Judy and Lucas dangled in the air, watching the flood roar past below them, all of the Golden Claw members washed away. She could see Nick struggling to grab the rope and hold on as the water began to wash over his platform. Lucas struggled even more, since he had no footing at all and none of Judy's physical training. They managed to keep their grips though; the alternative was the deluge.

Finally, the raging torrent subsided into a gentle river, and the platform exposed itself again. "Alright," Judy said, "Come on. Keep your legs together…"

She let go, swinging herself towards the center of the water. The surface broke beneath her, and she flailed a moment before resurfacing. Lucas followed as well. Both made it to the platform wet and dripping, but alive.

"They gone?" Lucas whispered as he sloshed out of the water. His voice echoed off the concrete walls and calming flow.

Nick and Judy both looked out at the water flowing past. Her eye fixed on the far tunnel, Judy nodded, "They're gone. If the water could pick up and carry the truck, I wouldn't be surprised if it broke their necks."

"Serves 'em right," Nick sneered, and he gave a rude gesture to the disappearing water.

Judy kept staring after, until she heard Lucas clear his throat behind her. She turned to watch as he nervously rubbed his neck. "Judy…" his eyes looked down at the ground. Every so often he looked up, but when he made eye contact he immediately averted his gaze again. "I… I made a mistake Judy…"

"Yeah. You did." She put her handpaws on her hips. "I'll give you that you led us to the Golden Claw, but you also got them here in the first place. A lot of people got hurt."

Lucas flinched at her words. "Why'd you even save me then? I'm just… I..." His voice caught.

"You wanna know the truth? Hey," she waited for him to look at her again. "I saved you because there's still something to salvage in you. You can still deliver the antidote, and you can turn your life around."

The wolf gave a little exhale, and smiled. "Judy, thank you so much, I… I really appreciate it, I won't let you down—"

"That doesn't mean," she raised a forefinger, "that I forgive you for what you did." A long silence lingered between them. "I think we can agree that this is fair?"

She pulled a set of handcuffs from her belt. Lucas eyed them. Then he bowed his head in obedience, and held out his wrists. Judy clicked them on.

"Come on," Nick jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to the door away from the water. "Let's get out of here."

The door led up a flight of brick stairs to a more modern door. It opened into a long hallway with speckled tile and blank walls. Bit by bit they began to see and hear signs of life echoing through the halls, like sirens outside…

They finally came out the front doors of the water plant to see a scene of total chaos. Travis and the other predators filled the sidewalk, spilling into the facility through the hole in the fence. Around them were SPEC officers, trying to wrestle a few into submission. Around SPEC was the ZPD, trying to wrestle them into submission. Flashing lights adorned cars in all directions. Every now and then was the chirp of a siren as yet another ZPD officer pulled up and jumped out. Shouts filled the air and confusion reigned supreme.

Bogo had managed to find Travis, who was talking very quickly while Bogo wrote. They were almost comical in their size difference. Yet the coyote seemed so sure of himself, even as Bogo's characteristically suspicious eyes diced apart everything he was saying.

"...went in, asked for the engineer in charge of everything. I know it looks bad, but with the Golden Claw bursting through the fence, obviously we had to do something, right? And then… Judy!" He suddenly caught sight of her and waved her over. "She, she... " The coyote looked from Bogo to Judy, not sure who to speak to, before finally resting on Judy. "Are they gone?"

She nodded. "They all got washed to sea. But we gotta get the Coast Guard out there, make sure there are no stragglers. And-and SPEC, are they being blocked off? They can't get any predators to Happytown!"

"We're doing our best, we're just trying to PUT THE WOLF CUB DOWN!" He suddenly barked at a ram trying to grab a kid. Two ZPD officers immediately went to confront him. "Our forces were both hit hard at City Hall, but SPEC more so. There's been no word from Hoofer or Bellwether on—"

A loud metallic squeal echoed around the city. Everyone clamped their hands over their ears as an emergency intercom system kicked in.

"G-Good afternoon, Zootopia…" Bellwether's voice came through. "There's… there's been a lot of stuff happening, and I want to address all of you, for what… what will... " She took a breath, "I wish to speak to you all one last time, before I surrender myself to the Zootopia Police Department."

All around Judy, the chaos quieted. Officers looked up at the nearby loudspeaker, forgetting their conflict as Bellwether spoke. There was a shuffling of papers, the clearing of a voice. Everyone from Savannah Central to Tundratown, Sahara Square to Little Rodentia to the Rainforest District, heard what she said next:

"I have lied to you, all of you, over the past year. The savage predator epidemic, which started under Mayor Lionheart, was entirely created by me. I used a chemical extract to send predators into violent fits, and then used the ensuing fear and panic for my own political benefit. I…. I hurt, and even killed people, I discredited Officer Judy Hopps when she found the truth about me, all to secure my position as mayor.

"But now... " another breath, which sounded like a half sob, "now I stand in a City Hall with a dead city council. I stand in an office where people I'd considered allies tormented me. I'm left with nothing now, but the knowledge that I will be considered not a hero, but a villain by history."

There was another silence. "All members of the Savage Predator Emergency Commission, Clive Hoofer is dead. I hereby assume command, and order you all to put down your weapons and surrender yourself to the Zootopia Police Department. I myself will surrender as soon as the ZPD gets here. The detention of predators at Glacier Falls is no longer in effect." A long silence. "Goodbye, Zootopia."

With that the loudspeakers fell silent. SPEC officers looked around nervously. Then, slowly, their paws and hooves raised into the air. The ZPD set to work, cuffs shining in the light.

"Wow…" Nick whispered as one by one, SPEC was taken in. "We did it Carrots!" He elbowed her. "We stopped Bellwether!"

Judy nodded. "But it's not over." She hopped over to Bogo's car and grabbed a megaphone. "Mind if I take this, thank you," she didn't wait for an answer. "Alright people! Come on, this way, we're gonna start getting this stuff sorted out..."

Later that evening, the Golden Claw was fished from the water. Not one had survived the flood.

The very next day, Judy led the way into ZooTech Medical Center. Six other officers followed behind her, none of them aware that this was a return trip for her.

When the elevator opened, she could see the paint on the wall showing where bullets had hit. It seemed ages ago now, leading the raid into the heart of SPEC. Now no guards were found, only a few doctors who stood there with stretchers. Funnily enough, Judy's mission was the same this time around: getting predators out of here.

She turned to address her followers: "Remember what I told you: no one alone with a predator, keep tranquilizers trained at all times." With a final nod from everyone, she handed out the key cards. "You and you, you're with me, everyone else go get—"

"Hopps!"

Bogo's voice crackled over her radio. With a single swift motion she grabbed it and responded, "Bogo, this is Hopps, over."

"Get down to the library. We have a visitor: the Canissons' butler."

Judy looked about her. "Look, I'd love to be there, but I'm just about to get the predators moved. Send him… my regards?"

In the library, Bogo huffed quietly. "Alright." He released the radio, and faced the puma before him. "I'm sorry, she's occupied."

They sat at what was supposed to be the reference desk at Zootech's school library. It now served as a temporary City Hall; old paper deeds were pulled out, contracts voided and new ones signed. Officers surrounded all the entryways, scanning entrants for weapons. At the center of it all was Bogo, who had assumed the mayor's office. A long line of people waited to speak to him, but had learned quickly that he did not tolerate interruptions out of turn.

The puma sat there, still in tuxedo and bowtie, quietly looking down at his clasped paws. When he looked up at Bogo again, his eyes had no tears, but still pain. "Can I at least see Lucas?"

"He's in maximum security detainment. He killed several mammals," Bogo's eyes flicked over the butler. "Didn't see it coming either?"

The puma shook his head. "I can look back now and see, yes, there were signs," he gave a weak chuckle. "It's always looking back though, that it's all clear, isn't it?"

Bogo nodded. "I've only known you and the Canissons for a short while. But if there's anything you need, we can oblige." With that, he pulled out a large manila folder stuffed with documents, and plopped it on his desk. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about though…"

As he opened it up the butler leaned forward, scanning leases and contracts.

"With Pierce's death, you were next in line for his assets. And Lucas' incarceration means his half is siezed, so… you are the sole acting owner of Canisson Pharmaceuticals."

Bogo watched his eyes grow wide with the realization, and the jaw slightly fall open.

"Now if my memory is correct," Bogo continued, "the brothers were working on a cure to the Night Howler toxins? I hope you would be-"

"Of course," the puma didn't even wait for him to finish. "I… I will make sure that the cure is completed, distributed. Pierce had told me, just a few nights ago, that they were almost done. I'll make sure," he nodded, "that it gets done."

"Thank you," Bogo handed the puma a pen. "Just need your signatures on these." As the butler began to sign, a lingering question crept into Bogo's mind. "After the antidote is done, what are you going to do with the company?"

He looked up. "I'm a butler, not a businessman. I'll probably sell my stake..." a smile began to grace his lips, "...and I've had my eye on some beachfront property for a while."

Those first few days were the hardest. Some of Bellwether's supporters took to the streets, but gained little backing. City Hall was cleaned up. And once the cure hit Zootopia, life began to return to some sense of normalcy…

And three months later, Judy found herself guiding hundreds of mammals, predator and prey, out of Zootopia Central Grade School. Every one of them wore an "I Voted" sticker. "Thank you, have a good evening, thank you for voting," she greeted each of them as they shuffled past.

Nick stood beside her in a cadet uniform, also greeting everyone: "Hey, nice shirt big guy, lil ma'am, don't get trampled on your way out, oh Mrs. Houndzi! Wonderful to see you, you're ravishing tonight!-"

"Nicholas Wilde," Judy turned and gritted under her breath, "if you want to graduate police academy you've got to be more professional."

"I am being professional," he said out loud. "I'm just being friendly, it's a skill you learn when you're trying to sucker people. Maybe you cops could learn it too?"

Judy cocked her brow and elbowed him in the arm. "You're on a field trip, Nicky. Better behave or I'm gonna tell the teacher."

Nick turned to her with mock fear. He had the same polar bear drill sergeant she had… and they both knew what she could do. "Alright, fine, you win Carrots." Then with a dull voice and half-lidded eyes he addressed the crowd again: "Thank you for coming, have a nice evening, thank you for coming, have a nice evening."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed. "Look, the place closed half an hour ago, there can't be many more coming, right?"

A few minutes later she was proven right. A mammal came to the door and announced, "That's everyone! Thanks for your help!" and closed up for the night. It was a quiet drive back to Judy's apartment; the television was still on from the morning, and the news flashed across the screen.

"-eighty percent of votes counted, and challenger Tina Gray still holds her advantage over interim mayor Idris Bogo. Representatives from Little Rodentia and the Meadowlands are already named, they are…"

"This is gonna sound really mean," Judy sighed as she dropped her keys on her end table and sat on the bed, "but I really hope Bogo loses the election."

"It does sound mean." Nick replied as he sat beside her. "But I'll say it too: I hope Buffalo Butt loses, because I can't stand another 'stress-relief call.'"

"Ugh, I know…" Judy pushed her palms to her eyes just to remember it. Bogo had been so used to getting his way in the police department that the fine craft of politics was… well, a little too delicate for him to grasp. At the very least he had kept things running, and was willing to go a little longer if the city needed. But Judy knew that he didn't really want to, and she really didn't care for that option either.

Speaking of, her pager rang. Even on Election Night Bogo was working. She checked the screen:

HATE CRIME - RAINFOREST DISTRICT ORCHID-STEAM

The words made her stomach curdle a bit. But, she was here in Savannah Central. She had no way to reach there, and other officers were stationed closer. That made eight tonight though…

Nick peered over her shoulder to read. "Hey, Hopps," he gently pushed the pager down. "It's alright, someone will take care of it."

She stayed silent for a moment. "We stopped Bellwether," she whispered. "But there's still so much hatred out there."

Nick said nothing at first. Then the bed creaked a bit, and she felt a handpaw on her shoulder. "You're not gonna change everyone's mind. But you can do enough to make a difference. Look at this," he gestured at the TV. "Remember less than a year ago? You told me Tina got absolutely crushed in the election, and now she's in the lead! Things got better. That's all you can do Judy, make things a little better."

She was about to respond when the news station interrupted her. "And the votes are updating, and… we're calling it?" A nod "Ladies and gentlemammals, Tina Gray is the new mayor of Zootopia!" A massive cheer erupted from the studio audience, and elsewhere in her building Judy could hear the cheers from other thrilled mammals. A podium lit up before the news anchors, and they faded into darkness as Tina stepped up to read.

"Citizens of Zootopia," she said with a grin, "it's an honor to address you, for the first time, as your mayor!" The audience cheered again, and Tina let them go. "Our city has seen chaos like never before in the past year. As a personal victim of that violence, I can tell you that I know how hard it's been. But now we have a chance to start a new page in our city's history, a chance so predator and prey may renew the covenant that binds them together. We cannot erase the scars of the past, but we may heal them and build a new city, together!"

She paused to let the crowd cheer, before continuing:

"Within the next three months, we shall guarantee the full restoration of property lost by predators during the Glacier Falls resettlement. The last vestiges of segregation, and of predator supremicism, will be hunted down and removed from Zootopia, for we have no room for such hatred in our city. Together, the council and I will guarantee safety and liberty for all good mammals of our metropolis. You have granted me your trust, and I promise I will not let you down."

With that she stepped down from the podium. Nick suddenly started clapping too, "Woo, short speech!"

Judy couldn't help but feel uplifted as well. She felt introspective for a moment. "Tomorrow, I think I'll take the day off… go visit the prison."

Judy turned and watched the skyline of Zootopia disappear behind a chainlink gate, and the second gate before her opened. An armed guard waved her through, and she made a beeline for the visitor center.

As she walked, she could see into the activity yard. Judy paused as she caught sight of Lucas, sitting quietly on the bench reading. He had fifteen years in here, no chance of parole. His sentence would have been longer, except that Judy herself had argued on his behalf; his brother had just died, plus he had helped them find the Golden Claw, and was instrumental in developing the Night Howler cure. In the end, he'd taken the prison deal, a decade and a half trapped behind bars.

That's not who Judy was here to see though.

Minutes later, she was facing through reinforced glass and watching a small sheep approach the table. Judy tried to think back… as far as she could remember, this was the first time that she and Bellwether had sat face to face since she'd been hospitalized from Nick's attack. Now things were so different...

"Dawn," Judy nodded.

"Judy," she nodded back. "I saw the news. Gray finally won, huh?"

"Mhm."

"Well then. Happy ending. Come here to rub my face in it? I've already been humiliated…"

"No," Judy snapped. "I'm here because I don't want you to think for one second that it's just 'all better'. We mopped Hoofer's remains out of City Hall, and we fished the bodies of the Golden Claw out of the harbor, but those people are still around. And they're around because you let them grow strong enough to be a problem."

Bellwether leaned forward, resting her forehead on her hoof. "Yes yes, I know. Every newspaper's been throwing the same thing in my face for the past few months. Anything new you want to say?"

"You're a lot less friendly when you're not desperate, you know that?" Judy snorted. "I just have one thing to show you…"

Judy pulled out her phone, and showed a picture she'd taken of a coyote. "You know who that is?" Bellwether said nothing. "His name is Travis Lawrence. You want to know what he's gone through? He lost his job as a nurse when you took over. He saw his candidate arrested. He sunk into despair to the point that he nearly took his own life to protest against you."

Judy let her words sink in before continuing.

"But you know what he's done since then? He rallied the predators at Glacier Falls. He stood up to predator supremacists. And now? He's organizing the Rage n' Rave parade, with city funds. Travis is going to be loved by the whole city, and you nearly killed him.

"I wanted to show you this," Judy put her phone away, "because you didn't conspire against the city. You conspired against millions of mammals like Travis, destroying them so you could enjoy a bigger office. Court papers can forget that sometimes, and I wanted you to think about it. I don't think you will, but…" she silently shrugged. "Something to ponder over during your three life sentences."

With that she stood up and began to step away. She was almost out of the room when she heard, "Judy!" The rabbit turned to look at the sheep.

Bellwether pushed her glasses up on her nose and leaned forward. "Things did not turn out well, and I regret what I did. But us sheep… you don't know what it was like working for Lionheart. And you know how hard it was to become a police officer as a rabbit. You really mean to tell me, that you wouldn't have tried the same thing? Just to have the chance to show them that you could be strong too?"

Judy held the door open, half in and half out of the room. She thought over Bellwether's answer, before returning one of her own:

"I'm already secure in my own strength, Dawn. If you need to prove you're strong by doing what you did, I don't think you're very strong at all."

With that she let the door swing shut behind her. Bellwether sat alone in the room, save one guard far behind her with arms crossed. The cold tile floor waited for her to step down again. Plain white ceiling tiles loomed far above her head, and the harsh fluorescent lighting beat down on her.

Bellwether never came to the visiting room again.

SILENCED BY THE LAMB

A year and a half later, it's finally done! I want to thank all of you for following this story as I pieced it together.

I want to start with a little announcement: this will be my very last fanfiction that I write. I will now be moving on to FULLY ORIGINAL work! If you'd like to see it, follow me on Tumblr, gouldthorpecreates. My first original novel, a science-fiction adventure, will be coming soon!

I want to thank Silver261, a wonderful person who ended up becoming my beta reader on this story… and ultimately, a romantic partner of mine. I would never have met him were it not for this narrative, and it means so much to me.

Finally, I also want to thank all of you. Your feedback has been immensely helpful, and often helped me decide where and how to tweak things. It got a little messy in the middle, but I hope I've been able to finish strong! It's been an honor to write for you, and you've helped me grow stronger as an author. I look forward to the next part of my writing journey, and I hope to see you there too.

This is George Valtom, signing off.