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Description

Todd, Seymour and Junior arrive at the Riviera-Goda household. And just as Todd predicted, Seymour's parents aren't too happy with what their son did.
Nick and Judy have just arrived because they received a call that Seymour went missing. But they've only come just in time to watch as Mrs. Riviera and Mr. Goda scold Seymour on the dangers of leaving the house without telling your parents.

Off to the side, Todd inspects the strange orange powder on his shirt. He wipes some off with his paws to scrutinize it a bit. But touching it turns out to be a big mistake. In an instant, the affects of the powder begin to take root. He goes into tremors, becomes disorientated, and goes into a panic attack.
On the spot, the young fruit bat collapses on the sidewalk, in a shivering, feverish, catatonic heap.
  "Caramba!" Mrs. Riviera fusses. "He's going into seizure!" She orders the boys inside the house so as not to further witness this traumatic spectacle. They almost call an ambulance, but in his delirium, Todd strongly advises against it.
  "Call the.. the Professor.. Raoulin," he says, struggling with each word. Nick knows the young fruit bat is talking about the college Professor, Virgil Raoulin.
The boys come back to explain to Nick and Judy what happened, how Todd held back the arctic fox while they tried to escape. Then, Judy notices the same orange powdery substance on Todd's shirt. Nick's instincts tell him that Professor Raoulin might have answers.

    "Just what the patient ordered," says Nick, as he pulls up Raoulin's phone number on his speed dial.
At this time of night, the tiger college professor is understandably groggy and cranky. But when Nick describes the strange orange powder on Todd, Professor Raoulin is on high alert.
  "Just tell me," he asks sternly. "What are the symptoms, Nick?"
  "Lots of shivering. Heavy breathing. He's not what I would call lucid either."
  "Check his eyes, are they bloodshot?" says Professor Raoulin.
  "Yes, severely bloodshot," Judy answers as she opens Todd's eyelids to reveal very pink sclera. "Pupils look dilated too."
    "They are bloodshot, that is correct," Nick relays into his cellphone. "And she says they're dilated."
Now Professor Raoulin has heard enough.
  "Nick, I want you to bring him to the University Lab, STAT," he instructs seriously. "Don't touch him, just wrap him in a blanket if you must carry him, is that clear? And one more thing, don't say a word out loud to him, not once! I'll meet you there as soon as I can!"
____________
Under 15 minutes later, they're all at the Zootopia University science lab. Todd is lying on a counter to the side, wrapped in Judy's carrot blanket while he feverishly fights his nightmares.  His shirt has been removed to extract the strange powder that has caused his catatonic state.

On the opposite counter, Nick and Judy carefully watch as Professor Raoulin inspects the strange powder under a microscope. He's dressed in a lab coat and rubber gloves.
    Finally, after minutes of silence, the Professor clicks his tongue, obviously not happy with what he's found.
  "This is Janissary," he says, plain and simple. "The orange powder on Mr. Hurricane's shirt is Janissary."
  "And that is...?" says Nick, lost on the word.
  "The Janissarium Root," answers Judy. "But this is very rare to come by, not exactly something you'd find in your common textbook. How'd you know about it?"

Virgil looks up from the microscope. He's looking past Nick and Judy, but his blue eyes are misty and sad. He sniffs sharply before he finds his composure to speak.
  "Funny you should ask," he says. "My fia....   ....my girlfriend Eleanora, she once did a lecture on Janissary, six years and four months ago.  She was giving a speech on the dangers of certain psychotropic drugs. I still have her research notes." He pulls out a stack of papers and notecards painstakingly documented and organized. The papers are riddled with foot-notes written in purple pen in loopy letters. Virgil's claw sadly traces the handwriting with reverence.
  "She would've liked to meet you, Officer Hopps," he rambles bitter-sweetly. "Like her, you ask so many questions. She used to tell her students, part of being a good scientist is to ask questions, not make up answers."
  Nick snaps his fingers in front of Virgil's face and clears his throat to remind the Professor of the task at hand.
  "Right, right," says Virgil. Resuming his task, he takes Todd's shirt and scrapes as much of the powder as he can into a test tube filled with clear liquid.  "My point is, if I hadn't attended the lecture, I don't believe I would've recognized Mr. Hurricane's symptoms. Much less whip up a treatment."

    "Well that sounds promising," says Nick.  "What can you tell us about Janissary?"
    "To put it simply," begins Professor Raoulin. "Janissary root literally empties your mind."
  "You mean it brainwashes you?" says Judy.
  "No," says the Professor. "Not exactly. Janissary works much cleaner than that. It's more like it mothballs your memories. Everything you are, your personality, your ideas, your childhood, it wraps it all up and shoves it into subconscious.  That way, your mind has room to fill it with new memories. Or should I say, a whole new identity."
"Think of it like a tape recorder. If your original personality were a tape, Janissary takes it out, then sticks a new one in. So anyone can say anything into it... Even turn your friends and family into strangers through your own eyes."

  After swirling the Janissary powder and the liquid around inside the test tube, Virgil inserts it into a centrifuge and starts up the machine.  A chill goes up Judy's spine. This whole Janissary business sounded eerily like something out of sci-fi. She worriedly looks over at poor Todd on the counter. She couldn't imagine what it must be like, to have your memories wiped away, even in your sleep. It was starting to sound painful just listening to each of Todd's delirious moans.

    "You do realize," says the Professor, watching the centrifuge's mesmerizing spin. "That with my Asperger's Syndrome, I don't handle inconveniences very well. And, even out of the goodness of my heart, this is most inconvenient to the evening I had planned."
  "We understand," Judy responds kindly. "And we appreciate the trouble you've gone to come here on such short notice."
  "And thanks for believing me," Nick adds. "We know those days are behind me, but usually, you think I'm coming to you with a scam."
As the centrifuge comes to a stop, the tiger takes the vial and skillfully fills a syringe with its content.
  "Trust me, Nick," says Virgil. "I know, even your scams aren't sly enough to get a hold of this stuff. If this really is Janissary we have here, then this goes beyond scams..."

    "And right now?" Judy says. "Todd's losing his memories?" The idea horrifies her, that even as they speak, Todd's mind and personality are being erased by the drug.
Nick shares her concern. It seems like yesterday he gave the fruit bat his first paw-psicle, and now, he probably wouldn't even recognize his old pal Nick.
  "It's only one small dose," says Virgil comfortingly. "It would take repeated doses, and relatively, our little friend here has only received a temporary dose. Even without treatment, it'll wear off in 24 hours. That's the good news."
  "And the bad news?" says Nick.
  "I thought you might ask," says Virgil grimly. "The bad news is, without treatment, Mr. Hurricane will be like this for 24 hours. He'll have to be restrained and isolated. ...If it weren't for this." He gestures at the syringe as though he were presenting a million-dollar prize at a game show. "It should negate most of the Janissary in his system. Just enough to return his lucidity.  The remaining Janissary will leave him winded for a day, but it's better than nothing."

Methodically, Professor Raoulin walks up to the shivering bundle and cleanly inserts the syringe into Todd's right forearm.  The little fruit bat stirs slightly, the only indication he registers the small pinch in his arm. But much to the Professor's relief, the treatment is already taking affect. In seconds, Todd's quaking fades into mild shivering. His breathing evens out. Using medical tape, Professor Raoulin sticks a cotton ball where he stuck the syringe in Todd's arm, to prevent infection or further bleeding.

  "Now all we can do is pray," he sighs.
  "I hope he makes it," Judy says after seconds of silence. Nick even puts a comforting paw on her shoulder.
  "You'll see," says the Professor. "He may be timid, but he's also spirited."  Tenderly, he strokes Todd's head like a father watching his son sleep with quiet pride. He imagines that if Eleanora had still been alive, they would've had a cub about Todd's same size.

    "We should be taking him to Zootopia General" says Judy.
    "I wouldn't advise it," says the Professor. "A year ago, Nick saved my face. And that's what I'm doing for Mr. Hurricane over there: saving his face. You said it yourself, Janissary is rare. And anyone who doesn't recognize it would mistake Todd for an addict. He'll never live it down. I don't want anyone to look at him and make assumptions that he's an addict. Sure, Janissary may take you places, you just won't remember you went anywhere."

Suddenly, Nick makes a run for the door.
  "Nick?" says Judy. "Where are you going??"
  "Something I have to get," Nick calls back. "Let's call it a Get Well present!"
________

  "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"
Todd can hear a stern familiar voice piercing the nightmarish haze. It's a voice that reminds him of his father, only bigger. The little fruit bat blinks his eyes open and tries to maintain focus in his drowsy vision. He sees blobs of color, orange, red, and grey. They look threatening and large, but something in him says he has nothing to fear.
    "Can you speak?"
    "Y-yeah," says Todd, his strength returning by the second.  He can feel it, his eyelids able to stay open, his breathing steadily speeding up.
  "Can you tell me your name?"
  "..Todd Hurricane," says Todd, his speech more lucid.
    "Do you know who I am?"
At that moment, Todd's vision grew strong enough to focus, giving him a clear image of a chubby tiger. Todd's own eyes, now clear and brown once again, blinked with recognition.
    "Professor Raoulin? ..hey," Todd smiles. But his friendly smile is quickly replaced with a confused expression. "Officer Hopps? Nick? ..What are you guys doing here? Is this extra credit?"
  "That is correct," Nick congratulates with mock approval. "You're here for extra credit, you passed. For that, you get a paw-psicle!" He presents a cherry paw-psicle like magic.
  "Really?" Todd gushes with gullible glee. Too quickly, he sits up to reach up for the tasty popsicle, but fatigue forces him to lie back down. So he settles for using his long tongue to lazily lap up the sweet red juices, like an anteater licking up his treats.
  "It's him all right," Nick confirms with his usual smug smile.
  "I was wondering what you were running to get," Judy chuckles, amused by the sight of Nick feeding Todd.

  "Todd," says Professor Raoulin. "Do you remember anything from the past hour?"
Stopping mid-lick, Todd's expression turns sad and lost.
    "No," says Todd. "I can't recall a thing. I was.. bringing home Seymour and Junior.  Then, I noticed this orange powder on my shirt.  Last thing I recall was lying on the sidewalk, my body feeling so heavy. The next thing I knew, I'm here."
  "Do you remember saying anything?" asks Nick, motioning his head towards Professor Raoulin. "About calling someone?"
  "No.." answers Todd, shaking his head.
  "It's not uncommon," Professor Raoulin says off to the side. "For those under Janissary's influence to talk in their sleep.  REM is when they're fighting the Janissary hardest."

    "Wait, I remember something!" says Todd excitement dawning on his dispirited face. "Thier hideout! When they took Junior, I followed them to their hiding place!"
  "Good!" Judy gasps excitedly. "Where was it?"
  "It was at an abandoned clinic," says Todd. "Somewhere along Downtown Savannah Central."
  "Can you give me an address?" asks Judy.
  "N Copper Street," Todd recites carefully. "That's where I usually deliver Mr. Gulkowski's letters."
Judy nods happily at the written information. If nothing else, this will hopefully give the ZPD an edge in their battle against the Nation of Predators.

    "There's something else," says Todd, turning somber. "Professor, it's Jack. He.. He's joined the Nation of Predators."
Seemingly, Virgil isn't surprised, yet the corners of his mouth crease into a frown.
  "Are you sure?" he asks the fruit bat.
Todd nods his head urgently, like a little kid trying to convince his parents there really are monsters under his bed.
  "I heard his voice!" Todd says. "I didn't believe it until I looked him in the face. It's Jack Markham!"
Todd explains how he snuck into the hideout and was shocked to see the young Arctic Fox attempt to pull out Junior's teeth. He also mentions how there were traces of orange powder on Jack's head, and it must've rubbed off on Todd's shirt during their scuffle.
  "You've got to believe me!" he panics. "We have to save him!"  Again, he sits up too quickly, and becomes dizzy in the process.
  "Easy, kid," says the Professor. "Take it easy.  The Janissary's still in your system. I'm no doctor, but I advise you not to exert yourself. Don't worry, we'll take care of this, promise." Mind eased by this vow, Todd gives in and dozes off into a nap.

  "Professor," says Judy. "How do you and Todd know about this Jack?"
    "Officers," sighs Virgil. "You might want to sit down. I work better when my audience is seated. Keeps me from going on a random tangent. And Officer Hopps, you might want to take some notes. There might be a quiz, and I won't repeat the answers."
Judy and Nick chuckle softly at Professor Raoulin's dry quip, but they obediently sit down on nearby bar stools while she takes out the notepad and carrot pen.  To occupy himself, Nick began to absent-mindedly twirl a magnet around his finger, skillfully keeping it looping round and round.
________

  "You may know Jack as a member of the Nation of Predators. But eleven days ago, he was my student. Well-groomed, decently dressed for school, you wouldn't know he'd ever dream of joining the Nation of Predators. He wanted a career in archeology so he could travel the world.  So he put his heart into coming to my History classes. Maybe not my best student, but at least he had his heart in the subject.  Then one day, I didn't see him. I figured he had mono or something close to it. But five days ago, I saw an arctic fox throw mustard gas at the ZPD during a Nation of Predators riot. Who else, but Jack Markham?  Up until Todd told me, I was hoping I was mistaken. Maybe I needed a new television, or maybe I needed new glasses. Because Mr. Markham isn't that kind of mammal."
    "What makes you think he's not that kind of mammal?" asks Nick.
    "Because last time I saw Jack," says Professor Raoulin. "He was dating none other than Cecilia Hazelwood!"
Surprised, Nick stopped twirling the magnet in his finger, and it dropped on the counter with a dead clap.
  "I remember her," he says, a mix of muse and confusion in his voice. "I tricked her last year into buying a cheap valentine for her boyfriend. But.. I would've never dreamed she was talking about Jack. Cecelia's a squirrel!"
Now it's Judy's turn to be surprised as her ears perk and she stops writing.
  "A squirrel?" she asks.
  "Yes, a squirrel," Virgil confirms sarcastically. "Small, bushy-tailed mammal known for climbing trees and obsessing over acorns. And last I checked, Jack's sweet-heart girlfriend since high school. I know, there was a time when I wouldn't have believed it myself. But you should've seen them when they were together. Sharing lunch, talking about classes, sometimes dancing to Merry Go Round of Life" under the gazebo. Even on the few times they argue, they look so comfortable arguing in each other's company. I haven't seen such love between two mammals since... since Eleanora's accident."
  "This makes no sense," Judy says. "The Nation of Predators hate prey."
  "And a squirrel doesn't sound like a supremacist's type," Nick says.
  "It gets more interesting," says the Professor. "Jack loves children. That's why he volunteers helping disabled and special needs children. And the majority of them, as I recall, are prey mammals.  So when Todd told me what Jack almost did to that woodchuck, it was painful to hear about it."
    "How could this happen?" says Judy. "How could such a sweet college student's behavior hit rock bottom so quickly?"

    "Because what I'm about to tell you is dangerous to know," said Professor Raoulin, worriedly peering at the door. He continues in a low whisper: "I think Jack was forced to join the Nation of Predators."
  "What?" whispers Nick. "So what was it, blackmail or coercion?"
  "Niether, Wilde," Virgil whispers back. "This is where Janissary comes in..."
"Bottom line is, Jack loves Cecilia. I mean, REALLY loves her. No amount of blackmail will keep him away from her. And he'll take a beating to see her again. You can't change the heart. He loves her. But the head, unfortunately can be easily persuaded to think otherwise. With enough Janissary root powder..."
  "It made him forget he loved her," Nick finishes.
  "Or that he ever liked prey," adds Judy.
  "Bingo," says Virgil.
  "Did you see anything suspicious before Jack went missing?" Judy asks.
Virgil has a dismissive expression, like he would KNOW if anything suspicious happened. But then, an epiphany shimmers across his face.
  "Well," he begins. "Come to think of it, maybe I did see something.  When I last saw Jack, he and Cecilia were kissing goodbye before parting ways. I noticed this hyena in a heavy sweater taking photos on a cheap disposable camera. I thought she was on the University's school paper. Except, all the staff are possums. That should've been my first clue she was up to something. And I don't know any college student who can afford to wear a gold tooth."
  "Goldie!" Judy and Nick say together, realizing the Nation of Predators were involved.  If Goldie Grimm had been spying on Jack and Cecilia, then there's no doubt the Nation of Predators would know about it.
    "I should've kept a closer eye on the boy," moans Professor Raoulin, burying his face in his paws. "He used to be such a sweet kid, and smart too! Now, what is he? A puppet made to think he's a cold-hearted supremacist."
    It breaks Judy's heart to see the tiger worry like this. He reminds her of a father who just learned his son was making bad choices and was wondering where did he go wrong. There was nothing Professor Raoulin could've done, yet he's being harsh on himself.

The good news is, they can make an antidote to treat the Janissary by using the original Janissary root to make an antitoxin, just like the one he made earlier. The bad news is, Professor Raoulin used it all up. It took every bit of the powder on Todd's shirt just to barely whip up an antidote. And the only access to more Janissary root is with the Nation of Predators and the Reptile Federation.
  "The only other option for a cure," says Virgil. "Lies in a natural anti-toxin, Lavendula Hokkaidoae, which is... Judy!"
  "The Ainu Lavender," Judy answers.
  "Correct," cheers Virgil proudly.
  "Show off," Nick smiles wryly. "Clever Bunny."
  "Dumb Fox," Judy quips back.
  "Kids, there'll be no fighting in my class," says the Professor playfully. Then he clears his throat as he continues in a serious teaching voice. "By itself, the Ainu Lavender is just an ordinary nice-smelling flower. But if Eleanora's notes are correct, that same aroma can cancel out Janissary."
Unfortunately, Ainu Lavender is so rare and the only known abundant source grows on an island in the far east. It would take days, maybe weeks, to retrieve a sufficient amount of the plant's essence in one trip.
For the time being, Nick and Judy can only take Todd home. But Professor Raoulin promises he'll contact them he won't stop searching for a cure. All he can do is warn Nick and Judy to be on their guard. With the Nation of Predators, there's no telling how easily he can abduct any one of them.
In the meantime, Professor Raoulin will continue searching for a cure.

    "Maybe we can trust him to give us some Janissary and look the other way?" offers Nick.  Given Jinhai can't be won over with compassion, he's hoping maybe the con-artist approach will do.
    "Trust in him?" snorts the Professor. "I'd only trust in Jinhai as much as I can trust a red flower not to set off my allergies." Virgil Raoulin is infamously allergic to fireweed. Just thinking about it makes his sinuses burn and his nose involuntarily itchy.
"Don't even think you stand a chance conning the likes of him, Nick. You may be clever, but that's no match for being slippery and cold-blooded. He'll eat you alive. At best, he'll leave you breathless."

The tiger turns to Judy and hands him the microscope slide with the Janissary sample on it.
  "Take this to Chief Bogo before you tell anyone else about Janissary," he instructs firmly. "I don't want the press to go into a feeding frenzy and twist Janissary into what it isn't. If anyone knows what to do, I have faith your Chief will have a plan."
  "You sure?" asks Judy. She knows Chief Bogo is a good guy deep down, but he tends to be too stubborn for his own good sometimes.
    "I think we can trust Chief Bogo to get the facts," nods the tiger professor. "If I ever believed in reincarnation, I'd say he was a trustworthy fellow-tiger in past life."
  "And," he adds. "You Officer Hopps were once a brave princess who lived with seven dwarves."
  "Uh, thanks?" Officer Hopps answers.
  "And what about me?" Nick chimes in.
  "Mmmm, you were a millionaire," says Raoulin.
  "Thank you.."
  "... Agorophobe," Raoulin finishes. "Which, in case you don't know, is someone with a general fear of outdoors."
  "Ha ha," Nick jibs dryly. "So what about you, big guy? Who would you be in another life?"
  "That," says Professor Raoulin mysteriously. "Is the Question..."
  "Right..." Nick sighs uneasily. "Good night, Doc."
  "Don't call me Doc," Virgil says in response.
  "Again, thanks so much," says Judy as she carries off Todd like a swaddled baby.
  "Just remember what I said about watching your back," Virgil reminds the two officers forebodingly.

Commentary: I imagine Professor Virgil Raoulin being voiced by Jeffrey Combs.
And I imagine Todd Hurricane being voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.

Enjoy!

I do not own "Zootopia". It belongs to Disney, Byron Howard and Rich Moore.

Description

Todd, Seymour and Junior arrive at the Riviera-Goda household. And just as Todd predicted, Seymour's parents aren't too happy with what their son did.
Nick and Judy have just arrived because they received a call that Seymour went missing. But they've only come just in time to watch as Mrs. Riviera and Mr. Goda scold Seymour on the dangers of leaving the house without telling your parents.

Off to the side, Todd inspects the strange orange powder on his shirt. He wipes some off with his paws to scrutinize it a bit. But touching it turns out to be a big mistake. In an instant, the affects of the powder begin to take root. He goes into tremors, becomes disorientated, and goes into a panic attack.
On the spot, the young fruit bat collapses on the sidewalk, in a shivering, feverish, catatonic heap.
  "Caramba!" Mrs. Riviera fusses. "He's going into seizure!" She orders the boys inside the house so as not to further witness this traumatic spectacle. They almost call an ambulance, but in his delirium, Todd strongly advises against it.
  "Call the.. the Professor.. Raoulin," he says, struggling with each word. Nick knows the young fruit bat is talking about the college Professor, Virgil Raoulin.
The boys come back to explain to Nick and Judy what happened, how Todd held back the arctic fox while they tried to escape. Then, Judy notices the same orange powdery substance on Todd's shirt. Nick's instincts tell him that Professor Raoulin might have answers.

    "Just what the patient ordered," says Nick, as he pulls up Raoulin's phone number on his speed dial.
At this time of night, the tiger college professor is understandably groggy and cranky. But when Nick describes the strange orange powder on Todd, Professor Raoulin is on high alert.
  "Just tell me," he asks sternly. "What are the symptoms, Nick?"
  "Lots of shivering. Heavy breathing. He's not what I would call lucid either."
  "Check his eyes, are they bloodshot?" says Professor Raoulin.
  "Yes, severely bloodshot," Judy answers as she opens Todd's eyelids to reveal very pink sclera. "Pupils look dilated too."
    "They are bloodshot, that is correct," Nick relays into his cellphone. "And she says they're dilated."
Now Professor Raoulin has heard enough.
  "Nick, I want you to bring him to the University Lab, STAT," he instructs seriously. "Don't touch him, just wrap him in a blanket if you must carry him, is that clear? And one more thing, don't say a word out loud to him, not once! I'll meet you there as soon as I can!"
____________
Under 15 minutes later, they're all at the Zootopia University science lab. Todd is lying on a counter to the side, wrapped in Judy's carrot blanket while he feverishly fights his nightmares.  His shirt has been removed to extract the strange powder that has caused his catatonic state.

On the opposite counter, Nick and Judy carefully watch as Professor Raoulin inspects the strange powder under a microscope. He's dressed in a lab coat and rubber gloves.
    Finally, after minutes of silence, the Professor clicks his tongue, obviously not happy with what he's found.
  "This is Janissary," he says, plain and simple. "The orange powder on Mr. Hurricane's shirt is Janissary."
  "And that is...?" says Nick, lost on the word.
  "The Janissarium Root," answers Judy. "But this is very rare to come by, not exactly something you'd find in your common textbook. How'd you know about it?"

Virgil looks up from the microscope. He's looking past Nick and Judy, but his blue eyes are misty and sad. He sniffs sharply before he finds his composure to speak.
  "Funny you should ask," he says. "My fia....   ....my girlfriend Eleanora, she once did a lecture on Janissary, six years and four months ago.  She was giving a speech on the dangers of certain psychotropic drugs. I still have her research notes." He pulls out a stack of papers and notecards painstakingly documented and organized. The papers are riddled with foot-notes written in purple pen in loopy letters. Virgil's claw sadly traces the handwriting with reverence.
  "She would've liked to meet you, Officer Hopps," he rambles bitter-sweetly. "Like her, you ask so many questions. She used to tell her students, part of being a good scientist is to ask questions, not make up answers."
  Nick snaps his fingers in front of Virgil's face and clears his throat to remind the Professor of the task at hand.
  "Right, right," says Virgil. Resuming his task, he takes Todd's shirt and scrapes as much of the powder as he can into a test tube filled with clear liquid.  "My point is, if I hadn't attended the lecture, I don't believe I would've recognized Mr. Hurricane's symptoms. Much less whip up a treatment."

    "Well that sounds promising," says Nick.  "What can you tell us about Janissary?"
    "To put it simply," begins Professor Raoulin. "Janissary root literally empties your mind."
  "You mean it brainwashes you?" says Judy.
  "No," says the Professor. "Not exactly. Janissary works much cleaner than that. It's more like it mothballs your memories. Everything you are, your personality, your ideas, your childhood, it wraps it all up and shoves it into subconscious.  That way, your mind has room to fill it with new memories. Or should I say, a whole new identity."
"Think of it like a tape recorder. If your original personality were a tape, Janissary takes it out, then sticks a new one in. So anyone can say anything into it... Even turn your friends and family into strangers through your own eyes."

  After swirling the Janissary powder and the liquid around inside the test tube, Virgil inserts it into a centrifuge and starts up the machine.  A chill goes up Judy's spine. This whole Janissary business sounded eerily like something out of sci-fi. She worriedly looks over at poor Todd on the counter. She couldn't imagine what it must be like, to have your memories wiped away, even in your sleep. It was starting to sound painful just listening to each of Todd's delirious moans.

    "You do realize," says the Professor, watching the centrifuge's mesmerizing spin. "That with my Asperger's Syndrome, I don't handle inconveniences very well. And, even out of the goodness of my heart, this is most inconvenient to the evening I had planned."
  "We understand," Judy responds kindly. "And we appreciate the trouble you've gone to come here on such short notice."
  "And thanks for believing me," Nick adds. "We know those days are behind me, but usually, you think I'm coming to you with a scam."
As the centrifuge comes to a stop, the tiger takes the vial and skillfully fills a syringe with its content.
  "Trust me, Nick," says Virgil. "I know, even your scams aren't sly enough to get a hold of this stuff. If this really is Janissary we have here, then this goes beyond scams..."

    "And right now?" Judy says. "Todd's losing his memories?" The idea horrifies her, that even as they speak, Todd's mind and personality are being erased by the drug.
Nick shares her concern. It seems like yesterday he gave the fruit bat his first paw-psicle, and now, he probably wouldn't even recognize his old pal Nick.
  "It's only one small dose," says Virgil comfortingly. "It would take repeated doses, and relatively, our little friend here has only received a temporary dose. Even without treatment, it'll wear off in 24 hours. That's the good news."
  "And the bad news?" says Nick.
  "I thought you might ask," says Virgil grimly. "The bad news is, without treatment, Mr. Hurricane will be like this for 24 hours. He'll have to be restrained and isolated. ...If it weren't for this." He gestures at the syringe as though he were presenting a million-dollar prize at a game show. "It should negate most of the Janissary in his system. Just enough to return his lucidity.  The remaining Janissary will leave him winded for a day, but it's better than nothing."

Methodically, Professor Raoulin walks up to the shivering bundle and cleanly inserts the syringe into Todd's right forearm.  The little fruit bat stirs slightly, the only indication he registers the small pinch in his arm. But much to the Professor's relief, the treatment is already taking affect. In seconds, Todd's quaking fades into mild shivering. His breathing evens out. Using medical tape, Professor Raoulin sticks a cotton ball where he stuck the syringe in Todd's arm, to prevent infection or further bleeding.

  "Now all we can do is pray," he sighs.
  "I hope he makes it," Judy says after seconds of silence. Nick even puts a comforting paw on her shoulder.
  "You'll see," says the Professor. "He may be timid, but he's also spirited."  Tenderly, he strokes Todd's head like a father watching his son sleep with quiet pride. He imagines that if Eleanora had still been alive, they would've had a cub about Todd's same size.

    "We should be taking him to Zootopia General" says Judy.
    "I wouldn't advise it," says the Professor. "A year ago, Nick saved my face. And that's what I'm doing for Mr. Hurricane over there: saving his face. You said it yourself, Janissary is rare. And anyone who doesn't recognize it would mistake Todd for an addict. He'll never live it down. I don't want anyone to look at him and make assumptions that he's an addict. Sure, Janissary may take you places, you just won't remember you went anywhere."

Suddenly, Nick makes a run for the door.
  "Nick?" says Judy. "Where are you going??"
  "Something I have to get," Nick calls back. "Let's call it a Get Well present!"
________

  "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"
Todd can hear a stern familiar voice piercing the nightmarish haze. It's a voice that reminds him of his father, only bigger. The little fruit bat blinks his eyes open and tries to maintain focus in his drowsy vision. He sees blobs of color, orange, red, and grey. They look threatening and large, but something in him says he has nothing to fear.
    "Can you speak?"
    "Y-yeah," says Todd, his strength returning by the second.  He can feel it, his eyelids able to stay open, his breathing steadily speeding up.
  "Can you tell me your name?"
  "..Todd Hurricane," says Todd, his speech more lucid.
    "Do you know who I am?"
At that moment, Todd's vision grew strong enough to focus, giving him a clear image of a chubby tiger. Todd's own eyes, now clear and brown once again, blinked with recognition.
    "Professor Raoulin? ..hey," Todd smiles. But his friendly smile is quickly replaced with a confused expression. "Officer Hopps? Nick? ..What are you guys doing here? Is this extra credit?"
  "That is correct," Nick congratulates with mock approval. "You're here for extra credit, you passed. For that, you get a paw-psicle!" He presents a cherry paw-psicle like magic.
  "Really?" Todd gushes with gullible glee. Too quickly, he sits up to reach up for the tasty popsicle, but fatigue forces him to lie back down. So he settles for using his long tongue to lazily lap up the sweet red juices, like an anteater licking up his treats.
  "It's him all right," Nick confirms with his usual smug smile.
  "I was wondering what you were running to get," Judy chuckles, amused by the sight of Nick feeding Todd.

  "Todd," says Professor Raoulin. "Do you remember anything from the past hour?"
Stopping mid-lick, Todd's expression turns sad and lost.
    "No," says Todd. "I can't recall a thing. I was.. bringing home Seymour and Junior.  Then, I noticed this orange powder on my shirt.  Last thing I recall was lying on the sidewalk, my body feeling so heavy. The next thing I knew, I'm here."
  "Do you remember saying anything?" asks Nick, motioning his head towards Professor Raoulin. "About calling someone?"
  "No.." answers Todd, shaking his head.
  "It's not uncommon," Professor Raoulin says off to the side. "For those under Janissary's influence to talk in their sleep.  REM is when they're fighting the Janissary hardest."

    "Wait, I remember something!" says Todd excitement dawning on his dispirited face. "Thier hideout! When they took Junior, I followed them to their hiding place!"
  "Good!" Judy gasps excitedly. "Where was it?"
  "It was at an abandoned clinic," says Todd. "Somewhere along Downtown Savannah Central."
  "Can you give me an address?" asks Judy.
  "N Copper Street," Todd recites carefully. "That's where I usually deliver Mr. Gulkowski's letters."
Judy nods happily at the written information. If nothing else, this will hopefully give the ZPD an edge in their battle against the Nation of Predators.

    "There's something else," says Todd, turning somber. "Professor, it's Jack. He.. He's joined the Nation of Predators."
Seemingly, Virgil isn't surprised, yet the corners of his mouth crease into a frown.
  "Are you sure?" he asks the fruit bat.
Todd nods his head urgently, like a little kid trying to convince his parents there really are monsters under his bed.
  "I heard his voice!" Todd says. "I didn't believe it until I looked him in the face. It's Jack Markham!"
Todd explains how he snuck into the hideout and was shocked to see the young Arctic Fox attempt to pull out Junior's teeth. He also mentions how there were traces of orange powder on Jack's head, and it must've rubbed off on Todd's shirt during their scuffle.
  "You've got to believe me!" he panics. "We have to save him!"  Again, he sits up too quickly, and becomes dizzy in the process.
  "Easy, kid," says the Professor. "Take it easy.  The Janissary's still in your system. I'm no doctor, but I advise you not to exert yourself. Don't worry, we'll take care of this, promise." Mind eased by this vow, Todd gives in and dozes off into a nap.

  "Professor," says Judy. "How do you and Todd know about this Jack?"
    "Officers," sighs Virgil. "You might want to sit down. I work better when my audience is seated. Keeps me from going on a random tangent. And Officer Hopps, you might want to take some notes. There might be a quiz, and I won't repeat the answers."
Judy and Nick chuckle softly at Professor Raoulin's dry quip, but they obediently sit down on nearby bar stools while she takes out the notepad and carrot pen.  To occupy himself, Nick began to absent-mindedly twirl a magnet around his finger, skillfully keeping it looping round and round.
________

  "You may know Jack as a member of the Nation of Predators. But eleven days ago, he was my student. Well-groomed, decently dressed for school, you wouldn't know he'd ever dream of joining the Nation of Predators. He wanted a career in archeology so he could travel the world.  So he put his heart into coming to my History classes. Maybe not my best student, but at least he had his heart in the subject.  Then one day, I didn't see him. I figured he had mono or something close to it. But five days ago, I saw an arctic fox throw mustard gas at the ZPD during a Nation of Predators riot. Who else, but Jack Markham?  Up until Todd told me, I was hoping I was mistaken. Maybe I needed a new television, or maybe I needed new glasses. Because Mr. Markham isn't that kind of mammal."
    "What makes you think he's not that kind of mammal?" asks Nick.
    "Because last time I saw Jack," says Professor Raoulin. "He was dating none other than Cecilia Hazelwood!"
Surprised, Nick stopped twirling the magnet in his finger, and it dropped on the counter with a dead clap.
  "I remember her," he says, a mix of muse and confusion in his voice. "I tricked her last year into buying a cheap valentine for her boyfriend. But.. I would've never dreamed she was talking about Jack. Cecelia's a squirrel!"
Now it's Judy's turn to be surprised as her ears perk and she stops writing.
  "A squirrel?" she asks.
  "Yes, a squirrel," Virgil confirms sarcastically. "Small, bushy-tailed mammal known for climbing trees and obsessing over acorns. And last I checked, Jack's sweet-heart girlfriend since high school. I know, there was a time when I wouldn't have believed it myself. But you should've seen them when they were together. Sharing lunch, talking about classes, sometimes dancing to Merry Go Round of Life" under the gazebo. Even on the few times they argue, they look so comfortable arguing in each other's company. I haven't seen such love between two mammals since... since Eleanora's accident."
  "This makes no sense," Judy says. "The Nation of Predators hate prey."
  "And a squirrel doesn't sound like a supremacist's type," Nick says.
  "It gets more interesting," says the Professor. "Jack loves children. That's why he volunteers helping disabled and special needs children. And the majority of them, as I recall, are prey mammals.  So when Todd told me what Jack almost did to that woodchuck, it was painful to hear about it."
    "How could this happen?" says Judy. "How could such a sweet college student's behavior hit rock bottom so quickly?"

    "Because what I'm about to tell you is dangerous to know," said Professor Raoulin, worriedly peering at the door. He continues in a low whisper: "I think Jack was forced to join the Nation of Predators."
  "What?" whispers Nick. "So what was it, blackmail or coercion?"
  "Niether, Wilde," Virgil whispers back. "This is where Janissary comes in..."
"Bottom line is, Jack loves Cecilia. I mean, REALLY loves her. No amount of blackmail will keep him away from her. And he'll take a beating to see her again. You can't change the heart. He loves her. But the head, unfortunately can be easily persuaded to think otherwise. With enough Janissary root powder..."
  "It made him forget he loved her," Nick finishes.
  "Or that he ever liked prey," adds Judy.
  "Bingo," says Virgil.
  "Did you see anything suspicious before Jack went missing?" Judy asks.
Virgil has a dismissive expression, like he would KNOW if anything suspicious happened. But then, an epiphany shimmers across his face.
  "Well," he begins. "Come to think of it, maybe I did see something.  When I last saw Jack, he and Cecilia were kissing goodbye before parting ways. I noticed this hyena in a heavy sweater taking photos on a cheap disposable camera. I thought she was on the University's school paper. Except, all the staff are possums. That should've been my first clue she was up to something. And I don't know any college student who can afford to wear a gold tooth."
  "Goldie!" Judy and Nick say together, realizing the Nation of Predators were involved.  If Goldie Grimm had been spying on Jack and Cecilia, then there's no doubt the Nation of Predators would know about it.
    "I should've kept a closer eye on the boy," moans Professor Raoulin, burying his face in his paws. "He used to be such a sweet kid, and smart too! Now, what is he? A puppet made to think he's a cold-hearted supremacist."
    It breaks Judy's heart to see the tiger worry like this. He reminds her of a father who just learned his son was making bad choices and was wondering where did he go wrong. There was nothing Professor Raoulin could've done, yet he's being harsh on himself.

The good news is, they can make an antidote to treat the Janissary by using the original Janissary root to make an antitoxin, just like the one he made earlier. The bad news is, Professor Raoulin used it all up. It took every bit of the powder on Todd's shirt just to barely whip up an antidote. And the only access to more Janissary root is with the Nation of Predators and the Reptile Federation.
  "The only other option for a cure," says Virgil. "Lies in a natural anti-toxin, Lavendula Hokkaidoae, which is... Judy!"
  "The Ainu Lavender," Judy answers.
  "Correct," cheers Virgil proudly.
  "Show off," Nick smiles wryly. "Clever Bunny."
  "Dumb Fox," Judy quips back.
  "Kids, there'll be no fighting in my class," says the Professor playfully. Then he clears his throat as he continues in a serious teaching voice. "By itself, the Ainu Lavender is just an ordinary nice-smelling flower. But if Eleanora's notes are correct, that same aroma can cancel out Janissary."
Unfortunately, Ainu Lavender is so rare and the only known abundant source grows on an island in the far east. It would take days, maybe weeks, to retrieve a sufficient amount of the plant's essence in one trip.
For the time being, Nick and Judy can only take Todd home. But Professor Raoulin promises he'll contact them he won't stop searching for a cure. All he can do is warn Nick and Judy to be on their guard. With the Nation of Predators, there's no telling how easily he can abduct any one of them.
In the meantime, Professor Raoulin will continue searching for a cure.

    "Maybe we can trust him to give us some Janissary and look the other way?" offers Nick.  Given Jinhai can't be won over with compassion, he's hoping maybe the con-artist approach will do.
    "Trust in him?" snorts the Professor. "I'd only trust in Jinhai as much as I can trust a red flower not to set off my allergies." Virgil Raoulin is infamously allergic to fireweed. Just thinking about it makes his sinuses burn and his nose involuntarily itchy.
"Don't even think you stand a chance conning the likes of him, Nick. You may be clever, but that's no match for being slippery and cold-blooded. He'll eat you alive. At best, he'll leave you breathless."

The tiger turns to Judy and hands him the microscope slide with the Janissary sample on it.
  "Take this to Chief Bogo before you tell anyone else about Janissary," he instructs firmly. "I don't want the press to go into a feeding frenzy and twist Janissary into what it isn't. If anyone knows what to do, I have faith your Chief will have a plan."
  "You sure?" asks Judy. She knows Chief Bogo is a good guy deep down, but he tends to be too stubborn for his own good sometimes.
    "I think we can trust Chief Bogo to get the facts," nods the tiger professor. "If I ever believed in reincarnation, I'd say he was a trustworthy fellow-tiger in past life."
  "And," he adds. "You Officer Hopps were once a brave princess who lived with seven dwarves."
  "Uh, thanks?" Officer Hopps answers.
  "And what about me?" Nick chimes in.
  "Mmmm, you were a millionaire," says Raoulin.
  "Thank you.."
  "... Agorophobe," Raoulin finishes. "Which, in case you don't know, is someone with a general fear of outdoors."
  "Ha ha," Nick jibs dryly. "So what about you, big guy? Who would you be in another life?"
  "That," says Professor Raoulin mysteriously. "Is the Question..."
  "Right..." Nick sighs uneasily. "Good night, Doc."
  "Don't call me Doc," Virgil says in response.
  "Again, thanks so much," says Judy as she carries off Todd like a swaddled baby.
  "Just remember what I said about watching your back," Virgil reminds the two officers forebodingly.

Commentary: I imagine Professor Virgil Raoulin being voiced by Jeffrey Combs.
And I imagine Todd Hurricane being voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.

Enjoy!

I do not own "Zootopia". It belongs to Disney, Byron Howard and Rich Moore.