Zip In Time

Zip In Time

Chapter One

“That was the best day, Lory-Love! Thanks for inviting me!”

“Anytime, Hannah,” replied Lory in that marvelous voice of his… “It was great fun, wasn’t it?”--only to be swiftly switched out for Hans Condor. Hannah just smiled and shook her head, fondness written all over her face.

“Usually I’m so sad to go, but I don’t mind leaving today,” she said.

“Why is that?” Lory asked, himself again.

“‘Cause I’m leaving with you!”

“Oh, pshaw!” Hannah burst out laughing.

Back in Zootopia, Lory walked Hannah home, holding the door open for her as she entered her apartment. “I had such a nice time today, Lory. Thanks again. See you the week after next?”

“Sure, if it’s not too much trouble...” There was that endearingly uncertain chuckle. Perhaps Hannah’s wishful thinking was playing tricks on her, but Lory seemed reluctant to leave—maybe he was even stalling.

“Of course it’s not!” She was debating whether or not to ask for a goodbye hug when she heard a loud buzz near her ear. Startled, she jumped, jostling the joystick on her chair, sending it—and her—sailing backwards into the opposite wall. “Yipes!”

Lory was shocked. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine,” she managed, although she was still shaking considerably. “There are a few more scratches on this wall, though…!” A thought struck her, and she started laughing. “But it’s better than having notches on my bedpost...!” Only after the words left her lips did she consider the possibility that they might offend Lory, or even scare him off. Thankfully, that was the exact same moment she realized that he had shifted his attention, and probably hadn’t heard at all. Phew…!

“Oh, my God! You’re not going to believe this…!” He was staring at something in the air, a tiny speck of—who knew?--suspended nearby...and buzzing.

“That’s the thing that scared me! Must be a bug. Ick!”

“This is no ordinary bug, Hannah. Come over here.” He waved her over, all the while not taking his eyes off the tiny...whatever it was. Powerless to refuse a beckoning muse, she complied. Even so, she complained as she crossed the room.

“Do I have to, Lory? I hate bugs.”

“Yes,” he demanded. That single word was imbued with so much power and poise that Hannah was instantly enticed. ‘Ah, the perks of loving a voice actor…!’ she thought. She practically floated over, stopping abruptly once the little insect was in sight.

Chapter Two

She gasped, her eyes alight with pure adoration—the kind one usually reserved for babies. “It’s ‘lil Zip!” Lory turned to her, pleasantly surprised.

“You know this one?”

“Darn right I do! Rescue Rangers was my favorite as a leveret! I wasn’t into Saturday morning cartoons much, but I loved those guys. And...keep in mind this was before I had any idea it involved y-o-u.” She spoke the second sentence by gradually slipping into a whisper—so as not to offend her guest, of course. She’d had enough narrow scrapes with that today.

“Ahem.” But the sound of a tiny throat clearing was proof that, instead, she’d screwed up—yet again. Hannah felt horrible—she had to make things right.

“Look, Zipper, we got off on the wrong foot. Can we start over?” The fly looked pensive.

“Hmmm...Okay.”

“Yay! I’m Hannah, and this is my friend Lory.” Zipper waved to her, but gave Lory a salute. Hannah grinned, resisting the urge to give commentary. She thought of her friend Robyn; the dimension-traversing scientist would probably say, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’--she was known to give very practical advice.

“So—what brings you to Zootopia?” Zipper took a deep breath—apparently he had a lot of tale to tell—but Hannah stopped him before he could even begin. “Hold that thought. I’m not as fluent in fly as I was in my Rangers days. Is it okay if Lory translates for you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Great!” Lory looked confused.

“Um, Hannah, I’m afraid we might be in the same boat...But I’ll do my best.” She smiled.

“That’s all anyone can do, Lory. Go for it!”

Chapter Three

So, as Lory interpreted, Zipper told them that his Rescue Ranger pals had parted ways years ago. Gadget had longed for more time to explore her passion for science, while Monty wanted to discover new frontiers—and new varieties of cheese. Chip and Dale, of course, were as busy as ever with their commitments to the parks…

“Commitments, commschmitments,” scoffed Lory, cutting in. “I hear Chip does pretty well, but all Dale does is goof off.” At that, the fly fell over laughing, which made Hannah smile.

“Looks like Zipper wouldn’t expect anything less,” she said. “Now, speaking of goofing off--c’mon, guys, finish the story...please?!”

They obliged, and Zipper explained that he’d been on his own ever since, making his home a Disney World Monorail Playset display in one of the souvenir shops in the park. He’d been doing fine until about two weeks ago, when that store had closed to make way for a new attraction. He didn’t feel like house-hunting in the parks again, not when the same thing could easily happen in a few years. So, while most guests would happily look for a way back into Disney World, Zipper was looking for his ticket out. He’d spotted Lory—someone he trusted—and decided to see where he’d end up.

“Oh, well, thank you,” Lory replied, modest. “I always liked you, Zipper—loyal, reliable, responsible, and not afraid to speak your mind. Like me, I suppose. I guess that’s why they matched us.” Hannah giggled.

“Seems that way. But, wow, Zipper, I’m sorry I asked—I didn’t mean to dredge up all that bad stuff for you.”

“It’s okay...” He may have forgiven her, but it was impossible to ignore his sigh, or the way his small frame sagged with sadness.

“Aww...poor ‘lil Zip.” Hannah sighed, too, and her ears drooped. “There’s gotta be something we can do! I don’t know what it is yet, but I’ll find it!” As she waited for the answer to come to her, she continued, “Thanks for sharing your story with us. Sir Horse says that sharing our stories is important, even if it makes us emotionally vulnerable. Communication is always the answer.” She paused, perking up when she realized… “Hey! That’s it!” Then, with a hug for Lory and a wave to Zipper, off she went without another word.

Chapter Four

Whenever Hannah had a problem, she would talk it over with one of her best friends. And if she wanted to find one of those friends, the best place to look was L&P. This time, once she got there, the first things she noticed were—one, Sam was busy behind the counter, and, two, there was no sign of Sir Horse. Her best bet, then, would be to wait and see if WildeHopps showed up, but they only came in on breaks. If only she knew what time it was…!

Suddenly, her stomach growled. She laughed, remembering that it was almost lunchtime. What’s more, she’d been so busy having fun at Disney that she’d forgotten to have a snack...she was starving! She went to the counter, ordered a Pawston Creme donut and some milk. Telling Sam she could deduct the cost from her next paycheck, Hannah took the goodies and went to a table to wait for WildeHopps.

Sure enough, they showed up. Once they got their orders, she waved them over. “Hey, guys!”

“Hey-hey, ‘lil snowshoe! What’s up?” Nick asked as he and Judy sat down next to her. She beamed.

“I had the greatest time at Disney World with Lory today! And then…!” Nick raised an eyebrow.

“Whoa…! You wouldn’t be looking for relationship advice, would you? I didn’t think you were that type, but if so...you came to the right place,” he winked.

“Watch it, Wilde!” Judy jumped in. “It takes two to tango, remember?” Nick smirked.

“Oh, I remember. It’s just that...”

“Guys,” Hannah giggled, glad to have finally gotten a word in. It’s not that. It’s...Lory and I met somebody at the park, and he could use some help.”

“What kind of help?” asked Judy, looking concerned. Hannah told them the whole story.

“Zootopia isn’t safe for him,” Nick said when she’d finished. “One word: Bugburga.” Judy was shocked.

“Nick…!” she smacked his arm.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed, but shrugged and added, “It’s true.” Hannah winced.

“He’s right,” she said to Judy. “But I’m convinced he’s no better off with humans, or even where Lory lives. Bugs are at the bottom of the food chain no matter what, and since his friends are gone, he should have somebody to look after him.” Nick nodded.

“Maybe, but it sounds to me like he doesn’t need anyone. He seems like a tough little--” here, he chuckled-- “bugger.” Hannah smiled.

“Oh, he is. But he wants some stability now. And he followed Lory here because he trusts him.”

“Awww…!” Judy smiled. Nick tapped his claws on the table, lost in thought.

“Well, then, doesn’t that mean Lory should deal with him?” Judy glared at her husband, who hedged.

“What? I’m just being practical.”

“In theory, maybe,” said Hannah. “But Lory’s always made it clear that he doesn’t want any extra responsibility, and, honestly, I don’t blame him. It’s not easy to balance obligations, art, relationships, and self-care. We both get that; that’s why it works.” She smiled, smitten. “But I like ‘lil Zip and wouldn’t mind having him around...” Hannah’s voice trailed off, and she was momentarily lost in a dreamy daze.

Within a minute or two, she spoke again. “Hey, guys...If you could change into your partner’s species, would you?” Both Judy and Nick were surprised but pleased with the thoughtful question.

“Sure, why not?” Judy decided. “‘Try everything’, right? I’m sure it would give me plenty of perspective.”

“I mean—I like being me.” Nick said. “But I have to agree with Carrots on this one. How ‘bout you, lil’ snowshoe?” Both bunny and fox expected an evasive answer, like a reminder that she didn’t need relationship advice, or that she, like Sir Horse, was in favor of being oneself. She might even say she wanted to be a koala once.

“Yeah—I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fly.”

But neither of them ever thought, in a million years, that she would effectively admit that Lory was her partner…Not when she’d spent so much time defending their respective independent streaks. Maybe she did need relationship advice after all…

But WildeHopps weren’t the only ones who heard this revelation, nor would they be the first to do something about it.

Chapter Five

“Thanks for listening guys, but I think I have more thinking to do.” Hannah laughed at her own funny phrasing. “For now, can we talk about something else for a bit?” And that’s exactly what they did, chatting and chuckling at this and that until WildeHopps’ break was over.

Then, suddenly, just as they were leaving, Lory came whirling in. “Hannah, have you seen Zipper?”

“No, not since I left my place.” She had a sneaking suspicion this wasn’t good.

“I’ve looked there, and searched half the city, but I can’t find him.” Lory looked grim—and it wasn’t an act this time.

“That’s terrible!” sniffed Judy. Nick frowned.

“We’re due back on patrol, but we’ll keep an eye out for him.”

“Thanks, guys. See you later,” Hannah said, still reeling. She and Lory watched them leave, then she invited him to pull up a seat. “Don’t worry, Lory-Love—we’ll find him. But first, I need to get something off my chest...”

“I love that little guy—when he comes back, he deserves a place to stay. I think he should live with me.”

“Really…?” asked Lory. “Are you sure you’re up for that?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah admitted. “I used to think I was the one who needed someone to watch me, and now all of a sudden, I’m considering adopting a fly. I don’t know if I trust myself with anyone smaller than me; I’m a klutz. But I don’t want him to be all by himself, either.” Lory smiled.

“A few minutes ago, I was about to say I’m not sure I’m up for that responsibility either. But every time you show up, all kinds of weird and wonderful things happen.” Hearing that, Hannah beamed. “I wouldn’t mind helping out a bit...Besides, I feel partly responsible for him because...You know.” Hannah laughed.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well, if this is what you want, I support you, and I’ll help whenever I can.”

“Thank you, Lory-Love.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled. Ever since meeting Lory, Hannah felt certain that she could never run out of things to say to him. But sometimes a simple gesture of solidarity alone can speak volumes. So, she held out her arms for a hug...and, to her great joy, got one, gratefully returning it in kind.

Chapter Six

Feeling somewhat better after their talk, Hannah and Lory set out to look for Zipper. It was already early evening by the time they returned to L&P; WildeHopps were already there. “Any luck?” asked a weary Nick.

“No,” Hannah said sadly.

“Ugh.” Judy thumped her foot in frustration. “There has to be something we missed...” She got up and paced around the bakery a bit, then excused herself to get some air. Back at the table, Hannah snuggled into Lory’s feathers for comfort, while Nick slouched in his seat, sullen. Suddenly, the fox spied his favorite fellow cop out the window--hopping up and down, waving her arms, and grinning.

“Hey!” he said to his seatmates, “Carrots is out there, and she’s living up to her name, hopping like crazy! Either she’s gone nuts, or she found something!”

The three raced to join Judy outside, just in time to see a giant sleigh-like something in the sky, seemingly moving of its own volition. “It’s a little early for Santa Claws, isn’t it?” smirked Nick.

“Yeah, and he doesn’t have a self-driving sleigh,” Hannah pointed out.

“Unless—whatever’s up there is so small that we can’t see it,” Lory reasoned, at which point they all exchanged hopeful glances, suddenly speaking in unison.

“Zipper!”

Within a few minutes, the contraption touched down in front of the bakery...and upon closer inspection, there was indeed one tired fly at the helm—plus some quiet motors in the back. The small but mighty Rescue Ranger had made a triumphant return.

Chapter Seven

Inside, over a platter of bakery treats—and maraschino cherries for the fruit fly in their midst—Zipper told everyone about his day. After leaving Hannah’s, he’d gone off to explore the city. L&P had caught his eye, where he’d overheard Hannah’s wish to fly. That gave him an idea.

He took off to visit Gadget, who assembled a flying machine according to his specifications. It had taken awhile, but she’d done it, and now Zipper had brought it back—his gift to Hannah.

“Aww—thank you, ‘lil Zip, that’s so sweet!” She blew him a kiss, delighted to see his cherubic cheeks turn the same rosy red as his shirt.

“What’s this about you wanting to fly?” Lory asked, at once captivated and concerned.

“Well,” Hannah began, “getting around on wheels is fun, but it’s a little restrictive. I’m not looking to make major altitude or anything, just get a different perspective.”

“Be careful,” Lory warned, wrapping his wing around her shoulders.

“I will—my fear of heights will see to that!” She laughed, and everyone joined in.

Regaining her composure, Hannah cleared her throat. “Well, I have something for you, too, ‘lil’ Zip,” she told him. “I said earlier that I’m a big fan of all the Rescue Rangers, but I forgot to mention that you’ve always been my favorite one. So...I’d love it if you came to live with me.” Zipper’s little face lit up, and he looked around in disbelief.

“Who, me?”

“Absolutely,” Hannah smiled, hopeful.

“Yippeeeeee….!” Zipper zoomed over and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

“Aww, shucks…!” She blushed.

“Some day this was,” Nick remarked, smiling. “Put in a full day of work, solved a mystery after-hours, and made a new friend.” He winked at Zipper. “It’s enough to tire a guy out.” Grinning, he added, “Luckily for me, I keep a secret stash of blueberries exactly for this purpose.” So saying, he stuck a claw in his chest pocket, expecting to curl it around a plump, juicy berry. Instead, confusion crossed his face as he patted the pouch, which by now was clearly empty. “Oh, come on! I know I didn’t eat them all! Alright, whodunnit?” Nick looked from Judy to Hannah to Lory, all of whom shrugged.

Then came the sound of laughter, a precious, high-pitched tone coming from...the platter on the table. There, behind a sizable maple muffin, was Zipper, beside himself with mirth...and with a splotchy mess of blueberry covering his mouth.

Nick smiled approvingly. “Nice hustle,” he said, setting off laughter anew all around.