The Time Traveler's Guide to Zootopia

Chapter 40: Revelations

I felt the cold metal surface pressing hard against my cheek, the diamond plate biting into my skin like a long set of dull teeth. My head throbbed like crazy, a heavy, rhythmic pounding that made it impossible to think clearly. Good hell. Whatever I got hit with, the effects were finally wearing off. Slowly but painfully, I opened my eyes to the dim, cramped space. Nothing about it made sense at first. There were no windows nor doors... just the cramped interior of... a moving vehicle.

How did I end up here? Where was it taking me?

Oh, my head... I muttered, rubbing my temples before dragging myself upright. My limbs felt heavy and limp. What happened?

As my eyes adjusted, I glanced down at my gauntlets and froze. My wrists had razor-sharp nano blades fully deployed, glistening faintly in the dim light. Strange. But it wasn't just the blades that made my stomach drop—crimson streaks were running along the edges. They were sticky and fresh. I might've cut myself by accident, something I've done before, but no... not this much. This was way too much. That's when I quickly realized that it wasn't just my blood. Specks of gray could be seen clinging to the blade's surface, trapped in the congealing mess. To my horror, I saw it was unmistakably... bunny fur.

"No... no, no, no! NO!" I slammed my fist against the wall. "Goddammit! What have I done?!"

I tried to convince myself it wasn't true. Maybe I was hallucinating. But then I felt the claw marks raking across my neck and arms. Without a doubt, they came from a fox. I remembered who I was last with. The realization sank in, hitting me like a freight train.

"Judy! Nick!" I called them desperately, but they were nowhere to be found.

The silence was all that prevailed.

I checked my torso, unable to find any radio or phone to contact them with. All my tools of communication were gone.

The only sound was the steady hum of the engine and the howl of the blizzard beyond the walls of the cargo truck. The vehicle swayed slightly as it hit uneven terrain, but the interior was eerily reinforced. I ran my fingers over the walls and realized they were padded—interwoven with police-grade cushioning to absorb impacts. This wasn't just any cargo truck. No, it was a prison.

I instinctively activated my nano blades, attempting to cut through the walls, but the moment they made contact, high-voltage sparks erupted, sending a sharp jolt up my arms. To my despair, the walls were electrified and reinforced, thwarting any chance of escape.

I sank to the floor, dropping my head into my hands. Never in my life had I felt this... depressed. My chest ached from the crushing weight of guilt—from the terrible things I did. I tried to piece together what had happened, but the fragments of memory that surfaced only deepened my anguish.

The faces of my friends—Judy's determined gaze, and Nick's sarcastic grin—flashed through my mind. What did I do to them? Did I... hurt them? Were they okay? I didn't know, and the uncertainty of their fate tortured my soul.

"Judy, Nick... I'm sorry..." I whispered, my voice barely audible over the snowstorm outside. Tears stung my eyes as I curled into myself, and the way I felt seemed to confirm what happened to them. The very thought of it was horrific.

I couldn't bear to live with myself anymore. For the first time in years, I truly felt like a monster.

Oh, Judy... poor Judy. What did I do to her? After everything she's done for me—leading and guiding me in this new world, making me feel like I belonged—this is what I did to her. This was how I repaid her. She trusted me... and I failed her.