Chapter 11: Duty

Judy remembered how Higgins once described her dress blues as 'untainted'. She only wore her formal uniform on a handful of occasions as an officer. She would dress up if she was invited to speak at graduation, for example, or during the parades in autumn. What Higgins meant was that she had not yet worn them during the funeral of a fellow officer. After hearing that, Judy looked at her dress blues hanging in her closet with a passing sense of dread.

As she sat in the medium-sized chair in the hospital waiting room, she could not stop thinking about her formal uniform. After strapping her tassels and stars on her shoulders, she would look in the mirror, and for the first time she would wish she was not in uniform. Instead of pride, she would spend the next several hours holding back tears. Showing too much emotion while in formal uniform was frowned upon, though sometimes it could not be helped.

Wolford was sitting next to her, his elbows on his knees and his leg bouncing up and down nervously. He looked down at the linoleum floor of the hospital waiting room, both furiously focused and distant at the same time. He had arrived shortly after Bogo did, along with one or two other officers that helped clear the crime scene.

Judy had arrived on the scene with just enough time to watch Fangmeyer get loaded into a large ambulance. The police tape blocking off the area seemed unnecessary because the neighborhood was so sparse that no crowd surfaced to observe the commotion. Judy was grateful for the privacy so she could focus on the work that needed to be done. They found bullet casings, the motorcycle, and a few strands of fur, but no sign of where Pumar had gone.

Agent Savage did show up eventually, though he did not stay long. He and agents Juarez and Brocktree spent more time focusing on Pumar's possible escape routes rather than what he had done to Fangmeyer. She caught his eye, for a moment, but he gave her space this time. She was unsure if it was out of respect, or because she had nothing to give him, either way it was a welcome break from his pestering.

It took hours into the night for them to clear the scene, and Judy was relentless at working with the CSI team. For the first time, though, she was not concerned with her performance as a cop. Instead, she focused on her job as a distraction from the inevitable trip to Zootopia General Hospital.

No more distractions now, just waiting. Endless waiting. The night dragged on as they sat in the waiting room silently. Wolford's leg continued to bounce nervously as he stared at the floor. Judy's mind rested on how Fangmeyer looked in the view of the camera with a half-dozen holes in her back. It all happened so fast, Judy could not believe what she had seen until she saw it all for herself.

"How much longer?" Wolford spoke up eventually. Judy sighed and shook her head solemnly.

"She's in surgery, Maxwell. Could be through the night," Judy guessed. Wolford resumed his quiet skulk and bouncing leg, staring at the ground impatiently.

Judy could not blame him for looking at the floor, because sitting across from them was a tall male tiger with a similar look of dread on his face. He seemed calmer than Wolford, but no less shaken by what happened. He was still in his work clothes, his tie pulled loose from his neck and his sleeves rolled up. She could only assume that this tiger was Fangmeyer's husband.

Judy looked up and noticed the chief leaning up against the wall by the door, silently pondering the events as well. This was not the first time he had gone through something like this, but Judy knew he and Fangmeyer went way back. How many friends has he buried, she thought?

"Excuse me," the tiger spoke up eventually. Judy lifted her gaze and met his sad expression. He ventured a polite smile as best he could. "Are you Officer Hopps?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Thomas Fangmeyer," he introduced himself. "Kanya mentioned you occasionally over the past few nights. Said you were a tenacious cop," he said, continuing to smile at her. Judy had to keep her lower lip from trembling as the bittersweet memory of her friend began to tug at her chest.

"I'm sure that she blamed me for being home late so often this week." Judy tried her best to smile back.

"Nothing of the sort," he assured her. "She has worked much later in the past. It's part of the job. The boys think she's a superhero, fighting crime at night from the tops of buildings and such."

"She is a superhero," Judy said confidently. "Though I can't say she flies from rooftop to rooftop."

"Hm," Thomas smiled. "The boys are fans of yours as well, did you know?"

"Fangme . . . Kanya mentioned that before, yes. I'm not as brave as their mother," she said sadly.

"Right now they're asleep at my sister's place," he explained. "They'd be tickled to meet you sometime. I would love to invite you over for dinner, under different circumstances."

His smile faded and he ventured a glance at the doors that led to the ER. Judy could not imagine the difficulty this poor tiger was facing. Should the worst happen, he would need to wake up his two boys and try to explain to them how their mother would not be returning. The thought alone brought Judy's lip to a mild tremble again.

"Hey," she said softly, regaining his attention. "If you ever need anything, if there is anything we can do to help, let me know."

He did not smile this time. He kept his features cold, pondering her words and folding his paws together over his knees. His eyes drifted aimlessly at the floor as he considered her offer. Finally, he found her gaze again and tightened his lips.

"You can catch the guy who did this to my wife," he said softly. Judy's expression darkened as she gave him a hard look, taking his request more seriously than anything she had ever been charged with. When she joined the force, she made a vow to serve and protect the public, and she promised her parents that she would make them proud. But this duty was far and away the most important she ever took on.

"I will," she promised. He nodded lightly, silently expressing his gratitude. He did not look like the vengeful type to Judy. But no matter what happened with Fangmeyer, this tiger deserved justice.

Judy caught Chief Bogo looking at her sternly from down the hall. His gaze conveyed a reminder not to make promises that she could not keep. But there was no need to worry. Judy would keep this promise if it was the last thing she did.

Judy rose to her feet and made her way down the hallway to join the chief. She leaned against the wall next to where he was standing and they stood quietly for a moment. The chief did not even acknowledge her presence for a while. Her thoughts began to drift back to Fangmeyer.

"This was supposed to be me," she pondered. She was so absent-minded that when the chief responded, she was startled a little. She did not even realize she had spoken her last thought out loud.

"You don't know that," he tried to reassure her.

"Chief, I spoke with him," she explained. "I was on the phone with Fangmeyer when I saw it happen. He picked up her phone and told me it was supposed to be me."

Chief Bogo pondered her statement for a moment and resumed his stale gaze at the wall opposite them.

"If that's the case," he said, "then it's the reason Fangmeyer has any hope at all." Judy looked up at him, her ears drooping over her shoulders with a passive confusion on her face. "The rounds he used were small caliber. Custom-made, so we can't track them, but small. You would have been dead after the first shot. Fangmeyer's got a fighting chance," the chief reassured her.

His words were hopeful, but his tone remained dark. As chief, he had lost friends before, and Judy guessed that six bullets in the back were not something mammals came back from.

"She was their first choice, you know," Bogo murmured softly. Judy's ear rose a little and turned upwards to observe him closely. He was still dark and remorseful, his eyes no longer bearing the fire they usually carried with them.

"Sir?" she asked, unsure of what he was talking about.

"City Hall," he clarified. "They asked her to be chief before they asked me. She was their first choice."

Judy became very quiet again, not daring disturb his thoughts. He was actually sharing something with her, which was certainly a first. Out of respect, she treaded softly. It felt as though a very rare bird landed on her palm. She spoke slowly so as not to scare it away.

"She refused?" she asked.

"Mmm," he said with a subtle nod. "She said she loved being in the field too much. I told her she was crazy, of course, turning down an opportunity like that. But she asked me to think about what it would be like watching officers be out on the beat from the sidelines. What good is a chief when bullets start to fly? After that, I have to admit that when they offered the job to me, I almost turned them down as well."

Judy's ears were down over her back as she observed the mournful buffalo remember his friend. Bogo was going to be the source of strength in the precinct if they lost Fangmeyer, which looked painfully likely. Perhaps he was expressing himself to her quietly now because he would not be able to later.

"I'm glad you didn't," Judy said with a slight smile. He finally looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. "You're a great chief. And, with all due respect, I'd rather be in the field with Fangmeyer any day."

Bogo cracked a slight smile. "So would I," he said, before his gaze hardened. He looked over his shoulder, making sure that none of the others in the waiting room were listening in on their conversation. After he was satisfied they would not be bothered, the chief knelt down and moved closer to Judy.

"Hopps," he began quietly. "Where were you this afternoon?" Judy frowned, knowing full well she could not hide anything from the chief when he asked her outright. She would have to tread very carefully to give him enough but not force his hand and tell the ZBI about what she found.

"Chasing a lead in the Rainforest District," she said.

"A lead," Bogo echoed.

Judy nodded, not daring explain any further. "Sir, there are things I need for this lead, and I need your clearance on them."

Bogo frowned. "What kinds of things?" he asked.

"Restricted resources," she ventured. Bogo shook his head and spoke coldly.

"You need to be more specific, Hopps." He did not look angry, which was a good sign, but he did not look particularly thrilled about playing cat and mouse with the truth. Judy thought carefully about what Fangmeyer had told her. She said the chief would understand and that he would side with his own when given the option. Judy decided to trust in Fangmeyer.

"I need surveillance gear. Wiretaps, scopes, infrared, and access to the restricted weapons cache," she counted off on her fingers. She kept her gaze with Bogo, dancing around the question of 'why' as best she could.

"That's a tall order, officer," he stated. She nodded and moved in a little closer, speaking in a hushed whisper and maintaining a serious expression.

"I also need some officers," she stated and folded her hands behind her back.

"Officers?" Bogo repeated. "I need details, Hopps."

"I need Wolford, Grizzoli, Delgato, and Snarlof," she counted off. Judy was nervous now. Her request was extremely bold coming from a simple officer. Even after compiling evidence on a case for weeks, a request like this had to come from a lieutenant or a higher-ranking officer before it got to the chief. It was a bit like a deckhand asking the admiral for ships without telling him why.

"Hm," he groaned as his brow furrowed, speaking deliberately and slowly. "Those officers are all T.U.S.K. certified."

"Yes, sir," she said softly. She was now officially putting her investigation, perhaps her career, on the line. If Bogo told the ZBI about this request for additional officers and resources, they would soon find out all of her evidence thus far.

"Hopps," he said with a sour look. "I need more than nothing."

"I . . . I've got a blue flower petal," she ventured carefully. Bogo's eyebrows rose in an honest look of surprise.

"Blue flower," he began. "Could it be . . ."

"It's unconfirmed," she clarified.

He placed a hoof on his forehead, rubbing his brow thoughtfully as she waited for his response. Judy could tell he did not enjoy the position she was putting him in.

She never gave much thought to how difficult it would be to be chief. There was an element of diplomacy and tact that regular officers did not need to worry about. Every one of his decisions needed to be justified in the eyes of the City Hall, the courts, and the public. It was tremendous pressure that did not give him very much flexibility. Judy always considered becoming chief to be the ultimate achievement for her career, a duty she would be honored to fulfill one day. But after seeing how little the chief could do to help, she began to think that perhaps she would follow in Fangmeyer's footsteps. She was in love with the field as well. Judy hesitated to add any more, fearing that saying too much would force his hand.

Before Bogo could ask any other questions, the doors to the ER opened. The chief stood and wore a solemn look on his face, and Judy turned with her ears at full attention. The doctor that walked into the waiting room was a gazelle wearing scrubs and a medical mask around his neck. Judy was furiously studying his expression for any clue as to what news he would bring.

"Mr. Thomas Fangmeyer and Police Chief Bogo?" he asked the room. Thomas stood and walked forward, joining the chief in front of the room. "If I may have a word with both of you," he said and ushered them farther down the hallway.

Judy inwardly cursed as she watched with wide eyes and a fearful frown as they made their way out of earshot. Judy could pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, but they spoke in hushed tones that made it difficult for her to piece anything together. It was agony trying to observe their expressions from a distance as the doctor explained things to them both. The other officers each stood and joined Judy, looking at them impatiently.

The conversation did not last very long. She heard Thomas choke back a soft sob and the doctor left them both alone. The chief placed a paw on Thomas's shoulder and said something quietly to him Judy could not hear. Her heart began breaking as she watched Thomas wipe tears off of his face, nodding and thanking the chief for his support.

Finally, after another moment, the chief turned and walked back to the waiting area and faced his officers. He raised a paw and spoke loudly and clearly, as if addressing the bull pen.

"She'll pull through," Bogo said.

A wave of comforting relief washed over Judy like warm bathwater on a cold day. She let out a

sigh that nearly ended up with tears of her own. That same wave of relief seemed to cascade over the officers around her. Wolford placed a paw over his eyes and sighed loudly, his tail twitching slightly with happiness.

"The doctors did say she's sustained some nerve damage to her spine, and there's a chance it's permanent. We won't know whether or not she'll be returning to the force until after her physical therapy begins, but the doctors are optimistic. She will have a long road to recovery and will likely be in a wheelchair for the next few months, but with some luck she'll be back with us before summer," Bogo explained.

That news received a few claps and a cheer from the officers around her. Judy choked on what was both a laugh and a sob. She observed Thomas Fangmeyer at the other end of the hallway, who was leaning up against the wall with a paw over his eyes, quietly crying. Judy noticed his mouth curled upward in a thankful smile.

"Can we go talk to her?" Wolford asked. Bogo shook his head.

"They are going to keep her under for the next day or so. Waking her up now would cause her agonizing pain, so right now she needs rest more than she needs any of us," he explained. "We're very lucky that whoever did this used small caliber rounds."

At the mention of Fangmeyer's attacker, the officers grew quiet and fierce. Wolford's lip trembled a little bit as he fought back a growl. Timberwolves often wore their hearts on their sleeves, so the stereotype went. Maxwell was a perfect example.

"What's the play, Chief?" one of the officers asked. Everyone's ears were now forward and at attention, including Judy's. Bogo shot Judy one quick glance before returning his attention to the group of officers present.

"Pay attention, because the rest of the precinct will need to hear this too," he began. "Starting now, Precinct 1 is officially on code black. Get yourselves some coffee because everyone pulls double duty. No one goes anywhere alone, not even driving home, understand? I want round the clock reports on suspected sightings on Victor Pumar. Every lead gets hunted down, even the whispers. This is priority numbers one, two and three."

Judy saw the fire ignite behind the eyes of her fellow officers. She was by far the shortest mammal on the force, but in that moment they all stood eye to eye. It was official policy that no case be given special treatment over personal vendettas. But when an officer was hurt or killed, that policy flew right out the window.

"Higgins, McHorn!" he ordered. The two officers present stood tall and at attention when their names were called. "You two are on the crime scene. Get back to the Meadows and start plugging the locals. Find out where our mountain lion went to." The two officers nodded and made their way out the door.

"Officer Trunkaby! Go wake up Pawson and get to precincts 2 and 3. Give them a full briefing and start setting up around-the-clock traffic camera surveillance. I want every camera surveyed from now until we have Pumar in chains." The male elephant saluted and turned to leave behind the other two thus far.

"Clawhauser," Bogo said and pointed to Judy's side. She had not even realized that Clawhauser was in the waiting room with them. She supposed she was a little distracted with thoughts of Fangmeyer to notice her friend walk in.

"I want you to get the word out to the other officers. Anyone not working double shifts is on one now. Keep their current partners and set up a grid search, starting in the Meadows and moving west. Clear?"

"Yessir," he said dutifully and saluted as well. Judy caught the shortest glance from Clawhauser before he began making his way out as well. Only a handfull of officers were left in the waiting room now, and Judy was standing in front of each of them.

"The rest of you," Bogo continued. "Grizzoli, Wolford, Delgato, and Snarlof. You will be our search block. Your team will be hunting down our current leads. You've got full clearance on any and all resources necessary. Officer Hopps is your team lead. As of this moment, she's in charge. Any questions?"

Judy was a little dumbfounded, but found herself shaking her head confidently all the same. Thankfully, none of the other officers voiced an ounce of complaint. They each stood tall, Wolford offering a salute, and Bogo nodded with satisfaction.

"Good," he ordered. "I have to get word out to the other precincts that we have a cathunt on our hands. Remember, not a word about this to the press."

With that, the large cape buffalo walked through his officers and headed for the door himself. Judy was beside herself, silently thanking Fangmeyer for her advice as well as the chief for having faith. The other officers were now looking at her with an eager spirit in their eyes. She looked at each of them, giving them a knowing nod.

She surveyed her team, which was now officially hers thanks to the chief. Wolford was familiar enough, so she would partner with him. Delgato, a large male lion, had sharp eyes and a keen mind for detective work. Snarlof, a male polar bear, was an expert in raids and would prove invaluable during a ground assault when the time came. Grizzoli, another timberwolf, had a great nose, second only to Wolford. After giving her new team a quick scan, she clapped her paws together and addressed her squad.

"If you need coffee, dinner, or breakfast, now's the time to get it in your system. Call your families and say you'll be working until further notice," she began, speaking loudly and clearly. "We've got a lead, and we'll be tracing out potential spots where our shooter might be hiding. Once we've found potential spots, we'll be searching them all until we find him. Meet at the precinct in 20. Everyone clear?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Wolford said, giving her a quick wink of approval. The others nodded confidently and the sight filled her with pride. She walked with purpose towards the hospital doors, feeling ready to take on the world. She could not help herself from smiling ever so subtly. Pumar should be quivering in fear if he knows what is coming for him, she thought.

A/N: Welcome readers from ZNN, and my biggest thanks to the folks there for featuring my story. I hope I don't disappoint.

This is a shorter chapter, to be fair, but the next two are particularly long and they will come out on time for the next 2 Sundays, so never fear. I am loving reading everyone's theories as to what's going to happen next! Some very interesting ideas get thrown out there. Whomever gets it the most right, I'll certainly give them a shoutout at the end of the story.

Thanks for reading.