The ZPD Files:
The Case of the Noise Pollution
Chapter 1:
Clearing Lionheart's Name
"Ten-hut!" an officer shouted, and all stood to attention as Chief Bogo entered the briefing room. Unlike other occasions where they began chanting and he'd tell them to shut up, they remained silent as Nick Wilde beat a drum roll on a snare drum. Why would he be doing this? Leodore Lionheart would deliver the answer, and he joined Chief Bogo in saluting back the officers who saluted him, including Judy and Nick (who saluted after ending the drum roll).
"At ease," Chief Bogo began, and the officers relaxed. "You may be seated." They sat down. "That's more like what I want to see when I enter the room. No more of this grunt chanting business. Sorry. I am in a bad mood today just like I am most days. But I have several things on the docker today. First of all, I think you're all used to me saying 'I don't care' when we have a new recruit. But that's gone; I will acknolwedge our new recruit. Say hi to Ringo Rasputin, our first raccoon officer to enter Precinct One."
Ringo waved and the others applauded. "Welcome abord, Ringo," Chief Bogo continued. "That's one. Number two. Why is Nick Wilde playing a drum solo? Well, Lionheart here can fill you in."
"Hello, officers," Lionheart greeted. "I've just been appointed the drum major of the official ZMB, or Zootopia Marching Band. This explains this orange band uniform I am wearing right now. It's how I'm going to balance my life as mayor now that I'm due to be reinstated, and the fact Bellweather isn't there anymore. What a rotten shame she had to go rouge, but apparently, that's politics." Some officers wanted to laugh but just shrugged their shoulders. "Anyways, if any of you play an instrument and wish to join the band, as Wilde here has already done, hence what he did here today, see me in my office, and I'll get arrangements made for you. That's all for now; thanks."
"Thank you, Mayor," the chief continued. "Number three. There may be a connection going here, because as it happens, folks all over Zootopia have been complaining about noise pollution, but it's not coming from those who play their radio in their car too loud. And do take note of this; there was a new noise ordiance passed by Bellweather just before she was arrested. Are you keeping that going, Mayor?"
"I am, yes."
"Okay. It just gets a ticket at first, just as speeding does. Anyways, this noise pollution is not only distracting, but it's dangerous to our health and safety just as the night howlers once were. Thanks to Hopps and Wilde for that one." Some of the officers knuckle-banged the two. "Assignments: Fangmeyer and Rhinowitz, Tundratown SWAT. This has to do with the noise pollution, though." The two got up, saluted, and left for duty. "McHorn, you and your team are going to the Rainforest District to see what you can find." The group got up, saluted, and left. "Jackson, Francine, Delgato, that gives you the investigation assignment of Sahara Square. Dismissed!" The group got up, saluted, and left.
"That leaves you, Hopps and Wilde to investigate here in Precinct One, but first, come see me in my office. You're not in any trouble or anything; I just wish to have your input, so that I can officially clear the mayor's name and get him reinstated."
"How did you get to do that?" Judy asked.
"It was the judge's orders."
"Oh, I see." The four walked over to Bogo's office, although Nick first took time to put his drum away.
"By the way, I'm probably to go volunteer with the bass drum," Bogo said as they entered. "Can I ask what got you to start the marching band, though?"
"I figured it would help bring our morale back up," Lionheart replied. "Music can change one's life, you know, for better or for worse."
"I agree. But back to business. When the press interviewed you, you denied any knowledge of Bellweather's plot. How do we know you were telling the truth? I ask since the press distorts everything."
"I wish they wouldn't do that. But she really did hide everything from me. However, I did imprison the savage prisoners in order to protect the citizens and figure out just what the heck was making them go savage. We weren't getting anywhere, though. Leave it to our top cop here to figure it out."
"Actually, you can thank Gideon Gray for that," Judy spoke up.
"Who's he?"
"A fox from back home in Bunnyburrow. He was once a bully to me when the mindsets of animals were still, 'You can't be anything outside of what you traditionally are.' He had stolen carnival tickets, and I demanded he give them back. Then we got into a fight, and after he beat me up and won it, he said, and I quote, 'I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you will ever be anything more than just a stupid, carrot-farming, dumb bunny!' Then he ran off."
"But did he apologize for that?"
"After I quit and went back home, he did. Now he's the best baker in town."
"Good for him."
"Anyway, after my dad told the other kids not to step in the Midnicampum holicithias, Gideon said, 'There's a four-dollar word; I just call them night howlers."
"And that's what did it," Chief Bogo put in, "isn't it?"
"It is."
"So where do you fit in, Wilde?"
"She reconciled with me, and then we found a train car acting as a lab full of night howlers. And you know the rest; we tried to save it, but the train blew up in a tunnel, even though I saved the evidence. Then Bellweather framed a call to you just as she framed Mr. Lionheart here, trying to blame us. It was all one big prey-supremacist conspiracy, considering 90% of the population is prey, and 10% is predator. Those aren't good odds, are they?"
"No, not really."
"Then you cuff her, the news reveals it's her fault, he denies anything, I become a cop, everybody's happy."
"Indeed." Chief Bogo began working on some of the paperwork the judge had asked him to fill out, and the security cameras were recording the conversation that the news media was allowed to use for future reference (because Lionheart was learning the truth about what Bellweather was doing). In due time, the work was finished, and the next day would see him officially take the mayor's oath that reinstated him (he was at that point wearing his usual suit and tie).
The next day, Nick and Judy dropped by the mayor's office to officially sign up for the band (Nick had already committed, hence the mayor using him and his drum to promote the band at the ZPD), and Judy, having some experience playing the flute, decided that would be her instrument. "Tell us, though," she said as she signed the form, "do you know anything about this noise pollution they speak about?"
"All I know is what I heard, whether it is true or false," Lionheart replied. "In a similar manner to the way that Bellweather hired those thugs to inject the night howler poison into them, somebody's been injecting what he or she calls 'music poison' into them. Everywhere they go, one can audibly hear music that they don't want to hear without the aid of a loudspeaker. If somebody doesn't like rock, they hear rock. If somebody doesn't like rap or hip-hop, that's what they hear. The one's infected also randomly break into a song of that genre, and they suddenly dress like somebody would dress."
"What would that be for you?"
"I'm not one that's cared much for music, but I do realize the importance of it in society, and my father was a musician. That's what I formed the marching band. I'd probably be doing rap and hop-hop if I was injected. Hopefully not." Lionheart paused to clear his throat. "It becomes hazardous to their health because it has the types of effects you'd expect from doing drugs or drinking too much booze. I don't do either one."
"Neither do we."
"Good to hear. Anyways, if you're looking for a better place to search than here, I'd start at the Natural History Museum. The very first citizen to get injected came from there. His performances are spreading some sort of disease, according to witnesses."
"Disease?" Nick spoke up.
"You know, the usual fever, flu, coughing symptoms? Gazelle is worried she's going to go out of business because of this; folks are getting sick from her performances when the victims suddenly start singing her songs. At her last concert, nobody turned up!"
"How sad," Judy exclaimed. "I like her!"
"You wouldn't if you were infected by the poison."
"I'll bear that in mind. Thanks for your help, though."
"Not a problem." The two got up and left, and walked out of City Hall just as Chief Bogo was walking in, as he was turning in his form to signify he was to play bass drum in the ZPD. They briefly mentioned to him about what Lionheart told them, and Lionheart subsequently gave some input to the chief about the case, with the chief taking notes.
TO BE CONTINUED
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