Chapter Ten
Copycat
After several minutes of explaining, Ness was able to make Judy, Nick, and Bogo understand the situation Jack was in. As well as what he was and what the Nexus was. He answered any question they had to the best of his ability. Ness had restated most of what he had told Jack in the time he had him before he got to this Zootopia. And Bogo had made a decision what to do with Jack. Not really arguing with it, Jack now stood outside of ZPD Central.
He leaned against a pillar off to the side of the front entrance, the Nexus was still attached to his wrist and the cuffs were removed. The parking lot half filled with police cruisers was to his left. He saw a few filter in and out as officers went out on cases or were returning from them. He figured most of the absences were currently due to going out to lunch. Jack noticed the sun had taken its place at the pinnacle in the sky. There were a few clouds providing some form of shade, but nothing considerable enough for worry. Jack couldn't believe that he had been in there for so long. His stomach agreed with a growl. He was going to go for some food as soon as he could.
He watched the various inhabitants of Zootopia walk in the park in front of the police department. Some were eating food, the others going about their daily routines. He spied a cart vendor make their way into the park across the street. He watched the pig tending the cart set it up. The umbrella attached to the top sprung open to reveal what the cart was selling. Seeing a stasis for his hunger Jack checked his left pocket for his wallet and peeled himself from the wall and stepped down from Central.
Inside Bogo's office Nick and Judy shared the single chair that sat opposite Bogo's. The buffalo had called the two of them into his office after they let Jack go. He was ordered to wait outside for the two, Bogo wanted to speak with them alone first. Once he was sure there would be no intrusions Bogo spoke, "Normally I wouldn't give you two a case today after the night you just had. But one came in during the interrogation of Jack. One that I think you two are best suited for."
The buffalo reached into a draw of his desk and fished out a black folder. He placed it on his desk and pushed it to the two. Nick, having the better reach, grabbed it and held it out for the two of them to see. The first thing he noticed was the symbol on the front. Nick looked to Bogo, "This is an HICU case."
"Yes," Bogo confirmed the obvious. On the folder was the symbol for the newly formed police division dubbed, the HICU. High Intensity Crime Unit. It was set in motion after newly elected mayor Sarah Malay. She had replaced Bellwether after Judy and Nick had revealed her plot. The HICU was formed to take on high priority cases, much like the missing mammal ones that originated because of the night howlers. It was established a few months ago and was still setting up. The HICU would assist the ZPD as well as conduct its own cases. It still lacked the mammal power since they were still recruiting from the many precincts in Zootopia; as well as outside sources. Nick and Judy were offered positions in the HICU. But Judy declined saying, "I wanted to be a cop my whole life. I'm happy where I am."
Nick declined with, "I follow her. Wherever she goes I go."
Nick opened the folder as Judy asked, "I know the HICU is still getting settled in, but why did you take a case away from them?"
Before Bogo could answer Nick tapped Judy on the shoulder. She looked to him confused. He pointed to the papers in the files. She read what he was pointing at. She read it again. And again. She then looked to Bogo, "A savage attack?"
"It would seem so."
"Is it Doug?" Judy asked, "He slipped away in all the mayhem a year ago. And has yet to resurface."
"That can't be for sure if he has finally wormed his way back in business." Bogo answered.
Nick flipped through the folder. Bogo explained, "There are a few inconsistencies that don't directly point to Doug. First being that it was a prey that went savage."
Nick found the picture of a moose in the folder. Judy saw it too. Bogo continued, "The main thing that may not make it Doug is after Miss Elkson attacked a polar bear on the street she was taken to Sahara Medical for a night howler vaccine. But before they could administer it she was no longer savage. There was no trace of the flowers in her system. They ran the tests twice."
"But anyone exposed to the night howler serum that Doug created was permanently savage?" Judy questioned.
"Maybe Doug doesn't have as good a lab as he did almost a year ago?" Nick suggested.
"That doesn't add up," Judy countered, "Bellwether hired Doug because he had a masters in chemical engineering. He knew exactly what to do perfectly. He wouldn't make an inferior serum that wouldn't have the same effect."
"Maybe to make it not look like him." Nick offered.
Bogo spoke in before Judy could respond, "Whatever it is I want you two on the case. You did well with the Night Howler one; hopefully you could end this one before panic spreads through the city. For all we know right now we might have a copycat. This could just be the beginning of more savage events."
"Understood sir." They said in unison.
With the conversation done Nick and Judy made for the door. Before they left Bogo spoke, "And don't forget about Mister Savage. He is to be in your company. Perhaps his little friend Ness could help."
"Are you making him a consultant?" Judy asked in the doorway. Nick back stepped to look at the chief.
"He can be an asset for us until he can go home."
Judy and Nick nodded as they left. The door shut behind them and they made their way to the entrance of the building. As they stepped out they looked around for Jack. He was instructed to wait outside for them, but there was no sign of him. Judy asked, "Did he just leave?"
"Nope." Nick said pointed forward. Judy followed his finger to see Jack sitting on a bench in the part. With something he was eating. Nick walked forward first, Judy followed right behind.
Jack's ears perked up as he heard footsteps approach him. He looked to his left to see both Judy and Nick cross the park towards him. Jack lowered his food as they approached, "So what's our mission partners?"
"We are not partners," Judy interrupted as she stepped in front of the white rabbit, "Nick and I are, but you are just tagging along with us until you can leave."
"Okay," Jack raised his arms in mock surrender, "What is with the hostility?"
"I think it has to do with you killing my parents." Judy pointed a finger at Jack.
"Not yours, the other Judy's." Jack corrected pointing a finger right back at her.
Nick stepped in between the two rabbits, "Let's not fight, we have to work together." He looked to Judy, "I expect better of you Carrots." Judy seemed to wilt under the gaze of the fox, "He may be a murder, but he is trying to better himself. I think he's been tormented enough."
Nick turned to face Jack, "You are still a civilian, you are merely going to be in our presence until you can leave. Bogo only assigned you to us simply because your previous relationship with the other Nick."
He looked to both bunnies, "Understood?"
"Yes," they said in unison.
"Good," Nick looked to Jack's food, "I didn't take you as one for fast food."
Jack looked to his nearly finished water tofu dog with a squiggle of mustard on it. He looked back to Nick, "Why not?"
"You just had this air of high society like a spy," Nick commented.
"Not the first one to say that," Jack answered, "But when you are one who tends to have to blend into the background fast because of my occupation you take quick meals that you can walk with."
"We can chat on the way," Judy chimed in, "We have a case."
She held up the black folder. Jack stepped off the bench and tossed the unfinished food in a nearby trashcan, "Very well."
Nick turned back and walked to the station where their cruiser was parked, "Now come on Carrots One and Two, let's get started on this case."
Judy and Jack followed the fox out of the park and back towards Central. Jack looked to Judy, "Why the nickname Carrots?"
They turned into the parking lot, "He gave me it when we first met, mainly because I'm a bunny."
"It seems a bit demeaning of a name."
"It lost that tone quickly."
Nick stood by the car waiting for the slower rabbits. He shouted, "I can just take the car by myself and leave you two bunnies here to do what bunnies love to do."
Judy visibly stiffened. Her ears fell in front of her face. Jack saw the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks through her gray fur. Jack stepped away from Judy and towards the fox. He looked to Nick, "You say that like you want to watch."
It was Nick's turn to look back in shock. His ears fell back as Jack closed the distance first. Jack leaned forward and whispered, "Don't dish what you can't take Nick."
Not waiting for him to counter Jack opened the back door and stepped inside. He watched from the window as Judy gave the fox a punch in the arm. He gripped the wounded appendage. Judy had a mean punch. She pushed the black folder into the fox's arms and walked around the car. She got into the driver's seat and Nick hopped into the passenger's. Judy started the car and began to pull out of the lot. Jack spoke to Nick again, "Even if bunnies are like that, we still like to keep it to ourselves."
"Is this like the 'c' word?" Nick asked to both of them.
"Yes," Judy answered, "Just like there are similar words for foxes."
"Everyone has their own buttons," Nick said a bit peeved his little joke seemed to have backfired in his face.
Jack just laughed, "But now you are outnumbered by two bunnies Nick."
"Won't be two for long." He said with a sly grin.
This earned him another shot to the arm by Judy. Nick gripped his forearm as it throbbed with pain, "Stop punching me!"
"Then stop making those kinds of jokes." Judy countered pressing on the accelerator and driving further into Zootopia.
"I can tell this is going to be a boat load of fun already." Jack added.
After a few minutes of driving Nick opened the folder and read aloud, "At a little after eight thirty this morning Miss Baily Elkson jumped through a window in her house and attacked a polar bear, Mister Boris Belinski. Boris did attack back, but just to ensure he wasn't seriously harmed. He did not want to hurt Baily, so he did restrain himself. Nevertheless Tundratown's ZPD arrived after several calls from onlookers about a savage attack.
"ZPD restrained both, and were shocked to find Boris was the one not savage. He was taken to Frostmint Hospital, while Baily was taken to Sahara Medical for treatment for night howler. Upon arrival Baily showed no signs of savagery. They ran blood tests, twice, and found no traces of the night howler at any percentage."
Jack chimed in first, "What is night howler?"
Nick looked back at the rabbit surprised. Judy's ears perked up, but she remained still not wanting to take her eyes off the road. Nick asked, "You never heard of them?"
"Why are they bad?" Jack had a feeling they were based on what he heard of the case.
Judy came to a stop at red light. She looked to Jack, "Those damned blue flowers nearly split Zootopia in two. They turn mammals savage, primal. If it wasn't for me and Nick, Zootopia would probably be in complete turmoil. That accursed ewe Bellwether hid behind a false smile, mock meekness. She wanted all prey to despise preds."
Judy turned back around just as the light turned green. She pressed forward, "So if you think they are bad, then yes."
Nick looked back to Jack, "You don't have them in your world?"
"If we do, I've never heard of them." Jack answered with a shrug.
Nick turned back around as Judy drove to the address in the file. Jack broke the silence a few minutes later, "What is this whole Bellwether thing?"
Nick smiled as he cleared his throat.
…
Nick recanted the tale that brought him and Judy together and lead him on the course of being a cop; the Night Howler case. Jack was fascinated. It did surprise him a small ewe creating a scheme like that. He guessed she was marginally successful, save for when Judy and Nick intervened, just like him being a murderer. Unsuspecting because of the adorableness, meekness, and the fact they were prey. Judy even chimed in time to time as the story was told. To fill in gaps in the story, correct Nick, or just to scold him on making a horrible joke or pun.
The story helped pass the time. And they soon arrived at the address where the attack happened. Judy pulled the car to the side and the three of them exited. Jack kept his distance as he let the cops do their job. He was still a civilian, so he stuck to the sidelines. He stood by the front of the cruiser as he observed Judy and Nick go to work. There were other officers on the scene that Jack could not put names to their faces.
He only really dealt with the Central in his Zootopia. These other officers obviously were from the Tundratown precinct. The street was still blocked off, but there was barely any police presence, since the event did happen over five hours ago. There was still police tape up. There was a sizable hole in the wall where a window once was. Several strands of the classic yellow tape covered the inside of the hole. Judy and Nick walked up to a polar bear police officer. He couldn't make out their conversation from his distance.
He watched them exchange a few lines and then walk into the building through the front door, closing it behind them. Seeing nothing else for him to do Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He pressed the button to turn it on, yet it refused to do so. He tried again, not getting a different result. He cursed. Ness spoke up instantly, "Something the matter Jack?"
Jack looked to the Nexus, "It's nothing Ness." He looked back to his dead phone, "I just never forgot to shut my phone off. It must have been trying to reconnect to a tower and the internet the entire time. It drained its battery." He looked to the surrounding area, "I wonder if this Zootopia's chargers will still work for my phone."
"I might have a better solution," Ness interjected.
Jack looked back to the Nexus, "What?"
"Place your phone on the Nexus, Jack." Ness directed.
"What for?" Jack was not sure where Ness was going with this.
"Just do it, please." Ness seemed to tack on the last word not really meaning it. As if he just wanted him to do it.
Sighing, Jack complied and placed his phone flat against the smaller screen of the Nexus. The screen flashed white and Jack removed his phone, "So what was that all about?"
"That was technology transference," Ness answered, "I just transferred your entire phone's data into me. Allowing use of it."
To demonstrate this the Nexus projected several blue screens in the air around Jack. The rabbit recognized them instantly. One was his home screen. Another his contact list. His GPS system failing to locate him was one. Even the old app he forgot, Scrimmage Society. Jack waved his hand and the screens all collapsed back into the Nexus' screen. Jack asked, "What good does any of this do me? I don't have an internet connection."
"Yes," Ness agreed, "Your phone was linked to the internet of your world. But the Nexus has the capacity to connect to any internet."
Jack looked to the watch in disbelief. Ness explained, "The internet can be seen like a door that can be opened with one type of key. And everyone from your Zootopia had this key to readily access this door. This Zootopia uses a different lock. But the Nexus can pick the lock till it finds the correct key to open the door. Since these two worlds are very similar the keys should be as well. The world we were in before this one was so vastly different I made no headway on that key as I did this one."
The sound of turning tumblers sounded from the Nexus. Ness spoke, "Which I just did. You now have access to this internet."
"Good to know," Jack responded. He looked back to the house in front of him. Judy and Nick were still inside. He could see a few lights on inside and their shadows dance along the walls once in awhile. He looked to the house. There was the gaping hole where a window once was. He could see the red fox past the police tape. Jack then noticed something off. All of the windows seemed to be cracked. He began to walk along the road up a snow bank that rose above the street. He spoke to Ness, "You were paying attention in the car right?"
"You mean to the case and the Night Howler one?" Ness asked for confirmation.
Jack confirmed for the computer as he reached the peak of the bank and looked to the house now a bit further away. He had a perfect view of the corner of the building. Several windows on both floors were now in his view. The broken one was barely visible from his angle. Again all of the windows he could see were cracked. The glass was still in the frames, but spider webs of cracks covered each and every one. He finally spoke to Ness, "The night howler serum was used in a paintball like ammo right?"
"Yes."
"And if the crime scene was kept as it was, then how did they get a shot at the moose?"
"What are you getting at Jack?"
Jack knelt down and narrowed his eyes. He continued, "Let's just say she was shot with the serum, and inferior one at that. And they did close the window they used; because I'm betting whoever did this did not want to be inside with a savage mammal. Now if that is the case, then how is every window in the house cracked. Miss Elkson would have to have tried to get out of each window to do that. But she could have easily done it. She no doubt would have seen any pedestrian to go after from any of the windows. Yet it was the polar bear she saw first, thus making her go out the living room."
"What are you suggesting Jack?"
"The effects of night howler weren't permanent. What if a serum wasn't used?"
"What else could have been used besides that?" Ness countered, "You and I have no knowledge of this type of poison."
Jack ignored Ness as he turned around and looked to the snow dunes around him. He trudged down the one he was on and towards the first row. He checked behind him to keep the house in view. He explained, "How could a savage mammal run to every window in their house, crack each window, and not see anyone outside at nearly eight in the morning. When there would be countless mammals on the streets going to work or breakfast. And only go after a polar bear from the living room. Possible the most likely room to be in when you are getting ready to go out."
Jack reached the top of the dune and looked to the white field around him. He saw the backs of other houses not that far from him. He looked to see the house was a good distance from him, but not that far. He looked around, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was something that contrasted with the white of Tundratown. He stepped to the next snow bank over to see a set of mudded paw prints in the snow. They were from an animal larger than him. He stepped in front of the print to see a disturbance in the snow. Almost as if some tube like object was laid there. Jack leveled his eye with the disturbance, closing the other. It lined up perfectly with the house. Using the Nexus, Jack projected a holographic line towards the house to confirm this.
Jack asked, "Seems like we found our sniper's nest."
"But this is too far of a distance to shoot the serum," Ness added.
Jack canceled the line as he straightened up. He looked to the print, "Can you analyze the mud?"
"Yes."
Jack held his paw out and a scanning beam scrolled along the prints. Ness spoke up, "Just give me a few minutes."
Jack didn't say a word as he looked back to the house in the distance. He spoke aloud, "So if the serum was not used, then what was? What could cause the same effect, yet not need a bullet. Or can cause windows to crack?"
"A sonic pulse." Ness suggested.
"Could that cause a mammal to go savage?"
"No. But it could explain the windows."
Jack stepped down the bank, moving further away from the house trying to find more clues. He figured this was a good distance from the actual crime scene that no one bothered to look this far out for anything. No one with a serum could ever make a shot like this. As he reached the houses he spied something else in the snow, tire tracks. He followed alongside them in between two of the houses and into the street through a driveway. They were lost beyond that point. He spoke, "Looks like whoever did this was not working alone."
"Analysis complete." Ness chimed in.
Jack leaned against one of the houses as he brought the Nexus up. Ness projected a hologram of the paw print, "The mud is similar in composition to that found in the Canal District. This of course is from your Zootopia not this one, but the similarity must be the same."
"So now we have a district, but the Canals are a big area. It would take a while to even search the whole thing. And this is the developed portions. I have a feeling that our assailants might be working under the radar."
"They left in a vehicle correct?"
"Yes," Jack looked to the tire tracks in front of him. "No way you can track a car simply by its tire impressions."
"There is no need, when there are CCTV cameras all over this Zootopia."
Jack perked up and stepped into the sidewalk. He looked to the telephone poles to see on a few of them there were indeed cameras. He spoke, "Can you get me into that system?"
"Already did Jack."
"I love you Ness."
Jack made his way back behind the house as he tapped the Nexus. A blank square plate attached to his hand. He tossed it to the snow in front of him. The plate stopped parallel to the ground. It slowly morphed as the terrain of the area took shape. Houses and streets popped up. Once it was done the view shrank till only what the cameras could prove remained. Jack spoke, "Show me a bit before eight this morning."
…
Jack had narrowed the view of the hologram till it only showed one road. The blue of the hologram was accented with a single red car moving along the street seamlessly against other blue cars. This was the one he had spotted a few minutes ago leaving right from where he found the tracks. He had spent the last few minutes tailing the path the car took through Zootopia with the aid of the CCTV cameras. Jack noticed instantly that this Zootopia had a different layout than his.
His was made up of a few islands formed by two rivers and a bay. This one was one solid peninsula separated almost evenly into the four distinct environments of Zootopia. He had tracked the basic looking sedan, the color he was not able to determine. The Nexus holograms only worked in blue mostly, but Jack was able to make it mark the car red to help him keep track of it. The car had exited Tundratown and went through a tunnel through a mountain range to the Rainforest District. He followed it through the curved streets as it made it to more water causeway populated Canal District. The roads were desolate in cars in the playback Jack was viewing. The time was displayed in the lower right hand corner of the display, 9:32.
Jack looked back to the red car as it turned off the street and into the trees beyond. Jack scrolled around like one would do on a GPS program, yet he was not able to find another camera in the direction of where the car pulled off. He expanded out to see the layout of other streets, but after several minutes passed in the playback the red hologram did not reappear. Jack returned to the location the car turned off, "What's the address Ness?"
"I have street name," Ness answered, "but that is an outskirt street. There are no houses nearby for addresses."
"What's the name then?"
"Arum Drive."
"There you are."
Jack lowered the hologram; it folded into the screen of the Nexus. He looked up the hill of snow to see Judy looking right at him. Jack straightened himself up, "All done with the house?"
"We're heading back to Central, there is nothing here."
"Actually-"
Judy cut him off, "This isn't a night howler incident, more than likely Miss Elkson was faking going savage, we are going to pass the case onto HICU to deal with."
"It wasn't a stunt Judy."
Judy looked to Jack like he grew a second head. Nick appeared at the crest of the hill, standing a few feet behind Judy. Judy spoke, "I don't care what you think, there was no evidence of night howler at the scene."
Judy turned and went to walk away. Jack waved his hand and the snow around them rose into wall sealing them in. The snow moved like water as it maintained a height neither bunny could jump over. Nick was right near the edge and jumped inwards as snow falling off the wall was landing right on him. Judy turned around to face the white rabbit, she looked livid, "I know we gave you your little toy back, but that does not give you the right to use it against us."
"What is your problem with me?" Jack shouted. He walked towards the bunny. He had enough of this. All day he felt an aura of venom cascading off of the gray bunny.
The two were only a foot apart at this point. Nick decided not to intervene this time as to not get in the way of bunnies. He learned that before with Judy. Judy started, "You want to know what my problem is with you!"
"Yes, I very much would!"
They had closed the distance. There were only a few inches between their noses. Jack's blue eyes stared into Judy's purple ones. Judy spoke, "I don't want you around me. You killed my parents. You killed innocent mammals. I don't care if you did it in your world. You are a murderer. You should be punished for your crimes. But no! Bogo instead assigns you to us until you can go back to your world where your murders have been absolves. You shouldn't be allowed to run free. You should behind bars, or better yet dead!"
With that Judy huffed in anger and turned away from Jack. She walked away and towards the center of the snow enclosure. Jack took a step back closer to the wall. His hands fell and the snow wall followed suit. It collapsed and returned the field of snow to its normal state. A circular ridge was the only remains of the wall. Judy looked to the snow as it fell. She looked back to Jack. His ears had dropped. Jack found the monotone snow more interesting to look at than the two mammals in his company. Jack's voice was meek in response, "Don't you think I already know all of that."
His gaze still remained fixated on the ground, "I've thought that every day of my life after my first kill. I knew I was a bad mammal deserving of being killed myself. I don't deserve to live." He looked up to Judy. His eyes were as hard as stone, "But those who held my fate in their paws saw something else. I've been told that I have potential. My Nick told me this. I didn't think much of it that day since it was going to get me out of jail. But as I saved more lives I knew what he meant."
Jack looked to Nick, "He is always good a reading character, as you are." He turned back to Judy, "I was made into a killer by those who had control of my life since I was a kit. I was a tool to them, and that was all I was. I thought of Vincent as the father I never had. He treated me as such, but it was all a ploy for me to trust him and for him to make me into a murderer."
Jack grabbed tightly onto the collar of his turtleneck shirt. He continued, "I ruined so many lives. Lives that would be better off if I was never born. And I should be punished."
He ripped the shirt right off of his fur. The cold wind instantly assaulted him. He didn't care. He moved his arms to his side. Judy let out a gasp in surprise. She covered her mouth with both of her paws. Nick's eyes went wide as well. Jack dropped the ruined shirt to the ground. This was the first time he had ever shown this to any other mammal. No one knew of this, and he made sure that no one did.
Across Jack's chest were deep scars. The fur had never grown back, nor would it ever. The flesh had healed, but was jagged and as if the cuts had been done over multiple times. There were twelve slashes in total. The largest and most abused one ran down his entire left side from nearly his shoulder past his waist line. Jack spoke, "And I made sure that I would always remember them. I scarred them, so I scarred myself."
He ran his left paw along the long cut, "Especially my Judy."
He looked to Judy, "I hurt her the most."
"You did this to yourself?" Judy asked. Her voice was no longer hurtful. She was afraid, for Jack. It was caring. Jack looked to the ground, "I've escaped punishment for my crimes my entire life. So I punished myself. If no one else was going to give me what I deserved."
"Jack," Judy spoke, her ears had dropped as well. Yet she didn't know what to say. She never knew personally of animals that self-harmed. Nevertheless she knew of it, but it was usually with small cuts on the forearms or upper legs, easily hidden away. She saw cases where animals hospitalized themselves because of what they did. Yet what she saw here was straight up self-mutilation. She began to walk forward. She didn't say a word as she closed the gap. Jack looked up as she approached. She stood at the distance they were a few moments ago. They were only a few inches apart. Yet this time the air was not filled with hostility; but sympathy.
Without an exchange of words Judy leapt forward and embraced Jack in a hug. He stiffened with the contact, his ears perking back up to their full height. Judy was warm, a welcome invite from the cold that had pierced him. His ears fell back down as he slowly raised his arms and returned the hug. Judy wasn't sure how long she was holding, but she loosened her hold and took a step back. Jack lowered his arms and looked to her. She spoke, "Let's get you out of this cold."
She turned and headed back to the cruiser. Jack followed right behind her. Nick had remained stoic through the whole ordeal. He looked to the two departing bunnies. He looked to the ground. He recovered fast and rushed to catch up to them. They entered the cruiser, Nick and Jack sharing the passenger seat this time. Judy started the car and drove out of Tundratown.