Zootopia #9302899

Time - 08:56

Date - 12/11 762 A.E

Mammals of interest - Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and Gideon Grey(!)

Falling…

Twisting down and round, further and further into the inky blackness of the void.

Deeper. Deeper. Deeper.

Dark. Darker. Darkest.

It was a never ending spiral of pain and torture. Never. That was the one word firing again and again within the rabbit's panicked mind. Escape… I need to… Escape!

And yet the bunny still fell, down and down. Deeper and deeper into the void below. The moment was timeless, both infinitely long and over in mere seconds. Every minute was an hour, and every hour was a second...

Falling… Falling… Falling…

Judy…

The bunny continued to fall, paws spread wide, free falling… Always falling…

"Judy."

Down. Down. Down. Down forevermore…

"JUDY!"

The rabbit hit the ground as suddenly as it had appeared…

And Judy Hopps woke up, sunlight flooding into the darkness that had soaked through her mind only moments before. Shapes and colours bled into the scene, and then officer Hopps was looking into the very concerned face of Nick Wilde, her partner in 'crime' for the last two years.

"Judy! Are you OK?"

"Uurrrggg… Nick? Wait… What?"

"You just blacked out. Collapsed suddenly. I stepped into catch you just in time…" Nick flashed one of his foxy grins, yet his consent was still evident within his searching gaze. "Catch me?" It was then that Judy realised where they both where. Below them, maybe 50, 60 floors, mammals moved like ants along a needle-thin pavement, with you cars chugging along beside on a tarmac black ribbon.

Nick and Judy were atop 'The Giraffe', one of the tallest buildings in Zootopia. The two mammals were high into the sky, standing amid air conditioning units and lift control docks. "Why are we up here Nick?" Judy questioned, getting yet another concerned look from Nick and a tiny frown. Judy's ears drooped down behind her head. She really didn't know…

"Judy." Nick's use of her first name made Judy's ears sag even further. He really was worried. "We… We were in pursuit of a couple of 'master' criminals. Chased them up here, but then you blacked out and they got away." Nick indicated a yellow piped tunnel that curved down the side of the tower. Used by the assorted mammals that were currently renovating 'The Giraffe', it made an ideal, if bumpy and dusty, escape. "Who were they?"

"Well… Let's see." Nick thoughtfully tapped a paw to the side of his muzzle, putting on the effort of being playful for the benefit of Judy. "They started to that classic film bad-guy monologue, and I'm sure they said their names were something like Travis something-or-other and Gideon Prey?"

"Gideon… Gideon Grey?"

"Yep, that was the one. Why, do you know him?"

It was in that moment, the sudden realization of what had transpired hit Judy. She was suddenly on the hard floor, pressed into the concrete of the building's roof. Nick was beside her, even more worry etched across his usually sly and careless face. "Judy?"

"Gideon Grey…"

"What's with Gideon Grey?"

"Uuurrrggg…"

"Judy?... Judy?!... JUDY!"

Time - 11:49

Beep… Beep… Beep…

At first the groggy mind of Judy decided that the beeps were her alarm clock. She really did need to get up, but she was just so tired. But… No. The more that Judy lay under the sheets, the less and less sure that she was. It didn't sound like her alarm clock. It was too slow. Too monotonous. And there were other sounds, sounds that she had certainly never heard from anywhere in her cramped apartment. There were quite a few other mammals around, in rooms surrounding her own. This wasn't her apartment…

Judy's eyes snapped open, immediately taking in the whitewashed ceiling above her. She groaned. That ceiling, that perfectly symmetrical ceiling, could mean only one thing. She was in hospital! Judy frantically pushed herself up off the sterile bed, propping herself onto her elbows while she desperately searched her mind for any reason as to why she was here. Gently, a red-furred paw touched her own grey one. "Carrots! Welcome back to the world of the living…"

"Wait! I died?"

Nick wore a morbid expression on his face. "The doctor and your parents arranged the funeral. Scheduled for next Tuesday I think. They wanted your wonderful partner to make a speech…"

"I'll need to tell them! Give me a phone!" It was then that Nick's mask skipped, a wide smile spreading out across his muzzle. "No Fluff. I don't think they'll be any need for that. I was joking! You just collapsed again, right after I mentioned Gideon Grey…"

Judy closed her eyes softly, regulating her breathing into a regular, slow beat. Nick saw the reaction that the name had on Judy. "He did something didn't he? That good-for-nothing fox!" Judy came back to her senses quickly, thankfully not falling from the thoughts of the 'Gideon Incident'. "It's fine Nick. He was a real jerk when he was younger. And anyway, you're a fox…"

"I'm a respectable fox Judy…" Nick put a paw to his chest, puffing it out. Judy smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. He might have been trying to be deadly serious, but he was still rather funny. Nick ignored her reaction, continuing on. "And you said that I'm 'not like them'. But some of my species, they just can't force themselves past the bland and unimaginative stereotypes that closed-minded mammals throw upon them…" His rant finished, Nick locked his eyes with Judy…

Green met purple…

"Now, tell me. What did he do?"

Judy knew she had no choice in the matter. The fox would get it out of her. Maybe if she shared it, the nightmares would stop…

"Well… It all started when I was 9…"

10/04 747 A.E, 15:04

"...A stupid, carrot farming dumb bunny."

That had been what Gideon Grey said to the injured bunny, recently clawed and demoralized. Yet she had done the right thing, and it was moments later when that was truly realized, the smile and gratitude on the sheep's muzzle enough of a reward for Judy. Her ears had sprung up high at the praise, happiness and warmth seeping through her body. She said her part, ending with the line that she felt was as true to her word as ever…

"I don't know when to quit!"

"And yet," Judy said, turning back towards Nick. "I nearly did. I was never to know it at the time, but Gideon became worse and worse towards me. I didn't realize how much my actions were affecting him. He really didn't like to see a bunny of all mammals breaking the bonds that he himself had failed to break. It would only get worse from here…"

16/07 753 A.E, 13:07

The weekends were training times for Judy. The police academy may still be years away, but she needed to be ready for anything that could be thrown at her.

Yet the practices for today, progressively lengthening sprints, were rather a nightmare. She had been going for the past 40 minutes, racing back and forth along the long, twisting paths around the warren house that was her home. The stones only added to the training, giving both grip and support to Judy's tired paws.

The fresh air blew lightly through her soft grey fur, teasing the tufts and furls. Judy glanced at her latest (not to mention fastest) FhoneWatch, a recent gift from her parents.

13:08

A new personal best at the moment! Judy thought with a slight sigh. Can I get it any better? She shook her head, pressing on with her training. It was like a ritual to her. Weekdays were taking over by school, and the homework and challenges that followed after it. But weekends? They were free for Judy. They meant that she could be free to do whatever. And she chose to build up her speed, strength and stamina, all in readiness for her hopeful academy acception. Yes, it was years away, but she wanted to be ready!

Time - 13:22

Puffing and panting, Judy drew to a stop, again consulting the time. "Yes!" Judy cried, fistbumping the air in front of her. "New PB!" She flopped down against a tree at the side of the path, calming her breathing while watching out over the rolling landscape below. Green hills undulated around her, a living, swirling sea of grass. Picturesque homes dotted the surroundings, gentle billows of smoke wafting out of concealed chimneys. The burrows had a very unique design. While they were followed ancestral homes of the stone ages, long earthen networks of tunnels crisscrossing each other below the surface of the blowing grass, the mounds connected to basements and above ground cottages too. All of this created huge housing complexes, which were needed to shelter and provide for the gargantuan families and extended families that bunnies naturally had.

Judy herself had never felt like a normal bunny. Most of the females her age were constantly talking about the latest fashions, the biggest celebrities and the hottest bucks. Bucks were a massive thing for them. Judy thought that they were probably the one biggest group of mammals that dominated the doe's minds. Judy herself, due to her constant and regular workouts, was constantly hounded by bucks eager to spend a bit more time with her. Judy always politely declined, moving on without a look back. She never really liked the idea of settling down, not while her dream was so prominent upon her mind. She needed to focus…

A figure walking up the hill towards her snapped her from her thoughts. She turned to face the figure, bunny ears held high as her father, Stu Hopps, walked over the rise, stopping before her. "Judy!" He said. "Your mother said I would find you here…" He trailed off, turning away from his daughter and staring off out across the landscape.

Judy knew the reason for her father's distraction. He had never really believed that Judy was serious about what she'd wanted to do with her life. Maybe it was a faze, he thought. A harmless want to do more than the norm. But as the years went on, and Judy started to focus more and more on the academics and physical training of the role, he had seen how wrong he had been. She wanted the job of her dreams. It was something unheard of for a rabbit. Bunny Burrows. It was a place of farming, of relaxing out in the sun and watching the years tick by, with barely a change in them. Yet little Jude the dude had never wanted that, never liked that. Stu would never call it a problem, but it always worried him. It could go so wrong.

A questioning look from Judy caused Stu to suddenly spin back towards her, picking up from where he left off. "Ohh! I just came to say that lunch is ready and…"

"And…" Judy probed, curiosity lacing her tones.

"And… And… And nothing."

"Ok! Well, I'll be there in a second then. I've just got to get one lap…" Judy said, pointing back towards the track behind her.

"Ohh, yes! Go right ahead!" Judy flashed a smile before turning and disappearing back off up the track. Stu turned with a slight sigh and headed back towards home.

This was the best part of the day in Judy's eyes. Yes, the running was strenuous, but the rewards were worth it. She always promised herself this, a calm and slow jog through the woods. Summer was a beautiful time for it, the leaves whispering in the trees above, telling stories of old to one another. The ground was alive with skittering bugs and crawlies, safe away from the bug harvesters down in the valley. Judy sighed softly, breathing in the rich, peaty air. A crackle of twigs behind her caused her ears to spring up moments before a red furred paw clasped her muzzle and dragged her away into the bushes.

Judy did the one thing that came naturally to her. She kicked out with her powerful back legs. Hard. A muffled grunt and the releasing of the muzzle was all Judy needed to spin away from her attacker, and turn to face them. Gideon Grey stood before her, spitting away a small clump of rabbit fur from where Judy had kicked him.

"What were you doing Gideon?" Judy questioned, keeping at a safe distance in case he lunged again. "Why, Judy, I was coming to see you run…" Gideon's country accent was strong, an indicator to Judy that he was emotional. Gideon, as one of the school yard bullies, came across as rather unbalanced, and Judy had many a day listened to his bullying sessions, and intervened. Yes, it had made her public enemy number one in Gideon's eyes, but if she wanted to be an officer, she'd need to step into such confrontations without fear. "Sure you were Gideon. And why does that have anything to do with dragging me off into the forest?"

"That was my second reason." An evil glint entered Gideon's eyes, and his muzzle morphed into a twisted grin. "I'm telling you nicely now. Stop it. You'll never be more than a dumb bunny Judy, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Your stupid Zootopia has nothing against evolution. You won't become a police officer, they'll never let you! You're just a stupid, carrot farming dumb bunny!"

Tears almost sprung to Judy's eyes, but she fought them back. Gideon's words had struck harder, harder than they had ever done at school. She felt as though there was emotion behind it, and his accent was strong, confirming that for Judy. Trying to defuse the situation, Judy changed the track of the conversation. "Gideon? Are you OK?" The question clearly threw Gideon off, a puzzled expression flashing across his eyes, before he hurriedly looked away into the distance. "Why do you care Judy? Rabbits aren't meant to be friends with foxes and…"

"Gideon!" Judy cut him off, anger seeping into her tones. "There is no need to have such backwards attitudes towards foxes, no matter what your species is. I don't care who your ancestors were, you can be whatever you want."

"And maybe I want to be a shifty, low-life fox!"

"Well, maybe you do, but that doesn't mean that you need to drag me into a forest! Now, I need to get back for lunch…"

"Fine, but let me tell you, rabbit, that you will pay for going against natural order! It's not right, and I'll take it into my paws to change it!"

Judy sighed, squashed down her fear into a deep part of her mind, and trekked on home for carrot stew…

12/11 762 A.E, 12:16

"OK, OK." Nick sighed, raising his paws up. "You were bullied as a kit, and a fox tormented you in your teenage years. What's the big deal? You're still here aren't you? You're a officer now, and you've got a great partner!" Nick flashed a grin, warming Judy's heart and causing a grin to spread across her muzzle too. "Nick, I'm coming to all of that. The reason as to why I'm sitting in this hospital bed," Judy gestured around the sterile room. "And why I'm telling you all about the incidents of my childhood…"

"Well, by all means Fluff. Go right ahead…"

13/04 756 A.E, 16:24

"The day had started fresh and pure." Began Judy. "But by lunchtime, we could all see the storm clouds brewing on the horizon, over by the mountains. It was a batten-down-the-hatches sort of procedure, but I still wanted to get a run in. Turns out, that led to a whole heap of trouble…"

The track stretched up the slope of the hill, rising higher and higher until it plummeted down the vertical drop straight into the waters of Burrow Lake. It was a steep ascent, one that Judy had made it her mission to conquer.

So now she was climbing the muddy track, steadily moving higher and higher, all while hoping the wind and the rain would hold off for just enough time for her to complete her trek for a new personal best. The hill was a place that Judy herself had discovered about 2 years ago, on one of her cross country runs. As soon as she had seen it, she had known that it would plug the final gap in her training schedules. It was definitely a killer of a run. The downhill part was fun, but the uphill was far more torturous.

And now, if Judy didn't do this fast enough, she was going to get rather wet. The bubbling black storm clouds hung low over Judy's vision, darkening a landscape that had been bright just hours earlier. Green had turned to grey. Blue had turned to grey. Grey had turned to a darker grey. And Judy was just a moving grey blob amidst a sea of simple monochromatic colour.

But the top of the hill was in sight. On a normal day, Judy always took a rest here, gazing out in wonder and awe at views that never ceased to take her breath away. A clear slate of blue, flat and smooth, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Today though, as Judy mounted the rise, it was not the pane of glass that it usually was. Wind whipped the water into tufts and waves, spikes that rose high above the surface, before plunging back beneath. Judy took a tentative step towards the edge, watching the waves throw themselves against the pointed rocks far below. The cliff face was bare apart from a small, twisted tree branch, jutting out from the chalking surface around halfway down. Judy sighed to herself, preparing to turn back and head towards home before the rains hit.

"Judy!"

The jeering call caused Judy to turn on her paws, looking back down towards the woods that she'd first come from. Oh, sweet cheese and crackers! Judy thought. Gideon Grey stood there, watching her with his mocking gaze. The hate that Gideon promised three years ago had become apparent soon after, when he started outright targeting her at every available opportunity. Judy had always fought it off, never letting it get too violent. On the outside, it never got to her. But there were times when Judy could be found burying her head into a pillow while in the secluded privacy of her bedroom.

"Never see that they let them get to you…" Nick said.

"Pretty much." Judy replied. "I knew that if he saw any weaknesses, I would never be able to stop him. My defense was the best offence really…"

"Well, I got that Fluff. So, what happened next?"

'Wait for it Nick, it's coming…"

'Well then, go right ahead!"

Gideon started to stride up towards Judy. "I remember when I told you that you would pay if you went against the natural way of things rabbit. And yet here we are, with you still believing that your insipid dreams can come true. But you're wrong. You were always wrong. And I'm here to show you what you need to do to be right…"

Judy hadn't seen the looming figure of Gideon's henchmammal, Travis, until she was encased in his vice-like, hairy pawed grip. "Hey!" Judy cried, worry starting to seep into her voice and thoughts. This is going to be trouble… She thought fearfully. "You know Judy…" Gideon said, walking slowly and precisely towards her. "I was going to simply put you in your place with these little beauties…" He flicked his claws from their concealed sheaths, all the while advancing towards her. "But… Now that I see that you are far too gone to do that. If I did, you'd still never go back to your humble bunny ways. So, I've decided that a more permanent method may be in order." He nodded towards Travis, and Judy felt herself being lifted and shuffled backwards...

Back towards the cliff…

It was then that the clouds, which had snuck up on the cliff in the past few minutes, decided to release their loads. In seconds, all three mammals were soaked to the skin, droplets of water dripping from saturated fur.

CRASH!

Judy started to struggle, hoping to use the pelting rain to her advantage. Yet she still failed to break away from the paws that held her captive. "Gideon? Travis? What are you doing? You're really going to throw me off a cliff? For what!?"

"Judy…" Gideon's voice was eerily calm, a false-looking grin plastered over his muzzle. "I've been gifted…"

Judy groaned inside, fearful for what Gideon was about to say. 'Gifted' mammals. It was a crazy, idiotic craze that had been going round. Cults were springing up everywhere. The Core Mammals. That was what they called themselves. Supposed creatures of nature. Mammals that didn't fight the grain, and followed the metaphorical herd. They were supposed naturalists, but it was clear to see that they were all nutjobs. And the worst part. Rumours had been circulating recently that the price of admission was the subduing of a 'traitor' to society. And unfortunately for Judy, Gideon seemed intent on paying with her life!

"Gideon…" Judy spoke slowly and with care. Hours of watching reruns of police documentaries had refined her skills of persuasion and psychological examination to a fine art. And now she desperately hoped that these skills would suffice for what might be the only opportunity of her life. "Why are you doing this? What do you have to gain?"

"Look rabbit, I don't have to explain myself to you. You're just meek prey, lowest of the low. My species is far more superior than your's, and rightly so! I am going to become great Judy, and you'll help me achieve that, whether you like it or not!"

"But what's the point of it Gideon?" Judy questioned. "How will it help?" But Gideon simply brushed the question off, snidely replying with: "Your feeble mind tricks will never work on me. Travis… Throw her over!"

CRASH!

And in that moment, Judy went from having her paws scraping lightly against the ground, to just empty air beneath them, a plummet to the lake's sharp rocks the sole outcome of her predicament.

The bunny started to fall…

CRASH!

Falling…

Twisting down and round, further and further into the inky blackness of the void. The dark, swirling lake below, and the cloudy, thunderous sky above. Trapped between a battle of Gods…

CRASH!

She was going to die. She was going to die. Rocky fingers reached up from below to ensnare her in their cold embrace. She was going to die. She was going to...

Crack!

Judy landed hard, the breath knocked out of her. For a moment more, she held her eyes firmly shut, fearing the unknown if she dared open them. But slowly, she cracked them open, gazing down upon the waves, still quite a fall away. The leafy branches of a tree dug into her fur, and Judy realized with a slight start that she had landed on the protruding piece of vegetation. Judy tilted her head a tiny amount, freeing her ear so that she could hear through the crashing rain and waves to hear the bullies above.

No voices could be heard…

Judy broke down and cried…

12/11 762 A.E, 12:49

"Wow Fluff. Just, just wow…"

"That day really tore me apart. I finally got off the cliff, and trudged home to my parents. They were distraught with worry, and that's a vast understatement!" Judy cracked a small smile. "The whole thing really shook me to be fair. I nearly… I nearly did give up. Looking back at it now, my reaction feels so stupid… But… But back then, I didn't feel like carrying on, if being an officer was only going to get me hate… hate like that…" Judy started to sob, burying her muzzle into Nick's paw. "There there Carrots. You bunnies are all so emotional!" Nick smirked after a light and half-hearted punch from Judy. "So, you nearly lost all your confidence over a life or death experience. And that's also why you react so violently to his name?"

"Yes… Gideon Grey…" Judy spat out the words. "I've… I've never told anyone that story before. I think that it might help now…"

"Well, I've got to say Carrots, you are a great story teller!"

"Thanks Nick…"

The pair sat in silence for a while, content to be with each other, mulling over their respective thoughts. It was Judy who broke the silence first. "What do you say we catch some criminals?"

"I thought you'd never ask…"

Time - 14:40

It had taken Nick and Judy under 2 hours to track down and imprison Gideon Grey and Travis. Benjamin Clawhauser watched with awe and uncontained glee as Judy and Nick strolled back into the station, criminals in tow. "How do you two do it?!" He breathed.

"Trade secret Benji!" Nick replied, tilting his glasses towards the cat.

"Oh, and nightmares!" Judy chimed in, hopping along past the desk and towards the offices.

Clawhauser just sighed…

Those two were so cute together!

Lab Report 57-

Dr. Alex Thorp

On the subject of - Zootopia #9302899

Well, this week's experiment was contributed by a user under the name littletigery. We at Fox Labs felt that it was an ideal look into how the Infuser modules performed over large time spans, and through different periods of time, and the Infuser continued to function beautifully, although an extended period of time for experiment notings was apparent.

We also thought that this would be a good time to introduce another character into the major mix, and this experiment made Gideon Grey the perfect option, posing as little Judy's aggressor!

Apart from that, keep those ideas coming, and Fox Labs will see you in another place, another time…

Another dimension!

A/N-

Firstly, apologies for this being a week late! Life caught up hard, and I was backpedalling through this way too much. For future reference, uploads might become less frequent if stuff happens, but I will try my best to keep to an organised and ordinary schedule (yet you have been warned!)

Thanks to littletigery for the Idea this week. It was one that was posted quite a while ago, but once Fox Labs figured out a good way to carry out the experiment, it was top priority…

Welp, that's all for this week! See you soon, my loyal readers!

[On a sub-note, anyone seen that my stories are progressively getting longer?]