Zootopia 2: From Russia with Love
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Zootopia. The movie and its characters belong to Disney. For entertainment purposes only.
Disclaimer #2: This story is based on the two-part episode, "Refuge" from the TV show, Law & Order.
Judy Hopps had just finished her stage play for the Carrot Days Talent Show that she and two of her classmates had put on, briefly explaining the history of predator and prey. Judy herself played the role of prey, fitting the role perfectly being a wide-eyed, innocent bunny of eight years old with big bright purple eyes and a bright friendly smile. She would certainly gain the affections of anyone who saw her as the meek and helpless little prey, which she did. However, she had made her parents more than a little concerned when she announced her desire to become a police officer for the Zootopia Police Department. The two of them has never heard of a bunny police officer before and were convinced that no bunny could become one. The physical demands alone seemed to automatically disqualify them. The two concerned parents walked out of the barn where the play took place, each one holding one of their daughter's hands. Judy walked between her parents, her black-tipped ears drooping down behind her, bouncing as she skipped. She still wore her police officer costume as she exited the barn to the rest of the Carrot Days fair.
"Judy," said Judy's father, Stu Hopps, "have you ever wondered how your mom and me got to be so darn happy?"
"Nope," Judy replied innocently, her big purple eyes wandering.
"Well, we gave up on our dreams and we settled," Stu said, "right, Bon?"
"Oh, yes. That's right, Stu," said Judy's mother, Bonnie. "We settled hard."
"See, that's the beauty of complacency, Jude. I-If you never try anything new, you'll never fail," Stu said.
"I like trying, actually," Judy said, releasing herself from her parents hold and skipping up on top of a row of haystacks, skipping alongside them.
"What your father means bun-bun is that it's gonna be difficult, impossible even, for you to become a police officer," Bonnie said.
"Right, there's never been a bunny cop," Stu said.
"No."
"Bunnies don't do that."
"Never!"
"Never!"
Judy's expression dropped for a moment as she heard her parents and let out a brief, "Oh."
However her optimism quickly returned as she said, "Then, I guess I'll have to be the first one, because I am gonna make the world a better place!" she did an enthusiastic back flip off of one of the carts as she made her proud declaration, her police officer hat going slightly askew as she landed.
Judy's father laughed nervously, trying to think of a quick rebuttal.
"Or, uh, heck!" Stu said. "You know, you wanna talk about making the world a better place? No better way to do it than becoming a carrot farmer."
"Yes!" Bonnie replied enthusiastically. "Your dad, me, you two hundred and seventy-five brothers and sisters. We're changing the world one carrot at a time."
"Amen to that," Stu said.
Judy looked at her parents with a confused look on her face, not comprehending why they were going on about being a carrot farmer. It didn't take very long before Judy's attention was drawn to her friends and her little sister being followed by the local fox bully, Gideon Grey, and his weasel friend, Travis. Not bothering to sit through her parents' carrot farming speech and determined to live up to her dream of being a police officer, she followed them, leaving her parents to continue their carrot farming monologue.
She spotted Gideon out at the edge of the fair, next to the corn rows.
"Gimme yer tickets right now," Gideon said to one of Judy's friends, a black-wooled lamb named Sharla, "or I'm gonna kick yer meek little sheep butt," pushing her as he said the last word.
"Oww! Cut it out, Gideon!" Sharla said.
"Baa! Baa!" Gideon mocked as he swiped away the lamb's tickets. "What're you gonna do, cry?"
"Hey!" Gideon turned to see Judy authoritatively striding up in her police outfit. "You heard her! Cut it out, Gideon!"
"Nice costume, loser," Gideon laughed. "What crazy world are you livin' in where you think a bunny can be a cop?"
"Kindly return my friends' tickets," Judy ordered confidently, holding out her hand.
"Come and get 'em," Gideon replied, thumping his chest in defiance, "but watch out, 'cause I'm a fox, and like you said in yer dumb little stage play, us predators used to eat prey! And that killer instinct's still in our denna."
"Um, I'm pretty sure it's pronounced DNA," said Gideon's weasel friend.
"Don't tell me what I know, Travis!" Gideon said, slapping him away.
"You don't scare me, Gideon," Judy said, taking a step toward him.
Immediately, Gideon shoved Judy back with full force, knocking her several feet and landing on her back. Her friends and sister screamed and quickly ran behind a tree.
"Scared now?" Gideon mocked.
"Look at her nose twitch," Travis laughed. "She is scared."
"Cry, little baby bunny," Gideon said, bending down over Judy. "Cryyy. Cr-"
He was cut off when Judy gave him a forceful kick in the face with both feet, knocking him back a several steps. Judy's friends and sister gasped at Judy's audacious action while Gideon sensed the iron taste of blood coming from his nose.
"Aw, you dunno when ta quit, do ya?" Gideon said.
Judy flinched in fear as Gideon brandished his claws. She reeled back in pain as Gideon brought his claws down in a quick swipe across her cheek, causing her friends to scream as they saw the attack and leaving three red marks on her face. After a moment, she brought her hand up to her cheek, feeling small amounts of blood leaking out from the scratches. As soon as Judy realized what had happened, her face was pinned down by the fox.
"I want you to remember this moment," Gideon growled, "the next time you think you will ever be anythin' more than just a stupid carrot-farmin' dumb bunny!"
After his speech, he released Judy and walked off with Travis, the two of them high-fiving each other as they left. As soon as they were gone, the trio of young prey ran up to Judy, still lying on the ground.
"That looks bad," said Gareth, Sharla's with-wooled brother.
"Are you okay, Judy?" asked Sharla.
"Yeah," Judy replied weakly. "Here you go."
"Wow!" Sharla shouted as Judy held up three strands of tickets. "You got our tickets!"
"You're awesome, Judy," Gareth said.
"Yeah! That Gideon Grey doesn't know what he's talkin' about!"
"Well," Judy said, standing up and brushing herself off, "he was right about one thing." Judy picked up her police officer's hat and placed it back on her head and sternly declaring "I don't know when to quit."
"Well, you better not quit, Judy!" Sharla said. "You're gonna be the first bunny cop and show up that dumb Gideon real good! You're gonna be the best!"
"We're all rooting for you, Judy!" Gareth said.
Judy couldn't help but smile at her friends' encouragement, especially considering all she had heard from her parents was a pitch to become a carrot farmer. After that and having been clawed across the face, those few words of encouragement felt so uplifting. At least she knew her friends were on her side and that they would support her. With a big smile, Judy wrapped her friends in a big group hug, her little sister being caught in the middle.
As the group hugged, Judy felt her left cheek sting as the group hug pressed against the scratches left by Gideon Grey. She released herself from the group and held her cheek, warm blood trickling out and onto her paw, staining her fur.
"Are you sure you're okay, Judy?" Sharla asked.
"Yeah," Judy said, her voice wavering slightly. "I'll be fine. You guys go have fun."
"Aren't you coming?" Gareth asked.
"I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Well," Sharla said, "okay. We'll see you later then. Hope your scratches get better."
Sharla and Gareth both waved goodbye as they went back to the fair, leaving Judy with her sister. As soon as they were gone, Judy let a few tears escape, the result of both the pain from the scratches and the demoralizing speech from Gideon as he held her head to the ground.
"Judy," said Judy's little sister, Sherri, "are you okay? You want me to go get mom and dad?"
"No. No, I'll be okay," Judy said, sitting down on a haystack and taking in a deep breath to try to try to hold back the tears, holding her paw up to scratches on her cheek in order to try to stop the bleeding. But when her paw made contact the stinging flared up again, causing even more tears. Sherri hopped up on the haystack next to Judy, her big sister slowly leaking tears.
"Does your cheek hurt?" Sherri asked innocently. Judy nodded and gave a half smile to the naive question, though she continued to cry.
"You sure you don't want me to go get mom and dad?" Sherri asked again.
"No, Sherri," Judy sniffed. "I'll be fine. I'm sure. Why don't you go have some fun? I'll catch up with you."
"Ok. I hope you feel better soon." Sherri gave her big sister a tight hug before skipping off to rejoin her friends, leaving Judy alone on the haystack. She sat there trying her hardest to stop crying, but the dam had been broken and there was no stopping it. At best she could only try to keep herself from crying any harder. As she sat, tears slowly trickling down her cheek, the salt stinging her scratches, she began to quietly tell herself, "I'm not just a dumb bunny…I'm not a dumb bunny…I'm not…" Finally, the first whimper that began a full sob escaped her lips.
Sherri reentered the fair, her mind still on her big sister sitting alone on the haystack. She wished she could do something to cheer her up, but there wasn't much a bunny of her age could do to remedy her sister's condition. She knew bringing the parents in wasn't a good idea right now. Even at age six, she knew that this wasn't the time to bring the parents in, considering how extremely they might react. Sherri still wanted to do something to rectify the situation with her big sister. It was rare to see her so upset, especially in tears, given her virtually perpetual upbeat attitude.
As she wandered through the fair, looking for Sharla and Gareth, she heard a friendly voice behind her.
"Hey there, Sherri!" said the voice. It belonged to a young male, about twelve or thirteen by the pitch of his voice. Sherri turned around to see a young male border collie, dressed in light blue button up shirt tucked into a pair of jeans.
"Hi, Scott," Sherri replied happily. Prescott Collier was a close friend of the Hopps children, having been introduced to them at a young age. The Colliers were relatively new to Bunnyburrow, having moved there from Zootopia when Scott was only a few years old. The Hopps family helped them to get settled in and get more acquainted with the area in their first few years. Scott had a coat of black fur that began to turn white around his muzzle and down his neck and chest. He stood just shy of three feet, towering over the little six-year-old bunny. His tone when greeting the young bunny was bright and friendly and he gave her a warm smile.
"Now, call me old fashioned, but I don't think little six-year-old bunnies are allowed to go running around by themselves," Scott said, bending down to make level eye contact with Sherri, a playful grin on his face.
"I'm not that little!" Sherri laughed.
Scott straightened up and stood next to Sherri, using his hand to measure the little bunny's height. She measured to just above his waist.
"Mmm, looks like you're still little," Scott said. Suddenly, Sherri shot her ears up straight and stiff.
"Ears don't count, Sherri. I told you," Scott said, causing Sherri to groan in frustration. He laughed at the little girl's reaction and responded by tousling the fur on her head. "So what are you doing alone? Aren't you supposed to be with your friends or your big sister?"
"Well," Sherri said, "I'm trying to find my friends and Judy is over by the cornfield. She got scratched on her face."
"Ouch, how'd that happen?" Scott asked.
"Gideon Grey was being mean to us and Judy tried to stop him, so he scratched her across the cheek."
Scott's face took on a look of genuine concern as he heard the name Gideon Grey. He knew that the fox wasn't exactly known for his friendly nature or charming demeanor. And Scott did remember his heckling of Judy during her play.
"Why'd he do that?" Scott asked.
"Gideon tried to steal our tickets," Sherri said, "and Judy tried to get them back for us. Gideon pushed her down and she kicked him in the face."
A slight smirk crept across Scotts face as he thought about how much he would love to have seen that.
"After that, Gideon scratched her," Sherri said. "Judy was still bleeding when I left."
"Where did Gideon go, Sherri? Do you remember?" Scott asked.
Sherri thought for a second and said, "I think he went off somewhere into the cornfield. Are you gonna go get him, Scott?"
"Something like that."
After several minutes, Judy had run out of tears and her whimpering had died down, though it still continued to a small degree and she still felt the draining effects of her melancholy state. She had grown used to the stinging in her cheek and the blood had dried on her fur and hide. She brought her paw up to the scratches and gently rubbed the fur around it, feeling some of the dry blood flaking off. She knew she'd have to tell her parents what had happened and that it certainly wouldn't help with their support of her dream of becoming a police officer, not that they were very enthusiastic about it already. Still, this wouldn't help. If a ten-year-old fox from Bunnyburrow could do that, what could the criminals of Zootopia do to her?
As she sat on her haystack, trying to think of some story to rehearse for her parents, she heard the sound of her red-furred assailant.
"Ow, take yer stupid paws off of me! Quit draggin' me!" Gideon shouted.
Judy looked up to see both Gideon and Travis being steered by the collars of their shirts by the thirteen-year-old black and white border collie who she knew as Scott Collier. While Gideon was struggling to break free of Scott's grip, Travis had a look on his face that shouted, 'We are so busted!' Scott brought the two of them to a halt right in front of Judy.
"Apologize!" Scott growled at Gideon. The fat fox remained silent as he shot glares at both Scott and Judy. Scott jerked him forward by his shirt and repeated, "Apologize!"
"I dunno what yer talkin' 'bout," Gideon said.
"Really?" Scott said sarcastically. "Well maybe your friend knows what I'm talking about." Scott turned to the weasel he had seized in his left hand. "What happened, Travis? How did Judy get those scratches?"
"We were over here trying to get those sheep's tickets and Judy told us to give 'em back. Gideon pushed her and then scratched her across the face," Travis said, explaining the situation quickly, hardly a pause between words.
"Shut up, Travis!" Gideon shouted.
"He pushed her down and told her to quit her stupid ideas of being a cop. I'm sorry, Judy. That was stupid and wrong and we shouldn't have done it."
"Remember now?" Scott snarled at Gideon. He released his grip on Travis and said, "Get out of here." Travis quickly scurried away.
"Now, like I said, apologize!" Scott growled at Gideon.
"Why should I apologize?" Gideon said. "She's the one with the stupid idea that she can be a bunny cop!"
Scott quickly took a hold of Gideon's ear and twisted it sharply, causing the fox to yelp in pain, buckle at the knees, and drop to the ground.
"Apologize right now," Scott commanded, "or your dad is going to hear about this!"
A look of fear flashed through Gideon's eyes as he heard Scott's threat to turn him in to his father. He knew his dad wouldn't take his son picking on a little girl bunny very lightly.
"Ha! Yer big threat is to tell my dad on me?" Gideon said, hoping Scott wouldn't call his bluff. "That's the wimpiest trick in the book!"
"And it works every time!" Scott said. "So apologize right now, er yer daddy gives you a butt-whippin'!"
Gideon shot a vehement look at Scott, his temper flaring when he heard his impersonation. Scott only tightened his grip on Gideon's collar and intensified his glare. Gideon let out a grudging grunt and said, "I'm sorry Judy. I shouldn't have hurt ya and I'll never do it again. So am I done here?"
Scott released his grip from Gideon and said, "Get out of here and don't cause any more trouble."
Gideon ran away, turning back only once to shoot a glare at Scott and Judy before running off back to the fair. Scott returned his attention to the young bunny sitting on the haystack. He quickly took notice of the scratches across her cheek and the blood that had clotted on her fur.
"Yikes, that looks pretty bad," Scott said.
Judy nodded silently. "I think the bleeding stopped though," she said. "It still hurts."
Scott reached into his pocket and produced a small package of bandages, offering it to Judy.
"You need me to help you put these on?" Scott asked.
"N-no," Judy replied. "I can do it myself." She took the package from Scott. "Where did you get these?"
"Your sister told me what happened and my folks always carry a few bandages in the car," Scott said.
Judy applied three bandages to her cheek, using the stinging as her guide as to where to place them. As she finished, she heard Scott let out a quick chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Judy asked.
"I think you're gonna need to fix those bandages when you get home," Scott replied. The bandages were applied at all different angles, some overlapping each other. Judy rubbed her paw over her left cheek and could feel where the scratches were still exposed. Even she laughed at her less-than-perfect medical work.
"Well, it's not like I could see where I was putting them," Judy said
"I guess so," Scott laughed. "Why don't we go get your parents and they can help you patch up those scratches?"
"No!" Judy said, a bit more loudly than she had intended. "No. I-I'll be ok."
Scott cocked his head at her, confused as to why she was so reluctant to seek her parents help.
"You sure?" Scott asked.
"Yeah," Judy replied weakly. "I'll be okay."
Judy returned her gaze to the ground and took in a stuttered breath, her lip quivering as she exhaled. Scott stared at Judy, a look of concern on his face as she continued to cast her gaze at the dirt in front of her. After a while, he took a seat next to the eight-year-old bunny on the haystack.
"Judy," Scott said softly, "what's going on?"
Judy let out a melancholy sigh. "Mom and dad…I don't think they want me to be a police officer," Judy said. "After my play…they started telling me that they wanted me to be a carrot farmer."
"You're serious?" Scott asked incredulously.
Judy nodded her head quickly. "My mom told me that it was going to be impossible for a bunny to be a police officer…and after what Gideon did…what are they gonna say? They'll never let me be a cop after this. Mom will get really worried and Dad will tell me that it's too dangerous."
Scott saw how low Judy felt as she spoke. She couldn't even bring herself to look up at him, but instead just kept staring at that imaginary point in the dirt. He certainly understood where she was coming from though. He remembered how when he and his family had first moved to Bunnyburrow how wary Stu was around them, since they were dogs. To him, any animal with canine teeth could be seen as a predator. And in Zootopia, many criminals were full-fledged predators. It would be near impossible to convince him that his little bunny daughter could face up to them in a fight. And while Bonnie was a bit more open-minded than Stu, she was still very protective of her children. Often times, she made sure that Judy and her siblings were in her sight or at least in a group of friends. For her daughter to go out to a huge city like Zootopia and take on such a difficult job, her mom would definitely be worried for her daughter's safety. And Judy was right. This little incident with Gideon wouldn't help the situation much.
Scott put on a warm smile and placed a paw on Judy's shoulder.
"Well, Judy, your folks were right about one thing," Scott said. "It's gonna be pretty difficult for a bunny to be a cop. Cops in Zootopia need to be ready to take on the big criminals and a little bunny is gonna have a tough time doing that."
Judy turned her head slightly toward Scott, still looking at the ground, not very thrilled at what he was saying to her.
"But," Scott continued, "on the other hand, you just stood up to Gideon Grey and won. Think about that for a second. A little eight-year-old bunny beat a ten-year-old fox. Now how many bunnies can say they did that?"
Judy finally brought her eyes up to look at Scott, who had a friendly smile on his face.
"Not only that, but you beat out an idiot who was telling you that you couldn't be a cop," Scott said. "So what does that say about the determination of Judy Hopps, huh?"
Judy felt a spark of confidence reenter her and begin to grow.
"Now, it's true that you're gonna run into a lot of people who are gonna tell you that it'll be impossible, and a lot of people who are gonna doubt you. But you can't let them get to you. I don't think anyone would ever accomplish anything if they just gave up after the first bit of criticism. Whenever someone doubts you, that's where you come in. It's up to you to show them that you have what it takes. It's up to you to prove them wrong."
Judy smiled at her friend, feeling that confidence welling up in her again.
"And if it makes you feel any better," Scott said, "you're not alone. I'm gonna be going into law too."
Judy's eyes widened in excitement. "You're gonna be a police officer too?" she asked enthusiastically.
"Well, not exactly," Scott replied. "I'm gonna be a lawyer. So, you catch 'em, I convict 'em."
"That's so cool!" Judy said. "Maybe we can be a team in Zootopia!"
"Maybe," Scott said. "But that depends on if you're willing to put in that effort."
Scott stood up from the haystack, bringing Judy to her feet as he did and stood her up straight and tall, molding her like a piece of clay into the position of attention.
"You've got to tell me, Judy Hopps, if you think you've got what it takes to be a cop. That every person that doubts you, that you've got what it takes to prove them wrong."
Judy stood up straight and stern, looking Scott right in the eye, a proud smile on her face.
"I've got what it takes!" she proclaimed. "Just like I told my friends, I don't know when to quit!"
15 Years Later
Mid afternoon and Judy Hopps sat in her bunk, papers strewn out in front of her, her mind burnt out from the amount of work she had finished, as well as the stress that resulted from surveying the work she still had to complete. Her time at the Zootopia Police Academy was starting to wane, with just two weeks left before graduation and the pressure was starting to build again.
When she entered the Academy, at the age of 23, just a few days after her birthday, she was met by a lot of doubt from virtually everyone around her. And perhaps it was warranted. During the beginning of her time as a cadet, she struggled frequently with the physical training that was tailored to prepare cadets for the demands of being a Zootopia police officer. Every time she met with failure, she felt her confidence drop, and it didn't help that each failure was accompanied by her instructor's shout of "You're dead!" It was enough that she knew that she had slipped up. She didn't need her superior to rub salt in the wound. Every time she fell short, she could hear the echoes of her childhood in her mind.
"…It's going to be difficult, impossible even…"
"There's never been a bunny cop…"
"Bunnies don't do that…"
"Never!"
"…remember this moment the next time you think you will ever be anythin' more than just a stupid, carrot-farmin' dumb bunny!"
Over the weeks, it began to wear on her mentality and her confidence. Each time her past echoed to her, she felt her passion begin to burn out and her drive begin to die. One night as she lay in her bunk, she began to ask herself, 'Am I really cut out for this?' She didn't want to go back to Bunnyburrow to become a carrot farmer, but the struggle was becoming harder and harder every day. On one restless night, she got up for a midnight run, determined to try to drown the voices of her past out, but as she ran harder, it seemed like they only grew louder, which caused her to run even faster. Finally she stopped, her small, rabbit lungs struggling for air. At least the pain seemed to finally put an end to the voices. But as she sat on the side of the dirt path she was on, another voice from the back of her mind began to speak up.
"No, not again," Judy whispered to herself. "Just shut up! Go away!"
But as the voice grew louder, she heard something she didn't expect.
"…a lot of people who are gonna doubt you. But you can't let them get to you."
Judy's breath began to level out as she recalled who this voice belonged to. She remembered that day, sitting on the haystack, a paw gently resting on her left shoulder.
"I don't think anyone would ever accomplish anything if they just gave up after the first bit of criticism."
As she began to catch her breath, she closed her eyes, letting the memory come into focus. As it did, she saw the face of a young border collie, a friendly smile on his face.
"It's up to you to show them that you have what it takes. It's up to you to prove them wrong."
Judy opened her eyes, stood herself up and continued running. As she ran, she began repeating the words in her mind, "Prove them wrong…prove them wrong…" repeating them until the voice changed from that of a thirteen-year-old border collie to her own voice. With each repetition, she felt her confidence and drive building, adrenaline filling her veins, and her speed increasing. She knew she could turn things around. She had to.
After that night, her performance in the academy improved dramatically, rising through the class ranks to reach first in her class. Her field performance, according to the instructors, was the best they had ever seen in their careers. Judy finally felt that she was capable of being the best she could be.
However, as her time in the academy was drawing close to an end, she found herself struggling again, as she found that she had neglected another important aspect of being a police officer: the academics. She was by no means incompetent when it came to the letter of the law, but it wasn't the easiest for her. She had spent so much time focusing on proving that she was capable of overcoming the physical limitations that she hadn't taken both elements of law enforcement into account. Now, with this assignment she had in front of her and only two weeks left before the end of training, she was beginning to regret her negligence. The assignment presented the cadets with a series of situations they might encounter on the job and they were to respond to each situation. However, the greater majority of these situations focused on some of the more complex matters of the law and Judy wasn't even sure exactly how she was supposed to respond. In her mind, some of these questions could only be answered by the district attorney.
At that thought, the gears in her mind finally clicked together and began to spin. Who was it that had given her the mantra that had gotten her through physical training? The same border collie that was now back in Zootopia after having graduated law school four years earlier. Judy pulled out her iCarrot phone and pulled up her contacts list, searching for Prescott Collier. Before leaving for the academy, Scott's parents had given her his number, telling her that he would enjoy hearing from an old friend, if Judy ever found the time.
She scrolled down through the list before coming across his number, but before she could press it she stopped herself. Scott had told her years ago that it was up to her to prove herself, so what did it say about her ability for her to call for help from the district attorney for a cadet's assignment? If the other cadets could do it, was it right for her to get help from a legal expert? What would Scott think of her as well? Judy mulled the idea over in her head, tossing the phone aside as she did. But then, something else clicked in her mind. When no one else had supported her in her ambitions, not even her parents, it was Scott who had been there to support her. It was Scott who came and sat next to her on the haystack after being clawed by Gideon Grey. Scott who had helped her in whatever training she could do as a little girl to prepare her for the academy. Scott who had taken time out of his school work to be there to help and support her, even while he was in high school. Even after he had started dating. He had become the big brother she never had. If he was there for her then, there was no reason to think we wouldn't be there for her now.
Taking in a quick deep breath, she went to her contacts and called Scott Collier. She listened to the phone ring for a few seconds before she was met by a female voice. She recognized it as the voice of Scott's high school sweetheart and now wife.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Gail?" Judy said.
"Yes, who's this?"
"Hi, Gail! This is Judy. Judy Hopps."
"Oh wow! Judy! Hi! It's so good to hear from you! It's been so long! How've you been? I heard you got into the police academy!"
"Yeah, I did! It's been really good. Tough, but good!"
"I'm glad to hear that."
"So anyway, I was wondering if I could talk to Scott. Is he there?"
"Oh yeah, absolutely. He'll be happy to hear from you, I'm sure. Let me get him for you."
Judy heard Gail take the phone away from her ear and walk through the house. A few seconds later she faintly heard Gail talking to Scott.
"Scott, Judy's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."
"Judy?"
"Judy Hopps. From Bunnyburrow?"
"…Oh, oh of course! Yeah hand me the phone!"
Judy heard Gail pass the phone on before a male voice, close to thirty years old, came across the speaker.
"Hey, Judy! It's Scott. It's good to hear from you again!"
"Hey, Scott! It's good to hear from you too."
"So how's life at the police academy treating you? Hopefully not too harsh."
"It's going good. It's been challenging, but nothing I can't handle. How's life as a district attorney been?"
Scott chuckled over the phone. "Well, I'm actually not the district attorney. I'm the Executive Assistant D.A. The D.A. position is gonna take a few more years to get. But it's going good. Very rewarding."
"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm still not all that familiar with your chain of command, I guess."
Scott laughed again. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Well, I was kinda hoping that you could give me a bit of help in this assignment I've got, if that's alright with you. I don't want to interrupt anything you might be doing."
"No, no it's fine. I'd be happy to help. So what's the assignment?"
"Well, we've been given a list of situations we might encounter in the field and we have to respond to each one. The thing is, they're kinda hard for me since they're covering a lot of more complex issues of the law."
"Okay, so how are you supposed to respond?"
"That's another thing. I'm not entirely sure about that either. Maybe if I read one off we could figure it out?"
"Sure thing. What's the first one?"
"Okay so the first one says, 'A detective is investigating a murder case and his investigation leads him to a hotel where one of the suspects is staying. He enters the hotel and heads for the hotel room where the suspect is staying. Upon his arrival, he finds that the hotel room is locked. However, he is granted entry by the hotel's bellboy, who has a key for the room. Upon entering the room, the detective finds a wiretap. Upon listening to the recording on the wiretap, he discovers a conversation that directly implicates the suspect in the murder. Respond to the situation.'"
"Hold on a minute. Let me write this down…So, murder case…hotel room…let in by bellboy…finds wiretap…"
Judy stayed in the line, listening to Scott mutter to himself as he analyzed the situation. After about a few seconds, he spoke up again.
"Okay, so I think I get how you're supposed to respond. So, there are two major problems I can see with this situation. You might want to take notes for this."
"Okay, hold on a sec." Judy quickly grabbed a stack of lined paper and the carrot pen that she had brought with her and readied herself. "I'm good. Go ahead."
"Alright, so the first problem with this situation is that the wiretap that the detective obtains is illegal. Under federal law, wiretaps are inadmissible as evidence in court, unless they're placed under the express direction of the court itself. As such, anything found on the wiretap couldn't be used as evidence in a criminal proceeding. You with me so far?"
"Uh-huh, just give me a second to write everything down."
Judy wrote everything as quick as she could, trying to keep it somewhat legible.
"Okay, got the first problem down. What's the second problem with the situation?"
"So, the second, even bigger problem here is that the detective obtains the wiretap illegally. Now, I noticed – and you should write this down – that it doesn't say whether or not the suspect is in the room, but that actually doesn't matter. The detective wasn't let into the room by the occupant. He was let in by the hotel's bellboy, upon which he discovers the wiretap. The reason this is a problem is that hotel rooms are protected as if they were private residences. The bellboy doesn't have the right to let anyone into that room without near certainty that a crime is taking place in that room at that very moment. So, without probable cause, the detective would need a search warrant in order to get in. If he doesn't have one, his entry into the room is illegal and anything he finds in the room would simply be tossed out of the case. Now, this is what's known as the 'Exclusionary Rule,' which is an extension of the people's Fourth Amendment right against unlawful searches and seizures. In short it states that anything obtained through illegal means cannot be presented as evidence in a criminal case."
"Okay let me get this all down…Now you said this was called the 'Exclusionary Rule' right?"
"Yeah."
"Got it." Judy continued scribbling notes as quickly as she could, making sure they were coherent enough to transcribe into complete sentences. "Okay, I think it got everything."
"Excellent!"
"Want me to read off the second one?"
"By all means!"
From the tone in his voice, Judy could tell Scott was wearing one of his signature friendly smiles that he gave her so often, causing her to smile in response. It was certainly good to hear from her old friend again, and it felt even better to have him be there for her again.
"So number two. 'In relation to the first situation, the detective discovers a conversation on the wiretap taken from the suspect's hotel room. In the conversation, the detective discovers the name of a possible hit-mammal from the Rainforest District. The detective orders a search warrant for suspected hitter's home and a gun with the same size bullet used in the murder is found in his possession. Respond to the situation.'"
"Alright, so here's what I want to do for this one. I want you and me to examine the situation together from different points of view. Uh, I'm gonna go ahead and put you on speaker phone. Is that alright?"
"Mmhmm, that's fine."
Judy heard Scott take the phone away from his ear and set it on what she assumed was his desk before hearing his voice return, sounding a bit more echo-y than before.
"Can you hear me?"
"Yep. You're coming in clear."
"Excellent. So first let's look at the detective's actions in searching the suspected hit-mammal's home. What's one of the things you notice in this little detail?"
Judy looked back over the situation as it was spelled out in the assignment, trying to analyze the situation as best she could.
"Well, this time, the detective was able to secure a search warrant, which would suggest that he has enough evidence to obtain one."
"Right, but now, what exactly is the problem in that situation?"
Judy looked over the assignment again and looked back to her notes from the previous exercise, quickly finding the answer.
"The wiretap is inadmissible as evidence, so the conversation found on it couldn't be used to secure the search warrant, right?"
"Exactly! The wiretap is inadmissible as evidence in a criminal case, so it would also be inadmissible as evidence in an investigation. The minute the detective presents that wiretap to the judge, he would have it tossed out. But now, I have a question for you. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that it wasn't known that the conversation was obtained through a wiretap and the detective manages to secure a search warrant from the court. Is the evidence obtained from the search admissible in court?"
Judy thought about the situation, reviewing her notes for anything that might provide the answer, but again, she was unsure.
"…Um, I'm gonna say that since a warrant was issued, then yes it is admissible."
"No, it's not."
"Really?"
"This is an extension of the exclusionary rule called 'the fruit of the poisonous tree.' Basically what it says is that if any evidence gathered through illegal means leads to the discovery of subsequent evidence, the exclusionary rule still applies and the evidence gathered from the subsequent search, even if the search itself is legal, can't be presented as evidence in court."
"And I'm guessing that since the detective lied about the source of the evidence from the wiretap, he would be charged with obstruction of justice, wouldn't he?"
"Very good! You're a fast learner! Yes, he would be charged with felony obstruction, specifically the subcategory of 'misleading conduct.'"
"Geez, this is a lot. I forgot just how complex this can get."
"Well, it took me seven years to master."
Judy laughed at Scott's comment, thankful that she didn't have to endure that much schooling and equally impressed that Scott was able to succeed at such a feat.
The two continued to plow through Judy's assignment together, Judy picking up on the details fast. Of course, Scott's presence on the phone was still necessary, since even though Judy was a fast learner, this didn't translate into becoming an instant legal expert and she still stumbled over a few problems. By the end of the afternoon, Judy had finished the greater majority of the work she had been assigned and was confident that what she had left, she could finish on her own.
"Well, that was certainly a flashback to law school," Scott joked.
"Yeah," Judy replied. "I hope it wasn't too much of a headache for you."
"Nah, not at all. It was good to get a nice mental work out. And it was also really good to hear from you again."
"It was good to hear from you too. Thanks for your help, Scott. I…I really appreciated it."
"Well you know, if you ever need any help, you know where to find me."
"Thanks, Scott."
"And, you know, I wanna tell you something. I'm really proud of you, Judy. Being the first bunny to be admitted into the police academy, making it this far, it's an amazing accomplishment. It's something to really be proud of."
Judy let a wide smile grow across her face, glad to hear words of praise from her childhood friend. She had heard nothing but worry from her parents whenever they called to see how she was doing, so to hear some encouragement and praise from someone she had known for almost as long was a real gratification.
"Thanks. That really means a lot to me, Scott."
"And you deserve a lot, Judy," came Gail's voice, as she entered the conversation. "I want you to know that we're all so happy for you and so impressed with what you've been able to accomplish. And, well it's not that we thought you wouldn't make it, but you're doing something that really I never thought a bunny could do. And I really can't wait to see how much more you accomplish."
Judy felt a lump form in her throat as her smile widened even further.
"I want you to keep it up, Judy," Scott said. "Keep making chances for yourself."
"I will," Judy replied brightly. "I really appreciate you guys."
"We're both rooting for you," Gail said. "If you ever need help or someone to talk to, don't hesitate to call."
"I won't."
"Well, we should probably let you go probably get something to eat," Scott said. "Only two weeks to go. Make 'em count."
"I definitely will. You can bet on that."
"Good news. Well, it was great to hear from you, Judy. I hope Gail and I get to see you sometime soon."
"I look forward to it. Thanks for your help everything you guys."
"You're very welcome, Judy. Take care of yourself. We'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye."
The line went quiet as Scott and Gail hung up, leaving Judy alone in her bunk, feeling uplifted that she had two great friends pulling for her. Judy fell on her back, finally giving in to exhaustion, having completed so much work in such a short time. That and being hunched over as she quickly scribbled notes, being able to lay out flat on her back felt like heaven at the moment. As she lay there, she allowed her mind to wander and her emotions to intermingle, creating a concoction of relaxation, relief, elation and tenderness. As she lay there, she began to slowly drift off the sleep, but before she could, her stomach growled loudly, ordering her to the mess hall for dinner.
More chapters to come. Please leave comments and reviews. I you do leave comments, I ask you to be kind and courteous. Flame comments will be ignored.