Chapter Four: Public Reactions
Something I'm proud about, is that I have never been incarcerated. At least not in an American prison. I served time in Romania on suspicion of less than credible activities. Did I do it? Yes I did. Was I ever tried? Nope. Was I disavowed? Deffinently not. However, I did follow protocol to the letter (escaping within 48 hours). My perfect record was broken sadly, when I was thrown into the cell in the police precinct. I was half asleep, so I barely noticed. It wasn't until I came to, that the gravity of my situation set in. I had nothing on me to escape. At least in Romania, I had snagged a toothpick and a bobby pin from the front desk. Poor bastards were still on analog locks. I checked my pockets and found nothing. That's awesome Well, I still had my badge. Hopefully that would come in handy. As an added bonus, my cell bordered an obvious thieving honey badger (shards of glass embedded in his paws) and a drug addict (based on her rocking back and forth in the corner of her cell). The door at the end of the hall shot open, revealing a brief glimpse of the offices behind it. Animals ranging in size bustled around, some cradling paperwork, whilst others were absorbed in their own thoughts. One thing remained common, which was that all were wearing navy blue police uniforms. American. They lacked side arms, which was the first thing I noticed. Strange. I had become so used to seeing firearms in my line of work, that I would feel almost empty inside if I weren't seeing one every five minutes. I was so absorbed in looking at the door, that when a group of three mammals, a panther, wolf, and an obese cheetah, walked through the door, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I could catch the last snippet of their conversation, as they walked through the cell block.
"I'm telling you Delgado, this thing was batshit crazy. You should have been there. I was in the room, when the fight broke out. He took down 14 officers at once," said the wolf.
"Yeah, no shit Fangmire. When I got back into town, my work phone was blowing up. Can't I ever get a vacation?" replied the panther, who I assumed was Delgado.
"Probably not. Chiefs probably going to put us on overtime. Who knows how many of these things are in Zootopia."
"You're probably right," Delgado replied solemnly. He then turned to the cheetah "What do you think of this Clawhauser?"
"I think it's absolutely crazy. From what I saw, the officers did not handle protocol correctly at all. Any unidentified species of mammals that appears hostile must…," said the cheetah
"… Be tranquilized on the spot, in the most humane way possible. Believe me Clawhauser I know the drill. We had hardly any time before he attacked us," said Fangmire
"Well what do you make of it then, Fangmire?"
"I don't know what to think, in all honesty. In my 12 years on the force, I've never seen anything like this. All I can really say is that whatever he is, He has got some seriously good skills. I timed the whole ordeal. It only took him two minutes to clear out the whole corridor. Either this guy is really lucky or he was trained to do that. The pieces don't match up."
"Why do you say that," asked Delgado.
"When that thing was brought into the station, we found a loaded handgun in his jacket."
"Are you serious? How would he get one? They aren't exactly easy to come by," said Clawhauser
"That's not even the weird part. The way he handled the Mark 2 Taser rifle suggested extensive firearms training, or at least that's what Judy said when she watched the camera footage. He was firing off hand, while moving. That's not easy to do on its own, especially while trying to maintain accuracy."
"Firearms training? We haven't issued that in the police department in decades," said Delgado
"My point exactly. We know this guy isn't a cop or even low level government. That begs the question of what is he."
"We'll find out in a minute, after the interrogation."
"Wilde and Hopps really have a good method going. I just hope they'll get something out of this guy"
They arrived at my cell after the last one of them spoke. The wolf remained casual, as did the panther. The same couldn't be said about the cheetah. He was freaking out, saying he never got to do anything this cool. The cell door clunked open, and I was led through a corridor, through the atrium. Behind a large row of do-not-cross tape, guarded by a rhino and an elephant, stood a crowd of paparazzi. I'm sure most, if not all, were here for me. My assumption was supported, when the sound of hundreds of camera flashes and yelling filled the air as I left the holding block. Questions flew at me, but I didn't answer any. On a list of my skills that sat on my impressive resume was keeping quiet. I passed through another set of doors. I was then led to a small room, towards the back of the station. The only furnishings were a table and a few chairs. Then again, that can be expected, whilst in a police interrogation room. The officers Fangmire and Delgado connected my handcuffs to the table. Out of nowhere, a blue clipboard complete with a complicated looking sheet of paper slid onto the table.
"Take a seat," said Clawhauser. "That there on the table is an unknown species form. All mammals falling into that category are required to fill one out. It's just a few questions, so we can identify your medical needs, your species as a whole (like appearance and such), and your skills and identity in particular."
I obliged and began working on the sheet of paper. Medical needs were pretty basic. I had no family history of diseases, and my only real issue was a minor allergy to shellfish (and my alcoholism and clinical depression, but I left that off the sheet). The pop quiz on my species was another story. Let's just say I didn't pay attention in history class. Luckily, I had a few textbooks on human history and evolution. I planned on becoming a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Retirement left a lot of free time. Given as I left my job, I basically extended my lifespan by a few years. Plus, my money that I had banked away wouldn't last me the next fifty something years. I put a basic outline of my species on the paper, covering the basic points like apex predators (leaving out us eating other animals, as that would cause quite a stir, if released) to some important historical events, like the pyramids being constructed and the American Revolution. Lastly came my personal appearance, profession and personality.
ZPD Individual Form
Name (first, middle, last): Oscar Jonathan Donnelly
Age and Birthday: 34 years old (Born August 6th, 1982)
Species: Human
Predator or Prey: Predator
Height: 6 feet one Inch
Weight: 182 lbs.
Fur color:? Skin Color: Caucasian Hair Color: Greying black
Iris Color: Yellow.
Personal Info
Occupation: Government Contractor
Average salary: 750,000 USD
Criminal Record? No
Skills: Combat Training, people person, learns quickly,
Do you drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs? Depends on my mood. General answer: Generally (save drugs. Never touch the stuff)
When I was done filling out the form, I placed the clipboard back on the table. The cheetah took a glance over the board, thanked me for my time and left. It was about ten minutes, until I heard the door creak open. I was met with the familiar sight of the two cops from earlier, a fox and a bunny. They had swapped their uniforms for casual clothes, the fox wearing a horrendously clashing outfit of a Hawaiian shirt, purple neck tie, and khakis. The rabbit however, remained in her usual outfit, minus the Kevlar vest. The bunny picked up the clipboard and began to speak.
"Hello Mister…Donnelly. My name is Judy Hopps, and this is my partner Nick Wilde. We just want to ask you a few questions."
"A bunny named Judy Hopps? Jesus Christ, that's fucking adorable," I scoffed under my breath
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing," I quickly replied.
"So, Mister Donnelly how did you get here," Nick
I winced at the name "Alright, I'm going to cut you off right there. Never. Ever. Call me Mister Donnelly. I hate being called that, with all of my soul."
"Why," asked Judy
"It makes me feel old."
"Okay? You didn't answer your question Mister Donnelly."
"I was put here, against my will, by a man named Emmet Ogden." I gritted my teeth at the last word
"Well, would you care to explain why," asked Nick
"Let's just say that I and that scumbag have history. Complicated, turbulent, and downright violent history."
"Speaking of turbulence, you caused quite a stir yesterday," said nick as he threw a copy of The Zootopia Gazette. The headline, as I predicted, was Strange Alien Appears in Zootopia. Injures 14, in Dramatic Foot chase.
"Here's the dealio. You tell us why you reacted that way against those officers, agree to a press conference, and the D.A's willing to cut down jail time to a few days of community service. Technically, they responded to a frightened, cornered, new species of predator, by trapping it. By not following code, they technically broke the law, making all detaining efforts from then on out, against protocol, and your actions as "self-defense". Those officers won't be reprimanded, and you won't even have to appear in court. It's a win-win for everybody," said nick
"Why?"
"Believe it or not, mammals out there are scared of you. Us shoving you into prison for a few years, would only cement fear of…" Judy glanced at the clipboard "Humans. You probably would not last a day in jail, as most of the inhabitants are neo-specieist. We can't have a death on the ZPD's hands, as there are some out there who support you, living among the fearing, believe it or not," said Judy
"You really want to know don't you? Okay. I worked for a covert group of government agents. We were trained to deal with possible threats, by civilians or low level government, non-lethally. It had just become an instinct." I figured if I told them, no harm no foul. After all, I'm probably never leaving this place.
"Really, and what's this agency's name?"
"See for yourself," I said, as I slid my badge across the table.
Nick picked it up, and held it against the light. "He's right. That's a government issued badge."
"P.P.S.S, huh? I'm going with my gut here. I've only done that a few times. I genuinely think Oscars not pulling our tails here," said Judy.
"Thank God. Press Conference time I'm guessing?"
"Yep, let's go?"
They began to get up and walk towards the door, whilst my hands still where cuffed.
"Uh guys, I'm kind of stuck to the table here", I said with a twinge of annoyance
They chuckled at their mistake (which to this day, I still think was a joke), and unconnected me from the table, and led me down the hallway.
In the atrium of the station sat a small table and chairs, resting on a stage. A banner behind it displayed the letters ZPD, in bold, white text. On the table sat a few microphones. One was already occupied by a large cape buffalo. He was currently being borderline interrogated by the large crowd of reporters, both professional and otherwise.
"Chief Bogo, does the ZPD have any idea about this creatures intentions here in Zootopia? For all we know, he could be some kind of terrorist," yelled a female panther, through the crowd.
"That's not for me to say," the chief said, as he gestured to me.
Immediately, hundreds of camera flashes filled the air. I gave them a cheeky smile and a wink, as I was led to my seat. I was met with the sound of a hundred voices, all grappling for my attention. The first question I answered was from a female warthog clad in a blue jacket and jeans.
"Lucile Hogwash, Eastern times. What are your intentions, whilst being here in Zootopia," she asked.
"Well, I didn't exactly plan on being here. I was kind of thrown here. However, it looks like I'm going to be here a while. Maybe I'll find a job and settle down. That's my priority right now."
She furiously scribbled notes, onto a small notepad. The next mammal I decided to speak to, was a male beaver, wearing standard business attire (suit, tie, etc.). Guy seemed to be jazzed up on coffee, but still retained an element of professionalism when he spoke. After all, he was being televised
"George Dammswort, ZBS. You mentioned you were quote on quote "Thrown Here". What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Well George, I am not exactly allowed to discuss that. However, I believe these officers sitting by me would just love to explain."
"This "Human", seems to be a government agent. Or at least in his world," said Judy
"And you believe he is credible?"
"The badge he was carrying is not a fake, as far as we can tell. It obeys all guidelines for production of badges, is not expired, and its serial number is correct. I have a friend in forensics, who just looked at a photo of it, and even he can tell it's not a proper badge that's been tampered with," chimed in Nick.
"We get it, the badge is real. How can you tell he wasn't lying? People impersonate government agents all the time."
"Oh that's an easy one. While we were interrogating him, we were constantly monitoring his vitals. Breathing speed, heart rate, perspiration, stuff. The tech is pretty new, as you don't even have to use wires or anything. That way, if the mammal starts freaking out, due to all of the tech or is just plain nervous about being interrogated, we can weed out those possibilities. It's proven to have a 99.91% effectiveness rate. All of his vitals checked out," said Judy.
"Okay. So what. You didn't answer our question."
"I made a few enemies in this line of work, none of which are of any danger to Zootopia. However, one caught up to me, and this was an act of revenge on his part," I interjected
There were a few more questions from the crowd, most of which either I, Judy and Nick, Or Chief Bogo answered. Most had to do with my past (which I kept as vague as possible). However, some were really f***ing stupid (a shifty ocelot asked me if I could time travel). I jokingly replied "Yes, but I phone booth to do so. It's pretty excellent," I finished my sentence with some air guitar, which invoked some chuckles from the crowd. Before I knew it, the conference was over, and the atrium was starting to clear out. Pretty soon, it was just me, Judy, and Nick. I checked my watch. 7:00 PM. I had to pay for my hotel in thirty minutes or my stuff would be thrown on the street. I didn't want to leave without a proper goodbye however.
"Well, that was interesting," I said sarcastically
"You can say that again," chuckled nick.
"Well, I'm beat. Do you guys know about any coffee places nearby?"
"Jerry's," they both answered in sync.
"You two want to head over there, maybe get a drink. I'll buy."
"Sure Oscar, that sounds great," said Judy, enthusiastically
"Carrots, you know that Paw and Order is on tonight. I'll barely be out of here, and will end up getting swarmed by rush hour. It'll be freaking Christmas, by the time that I get home," Jokingly whined Nick. I could tell he just didn't want to go, for other reasons, beyond me.
"Oh hush, Nick. That's what a DVR is for."
"Fiiiine," Whined nick.
I booked it back to the hotel. Luckily there was a bus, which stopped right by my hotel, I was in reality only about a twenty minute walk from the police station. The whole ride, I was stared at by the whole bus (even a blind armadillo, which was pretty strange). I walked through the now familiar set of glass doors, and straight to the front desk. The deer attendant was still there, thankfully. I asked for directions to Jerry's. Luckily, it was only a five minute walk up the street. I then payed for my previous night at the hotel. One night was 120 dollars. Pretty steep, but you also had to consider, that this place was right in the center of the city, and not a complete shit hole. I honestly was surprised that it wasn't more. That didn't stop a substantial chunk of my remaining cash from leaving my wallet. I only had twenty dollars left. Deffinently not enough for another night. I decided to worry about accommodations later. Instead I focused on my current goal, which was getting to the café. I arrived in three minutes flat. It was clear the place was packed, but I spotted Judy and Nick among the crowd. I could always pick people (or in this case animals) out of a crowd. I guess that was just one thing from my training, which stuck with me. I gave them a casual wave, and joined them in line. The line moved at a snail's pace. It didn't help that the mammal in front of us, was a sloth (took the guy about 10 minutes to pronounce caramel macchiato). After about thirty minutes, it was our turn to order. Nick ordered a blueberry smoothie, Judy ordered a carrot juice, and I stuck with a cup of dark roast coffee (no cream, one sugar). The total came to fifteen dollars. I could almost hear my wallet crying out in agony, as I handed my last twenty to the pig cashier. We found a table on the back deck. We spent an hour, just talking about work and our lives (which I, as usual kept pretty vague). Then came up the question of residence. I then just realized that I only had five dollars left in my wallet.
"So where are you going to stay. You can't live in that hotel forever," said Judy.
"Believe me, I know. I'll probably on the streets for the next few days. Until I land a job"
Judy almost spat out her carrot juice "Excuse me?"
"I only have five dollars left, after I bought you guys your drinks"
"Well, why didn't you have us pay for it? You could have just found a cheaper hotel for the night," asked Nick, with an element of concern.
"I have a reputation to uphold. How bad of a first impression would I have made, if I invite you somewhere, and make you guyspay. That's just not my style."
"Even still Oscar, we would have understood," said Judy.
"Well, here is something about me. Ialways honor my promises, no matter how small."
Judy sat there for a second, pondering what I said. Nick just became absorbed in his smartphone. After a few minutes of silence, Judy spoke up. "You can stay with me," Judy spoke with an earnest expression, plastered on her face.
"I couldn't. A, you barely know me. B, I would be intruding. And C, I sometimes suffer from insomnia."
"You seem like a good person, Oscar. I'm not going to stand by and let you sleep on the streets. You'd get eaten alive, both literally and metaphorically. Besides, I've had to deal with worse, with me having over two hundred siblings."
"Take the offer kid. She generally isn't this nice," Nick said, which earned him a good natured punch in the arm."
"Oh all right, if you insist," I said.
We left the café, and swung by the hotel. There, I grabbed my luggage, and checked out. After a few minute ride on the bus (and more stares), we arrived on a small side street. Right smack dab in the middle of a few shops sat a modernly constructed apartment building. We walked through the double doors and to a set of elevators in the back of the building. Nick pressed a button for the fifth floor, and we made our ascent. The doors slid open revealing a hallway stretching from left two right, doors spaced out, and lining both sides. At the end of the right hall, sat two adjoining doors. Nick stopped at one, produced a key, opened the door, and waved goodbye to Judy. Apparently they lived across from each other, so they could car pool. Judy waved back, and clicked open the door to her apartment. The floorplan was open, and the furnishings were modest, consisting of a grey sectional couch and coffee table, a small wall mounted TV. Some paintings and a few family photos hung on the walls. In the corner sat a desk and chair and a bookshelf. Lastly, there was a glass dinner table, and chairs. All in all, there was a warm atmosphere to the place. She led me to the guest bedroom, adjacent to the bathroom. In the guest room, sat a twin bed, nightstand and lamp, and a small oak dresser. Perfect for a few nights.
"Thank you Judy. This is way up there on the nicest things people have done for me list. Believe me when I say this, that list isvery small."
"No worries, Oscar. I don't know why that list is small. You seem very kind, in my eyes."
Kind. That word has escaped me for nearly my entire life. I would never describe myself as that. The things I've done, and see people do, has forever scarred me. Kind? No. I just tried to be good to people when I could. I guess that somewhere, deep within me, I was trying to atone. I brushed off my wave of depressing thoughts, and replied to Judy with a chuckle and a thank you. She said that I could take a shower if I needed, and boy was that the case. I kind of had to hunch over in the shower, but it did the job, well enough. I let the water cascade over me for a few minutes, before stepping out. In the mirror, I caught a glimpse of the scar, by my heart. A bullet wound. That will be a story for another day, I thought to myself, as I pulled on my Pink Floyd t-shirt and sweat pants. I then left the bathroom, wished Judy goodnight and thanked her again. Carefully, I shut the bedroom door, and flicked the light switch off. Before I went to sleep, I caught a glimpse of the city at night. Lights from the skyscrapers and cars, illuminated the night sky and city, in an almost Van Gogh manner. Quite breathtaking in all honesty. Eventually I got tired enough, and collapsed on my bed. A mixture of relief and exhaustion, spread across my body, as I fell asleep.
A/N:
Hello readers. I am so sorry for the delay in my writing. Three weeks is far too long for any of you to wait. I had some family matters to attend to (my father moving), and could not even get near my computer. Such a long delay, should not, and will not (hopefully) happen again. With that being said, I leave you this chapter. As always leave a review if you want (they are greatly appreciated). PM me with any ideas on the story or if you have any cool fan art that you want to share. Peace
-Mlg Fedora
