APL Uber
Review Responses
1-1 Marines-I do love writing action. Agreed that some many would react to the news broadcast with 'What the hell did I just see?' I didn't want Nick and Judy to jump from enemies to buddies too quickly, all things considered, so it's good to hear that came through well. Seems Tavi found the one scenario where head trauma is actually a good thing. Don't give up on Judy just yet, they've still got the ride to APL base.
Just a Crazy-Man-Thank you
Agent007.1-Thanks for your kind words, and no worries if you don't review every chapter. Hopefully there will only be one, maybe two, more rehash chapters.
Ahsokafanboy1138-You're not wrong, there were two polar bears with those names, but, according to the Disney Wiki, the polar bear officer in Precinct 1 is called Officer Snarlov, and the one that carried Mr. Big around was named Koslov, that's what I was going off. I thought about giving them Russian accents, but was worried it'd make scenes that were supposed to be serious just kinda corny if I didn't do it right. Eh, I thought the Rikki Tikki Tavi cartoon was okay, it's actually one of several obscure cartoons and characters I've looked up.
#*#*#
Bagheera awoke as if from a daze, his vision blurred and his head pounding horribly. The panther had no idea where he was, what had happened, or how he'd ended up with the worst hangover of his life. As his senses returned, the officer became aware of a pain in his left hind leg. Bagheera was shocked to find the bloody laceration he'd somehow sustained, as well as the fact that his other hind leg was zipcuffed to a pole.
As bad as the panther's situation was, the sound of someone fast approaching informing him that it was about to get much, much worse. Bagheera looked down the aisle of what he now recognized as a subway car to see three hyena Regulators approaching with weapons drawn.
"Lieutenant General Bagheera Kipling," the female corporal leading the team announced, "You're under arrest for multiple counts of Assault and Attempted Murder."
#*#*#
Nick grunted as his hand paws here forced behind his back and bound with duck tape. The one that seemed to be in charge was a large, dark grey warthog. His right eye was blind with scars over and around it, and more scars trailing down his foreleg. He carried himself like a cop. Nick could tell that he was a former Razorback*. So were at least two other warthogs Nick could see, one of whom was wearing an unbuttoned Militia jacket.
The reynard lieutenant was nervous, but refused to show it as the APL fighters rifled through his and Judy's pockets, confiscating anything they found. Nick felt a chill run down his spine when one of the former Razorbacks pulled the device Toulouse had given him (his last means of calling for help, now that his radio had been destroyed), from his pocket and examined it curiously, "Hey, what the hell is this?"
"Dunno, but we'll get this li'l chomper to tell us," the leader answered, taking the locator. The dark grey warthog then turned to Judy, "Yer one of Bogo's lackeys, ain't'cha?"
The surprised rabbit nodded.
"I knew him back when he was Sergeant Bogo of the ZPD," the scarred warthog explained, "I'm sure you'll catch me up on what my old buddy's been up to."
"No chance." Judy sneered, quickly regaining her composure.
"We'll see, fuzzy bunny, we'll see," the APL commander smirked, "Load 'em up, boys."
The warthog's minions seized Nick and Judy roughly and threw them into the trunk of a car build for mid-sized mammals. Just before the lid was slammed shut, Nick saw the grey warthog turn to someone.
A sheep? No, no it can't be.
*An elite branch of the Prey Regime police force that specialized in the apprehension of predators considered to be 'High Level Threats'. One beat officer was quoted as saying of the Razorbacks, "They shoot first and then they answer the questions."
#*#*#
Justin Wilde sat in his quarters, vaguely listening to jazz from his phone and looking over a memo regarding the Militia Air Corps' intention to faze out the Phantom II, pending the results of trials with the MiG-29 and F-15. The fighter pilot sighed at the news, glance out his window at the hanger where his own Phantom, affectionately dubbed Trixie, was stored. "It's okay, old girl, I still love you."
The pilot lightly tossed the memo aside and picked up this phone. Justin silenced his music and brought up Ewetube, wondering if he was in the mood for a few lolcat videos or maybe look up a few movie trailers. The vulpine flyer's attention was drawn to one of the videos in the Recommended section titled 'Panther goes apeshit.'
Intrigued, Justin pulled the video up and was treated to the same footage that had shocked and horrified his cousin, aunt, and uncle barely an hour before.
Mere minutes after the video ended, Justin got a call from his uncle.
#*#*#
Plunged into near darkness, Nick glanced around to see if there was anything he could use to his advantage. He glanced at his companion, eliciting a surprised yell from the rabbit. After a moment of confusion, he realized it was because of his glowing eyes. Finding nothing, a defeated Nick leaned back against the side of the trunk.
"So, Lieutenant," Judy attempted to say conversationally, "you got a first name?"
Even though she probably couldn't see it, Nick gave Judy an incredulous look. "Really, you want to chat?"
"Not much else to do." Judy shrugged.
"...Nick."
Several long, awkward seconds passed. Finally Judy spoke again. "Soooo...why the red uniform? Doesn't exactly help you blend in."
Nick glanced down at his red fatigues, now much more worn then they ought to of been after only a few days. Remembering his lessons from the MYC, Nick turned to Judy and explained. "When word got out that a lion with a red mane was fighting back against the prey, other groups started to form and rise up. They would wear red as a show of solidarity. Head bands, shirts, scarves, whatever, as long as it was red. The color red came to symbolize unity and hope among predators."
"Hope, unity," Judy repeated, "That's not what I think about when I see a mammal in red. Probably not many other prey either."
"You were just a kit when the Revolution happened, weren't you?" Nick asked with a sigh, "Living on, I'm guessing your family's carrot farm. With cheap predator labor no doubt."
"We worked our land ourselves." Judy flatly corrected.
"Congrats, the point is; to you, the Militia ruined everything for all the nice prey instead of staying in their place like predators are supposed to, that about some it up?" Nick didn't wait for a response before he continued. "Well, I was a kit back then too, but for me the experience was a little different. The Militia told me that I should be proud to be a fox. Do you know who told me that before them? No one. My parents never said that to me, because no one had ever said it to them. School? Fucking forget it. The first time someone said I should be proud of my species was at my first Militia Youth Corps meeting."
"That so, I've had experience with the Youth Corps, too." Judy shot back, her ears folded back, "A couple of freshly minted MYC were picking on some friends of mine, and when I stood up to them, one clawed my face."
The rabbit's nose twitched and she took a breath before continuing. "That was the same day my grandfather was killed. A Militia lieutenant came to inform us that some of our land was being taken, and he shot a senile old rabbit for getting upset about it. That's the kind of mammals that run Mammalia today."
"The Militia didn't come out of nowhere, Carrots." Nick leaned back with a deep sigh, thinking back to his kithood, before and after the Revolution. "Try to imagine that you, your parents, and all your siblings have to wear a collar that will shock you if your heart rate rises too high for whatever reason; if you get angry, if you get too excited, if you're surprised. Now imagine having to live like that from age ten on up. Imagine the message that would send to you, how you'd be treated by the society making you wear that collar. Don't you think you'd get angry, bitter, maybe even a little psychotic? Wouldn't you try to do something about it if given the chance?"
"Yes, I would," Judy admitted, she then looked up, locking eyes with the fox, "But I would never let myself become like the mammals what put that collar around my neck."
"What are you talking about?" Nick asked, incredulous, "The Militia isn't like the Prey Regime."
"Aren't you?!" Judy demanded, "You may not have us in collars, yet, but segregation? Killing prey just for stepping out of line? Letting crazies with bats loose on city streets? The Militia wanted justice but settled for revenge, and for the last fifteen years, they've been acting like exactly the kind of vicious savages Swinton always said they were. And that includes you, Lieutenant."
The ride was mostly silent after that.
#*#*#
Boris Koslov leaned back on his couch, his black uniform swapped out for a blue sweater and darker blue pants, his son, Morris, sitting beside him as the two watched the cub's favorite show. Koslov was about to ask just how the robots on screen were able to turn into vehicles when he heard a distinctive ringtone.
Surprised to get a call from his Regulator burner phone at home, Koslov picked it up, seeing 'Capt. Priderock' on CallerID, and answered, "Hello, Captain, what's this about?"
"Apologies for bothering you at home, Sergeant," Zira responded, "But we have a situation. We need you to detain and question Ms. Fabienne Growley immediately."
"What, why?" a surprised Koslov asked, getting Morris's attention.
"Haven't you seen the News?"
"Well, no, I've been-Hello? Hello?" Zira had hung up at the word 'no'. Seconds later, Koslov received a text with a link to a video. The polar bear gave his son a quick, reassuring smile and hit the link, turning the sound almost to mute and holding his phone close. The phone was ringing again almost as soon as the shocking footage had ended.
"I trust you now understand the situation." Zira calmly stated.
"Now wait, Ms. Growley had nothing to do with that," Koslov said, now seating fully upright, "She was just doing an assignment."
"Normally, I'd agree," the lioness captain replied, "But this coming right on the heels of that little 'mistake' with her last story, and her being on the Watch List on top of that? The situation requires attention. A capture team will be on paw to assist you at MNB Headquarters. Bring her in, question her, and we'll decide how to proceed based on your assessment. Am I clear, Sergeant?"
"You're clear, Captain."
"Excellent, I'll speak to you later, Sergeant." With that, the call was ended.
"Who was that, Papa?" Morris asked, looking up to his father.
Sergeant Koslov glanced down at his son, also noticing his wife, Olga, standing in the doorway to the living room with concern. He gestured toward the burner phone with an apologetic look to Olga, before turning back to Morris. "I'm sorry, son, but I have to go back to work. Record the rest of the show, we'll finish it when I get home."
#*#*#
Nick sat leaned against the edge of the trunk. The reynard militiamammal kept trying to think of a possible escape plan, but he couldn't quite shake Judy's outburst from his thoughts. Snap out of it, Nick, he thought, Like you said before, the world's not perfect. The prey don't have to wear torture devices at all times, they can get by if they just follow the damn rules...We're not like Swinton.
...We're not.
Just then, both mammals felt the vehicle slowing down. They were likely arriving at an APL safe house. Nick knew he had only one chance to get out of the situation alive. But he couldn't do it alone. Knowing they had only seconds, he turned to Judy and spoke quickly but quietly, "Listen, however we feel about each other, I think we can agree that these assholes are worse. Now, if I can get that gadget they took back, I can call in support. That's probably the only chance we've got. Will you help me?"
Judy wondered the question for a few precious moments. Finally, she turned to Nick and nodded. "What did you have in mind?"