Zootopia: The Scales Of Fear Chapter 10: Retaliation And Investigation, a zootopia fanfic

ZOOTOPIA: THE SCALES OF FEAR

Disclaimer: Zootopia is property of Disney.

Chapter 10: Retaliation And Investigation

Date: Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

UNI-WORLD Shipping Zootopia Branch HQ, Outback Island

Turning on the TV in his office, Arjun Rooter used the guide button on the remote to select a local news channel. "Aw, come on! I was just getting to the good part of the story," Kalmius Eberzolah said. "Kalmius, I've heard enough. Go bother someone else," Arjun said as he found the channel local to Outback Island.

"Hey, what's going-oh," Kalmius said as he started listening and watched the news report with Arjun. "So... he lashes out like a petulant child. He strikes those who have done nothing to him simply because they are of a similar species to one individual who has offended him," Arjun said darkly. "Two can play at that game. But, I won't... because I'm better than him," Arjun said with a smirk and a chuckle.

"While he lashes out with no proper target, I am taking aim at his pillars of support and stripping him of his power. I am absorbing his work force and conquering his territory, while he throws a fit that will no doubt have the police hunting him down. I use discretion-err, okay, maybe not very well, but I at least know what and who my targets are, while the shrew does not," Arjun said.

"Um... were you speaking to me, or did you just want to hear yourself talk?" Kalmius asked his boss. "Kalmius, shut the fuck up," Arjun said flatly. Kalmius rolled his eyes, having grown accustomed to Arjun's less than enthusiastic reception of his existence. While Komo Domo would simply glare at him and sometimes hiss at the smaller reptile or even try to bite a piece of his hide if he annoyed the larger male too much, Arjun was content to simply tell him off when he was annoyed, often giving the smaller dragon a set of printed-out math problems or puzzles to keep him occupied.

Arjun had found that an occupied Kalmius was a quiet Kalmius.

"So... are we upset by the attacks on the bird families?" Kalmius asked him. "We did not know them," Arjun replied. "Yes... but they are, sort of... casualties who had no involvement. At least when you had Mr. Big's subordinates targeted, they had obvious connections to the shrew. These birds... they died for no reason," Kalmius said.

"Kalmius, sentimentalism does not suit you," Arjun said. "No. I've seen and ignored too much to try feeling bad now," Kalmius said. "So... how many more enforcers does Mr. Big have left?" Kalmius asked his boss. "Enough to protect his resources in Tundra Town, but just yesterday Sylvester and Darryl managed to eliminate three more of his subordinates at a mini-mart in the Meadowlands," Arjun said.

"What about Sharpo? We've included some of his animals in our operation, but what happens to them when he's no longer useful?" Kalmius asked. "Obviously, we'll take the ones who want to live into our ranks, and we'll eliminate the rest," Arjun said. "Now, be quiet and watch the TV."

Zootopia Police Department, Precinct One

"-were one of fifteen homes attacked in the past three days. At least three different species of eagle have been victimized both in and around Outback City and the surrounding neighborhoods, with over a dozen nests destroyed and numerous families found dead in their homes. Witnesses say that several large vans carrying large mammals with identity-concealing clothing were responsible, but that some of them appeared to have white and brown fur, and that certain ones were either bears or wolves. Other witnesses-" Chief Bogo turned off the TV.

He let out a snort before he looked at the team assembled before him in his office. Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Conan Milius, Cynthia Furrero, Roger Gibson, John Thorpe, and a few newcomers including Benjamin Thurman, Hannah Martinez, and Elliot Wycleff. Elliot Wycleff was a gray wolf who had just passed the detective's exam. Hannah Martinez was a water buffalo who had been a police corporal for several years already, and Benjamin Thurman was a rhinoceros who often did decoy duty.

"I want all of you to work together on this newest incident. This is too big for a small unit," Bogo said as he looked at the nine animals in the room. "What about our current case?" Nick asked him. "There's a high chance that there's a connection between this incident and our current assignment, especially Thorpe's," Milius said. "Inspector Milius is correct," Bogo said reluctantly.

"There's a connection, as a bird is our likely suspect in the case of Louis Ratner's death. Mr. Ratner also worked for known crime boss Mr. Big, and on Sunday, several homicides and accidents took place between Savanna Central and the Rainforest District. After establishing the identities of the victims, further investigating led us to discover that they were all connected to Mr. Big in some way or another," Cynthia Furrero said.

"Thank you, Detective. I was just getting to that," Bogo said. "So, what do the dead birds have to do with Mr. Big? This was all the way in the Outback Region," Wycleff said. "The perpetrator of the attack against Mr. Ratner is most likely a bird, and if Mr. Big found that out, then it's likely that he's responsible for this incident," Gibson said.

"Now hold on. We don't know for certain that Mr. Big did this. We have no solid evidence," Bogo said. "Yeah, but what about the deaths that occurred on Sunday? We have an accountant by the name of Cecil Fenton, who was literally dropped from the sky by what witnesses said appeared to be a large bird, which also evokes a connection to the death of Louis Ratner," Gibson said. "Each animal who died was connected to Mr. Big, and the only incident with any eye-witness accounts indicated that a bird was responsible, most likely an eagle," Gibson elaborated.

"Thank you for tell us what we already know," Bogo said dismissively. "Look, each person who died worked for Mr. Big, either directly or for a company or business that he owned," Gibson said. "If the attacks on Outback Island don't scream retaliation, then I don't know what does," Gibson said. "Yeah, but a bird couldn't have been responsible for all of those deaths," Nick said.

"No, but out of curiosity, I'd like to know what Officer Hopps thinks of this. After all, she did speak with Mr. Big at the funeral for one of his subordinates the other week," Gibson said with a smirk. Judy looked away briefly before looking back at the lion. "Mr. Big said that he doesn't like reptiles or care about them. He never directly admitted to anything, although the the circumstances of the dead lizard certainly point to his involvement," Judy admitted.

"Again, though, we don't have any solid evidence," she added. "Okay, but who could have attacked the other animals on Sunday? It seems reasonable that a bird was responsible for the death of the accountant, but what about the other animals?" Martinez asked. "That's what we're going to find out," Thorpe said. "Yes, all of you will be working together on this case. Half of you will focus on the deaths that occurred on Sunday, and half of you will focus on the attacks that occurred on Outback Island," Bogo said.

"So, we're currently working under the assumption that these incidents are all related," Milius said. "Yes, Inspector. Now, you all have full access to the ZPD archives, records, and database regarding all cases and incidents involving Mr. Big and those who have connections to him. Thorpe, you said the Mr. Sharpo was a person of interest regarding the death of Louis Ratner. How is that coming along?" Bogo asked him.

"Last week, I received an inventory list compiled from each warehouse belonging to Mr. Sharpo. One of the storage warehouses, reported several uniforms and other pieces of equipment as having gone missing after a power outage just three days before the death of Mr. Ratner," Thorpe said. "I see. Now, all of you, get out of my office and go somewhere else for your brainstorming. I have work to do," Bogo said.

Two Hours Later...

"So, the uniforms are stolen, along with other, seemingly random, pieces of equipment. I get the uniforms, since it indicates that somebody is trying to set up Mr. Sharpo, but why would they do this in the first place?" Judy asked out loud. "According to the notes compiled by Lieutenant Lisker before his arrest, Sharpo was involved in a drug spread all the way from the Canal District to Happytown," Thorpe said as he leaned back against a chair. The group had decided to use Cynthia Furrero's office, since hers was the largest, for their meeting space.

"Wait, Lisker? Are we talking about Milton Lisker? The same Lisker who framed me for assault and murder?" Nick asked. "Uh... yeah. That's the one," Thorpe said. "Great. How close was he to exposing Sharpo before we exposed him?" Nick asked. "He was still collecting evidence, but there's enough stuff in these notes and case files to at least give us insight into Sharpo's area of distribution," Thorpe replied.

"He was apparently planning to organize a bust during a shipment delivery or exchange planned at the docks on Friday, May thirteenth, the same weekend that Benezio was arrested," Thorpe said. "Huh?" Judy asked. "Well, Lisker's notes state that one of Sharpo's delivery animals and couriers was one Duke Weaselton, who has connections to just about everybody under the sun," Thorpe said as he looked over the notes that he'd printed out.

"With a confession from Weaselton, he would've had legitimate cause to set up a sting operation at one of the docks where the shipment was coming in," Thorpe continued. "And we blew it," Nick said. "Yeah, but it's highly unlikely that Weaselton would've known anything anyway," Thorpe said. "What makes you say that?" Judy asked him. "Doing some background research, I found that Leo Horrowitz was doing undercover work for Lisker as a mole in Sharpo's ranks, but the information given to him by Sharpo or his middlemen didn't match up with the docking logs I retrieved from the port authority," Thorpe said.

Everyone blinked in confusion. "I searched every log and data entry from the port authority surrounding the dock that the shipment was supposed to arrive at on Friday, May thirteenth, twenty-seventeen, the date that Horrowitz was informed that the drug shipment would arrive. No ships or vessels of any kind were docked in the harbor at that dock at the time and date given by Horrowitz, meaning that Sharpo was onto Lisker, or at least Horrowitz, and deliberately gave the ram bad information," Thorpe said. "Um, guys? I know that this is fascinating and all, but could we please get back on track?" Cynthia asked.

"Hey, you were assaulted by Lisker because of your involvement in Benezio's arrest," Nick said. "Yes, but that was the past, and this is the present. Let's stay focused," Cynthia retorted. "Fine. So, someone tries to frame Sharpo for the attack on Mr. Big's enforcer, or whatever it was that Mr. Ratner was supposed to be," Nick said. "A drug trafficker, according to the contents of the car that he had been driving. The guy was apparently going to be making a deal with someone in that alley when he was attacked," Thorpe said.

"Okay, but that still begs the question of just who was trying to frame Sharpo," Judy pointed out. "Wait... what if, and hear me out, but what if Sharpo deliberately had someone take those uniforms, to make it look like he was framed, that way he could attack Mr. Big and claim innocence?" Wycleff suggested. "Um, that's pretty thin," Thorpe said. "Yeah, it's downright anorexic," Gibson added.

"Besides, that would require Mr. Sharpo somehow making sure that Mr. Big is able to have access to the knowledge that his uniforms and equipment have been stolen. It seems like far too much trouble to go through," Cynthia said. "I think... we need to see Mr. Sharpo again," Thorpe said. "Why?" Nick asked him. "Because even though Sharpo may not be directly responsible, I think he might still have some valuable information. Besides, look at the victims who died on Sunday. They were all primarily located outside of Tundra Town, aside from the accountant, who was literally dropped right onto Mr. Big's car," Thorpe said.

"But not all of the victims lived in those regions," Cynthia pointed out, pulling up the file containing the IDs of the victims on her computer. "See, some of them did live in Tundra Town," she said. "Wait, how does that tie in with Mr. Sharpo?" Martinez asked. "Sharpo has limited territory outside of the Canal District. Removing Mr. Big's influence from the other regions and districts outside of Tundra Town would give Sharpo more territory," Nick pointed out.

"That does make sense," Martinez said, nodding her head in understanding. "Hold on, you mentioned earlier that Duke Weaselton works for Mr. Sharpo, right?" Nick asked Thorpe. "I said he has connections to him. In my experience, Weaselton works for anyone who gives him money," Thorpe said. "True. Very true," Judy said as she nodded her head.

"Wait, you think that Weaselton is somehow involved? He doesn't seem like the type to stick his paws into homicide," Judy said. "No, but... wait a minute! The weekend of the funeral!" Nick exclaimed. "What funeral?" Wycleff asked him. "Kevin, the first of Mr. Big's subordinates to die, although he died in a car crash, but that's not the point. The point is actually what we heard from Finnick that day," Nick said.

"Yes, the bird, lizard, and dingo. I was going to get to that," Thorpe said. "Huh? How did you know about that?" Nick asked him. "Milius here forwarded his picture mail to me as part of the case. That bird in the picture, I've discovered during my research, was a wedge-tailed eagle. They're native to Reptaelia and are also found in parts of Africa. They share territory with the golden eagle and are among the heaviest birds of prey," Thorpe said.

"Are there any living in the Outback Region?" Nick asked him. "Well, there were, at least until yesterday and this morning," Thorpe said. "Right. Looks like we need to head on over to Outback Island and start asking questions," Judy said. "I'll go along. I did some field work there before passing my detective exam," Wycleff said. "Okay, who wants to join him?" Milius asked. Nick and Judy both raised their paws. "Anyone else?" Milius asked. "I'll go too," Martinez said.

"We'll need a big car," Nick said. "That's fine. My pickup truck should be plenty large enough for all of us," the water buffalo said. "Wait, you're the owner the red pickup truck in the garage?" Gibson asked her. "Yeah, how's your blue pickup handling?" Martinez retorted. "It's fine. Just got the tires rotated two weeks ago," Gibson replied.

"Well, the rest of us will check out Sharpo and his warehouses. We'll get started tomorrow, so that we can have plenty of time to gather evidence. It's almost time to leave right now, so everyone get everything organized and put away neatly. Hopps, Wilde, Wycleff and Martinez will make up Blue Team. The rest of us are Red Team," Gibson said.

Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2020

"Take a left turn here," Wycleff said as her directed Martinez to the tunnel bridge that would take them to Outback Island. The entire group was wearing plain clothes, with Wycleff wearing a red and black checkered flannel jacket along with khaki pants, Judy wearing a checkered flannel jacket over a white T-Shirt with rabbit-sized jeans, Nick wearing blue jeans and a flight jacket over a white A-Shirt, and Martinez wearing a jeans and a jean jacket over a blue T-Shirt.

Looking out the passenger side window of Hannah Martinez's pickup truck, Nick Wilde watched as various animals walked around the outside of the Fifth Precinct. As Martinez pulled into the parking lot, Nick watched a handful of dingoes and dholes turning to look at the large vehicle before returning to their prior business. After Martinez parked the truck, the foursome exited the vehicle.

"Hey, I didn't shut off the engine yet!" Martinez exclaimed. "Whoops," Wycleff snarked as he unbuckled his seat belt. Martinez shut off the engine. "There. Now you can move around," she said, shaking her head in dismay before stepping out of the vehicle. "Thanks, Mom," Wycleff snarked again.

As with the main station of Precinct One, the main station of Precinct Five was a large round building. Walking inside the front doors, the group noticed that the front desk had two officers; a male kangaroo and a female dhole. "Hello, welcome to the Zootopia Police Department's Fifth Precinct," the dhole said. "Uh, hello. We'd like to speak to Captain Ross," Nick said.

"Captain Ross? May I have your name, please?" the dhole, whose name-tag read M. Burke, asked him. "Officer Nicholas P. Wilde," Nick replied. "May I see some ID?" she asked him calmly. Nick almost felt offended before he remembered that he was wearing plain clothes and not his standard uniform. "Right," he said as he reached into his brown flight jacket and retrieved his badge and ID.

Burke took them before looking up Nick's ID on the computer in front of her. "Okay, you're clear," she said as she handed the ID and badge back to him. "And the rest of you," Burke said. "What? I was just here a month ago," Wycleff said. "Yes, and you were very annoying. Now, show me your ID," Burke retorted. The rest of the group proceeded to do so, with the dhole nodding her head in affirmation after looking at each one of them.

"Okay, Captain Ross is upstairs in her office," Burke said. "It's back that way. I'm sure that Wycleff can lead you all to it without trouble," Burke said before the group began walking away. "So... what was that about?" Nick asked Wycleff as they made their way over to the nearest elevator. "Oh, I just pulled a prank on her before I left. She didn't think it was funny," Wycleff explained as the group stepped inside the elevator.

"What was the prank?" Martinez asked him. "A couple of months ago, I placed a whoopee-cushion under her seat while she was on a bathroom break. She sat down on it in front of a group of school-children who were on a field trip," Wycleff explained. "Really?" Nick asked him, impressed. "Yep. Should've seen the children's faces. They were laughing their asses off when it happened," Wycleff said with a smirk.

A few minutes later, the group disembarked the elevator and made their way over to the office of Captain Ross. After knocking on the door, they heard a voice telling them to enter the room. "Uh, hello, Captain Ross," Wycleff said as the group opened the door and stepped inside. "Oh hell, why are you back here?" Ross asked him, disgust plainly evident in her voice. Captain Angela Ross was a female red kangaroo.

"Um, we're actually here as part of the investigation into the... incident with the birds," Judy said. "Who are you?" Ross asked the rabbit. "Um, I'm Officer Judy Hopps," Judy said before she took out her badge and ID. "Oh, the rabbit from the recruitment pamphlets," Ross said flatly. "Why does everyone here seem to be joyless?" Nick asked curiously.

"Why do we never receive officers who don't want transfers after realizing that they'll be working alongside reptiles out here?" Ross asked in response. "Um, maybe we could get back on target," Martinez said. "Right. We're here to investigate the deaths of those eagles," Judy said. "Is that right? Funny, how come you guys only started now showing up when we ask for help or reinforcements?" Ross replied.

"Can we discuss this later? We have an investigation to perform," Judy asked. "Fine. Hopkins will get you the files and information that our own officers have already collected," Ross said before pressing a button on her desk. "Hopkins, get up to my office with the documents on the eagle slayings," Ross said into the intercom. "Yes, Captain," Hopkins replied.

"So, are you going to look into anything else while you're here?" Ross asked them. "Well, we don't have any confirmation, but we do think that there may be a connection to the deaths of several mammals spread between Savanna Central, the Rainforest District, and the Meadowlands recently," Nick said. "Right. I should've known Bogo wouldn't have sent anyone out here if mammals hadn't been injured or killed," Ross said bitterly.

Nick nudged Wycleff's shoulder. "What's up with her?" he asked in a whisper as he glanced up at the wolf. "Don't ask," Wycleff whispered back. A few minutes later, a brown rabbit entered the office and handed the file folders to Judy. "Here you go," he said. "Thank you, Officer Hopkins. Now, return to your desk and finish your report," Ross said. "Yes, Captain," he said before exiting the room.

"Oh, I thought that I was the only rabbit officer so far," Judy said. "No, he got sent here after graduating from the academy. Not everyone gets placed in Precinct One," Ross said. "So, have you guys already collected witness statements?" Nick asked as he retrieved a folder from Judy's paws and opened it up. "Yes, and the evidence that was collected has been documented as well," Ross said.

"Translucent fur strands," Nick said as he read the report. "Polar bear fur," Wycleff said. "Yeah, I think it's proof that Mr. Big was involved all right," Nick said solemnly. "Wait a minute," Ross said. "Nick Wilde... you're the fox who gave Mr. Big a rug that was made from a-" "Yes, I'm the fox who gave the skunk butt rug to Mr. Big! Can people please stop bringing that up!?" Nick exclaimed in annoyance and frustration.

Ross chuckled at the fox's reaction. "Uh, can you give us directions to the crime scenes?" Martinez asked the kangaroo. "Sure. Here's a list of the addresses of the victims," Ross said as she pulled a piece of paper out of a desk drawer and handed it to the water buffalo. "Thank you," Martinez said. "You're welcome. If you need anything else, feel free to ask," Ross said. "We certainly will," Martinez said.

Sharpo Imports Headquarters

Benjamin Thurman quietly drove up to the front gate of the dock where Sharpo Imports HQ was located. He showed his ID to the warthog at the security checkpoint before he was let through. He also showed the warthog his horn and a nasty grin. As the group drove closer to the main building, which was partly built into the dock and partly built into the ground that the dock was attached to, Milius saw something of interest.

"Hey, Furrero, see that?" Milius said as he pointed to a dark green station wagon parked in the employee lot. "Does the license plate match?" Cynthia asked. "Hey, Benny, drive closer to the other cars, and slowly. I need to read the license plate on that green one," Milius requested. "Sure," Thurman said.

Taking a picture out of his pocket, Milius looked back and forth between the picture and the car. "Yeah, that's the license plate," Milius said. "Gotta love the DMV's early morning non-sloth employees," Cynthia said. "Yep," Milius said through clenched teeth. "Gotta... love those... sloth employees too," he growled out with a frown on his face.

There's an open space for guests," Thurman said. "Take it," Milius said. "Should we call Thorpe and Gibson yet?" Cynthia asked him. "I'd rather not let this guy onto us the moment we walk inside the building, Furrero. After all, Thorpe told us just how much of an impression Gibson made when he was here," Milius said. "Right. I forgot about that," Cynthia said as Thurman pulled into a large parking spot and parked the car before taking the keys out of the ignition.

"Okay, let me do the talking," Cynthia Furrero said as she got out of the car. "Sure thing, kid," Milius said with a wry smile. Benjamin Thurman, being a large rhinoceros, merely walked behind them in silence. As Milius and Furrero entered the front doors with ease, Thurman had to bend over a bit to keep his horn from hitting the ceiling.

Walking up to the front desk, Cynthia smiled at the hyena who was sitting there. "Hello, I'm Sarah Goldman. I'd like to know if Mister Sharpo is available at this moment?" Cynthia asked the desk clerk. "Um, let me check," Shiva said as she picked up the phone and dialed the office number for her boss.

Upstairs, Terrence Sharpo frowned as he heard his phone ringing. "I really should just unplug that damn thing," he muttered as he placed his profit report down on the table. Marcus Girdlier rolled his eyes at his boss's behavior. "Hello?" Sharpo asked into the phone. "Sir? You have a visitor. She's a... coywolf, is that is? Yes, she's a coywolf named Sarah Goldman, and she'd like to know if you're free at the moment," Shiva said.

"Hold on," Sharpo said. He turned to look at the table. Seeing that there was nothing that could be used against him on it, he told Shiva to send the guest up.

A couple minutes later, the door to his office opened and a coywolf stepped inside, followed by a leopard wearing a gray sport coat and dress clothes with a black tie. "Uh, just so you know, the seventies are over," Sharpo said in disgust. "That's nice," the leopard said dismissively with a smile. "So, you must be Miss Goldman. Who's your friend?" Sharpo asked her.

Milius smiled and grabbed a chair before sitting down. "The name is Harry. I'd like to ask you a few questions about unusual activity seen here around the docks recently. The other day, someone reported seeing... well, a large bird hanging out near one of those big ass freighters out there," Milius said, lying his ass off and doing it smoothly. "I ain't seen no birds around here lately," Sharpo said.

"No? Okay. Have you heard about the bird slaughter that took place on Outback Island the other day?" Milius asked him. "What are you, some kinda cop?" Sharpo asked him. "Just answer the question," Milius said in a bored tone. "Yes, I heard about it, but so what? I haven't been to the Outback Region in months," Sharpo said.

"Months? So, you have been there in the past, though, is that correct?" Milius asked him with a smile. "Hey, if you're a cop, I ain't sayin' no more without a lawyer present. Visiting an island several months before some birds get killed is not a crime, and that's all I have left to say to you," Sharpo said.

"Boy, you sure seem eager to paint yourself guilty of something," Milius said with a smile on his maw. "I ain't guilty of killin' any birds, dip-shit. I just know better than to say anything that the police can twist around and use against me," Sharpo replied. "Well, what could I possibly twist and use against you? You were in the Outback Region months before this happened," Milius said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I don't see how anything could possibly connect me with what happened in the Outback Region," Sharpo said. "Neither can I. I just wanted to know if you'd heard about it. No need to get all antsy," Milius said. "Is there anything else?" Sharpo asked him curtly. "Well, would you like to take a ride down to the station with us?" Milius asked him. "So, you are a cop," Sharpo said. "That doesn't answer my question," Milius pointed out.

"The answer is no. I'm not saying anything further without legal counsel present. Girdlier, please escort them out," Sharpo said. Girdlier nodded his head before walking towards Milius, who leisurely got up and made his way out the door. "Oh, one more question," Milius said as he pulled out a picture from his coat.

"This is a still taken from a traffic camera on Sunday. The car is driving away from a another vehicle that's been destroyed, and we've managed to focus the license plate. It belongs to a vehicle parked in front of the building right now," Milius said with a smile as he showed the image to Sharpo. "See that thing in his paws? That's a military-grade grenade launcher. And that car belongs to a jackal named Percival Horner, who works for you. His car, the same car in this picture, license plate and all, is parked outside," Milius said.

"You may want that legal counsel now," Cynthia said with a smirk. "What my employees do outside of work is beyond my control, officers. They come here, do their job, and then leave to do whatever it is that they do after work," Sharpo said. "Then may we please speak with Mr. Horner?" Cynthia asked him. "If we can find him," Sharpo said through gritted teeth.

"Girdlier, please find Mr. Horner and escort him here. Please use discretion," Sharpo said. Girdlier nodded his head and silently made his way out of the office. "So... what was the work schedule for Sunday?" Furrero asked. "Come back with a warrant. That picture doesn't show the driver of that vehicle, so for all we know, someone that my employee knows could have borrowed it from him under false pretenses," Sharpo said. "Hm. That is possible, but we still need to speak with Mr. Horner anyway," Milius said.

An uncomfortable silence soon followed for the next ten minutes until Girdlier returned with Percival Horner, a side-striped jackal. "You wanted to see me, Boss?" Percival asked. "Yes, these two police officer would like to speak with you," Sharpo said. "P-Police? About what?" Percival asked nervously.

"Percival, where were you at on Sunday between the hours of twelve noon and three p.m?" Milius asked him as he took out a picture showing his car passing the wreckage of another vehicle. A frightened look overcame Percival's face before he quickly turned and bolted from the room, slipping past Girdlier. Milius and Cynthia shot after him in hot pursuit.

"Shit, get him!" Milius grunted at Cynthia as Percival quickly began running on all fours as he maneuvered through the hallways of the building, passing corners and knocking some officer workers to the side as he weaved through the halls. Milius quickly took out his radio and called Gibson and Thorpe, alerting them to the situation as Percival entered the stairwell.

When Milius opened the door, he looked down and saw Percival already near the bottom, exiting the stairwell. "Shit!" the leopard hissed as he leapt down to the bottom floor, hissing in pain as intense pain shot through his left ankle. "Dammit!" he seethed as he pushed himself upright and opened the door. "I thought I was still young enough for this shit," he muttered to himself as he hobbled through the hallway before entering the lobby.

He quickly launched himself at the front desk, scaring Shiva. "Did you see which way that jackal went!?" he asked her, just as the elevator doors opened and Cynthia bolted out. She looked left and right before taking off and bursting through the front doors as the sound of an engine starting reverberated through the air. "Never mind!" Milius said as he tore himself away from the desk and hobbled through the lobby, following after Cynthia, with Thurman close behind.

"There he is!" Cynthia shouted as the dark green station wagon backed out of its parking spot, Percival turning his head to look at her with a snarl before turning the car. The front gate was already being opened for the jackal. "Close that gate!" Thurman shouted. The guard slowly began turning to face the controls as Percival sped through the open space.

"Dammit!" Cynthia shouted as she ran after the car, eventually putting herself on all fours as she tried to catch up the vehicle. She wasn't able to keep up, though, and she eventually stood back up, swearing. She jumped at the sound of a car honking and turned to see Thurman's car behind her, with both Milius and Thurman already inside. "Get in already!" Milius shouted from inside. Cynthia nodded her head and opened the rear passenger door to get in, closing it as Thurman stepped on the gas.

"Gibson, Thorpe, come in! We are in pursuit of a suspect, east-bound on a private road leading to the freeway. We're on East Split Vine road! The suspect is using a dark green station wagon. Remember the license plate!" Milius shouted into the radio. "Affirmative. Dark green station wagon, canine size. License plate is T-H-X-One-One-Three-Eight. Moving in to intercept on the intersection between Split Vine and Dew Drop Boulevard," Gibson said over the radio.

The chase was on.

Author's Note: Cliffhanger! Uh, yeah. Deal with it. The next chapter opens with the chase, and then other stuff happens, like... um, actually, I'd rather not spoil things.