The Time Traveler's Guide to Zootopia

Chapter 42: Blue and Green

All hell had broken loose...

Phaser rounds tore through the air, scorching the walls and vaporizing anyone caught in their path. I watched in horror as scientists and technicians vanished in flashes of light—one second alive, the next reduced to drifting ash. The smell of ozone and burnt fur filled the corridors.

I looked around the control room for Dr. Bell, but she was nowhere to be found.

Gadianton advanced relentlessly, every step precise, every shot deliberate. Anyone who tried to run was cut down. He moved like a drone—no hesitation, no mercy—with a single directive: kill.

Before I could fully grasp the horrifying scene unfolding before me, Gadianton was already a hundred meters down the corridor, continuing his rampage through the adjacent room and into the laboratories.

I had to stop him.

He was stronger, faster, and closer to his prime than I'd ever been, but I had to do something. The first priority was to save as many mammals as possible—before it was too late.

From the smoldering remains of a fallen buffalo researcher, I spotted a half-melted security badge lying across his half-disintegrated chest. I winced at the sight. With hesitation, I snatched the badge and scanned it against the nearest wall console—it was an intercom terminal. My trembling hand slammed the button.

"If anybody can hear me—run!" I shouted into the microphone. "Do not engage with the human! I repeat, do not engage with the hostile alien! Find the nearest exit! Leave this facility now!"

For a moment, I pressed my head against the console, hoping someone—anyone—would respond. Only static answered me. Then, distant screams.

I dropped the receiver and bolted toward the sound of chaos.

It was nearly impossible to run without tripping over the bodies scattered along the floor. I did my best to avoid them while navigating the flickering hallway. Turning a corner, I nearly collided with a group of fleeing feline scientists before entering a wide auxiliary corridor.

A thick cloud of smoke suddenly filled the area, cloaking the corridor in a pale haze. Then, multiple green targeting lasers cut through the smoke, leveling downrange.

A squad of armadillos in tactical gear advanced ahead of me, forming a wall. One by one, they turned, locking together—shells facing outward—to form a living barricade while a few jackals with harpoon rifles took cover behind them.

But their attention wasn't on me. It was on Gadianton, standing at the far intersection.

"There he is!" the leader shouted. "All units! Concentrate fire on—"

The jackal's command ended mid-sentence as bright blue phaser bolts screamed through the corridor. The first shots struck the front line of armadillos, detonating their armored shells in violent bursts. The remaining jackals met the same fate; within seconds, the entire squad was down.

The hallway reeked of scorched armor and flesh. I couldn't breathe—because I knew he was only just getting started.

Gadianton moved on into the next sector.

"Stop!" I yelled after him.

But he was already gone.

Gunfire echoed down the halls—deafening and endless. I ran; I didn't even know where, because the sounds came from all directions. Somehow, I had to stop him.

Dr. Bell was right about one thing: we couldn't let him leave this facility. And if that included me as well... so be it. I just wanted to do the right thing—even if I no longer knew what that meant.