He stared up at his ceiling, mulling with echos of the tumultuous previous day.
He had woken up naturally, as was often the case when he set his alarm, but it was going to ring any minute now. Stress brewed in his gut, and he wanted nothing more right now than to fall back into sleep, and leave the burdens of the world behind in his dark and blissful void. This had all toppled on him as quickly and heavily as an avalanche.
But he had an obligation to think this all through.
To forbid further temptation, he forced himself up.
Vertical, falling back asleep would be a little harder.
Staring at his covered lap, he figured the first thing on his agenda would be to do that research. That would not require any thinking, and would provide a base for all the thinking he was to do.
And he might as well get it over with right away. He would have the rest of the day to brood.
He swung his legs around, pulled the covers off, and stood. He headed mechanically for his PC.
He sat down. He turned it on. It yawned as it booted up.
To think, he of all people was considering something illegal. Not that it would be much different from his job in practical application, but...
Francisco moved his mouse to the internet icon and double clicked.
He did not even bother reading the headlines, going straight for the search bar and finding AniTech's website.
The monster was revealed. A very innocent looking monster, of course. The page had a simple blue and white color scheme, the corporate icon in the corner, and a picture of a building serving as a banner on the top. Did they have more than one office? The navigation bar at the top read:
About Us. Meet the Crew. Job Opportunities. Products. Contact Us.
Frank started with 'About Us.'
Skimming, he saw it was a relatively young company started in the Rainforest District by an ambitious young camel named Jeffery Spitz. Fitting with David's description, it seemed to be behind the development of chiefly agreeable medical technology: Pace makers, hearing aids, and advanced prosthetics...It emphasized how it employed and catered to mammals of all sizes, and boasted a robust rodent transportation network. They seemed to only have one office. No mention of any work with the government.
Nothing incriminating.
The coyote went over to the next link: "Meet the Crew".
On top of the list was the CEO, of course. A boastful profile.
Below was an Armadillo named Gregory Brigandine. He was head of the Computers and Technology Department. That could have some important information for a hacker. He read his profile.
But there was nothing about cyber security. Good.
Below him was a panda named Stephanie Bo, Head of Research and Development. The coyote skimmed. Nothing interesting
Below her was a lion named Dennis McGovern. He was Head of Marketing, and a predator on the roster! That was important, as David was accusing them of a plot against predators. But surely marketing would know nothing about that. He could simply be left out of the loop.
Scrolling down again, next came a hamster, head of the legal department, named Ali Sabbah. Francisco did not even bother reading his profile.
Below him was a jaguar named Marie Jackson. Chief of Security. She was their second predator. And as someone in security, she would be worth reading up on carefully. So he read her profile.
She was a ZPD veteran, but the coyote did not find anything about her experience against cyber criminals. That was good.
So that was AniTech. Expecting a humble little company like this to behind something sinister was...counter-intuitive. But looks could be deceiving.
Regardless, he realized he should not have expected anything on their website to turn him either way.
The "research" had been a nearly futile exercise. The answers as to what to do would come from within.
He decided to have a look at the news.
Heading back his homepage:
New Comedy 'Cheetahs Never Prosper' Smashes Box Office Records
Scientist Proposes 'Food Contamination' Hypothesis To Explain Predator Attacks
That second headline was actually encouraging. Zootopia might be healing at last. If so, he would not need to worry about any "tame collars" at all. Frank clicked, and decided to scroll right down to the comments.
The top comment read:
All preds should be caged!
^74
The coyote's hopes sank like a brick. Even after four days of peace, there was no sign of reconciliatory spirit. Hatred was fiery as ever.
This had been a mistake. The coyote's pulse had quickened. But knowing that the subsequent replies could not be any more offensive, he decided to see how others had responded. Maybe someone would give him a glimmer of hope for the mammal race.
STFU! Preds like me are paying for your free migrations and rehydration stations with our tax dollars! ****ing parasites.
^4
What does that compare to millions years of free meals?
^18
Frank's blood was pumping hard as-
Pain.
Splitting pain, in his head.
Coming in hard.
Punishing him.
He looked down, enduring.
Pain. His punishment for stressing, against advice of the professionals.
His body was not quick to let him forget his injury.
Finally, the hurt started to mellow out.
He was left back in the callous silence of his apartment.
He promptly x-ed out of the poison webpage.
That was Zootopia, after four days of peace. Not one shred of forgiveness.
The coyote knew now, he was going back to The Stained Fang tonight.