I'm sorry this chapter is up a week late. I started it on time, but life has a funny way of putting obstacles in our paths. I'm currently working on the next chapter, and next weeks, and should get them up on time with any amount of luck. I also have an announcement: I'm going to set up a poll on my main page sometime this week on what you guys would like to see for the development of this story. I can split it into either two or three parts, and have it be lighter or on this current path. But, with those things out of the way, you all came here for a story! Enjoy chapter 10 of A New Face In Town!
óÓÒò ~
"You two did what?" Dust hissed, ears pressing against his head as he looked at Judy and Nick, the silverware on their table clattering slightly as he set his glass down a bit harder than he should have.
The three had moved further away from the construction work, into a diner closer to the ZPD. A fancier place, given it was the city center, that most officers frequented later in their shifts or off work. The fox and rabbit officers were no exception, though they caught some awkward glances at the silent fox who was kept between them. His hood was, of course, pulled up and over his head, backpack left in the cruiser should he decide to run – as much as he insisted he wouldn't. His appearance had earned him a few disapproving looks, until he removed the hood. Once they had been seated and given their menus, a set of rules had been created for by group: They had to talk about what happened at the apartments, why it could've happened, and information on Phraxus that Dust was willing to divulge at the moment. A few matters he wouldn't budge on – who Frost was, how he was almost always off the radar, his equipment. He almost didn't budge on some smaller details the officers wanted to go over, but gave in once he was offered a chance to ask his own questions. One important detail was that they had to be very quiet in their conversation, though thankfully their booth was relatively isolated, and the ambient music did a fair job of keeping any sounds from travelling too far.
Dust had decided to start them off – something simple. If they had seen anyone in the apartments that might have been the sniper. After a few awkward glances, Nick mentioned the ocelot they had seen walking down the street. After a thorough description, Dust had sat back with a blank expression, before finally asking what they had done about her.
Apparently, "Nothing" was the wrong answer for him.
"Nothing," Nick repeated. "We were more focused on finding you than anything."
"Are you telling me that the prestigious Officers Hopps and Wilde both ignored part of their basic training to investigate suspicious activity because I was a street over?" he hissed. "You two are rumored to be the best of the ZPD and you let go of something so basic?"
"Look, yes, we should've at least stopped her. Hindsight is always 20/20," Nick said, arms crossing his chest. "But at the same time, why are you so concerned about her? Do you know her?"
The officers glanced to one another with a satisfied look as Dust leaned back in his seat, his expression changing to an apathetic gaze. After a long silence, he spoke. "Not personally, no, but..."
He looked out the window to the steady drizzle of rain outside, biting his tongue lightly. Judy and Nick patiently waited, only taking their eyes off of him at their waitress, a thin doe, came over with their food. "Do you three need anything else?" she had asked in a cheery tone. "I think we're alright for now, thank you," Judy said in an equally warm tone, the waitress nodding and walking back to the kitchen.
"Her name is Esmerelda Rubí Ocelo. She once worked for the Precinct Three SWAT as a sniper, but was discharged early in her career for... Anger issues," Dust said, turning to face the fox and rabbit. They gave one another a small, curious glance.
"Precinct Three, Rainforest District. How do you know about the names?" Judy asked, making Dust tilt his head.
"My father was a police officer in Precinct Five, the Outback Region. He told me some... Small details when I asked about them. Don't worry, he didn't give away anything important."
Nick looked down at his plate – everyone had ordered some kind of salad. Judy had ordered one called "Burrow Delite" - a combination of vegetables ranging from tomato to green pepper to carrots on a salad with a sweet cranberry dressing. Nick had ordered a simple "Buggie Salad", something similar to Judy's but with fewer vegetables, topped with fried crickets, and given a vinaigrette dressing. Dust had ordered the same thing as Nick, the only difference being that his had croutons on top. He took a bite, waiting for someone to fire off another question.
"Hey wait, I thought you were the first ZPD fox, Nick?" Judy asked, looking up at him. The reynard paused mid-bite, tilting his head in realization. It was Dust who spoke up on the topic.
"The Outback Region is only technically part of Zootopia. The police force there is called the ZPD, but it's very... Separate from the mainland department. Low funding, they operate on their own, and don't like anyone from here, if what my father told me still rings true."
Judy took a bite and nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "So, by tecnhicality, I'm still the first fox officer," Nick said. Dust nodded.
"Let's go back to this Esmerelda. What can you tell us about her?" Judy said.
Dust was quiet again for a moment, taking a bite of his salad. "Well, after her discharge, she got involved with the underground. Assassins aren't the easiest thing to come by, and she was trained to hit targets from a distance, so she just... Fell into that line of work. Only now, instead of rubber bullets, she gets real ones, and instead saving the city she's hunting in it."
Nick frowned, crunching on a cricket before speaking. "Sounds like a familiar story. But then why did she try to take you out?"
"Oh, I don't know, why would a hired gun try to kill someone?" Dust replied dryly. "Ask not why, but who. And we already know who that is."
"Phra-" Judy started, stopped when Dust leaned over the table and pressed his paw to her mouth, wide-eyed and alert.
"Do not say their name out loud," he hissed. "Not in public. Anyone could be a member."
Judy gave Dust a piercing look, but nodded as he removed his paw and returned to his side of the table. "Sorry," she said, only receiving a shallow nod from the fox across from them. Nick was silent, taking another bite of his salad as he watched Dust.
"But, yes," he continued. "And as you know, I'm combating them. Somewhat. Now that those flowers are being taken off the shelves, there's less to do." Dust took a bite of his own meal, signaling that they could ask another question.
"Anything else you can tell us about her?" Nick asked. Dust replied with a shrug. "Nothing more than rumors," he said. "I have heard, however, that she's dating the current CEO of Brightwater Industries."
"Part of why you wanted to work there?" Judy asked.
"Actually, that's mostly just a cover. We've already got someone in there."
"We as in your team, right?" Nick interrupted. Dust nodded. "A small team. But yes."
Judy looked down at her half-eaten salad in thought. "So what are your plans since the flowers are being taken out of the picture?" She asked.
Dust shrugged. "To be honest, we hadn't gotten that far. We only just started recently. But I'd imagine we need to continue trying to stay low and keep tabs on this group. If we can find the main leaders and get enough dirt on them, we can hand in all the evidence to the police, let things go from there."
"And what about you and your team when that happens? You know we can't just let you guys walk off," Nick said. Dust gave a nod, his expression turning grim as he looked back out the window.
"So far, you only have evidence of me doing anything 'illegal,'" he said. "And if I keep it that way, you have nothing on the rest. I can rot, they shouldn't have to."
Judy and Nick silently frowned, the fox letting an ear flick. Judy noticed it and gave him a small, concerned bump with her shoulder. He looked down at her with a set of curious green eyes, lips drawn in a small smile as he conveyed a mask that said "I'm fine" to any mammal.
Well, almost any mammal. Judy knew better, and she studied him closely. Nick was not flawless with his masks, and Judy had been around him enough to know his tells. His eyes glazing over to hide emotion, or the base of his ears straining to lean backwards, but the fox forcing them to remain upright. Those same tells were what Judy had just found upon her partner's expression.
Judy frowned, and Nick noted this. He gave a soft sigh and turned away, shaking his head. "We'll talk later, Carrots," he muttered, before turning his attention to Dust, who was silently eating his meal. It unclear if he had noticed the interaction or not.
"Why did it take so long to get the Night Howlers off the shelves?" he asked suddenly, making both hers and Nick's ears perk up a bit.
"After the Night Howler crisis, very few stores were able to get them. All the rest were just holding onto what they had before everything went down," Nick explained. "Since we had an antidote, there didn't seem to be a reason to just take them off the shelves. But since those were the only things being stolen from the shops, they're being put on a sort of recall until further notice." Dust nodded and took a drink from his glass, setting it down with more care this time.
"At least something is being done to get them out of their paws. Thank you," he said. "But I need to know something. I don't know if you can tell me or not, but I should at least ask." Nick nodded and Judy silently sat beside him, head tilted slightly.
"Shoot," her partner said.
"What is the likelihood that the ZPD can get involved? Undercover officers, something, anything?"
Judy bit her lip as she thought the question over. It wasn't so much that they couldn't answer – though she wasn't sure they could tell him either way – so much as they didn't know if they would have enough information to warrant such an investigation.
"That... I don't know," she finally said, looking at Nick, who shrugged. "I don't think there's enough concrete evidence to warrant that. If there was something more solid, I'm sure it'd be an option."
Dust looked down at his nearly empty plate with a frown. "I was worried about that," he said. "I don't have solid evidence on them, either. Just what I've seen. But I know where to get it."
"Oh, do tell," Nick said, pushing his plate to the center of the table and resting his arms on it as he leaned forward. Judy laced her fingers together and looked at Dust expectantly, making him rub the back of his neck.
"I told you Esmerelda was supposedly dating the CEO of Brightwater Industries," he said. "Sometimes she comes up to his office. If we can get footage of them and what they're doing up there, it could either connect him to the group, or show that he's in the dark. If he's in the dark, we can get him to get her to spill the secrets, record it."
"And if he's a member?" Nick asked.
Dust sighed. "Then the odds are stacked against us even more. That would mean that the leader of the main security organization in Zootopia, who has some influence in everything ranging from city hall to this diner, is against us. We'd have to cover our tracks more, if we even could."
Judy took in a sharp breath, frowning heavily. Brightwater Industries was a recent company that had made significant advancements within the technological world. From smartphones to security cameras to street lights, the company had been somewhere at the head of many recent technological advancements. An electric or hydroelectric car? The name was plastered somewhere on the engine. A new phone in your pocket? You can bet the name was somewhere on the inside.
The company had taken a hit when the founders had passed away, leaving their son as the CEO, but his leadership was shortlived, and he had been found dead in his apartment months later – a combination of medicine and alcohol was to blame. Since then, a new founder had risen up to take his place, and arctic fox named Viggo Capeli. A suave businessmammal of extravagant taste, but a down-to-earth and realistic mind, and of reputable heritage, even for a fox – in the public's eyes. To have this company up against the ZPD or even worse, Dust and his team, would spell disaster, simply due to their reach and resources.
"Then let's hope he's just in the dark on everything," Judy said hopefully.
"Please. Murphy is my shadow," Dust said skeptically, after a dry laugh.
"Clearly not, if you're still kicking," Nick said. Dust gave another laugh and shook his head, picking up his glass and looking out the window, his gaze now somber as he fell silent.
"Yeah, well," he said before taking a drink. "Sometimes things happen we can't anticipate."
A heavy silence sat between the group as Nick and Judy tried to interpret Dust's words. Upon finding the right ones, Judy opened her mouth to talk, before Dust looked her way and cut her off. "Come on, you guys should get back on patrol. I'm getting the bill." With that, he stood up and began walking to the counter, reaching into a pocket to pull out his wallet.
Judy looked at Nick, who was staring after the fox with a concerned look. "He's hiding something," the fox said. Judy nodded, looking down at her empty plate. "But what?" she asked, before shaking her head. "One thing at a time, we can ask him later. We need to get his number before he goes," she said, Nick nodding.
"Maybe where he's staying, too. It could be useful, in case something happens." Nick's voice grew softer as Dust turned around and started walking back to the two, holding up a receipt.
"We're good to go," he said, pocketing it and leaving three dollar bills on the table. Judy and Nick slid from their side of the booth, the rabbit brushing off her uniform as Nick stuffed his paws into his pockets.
"Before we go, we have a request to make," Judy said. Dust raised an eyebrow, but didn't change his generally aloof expression. "We need a way to stay in touch," she continued, holding up her pen and notepad. Dust stared at her for a minute, before sighing and muttering "In the car." She gave a satisfied nod and began walking to the exit, looking at the other patrons as she went. They passed by some familiar faces, and a few newcomers she hadn't seen before. A hare and rabbit were sat by the entrance that she didn't recognize, as well as a lion and a cheetah in one far corner. Dust seemed on edge as he followed the officers out, drawing up his hood the moment they stepped outside. The rain had dissipated to a light sprinkle, rays of sunlight breaking through the off-white clouds.
"Alright," Judy said once they reached the cruiser. "Number, before you get your pack."
Dust groaned, and slowly began to recite it under his breath as Judy scrawled it onto the paper.
óÓÒò ~
The air smelled heavily of cherry cigar smoke, thin trails of the source wafting through the air of the dimly lit room. To her left, stood the tall, brown wolf. He stood at attention, entirely still, eyes facing forward. On her right, stood Max, the cheetah standing up straight but with his tail flicking nervously as he kept himself from twitching. Esmerelda kept her eyes straight forward, straining to keep her tail from mirroring Max's.
"You mean to tell me you missed the shot," a quiet, yet gruff voice from them sounded. The ocelot took a nervous breath, before nodding and letting out a shaky "Yes, sir." More smoke was blown their way, making Max cough. "And how did this happen?" The voice sounded again.
"The fox..." The ocelot started, before taking a breath. "The fox moved from the shot at the last instant. It hit his side, but it wasn't a direct hit."
"Mhm. And you took the best possible shot?" the voice asked.
"We had one lined up until a police officer walked on the street," Esmerelda said. When met with silence, she continued. "We had the idea to hit both the officer and the fox, finding it advantageous to the operation. Somehow, he knew to turn and move him and the officer from the shot."
"You only shot once?"
"Twice, sir. The second was a shot through smoke, but I know it hit something."
More silence, followed by the faint sound of the cigar being dug into an ash tray, the ocelot's faded green eyes following the white paw as it reached from the darkness. Her chest felt heavy, and her paws twitched. Normally, in her times of stress, she would have the option to strip and clean her rifle. But here, in front of their boss, she had nothing to ease her mind. Any number of things could happen due to this failure – a broken leg, maybe. Or a simple bullet to the head. Real or rubber, either one.
"You had one job today," the voice sounded, a second paw joining the first as the fingers connected and the paws rested on the desk. "Kill the fox. And you failed. While I applaud your forward thinking, this was a simple task. Three of you failed me today. Give me one reason as to why I should let you three walk from this room."
A cold silence filled the room. Max looked about ready to bolt, and the wolf to Esmerelda's left was looking a bit nervous now. After a full minute of waiting, there was a sharp intake of breath. "It's a very good thing for you three I already had a different set of missions for you three, ones I can only give you three because no one else is even remotely competent enough. All the necessary information and paperwork has been provided to you in these folders. Max, you are to infiltrate the ZPD in Savannah Central. The florist shops there have the most supplies of Night Howlers, and we need them."
A manilla folder was pushed across the desk, coming to a stop before the cheetah. A second was pushed to the wolf on her left.
"Lesnitsky. You infiltrate Downtown SWAT. The fox lives somewhere in that area and if we can, we need a reason to target him once we find where he lives."
Finally, a third folder was pushed towards Esmerelda. "Lastly, Es. Yours is the most simple of all. Oversee the retrieval of the science equipment and prototype serum we need. It's being stored in Tundratown, and moved to a more secure building under our control. This is the most imperative mission."
The three nodded and slowly reached for their respective folders, silently going over the contents. For Esmerelda, hers gave details on who was going to move what, where, when, layouts of the areas they would be in, and other information.
"This is your only other chance to prove yourselves. If you cannot succeed in these missions, do not return. You will have no place in the new world we are creating. Dismissed."
In silence, the three bowed, turned, and walked straight out the door, into the darkened concrete hallway beyond. Esmerelda sighed in relief, but then let her gaze sharpen in determination. She refused to fail another mission.
~ óÓÒò ~
"Let me get this straight," Chief Bogo said, his eyes cold enough to freeze the Sahara Square heaters. "That you had the fox in your cruiser, and you let him go?"
It was all Judy and Nick could do to avoid running and hiding beneath the massive chair. A creak from the heavy wooden desk beneath them voiced exactly how angry the cape buffalo was. "W-Well," Nick started, leaning back with wide eyes as a glare from the Chief silenced him.
"You two had an assailant in your vehicle, able to be cuffed and brought in for questioning, able to put this case to rest, and you let him go? How do you explain that?" He said, his voice rising into nearly a roar.
Nick and Judy sat in silence, the smaller officer barely able to prevent herself from hiding behind the larger one, the instinct screaming at her. "Sir," Nick started again, taking a moment to gain control of his voice. "We had no evidence at that time to warrant us bringing him in for interrogation. He was taking a walk through the apartment area to get home and, upon a search he permitted, we found nothing that would link him to the vigilante. The assassin that fired seemed to be aimed at Officer Hopps and, were it not for him, she likely would have been hit. We could be down an officer and have no leads on the assailant. So yes, sir, we let him go. In light of what had happened, it seemed to be the only acceptable course of action."
The Chief stared down at the fox and rabbit in dead silence, before sitting back in his chair. A moment passed before he began sifting through a small stack of folders on his desk. "According to our tech team, there was a black smoke being used as cover for Officer Hopps and our 'friend' as cover for the cruiser. How would you explain this?"
Nick's ears pressed against his head. Neither of them had expected the cameras by them to still be watched by the team.
"There was a can of black spray paint by the steps," Judy said, shaking the nervous tone from her voice. She knew it was a poor lie, but it was all she could think of. "We broke off the top and used the spray as cover."
Chief Bogo stared down at the two before him, eyes narrowing. "And yet there is a distinct lack of paint on you and your uniform, Hopps."
Cheese and crackers. She thought. Nick came to her rescue, however.
"It was raining, sir. It wouldn't surprise me if any of the droplets of paint got wiped away by it as they got inside." Judy looked up at her partner, noticing his set face, having a determined expression as he stared defiantly back at their boss.
A lengthy silence ensued, broken by the buffalo's grunt of irritation. "You two are dismissed, for today and tomorrow. You will be given a new assignment upon your return, related to the current case. Until then, I don't want to see hide nor tail of you two in here." With a silent nod, the two officers slid from the seat and made for the door, freezing as the chief spoke again.
"One more thing. If either of you lie to me like this again, there will be severe consequences. The only reason you are getting away with this is because of what happened at the apartments. The next time you have that fox, you bring him in, or you're fired. Understood?"
With a gulp, the two nodded.
"Good. Dismissed."