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Chapter Text

Kit

"The human mind is capable of formulating and comprehending truths that no mechanical procedure can determine."

These words were once spoken by the famous Austrian scientist Kurt Godel.

Yet, I don't know if I can agree with him, even though I should. I am a robot, a mechanism that shouldn't feel anything... yet I do. I feel immense sadness and regret. Humanity is falling, monsters from space are killing them to the last one. Every time one dies, two more arrive in its place. We cannot fight something against which it is virtually impossible to even defend. These creatures are capable of possession. They are literally living shadows that natively look like mythical werewolves. It's unknown where they come from, but it has been known for a long time that they would launch an invasion on our galaxy.

Humanity and the allied races prepared for their arrival, but their attack was far more powerful than expected. In the very first days of the invasion, they literally brought the so-called Grays living near Alpha Centauri to their knees, then the Orans, the Guddans, the Qazers, and so on fell. Humanity was attacked last, and because they defended themselves the longest, the largest horde was sent, along with a mother ship that eclipsed the sun, and the shadow creatures blocked any possibility of escape from the planet. Right now, a handful of survivors are fleeing to the Last Bastion, a bunker undamaged for many kilometers and the best protected. Humanity has no chance, and the sight I see... that is, creatures killing everything that moves against the backdrop of a red, apocalyptic sky, only confirms it. This is the end.

"042. 042!" I heard the scream of the General who was helping panicked people enter the shelter. The shout gained my attention. "Where is Lin?! He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago!"

"I don't know, General." I replied honestly, not knowing how one could get lost during an apocalypse when your only reference point is an untouched, fortified military base. "All I know is that he ran off to look for his friend."

"What was that kid thinking?! 042. I'll go get him, and you try to take in as many people as possible!"

The General ran off after his son, trying to avoid the ubiquitous explosions and monsters as much as he could. People tried to run towards us so that the last barrier that provided protection from the aliens would save them, but they didn't always succeed. Once, a child and a parent tried to run, but the child failed. It was snatched away, and the distraught mother instinctively went outside the barrier, dying herself. At that moment, I felt something more than what my programming and embedded artificial intelligence commanded. I felt sadness. I looked into the pieces of glass that were still in place.

I saw myself. I am merely a medium-sized, engine-propelled flying robot created with nanotechnology, so I could slightly change my body, although my default was a round drone whose head was slightly open at the back with tentacles underneath. Sasha, my creator, himself stated that he was inspired by a robot from his favorite movie called The Wild Robot. Vontra, as my prototype was called, was evil, but I was supposed to be good, and honestly, I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I was programmed as a research robot, so sometimes I have an unhealthy habit of scanning and examining everything. Lin jokes that I'll soon become interested in lobotomy because of this curiosity. Honestly, I was curious about it, but now is probably not the time for those thoughts. I see the General and Lin running towards us. They are having a very hard time due to the chaos, but they are making it. Oh no...

"DAD!" My creator screamed when an explosion reached them, but the General pushed his son away, and he himself was thrown into the air, falling practically several meters from the barrier. Lin ran up to him and tried to pick him up, but unfortunately, he is a thin, fifteen-year-old boy with little muscle. He never wanted to join the military. He wanted to be a scientist like his mother. He won't manage. "Dad, get up! We're close!" The boy kept trying, even though he knew it was impossible. "PLEASE!"

"Kid." The General whispered softly, but I was able to hear him. "You have to go. You'll manage. You'll rebuild the world. You can do it."

"I won't leave you! I won't let you die!"

"You'll manage. I know it."

Those were his last words before the hand fell from the boy's freckled face to the ground, and the son, in his torn jacket, pants, and already dirty shirt, cried into his chest. I felt that feeling again, which people would call grief. I tried to understand it, but I didn't have time. At that moment, I noticed one of the shadow monsters running straight towards him. I can't run there. I received a clear command to stay here and help other people. But that's my friend. My creator. But the command. Creator in danger, order... Friend in danger. But order... But... the friend who gave me the ability to think abstractly is in danger...

"To hell with orders." Thanks to nanotechnology, I created a blaster and flew towards Lin at immense speed. He had just realized the creature wanted to kill him. He wouldn't have had time to react, but I arrived in time, managing to shoot it down and kill it. Unfortunately, a whole horde of other monsters is running in our direction. "Lin, we have to go." I tried to take his hand, but he rejected it. "If you stay here, you'll die."

"At least it will be the end of all this madness." He replied with tears in his eyes. "I just want it all to end, I want to see the sun again. I haven't seen it for a year. My mother died three months ago, and now my father. Go to the shelter alone, Kit. I want to die here."

"You are my friend. I don't want to feel sadness again, like with your father." He looked at me in shock. "I was surprised too, but listen. Your father probably wouldn't want you to die in vain. Come with me. The shelter is almost full, and not much more can be saved anyway. You'll go to sleep, and when you wake up, you and other people will rebuild civilization anew."

In the tumult of chaos, he had time to think about the things I had told him. During that time, I tried to prevent the aliens from attacking us. "Okay." He finally said. "I want my father to be proud of me." I nodded to him, and a smiling face appeared on my screen where my face should be, but when Lin looked at me, he looked frightened. "WATCH OUT, KIT!"

He pushed me away, shielding himself with his arm. A second later, he lost that arm when a creature with a blade instead of a hand cut him. Lin, with shock in his eyes, looked first at the creature and then at the stump that was left. I reacted as quickly as I could, putting the blaster to its face, which I used to kill the monster. The boy fell to his knees, and I picked him up and flew into the barrier and the elevator at the greatest speed I could achieve, which took us several kilometers underground. This base is not specialized in medicine, but it might have to be. It is one of three remaining, and it is possible to teleport between them, but the danger is too great right now. When we arrived, I flew with him straight to the hospital wing. Along the way, I heard high-ranking people talking about some Operation Ragnarok. I didn't have time for that.

I laid Lin on a table where the EIR medical unit shaped like a snake began to scan him. To stop the bleeding, it anesthetized my creator and cauterized the stump due to the very low supply of reserves. His aunt was already running towards him. I moved away so as not to interfere and looked one last time at the screen of probably the last camera that was still outside. I have... hope that this is not the end. I hope that people will return, and with them, a renaissance, not the destruction they almost brought upon the earth.

General Olwert

"War is an organized insanity, destroying the best of men."

I once thought the words of Eugene B. Sledge... an American soldier and biologist from World War II, were exaggerated. Because here I am. The commander of one of the last bastions of humanity, who should not have any feelings, sitting next to my nephew, who is barely looking at the wall as the EIR unit tries to clean the wound after his severed hand and prevent infection, barely holding back tears. I try to keep a cool head, but I have failed on so many levels. I have failed as a sister... an aunt... or simply a soldier. I should probably get used to it after so much time at war with the shadows, but I can't. Seeing people whose psyche is slowly being destroyed, I can conclude that they were once like me. Warriors who thought war was just entertainment that would end quickly. But no. It's a nightmare you can't wake up from.

I closed my eyes, holding my nephew's remaining hand to my lips. I try to calm him down, but it's really difficult. "Auntie." The boy finally spoke. "Is this our end?"

"No." I replied quickly. "Definitely not. Remember that you and your mother planned Operation Ragnarok? It's a chance for all of us." He only looked at me with weak, red eyes from crying.

"It's not a rescue. It's the ultimate form of desperation..."

"We've been living in nothing but desperation all along, Lin. In moments like these... desperation is the only weapon we have." I lightly stroked his head. "It will work, Lin. No matter how, it will work. Everything will be fine." I smiled falsely at him because I don't believe it myself, and he picked up on that. At that moment, Kit flew up to us. Lin's robot, with a glass of water. So, robots will be giving glasses of water in old age... "What's the situation, Kit?"

"Well..." He began quite reluctantly as he gave Lin a drink from the cup. "It's totally the end. We're losing. Some said they have a plan. I hope it works out."

"Yes. Hope is also a good weapon." Suddenly, we heard a crash. "What was that?"

"The shadows have broken through the barrier!" Shouted one of the monitors. "Exactly ten of them. They are trying to get through the door! If they get in here, we will all die. We practically have no weapons!"

I looked at the screen where I could clearly see a dozen fairly large shadow monsters trying to force their way into the base. I fearfully heard the powerful claw strikes even kilometers underground. General panic began. In this situation, I only looked in the mirror. Years spent fighting have taken their toll on me. My hair, short-cropped and dark brown, is always messy, as if I haven't had time for grooming in a long time. My face is adorned with scars—two particularly visible: one runs diagonally from the right eyebrow arch to the middle of my cheek, the other, narrower, cuts my lip on the left side. My once light blue eyes have faded slightly. My muscles show that I have trained for years, but... physical strength will be useless for what I intend to do.

I ran for a shotgun with technology that is capable of killing the shadows. Unfortunately, this was only recently discovered, so the chances of killing all of them were slim anyway. So, I loaded the cartridges, and with pain in my eyes, I approached my nephew, who already knew what I wanted to do. I touched his cheek and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Lin. Create a new, better world for us."

"Auntie, please. I just lost my dad." His eyes welled up. "I don't want to lose you too."

I smiled at him gently, stroking his long hair. "You are made for great things, sweetie."

I heard a sudden gasp. I looked over to see Lin's friend. Zeira is a representative of the Thalven race. Her purple face is slender, with distinct, sharp features. She has five eyes. Two arranged vertically on both sides of her face, and one larger, vertical one on her forehead. All have an intense, golden color. Her hair, the color of a juicy green, reaches slightly below her shoulders. Zeira does not care about her hairstyle in the traditional sense. Her race is practically all warriors, including her. This lifestyle does not allow her such luxuries, especially over the last few years. Her pointed, distinctly elongated ears stick out from behind her locks, emphasizing her exotic silhouette. She is usually dressed in armor, but now in a simple white shirt, which she had to modify to fit her additional two arms, jeans with a fur-tipped tail sticking out, and some sneakers.

She ran towards us quickly, with a terrified face. Several scars from years of fighting were visible. I rarely saw this race worried, but now I understand her. She is terrified. "What happened to you?!" She roared so loudly that half the people were looking at us. "I begged you to be careful! I can't lose you!" He didn't answer me, just looked at me. Zeira looked at me. When she noticed the Shotgun, she understood what I wanted to do. "Madam Olwert. We cannot lose any more..."

"There is no other way, Zeira." I touched her shoulder. "Good luck in the new world." Without looking back, I ran to the elevator where I already saw that this would be my end.

Present Times - Zootopia

Gazelle

Many mammals... and reptiles think that as a full-stage singer at twenty-six, I'm probably full of energy when I come home after a concert, but... no. I'm barely alive. Especially since we celebrated Reptiles in the City for a month. Manny, Ditt, Alen, Zeran—my tiger dancers—are also barely alive and are returning with me to my apartment building. They live a few floors below. For about a year, I have been living with my fiancée, Anyx. She is a jaguar who works as a sound engineer, and one day we met, and at first it was friendship, and then love. Many said this relationship wouldn't last, but so far, we are succeeding. Sometimes we even sing a duet, but we are different. She is the rebellious one. Colored streaks on her fur, a small mohawk, etc., but she is incredibly loyal.

And because of all this general exhaustion, I love trips outside the city. Me, Anyx, Manny, Ditt, Alen, and Zeran. I am in a fairly large valley. I don't have to worry about anything. I don't have to think about anything. I don't have to look at paparazzi, managers, reporters, etc. Just peace, stars, and good company. We are currently on a part of a hill where practically nothing was done except for the exterior. Barriers so no one stupid would hurt themselves. Looking at the view and the fact that Mammals and Reptiles cooperate is incredibly soothing. I think I even see one pair already. A Monitor Lizard and a Deer. They look cute even. Fortunately, I don't have to sing to them. We are in casual clothes, Ditt is playing something by the campfire, I'm eating a seaweed skewer, and sitting by the cliff, I'm simply relaxing, and Anyx is lying on my lap.

"So, what? Are we just sitting like this, or are we having fun? After all, we've been performing for a month, and now we have time off," Zeran laughed, drinking some carbonated drink.

"Truth or Dare? A classic," stated Alen, eating a fish skewer.

"I'm for it," said Ditt, playing some notes on his guitar.

"And maybe our princesses will join us," laughed Manny, who had just brought more blankets from the car so we could sit comfortably.

"Call me a princess one more time, and you'll get extra choreography training," I said seriously. So seriously that I think he believed it. Eh. I won't take away his motivation. So I walked over and sat down with them, and Anyx next to me.

"And if you call me a princess, I'll take every single one of your fish skewers because they are delicious."

"A threat and a compliment from our Anyx. That's quite a lot," Manny laughed. "Alright. So what is it? Truth or Dare? Gazelle?"

"Truth," I replied without hesitation. "I don't have secrets from my best friends."

"Oh, how sweet you are. That's adorable. Alright. In that case, what annoys you about Anyx? You only compliment her? Maybe something new?"

"You only compliment her," Anyx laughed artificially, and I nudged her with my elbow. "What? I'm just saying it's a good joke. Believe me. We love to argue about any trifle."

"I call it a healthy development of a relationship without lying, but okay. So I'll say this. What annoys me is that she leaves her socks everywhere. On the floor, in the bathroom..."

"Look who's talking. The one who doesn't scatter her T-shirts everywhere."

"At least I pick them up and wash them later. Come on, drop it," I replied with a smile.

"So, two messes in the bodies of mammals. Interesting, interesting," Ditt laughed. "Okay, Anyx. Your turn."

"With pleasure. Alen. My friend. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare, of course."

"Jump off the cliff into the lake."

"That's all? Pfft. You could try harder. I've jumped from much higher rocks."

"I'm talking about that lake at the bottom of the cave."

Then we all froze. I don't think anyone is stupid enough to jump into that lake. No one has jumped there, even though the lake is deep, and it's quite difficult to get out of that cave. We walked to the cliff edge of the cave, which was a little further away, and looked down. The cave is even well-lit thanks to the moon, but I still don't like it very much.

"That's not a good idea. No one has jumped from that cliff, as far as I know."

"Well. I'll be the first. If I die, name some food after me."

"You're stupid," I replied.

"Not stupid. I just respect challenges." He took off his shirt, leaving only shorts, and prepared himself.

"Do you know that you can back out?"

"Back out? There's no such word in my dictionary. And there's also no word 'fin.' But that's for other reasons."

"Bro... good luck," Ditt patted him on the shoulder.

Alen just winked, moved back slightly, ran, and jumped, flying directly downwards. Anyx stated that she thought he would chicken out. After a while, Alen reached the water and went in perfectly headfirst, which made him pierce the water like a rocket. There was no spectacular splash, but rather a small plop. After a few seconds, his head surfaced, shouting that now he would give her such a challenge that she would remember... of course, once he got out of there. He swam to the rocky shore, grabbed a stalagmite to get out, but when he pulled, it broke off. Alen was so confident in his grip that he dove again and surfaced.

"Okay. That was weird. I thought the rocks were more durable."

"And I thought tigers were intelligent, but what a surprise," I shouted to him on the verge of laughter.

"You watch out, because I'll be on a very long vacation soon, and you'll be without a dancer... what the-?"

"What? What's there?" Manny asked.

"Uh. I'm not surprised that stalagmite came off so easily. Underneath it was metal and some sort of... lever? Is there a base here?"

"If there were a base here, we would know and hear about it. No. There is no base here," Zeran replied. "Maybe there's an old one?"

"Maybe, but these are some strange symbols that I don't understand. Okay. I'm turning it on. What have I got to lose?"

"No!"

We practically all shouted in chorus, but he didn't listen. He switched the lever. I waited for some fireworks, an earthquake, or something, but nothing. Only something under the lake's water in the cave started to glow. We didn't understand what was going on, but Alen dove and swam downwards. He was gone for a moment until his head appeared on the surface, completely shocked.

"And what's there?!" Anyx asked. Alen just looked at her, as shocked as if he had discovered the world's greatest secret.

"You... you have to see this. You won't believe me when I tell you. But trust me. You have to jump at full speed to reach the bottom."

And he dove himself and swam down, and after a while... he vanished? Okay. That was strange. We looked at each other and immediately knew that someone had to stay on the surface to pull us out if necessary. We decided it would be Manny and Zeran. They are strong, so they will have the strength. Anyx and I changed our clothes, and Anyx jumped in first because she insisted. And just like before with Alen. She vanished near the bottom.

I took a deep breath and jumped directly downwards. First my horns, head, torso, and legs. The jump was enough to reach half the lake's depth. I put on swimming goggles, so I can see the bottom... pulsating? I swam downwards. I tried to reach it as quickly as possible, but as soon as I tried to touch the bottom, my hand... passed through it. What is... okay, you don't see this every day. But I swam further, and on the other side of the bottom, I didn't feel water. I went through that bottom and... started falling. I screamed, but Alen quickly caught me and set me down.

I looked around where we were. It is a huge corridor. It's a combination of metal and rock. We started walking forward. There are many strange symbols here. What is this all about? Is this a home of an ancient civilization? But if so, how did they make the bottom not let water through but allow others? We didn't talk. We were too shocked to say anything. Finally, we came across paintings. One of the paintings depicted a strange creature. It looks like a hairless, large koala. I can't describe it, but it's probably a mammal. Standing upright like us and with a serious expression. Judging by the medals on its chest, it must have been some kind of military officer.

"Gazelle? Do you recognize these strange creatures?" Anyx asked. I wanted to answer her, but I couldn't when I saw another painting. "Gazelle... For all creatures..."

"What the fuck is that?" This time, it came from Alen.

Apparently, they also saw what I did—that is, small versions of the creature I saw earlier, without eyes, ears, noses, and mouths, seemingly bowing to another unknown but terrifying creature depicted across the entire length of the wall, or rather, just like a burning fire and its white smile with sharpened teeth, red eyes, against the background of creatures that looked like shadows. I stepped back slightly, but then I bumped into something. It wasn't the wall because the wall was slightly further away. I turned around to see something metal. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then that thing opened its eyes. Alen immediately stood in front of me, as did Anyx. It looks like a gigantic robot, but without legs. A few strange sounds came out of it, it straightened its large paw and tried to approach us, but its eyes lit up as quickly as they turned off, and the robot fell limply to the ground.

";l[[p=;=p;'';p]["

Did that robot speak? It said something, but in a language incomprehensible to us. Anyx was the first to dare and touched the robot, but nothing happened. I also approached. I wanted to try to talk to it, but nothing. The dark eyes didn't even twitch. I looked at Anyx and Alen and at the huge wall in front of us, as if divided in half. These must be doors. Whatever built all this must have been much earlier than the first mammals would remember. Especially since there was never any mention of these shadow creatures. The creators probably built this to defend themselves against them too. If what we discovered are the remnants of an ancient civilization, it will be the greatest accidental discovery in the history of mammals ever...

Chapter Text

Year 2100 - Twenty minutes before operation Ragnarok

Lin

"When you lose the person you care about so much, the pain is just as intense as the happiness was before."

These words come from a book by Simone Elkeles. I read it once, and now, after losing my aunt, this quote keeps running through my head. I can safely say she was right. I'm crying in bed, utterly devastated. First my father, now my aunt. It hurts so much. Zeira is trying to help me, stroking and hugging me. It's unbelievable that a warrior as strong as her can be so gentle. Her light hugs make me feel better, but I know she has also lost a lot in this war. Apparently, the Shadow King himself killed her parents, laughing in her face and humiliating her by leaving her alive. Her royal family fought him. From her stories, they almost defeated him, but the Shadows came and killed her parents, leaving her alive. In her culture, that's the greatest expression of disrespect. Her race is very honorable, but also feisty. The best warriors in the galaxy fell, so the rest didn't stand a chance.

When I heard an explosion just now, I knew she had sacrificed herself for us. I broke down crying, and my friend told Kit to check it out while she pulled me closer to her chest. She knows well that listening to the heartbeat of a person close to me calms me down, so she pressed my head against her chest. Her heart was beating, and that calmed me. The chaos was everywhere, making it hard to settle down, but everything was better in her embrace.

"They will pay for all this." Zeira finally spoke, looking menacingly at the elevator doors. Her tail seemed to involuntarily hug me. The tail is the most sensitive part for her species. Hugging with the tail means great trust, and I'm grateful for it. And no. We are definitely not together. We're like siblings. We practically grew up together. "I'll wipe out every Shadow. For my family and yours."

"Zeira." I touched her sad face. "For now, all we can do is hide here. I understand you're furious, but..."

"Don't kill?" she asked gloomily. "Revenge is important to me. It's part of my culture. He humiliated me..." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "But I won't do it for you... Hmmm?"

I pulled her into one of our big, fuzzy hugs. She returned it. "I'm not going to stop you." I think I slightly shocked her. "We'll both defeat him... and when that happens... I promise I won't take away your choice between life and death. I'll gladly watch him die."

"Thank you, Lin." She lightly touched my hair. "It means a lot to me that you understand. When we wake up, we'll go after him. Together."

We touched foreheads and just stayed like that for a moment. I don't know how long passed. Seconds, maybe minutes, or hours. Simply, thanks to her, I really feel better. Thanks to her, the apocalypse outside isn't so terrifying. Maybe we really will manage to rebuild the world anew when we get up. I hope so, although that's the mother of fools.

Suddenly, at that moment, we heard another loud bang and the sound of tearing metal. The elevator doors began to buckle, and finally, a Shadow jumped into the room, throwing Kit, who was barely functioning, at our feet. The monster roared and lunged at its first victim. Zeira's pupils narrowed, and a spear appeared in her hand. I stopped her, but she wanted to go further. Just as I was about to say something to her, she kissed me.

"Lin. This is one of the Alphas. The one who helped defeat my parents. I won't let him kill us. You are my brother, Lin. Always will be. And I'm sorry. Alpha Code. Get him to a safe place."

She said this to the EIR unit. Before I could say more, she charged at the Shadow, and the EIR took me elsewhere. I managed to see one Goliath unit cut in half by the Shadow, and I realized I couldn't leave them without help. The mutation serum... I took the untouched syringe from my pants. It's not finished, but I have no choice...

Zeira

Before the monster could kill another person, I ran in, driving the spear into its side and pinning it to the wall. It roared in pain, trying to hit me with its tail. It didn't succeed. I cut it with the spikes that emerged from my skin on my shoulders. Fortunately, this is a spear made of metal from my planet, which is capable of killing Shadows instantly. That's probably why they chose our planet as their first target. Well. They succeeded, but not entirely. Everyone of my race who survived wants to kill them, and I won't back down from anything. The Alpha apparently recognized me and tried to pull out my weapon, but I grabbed it and threw him into a pillar, which he pierced, and he landed under the stairs that I blew up with a blaster. They collapsed onto him, and I summoned the spear back.

"Run." I told the scientist as I created a magic shield. He ran, but I saw him hide in the corner with another blaster. "Come on, you bastard! I'm waiting! You'll die this time!"

"Thalven." A raspy, genderless voice replied from the pervasive dust. "We wiped you out..."

"As the Earthlings say... We are like the Hydra. Cut off one head, and two more will grow in its place."

The roar the Alpha let out was powerful. It lunged at me, emerging from the battle dust. This time, it pinned me against the wall with its teeth, which I blocked with the shield. I hit its jaw with my knee. That momentarily distracted it. I kicked with my leg and struck its head with the bottom of the shield. Since it's a shadowy werewolf, it whimpered in pain, and I could have driven the weapon into its head, but I failed because its tentacle stopped my spear. The scientist tried to shoot at it, but it was useless, and I did what I could. I headbutted it. Confused, it let go of the spear, but it only flew into its leg, which it ripped out, inflicting a severe wound on my face and cutting my upper left eye. Having a high tolerance for pain, I wasn't too distracted, so I could counterattack, this time with a knife.

I jumped on it, tearing its paw. It rolled onto its back, and I could embed the knife in its neck. It roared once more. Its claws scratched my back, causing a mass of small bleeding wounds. I endured it, but I didn't endure it when it pierced the wall with a tentacle, turned orange, and breathed fire at me. Oh, right. Absorption abilities that only Alphas have. At the last moment, I covered myself with the shield, but the force of the fire was too strong and reached me. I fell to the floor in pain. In the reflection, I saw that half of my face was burned. It wanted to run at me, but I threw the shield with all my strength into its abdomen. That cut it in half. It was not to be outdone, as it fired a spike that pierced me through.

I couldn't really hold myself up anymore, so I fell to my knees, and in the distance, I saw a cold storage room with food. Maybe I can freeze it. So, with my last strength, I got up and started walking toward it. A little blood dripped from my mouth, but I kept going. I told ZEUS, the main artificial intelligence, to open the nearest cold storage door. There's a railing, and I'll throw him down there. Maybe it will work. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll make it because the Alpha, despite lacking legs, started running toward me. I quickened my pace while simultaneously summoning the spear. It caught up to me when I was close, but I blocked it with the spear. With my extra arms, I cut it with my claws. That hurt it, but unfortunately, not well enough because it crushed one of them with a tentacle. I hissed in pain as it tried to tear out the other one. Then I started stabbing it with the blade using my tail. Every blow was noticeable to it, but not entirely, as it turned orange again and was about to breathe fire, but luckily someone threw it away from me. It was Lin with a metal prosthesis.

"You were supposed to run!" I roared at him as the Alpha was getting up. "What are you doing here?!"

"I saved you. You're welcome. The serum apparently works. I don't know for how long, but it works. What now?"

"Lin. You can't beat him. Not even with that serum. You can't."

"Don't treat me like a child! Zeira. I may not be a warrior, but I can fight."

"You lost your arm fighting an Omega. You're not able to fight... Watch out!"

I blocked the attack with the spear again, but this time the monster threw me into the wall. I fell and saw it walking toward me, but Lin grabbed one of my knives that was still in it and jumped onto its head. It roared as he repeatedly stabbed its neck and nape. He ripped off the tentacle that was about to grab him, and I got up and realized he was on a perfect straight line to the cold storage, but maybe that won't be necessary because Lin is doing well... unfortunately, not anymore, because it grabbed his prosthesis with its teeth and threw him to the ground. The Alpha was surprised that the prosthesis came off so easily in its mouth, and Lin stabbed it in the neck with the knife and tried to cut it open. He almost succeeded, but it grabbed his head with a paw and slammed him into the ground. I watched in horror, but surprisingly, he was still breathing. I mentally apologized to him and ran toward the Alpha with a scream on my lips. It tried to repeat the move, but it didn't manage as I once again drove the spear into its side and this time jumped with it over the railings, falling down, hoping Lin was safe...

Present Times - Zootopia

Gazell

After this discovery, we went to the police station because we didn't really know what to do. We told them we had discovered some ancient base, unknown beings, and paintings, probably more intelligent than us. At first, no one wanted to believe it, even after we showed them photos, but Bogo, Nick, Judy, and Gary agreed. Gary went with us because he was curious about all of it, and Nick and Judy wanted him to. They didn't believe it themselves, but they came with us and weren't happy that they had to jump down, but after I did it, they jumped. Shocked by the corridor, just as I was the first time, they couldn't take their eyes off the images, the huge robot, or that general-like being.

"He looks like a Koala without fur," Nick stated, looking at the painting.

"Nick. Whatever it is, it deserves some respect," Judy reprimanded him and walked up to the robot. "It's huge... and it has no legs. Something must have torn them off. And that something must have been strong."

"Maybe someday we'll find out what it is," Bogo stated, looking at the mural on the wall. "For now, I've called for backup. Maybe we'll find out more."

"Hey, I found something." Gary shouted, standing next to enormous doors. He's next to an overgrown wall. With his tail, he pulled out something strange with tentacles. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like an eye with tentacles. It's all covered in moss."

"Can you hand it over? Maybe it's a robot."

The snake handed it to Judy. We approached her. She cleaned what actually turned out to be a robot. It has some initials on it. K, I, T. KIT? Is that its name? Is this some word in this language? Or place. Anyway, Judy cleaned it of moss and overgrown plants. It turned out to be like a drop the size of her head with an eye on the front and tentacles coming out from the bottom. I haven't seen similar robots even on TV, and robotics have developed a lot lately, but even this large one is far too advanced. Those who hid here must have been a hundred times more developed than us.

"We should take this to the technicians. Maybe we can get something out of it," Judy stated.

"What if it's a doomsday machine? I won't risk the city."

"Commissioner." Anyx, who was looking at the paintings, spoke up. "Do you seriously think such a small thing could be dangerous? Please don't make me laugh."

"Small things are also dangerous, and I prefer to play it safe."

Anyx was more curious about the paintings, and so was I. We both walked along the wall, looking at what were apparently generals or ordinary citizens. They are furless, which is strange. They only have a little, long hair on the top of their heads. Hmm. That's interesting. When we reached the corner of the room, a blue light suddenly appeared. We both screamed and jumped back. Bogo, Judy, and Nick pointed their weapons at it after Judy had handed the robot to Allen earlier. Where there was empty space before, the being from the paintings stood... or rather, its hologram. So, holograms too? I think it's a female of this species. She's wearing elegant clothes, has long hair on her head, and earrings.

" ----------------------" The hologram definitely said something, but I completely don't know what.

"Is it talking to us?" Nick asked.

"Apparently. But we don't have an ancient translator," Gary stated.

The hologram stopped talking. It tilted its head. Looking at Nick and Gary, it folded its paws, disappeared, and reappeared a moment later. "Translation update. Introducing your language into the database to make it easier to understand your language. Welcome. I am Seshat. Information Center of Bunker Yggdrasil." Okay. So ancient technology suddenly learned our language. This is not something you see every day, and everyone relaxed. "Pleased to meet all new species. Rumors of racism in our company are lies. Well. Welcome everyone. Since you're here, you probably want to enter our newest shelter. Oh, of course you do. When Darkons fall from the sky and the surface is hell, everyone wants a little peace. We, Mezra entertainment, provide you with everything you need. Peace, security, food, water, and community. For only a small fee, you have it all. Remember. Mezra entertainment is safety. Mezra entertainment is the future."

The hologram disappeared, leaving us confused. So, some company exploited the danger of the Darkons, probably those Shadows in the murals, to make as much money as possible. It makes me sick with that kind of greed. But apparently, they had no choice.

"Nick, what are you doing?" Judy asked as he approached the largest robot.

"Relax, carrot. I want to take a closer look at it. Maybe I'll discover something since the hologram said next to nothing and the little one isn't active."

We all approached the large robot. Nick climbed onto it. Judy got angry at him. Meanwhile, I tried to examine it, but I completely didn't understand it. There were some inscriptions on the guardian, but I couldn't decipher them. Maybe if the hologram had provided a translation... Gary tried to catch something with his sight, but he said nothing... nothing except something in his head that was pulsating terribly. Nick shouted that there was a hatch here. Judy jumped in and started puzzling over it, but Nick simply kicked the hatch, and it opened.

"NICK... you'll damage it. Thank you, but calmly."

Judy looked down and stated that there was something like a mechanical brain there. She bent down, trying to reach it, but she couldn't. Nick bent down and stated that he touched something, and it seemed he had because the robot suddenly started moving. Strange lights emitted from inside it, and it started to stand up. Oh no. Oh no! Both of them jumped off it onto the ground. I grabbed Judy, and Muggi grabbed Nick. Its eyes flashed red. It rested one of its front paws on the ground just enough to stand upright. One of its paws suddenly retracted, and instead, an energy beam appeared inside it, which it aimed at us. That's a blaster. It wants to kill us. We couldn't move out of fear. It started looking at us, and after a moment, a beam of light came from its eyes. It's scanning us. It wasn't painful, and its eyes changed color to blue, and the limb changed back to normal. After a moment of silence, Judy was the first to step forward to greet it.

"Hello, ancient robot. We apologize for being here and disturbing your peace, but Gazell, Anyx, and Allen got here by accident. I'm Judy. Do... you understand us?"

"Indeed, Judy. Thank you for the activation." The robot spoke in a mechanical voice. We all started to rejoice and celebrate, but that's only half the success. "Does this unit know where it is? I cannot detect any satellite connections." Satellite connection? So, its creators had access to space.

"You are near Zootopia." She replied, feeling more confident. "You mentioned a satellite connection. I understand your creators were also very advanced. And more importantly, what is your name?"

"I am a Goliath unit with the designation 420. Yes. My creators were very advanced." Gary crawled up to it and began examining it from all sides. Goliath just watched him. "Can the unit ask a question?" It addressed Judy directly, who nodded. "What is your racial identifier? My database does not contain any intelligent race of your appearance."

"We are mammals, Goliath. You know me, this is Nick, this is Bogo, this is Gazell, this is Muggi, this is Allen, and the snake Gary." Then Bogo approached.

"Hello, Goliath. I'm Bogo. I wanted to say hello and welcome you to our world. We would be very grateful for any information about the times of your creators. We want to know more."

"Goliath is not an information unit. THOT, in your hands, is." It pointed to the robot held by Allen.

Happy that we were discovering history, I felt an undeniable premonition that something else was here. I said I would look around. There was a mass of these robots in the walls. They were all deactivated. All of them could probably be activated somehow, but judging by the sophistication of our new friend, its creators must be able to turn them all on at once, but I don't know where they are. Maybe behind those closed doors. Only how to open them? Maybe Goliath will help. I was about to go to them when I felt something completely different under my hoof than the metal floor. I picked it up and saw a strange smaller piece of very dirty metal with something engraved on it. I looked closer and realized it must be a name.

"General Novákový. Born March 22, 2055." This is the dog tag of an ancient being! I turned it over because there are usually some quotes on the other side, but no. Nothing is there. However, something was flashing. Like a small light. I didn't press it. I walked up to the rest of my group where I saw Gary, who was worried about Goliath.

"Are you sure everything is fine?" He asked slightly timidly. "You have torn off legs. Doesn't that hurt you?"

"This unit has no pain sensations uploaded. I am resistant to it." He looked at me. "Gazell. You found General Olwert's dog tag."

"Ummm, yes. I think so. Who was she? Why was her dog tag lying here?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question, but with my activation, the dog tag's black box activated. By pressing the pulsating light, you can see the owner's last moments."

I did as he said. Unfortunately, I think I pressed the wrong place because a light suddenly appeared, which formed into what looked like an ancient human in the air, who started dancing. "Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down! Never gonna run around and desert you! Never gonna make you cry! Never gonna say goodbye! Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!"

The song kept playing. Gary just started dancing, but the rest simply stared at the ancient being. That's what they looked like... Nick shook his head, and Allen smiled, and Goliath just watched. This might be one of its creators. I walked up to him and showed him. "Do you recognize him? Is this one of your creators?"

"Tom Gizell. According to my database, you have been Zrickrolled. This is an event that did not bypass any human." Seriously? That's their meme?

"Human. Is that what their race was called?" Judy picked up.

"Yes, but the more common form was people."

"Human." Nick spoke up. "Human. Heh. That's a cool word. Maybe we should see what was in that black box?"

Goliath nodded and pressed the flashing light with an even smaller limb from his arm. An image appeared before us of a human without an arm, lying on a bed, and next to him, another strange purple being. This might be some variation, like with us. Anyway, on this moving image, Olwert, who had a shotgun in her hands, ran to the doors, which closed behind her, and she started going up. After a moment, other doors opened in front of her, revealing the shadowy creatures from the image we had seen earlier. Gary hid behind Nick and Judy in fear, who were themselves scared and went to Bogo, but that was not the end. Olwert started shooting at them, but she only managed to kill three monsters before they learned to avoid her better. Then she pulled out a small, elongated object and said a very sad thing as she looked at a photo of the human who was lying on the bed earlier. "Goodbye, darling. May the future world be kinder to you." At that moment, everything went dark for a moment. It was probably a grenade. The image reappeared when the robot Allen was holding flew up to her. And that's where it all ends.

To say that most of us were sad is an understatement. Judy, I, Nick, Gary, and Anyx had tears in our eyes. Muggi hugged Allen. If she died, that's why this THOT is here. Now maybe all we need to do is activate it, and we'll be home. Maybe we'll manage to enter this bunker, and maybe we'll find those people. Although I'm starting to be afraid that the only thing we'll find there are Darkons..

Chapter Text

Year 2100 - Five Minutes Before Operation Ragnarok

Lin

"Every ending is the beginning of something new."

Such noble thoughts crossed my mind as I created Project Ragnarok with my mother. Those words by Libby Bray fit perfectly here. We were both building this operation when the Shadows invaded our planet. We knew we stood no chance against them, so this final act of desperation pushed us to it. We knew perfectly well that humanity likely wouldn't survive, so we wanted to give others a chance. However, we didn't know how much would have to be sacrificed for it to succeed.

I am currently being carried by Kit toward the cryogenic chamber. Just moments ago, Zeira sacrificed herself so that I could live. Now... because of that, I feel lifeless. Glancing at my reflection, all I could notice was that my fiery red hair was terribly neglected and my green eyes had somehow grown pale. Tears pressed behind my eyes, but I tried not to cry.

After a moment, Kit flew to the chambers. The doctor was supposed to check me for any injuries that needed bandaging, but when it turned out there were none, I looked at what was perhaps my last friend.

"Will we meet in the new world? I don’t want to be alone."

"I will try to be with you always, my friend," replied my mechanical companion, patting me on the head. I smiled, though one thought occurred to me.

"Can I... go back to the surface for a moment? To see the world one last time?"

"That is impossible, Lin," ZEUS interjected. "Operation Ragnarok begins in T-minus five minutes. The cryogenic pods will activate then, and there will be no way out until I deem it appropriate. The only thing I can allow is for you to enter and for me to holographically project your consciousness to the top of the facility."

"Fine. I’d be grateful. At least that much. Kit? Will we go together?"

My friend simply nodded. I smiled at that and looked at the pods. Not everyone will survive until the end... Eh. I hope at least half do. My mother and I worked hard for that. From the start, she said it was a risky project, but worth the fight. The pod opened, but before I stepped in, I looked at her photo. Her fiery hair—because of which I usually jokingly called her "Wise Bacon"—always amazed me; how on earth did she have such a unique hair color? She said it was some very rare shade of red. To me, they were beautiful regardless. I smiled at the photo and stepped into the pod, which closed a moment later.

I closed my eyes, felt a slight tremor and a headache, until I felt nothing at all. I opened my eyes and found myself at the highest possible point of our base: on a ruined communication tower. I sat on its edge, and a moment later, a holographic Kit joined me. We both looked out at the landscape of a ravaged Earth. A mass of ships had not yet departed, including the mothership that blocked out the sun. Those monsters will keep destroying our planet until the very end...

The moment I saw human survivors—mostly civilians—trying to enter even the protective field and failing, I felt an immense thirst for revenge, which will happen when I wake up. Along with other races, all humans will fly to the Shadows' planet to finally destroy them. Eh. Those are dreams for now; for now, I must watch as the invaders kill children and their parents.

"Attention," a loud voice announced from the speakers. "Four minutes remaining until Operation Ragnarok."

After that loud sound, another silence followed, broken only by roars and pleas. I looked at Kit, who touched my back. Yes. It is possible.

"Do you think this new world we wake up in will be better?" I asked on the verge of tears, not knowing what I really wanted to say. Kit simply looked down and then at the landscape as the voice announced thirty seconds remaining.

"One can only hope, Lin... The only thing I know is that we will be there together."

The voice announced three minutes [sic]* and a shadow appeared above us. Kit turned and showed me it was a hologram of the Shadow King in armor.

"Would you like to be alone with him now?"

"Yes, please, friend."

Kit disappeared as the King approached me. He is clad in dark, seemingly evaporating armor. He wears no helmet, simply revealing his face—the black and purple muzzle of a werewolf. Eh. He’s not some strange, unknown race. He is a Lykarion, or rather, what is left of them. Once a race of proud and noble warriors, they were corrupted by darkness during a war with another extinct race. Not all of them, of course. Those who refused died, and the corrupted survived. This supposedly happened billions of years ago in another universe, but no one wanted to believe it. Until the corrupted Lykarions attacked, of course. Their status was divided into Omegas (the weakest) and Betas (the nobility). Highest were the Alphas, of which there could only be a few—the elite—and finally, the Rasvertar: the strongest of the Lykarions and their King or Queen. That is how the Shadows are divided now.

The King approached from the side and looked at the landscape as if gloating over the view, but he said nothing. His eyes and expression were stone-cold and devoid of emotion, yet he touched my shoulder with a clawed paw. This is possible because the holograms track limb movements and create the illusion of touch.

"Your race has my respect until the end of time," he spoke in a calm voice. "I admit, I underestimated you at first. Now, seeing your courage, I must pay you honors."

Honestly, I must admit that even if he kills me now, I don’t care. I just have to point something out to him. "As if you had any honor, attacking the weak."

He didn't react. He didn't get angry; he didn't want to kill me. He only lowered his head.

"I know. It stained my honor. I tried to be honorable, but it isn't always possible. I heard humans had a weapon capable of stopping me. I had to attack. What I am doing... is for a higher purpose that you do not understand."

"For a higher purpose, you murder the entire galaxy?"

"We are only continuing the legacy of the Titans."

"The Titans once slaughtered an entire universe. You want to repeat that for fanaticism?!"

"It is not fanaticism. It is a vision that mortals do not understand... But I am not here for that. Where is the royal Thalven? I know she flew here. I was supposed to kill her for their honor, but I was occupied with someone else."

"She is dead. She died fighting an Alpha."

"At least she died honorably." The voice announced one minute remaining. "I understand this countdown is your plan?" I nodded. "I understand. I will ensure you are remembered."

He vanished, and in the last minute of my time on Earth, I tried to soak in my planet. This might be the end—the end of everyone—but the end of the Shadows is yet to come... The voice announced the final ten seconds. The countdown began, and slowly the Earth was shrouded in even greater darkness than before. A solar eclipse... The Shadows didn't understand what was happening, so they stopped what they were doing and just watched as an even greater darkness consumed them. When the countdown reached five seconds, I felt a chill. I took a deep breath, and when the countdown ended, everything went black...

Zootopia - Present times

Judy

I’ve been sitting over this robot, for several hours now, and I can’t activate it because our police technician gave up. Too much of that human language. Too many symbols that Goliath can’t decipher because he isn't a translator. Oh, sure. Because I’ll be able to decipher ancient symbols better than an ancient robot. This must be a joke. He supposedly gave me the schematics, but what can I do when I don’t have the right tools? They haven't even been invented yet. I mean, what even is a "plasma welder" or a "methanic drill"? All those tools are probably behind those locked doors, and I can't do anything about it. I’ve tried everything. Nothing in him is similar to Goliath or our robots. This is a THOT unit. He was responsible for information gathering, so he’ll definitely know how to open the doors. From what Goliath said, these robots were exceptionally curious and had the ability to develop abstract thinking—something robots usually couldn't do. This one was supposedly created by that man without an arm from the recording. So, in our world, AI is just starting to develop, but in their world, AI had free will. How are we supposed to compete with that?

"And? Any luck?"

Asked Nick, who walked into the apartment and gave me a kiss. Yes. We are together, and we live together. Yes, quite a bit has changed over this past month. A few days after we brought the reptiles back, we both confessed it at the same time. That we love each other and can't live without each other. A few days later, we rented a new place and we’re getting by. Nick has his lifestyle and I have mine. It's very personal, true, but it doesn't bother me.

"I’m stuck on another... T’vess firewall. I don’t even know how to pronounce that."

"Maybe it’s a patent from one of those aliens Goliath talked about. By the way, my whole life I thought we were alone, and now I’m afraid cosmic shadows might attack us from above, plus there are aliens out there somewhere..."

"Just don't be a space racist. Maybe they’ll want to contact us again once the humans return." I went back to the robot. "Come on," I said to myself. "There has to be a way to activate you! But what?"

"Carrots." He gently pulled the THOT away from me. "It’s late. Come to bed. You should sleep too. We’ll think about it more tomorrow."

"Eh. I hate it when you’re right. Fine."

He kissed me lightly on the forehead. I went to take a bath, use the restroom, brush my teeth, and laid down, thinking for a bit. Just a few days ago, I wouldn't have believed information like "aliens exist," and now? I’m sitting in a room with an ancient robot trying to activate it and a black box from an ancient being's dog tag. To be honest, I keep lingering on the man without the arm and the Thalven—the race from another planet. Nick does too. Those beings look so foreign and fascinating. Maybe they’re still living behind those doors, or maybe they died because of the shadow monsters. I don’t know. All I know is that if they are alive, when they wake up, they’ll see that we’ve taken over their planet. We’ll have to form an alliance then...

Maybe I’ll just go to sleep. I hope Gary has finally left Goliath alone. He was jumping around him the whole time, asking a ton of questions. Even Bogo, who had to ask diplomatic questions, asked fewer than him. It irritates me a bit that I can't activate him as easily as Goliath, but maybe tomorrow I’ll have some luck. Well. Let’s just hope someone solves this mystery.

I fell asleep quite quickly, but in the meantime, I heard strange noises. I don’t know what it was, but maybe it was just Nick being weird again. Surprisingly, I had no bad dreams, so I woke up feeling quite rested in the morning. However, I heard someone walking around my room. Thinking it was Nick, I opened an eye to say hello. But I didn't see a mammal or a reptile—I saw a metal eye staring at me. For a moment, I thought it was a dream, but when I touched it and met resistance, I realized it wasn't.

Startled, I screamed and threw a lamp at it, which bounced off it as if hitting a protective field. Nick also woke up screaming. The robot I had been trying to activate had activated itself and also started screaming, raising its limbs as my lamp—which had turned into a plasma bolt—bounced all over the room until it finally flew out the window, hitting something.

"MY CABBAGES!"

Some mammal shouted, apparently selling cabbages. I apologized to him while the robot continued to scream. For a moment, the three of us just stood there, and I didn't know what to do until I cleared my throat. "Emmm. Why are you screaming?" I asked as politely as I could. He stopped and flew over to me.

"You screamed first. I thought it was your custom."

Honestly, yesterday I had so many questions for him, and now they had all escaped my head. I jumped out of bed, nearly pushing Nick out of it. I ran for my notebook, grabbed it, and approached him. I was about to ask a barrage of questions, but I noticed he was just standing still by the window. He was staring at the landscape without moving. Nick and I stood beside him and looked out with him.

"Excuse me, Mr. THOT. Is something wrong?"

He still said nothing. He must be surprised that life still exists on his old planet after that war. We sat in silence for a while. It seems he is soaking in the view. Apparently, he went to sleep when his home was being ravaged by those monsters, and now it’s different.

"It worked," he finally spoke. "Life has returned. By the way, I’m Kit." He offered me a tentacle. I gave him my paw, which he shook. Apparently, that’s how people used to greet each other. "And who are you?"

I didn't register the question immediately, so I didn't answer, but after a moment, I realized he had asked a question and I was just staring at him. "Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Kit. This is all so new to me. I’m Judy Hopps."

"Nick Wilde."

"It's a pleasure. I take it you are pleased with the new world? Despite the absence of those humans?"

"Pleased? This has exceeded our wildest expectations. And the humans are alive and in pods. I am sure we will live together in harmony."

"Oh, for sure. It is their world, after all. It has changed a lot, but I am convinced we will be able to live together in harmony side-by-side. If I may ask... do you know how much time has passed since the fall of humanity?"

That clearly put him in quite a state of confusion.

"Well. A lot, presumably. Definitely more than two million years, because my counter stopped there. We will get more data once we enter the cryogenic chambers."

"We’ll meet your creators! I’m so happy... and terrified. What if we make a bad impression?"

"It will be fine, Judy. Though humans had a tough character, I think you’ll like each other."

"That’s what they always say before a total catastrophe," Nick remarked amusedly, and I just nudged him lightly in the arm. Maybe this is the new future. We managed to activate Kit. Humans can provide us with so much. I don't even know how to express my happiness...