A Zootopia to Remember
Nick Wilde slowly walked down the street on this dreary morning to the ZPD. For the first time that he can remember, without a hyper ball of enjoyable fluff bouncing beside him.
Judy. His Carrots. One of the very small bright spots in his life. So loving, so caring, such overwhelming optimism. He overlooked the possibilities of what could be, and instead, like a dumb fox, reached for what is, what was, afraid for that final step of what could be. And now…
Nick clinched his fists tightly to fight back the tears. Now it's too late. Judy would be so upset with him. For once, not being able to live up to his motto of not letting them see they get to you. This time. They did. All of Zootopia. The ones that took her away from him. The coworkers who she worked with that set her up. The way they threw her in the line of fire. In a very literal sense. The fact Bogo authorized her loss as a statistical loss for 'the best outcome'.
Blood started to pool out from between his paws as more memories pounded into his head. The call in the middle of night, telling him that Judy had died. Murdered on a case, with the other officers… no, not just looking on, but walked away because her loss was better than fighting the organized criminals who controlled the underworld. Mr. Big long since… removed… from his seat of power, FruFru with him, all for the mark of 'peace'.
More blood dripping, now causing a small red line as he walked closer to the ZPD, his anger causing a growl to escape, his teeth showing and scaring all near him, both predators and prey alike. He, like his beloved bunny, was well trained in hand to hand and all forms of weaponry. They were fast-tracking to special forces, the bright eye of the ZPD so it was said.
What a joke. He was a joke. He bought into the bullshit. Judy bought into the bullshit. And it cost her her life. More flash backs. Nick rushing to the hospital, being stopped by his fellow officers. His using his combat training to take down the rhino like a gnat, knee, hip, throat and down. Bogo reaching up to stop him, instantly walking into his reach, hip toss, and two quick jabs to the back of the neck, and down. Running past the stunned remaining officers to Judy's room, stopping, staring.
So much blood. So much…. much…
Nicks fists clench in rhythm with his rising blood pressure. More blood leaking out, leaving small pools as he now storms like an avenging wraith to the steps of the ZPD, taking them two at a time as he shoulder-slams the doors open, cracking one of the doors as he continues in.
Ben raises up to almost greet, then slowly slides back in his seat, tears leaking down his chubby cheeks.
More memories rush through Nicks' mind, seeing what remained of his bunny. More a sack of meat than bunny. The number of times she was shot with large rounds was disgusting. The fact they obviously beat on her corpse long after she passed away for no other reason than they could enraged him. Hatred burned in him.
"Wilde!" shouted from above. Oh good, Bogo. Yes, that's where he was heading, and he wouldn't be satisfied until he took his pound of flesh. They did for his bunny, and he'll make sure the world burned for it.
Nick didn't answer, more memories. His primal scream as he fell to his feet in the pool of his bunny's blood, still dripping off the table. His taking one of her remaining paws, gently caressing the crushed flesh in his hands, weeping openly, hearing, but not acknowledging, all the other officers backing away, slowly, carefully, as to not further enrage the primal animal before them.
They had no idea. They had no fucking idea. He will end everything for what was done. Everyone. His one bright light was extinguished, and for no other reason but amusement, and because they could. From what he found out from researching, and lots of illegal digging, she was the payment…. Payment (insane giggles escape between the growls now)… for continued peace in the underworlds of Zootopia. Because she was one of the few mammals who couldn't be bought off. Who wanted to make a difference. Who wanted to make the world a better place.
She was a word of warning to the remaining fox, who they thought could be paid off. Not by money, oh they tried. Not by words and threats. They tried that too. They thought that taking away all he cared about would make him stop. They had no clue….
A vision, of a 9 year old fox, smiling in the mirror, his mom standing behind him, and unlike his memory, a beautiful gray bunny, standing before him, looking at him with untarnished and overwhelming love and acceptance…
"I promise to be brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy…"
At 9 years old, it was more than words. It was his desire for the future. Just like the bunny he loved more than life.
A new vision, accepting his valedictorian badge at his graduation at the ZPA, a proud bunny pinning it on his chest, her smile beaming and tears nearly leaking out of her eyes. Even then, so much love, untarnished, overwhelming…
"I promise to be brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy…"
A growl escapes his muzzle as he reaches Bogo's office, slamming the door open, and slamming it closed behind him.
Bogo stands and is about to yell again but stops. Suddenly. Quietly. And sits back down. He realizes. Oh gods, he realizes. They pushed Wilde too far. Too, too far. They shouldn't have sacrificed Hopps. They created a monster, no, they had to stop this. He had to stop him.
Nick watched Bogo sit down slowly and clear his throat. "Wilde, sit down, there's nothing you can do about this. We have to move on. You're off the case, take two weeks off, get your head on straight."
Nick just smiled, laughed, gently unpinned his badge, raised it to eye level. Bogo's eyebrows raised and his eyes getting a bit wider.
Nick dropped the badge. The ting of metal on the floor a loud roar to the sudden quiet of the office.
Nick smiled, extremely unfriendly "I quit." And he raises both hands, showing the middle finger on both.
Bogo is about to bellow but what Nick says shuts him up, turns him pale as a ghost, and puts into his head how fucked they all are.
Nick spits on Bogo's desk "I know. It was your orders to put Judy in that position. You alerted the crime bosses of her being there, and ordered the officers who were committed to protect her to leave. It was on your orders to sacrifice her to…" Here Nick taps his chin with a claw, now exceedingly bloody, wiping it on his chin, his lips, his cheeks "… oh yes, keep the peace was it?"
Nick growled, deep, throaty, threateningly "You fucked up. There will be no peace. I'll make sure of that."
Bogo sighs and chuckles "Good luck with that, see yourself out fox."
Nick didn't even respond, just turned around, opened the door and paused "Judy would be so disappointed you know."
Bogo chuckles "What, in that her little dream and naive ideals of a better world was impossible?"
Nick slowly turns slightly, one eye on Bogo with a grin that stopped Bogo's chuckling immediately.
Nick responds "No, she'd be disappointed I didn't remove your head from your shoulders and mount it in Bunnyburrow for the Hopps to spit on for the next year. Good day."
The door slowly closed, no slam this time, as Bogo sat and thought of what was said.
Bogo for the first time realized the fox wasn't joking.
Years upon years had passed. The Hopps family finally forgave Nick, having understood that he couldn't have stopped it even if he tried, in fact he'd be dead with his bunny. Mangled. Betrayed. Deceived.
And most important, not in a place for revenge.
It'd taking more than 30 years, but the technology was done. The first, 5 years ago, nanotech that linked two minds together. They had to be alive, of course they did. Judy was gone, and had been for 30 years. But he never forgot. He forgave everyone, he had to. That hatred would eat him alive. But forget? Oh no. Never. And now was time time for a change.
A change of the present. A change of the future.
Nick gently rolled around the device in his hands, a look of hope entered his eyes, for the first time in decades as he gently whispered "A change of the past…"
The device was an adaptive quantum theory field based on the two-mind sharing. It allowed linking minds, present, future, and past. He would have his bunny back, and he would be back there with her.
30 years of training, illegal and otherwise. Technology, combat, illegal methods of assassination. He'll bring it all back, and share it with his bunny. Not back before she died. Not even when they started on the force.
No by damn, when they first met, he'll change from the start, and be-damned all those who did this to his bunny. Who did this to him. They would rewrite the world, and make the world a better place.
Nick looked up through the window, Zootopia burning everywhere, revolts and screams of pain and anger everywhere and sighed as he triggered the device, a bright light filling a world full of darkness, a light shining with warmth, hope, maybe even love. Just like his bunny. And Nick whispered, suddenly feeling the mind of his bunny, warm, questioning, a gasp of shock, as he chuckled warmly one last time, "After all, it can't be worse."