection system, under full immersion. We need to keep you conscious, like always, as we go through it. This is going to take a few days. Today is going to be a bunch of implants and connections directly into your brain. Preparing you to be moved into the housing. At the end of the day, you should be in the nutrient tank.

After all the connections are tested and verified, etc… We'll be removing all but the top two inches of your spinal cord, the remaining piece of your lung, etc… You'll really only be left with nerves at that point."

Fin chuckled. "You'll truly be a raw nerve."

Judy groaned and while giving Honey a nod, shook her head and rolled her eyes at Fin. "I know. I'd go with a full upload, but that's a bit beyond our abilities just yet."

Honey flinched back. "That's years away yet, Judy. Even if I were to figure it out, I probably wouldn't tell you. A person is just too much data. There would have to be some way to compress the person's data while keeping the data coherent and accessible. Computers are up to running it, as you know. If not, we wouldn't be able to play you out into a cloned body. The problem being, we can't run you for long periods without an actual brain."

Judy nodded with a smile. "I know, Honey. No worries. I know you'll get there eventually. Maybe that Positron-something you laughed about from Star Fur The New Genesis. That golden wolf android they had. We both know SciFi has long since proven to be far more prescient than most mammals want to admit."

Honey nodded. "True. I guess I should watch more of those SciFi shows you love, see I can get some ideas. I'll add it to the to-do list. I'd have to figure out how to make a positive charge based system, which oddly…" Her face got a look of serious consideration. "Actually, that would behave a lot like a mammal brain does. Not fully, but similar… You may be on to something, but that's for later. Let's get you on the table and hooked up so we can get started."

Judy walked over and layed down. A few moments later the robotic equipment had extracted her and her small life support unit from the body. Honey quickly removed that body onto a rolling office chair and set it aside while Fin made sure Judy remained stable.

Soon after, they had opened Judy's skull and other protective panels, exposing her brain and such to the sterilized air of the operating rooms isolation chamber. Honey and Fin, using robotic micro-manipulators, commenced to perform the connection of the various implants and new connections Judy was going to need going forward. They took a good few dozen breaks, and after each major step to ensure they were fresh and Judy got a chance to recover, integrate to the changes, and provide them feedback via her presence as a hologram.

At the end, she shared a virtual veggie and shrimp wrap with Fin and Honey. Honey looking over at the Judy-gram. "Judy. Have you given any thought to what you want your new body, the main one you use, to look like? Fin and I have some ideas on capabilities and such, but your input is really needed."

Judy smiled and nodded. "I have. I'll have some basic ideas sketched out for you in the morning. Nice thing about being just a brain, I don't need as much rest. An hour or two is usually enough, more than that and the dreams get into the nightmare territory Making me relive that night."

Fin nodded. "Sounds good. I'm sure you'll keep the original you around too, yes?"

Judy nodded. "I suppose. For sentimental value if nothing else. Though, for my day-to-day… I think I'm going to add some foxy features. I know I've talked about it before, but it's time I embraced that. I'll still be my usual rabbit self, but with a few features I would like to think my kit would have had."

Fin and Honey nodded, Fin replying. They'd learned to just accept things she said in that vein. Getting her talking about it at length only ended up with tears and yelling. "Sounds good. Just send me the file and I'll get to work on that when we're not working on getting you moved into the new housing."

"Will do. Now, you two go home, get some rest. There is a lot of work you still have to do."

Fin chuckled, indicating the rabbit brain floating in a nutrient suspension tank. "Say's the brain in a jar."

Judy huffed, crossing her holographic arms. "It's a tank, not a jar." Looking over at what remained of herself. "It's funny. I know that is me in there, but because my perception of the world is from over here. It's kinda disconnected. I can see how someone could become disassociated. It's a strange view. Seeing yourself from the outside like this. A strange thing to think about, especially as I look at the hunk of meat that makes me, me." Turning away from the tank, as the walls of it went opaque. "Anyway. Go rest. Not like I'm going anywhere but a VR interface to do some designs."

Fin and Honey left. Fin to his apartment and mate. Honey to the old bomb shelter built into the base of the warehouse south wall when it was originally built. Something upgraded heavily for the badger and her paranoia.

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It took three weeks to complete the process and install Judy in her new housing, which looked very much like a small metal football (soccer ball). Because of Fin's requirements, and Honey's over engineering, the housing was more than twice as thick as it might otherwise have needed to be.

It provided Judy a full two weeks of independent life support, which was rechargeable from most standard outlets and portable tech chargers, and could intake a wide variety of things to recharge her nutrient supply. Interestingly, the most ideal nutrition sources were quite predatory as her brain mostly needed protein and carbs. Thus making a Buggaburger an almost ideal food.

The housing also had a full sensor suite, armor plating, and thrusters for assisted jumps, which worked in conjunction with the multiple insect-like legs that allowed her to crawl across most surfaces, all of which had either universal data connectors, manipulators, or both.

Her brain was suspended in a non-Newtonian fluid, and had a reinforcement structure that supported her brain during impacts and high-G maneuvering. With the added cushioning, it ensured survival from multiple terminal velocity impacts to steel, and up to twenty G's of acceleration without her experiencing any issues. It was more a question of her housing withstanding the damage. With the changes, she would be able to use a launcher system they'd built before realizing she couldn't survive its use at the time.

The housing was insulated to provide protection from minus 200⁰c to 1500⁰c degrees for up to 30 minutes without issues, and anything from minus 100⁰c to 900⁰c degrees effectively indefinitely. The housing also included several self defense functions that included point defense lasers and electrical stun that could take down a moose.

The life support was also fully self-contained, able to withstand pressures only exceeded by the most advanced deep dive submersibles used to study the bottom of ocean trenches, as well as hard vacuum. In totality, her new housing was fully OP, and Judy remarked on that a few times as she got used to her new home.

It took Judy three days to learn to drive her new housing, something she wasn't expecting but was quite happy with. Because of the change, she didn't need to rely on the transfer equipment anymore. It also meant that the housing mount could be moved to better protect it, and therefore her, while minimizing the hole needed in the body.

That meant more room for just about everything. She would actually be reducing the number of bodies she maintained thanks to the change. Her daily body would merge with her shaggin-waggin, and save when hopping into a dedicated purpose body, like her full combat chassis, she would have fewer reasons to change.

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Judy looked around once Fin sealed the housing, allowing her to power it up the final time. It would never be opened again unless she allowed it, it was actually ripped open, or Honey, Fin, and either Lizz or Mike, all agreed and authorized it.

Giggling, Just extended her spider-like legs, standing up and shifting about, running a final system check. "You guys really outdid yourselves."

Fin laughed. "Between the mad doctor and myself, we came to the conclusion that it was a literal inevitability that your housing is going to be separated from your body at some point. We figured we'd give you as much functionality as we could.

Judy from her spot on the table spoke via the housings speakers. "Fin. Honey. You did great. Perfect. Better than perfect. This housing is one thousand percent OP, and I LOVE IT! I cannot wait to see what you pull off with the combat chassis.

That said… We've been tweaking, modifying, and updating for days. I passed all your tests. I still want that flight function. It's really just drone fans, and an extra, what, quarter inch layer? But that's for later. I know you have my main body ready and I'm beyond ready to give it a test drive. So come on!" Hopping up and down eagerly on the ten legs of her housing, which got laughs from Fin and Honey. "Quit holding out. Gimme!" Two manipulator legs extending and making the associated motions.

Honey moved to a door, still chuckling. "You, bouncing like that, is hilarious. Okay." Pausing a moment and sobering up. "We just hope we met your ask." Opening the door to reveal a body with mostly gray fur, black tipped, rabbit tall ears that had sharp pointed tips. A longer than rabbit, almost short fox-like tail with silver-white fur and a crimson tip. The muzzle was a bit longer with rabbit incisors and fox fangs, and it had fully retractable claws.

It still looked like Judy, but with clear hints of red fox. Of Nick. A sob came from the front of Judy, a manipulator leg held up as if to cover her mouth when she saw the claim mark. "It's beautiful, guys. Perfect. Even has the scar." A waver in her voice. "It's perfect."

Judy lept off the table and skittered across the floor to the body. The chest opening, she slipped herself into the mount, and with a satisfying click as the mount locked her in place, interfaced with the body. The chest sealed up as if never having been opened. Judy, in her new body, opened her eyes, followed with a massive grin.

Stepping out of the support that helped hold the body up when not in use. She walked around, shifting and bending. Touching things to test her sense of touch. Turning to Fin and Honey. "It feels like home." She quickly pulled the two mammals into a hug. "Thank you, guys. Thank you. I'm going to hit the gym to get fully familiar, then I'm going to try the new, nested combat chassis. So you guys, take off. Fin, go… Take Claire and Amy to dinner. Honey… Go… Hack something." Waving a paw in the air.

Heading out the door, Judy paused and looked back. "Really. You exceeded my wildest expectations. I'm not sure how I'm going to thank you guys, but I'll figure it out." With that, Judy fully skipped down the hallway towards the gym. A term coined by Fin for a room more appropriately named a combat test room, or danger room.

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While Honey and Fin slept, Judy put her new and updated bodies through their paces. Learning to properly control them, what new functions they had, and making it so that she could interface with the bodies and put them to use without any delays.

Her new primary body proved to be a merger, as she had hoped, of her regular day-to-day from before, with a light combat chassis, and her shaggin-waggin. It really would be her go-to moving forward, as she didn't need to have a separate body to get laid, or deal with a would-be thief. It was agile, fast, and generally perfect. She commented to herself how Fin and Honey had really outdone themselves with the body, just like the housing.

The fur color and patterns could be changed, muzzle and ear shape and length altered slightly, as well as other cosmetic things, such as a plus or minus four inches in height. This gave her great ability to easily conceal her identity. It had multiple pulse lasers of the new type, giving her much greater firepower while not sacrificing space. It had room for both her primary and secondary lethals. Stored extra magazines for both, and had forearm mounted tranq weapons that used a new dart tech that she planned on marketing to the ZPD. It allowed the same round to be programmed and used against anyone from a mouse to an Elephant, without needing to change darts.

Her updated combat chassis was on a whole new level. Because of the extra protection her housing now had, the additional protection wasn't as needed. The interface mount was still heavily protected, but it was also not as over the top as before. This provided room for a significantly larger power core, less concern for heat, and the inclusion of more, and more powerful, weapons. She loved it, and looked forward to the first time she would get to take it out.

Switching back to her main, Judy left the lower levels. She had a corsac fox to find so she could do some final testing. Stepping into the store front, a grin on her face. Seeing the water deer, Angie, she went to wave hello and froze. Her sensors picked up multiple weapons. Quickly taking stock, Judy nodded and remotely triggered the silent alarm.

One of the four wolves in the shop pointed his weapon at Judy. Seeing it, her scanner quickly determined that, while it was lethal, it would at most, require her to go back downstairs and have some fur replaced. It wouldn't even penetrate the outer skin. Her issue being, there was another wolf with the same gun pointed at Angie, and it would very much kill Angie.

Judy called up her tranq weapons, loaded for the wolves, and then targeted the paw of the wolf aiming the gun at Angie with a laser. The wolf aiming at her growled. "Don't move. Tell the cashier to empty the till and we'll be gone. We're also taking all the stock you have, so open the back."

Judy turned her head to face him, changing which laser was going to be used on the wolf threatening Angie. "Don't worry, Angie. I got this."

Angie nodded slightly, clearly terrified, but surprised. She hadn't dared turn to see who had entered the store. "Judy? You guys really should leave now. That's Judy WildeHopps. She's not going to give you what you want. She's former ZPD."

The wolf threatening Angie laughed lightly. "Former being the key term. It'll take us to the big leagues to take her out. Kill her."

The wolf aiming at Judy grinned. "With pleasure. This bitch put half my pack in prison."

Judy smirked. "Wrong answer, boys."

The laser fired from a unit that popped out of her shoulder, severing the hand of the wolf aiming at Angie. Unfortunately a muscle spasm set off the gun, grazing Angie, who screamed. The tranq weapons in her forearms deployed and she fired into the other three wolves, as well as the one with the now missing paw, all dropping within a second from the advanced tranq. Judy was immediately at Angie's side, her sensors going to work.

The graze was going to be a real problem as it had ripped her arm off at the shoulder. Angie was going to bleed out in a few minutes if nothing was done. "Fuck. Angie. Oh gods. I got you."

Picking her up, she used a laser to sever the pieces of arm that were still attached. She then cauterized the wound as best she could, Angie screaming and then passing out. Judy quickly made her way into the back and then down to the lower levels, calling Honey as she moved. "Honey! Get to the OR! There were wolves holding up the store and Angie got shot. She'll die if we don't get her stabilized, and she doesn't have an implant."

Honey acknowledged but didn't otherwise speak. When Judy got to the operating room in the lower levels a minute later, Honey was already there and preparing, Judy having uploaded her scans. Honey looked up at Judy with a concentrated frown. "Good job cauterizing the wound, but she's still bleeding internally and there is a lot more damage. Must have been a damn shredder round."

Judy placed Angie on the table, then recognized the arrival of the ZPD. "Honey. Do what you have to do. She doesn't have an implant."

Honey nodded but didn't otherwise acknowledge Judy as she left and headed back up to the store front. Entering from the back as the ZPD was looking over the unconscious wolves and the shredded, severed arm. One of them pointed his weapon at her. "Freeze! Identify yourself?"

Judy did as she was told, smiling up at the lynx. "Judy WildeHopps. I own this establishment. I'm the one that triggered the alert. I was just getting my employee in the back for emergency treatment. Thankfully our doc was still on site preparing for an appointment tomorrow for some work. That's her arm. The wolf with the severed paw is the one that was threatening her. Internal laser defense system fired." Pointing at the unit in the wall. "However, a muscle spasm set off his weapon, hitting my employee. It's unclear if she will survive. I tanq'd all of them."

The lynx looked around and nodded. "Okay, and what did you use to tranq them? I don't see any darts."

Judy grinned. "They must be failing to include ZPD history at the academy these days. Judy WildeHopps? I'm a cyborg, patrolman." Showing the tranq weapons in her forearms. "I am more than sufficiently licensed to have these installed, as well as a number of other things you don't need to know about."

The lynx frowned. "I rather think we do, with all do respect, ma'am."

A deep chuckle made Judy grin and the lynx shrink. "Not to worry, officer. What Judy does or does not have installed is something I am fully aware of. Due to her licensing as a hunter, only myself and a few other high ranking ZPD officers are authorized to know."

The lynx turned slowly and saluted. "Chief!"

Mike laughed lightly. "At ease. You're doing your job, but you have been on the force, what? Two weeks? She's right though. Do they not teach history anymore at the academy?"

The lynx frowned, and shrank into his shoulders. "I… I didn't do all that great on the history parts, but since they aren't weighted in the overall I didn't worry about it."

Mike nodded. "I need to have a talk with Lizz about that. To bring you up to speed. That is possibly the baddest, meanest, most dangerous rabbit, nay… mammal, you have ever seen or ever will see in your life. Mated to a red fox. First rabbit and fox in the ZPD. Fastest promotion path to Lieutenant for both her and her mate. Arrests and cases include the Nighthowler incident, four mayors, fifteen city council members, three drug kingpins, the destruction of five different major gangs, and hundreds of otherwise standard arrests. And that was all before her mate was killed, she nearly was, and she became a full conversion cyborg.

So yeah, you should probably brush up on that ZPD history. In fact, I want a report on my desk by Friday of next week detailing the exploits of Judy and Nick WildeHopps. Sound good, officer?"

The lynx nodded with a hard swallow, clearly recognizing that he was getting off easy. "Yes sir."

Mike grinned down at him. "Great. Now how about you get back to your job." The lynx took that opportunity to all but bolt from the store. He could probably be of far better use keeping the reporters he just saw show up at bay. Mike looked over at Judy and smiled. "Hey, J. New body?"

Judy nodded. "Yep! I already uploaded the scans and such. Honey is actually working on Angie right now." Motioning. "Come on. I will show you back."

Judy led Mike, one of the few outside of Fin and Honey, that knew about the lower levels, and what Judy did in her free time. They got down to the operating room and watched through the window as Honey worked, Fin arriving and immediately helping out. His wife, Claire joined them.

Clair gasped upon seeing who was on the table. "Oh my gods. Angie? She was supposed to come over to babysit tonight after work. What happened?"

Judy nodded and leaned against the coyote. "Hey, Claire. Would be robbers. What Honey called a shredder round. Nasty business for sure. It only grazed her and did that, and from only a 9mm."

Mike growled. "Shredders? That just amplified the charges those guys are going to have. Those are extra illegal. Not even the military is willing to use them because they are categorized as war crimes. We got word that a big shipment came in of all sorts of nasty weapons. I was actually heading over here to talk to you, Judy, about it when the call came in."

Judy nodded. "Given what it just did to Angie with a graze, you can bet your cybernetic tail that I'm on it. Forward everything you have." Looking up at him. "It's funny. The press thinks I'm some sort of vigilante, calling me The Borg." Adding scare quotes. "When in fact, I'm not. I'm a licensed hunter. Speaking of which, here's the updated chip with new capabilities, etc…" Handing over the equivalent of a flash-drive. "Been down for a few days, weeks actually, having some upgrades done. This body for one. It's actually a light combat chassis combined with all my other daily build outs. Oh, and so you are both aware."

Judy stepped back, the holographic clothes she was wearing dissipating, as she hadn't made it back to her apartment yet, the chest of her body then opening up. She stepped out in her housing. "Took the plunge, so I'm now, truly, a full conversion." Closing back up in the body, her clothes reforming. "Fin and Honey outdid themselves on not only this body, but the combat unit, and even my new housing."

Mike nodded. "Figured you do it eventually. Well, as long as this is comprehensive, even though we both know you left some things out."

Judy grinned. "Well, I did tell the officer that it was the store defense laser, but it wasn't." The laser deploying from her shoulder. "It was mine. Honey got a better unit working so it's smaller, more powerful. Well, it's Honey working with Fin, so…"

Mike nodded. "No worries. Falls under the category of your protections as a hunter."

Fin stepped out and seeing them all nodded grimly. "Okay. We have her stabilized, but only because you brought her down here where we still had the equipment set up for all the work we just finished on you. It's a foregone conclusion, but I assume you are covering any and all costs and mods needed?"

Judy nodded. "She's been on the short list anyway. So get her to a point where I can talk to her. Just as you have demanded, it is time we added some mammals to the team, and it seems that Angie gets the first slot, assuming she accepts. Especially if what Mike is saying has slipped into the city."

Fin nodded. "You got it." With that, he stepped back into the OR to help Honey. Mike, Claire, and Judy heading out.