A/N: Hey, everyone, it is good to be back! I finally crafted up the next chapter for y'all. Leave a follow/favorite/review if you enjoy! I am still on the hunt for OC's and cover art for all you creative and talented readers out there. And if any of you who are following this story didn't know, Fall was featured on Zootopia News Network (ZNN)! I can't thank the staff enough for the opportunity to have my story featured, it's absolutely incredible! Now without further ado, the next chapter of Fall!

-Eragon

I do not own Zootopia, that's Disney.


CHAPTER 9: NEW START

ZPD PRECINCT ONE HEADQUARTERS, DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, 1:15 PM, SATURDAY, APRIL 19th

Judy and Nick rolled into the parking garage and swiftly made their way to Bogo's office. They had to give him the news about their lunch with Clawson's group as well as get clearance to help investigate Haftohn Tower. Clawhauser waved to them as they rushed to the stairs and they hastily waved back before making the climb up to the water buffalo's office...but not before Nick snuck over and grabbed a donut out of the white box sitting on Clawhauser's desk. Judy was about to knock on the large door when she saw her fox partner still strolling up the stairs out of the corner of her eye, glazed donut in paw.

"Really, Slick? We just ate lunch!", the bunny exclaimed in annoyance, arms crossed and her right foot beginning to thump. The fox quickly scarfed down the rest of the donut and looked at her apologetically while licking the last of the glaze off his paw's digits.

"We never got dessert. And Spots' donuts were just too tempting."

Judy continued to stare daggers at him as she knocked three times on the huge office door. A grunt signaled that they could enter and the pair did so. Bogo was looking through a stack of papers as tall as Judy on his desk, all related to the "Haftohn Massacre". The incident had been called this on ZNN and quickly stuck with the masses. As the fox and bunny entered, however, Bogo focused his attention on them and removed his reading glasses, hoping for any good news or at least a plan. Judy rattled off what each member of the odd group was now working on, which left Bogo with an almost happy expression that the there was work in progress. Judy left out her and Nick's job, wanting to say it at the same time as asking for permission to investigate Haftohn Tower, but Bogo beat her to it.

"So if the rest of the group is getting work done, what're you two doing here? What's your job?" Bogo asked before scowling and putting his hoof to his forehead, "Nevermind, all this reading and paperwork is getting to my head. You never said anything about someone working on Haftohn Tower, so that must be your assignment. Makes sense since it's within Precinct One jurisdiction."

Judy was slightly dumbfounded by the Chief, but then remembered he had been in the ZPD for over two decades, he was bound to pick up some things. She recovered quickly, "Yes, we need clearance to investigate the attack on Haftohn Tower. I know it's an odd request for officers to make, but it is imperative that we try to find a lead to go off of."

"I understand, Hopps, but any officer having clearance to investigate something of this scale isn't just odd, it's never been done. Not to mention for two officers both with under two years of experience."

The bunny's ears drooped and face became downcast. They needed to get into that building, legally, and find something that could point them in a direction to work with. Her mind was scrambling for ideas when the water buffalo began to speak again, "But, something that wouldn't be totally questionable and get you clearance would be to make you both temporary detectives until the case is closed. I'd have to clear it with the higher ups eventually, but I'm sure they'll be fine with it as long as something productive comes out of it. What do you two think of that?"

This was too much for the pair to handle. Temporary detectives. That would give them clearance to any crime scene and evidence related to said crime scene in the city! They wouldn't need to be in uniforms, either. Well, that was really only a big deal to Nick. But they also would be issued actual firearms, not the tranquilizer pistols they had been using, which would be a huge help if they were to be in any more shootouts. And to top it all off, the Chief was smiling! It was a very narrow smile, not even noticeable to the average animal, but any Precinct One officer wouldn't mistake it. It was all too surreal for them.

Bogo lead the two down to the armory on the basement level. An older goat officer was keeping watch over the giant steel door from a desk on the right side of the hallway. Well, he was mostly just peering at his computer and clicking the mouse every once in a while, but he did glance up at the group as they walked towards the door to make sure they were ZPD officers before returning back to the task on his computer. The door was triple reinforced with steel and even some titanium to prevent just anyone from breaking in. The only way to open the door was to slide an ID card down a slot on the right side of the door, which would send a picture of the officer's ID to the computer that the goat officer was working on. After he cleared that the ID matched the officer present, he would unlock a keypad, which the officer would then punch in a four-digit code that changed every week as a safety precaution. As yet another safety measure, only officers of the rank sergeant and above were given access to the armory, any lower ranking officer would have to report to a superior for access.

The Chief swiped his card and punched in the security code and the door slowly slid into its slot and the three animals entered. Tranquilizer weapons, lethal firearms, ammo and darts, Kevlar body armor, and riot gear was scattered all over the giant warehouse sized room. The precinct needed a huge amount of supplies for its armory due to the many and varyingly-sized officers of the ZPD. Bogo led Judy and Nick to a shelving unit where he briefly searched through a couple of boxes before seemingly finding the one he was looking for. He opened the box and grabbed something, putting it in his pocket and returning the box to its spot before continuing to lead the pair through the armory. They reached the lethal firearms section and Bogo slowly turned to his two officers and displayed what he had placed in his pocket. He held two shield shaped badges that stated "ZPD PRECINCT 1: DETECTIVE" in the center along with the ZPD motto around the edge of the shield, "Integrity, Trust, Bravery".

The rabbit and fox stood at attention as their Chief began to speak, "From this moment until the end of your case, Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde, you will be promoted to Detective Hopps and Detective Wilde. Do you promise to fulfill this duty with integrity, trust, and bravery as well as serve the people of Zootopia to the best of your ability, even at possible the costs of your lives?"

"I do!", the newly made detectives stated in unison.

Bogo gave them a nod of approval and handed each of them their badge before gesturing to the lethal arms wall behind him, "Detectives are allowed to carry lethal weaponry with them and I highly recommend it with the case you are on. Choose wisely. This isn't just another tool on your belt. You could possibly hold life and death in your paws, and not just for criminals, but also yourself."

The duo looked at each other before stepping forward to examine the weapons wall. There were sidearms of all sizes and varieties on the wall, some of them larger than Judy. Nick found his choice fairly quickly, being a bit closer to average size than his partner and making it easier to find something he liked. He had picked up a Glock 19 fitted for animals of the "small" size class and it fit his paw perfectly, seeming to meld into an extension of his arm. It had the basic iron-sight scope, which was fine by him since he had always hated actual scopes. There was a small firing range just next to the weapons wall so he decided to fire a clip and see how it he liked the sidearm. In short, he loved it. The recoil was controllable and every shot went exactly where he wanted it to. The gun felt like it was meant for him. He glanced back out to the wall to see Judy still searching for a sidearm.

Judy had seen Nick find his firearm and heard him firing off a clip. She was a bit jealous. There was nearly nothing for her "extra small" size class. And even the weapons in that size class were either too big or too small for her to hold comfortably. She was ready to give up and stick to her tranq pistol when Bogo cleared his throat behind her, making her jump a bit. She glanced back to see him holding a sidearm in his hoof, a Glock 26 also with an iron-sight scope. She reached out a picked it out of his hoof, testing the weight of it. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely felt better than any other firearm she had looked at. She hopped over to the firing range and fired a clip off. Nothing spectacular, but well clustered around the bull's-eye. She walked back over to Bogo, a question on her mind, "Where did you find this one? I looked all over the wall and never saw it."

"When our first rabbit officer started showing a good amount of talent as an officer, I asked for a custom sidearm for a rabbit-sized officer. This is what they sent me. Hope it worked for you since that's all we got."

The rabbit tucked the G26 into the holster where her tranq pistol would normally sit and it fit nearly perfectly. "I think it'll do, Chief. Thank you."

The water buffalo snorted, "Don't mention it. Now, don't you two have a job to do?"

There it was. The Chief was back to his old self. The detective pair saluted Bogo before hurrying out to the vehicle depot. They had lost some precious time at Precinct 1, but it was worth it for the temporary promotion and the clearance they now had on crime scenes. And the buffalo was right, they had a job to do.


UNKNOWN LOCATION, RAINFOREST DISTRICT, 2:00 PM, SATURDAY, APRIL 19th

Victor walked briskly down a darker alley and turned to a rusted steel door on his right. The door was large enough for even a rhino to go through without having to hunch over. He knocked twice, paused, then knocked three more times before taking two steps back. A slot a couple feet above his head opened, revealing feline eyes. The voice that spoke next had a strong Africatan accent, "Who the hell are you?"

The wolverine met eyes with the ones in the door slot before speaking, "Vic Clawson. Tell your boss I'm here, he'll be happy."

A growl came from the other side of the door before the eye slot slammed shut. A few minutes later, the door swung open towards the albino, a large lion holding it open for Victor. "He will see you now. You know the way?"

Victor nodded and entered. The door slammed back shut and he held his arms out so the lion could pat him down for weapons. He had made sure to leave his sidearm and pocket knife in his car, so they found nothing and he proceeded down the long hallway. A series of turns took him to a door he recognized all too well. It was a door as large as the one outside, but it was a dark oak with silver accents and door handles rather than the rusty steel. On the center of the door was a plaque, which was also silver, that read the name of his closest friend and ally: HARRISON FANGS.

He used the same knock as outside and waited. A voice from within told him to enter and he did so. The room was dimly lit, with only candles lighting the room, and the walls were shabby, made of dull-gray and cracked concrete. The place did have a pleasant smell of a tropical rainforest, but that was due to the scented candles. The only furniture in the room was two elephant sized brown chairs and a large desk made of the same dark oak as the door. Behind the desk was a huge map of Zootopia stretching across the entire back wall and a black computer chair. Seated in said chair and facing away from him pondering over the map was the largest Bengal tiger he had ever met. Easily a height of twelve feet tall and built like a tank, Fangs let loose a chuckle as he heard and smelt Victor enter the room.

His deep voice filled the entire room when he spun around in his chair and spoke, "Vic, to what do I owe the enormous pleasure of your visit!"

The tiger's grin was contagious and the albino couldn't help but smile back at his friend. The crime lord was wearing a basic gray suitcoat over black and white suit. He had never been one to be flashy. "Well, I'm sure you heard about the recent murders as well as the attack on Haftohn Tower."

"Ah, this is a work visit. Understood. I have heard about these. The whole underworld has gone into complete chaos since it has all happened. Now every major crime boss is jockeying for higher spots and some of the smaller gangs are taking advantage of the situation to try and expand. Only Big and I are actually trying to maintain some semblance of order. We all know Haftohn wasn't killed, but the other crime bosses see this attack on him as sign of his weakness and now animals are drawing battle lines everywhere. It's only a matter of time before another explosion of violence. And violence is bad for business. Dead and scared animals don't make us money. I want this to end as much as the ZPD, so what do you need from me?"

This was why they had stayed friends after all these years. They were always there to help each other, even through all their differences. "Well I have a theory that someone purposefully spurred Tusk into attacking Haftohn. There was no motive for Haftohn to murder Tusk's mammal, but if someone were to kill said mammal and lay fake evidence pointing to Haftohn, then it could have pushed Tusk far enough to attack. We believe that the first two murders of Big's polar bears had the same tactic due to the similar style of murder as that of a Sand Gang assassin, but the assassin hasn't been in Zootopia for weeks. Luckily, Big stayed cool enough to not act out violently. Now, moving on to the present, I'm here to see if you would know anyone who would gain from war between Haftohn and Tusk?"

Fangs folded his paws and pondered for a moment before responding, "That won't get you anywhere. There are too many who would gain from their fighting for you to use the list to narrow down suspects. Think, Vic, what else could get you to your suspect?"

Victor had always wished that Fangs would go into the police force with him, he had a sharp mind that would have done wonders as a detective. "We need to track down the assassin, or assassins, and find out who they work for."

A grin showing off all of the tiger's sharp teeth spread across his face, "Bingo. And that is something I can help you with. Here, write this down as an anonymous tip."

The tiger gave him a wink as he handed him a notepad and pen from inside his desk before continuing. "So I heard how the antelope who worked for Tusk died and thought, 'What if Speck is back?', and began placing spies at his old hangouts. It turns out, he is. He's been at Atlantis for a couple weeks now and then one of my animals saw a reptile carrying multiple revolvers at around 4:30 this morning in The Nocturnal District meeting with a fossa and some words were spoken. Speck had a preposition for The Bandit and left with the fossa, returned an hour and a half later, and left in his own vehicle. Two hours later, The Bandit pledged his animals and resources to Tusk. I've never believed in coincidences and I know you never have either. So I would say your best lead is to capture the uncatchable and figure out who he's working for."

"That's easier said than done, old friend."

"I know, but what other options do you have?"

Victor thought. There was nothing else. At least not yet. He turned his attention to the map. "So what should I worry about in the underworld? Besides this war."

The tiger kicked off his desk and rolled his chair to the left side of the map and pointed to the upper region. Canal District. "With Tusk preoccupied and down one of his main drug dealers, the small drug ring in the Marshlands of the Canal District has opened up at full steam. They're claiming they've made a super drug that can change your life. It's drawing in a lot of younger animals that live on the streets. There has been no response yet from the Doctor."

He grabbed a giant pointer sitting against the wall and pointed to the top center of the map, "Woolsworth has opted to stay out of the fighting between Tusk and Haftohn, but is trying to expand into my territory."

He then pointed to the middle left, Savannah Central and middle center, the Downtown area, "Nothing from Haftohn yet. Which means he's recovering and is probably planning some sort of crippling blow against Tusk."

He kicked off the wall to get to the right side of the map. He had always loved the rolling computer chairs. Pointer in paw, he moved to the upper center below the Meadowlands and above Downtown, Rainforest District, and upper right, Tundratown, "Big and I are trying to keep order, but we're struggling. Everyone else is either after more power or defending Haftohn's reign."

He the pointed to the middle right, Sahara Square, and lower right, a bridge from Sahara Square leading to Outback Island, "The Sand Gang and Diablo have both pledged themselves to Haftohn. They'll be the most powerful besides Haftohn if they defeat Tusk."

Finally, he pointed to the lower center and lower left, The Nocturnal District, which had black lines between it and the rest of the map, "As I said earlier, The Bandit has sided with Tusk, but as well as that, he's expanding above ground and recruiting. He and his Bandits may be even larger and more powerful than Big and myself now. If that is true, Haftohn doesn't stand a chance against both of them, not even with help."

Fangs stood and faced Victor, "You haven't got much time. You need go. I've helped where I can, but the rest is up to you and the ZPD. I wish you the best of luck, my friend."

The pair embraced and before long, the albino had walked out the door, notepad in paw. He had finally reached his car when his phone began ringing. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was Chester. "Hello, Detective Clawson here."

"Hey, Vic, I need you to get to Precinct Four as soon as you can. I found a few things."

"What'd you find?"

There was a large pause, "You should probably be here to see for yourself."

"I'm on my way."

With that Victor ended the call and rushed into his car and sped off towards the Precinct Four Headquarters.


GORE/VIOLENCE WARNING:

You can skip this last section of the chapter if you don't like reading anything with intense gore. I've installed this next segment to show just how brutal and violent Tusk and his gang are so you and the characters of the story have a better feel for what is at stake. You can not read this and still have a perfectly fluid story knowing what happened at Haftohn Tower was pretty horrible, this is extra characterization.


HAFTOHN TOWER, DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, 2:30 PM, SATURDAY, APRIL 19th

Nick could barely comprehend what he was seeing. The entire first floor of the building was littered with bodies, blood splatters everywhere. The smell of death overtook everything, causing Nick to have to wear plugs in his nostrils. Judy was outside losing her lunch and retching from the sight. The fox had seen some nasty things in his years on the streets, but this was by far the worst. Animals ranging from mice to elephants were strewn everywhere. The bigger animals were covered in bullet holes or knife wounds, or both. Most of the smaller animals hadn't even been shot or stabbed, just trampled to death or stomped on. Some were missing limbs and heads, mostly smaller mammals who had been shot with firearms meant for large mammals. A few of the dead bodies had machine guns next to them, but they were obviously Haftohn's guards based on the suits they wore and the nametags on their chests. As Nick continued walking through the floor, the bodies became fewer, but the deaths much more brutal. Some were beaten to death with hooves. Some gored with tusks and horns. The worst part was, a third of the bodies had already been marked off and taken away by the forensics team and yet there was still this many dead animals. A countless number of forensic scientists and police officers worked away, trying to find anything that could help or explain what happened. Nick walked past a room with the door broken down. There were two scientists marking off bodies, but that's not what caught his attention. Every body in the room was female and naked and had there throats slit. That was when the fox had to find the nearest garbage can and also lose his lunch.

Nick finally recovered from the bout of nausea and felt a small, reassuring paw on his back. He looked down to see a sad smile on his partner's features. "It's okay, Slick, we'll figure out who is behind all this. And when we do, they'll never see the outside of a jail cell for the rest of their lives."

Always encouraging and optimistic. That was his partner. He gave her a weak smile in response before noticing McHorn walking up to them, "Afternoon, detectives. We believe we may have found something on the top floor that could help you."

The pair looked at each other before speaking in unison, "Show us."


SPECIAL THANKS TO:

ALL YOU READERS: Your patience is something I admire!

ZOOTOPIA NEWS NETWORK: For featuring me! O. !

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!