Alright, just some quick things about how to read this particular story:

I am taking a more anthropomorphic approach with the characters for this one. This means that certain characters will undergo a change in their size and shape just a bit. So Big for example, is not three inches tall. He will of course, be short. Small animals will still be short. Larger animals will still be large. They are just more anthropomorphic/humanoid in their appearance.

I now give you Zootopia: Power Struggle

Ocean Secrets

The weight of the oxygen tank strapped to Jack's back conspired with gravity to pin him to the floor of the deck. But he resisted the weight with ease. The fishing boat he borrowed from his friend, Gregory, floated on slowly swelling waves. Jack stood firm familiar with the rocking of the sea and the toll it takes on the body. He stepped toward the edge of the boat. His long ears were pressed hard against his head under the hood of his wetsuit. The goggles he wore to keep the saltwater from his eyes strangled his skull. Only his breathing apparatus was somewhere near comfortable. The anonymous tip he received from who he hoped was an honest citizen said that a suspicious shrew and two bears were seen dumping large black bags into the ocean somewhere off the shore of Zootopia. Without delay, he dropped into the ocean not looking back at his allies watching from behind.

Jack took slow breaths and scanned the waters, looking right and left. He lingered for some minutes close to the surface, not diving deeper than forty feet. When he exhausted the sights at this depth, he descended. With every few dozen feet, light from the sun dimmed in the water. The waves above him no longer pushed against him but the pressure of the ocean on his body increased. This area looked sparsely populated with living creatures. Weeds swayed below him as they stretched upward, desperate for attention from the sun. He turned to face left and looked at a cage that was dropped into the ocean in the distance. He then stared past it and continued to scan the floor with his eyes.

Static hissed in his ears. An impatient voice asked,

"Did you find anything?"

"No, Selene. Wait," He commanded. Jack looked at the ever dropping slope of the ocean floor as its depth stretched without end. Colored rocks, shells, and plants gave the floor a kaleidoscope of colors that played tricks on his eyes and concealed whatever it was he searched for. Even he wasn't sure what could be found. A body farm perhaps? He was sure that his target, a violent shrew and leader of organized crime in Zootopia, was dumping bodies in the ocean. But would he realize what they were if he came across them? The radio crackled again,

"It's been almost an hour. Your tank is getting low. Time to go, Jack!" He grunted in frustration and surrendered to Selene's warning. He swam toward the cage floating in the water, tugged by the string attached to it. As he entered, he paused at a sudden motion below: on the ocean floor was a pile of colored rocks. One of them appeared to move. Long slithering appendages began to stretch out from under the rubble. The object quickly changed shape and color. It hastily swam away as it pushed off the rubble.

"Check that out. An octopus!" Having no bones, high intelligence, and impressive shape-shifting abilities, this octopus hid from the strange boat above it fearing a predator. It fled when Jack and the boat came too close.

Beautiful, he thought. Looking through the bars of the cage just inches from his face, he snapped back to attention and contacted Selene over the radio,

"Alright, pull me in."

His feet were pushed up by the floor of the cage as it began to rise up and out of the ocean. The cage broke through the surface and released him with a sigh and the applause of splashing water. He waited patiently as the swelling waves made the cage rock turbulently while it was pulled up to the boat. Jack held onto the bars for balance.

"Gregory! Get a ladder for the outer wall of your boat, this is ridiculous." They hurried to Jack once the cage was steadily set on the edge. With a wry grin Gregory, a seal, opened up the door to the cage.

Jack removed his mask first, glad to be rid of the uncomfortable device. He rubbed the sides of his striped head. You could now see the simple features of his face. His muzzle was short and he had whiskers. His fur was a light gray. He also had gray eyes. The bulges on the top of his head betrayed long curled ears that ached to be free from the tight hood. He freed his head fully now. Black stripes curved around his head to sharp points along the sides of his cheeks. His ears stood up free from their trap. He rubbed them to relieve the pinch. The tips of his ears were black, following the pattern along his head.

"We're going back to the docks in the Sahara," said Gregory.

"Fine." Jack scowled as he turned to face Zootopia and worked on removing his diving boots. The city in the distance bobbed up and down as the boat rolled over the swelling waves.

"Big got away with another one, Selene." He kept his gaze focused on the city.

"The ocean is good at keeping secrets, Jack."

"I'll be sure to squeeze the truth out of it."

"What do we do now?" Gregory asked, picking up the pieces of the fallen equipment. Jack stood silent, listening to the chatter behind him.

"You don't need to do anything but worry about the docks, sailor." Selene pat Gregory on the back. "We appreciate the help."

"Anything for a respected official, Ms." Jack sighed with disappointment.

"Respected official," he repeated mockingly. "Our justice system sucks..."

Jack walked back inside while peeling off the rest of his uncomfortable suit. It wasn't long after he absent-mindedly put together scraps of leftovers to make a salad that Selene and Gregory were following him into the galley just near the resting quarters. There was a sink in the back of the room. An L-shaped sofa took up the center space next to a table that had been set next to it. The furniture was bolted down to prevent shifting in restless waters.

Jack impatiently ate a mixed pepper and beet salad.

"Swimming always makes me hungry," he said. He watched as Selene scooted over next to him and rested her arms on the table. Gregory remained standing and maintained a respectful distance from the two.

"Agent Savage? How should we proceed? Big killed another scout and tossed the body into the ocean, this we know. But even if we manage to find the corpse, how can we pin it on him?" Jack grimaced at the question and said nothing. Maybe he was taking the wrong approach. But who did he really have to help him? Sure, Selene and Gregory seemed willing, but they were powerless allies. It was Jack who was in some position of authority. Yet, no one would listen to his warnings about the shrew named Arthur Bigsby.

"Sir?" Selene asked after a time. He looked at her and his ears twitched to her call.

"I'm no longer concerned with trying to strap him down to our lazy justice system," Jack finally said. "No, I want the evidence for other reasons. He has many connections in the streets and has ways to shift the blame on expendable allies." Jack licked the food off his muzzle and wiped himself with a napkin. "I'm going to take a different approach. I will need to play the game," he said. Gregory snorted,

"Are you considering undercover work?"

"Not exactly. I'll agitate the bee-hive and tap into Big's resources. I plan to use them and slowly pull them away."

"How?" Selene asked.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Gregory put his hands in his pockets and nodded. The speakers squealed again,

"Our E.T.A to the docks is twenty minutes." For a while now, Jack had been studying what he could about Big and his mob. But he always felt he was a step behind. In order to expand his own reach, he needed more allies. He could only do so much in the M.I.C. without drawing suspicion from his superiors. Why couldn't they just let him investigate Big? Weren't threats at home just as important as foreign ones? What good is being a Lead Investigative Official if you can't use your talents at home? Jack folded his paws on the table and looked to Selene then Gregory.

"I want you both to consider what I am about to ask of you. Can you support me no matter the decisions I make? Can you back me even if you may question my choices? Would you be willing to follow me into the ugliest alleyways in this fight to take down the worst crime lord in Zootopia?"

Selene and Gregory looked at each other. "Geez, Sir you're not Batcat," said Selene. Gregory took a thoughtful breath then said,

"I am at your service, Sir. It would be an honor." Jack glanced at Selene, still waiting for a straight answer.

"I...you are my boss. And you've always been good to me. I can support you," she said timidly.

"Selene, I will need more confidence than that. If you say you cannot, then your services will no longer be required and you are free to seek employment elsewhere. Or, you can tell me now that you will commit and be part of this team." Jack gave her a firm but not quite unfriendly stare. He waited patiently, conscious of his harsh request. After mulling it over, she finally said,

"Yes. I will support you. I trust you to do the right thing." Jack put a hand on her shoulder and nodded gratefully.

"Good."

"Will you be working with the ZPD?" Gregory asked. Jack growled. He shook his head then leaned back into his seat.

"The ZPD will be mostly useless. But there are some good people I can use from there. I'll have to tap into their resources. That will be the easy part with me being a LIO. The hard part..." He stopped himself. It was too early to tell what he could do or how.

"The hard part?" Selene asked. Jack's ears twitched and he blinked a thought away.

"Nothing, sorry. I let my thoughts run astray. Excuse me." Selene left her seat to allow an exit for Jack. He took his bowl to the kitchen sink and washed up in silence.