Chapter 6: Finding Your Voice
"W-What the fuck? H-How the fuck?" Finnick stammered, his eyes agape. Not paying much attention to his surroundings the tiny fox would slip and fall off his chair landing on his hindquarters. He hurriedly grabbed the handle of his bat and got to his feet. Standing all the way near the van's back doors, trying to keep his distance from me.
"I know, I look weird but I promise I won't hurt you."
"Yeah right, like I'll fall for that shit fool." Finnick cursed, the grip on his bat only getting tighter. "You think I was born yesterday?"
"I'll tell you everything, just put the bat down and we can talk.
Now most would lose their minds if they saw what I truly looked like, but Finnick, although visibly startled by my appearance, he remained calm but cautious of me. He slowly inched his way over to the table, eyes trained in on me before sitting back down in his seat. The bat was still tightly clenched in his paws.
Thankful for his generosity, I smiled with gratitude and went back to writing another reply. I deeply appreciated his act of mercy at would I could perceive what was for him a reality shattering revelation. "Thank you."
"Yeah yeah, now are you gonna keep me in suspense or what?" Finnick huffed impatiently.
"I appreciate this, honestly. As far as I'm aware, I'm a human."
"A human huh? Kind of mammal is that?" Finnick asked, raising a brow.
"I'm not exactly sure, I just know that's what I am and I'm the only. It's all I can remember about myself really. I'm not actually from Bunnyburrow, before I was living in a lab but I escaped and now I'm on the run." I ripped the sheet of paper free from the notepad, placing it on the table and sliding it over to him. Finnick's eyes drifted down the page before looking back up at me and leaning back in his chair.
"Damn, that sounds like some sci-fi shit. Unfortunately for you though it also sounds like a personal problem. I'm dodging the heat myself, and having you around will only make it harder. Like I said before, when the rain clears you're on your own again." Finnick shrugged. I sighed and lowered my head sadly. I decided to make the most of being able to sit down and reflect on my current situation, thanks to the fennec.
"I need a drink." The fox announced, briefly breaking the silence.
Finnick got out of his chair and walked over to the cooler, lifting the lid revealing numerous cold beverages buried in ice. The fox dug through the freezing cold ice cubes before fishing out a clear bottle, halfway full with a crystal clear liquid sloshing around inside. Seating himself back down, he took one paw placing it under the heavier end of the bottle and putting the other around the neck carefully pouring it into his cup.
"You want a drink?" He politely asked as he set the bottle down.
"What is it?"
"Zootopia's finest vodka on the market right now." Finnick replied, taking a sip from the glass cup. I waved my hands in a rejecting manner and he instantly understood. "Suit yourself then, you probably need one more than me. Speaking of, how old are you even supposed to be anyways?"
Hearing his question had caused my brain to freeze up as I had now pondered the question. Yet somehow no answer, I remember not really remembering anything about myself when I woke up in this world. My name, my age, my family if I had one, what my life was like before all this. The last time I was asked such a conflicting question was when I was first introduced to Kelly about a year ago. After they found out that I was essentially mute and had little to no clue about any personal information about myself, they wrote me off as having a severe case of amnesia. It still struck me as odd that out of all the hundreds of things about myself I could've had any recollection of, the name of my species was the only one?
"I don't know how old I am, or anything else about myself for that matter."
"Geez kid, you really are lost." Finnick commented before downing the rest of his drink and placed the cup back on the table. He then gave me an unexpected sympathetic glare before clearing his throat and turning to face away from me. "Listen, I don't know shit about how to deal with whatever you are or your situation but I may know someone nutty enough who may."
"Really?" I asked with a glimmer of hope in my eyes.
"Yup, she lives in a junkyard not too far from here." Finnick said.
"You'll take me there?"
"I usually charge for gas, but it's obvious you ain't got a penny on ya. Although because I'm bored and I have nothing better to do, I'll take you to her." Finnick answered.
Her? So the mammal in question was a woman. Finnick left the table and climbed into the driver's seat. Holding onto the notepad I followed right behind him, stuffing my head back into my mask as I sat down on the passenger's side. I wanted to hug the little guy although I feared he most likely wouldn't reciprocate the same response.
"Thank you so much Finnick! You've been nothing but generous to me this whole time, I wish there was some way I could repay you."
"Wanna repay me? We can start by going our separate ways when I take you to her spot. You didn't see me and I didn't see you, capiche?" Finnick asked. I nodded in agreement. "Good."
Finnick twisted his key in the ignition a few times, the engine refusing to cooperate at first until Finnick's fourth attempt. The van coming to life engine rumbling loudly. He reached over and turned one of the dials on the radio, turning up the volume. Generic metal rock music blasting from the speakers. Then I wondered how someone of Finnick's size would be able to drive. That's when I saw that the clutch, brake, and accelerator were heavily modified. The metal limbs that held them in place were much longer, long enough to where it wouldn't be troublesome for the fennec to operate his vehicle.
I slowly blinked before letting out an exhausting yawn that seemed to zap all the remaining energy out of me. I wrote one last note, handing it to the fox.
"Thanks again for this Finnick, you're a kind soul."
After finishing the note I noticed his hardened expression had faltered. If I were seeing things correctly, I'd almost say the fox was concealing a half smile from my field of view.
"Oh…um…don't mention it kid." Finnick replied, his demeanor much kinder now.
He put the van in drive, backing out of the alley and into the open street. Pressing his foot down on the gas we went at a moderate speed down the road. I leaned my head back, slowly blinking feeling myself succumbing to my tired state. My eyes shut for the final time and vision went blank as I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.
THUMP!!!
I was suddenly jerked awake out of my sleep. My heart racing in my chest, eyes dancing around in my sockets as I nervously scanned my surroundings. Then everything came back to me once I saw that I was still in the van with my new friend.
"Sorry, speedbump." Finnick apologized. "We're here by the way."
Looking out the window I'd seen we were no longer on a concrete road in the middle of downtown Zootopia. Now we were traveling down a dirt path as we passed rows of discarded beaten down cars that have clearly seen better days. Busted windows, impacts from collisions, missing tires, some even had their tops completely stripped off. There were even piles of them messily stacked on top of each other in random corners of the yard. As we approached the end of the road a small wooden shack became visible.
"There's her spot." Finnick pointed where I was looking. The van slowly came to a halt before parking in front of the shack. "Alright, come on."
We both hopped out the van, closing the doors behind us. Making our way to the door I was able to get a much closer inspection of the place. The wood exterior was rotted, the two front windows stained with grime and dirt which made it impossible to see anything inside. I couldn't imagine any sane person who would willingly live in such conditions. Though I probably shouldn't judge so soon, after all I was only looking at the outside. Maybe it was much cleaner on the inside. Now we stood at the front door. Finnick gestured towards the buzzer on the left side of the door where I was standing.
"Give that a press will ya."
I nodded and reached forward, pressing my finger down on the doorbell. A strange static like buzz would begin echoing from it. Standing side by side Finnick and I watched the door awaiting a response.
"WHO IS IT?!!!" a strong feminine voice barked.
"It's Finnick." the vulpine answered.
"What's the password?"
Finnick let out an exasperated groan, "Do I have to do this dumb shit everytime I come here? Open the damn door already."
"Oh my god! It really is you Finn! I don't know any other foxes with a potty mouth as big as yours." They spoke in a cherry tone. "Buuuut…I'm still gonna need that password just to be safe."
Finnick growled in frustration as he clenched his fist. He then let out a defeated huff, "Six Bloodlines."
"See, was that so hard?" They asked in a teasing manner on the other side of the door to which Finnick responded by rolling his eyes in irritation. A couple of clicks came from the door before it came swinging open. Surprisingly I found myself somewhat excited at finally getting to meet this friend of Finnick's.
We were greeted with the sight of a stout honey badger. She had a wide build, wild azure eyes, with black fur and a white stripe that went down from the top of her head all the way down to her short tail. Her outfit consisted of a dirty green camo tank top, khaki pants with an olive green tool belt wrapped around her waist. I also noticed a silver dog tag necklace dangled from her neck. If I recall correctly it was an indication that she may have been in the military at some point in her life.
"Finny! You grumpy bastard, it's been months since we last spoke. Don't just stand there, gimme a hug baby." The badger smiled, extending out her arms preparing to hug the fennec.
"I don't do hugs, unless you won't miss having your arms." Finnick threatened. The badger only responded with a hearty chortle, not seeming intimidated by his threat.
"Still the same old Finn." She commented with a proud grin. She then looked past us as if she were expecting to see somebody else. "Where's Nicky? He didn't come with you?"
"Don't know, don't care." Finnick shrugged with a frown. Seemingly bothered by the badger's question. Nicky? Must be another animal that Finnick knows.
"Okay, I won't pry." Honey replied. That's when she shifted her focus on me, leaning against the doorframe scanning my form up and down. I bashfully shifted my gaze elsewhere as I felt my cheeks heat up. "And who's this tall drink of water?"
"Honey, this is Seven. He's the reason why I'm here in the first place." Finnick answered.
"Her name is Honey? Well isn't that ironic?" I joked in my head.
"Well if that's the case, come right on in." Honey smirked, opening the door all the way, giving us room to step inside. Wasting no more time we entered. Honey quickly shutting the door behind us
I gotta admit, it didn't look any better on the inside. The walls inside were just as worn and beat down as they were on the inside. The loose floorboards creaking underneath our feet as we followed Honey through the dilapidated shack. There wasn't a single couch, tv, not even so much as a refrigerator in the kitchen. Eventually we were brought to a small room that was just as empty as the rest of the place. The only thing about this room that was easily notable was the brown carpet in the center. Also it was the same shade of brown as the wood beneath it, which helped it blend in perfectly.
"Alright here we are." Honey muttered to herself.
I pulled out the notepad, flipping to an empty page and writing down my thoughts before handing it to Finnick.
"What am I supposed to be seeing here? Is that it?"
"Just give her a second." Finnick whispered.
Honey bent down on her knees and firmly grabbed the thick edges of the carpet. She proceeded to drag the carpet to the far end of the room. A bunker door now visible due to no longer being concealed underneath the carpet. The badger grunted as she turned the valve, loud metallic scraping emanating from it before it eventually flipped over. Now there was now a leader leading down a gaping tunnel in the ground, Honey taking the lead and going down first.
"This way slowpokes!!!" She yelled from the hole.
Finnick and I shared confused glances before he shrugged and went in next. I would soon follow after, taking my time down the latter so as to not slip or get caught in the bars. The deeper we descended down the hole it became increasingly more difficult to grasp my footing. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed a bright light pouring in
It only took a minute until we reached the bottom and now into a much bigger room. On the right side there were three massive shelves placed parallel to each other. Filled to the brim with many canned foods, snacks, and bottled water. On the far right was a chalk board with various pictures with no correlation to each other whatsoever, all connected by red lines like a massive spider web. Underneath written in bold red letters read "The Elite's Endgame".
Pinned up on another wall was a poster that showed a pyramid, every single level inhabited by white sheep in business suits. Except for the top where a single black sheep stood wearing a white robe. Above the pyramid were the words "Power" and "Money" side by side. I failed to understand the symbolism here.
We seated ourselves at a round table in the center of the room, Finnick and I sitting on the same side while Honey sat across from us. An excited grin plastered on her face, fangs peering through her friendly smile.
"So lemme guess, you stumbled down the Sheep Elite rabbit hole and now you wanna learn methods of protecting yourself from their influence on the masses?" Honey asked, her tail swaying rapidly behind her.
"No Honey, he's not here for any of that kooky conspiracy nonsense." Finnick pinched the bridge of his snout.
"Aww really? Not even a little bit?" She pleaded.
"NO!" Finnick barked.
"Okay Okay, don't pop a gasket Finny." Honey said.
Finnick then turned to look at me, "Show her already."
Taking a deep breath I reached up to grab the edge of my mask. I shuffled my neck around, worming my way out of the air tight mask. My head finally breaking free, my hair puffing out now no longer confined to the restraints of my disguise. A cool breeze now brushing against my bare exposed skin. As Finnick did prior I expected her to at least freeze or tense up from the sight of me which she did at first.
"No fucking way…" Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She leapt out of her chair, making her way over to my side maintaining eye contact with me. Honey's shaky lips curled into a smile of disbelief and astonishment. She reached out, her rough paws gently tracing my facial features. "This makes up for not bringing your ass around for the past few months. You brought an honest to god HUMAN into my home. Forget finding something for my birthday, this tops any gift.
"So you DO know what he is?" Finnick tilted his head in a questioning manner.
"Do I? Finnick, this guy right here is the missing puzzle piece to Zootopia's History!" Honey replied. She forcefully extended my arm before taking my hand in her paws, examining the texture of skin on my palms. "All of my fellow truth seekers are gonna flip when they hear about this. Look at these fingers, I can only imagine the things you could do with these bad boys."
Lady, you have no idea.
"I seriously cannot believe this. Of all the mammals for this to happen to, why me?" Honey giggled like she'd just heard the juiciest gossip.
"Tell me about it." I heard Finnick mutter under his breath. "He needs help Honey."
"With what?"
"Well for one, he can't speak so he couldn't tell ya if he wanted to." Finnick answered.
"He can't speak?" Honey asked, disappointed. That's when she seemed to have gotten an idea. "OH! Wait here, I got just the thing to help our humanoid friend."
She walked over to a corner on the far side of a room where a chest was sitting against the wall. I still wasn't sure what to think of Honey at first, but I think she was beginning to grow on me. After minutes of watching random junk fly from out the chest Honey would cheer in victory before returning back to me. In her paws she was carrying a collar of some kind, I gotta admit my heart dropped at the sight of the new device but it was clear as day not another shock collar thank goodness.
Attached to the straps was a light metallic box with a speaker, a power lever sticking out on the right side and a red dial on the left. Three individual settings stood out written in black sharpie. "Grandpa" "Nerdy Alien" and "Nightmare"
"Where did you find that?" Finnick asked.
"A couple years back my platoon stormed a lab that was operating without the proper authorization. We ended up shutting the place down and confiscating most of their shit. This collar was one of their 'projects' so I decided it would be better in my paws than theirs. Not like they'll miss it anyways." She explained while she strapped the collar around my neck and yanked the power lever down. "So, which setting do you guys wanna try first?"
Finnick put a paw to his chin, "Let's try old man."
Honey turned the dial to the appropriate setting before giving me the thumbs up, "Ok, go ahead and try to say something big guy."
"Like what?" A weak raspy voice came from the speaker. I immediately covered my mouth in shock upon hearing myself talk for the first time. Granted it wasn't my own voice, but it was more than enough to make me wanna bounce around the room. "I can speak! I can't believe it! How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood! Yes! I got it!"
"Jesus, why does he sound like that?" Finnick winced, covering his massive ears.
"I mean, the setting is called 'grandpa' after all. But hey, at least your new friend can speak now."
"He's not…my friend." Finnick grunted through clenched teeth.
"Sure Finny, whatever you say."
A/n: Hello Guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the inclusion of Honey's character. Which fun fact btw, she was scrapped in the original storyline so I decided to give her a place here in my story. My headcanon is that she's voiced by Leslie Jones xD
I recently saw the teasers regarding Zootopia 2 and I've gotta say I'm excited to see the iconic animal buddy cop duo back on the big screen again. Along with the inclusion of reptiles, I honestly am hoping the new writers don't mess up an interesting concept and one that's attached to such a beloved movie franchise.
With my personal feelings about the sequel aside, I would also like to announce I am in desperate need of a proofreader. If there's anybody willing to help me so I can pump out lengthier chapters for you guys please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly through dms.
I want this story to be the best it can be and with Zootopia 2 on the horizon I'm even more motivated to keep this story alive and hopefully thriving in the near future. Until the next chapter my wonderful readers, stay tuned to see what happens next. It'll only get crazier from here ;3