<p>Minutes were passing, and Alex was still awaiting.</p>

<p>He continued to look at the ceiling of the cell they had put him into, and he still wondered just what was going to happen next.</p>

<p>Alex tried to remember himself of all of the events that led to that moment, and each time that he tried to replay what he knew to be the last less-than-twenty-four-hours, Alex still had troubles to believe it.</p>

<p>The previous night he was into a building, into a personal mission with his friends and the ones that he trusted most, some of them old acquaintances of him, some of them new faces he had met from a few weeks to a few days ago. Nevertheless, they all were people that he came to trust and care about, people who he knew that he could trust to have his back and whom they would cove r the back if they ever needed, and they were all willing to help him into this mission.</p>

<p>They arrived, and they seemed to have it under control, until of course, Alex saw Bastille's face, and it was only a matter of time to assume that things would go south from there. Alex still felt like giving himself a good kick in the butt for not predicting that Stoats would resort to hiring other evos to help him. After all, ever since the events of the Carnival and Claire Bennet, evos had took a more and more present place in the underworld, as "powers for hire", super-powered bodyguards, and even as mutant hitmen.</p>

<p>Since the events of the H.E.L.E, evos started to receive better treatment, and to be employed by some governmental agencies as special resorts, but of course, this didn't reduced the number of them that were already in the black market and global criminal underworld, even before the great reveal of evos to the world. People like Bastille, who was ready to sell his abilities to whoever gave to him the biggest price.</p>

<p>Next thing he knew was that he was about to surrender to Stoats and give him exactly what he wanted, what caused him a great feeling of failure and helplessness, when all of sudden, the whole building shook and was swallowed by a giant vortex of light. Alex had no idea of what it was or where it came from, but he knew that it had appeared almost as if on cue, and that it had taken the whole building and everyone in it.</p>

<p>Next Alex was spinning inside that vortex, holding Linda with all of his might, trying to avoid losing the last thing that he still recognized. The last thing that Alex saw was Linda being taken away by the vortex, before he finally blacked out, completely sure that he was going to die. He remembered a feeling of hotness in his body, as if he was being heated up, and also the feeling that his body was somehow melting… no, like it was being reshaped, almost like it was clay… it was so weird.</p>

<p>An unknown amount of time later, Alex woke up into a hospital, and two creatures that looked as if they had come out of an old animation movie greeted him. A moose and a gazelle, both animals that walked like people and wore clothes just as humans do, and they behaved just like humans would. Alex took less than a few minutes to realize that he had been transported into some new kind of world where the animals behave like people, walked on two legs and walked around dressed. Not only that, but he realized that he himself had somehow been turned into one of them. Alex Hunter found himself turned into an anthropomorphic cougar.</p>

<p>All of that still seemed like a strange joke, or maybe some kind of deep hallucination, or even a very wild and vivid dream, like the ones that he had when he was still a kid. Still, Alex just had to raise up his hand… or what once was his hand, and take a good look at it, to see a paw-like hand covered into light-cream fur, with four fingers and paw-pads in his palms, and he knew that it was real, or at least it felt real to him. Alex continued to look at his paw/hand for a while, and with a slightly flex of it, he unsheathed his claws. Not the nails he had, but real claws, just like the ones felines were supposed to have.</p>

<p>Alex learned to do that almost by accident into his cell, as he was inspecting his hew hand and discovered how to unsheathe his claws. <em>Nice thing to have into a fight.</em> Alex thought with humor after the initial surprise of the claws had passed. Alex would normally be much more surprised for him suddenly having claws, however, in retrospect; the claws were probably the less weird thing that had happened to him in the past hours.</p>

<p>Continuing with the flashback, he escaped the hospital, had a meal that consisted into insect-based products (to which Alex seemed to have a very new taste for) and had a meeting with a fox cop (no kidding), and he had to use his powers to shock the smaller animal and knock him out enough for him to escape. Later on he stopped by a mall, and was met by the same fox cop, now follow by a <em>bunny</em> cop (again, no kidding!) and right in that moment, the mall started to be robbed.</p>

<p>Next thing Alex knew was that he was forced to take action, and that he had to use his powers to fight the wolves, lion and elephant that were robbing the mall (that seemed like some short of twisted joke), and he was able to take them out with the help of the two diminutive cops. Only for him to get under arrest shortly after, taken in as if he was a criminal, under some protest of the other animals in there, who he had saved.</p>

<p>Later he was took to the police office, interrogated by a burly and mean-looking buffalo who was the police chief and whom, thankfully, seemed not to be hostile towards him due to his powers, and finally was placed into one of these containment cells. Now there he was, waiting for what was to come next, and wondering what was going to happen now, that it seemed that everyone already knew that he was no ordinary cougar, but a cougar with the power to shot lightnings from his paws.</p>

<p>Alex groaned, as he slapped his paw into his face.</p>

<p>Everything that he just thought seemed like the plot of a b-type fiction movie for children, or then the plot of a bad written piece of fanfiction. Still, Alex soon convinced himself that it was his own reality, no mattering how absurd, strange, or even stupid it sounded. It didn't even mattered if it was all real or the product of his mind that had completely cracked. The point was, all that has happened to him and that was still happening felt real to him, enough for him to assume that it was real. At least to him.</p>

<p>Alex sighed, he sat in the bed of the cell, and he looked at the bars, a few more than three feet away from him. By the other side, Alex could see another mammal inside one of the holding cell in front of his', and it was a familiar face. The lion that he had stopped into the mall, he was already up and he looked at him with a look of anger, telling Alex that he would get him if he could.</p>

<p>Alex looked at him, and stretched his furred arm in direction to the bars of the cell, and a moment later, small lightnings jumped from his paw.</p>

<p>The lion almost jumped out of his fur when he saw the arcs of lightning move from the cougar's paw, but they were not coming to him. Instead, the arcs of lightning jumped to the metal bars of Alex's cell, forming arcs that connected them to his paws. The electricity even jumped from one bar to the other, forming arcs of lightning that danced in the air as they moved to the bars and in between them.</p>

<p>It lasted for around a few moments, before it stopped with Alex closing his hand. The lion looked at him with an expression that denoted shock and fear. Alex looked at him with some of the same anger, and then, he sighed, dismissing it as something that he had no time to think about in the moment.</p>

<p><em>Well, at least they didn't made me share a cell with any of these guys<strong>.</strong></em> Alex thought as he sat on the side, his back laying against the wall as he looked at the cells, and kept his arm stretched to it. Small arcs of lightning jumped from the tips of his furry fingers to the bars, and he could only imagine just for how long they intended to keep him in there, and what they would do to him later on.</p>

<p>His thoughts went for some moments, like the fact that many people saw him saving them from these criminals, and even stood for him as he was arrested, that actually made him have a good feeling. Not to mention the talk he had with "Chief Bogo" upstairs.</p>

<p>The fact that the buffalo seemed to be completely unsurprised by his abilities, and the way that the buffalo told to him that he had nothing against "mammals like him" was something that made Alex feel of several different ways, from surprise to worry and to relief.</p>

<p>It almost was as if that buffalo has some kind of experience with people who were able to do the things that Alex himself could.</p>

<p>Like he had his own experience with evos…</p>

<p>Alex continued to play with his lightnings, as he wished that he had telepathy instead of electrokinesis, so he could look in the buffalo's mind to know exactly he knew about him, and what his intentions with him were…</p><hr />

<p>Bogo closed the door and locked it, before he turned his attention to the four mammals that were with him in it. Hopps, Wilde, Ferris and Razorback all looked at him, still waiting for the answers that the buffalo said he would give. They had went through a lot recently, well, at least Wilde and Hopps had, and they deserved answers, as well as one of his oldest friends, and the same scientist that first saw the whole thing.</p>

<p>Bogo took one last look into the door, as if to make sure that there was no one else in the other side plotting to hear the conversation from the other side. He seemed to be satisfied, and he sighed, knowing that he had delayed the inevitable for too much time already.</p>

<p>"Please, take a seat." He said calmly to the four.</p>

<p>The mammals shared a look among themselves, and soon they were taking on the chairs.</p>

<p>Razorback took only one, while the other three smaller mammals shared one by standing into it. Bogo walked around his desk, and he sat on his own chair, and he pressed the intercom, "Clawhauser, hold all of my calls and don't call me unless it is <em>extremely</em> important."</p>

<p>A quick answer from the cheetah on the other end was enough for Bogo, and he turned his attention to the four faces that were looking at him expectantly. Bogo let out a great sigh, and he stood straight in his chair, before saying, "Well, where do I begin with?"</p>

<p>There was a silence in the room, and then, Ferris voice was the first to speak. "Well, we could maybe start about who exactly is Alex Hunter… sir." He added, seeing Bogo's eyes lock on him. Right after, Razorback spoke.</p>

<p>"That is actually a good place to start, Bogo." He said, with his arms crossed, and looking at the cape buffalo, who looked back at him, and he said, "Yeah, I guess you are right." He said, and he relaxed in the chair, putting his two hands together as he looked at them.</p>

<p>"Well, Alex Hunter is… a mammal who is different from most other mammals." Bogo said, and he sounded as if he was choosing his words carefully. The other mammals in the room exchanged looks among themselves, they all were thinking that Bogo was just stating what was obvious, and everyone in the room already figured out, and Nick had the bravery to ask.</p>

<p>"But… <em>who</em> is he?"</p>

<p>Bogo looked up at him, Nick was actually able to look back at him, Bogo let out a huge breath, and he said, "I have no idea of who he is." He admitted, and this surprised the other animals.</p>

<p>Bogo could already see many more questions forming in their mouths, and he quickly added. "I never seem him before today. I don't know his past, I don't know where he came from, and honestly, I guess I know about just as much as you know already." He said, and he also said, "Of course, I already knew about the 'lightning cougar' thing sooner than most of you already." He said, and cast a glance at Ferris, who gave a meek nod at him.</p>

<p>Bogo let out yet another huge breath, and there was another round of silence in the room, that was broken by Judy, who asked, "How can Hunter…"</p>

<p>Bogo already knew what she was going to ask, and all of them knew, that was why she didn't needed to finish. That was the million zoolars question, and the one that they all wanted to see answered, and Bogo took a deep breath, and he spoke to them.</p>

<p>"What if I told you all that some mammals have talents that others don't?" He asked, and looked at them all as they looked back at him. "And I'm not talking about a bat's sonar thing, or about the smell spray of a skunk, no. What if I told you that there are some mammals out there who are able to do things that no ordinary mammal, of any species, should be able to do?"</p>

<p>The others looked at him, and there was another wave of silence, and Nick asked, "You mean… like the X-Mammals?"</p>

<p>It was obviously a joke, but Bogo looked as serious as ever, and he sighed, as he said, "Yeah, I guess that are few better ways of describing it."</p>

<p>The other animals perked as they looked at Bogo, and he took a deep breath and he said, "We call them '<em>meta mammals</em>'."</p><hr />

<p>In another part of Zootopia, more to the central part of Savannah Central, some animals were going to a bank. Animals from medium to bigger size entered the doors of the Furs National Bank, one of the most important bank agencies of the country and maybe the most important one of Zootopia, to take out some money or to pay their checks. Anyway, they were all entering in there, only minding their own business, and none of them imagining that anything out of the ordinary was about to happen. Most of them simply thought that it was going to be just another regular day at Zootopia and at that bank agency.</p>

<p>They had no idea of what was coming…</p>

<p>A white colored van parked right in front of the bank, with a very nervous black sheep in the steering wheel. On the back of the van, two wolves were sitting, looking scared at a rhino, who looked back at them with an expression of almost nasty disinterest. None of them said a word, and after a while, he looked at the front, where the sheep was.</p>

<p>"Are we here?"</p>

<p>There was a moment of silence before the sheep spoke, in a scared voice "Y-yes sir."</p>

<p>"Good. The rhino spoke, and he said, "Turn it off and pick your guns; I might need you all for this" He said to the animals, and they simply nodded, and the wolves picked up the guns and loaded them, while the sheep turned the van off. The wolves were about to put on their masks, when the rhino said, "Don't bother." and casually opened the door of the van stepping outside.</p>

<p>The wolves hesitated, sharing a look among themselves, and they soon followed, and so did the sheep, exiting the van and locking it. He even bothered to turn the alarm on. The rhino looked around, and in direction to the bank, and he saw many animals walking in and out of that building that had the saying: <strong>FURS NATIONAL BANK</strong>.</p>

<p>He looked at the great words for a few seconds, craning his neck slightly to the side, before he said, "Seriously?" with a raised eyebrow and a "you can't be serious" look. The wolves stopped for a moment to look at him as he looked at the bank with a strange form of interest.</p>

<p>They shared a look among themselves, and one of them loaded his weapon, but before they could do anything else, the rhino immediately turned to them, and said, "Don't even think about it…" through clenched teeth in the form of a snarl and a snort. The wolves immediately cornered in fear and whimpered as their ears pressed on the back of their heads and their tails tucked in between their legs. With what they knew about that rhino and the look that he was giving to them, none of them both would think of do anything to risk becoming the target of his anger.</p>

<p>The rhino continued to glare at them for a few moments, before he snorted, and said, "You go in the front." He was talking in a voice tone that made it clear that that was how it was going to be. After all, he was no fool to give some armed dudes his back; he learned that lesson a long time ago.</p>

<p>They complied, and moved forward, going in direction to the bank as the rhino followed behind. He stopped to cast a glance at the sheep, who looked a bit hesitant. The rhino scoffed, looking right into his eyes with horizontal pupils, and gestured for him to keep moving.</p>

<p>"Why me?" The sheep said, "I'm useless!"</p>

<p>The rhino growled, and raised a hand as if he was ready to backslap the sheep. The sheep flinched and let out a scared bleat, despite being more than five feet away from him, and then he quickly started to walk forward, as if the rhino could really hit him from that distance.</p>

<p>As the three animals walked forward, the rhino walked behind them, and as they walked, they attracted a lot of attraction, because the wolves were making little effort that they were carrying something that looked like military weapons.</p>

<p>Some animals let out exclamations, others screamed, and many of them quickly tried to turn away and even dive into the ground to avoid being target to possible bullets. The four animals had no resistance as they walked past the sliding doors of the bank and entered, and as they did, soon there was ruckus in the place as all the others in the bank, patrons and workers, all saw that there were two armed wolves walking inside. Followed closely by a sheep and a rhino, who both looked unarmed.</p>

<p>"Okay, you animals!" The rhino screamed, making everyone listen to them. "No one here tries any funny business!"</p>

<p>The wolves shared a look, and soon they were raising their weapons, showing that they were ready to shot anyone who tried to move. The animals cried out as they dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their arms in order to protect themselves. The rhino looked at the counter, where the workers were at, and he said, "Hey, you!" as he pointed at the counter. "I know that there is alarms in there!"</p>

<p>Immediately, the animals put their arms in the air as they stepped away from the counters, showing that they were not going to activate it, but the rhino surprised them as he said. "Trigger it now!" There was a silence as everyone in the bank looked at him, and the rhino, seeing that they were not doing as he said, snorted, as he stepped forward, and said, "You heard it right! Trigger the alarms of this bank! The silent one! My ears are too sensitive!"</p>

<p>The animals in the counter looked at each other, confused. These guys were obviously there to rob the bank, and sure that they would want the alarms not to be activated so they could get away before the cops would arrive. Right?</p>

<p>"I said to trigger it now!" The rhino roared, and the animals in the other side of the counters flinched, as one of them, a female leopard, slowly stepped forward and did as he said, and activated the silent alarm.</p>

<p>"Is it on now?" He asked, and the leopard woman only looked at him and nodded. "Good." He said, and turned to the others that ended up becoming his accomplishes. "Now we wait." He said casually, but his face was serious, almost angry, and as he said it, his ear twitched, catching a sound that almost sounded like a weapon being triggered.</p>

<p>He quickly turned around, to look at a bear security-man, who looked back at him with a dart gun pointed at him. The rhino snorted, and walked in his direction, as the bear, who seemed scared out of his life, was trembling as he kept his dart-gun pointed at the rhino.</p>

<p>"I had a really bad day, teddy bear." He said to the bear, "Don't make me angrier."</p>

<p>The bear, however, seeming to be stupid, only kept the dart gun pointed at him, and the rhino snorted, as he clenched his fists, and in that moment, some animals could feel some kind of gush of wind that seemed to be coming from his direction.</p>

<p>That wind grew stronger, and it was making some papers fly and ruffing the fur of some of the ones in there. Before anyone could react, the rhino snorted as he made a movement with his arm, and immediately, the bear lost his balance, as if he suddenly was hit by something.</p>

<p>The bear had to fight to keep his footing, he was having difficulty to move, and he was starting to reel back on the ground, as it now seemed that he was caught in the middle of a very strong gust of wind. Suddenly, the rhino moved both of his arms, and the bear was lift from the ground.</p>

<p>The ones in there all gasped as they saw the bear be lifted from the ground and shaken around in circles as if he was a ragdoll, before the rhino made a movement with his arms, and the bear was propelled to the other side of the bank, crashing into a panel of glass and staying in the ground.</p>

<p>There was a long moment of stunned silence, before the rhino turned back at the ones in the bank, and said, "Anyone else want to try pissing me off!?"</p>

<p>They all cried out in fear as they laid flat in the ground, and the rhino took this as a good sigh. Good, the last thing he needed now were some of these damned animals trying to pounce on him when he gave them his back. He already had enough problems the way it was now.</p>

<p>He walked for a few minutes, and during this time, all the animals around, including the ones that seemed to be his accomplishes, were looking at him with a mix of fear and wonder. However, the fear was definitely the thing that was present in there more than any other emotion as they looked at that strange rhino.</p>

<p>After almost ten minutes, there was someone at the doors. The rhino looked, and he saw two cops standing in the outside, a wolf and a polar bear. The rhino grunted, as he walked to the door, and opened it, standing front to front with the two officers, who looked back at him.</p>

<p>"Why took you so long?" He asked, seeming a bit annoyed, and the cops shared a look among themselves, and the wolf said.</p>

<p>"Sir… is everything okay?" He seemed worried, "We just received the message of what seemed to be a bank robbery in progress…"</p>

<p>"Yes, it is in progress, but is not a robbery." The rhino said, looking at him, "What is happening is that I took all these animals in here as hostages."</p>

<p>The two officers looked at him, shocked. "Excuse me?" The polar bear asked, and the rhino said.</p>

<p>"You heard it!" He sounded annoyed, and he said, "Now, I have only one demand, and I hope that you comply with it, unless you want the animals inside to get hurt."</p>

<p>The officers shared a look, and they tried to reach for their weapons. However, the rhino was faster, and he made a movement with his arm, which cause d a gust of wind that made both polar bear and wolf to be propel backwards.</p>

<p>They landed on the ground, the wolf a bit farther way, and they tried to stand, but the rhino outstretched his hand into their direction.</p>

<p>Right on cue, a very powerful wind that seemed to be coming from the very outstretched hand of the rhino, and it was blowing right into them. The wolf was pushed back, but the polar bear, a bit heavier, was being able to resist the strong winds, but only barely. He was skimming into the ground, his hands and paws grinding as he tried to keep his footing, his claws slightly scrapping at the concrete, but he was being pushed back.</p>

<p>The wolf was able to hold onto the tire of the police car, which was being somewhat affected by the wind, as it was being forced to one side by the strong wind. The polar bear was skimmed into the ground as he soon was supporting himself into their car, and then, the rhino closed his hand and the wind just stopped.</p>

<p>Both animals were left shaken by the strange event that just happened, they both looked in surprise at the rhino as they recovered, said rhino who looked back at them, and the polar bear, after a few moments, said.</p>

<p>"Y-you said you had one demand?"</p>

<p>"Yes, I have one." He said, as he looked at them. "Bring me Alex Hunter! The one you call 'lightning cougar'! I know that you have taken him, and I want you to bring him here in thirty minutes or less, otherwise, I'll drop a few animal bodies into the street for you to pick up!" He said, and he turned his back, to walk back, leaving the two officers stunned.</p>

<p>They looked at each other, and the polar bear said. "Call back central."</p>

<p>"And say what?" The wolf asked, the polar bear thought a little, and he said, "Well, you can start by talking about the hostage thing and we figure out from there."</p>

<p>As they talked, the rhino walked back at the bank, and closed the door behind himself. He picked up a steel plate, from the things that they used to demark the lines of the back, and put it between the handlers of the door, effectively blocking it. He turned back at the animals, who all looked at him, and he said, "You all better hope that what I have heard about Alex Hunter is true."</p>

<p>As he spoke that, many animals whimpered, including the wolves, who were both armed, and the sheep who was with them. The rhino barely minded it, as he was far too focused in this to actually care about them, as long as none of them tried to make anything stupid. Besides, it was not the first time that he made hostages, and he was totally fine with it and with hurting someone if it was needed. He could completely ignore the fact that they were people and see them only as…</p>

<p>Oh, crap… Now he was thinking of<em> animals</em> as <em>people</em>…</p><hr />

<p>Bogo had just said the words "meta mammals" to the four animals in his room, and he was about to say something more to explain it, since they surely wanted it, due to the expressions in their faces. However, before he could, his intercom buzzed, and Ben's voice could be heard from the other side, talking to him.</p>

<p>"<em>Chief! Chief, Chief, Chief!</em>" He called. Bogo groaned, and nearly slammed his hoofed finger into the intercom, and he said, "Clawhauser! What did I just said about calling me?"</p>

<p>"<em>You said I could if it was important, and it IS important!</em>"</p>

<p>Bogo took a few deep breaths to calm down, and he said, "It better be…"</p>

<p>"<em>There is a bank robbery! With hostages!</em>" Clawhauser said, and Nick said, "This sounds quite of important." He said, and Bogo shot him a glare, and he pressed the button again, and said to Clawhauser.</p>

<p>"Sent some of our officers there, along with the hostage negotiation team." He said, and was about to go back to the talk, when Clawhauser's voice came once more, and he said, "<em>Their leader has super powers!</em>"</p>

<p>This made the whole room stop, and Bogo quickly pressed the intercom again, as the other animals into the room looked at it. "Woah, woah, woah! What was that?" He asked, and Clawhauser said.</p>

<p>"Officers Snarlov and Wolfard where the first ones to arrive! They talked to the rhino, and when they tried to apprehend him, he pushed them way with wind! Well, at least that was what they said…"</p>

<p>Bogo cast a glance at the other animals into the room, who all looked at him with surprised expressions. After a while, Clawhauser said again in the intercom. "<em>Chief?</em>"</p>

<p>The water buffalo snapped out of that and pressed the intercom again, and he said, "The rhino… he already made some demand?"</p>

<p>"<em>Yeah, they said he did.</em>" Clawhauser said, "<em>He told them to bring him Alex Hunter, the lightning cougar! And he told them to do it in less than thirty minutes or else he is going to kill someone into the bank!</em>"</p>

<p>There was a great silence into the room as everyone shared looks. So, they just had apprehended a cougar who could shot lightnings, and who had stopped a robbery into a mall. In the same day, just around one or two hours later, another mammal who also had super powers made hostages and demanded for that same cougar to be brought to him?</p>

<p>To think that it was all a huge coincidence would only be a show of the purest and most complete ingenuity.</p>

<p>"He demanded anything else?" Bogo asked, and Clawhauser's answer buzzed form the intercom.</p>

<p>"<em>No, he only demanded for Alex Hunter. He didn't asked for anything else.</em>"</p>

<p>"Only that as a demand?" Razorback said, "Now that is quite suspicious."</p>

<p>There was a long silence, before Bogo pressed the intercom again, and he said, "Clawhauser, what bank is it?"</p>

<p>"<em>Furs National Bank.</em>"</p>

<p>"Call all our available officers and tell them to go there and to be ready for anything!" He said, right after he turned to Razorback. "Call back the SWAT, and tell them to have their weapons all ready."</p>

<p>The boar nodded, and got up to leave the place, and he turned to the rest of his subordinates. "Ferris, go back to the labs. Wilde, Hopps. You both are coming too." He said, getting up, "We all are going. But first I need to have a word with the 'lighting cougar'." He said, and he barely waited to hear the answer of his subordinates, as they all shared looks among themselves, and they all got up to leave, while their chief was going to have another meeting with Alex Hunter…</p><hr />

<p>"Do you suddenly feel like your whole world has just changed?" Nick asked Judy as they both walked into the garage, where all of the official vehicles of the ZPD were kept, including theirs'.</p>

<p>They had went straight to there as they left along with commander Razorback and Ferris. The boar separated from them quickly as he was already on the phone, seemingly talking to someone in the SWAT. Ferris went back to the lab, saying that he wanted to take another look into the evidence that they had gathered, and also see if he could gather any information regarding this "hostage situation".</p>

<p>Nick and Judy had went straight to the garage, and they were on their way to their cruiser so they could join their fellows in front of the bank.</p>

<p>Nick saw that Judy wasn't responding to his question, she probably was too focused on the matter at hand to actually care to give him a straight answer. She probably was already on her "super carrot cop mode", and Nick knew that it was hard to get her to respond to any unimportant comment when she was like that.</p>

<p>Still, Nick was actually amazed on how well she was focused on the situation. After all, their boss had just told them that mammals with super powers existed. This of course, raised a lot of questions into Nick's head, like how people never actually heard of them? How <em>Nick</em>, who had been in the streets nearly all of his life and had heard and seem all kind of weird stuffs into the streets, never even heard of something similar? <em>How</em> did these… "meta mammals" had their abilities? Had they gained them from some experiment, or some freakish accident like in the comic books?</p>

<p>How the chief knew about them? Who else knew?</p>

<p>Did that meant that now there were going to be mammal running around in flashy costumes fighting crimes, helping catch bad guys and rescuing small cubs from trees?</p>

<p>These were just some of the many questions that popped on Nick's head, including some about the past, and others about the immediate future.</p>

<p>"Carrots, what do you think this rhino looks like?" Nick asked as they walked in direction to their cruiser, "Do you think he wears some costume and has a name like 'The Rhinonator'?"</p>

<p>"We'll see as soon as we arrive." She said to him and he nodded, and as they walked, Nick thought that he had caught something in the corner of his eye. Judy seemed not to notice it, as she continued to walk, and Nick stayed behind.</p>

<p>He was sure that he had just saw a small blur pass by a corner in between two vehicles that were meant for bigger mammals. Nick knew that they had a mission, but his curiosity got better of him. He decided to go check it out.</p>

<p>Nick walked in between the cruisers, and he looked around, soon, he spotted a small figure standing in between the cars. It was fox, which was for sure, and was small. This one was dressing what seemed to be a green colored little dress, and it was looking to the sides, as if it was searching something.</p>

<p>Nick looked at the small vixen from behind, and looked around, as if to see any parents who could have forgotten her in there. Seeing no one, Nick decided to approach the little girl and see if he could help her. After all, he was a cop.</p>

<p>He gently approached the little girl, and she seemed to be about to start sobbing, Nick spoke very gently, not wanting to scare her.</p>

<p>"Hmmm, hello, little miss?"</p>

<p>As Nick spoke, the girl raised her head, and turned around to look at him. She should be around six… seven years old, with a shade of crimson for her fur, cream colored muzzle and ears that were completely black in color, and she looked up at him with her amethyst-colored eyes, which were widen as she looked at him, with a few of the tears she was crying still rolling down her cheeks.</p>

<p>When he saw the wide eyes looking back at him, Nick for a moment thought that the little girl was going to be scared. However, instead she opened a big smile, as she opened her arms wide.</p>

<p>"Daddy!" She squealed as she hugged him by the neck. Nick was motionless.</p>

<p>"What?" Nick mumbled, and the little girl continued to hug him with a surprising strength.</p>

<p>"Daddy! We were searching for you! Mommy said you would find us in that place! But I got lost from her!" The little girl said as she continued to hug Nick. "You came to pick me up!" She said, as she finally let go of him, and she looked at him with these purple eyes. "Is mommy here too?"</p>

<p>Nick was able only to look back at her, and the only thought in his head was: <em>Okay, this is awkward…</em></p>

<p>Nick was about to say something to the little girl, when his radio buzzed to life.</p>

<p>"<em>Nick! Where are you? Did you decided to go to bathroom now?</em>" Judy's voice came, and Nick looked back at the small girl, who looked expectantly at him, and he gave her his back for a moment, and he said:</p>

<p>"Huhhh, Carrots, I kind of have a situation in here…"</p>

<p>"<em>Where are you?</em>"</p>

<p>Nick walked from the two bigger vehicles, and was able to see their cruiser from there, and he could make out the shape that was Judy from the windshield of the car. He raised his arm and waved to her, and she soon saw him, and she buzzed into the radio.</p>

<p>"<em>Okay, I see you! What is the situation you have found? It better be something important!</em>" She said, and Nick pressed the button of his radio, and he said.</p>

<p>"Oh, you can say that…" As he turned around, and he was talking. "As we were walking, I just saw…" He was about to say something, but stopped when he looked again in direction to the little girl, and saw that she wasn't alone anymore.</p>

<p>An adult red fox was kneeled in front of her, and he was holding her by the shoulders, as he talked to her in a gentle tune. "…. And that is why you can't just run from your mommy like that! You made all of us worried and…"</p>

<p>The voice of that tod… to Nick's ears sounded… awfully familiar.</p>

<p>The fox stopped talking, and Nick heard him mumble: "What a minute, that is exactly how…"</p>

<p>There was a moment of silence, before the adult fox turned his head back to look at Nick, and they both stared at each other.</p>

<p>That fox had a few patches of grey around his eyes, denoting that he maybe was on his early forties, and he had a scar into the left ear. However, other than that, the dog fox looked exactly like him! Up to the fur coloration to the green eyes that were wide as they looked back at him.</p>

<p>There were a few moments as they both looked at each other, seeming to be frozen, before the other fox quickly held the young vixen's hand and said in a rush, "Lets go, lets go now!" He said with urgency on his voice as he and the girl went off running, and Nick was left behind, embellished by what he had just witnessed.</p>

<p>He stood in there for a few more moments, before Judy's voice called him back to reality. "<em>Nick! Whatever it is you can take care of it later, now come to the cruiser now! We have a hostage situation!"</em></p>

<p>Nick blinked as he was still trying to make sense of what had just happened. He took a second to register that Judy had talked to him, and he said in the radio. "I… huh… Y-yeah! I'm going…" He said, and cast one last glance at the direction he had saw the two foxes to run before he lost them of sight.</p>

<p>He hesitated, but soon he turned around and was leaving, going back to the cruiser, his mind still trying to make out heads and tails of this situation, to make a sense of what had just transpired to him…</p><hr />

<p>Alex was still in his cell, and now, he was just looking at the ceiling, trying to count how many of these weird stains there were into it and trying to guess just what they could be. Some of them had weird colorations and shapes, and in Alex mind, they could be a wide variety of things, considering the kind of place he was.</p>

<p>Alex sighed as he could hear a sound that seemed like the radio of one of the nearby cells. Well, at least there was that to distract his mind form these stains, even if the news were of a myriad of names, places, and other events that Alex had no way of actually understanding, and the little that he did understood was something that he wasn't sure if he should take seriously or as a joke.</p>

<p>"<em>And confirming that the great power fallout that seemed to have occurred only in Zootopia actually occurred into the whole state and into the neighborhood states, including the area of the Three Burrows and other close locations, like Meadowlands and Outback Island. Several specialists are trying to figure out what could have caused such massive power outage into such a wide area. Up until now, they have come up with a massive failure into the power network and also some kind of interference that could have been caused by solar flare. However, no definitive explanation has been given yet. While this, many citizens seem to have their own theories about what could have caused it.</em>"</p>

<p>"<em>Solar fare?</em>" Asked a male and high-pitched voice with a shouter accent. "<em>That s'a thing that yah folks of the city say to us folks of Podunk so we don't ask a lot of questions! But I know the truth! It is thing of these outbackers, ain't it? I know that these weirdos would love to take away our light to do God-knows-what back into their bunkers in tha' island of them! My grandpappy always told me to not trust the cute face of a koala, they are just waiting the chance to jump in yer neck when you lower yer guard!</em>"</p>

<p>Right after that, another voice, deeper and a bit louder than the last, was saying, "<em>A solar flare? During the night? In several states at once? It sounds a bit forced, don't you think? And I don't think it could have been an accident either. It smells like terrorism to me. Cyberterrorism. Maybe one of these guys from another country trying to catch us off guard? Maybe. Anyway, we need to keep our eyes and ears open, after all, a careful reindeer is worth for two.</em>"</p>

<p>Finally, a female voice was saying. "<em>System failure!? Oh, right! The sheep did it! Yah know it, government folks! They are trying to figure out new ways of controlling us and to shut us down if they think we are getting on their way! I'm telling all of you! One day the sheep will start their attack and take the power, and we will become their servants and they will be the shepherds! Don't say I didn't warned yah!</em>"</p>

<p>"<em>More information is coming about this strange power failure that occurred all over the surrounding states, and we will continue to follow the development of events and try to keep you all informed. More info coming shortly. On correlated news-</em>"</p>

<p>Alex didn't got to her what were the correlated news, as in that moment, there was a the loud sound of a metal door being slammed open, and a booming voice called him. "Hunter!"</p>

<p>Alex jumped from the bed, as well as everyone else in their cells, and soon, a big buffalo passed by each cell, until he stopped right in front of Alex's cell and looked straight at the cougar.</p>

<p>Alex looked back at Chief Bogo, and he could easily see that the big buffalo didn't looked exactly happy, and looked back at him with a hard stare. Alex looked back at him, and he knew that there was something wrong, and it was something serious, by the look into that buffalo's face.</p>

<p>Bogo took a deep breath, and he said, "We just received notice of a situation in the Furs National Bank." He spoke, "A rhino entered the building and made several mammals as hostages."</p>

<p>When he heard the words "Furs National Bank" Alex had to try a little to hold back his laughter. The pun was bad, but it was really befitting the situation that Alex was in, and actually, it was so obvious and predicable that it was almost painful. It even seemed something that came from a playful fandom from some kind of movie or something of the like. Alex refrained all of his laughter, or even a snicker, for he knew that the buffalo could misinterpret it.</p>

<p>Instead, Alex only looked up at him, and he said, "Really?"</p>

<p>Bogo looked back at him, and he said, "Yeah, really. Do you know anything about it?" he asked as he continued to look at the cougar.</p>

<p>"Should I?"</p>

<p>"Maybe…" Bogo said, crossing his muscular arms over his broad chest as he looked down at the cougar on the other side of the bars. "Considering that the rhino has some special abilities, just like you, and that his only demand was for you to be taken to him."</p>

<p>This caught Alex's attention, as he raised from the bed and walked to the bars, looking at the buffalo. "Are you serious?" He asked. Could it be one of his friends? Could they have heard that he was caught and they were now trying to save him? But… it couldn't be, he knew his friends, none of them would resort to taking innocents as hostages, for several different reasons, mostly because it would be really wrong.</p>

<p>Bogo observed the cougar's reactions. He immediately saw genuine surprise for knowing of the situation, showing that maybe it truly wasn't something that he was planning. This was followed by what, in Bogo's eyes, seemed a little like some short of hope, but soon was followed by confusing and by an expression that showed some short for doubt. That cougar was somehow hard to read, but still, Bogo was getting some kind of idea of what he was thinking.</p>

<p>Alex raised his eyes, and looked at the buffalo. "This rhino… he said something else?"</p>

<p>"Only that if you weren't brought to him in thirty minutes he would kill someone."</p>

<p>That was it. It was surely not any of his friends. They had varying degrees of morality, due to their different origins, but they all draw their lines at murder. No matter how bad the situation was, even if they knew that Alex was in trouble, they would not resort to killing innocents, be they animals or humans. Even though, by now, Alex was not sure if there was really a difference between human and animal in this world he was in, considering that, the former didn't existed and the later was the absolute norm.</p>

<p>Alex looked up at him, and he said, "So… what happens now?"</p>

<p>"I have all my officers going to that place to see if we can try to avoid the situation of turning into a carnage." Bogo said, "Maybe we can talk some sense into that rhino's head." He continued to look at Alex, and he continued to look back at him, as if he was expecting something.</p>

<p>"Something else, officer?" Alex asked, and Bogo continued to look at him.</p>

<p>"Just wondering if you could tell me anything about this rhino we are facing, and if you could give us any useful information." Bogo spoke, seeming to have calmed down enough to have a civilized conversation with Alex. "He is a rhino with some kind of 'wind abilities', rings any bells?"</p>

<p>Alex looked back at him, and he was feeling slightly offended. "You think that only because both me and him have powers we know each other?"</p>

<p>"No, I think that since he asked specifically for you to be brought to him you two might know each other."</p>

<p>That was a very valid argument, and Alex had to admit it. Still, the idea of being related to a criminal who was threatening to kill innocents was something that made Alex uncomfortable.</p>

<p>Bogo continued to look at him, and Alex sighed, and he said, "Rhino, wind powers, don't ring any bells, sorry, but I don't think I know him." Truth to be told, as far as Alex could remember, none of his friends had similar abilities. Well, some of them had talents that could pass by this, but he was absolutely sure that they would never resort to doing something of the like.</p>

<p>"Well, this rhino seems to know you, once he has specifically called your name and demanded you to be brought to him. He seems to be really interested."</p>

<p>"Well, I'm really not sure why." Alex spoke, and Bogo continued to look at him. He buffalo was about to say something, when someone came nearly busting into the place, and soon figure came by Bogo's side. Alex looked curiously at it as it too was dressed as a cop, and Alex immediately was able to recognize it as a cheetah. An overweighed cheetah who was panting as he tried to recompose himself.</p>

<p>"Clawhauser! What is this?" Bogo asked, as the cheetah called "Clawhauser" took deep breaths, to try to recompose himself, and he said.</p>

<p>"J-just received another message from the officers in the bank… T-the rhino… he threw the security of the bank and two other animals at the streets! They are all alive, but they were injured, he told them to say to bring Alex Hunter fast, otherwise the next ones he would throw in the streets would be corpses!"</p>

<p>This made both Alex and Bogo pale a bit. "How bad are they?" Alex asked, and Clawhauser looked at him before saying.</p>

<p>"The bank's guard had some cuts and a broken arm and leg, the other ones only had minor injuries, and they are all been taken to the hospital now-"</p>

<p>"Clawhauser!" Bogo said, ready to reprehend his subordinate for giving information to a mammal who was currently under custody. The cheetah flinched a little, and Alex was now having an inner debate.</p>

<p>This guy, whoever it was, seemed to be ready to hurt innocents only to get what he wanted. If this rhino, or whatever, was really as violent and strong as they were making it seem, then it was most likely that everyone in that bank was in serious danger. Alex knew that he was already in trouble for trying to help others, but still, he felt like he could not simply back off and let some innocent get hurt, especially if it seemed that it was because of him.</p>

<p>"Go back to your desk! I'm going there now!" Bogo said, as he was turning to leave, but Alex said:</p>

<p>"Wait!"</p>

<p>Bogo and Clawhauser both stopped to look at him, "Let me go with you."</p>

<p>Bogo looked at him, and Alex continued, "I don't know this guy and I'm not sure of why he wants me, but maybe I can help."</p>

<p>Bogo looked at him, and he said, "Do you think I am stupid?"</p>

<p>"I just want to be there to help in case you can't take on him."</p>

<p>"Oh yeah, and then you can team up with him and you can both escape?"</p>

<p>"If I wanted to escape I could have done that already!" Alex nearly screamed at him in a feral way. "I have been working along with you all the time and I haven't tried to hurt any of you! And you know that I had chances to do so!"</p>

<p>Bogo looked at him, and them he looked down. Alex took this as a good sign, as he continued to talk. "I'm not a bad guy, I have been trying to show it all the time I have been here." He spoke as he looked at Bogo, and to buffalo looked up at him, and Alex looked at him as deep as possible in the eyes. "You said you had nothing against mammals like me. Well, this is your chance to prove your point. Show me that you trust me just a tiny bit."</p>

<p>There was a long silence as Bogo and Alex had their eyes locked, and Clawhauser was shifting his gaze from one to another. After a while, the buffalo looked away, and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. He let out a loud sigh as he said, "I must be losing my mind to consider this."</p>

<p>He turned to Alex, and he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Step away from the bars, turn around, and place your hands behind your back." His tone was firm, and it was showing that he was not going to take any crap from Alex, if he tried to pull out any.</p>

<p>Alex looked at him, and he obeyed, stepping away from the bars and the officers, turning his back to it, and placing his hands behind his back as he looked forward. He heard the door being unlocked and opened, heard the steps of the buffalo into the ground as he walked to him, and felt the grip of the cuffs, as they were close over his wrists.</p>

<p>Bogo placed a hand on his shoulder, and he said, "If you try to pull my leg, I'm going to break both of yours." It was a threat that the buffalo was not afraid of using, that much Alex could tell. Still, it didn't had that tune of despise and of near poison as many other people back in the human world (yes, Alex was referring to it his home world that now, as tacky as it sounded) gave him when they were calling him an "evo freak", or something of the like. It was just enough to make Alex realize that maybe the buffalo really didn't had problems with him having powers, but was still being careful enough not to drop his guard with him.</p>

<p>That was what Alex thought as the buffalo started to scout him pass the cells, and in direction to what Alex was sure that would be a very difficult situation…</p>