Supplies
Judy met Jack in a diner for some casual conversation. They waited for the other officers to return with news from the different districts. She thought this would be a good opportunity to gain more insight into the mind of Jack. How did he come to be an agent? When did he figure out his life philosophy? How has it warped over time? He was still a recondite character. It was time to satiate her curiosity.
"Agent Jack?" Judy poked at her salad.
"What would you like to ask?" He happily sipped black tea, perhaps as curious about Judy as she was of him. Judy looked around the diner. It was sparsely populated and appeared to be an environment frequented by an older crowd. Now that she had his attention, she lost her starting point. There were so many things to ask, and the number of questions running through her mind overwhelmed her. She picked a question at random, hoping the laws of motion would get things going.
"Why did you suddenly think that I would need some special suit for the ZPD? Why gift this to me?" Jack folded his hands on the table.
"I read through your file. Twice. I was beyond impressed. And I had a conversation with Nick. You are everything that is advertised. I think you are a special officer who deserves the best protection. I want you to have a long career. I want you to be safe. There is a goodness to you that you must continue to spread to others." Judy's cheeks flushed with warmth.
"Do I really deserve this praise?" she wondered. Jack's tone hardened slightly,
"I don't say these things lightly, Judy. Nick told me about how you turned him around. He spoke well of you. I considered that when I thought about your file. Although I read the file first. To quote Nick, 'you are something else.'" He smiled. Judy took a mammoth bite of her salad, trying to resist a stupid grin. But her full cheeks didn't help and only served to make her look like a mischievous child that just stole a mouthful of food without permission. Jack continued, hiding back a smile of his own,
"I am getting old. My body is not how it used to be. I don't draw attention to it, but things like standing for long periods of time makes my bones ache. I can't move like I used to. You remind me of a younger me." The restaurant was entering its peak afternoon hour. The walkways were filling up with busy waiters and waitresses as they hurried to new customers to greet and place them in appropriate seats.
"How did you become an agent?" asked Judy, between sips of warm orange tea.
"I started in the military. After six years of service, I decided I could do more with my brain and applied for a position at the MIC. I was hired after passing their entrance examination. I've been working there for eleven years. On and off I worked with the ZPD. When you joined, I wasn't around. This is my first time back in three years."
"Oh..." Jack's response was more concise than Judy expected. But it was satisfactory to her. Though it did burst the bubble of some of the fantastical stories told of Jack, she thought his history was still one worthy of admiration. A sudden vibration in Jack's pocket drew his attention away from the conversation. He reached for his phone and answered the call,
"Hello? Excellent. We'll rendezvous shortly."
"Good news?"
"Selene is back in the city. Heh, I feel a little guilty having her get all this stuff. When she left for the MIC, I kept calling her and adding more things to the list. I eventually had to get people to help her carry the supplies." They cut their meals after a few more minutes. While they prepared to leave, Judy asked,
"What supplies are you bringing to the ZPD?"
"Well, we aren't going to have a large force, but we will need some equipment." Jack handed Judy a small bag as he tossed out his garbage and corrected the food trays on the counter above the trash can. "I brought us some special espionage equipment; hidden earphones with mics, and special watches. Some armor, fox repellent and Sleeptite model guns with extra tranquilizers."
"It sounds like we're going to war," Judy said, dismayed.
"If we have to. Our quarry has left us no option. These horrors have to stop." Judy emphatically agreed.
The SWAT team sat together in the briefing room waiting for Jack. They talked about Delgato's suspension.
"Three weeks without pay. That's going to hurt," McHorn said.
"Yeah, especially on a cop's salary. He's going to feel this one for a while," added Oats.
"He shouldn't have blabbed in the streets like that," Francine said.
"Did he really confess to it?" Nick asked as he passed by SWAT.
"Yeah. The silly lion spilled the beans. Probably made our hunt harder."
"Stupid." Francine rolled her eyes.
"All because that reporter got to him. He thought he was going to get in good with Tabitha! Ha ha ha." The chief knocked hard on the podium to gain the rooms attention.
"Alright, everyone. We all have information to share with one another. If you notice, we are a bit short on people power." Nick surveyed the room. Sparsely populated indeed. For one issue or another, several officers were no shows for today. Grizzoli, while helping the local fire department, was knocked unconscious by a falling iron beam and was out of commission for an undetermined amount of time. Delgato had been suspended, and several others found themselves filling in for absent cops who failed to do their jobs adequately. This wasn't how Nick envisioned the police department several months back when he joined. But then again, he was too high on the influence of a special purple-eyed rabbit.
Before Nick knew it, Jack took over for Bogo,
"So, I have spoken with a few of you earlier regarding the intel you obtained from your districts. The best piece of information we got has come from team Fangmeyer and Nick from the edge of the rainforest district. We will have an increased presence in both Tundratown and the Rainforest over the next few days. If there is any sign of suspicious activity, you are to use extreme caution and not act alone. We are a team, and we act as one."
Jack slowly looked around the room He gave each attentive officer a hard but friendly stare. It was the kind of look that a parent would give a reckless child in need of a patient reminder that safety comes first. "Our suspect is extremely dangerous. And we must always be sure that we act within the law. That is our job. Our feelings do not play a role here. I want professionalism from all of you at all times." Jack opened up a large duffel bag.
"I have some gifts to share with you guys. First, the SWAT." As Chief's team came to the front, they were handed high-quality Sleeptite guns and military grade flashlights. He passed around fox repellent to the officers. Nick was hesitant to take one when his group was called next. He grimaced at the weapon but accepted it.
"So long as it's not used on me," he said.
"I have a few select gifts for certain officers here. We will be doing different tasks across the districts. But the team working closest with me will be required to wear some extra items."
Jack handed Judy her armor. The armor was designed to fit rabbits; thin thigh pads were bound by straps. The pads were swollen with some sort of gel. Curiously, Nick poked the pads. They were bouncy to the touch. The abdomen and chest pieces were flexible and stretchy, with the same gel material Inserted in the pads to protect vital organs.
"I used this once. Luckily I did not have to rely on it to save me. But it has been tested and it is effective. The gel paddings should do well against fox claws," he winked.
"It's an honor, Sir," Judy said, gratefully.
"No Judy, the honor is mine. You are supposed to wear it under your police uniform."
Jack called Fangmeyer over to join Nick and Judy.
"You will all have these watches and mics. The mics are incredibly sensitive sound amplifiers. Wear them in your ear like this." He demonstrated how to fit the almond-shaped object into the ear and pointed to the volume control. "With this, you should be able to hear even faint whispers from as far away as seventy-five feet. Be careful with the volume control. You could hurt yourself."
He next demonstrated how to use the watches. "These communication devices have a neat vibrating feature. When you tap the watch, it brings up a screen with certain options. Tap on the wavy icon to send vibrations to the other watches. This is a discreet way to call the attention of your partners without using your voice to tip off any enemies."
"Now that is cool," Judy said.
"You spies and your toys." Nick teased.
"Oh, we have the best toys." Jack chuckled. "Judy once told me that you were a good shot, Nick. Is it true?"
Nick thought about it, discarded a witty comment and plainly said, "Yes. I am pretty decent with my aim."
"Good. I have a plan for our group. For Tundratown."
"What's that?" Fangmeyer asked. She kicked the strap of the black bag away from her feet.
"We are going to try to bait the fox."
"How?" Nick asked.
"Well, he has become predictable enough for me to try something risky. We know that he avoids populated areas. We know he skulks the shadows. We know that he only travels by foot, even if it takes him hours to get to his next destination. So, we will follow his usual trails. Dot our forces along these trails and hopefully catch him on one of his hunts. We can bring him down."
The suggestion was risky. Their forces couldn't cover all that ground with a cohesiveness that would allow for a solid coordinated strike in each location. Not many officers were well suited for ambush tactics. Especially not the larger officers such as Francine. Elephants were terrible for chases. Different animals, different skill sets.
"What would be the best way to draw his attention?" Fangmeyer asked.
"With what we know he likes: Prey. I will be the bait in Tundratown." Nick tilted his head
curiously.
"Are you sure about this?" Fangmeyer asked. Judy was too horrified by the idea to comment. Nick watched her pace in place. She dropped her armor then clumsily attempted to pick it up. Nick quickly grabbed an arm and held onto her. She trembled in his grasp. Slowly she relaxed. He gave her his best handsome smile and cozied up to her.
Jack paused for a moment. A low, audible swoon escaped his muzzle. He shook his head and took a deep breath.
"I believe in my team. I'm sure we can make this work. He will be brought to justice." The Chief's voice trailed in the background as he exited the room to talk with a client.
"I don't like this," Judy finally said.
"Tough," Jack replied. "I'm in charge. This is an order. And you're professionals." He looked at his team. They looked at him and each other solemnly. "I know it's scary. But I believe in you guys. We will have scouts along the trail to alert us of any possible movement. Tomorrow we will do some practice runs together. Now I have to talk to the Chief and SWAT some more. You three are dismissed for the day."
Fangmeyer, Judy, and Nick saluted then signed off.
