Hi everybody.
New chapter in record time for me...I hope you like it
As usual many thanks to Scottishvalhalla for his editing support and to a very special person who always support and help me.
Even if he's so far away.
A cold gush of wind ruffled Bogo's fur in that late night, or early morning depending on who you asked, his shadow a long creepy black figure in the empty dark alleyways "Tsk, this is absurd" he exclaimed turning the collar of his black jacket up, feeling utterly ridiculous in the civilian outfit he was forced to wear for his nocturnal rendez-vous.
"Try not to be obvious, dress up to blend in the dark he said...bullshit" he spit out with venom.
Why all this secrecy however? Down the streets and in the offices, there wasn't anybody for Christ's sake...there was no reason to play dress up like a rookie during his first late stake, and beside that, It wasn't easy, for a male of his height and size slip so easily through the cracks.
Right now, he was quite certain to give the impression of a drug dealer or something equally unpleasant.
Hopefully, his apparently never-ending road to Calvary was coming to an end because just around the corner and, thoroughly encircled by the soft moonlight, stood the Zootopian town hall in all its glory.
He picked up the pace and in no more than a couple of minutes he was in front of the huge glass revolving door that, as agreed with the mayor himself, was unlocked and operational, still it was strange not seeing the lovely cute receptionist behind the fancy wooden desk greeting him with her usual sweet smile.
The horned chief of police walked down the darkened halls, not that he needed lights to navigate the place since he knew the building like he knew his name, but he had to admit that everything looked way too grim-esque for his taste.
Again, in line with Lionheart's instruction they were supposed to meet in the mayor's office and indeed three doors down he could see a little glimmer of light seeping out from the seals of what he knew was the upscale Lion's workplace.
Bogo knocked once and he was immediately greeted by the deep baritone voice of the mammal waiting for him "Come in Austin"
"Good...morning Mayor Lionheart, I hope I am not late"
"On the contrary, you are perfectly on time, but don't stand there come, come..." he said getting closer to grab his muscular bicep and pushing him towards his ebony desk on which was opened a silver and gold desktop with the black screen on stand-by mode.
The bright colorful inscription he choose as a save screen rocked quickly from one side to another showing the original motto of the current zootopian provost "Try to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time and everything will be alright"
"Still fifteen minutes before the most important call of your career my friend" the big lion winked patting Bogo's massive shoulder once amicably.
"Ahem...yeah...I mean that's good" the buffalo said taking his jacket off slightly embarrassed.
"Nervous?" the mayor inquired gently pointing to a sitting spot in front of the opened portable monitor
"Not really...no..." he pondered sitting on the huge swivel chair he was offered "I'm just curious to know whatever Intelligence needed us for"
"I don't know either Austin, I wasn't told many details...but let me tell you something...If I were you I wouldn't expect much from this call" he warned taking the other seat next to him.
Bogo nodded "Still it's not every day police officers get a call from such an important institution, I consider that to be a real honor"
"It sure is but...be careful my friend...their methods could be a little different from what we are used to...you'd better be prepared since it will probably be prompted for total control and complete independence"
"There's no way I'm leaving my guys alone with strangers, special agents or not"
"Austin...these are not...I mean...if you show no respect for their authority you might...reap the whirlwind" he said cautiously.
"Be as it may, my officers are under my responsibility" he insisted stubbornly "I will not be put on hold mayor, no flex on this one...and besides..." but the classic ringtone of an upcoming video call interrupted his statement of reason, as preposterous as it was.
"This is it, please Austin, try to restrain yourself in front of our guests, it's in your best interest" the upset mayor admonished before pressing the accept the green shaped like a receiver button.
As soon as connection was made, on the screen appeared a huge muzzle of an unknown mammal, he was a male, a brown bear dressed in a very elegant, and seemingly very expensive, blue suit, his deep black eyes scanned with great attention the other two mammals in the room thousands of miles away before clearing his throat delicately once "Good evening gentlemammals" he said with a deep gravelly voice and an unusual foreign accent.
"Good evening...sir, I'm Leodore Lionheart, mayor of Zootopia"
"Mayor Lionheart, it's a great pleasure to finally make your acquaintance in person" he answered with a little bow of his head "Special agent Matteo Montagna, first in command of the Itailian department of intelligence at your service"
His words were clear but slow and a little hesitant, it was obvious he wasn't accustomed to speaking in this language, still, despite the evident struggle, he was calm and collected and, simultaneously, inspired an enormous admiration.
"Likewise Sir" Lionheart said politely in the same slowly fashion of the stranger "Please let me introduce you Austin Bogo, chief of ZPD, Zootopia Police Department first precinct, the heart of our city so to speak"
Prying dark eyes turned to look at the buffalo with little to no interest for a couple of second "It's a real pleasure Chief Bogo" he said eventually with another almost non existent tilt of his muzzle, though it was much more essential.
"For me too Agent Montagna" he said wrongly pronouncing the name and feeling a slight irritation
at being addressed so coldly by the stranger bear.
"I apologize for the late hour sirs"
"It's no problem"
"Yeah, it's alright" confirmed the horned chief too "I beg your pardon Agent Montagna but, if you don't mind, I would like to know the reason why you called both of us here" he demanded completely missing the warning gaze the mayor gave him.
Not caring at all by the demanding tone of the boorish buffalo Matteo just nodded his furry head once in acceptance "Legitimate request Chief...however you all understand that I can't get into details under these circumstances" he motioned to the frame of the screen with his paws "How do you say it...oh yes...walls have ears too" then, with enviable composure and surgical precision he grabbed a considerable file case and, taking extra care to ensure that everything was kept carefully out of sight from the camera, he read directly from the data it contained "We've been tracking a criminal for seven years but one way or the other he's constantly managed to evade us" he said seriously "Finally two years ago we successfully managed to infiltrate an agent to further gather information."
"What position is he in?"
"He's in a very risky situation..." Matteo answered evasively "...and unfortunately he's not in a very important role to get very closer to our Sosco, but he gathered some useful specifics about his M.O. and his...particular tastes"
"What are the accusations?"
Without even lifting his eyes from the papers he was flipping through the bear enumerate emotionless "Drug and illegal weapons dealing, murders, torture, mammal trafficking, prostitution, rape, violent attacks, maiming, shakedown, extortion, loan sharking"
The two stunned mammals stared agape at the stoic face of the Itailian agent as he voiced the long list of horrible crimes, so much for being committed by just a single mammal.
Bogo answered with a low and long whistle "And still you have nothing to get him in the slammer?"
"I beg your pardon Chief?" Matteo asked frowning "I'm afraid I didn't understand the last part of what you said"
"Nothing to get him arrested?" Bogo rephrased
"No" he answered "We only have certain evidence for minor offences that, with a good lawyer, he's looking at no more than five years of jail or getting bailed out"
"How it's possible? With such a long track record of crime he must have done some wrong move"
"If he had it wouldn't be our case" the big bear stated calmly "He's clever, he always make sure not to be directly involved by using intermediaries, but we know beyond reasonable doubt that he's the principal...and the executioner"
"How did you know that?"
"That, my dear Chief, is classified information" he said sternly shutting loudly the case folder leaving no room for retort.
"Wait a minute..."
"We are not interested in what we already have...Chief..Bogo, we want an immediate end to his life of crime and for that we need to get compelling evidence for the maximum sentence we can get, all his victims deserved that much."
"Then why don't you arrest him for the evidence you already have? That way you will stop him enough to..."
"As I already said...all of this is top secret Chief...suffice it to say that there are reasons why we decided to not intervene"
It was clear that neither of the two mammals had any intention to give the other the win and the poor mayor tried awkwardly to hit the core issue "Ahem...Agent Montagna may I ask you, now, what kind of help do you need from us?"
"Our C.O. found about that our Sosco is moving to your city in order to provide fresh meat for his empire and It's our intention to infiltrate two more of our own agents in a more direct context" he paused betraying a bit of anxiety for the first time since they begin the call "They will be very close to him and because of that it will be an extremely dangerous mission...we can't afford the slightest mistake"
"So you need us to provide support?"
"Yes" Matteo confirmed genuinely surprised by the quick understanding of the buffalo "According to our leak he's moving in two months time, on such short notice there will be no time to accordingly train an appropriate back up team, so we thought that a small number of already expert officers could..."
"I already have the right mammals for your mission" Bogo said very smugly
"Chief, I do really appreciate your suggestion, but you will surely understand that this type of situations required a very cautious approach"
"What do you mean by that?" Bogo said defiantly, his patience and politeness getting thinner by the minute
Matteo looked at him directly in the eyes not showing the slight trace of fear or subjection That it will be my second in command to personally select the most appropriate team taking account only on actual capability and not of any kind of nepotism"
The tone was kind but it was final and everybody in the room understood it.
"WHAT?" the super enraged buffalo exclaimed standing up from his chair pointing an accusatory hoof towards the impassible bear "HOW DARE YOU DOUBT MY OFFICER'S INTEGRITY?" he shouted dropping completely the calm and slow cadence he used for courtesy until now.
"I'm not" Matteo answered not one bit fazed "I'm doubting yours"
Bogo was speechless, the nerve of that pretentious second-rate itailian agent pretending to indulge himself on groundless assessments on his boys...oh well if it was trouble he was looking for he would have to indulge him.
"You..." he begun, but the strong voice of the majestic lion at his side nipped whatever he was going to say in the bud "Austin...that's enough" he said with a deadly glance at the perky buffalo gesturing for him to sit and shut up "Agent Montagna...I profusely apologize for Chief Bogo's behavior, but his impartiality is prone to disappear when it comes to his officers, even when there is absolutely no reason to"
"No harm, no foul mayor" he guaranteed "That's very commendable of you chief Bogo" he said turning towards the upset buffalo "But rest assured it wasn't my intention to offend you or any of your officers. The lives of a lot of mammals depend from this mission, included the one of my lifelong friend. We... I can't afford to play the odds"
"We understand" Lionheart answered
"Now...I was promised assistance...can I still hold you to that?"
"Of course...right Chief?"
"Sure"
"Very well, in a couple of weeks at most, Agent Fiore and Agent Foresta will land with a private flight at your airport, there will be no need for a security detail, I will send you a fax with all that is required for their stay. Agent Foresta is my second in command and, as established, he will take care of the selection and training of the chosen officers, please do not worry Chief Bogo..." he said gazing at the gloomy horned mammal "...all of them will have new identities and looks, they will be perfectly safe not even their mother would be able to recognize them, moreover I will personally make sure you will be present at every step even if no intermission will be allowed. Special agent Montagna over and out"
Matteo closed the video call and looked for an instant at the freeze frame of the two different mammals before the screen turned black once more, he turned the chair and, leaning towards the fax where he expertly inserted a couple of thick filled out papers.
While waiting for the sheets to be scanned he smirked.
That pretentious buffalo chief wanted to play the big mammal with him? Well he almost felt sorry for the braggy vegetarian, but he was so used dealing with maniacs and psychopathic killers that in comparison the horned asshole was just like a newborn kit…or in this case calf.
He shook his head half amused half disappointed and lifted his considerable girth from the reinforced custom-made chair directing himself with absolutely no rush to the door of the flawless conference room.
It was almost eight in the morning and in half an hour the now empty hallways of the H.Q. would be full of busy mammals, and just the thought was enough to make him huffing annoyed.
Matteo hated loud noises and confusion, luckily for him at that early time of the day the only sound he could hear was the sweet slow music of a piano in the distance and this meant but one thing, Alessandro was already fully operational probably just relaxing a bit before shutting himself and the whole crew in that stuffed workstation in the secret basement.
Together with his macabre collection of evidence pics on the wall.
Sometimes Matteo wondered if the young fella ever goes to sleep.
In slow deliberate steps he walked over to the small room that his albino friend claimed as his own personal space, he had it all done with some simple but practical furniture, and the brown bear knew that most likely he spend all his brief sleepless nights in there.
After all who, in their right mind would have liked to live in an empty apartment full of nightmares and monster of the past? One needs only to think that he'd rather spend his days and nights in the company of said creepy macabre imagery
Gently, so he didn't bother his concentration, he opened the door just a tiny bit and, as predicted, Alessandro was there with the other love of his life, his beloved Yaxmaha P-125B.
And his indisputable talent for music.
As usual here was no trace of any sheet music, it was clear that he was playing by heart and, not for the first time, Teo wondered why he decided to pursue a career in criminology when he could easily have become one of the best musicians on the planet.
Well...he knows the reason behind the decision but still…
"Come on in Teo, don't stay peering behind the door... it's spooky"
"I am spooky?!" Teo said entering the small chamber immediately dwarfing whatever was inside "Said the mammal who had a collection of images worthy of a horror museum"
Alessandro smirked unseen while his fingers continued the sweet melody "So...how did it go?"
"How do you think it went over? You'll have all the support you needed..." the big bear said matter-of-factly sitting on the love seat that with him on resembled more like an armchair.
"...but?"
"How do you know there is a but?"
"Teo we've known each other for how long? I know all your expressions and tones of voice, and the one you used now means trouble...so what happened?"
Teo sighed, Alessandro was way too good in this job...and without even need to turn around...sometimes he was glad the cougar wasn't his enemy "That chief...Bogo...he will surely put up a stiff fight"
"Mmhm"
"Al...I have a really bad vibe about this"
"You worry too much Teo" he said quietly as his furry fingers gracefully flew over the keys of his keyboard
"And you don't worry enough Al...do you realize how many things can fuck this up? Just a single oversight and it's over"
Alessandro remained silent for a little while, he knew that his friend was only worried for him and his safety and he learned a long time ago that when something like that happens all he had to do was give the bear a chance to let his anger go.
"That bad uh?!" he said unmoved
"Bad?! He's an asshole...aspeciest and sexist bastard...my boys here...my boys there...tsk...I'll bet you won't find even a female working for that overblown hotshot...and if by chance you do they will probably be a mix between Hercules and Maciste after a sever dose of steroids"
"Mmhmm"
"Wait...you...you knew that right? You knew it all along this was going to happen...that's why you sent me over" Teo said pointing an accusatory finger against the back of his emotionless friend.
"Not really Teo...I just had some suspect...you can call it sixth sense if you want" he said non-committally while continuing to play his beautiful melody.
"Sixth sense my ass...say the truth, you obviously enjoy putting me in awkward situations, right?"
"I admit...it's my only joy in life" the albino said with mirth.
"Ok...I'll tell you what Alessandro FUCK OFF...FUCK OFF YOU...FUCK OFF VANESSA...FUCK OFF YOUR STUPID DANGEROUS IDEAS...FUCK OFF EVERYTHING" he shouted in range clutching the armrests of the couch and twisting them with extraordinary strength "JUST DON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN I WON'T BRING ANY FLOWERS ON YOUR TOMBSTONE...you stupid...stupid...stubborn jerk"
"Ouch...that hurts Teo..."
"If I could I would do a lot worse"
"For example?" he asked cheekily knowing that it was the fastest way to calm his friend down
"Well, I could start by open up your skull to beat some sense in that stupid brain of yours" Teo said hardly hiding a smile.
"A wasted effort my friend...there is nothing valuable in here" he said tapping his head once
"Yeah...no kidding" they both laughed at their silly jokes
"You know I'm not good with...interpersonal relationships...and furthermore...diplomacy is not my best trait...I could've fucked it all up before starting"
"I cannot argue with that" Teo sighed defeated "There is nothing I can do to make you change your mind?"
"Nooooope"
"At least...can you reconsider Vanessa's role? That's all I ask you"
Suddenly, the heavenly romantic melody Alessandro was playing until that moment, turned into a cacophony of graceless notes when he rudely smashed both his paws on the white keys "Teo" he said menacingly "I know that between you and Va there's always been bad blood...but that doesn't give you the right to question her proficiency"
"The only thing I question is her objectivity and overconfidence...particularly when you are involved"
"She knew how to get the job done"
"Way to much Al"
"What does that mean?!"
"That she might think she can go solo"
"Teo...she would never do that"
"She would"
"And to what end?" he chuckled
"To impress...someone Alessandro"
The white cougar hissed pretending to be scared "Ooops, when you use my full name it means that I've been a naughty kit"
"Yes, keep joking around...but let me warn you Al...when all will fall really to shit don't you dare cry on my shoulder" Matteo said upset.
The truth was that he was very worried, how can a mammal be one of the smartest guy he knows and at the same time...the dumbest one? It was as if he had a bag on his head, he agreed that Vanessa was a great agent, but her biggest flaw was that she believed herself to be infallible and indispensable...not a very appropriate attitude in certain delicate circumstance where teamwork was of the utmost importance.
Her two years long unrequited crush on Alessandro wasn't helping either.
"It's an order boss?"
"Al..."
"IT'S AN ORDER?"
"No"
"Mn"
"Al, listen I'm just worried for you it's..."
"I've never let you down before Teo and I have no intention to start now" the despondent white furred mammal interjected "I only ask you to trust me once more"
"..."
"Do you still trust me Matteo?"
"Oh wow, full name for me too...am I been a naughty Teddy bear?" he laughed but it was clearly forced and it stopped immediately when two fiery red eyes looked at him as if pleading for an answer
"Don't look at me like that...White devil…"
"Oh man...you still remember that ridiculous nickname they gave me back in college?"
"I always thought it suited you"
Alessandro shook his head amused to the memory "You still haven't answered me"
"You know I trust you with my life but..."
"Then please...just keep doing it...I promised we'll make it...and when everything will be over, we'll take a long vacation and get the worst hangover of your life" Alessandro said fondly resulting in a ghost of a smile on his friend's muzzle "You can be assured I'll make you throw up for at least one week"
Finally, Teo smiled "Don't try and get out of this so easily pal...I'm not that cheap, and I'm still very very upset with you" he said winking
"Ok, ok" the cougar sighed sitting again in front of his keyboard snapping his knuckles "Which one?"
"You know the one that always get to me"
"Urgh!" he groaned in disgust "Let me say that your tastes in music leave a great deal to be desired Teo"
"Meh! Shut up and start playing Master" Teo said relaxing his posture and leaning his head on his folded arms
"Yessir" and in no time his nimble fingers danced on the ivories of his beloved musical instrument producing the vibrant and cheerful melody of Matteo's favorite classical piece 'Spring' from Ant N. Vivaldi...albeit with a little personal touch of the current piano player,
There was still so much to do and so little time...and, in all likelihood, 24 hours a day would not have been sufficient to do all, but even so Teo thought that for ten minutes he could run the risk
After all he could easily worry about it later.