Chapter 12 : Weeks Apart
Beginning of August 2019
"So how went that first week ?" The fox's face had appeared on the bunny's phone. She was staying in a room at the ZPD's academy for duration of the two weeks she would spend helping and teaching there.
"Those small mammals are a catastrophe waiting to happen, but you don't know the worst."
"What ?"
"Friedkin told me I was like them in the beginning !" She said with a scandalized expression.
"You mean, unfocused ?"
"No. I wasn't taking it all seriously enough ! I think I'm beginning to get why she was so hard on me."
"Heh. She was hard on my case too, pushed me harder than the others. At least I was only aiming for corporal. Short six months formation. You were aiming for the lieutenant rank, so it was two years, right ?" The bunny nodded. "Do any of the recruits aim for it too ?"
The bunny sighed and slumped her head. "No they're all aiming for the lower position. Most of them think they can go up the rank easily once in the field."
"Oh, lazy and complacent. What a nice combination."
"Isn't it ?" She asked in a muffled infuriated tone, face in the pillow.
"Isn't there any of them that are worth anything ?"
The bunny lifted her head back up. "Two of them actually. They're not really good, but at least they look like they are really driven."
The fox installed himself comfortably. Knowing the bunny, she had more to say. "I arrived monday and I was mostly getting installed. First two days, I only watched.
They were a mess in fitness, but some of them could actually handle the guns."
"And those you seem to have a slight hope for ? How did they fare ?"
"There is a rat named Louis Buster. He has a really dark sense of humor, and I'm pretty sure he has a criminal background. He didn't have any criminal records though, and he's really respectful of the rules. Maybe he's a bit too by the books. The other, get ready, is a Capybara."
"No way !" The fox was really surprised.
"He's named Arthur Cavid. He's small for his species, maybe an inch taller than you are. I've never seen him look anything but calm, even when Friedkin gives him a ribbing. Anyway, I've seen them shoot, and they're not past the point where they're afraid of their gun."
"Those things pack a punch. I had a hard time getting used to them."
"Yeah. As for physical training, they had to get to the obstacle course. None of them could complete the whole thing. The capybara got stuck on the ice wall. The rat fell in the mud, missed a ladder bar."
Nick saw having flashback of his time in the academy. It had been hard, but overall it was a good memory.
"Anyway, I got to give them a few pointers during self-defense and boxing. One of them, a rabbit, I don't remember his name, had the guts to tell that without the rope trick, I couldn't put a rhino to the ground."
Nick winced. "Let me guess, you had to actually prove him wrong."
"There was no rhino available. I had to make due with a buffalo. He never saw my foot coming. Those guys really have a thick skull you know ?" She was smiling a bit guiltily.
"Was it enough to make him swallow back his remark ?"
"Maybe I had to put his face in the ground too." The fox lifted a brow, it was unusual for the bunny to get physical without good reason. "He made a pass at me." She explained.
"You broke his nose, didn't you ?"
"Yeah." She said with the same guilty tone. "Anyway, I had to explain and show that since we don't have enough strength to easily take down large mammals, we had to tire them. So, the most important thing they had to physically develop was their cardio. I think that when I explained that I spent all of my free time working out, some of them were really considering quitting."
"A dose of realism can do a lot of good. I didn't have it as hard as you, but again, I didn't aim for lieutenant."
"True. And you, how was your week ?"
Nick winced for a second time. "It was a bit of a mess. Believe it or not, the ZIA is very bad at communication. You know those spy flicks where you get an address and password to give to a guy and he lets you enter a secret facility under an old and worn building ?"
"Yeah ?"
"Well they're full of crap. Not the old and worn front though. Except that once you get inside, you feel everyone's eyes on you until you've presented yourself to the old sheep behind the desk. She was surprised to see I was actually clear to enter. Anyway, she gave me the location of my desk, a badge, and that's it. No one came to help me get started, so I basically went down to the archives and asked to enter, badge in hand. I think the ram almost called security on the spot. He ran my badge for the hell of it, and would you believe it, I was actually clear to enter that too."
"Found anything interesting ?"
"A lot. But nothing I'm really authorized to say. Just so you know, I think a fifth of th road accidents of these last ten years weren't actual accidents. And you really, really, don't want to got take a swim in the canal district."
"Oh gods." She said putting a paw to her mouth.
The fox seemed to actually have had fun at least. "Oh, and I also got to put an eye in the active file. There is so much stuff happening in this city that the ZPD has no idea about. Drug rings, mammal trafficking in places you wouldn't expect. There make links between new cases and some so cold they could come from the depths of Tundratown. There are some conspiracy theories going around in that place... I'll see if I can have some of those things get relayed to the ZPD, it could helps us a lot. Anyway, I got to talk to a few agents. Most of them seem to not actually give a crap about the law. I didn't mention why I was there, and I don't think any of them knew at the time, until Director Barklin called for an exceptional global meeting. There were all those guys in the cafeteria, all were carrying a piece, and I think not half of them had an actual clearance to do so. The director told them why I was there and that there was going to be a whole bunch of new regulations on the way they handle their work. Let me tell you, there was more groaning than when the chief put half of the precinct on mandatory security detail for the new year festival. I think some of them were already putting in place a plan to get rid of me."
"Get rid of you how ?" She asked worriedly.
"I clearly heard the words, 'cement', 'chains' and 'canal'. No worries though, he threatened them to let Jack loose on their ass if they didn't comply with my directives, or if anything happened to me. Instant magical dead silence."
"This isn't an institution, it's a mob in disguise."
"It is. I got to speak to the guys. Most of them are nice. Very cynical though, but I suppose it comes with the job. They really are doing what they think is right for the city, and they don't give two shits about the consequences on their lives. Probably because they don't actually have lives. Some of them told me their stories from before they got in the ZIA. If you thought I had it bad, it was pretty much paradise compared to some of them. I think I got a few of them on my side when I explained that the goal was that the city would need them less, and that part of the chaos was due to the fact that the ZIA didn't have any restraint. Some of them stayed very skeptical though."
"Figures. And even for those willing to change, I'm sure it won't come easy."
The fox gave a resigned sigh. "Probably. Won't keep me from trying anyway. Oh, and I got a bit more info on our favorite psycho bunny. Jack is kind of a legend. I heard the craziest stuff about him. If even half of it is true, I think I will really try and not cross him. Most of them think he will end up replacing Barklin. Another reason to try and make friend."
"Do you think you will manage ?"
"As long as he ends up believing what I do will be good for the city, I'm pretty sure he'll be on my side."
Beginning of August 2019
It had been a bit longer than two weeks since Clawhauser and Bogo had started dating. To the cheetah, the fact that they had to hide their relationship felt slightly exciting, and it was the same for the buffalo, but they both feared that the fact that they couldn't really have a date outdoors would slowly put a monotonous spin on their relationship.
The chief had spent a bit of time to peel the regulations layers on officer fraternization. Since he technically wasn't the direct superior to the cheetah, a thing that he had to double check, hierarchy could sometimes get a bit fuzzy, they weren't doing anything wrong.
But none of them were blind enough to believe that outing themselves would be a good at the moment. The city was still suffering from the cumulative stigmatas of the Nighthowler's, Bellwether's and Lycus' case. And the buffalo was the chief of Precinct One, a figure of authority, he couldn't take the risk of undermining his authority with his subordinates and tarnish his image at the moment. Four months after the last big crisis was too soon.
Given the mayor's reaction to hearing that Nick and Judy were an item, he supposed his career wouldn't suffer, but he wasn't really afraid for it. He was more concerned by the repercussions it could have on the peace of the city.
In any case, he still had a fleeting happiness feeling as he was tidying up his place while waiting for the cheetah to arrive. They had spent three evenings together, and the cheetah had accepted to be his spotter on the benchpress during his day off. The buffalo didn't really need one, but : A. He still needed to keep his body in top shape, and it meant he couldn't skip training, B. He didn't want for the cat to have nothing to do and get bored while he was lifting. C. Seeing the feline struggle to keep his paws to himself and not oggle him while he was lifting bare chested was pretty enjoyable. In any case, he had decided to change his schedule a bit, accepted to delegate parts of his task to MacHorn, a thing that he technically had to do in the first place, to have a bit more time to spend with his lover.
Thinking about the cheetah that way extended his grin and he had to fight back a bit. He always felt like he looked like a moron when smiling too widely, a trait that he found that most stern mammals shared.
The doorbell rang and he went to open it, showing a bubbly cheetah that he leaned to embrace. The feline hung his arms to his neck, and the buffalo lifted him up, making his lover give an amused squeal.
The couple went through the chief's place like this, and slumped on the couch.
"What's the afternoon's program ?" Asked the cat.
"I thought we could watch a few series and then order some food."
"Lazy afternoon ?"
"Pretty much." The simple idea of using an afternoon to do nothing would have been unthinkable a few weeks back, but doing that with Clawhauser felt like the opposite of a waste of time.
The cat stood up and went to the laptop hooked to the TV. "Is there anything particular you'd like to watch ?" The chief shrugged, he was more interested by the perspective of spending time with the cheetah than to look at the screen. "You have absolutely no idea what series are good or bad, do you ?"
"I never watch TV. Aside from the news. And even then, I mostly know of them before they come out."
The feline stopped in his tracks. "Have you ever used your free time unproductively ? To relax for instance."
"No." Most mammals would've had an uncomfortable glance to the floor, but not the chief. He wasn't a buffalo that happened to be the chief of police, he was the chief of police that happened to be a buffalo.
"I'm not taking up the time you could use in a better way, am I ?" Asked the cheetah a bit worriedly.
The buffalo had to get up and put his hooves on feline's shoulder to answer that question. "I have absolutely no idea how I could use my time in a better way."
Clawhauser's face instantly heated. In any other mammal's mouth, it would have been the cheesiest line ever uttered out loud. But he had delivered it with such seriousness and certainty that it just made the chubby cat melt inside. Which is why he had to fight himself to not turn into a puddle of satisfied flesh when arms wrapped around him and kissed him deeply.
A bit out of breath after the kissed had stopped he said. "So we were going to choose a series ? Was that it ?"
"You were."
"Okay right. Choose something to watch. I can do that. Maybe." He went to look at the selection of series on pawflix. Something new or something old ? If the chief had no series culture, better to try for something old but easy to watch. Why not something that left a big print on pop culture. Doctor Moo ? No, the old episodes could be a bit dull, and it was overall too weird for first-timers. Something aimed at a wider audience maybe ? Oh yes ! That was going to be good. He made his selection, set it to play and went back to the couch, leaning in the chief's arms.
"What are we going to watch ?" He asked, as his question was answered by the title that appeared on the screen. 'Wallaby the Vampire Slayer'. The title made on of his eyebrow slightly raise up and the theme song wasn't totally unfamiliar. The series was about a female Wallaby that fought and slayed all sorts of vampires and demons. At first the chief had trouble getting the appeal. Though the series was old, the effects were still bad for its time, but it seemed to have been done on purpose. All the characters seemed cliché but a few episodes later he was hooked. The show was really fun and it seemed there was way more under the surface than it showed at first.
They made a pause to stretch a bit and the cheetah left to go to the bathroom for a bit. When he came back, he lied down on the couch without putting the show back on. "You don't want to keep watching ?" Asked the chief.
"Well, last time, you had to train around this hour. I thought maybe we could make a pause and..."
The buffalo smiled. "I actually did that this morning so we'd have the whole afternoon for ourselves."
"Oh. Okay." The cheetah bit his lip, confirming the chief's suspicions.
"But if you want me to get rid of my t-shirt that much, you can simply ask." He said, approaching his face and nipping the feline's neck.
A shiver ran through his body. Could he really dare to ask that ? "I wouldn't mind." He heard himself utter. The realisation of what he had just said sank in when the buffalo actually got rid of the piece of clothe. Noticing that the cat had completely frozen with a half-smile, he leaned forth, pushing his shoulder and kissing him deeply. The cat slumped back on the couch, accompanied by the buffalo.
Not able to keep his paws to himself, he ran them on the bovine's short fur, detailing the design of his muscles. The chief felt the strange sensation of the purr in his mouth, rumbling from the feline's chest. He pulled back a bit to take back his breath.
"Sorry."
"I don't mind, it's nice." And it was. Getting that direct a feedback from his partner was really endearing. "Can I ?" He had opened the cat's shirt's first button.
"Of course !"
Lips locking again, the buffalo helped the feline get rid of his shirt and turned the couch back into a bed. Soon, they were fur against fur, paws on eachother's body, each of them feeling and longing for the other. Though the cat was more on the chubby side, the buffalo went and placed himself on his back. With his larger frame and stronger weight, he was afraid he could crush him. And it also gave his partner a bigger liberty of movement. He had to admit, intimacy with a female was pretty straightforward, but he was a bit at loss about what to do now. The feline recoiled a bit.
"You seem a bit hesitant." He said.
The chief gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm not really experienced with this."
"You mean, wiith males ?"
"Yeah."
The cat crawled back up with a purr, which only heightened the chief's excitation. "Want me to take the lead ?"
"Yes."
Clawhauser had feared the chief would back down, but he seemed really into what was happening. If he had to be honest, the buffalo's apprehension was adorable. But maybe it wasn't the right moment to point it out.
Brushing the chief's lips, he took the claws slightly out. Feline's claws were very sharp so he was very careful, and he felt the chief's heart thumped quicker when he ran them on his chest and abs. The way his hooves went to caress his back, he understood that he actually had no problem with that. He folded back the claws and slid the paw downward, unbuckling the buffalo's pants. A hoof went and clenched on his thigh, the other placed itself on his neck, pulling him back up in a burning kiss.
His paw, still exploring found a reminder that the chief was in fact a buffalo, which made him let escape a giggle. The exploration resumed.
"Easy on the claws, there." Articulated the bovine between two short breaths.
The cat nipped the corner of chief's large jaw, while throwing away his own pants. "I'll be careful."
If the last kiss had been burning fire, this one amounted to a supernova. The chubby took out his claws again, and slowly crawled down the chief body. He heard a groaned which he assumed was of excitation, and saw the buffalo's hoof clenched on the sheets. The groan turned into a deep moan when he ran his tongue from the bottom of his abs to the tip of his target.
...
The feline was lying sideways, his face resting on the chief's chest, face turned toward his. He was wearing a satisfied smile, really similar to the buffalo's.
"Fast learner." Commented the cat crawling up to kiss his lover.
"Good teacher." Answered the buffalo before their lips met. A loud growl was heard, and the chief caressed the cheetah's belly. "Maybe we should order food."
"Yes please."
"And take a shower." He glanced around. "And change the sheets."
As he was about to move, the feline wrapped his arms around his chest and buried his face in his pectoral with a sigh of satisfaction. Pulling the cheetah up, he lifted him and stood up. Despite the cat's weight, it didn't seem to be an effort to him. He ordered the food online before directing himself to the bathroom. "I'm not too heavy ?" asked a voice from under his chin.
He reached down and grabbed a butt cheek. "Nope, perfect weight."
A giggle came as an answer.
In the large tub, he was half tempted to set the water to cold, the way he usually took his shower, but he already had a set of scars on the forearm and didn't need a new one. He sat down in the tub and fired up the shower.
He had set it to mild but he felt the cat feline shiver against him. "You want me to set it hotter ?"
"I usually take them almost burning hot." He pushed himself a bit more against the buffalo. "I think I'll manage."
The shower took a bit longer than it could have, not that any of them minded. A few minutes after they had gotten out and dried themselves, the food arrived.
Slumped on the bed, in front of the TV, the two mammals enjoyed another episode of the TV show while eating their pizzas. "Do you like it ?" Asked the cheetah.
"Yes. It's nice. Clichés turned on their head, the 'princess' beats up the monsters and protects the world." The feline had a loud yawn, and pressed himself more against the buffalo. "Do you want to sleep here tonight ?" A purr was his answer. "I'll change the sheets tomorrow then."
Beginning of August 2019
It was the second self-defense course she participated in, having only watched during the first one. She had to admit, small-mammals were at a large disadvantage. Large mammals could use their weight and muscles, but the small ones had to rely on swiftness and tools to take down the larger suspects. And the thing was, although she knew how to use her body and surrounding to take out almost any mammals, few mammals had her leg strength.
What they could use was the element of surprise. Unusual tactics. The fact that as small mammals they'd be underestimated. But even then, without weapons, this would inevitably stay their greatest challenge.
But on the field she had discovered a few things. First, every mammal had weak points. Eyes, throat, solar plexus. An elephant trunk could be quite sensible. And the usual swift kick to the balls was perfect to calm any mammal. And since small mammals were lighter and their hit were weaker, using those weak points bore less risk to provoke a lethal injury.
Her goal was to teach the trainees to reach them from any angle, and to show them how to selection the right tool to eliminate the danger. For example, she rarely had the bear handcuffs at hand. They were way too big and heavy to carry around and usually stayed in the cruiser. Instead, she carried a pawful of ziplocks. Light, easy to conceal, quick to use. But they all had to master the traditional equipment and tactics, even though they couldn't really use them. It's something the bunny took notice of. The ZPD training program simply wasn't adapted to small mammals.
"You need to keep your fist aligned with your arm Buster." She was holding the punching pad for the rat. "Quicker, the suspect won't stand right in front of you waiting for your punches."
From what she could see, the rat knew a bit about fighting, but he was extremely defensive, keeping his arms near his face. She sidestepped and gave him a light kick in the thigh.
"I want to see you lighter on your feets. You're not a rhino, you're a rat. I want to see speed in your fists and in your legs."
"Yes ma'am."
"Now punch !"
And he did. The rat had a quick understanding of what was expected of him. He stopped putting all his body in his punches, and only used his arms muscles. Those attacks would never provoke a KO, but could distract and opponent to get in for the finishing blow.
"Up high !" He launched an uppercut.
"Down low !" Elbow blow.
She could see him anticipate the pad placement. He wasn't looking at it but at her arms and joint. Sometimes, his punch were even thrown before the pad actually stopped moving.
"Stop." She said, putting down the pads and approaching him. "Where did you learn to fight ?"
"The street." He shrugged with a smile. "Bad neighborhood, money to make. Fun times."
"Keep what you learned in mind, but try to take in what I'm teaching you, alright ?"
"Yes ma'am." He nodded.
"Cavid you're up. Put on the protections."
The Capybara winced. He had fought the bunny a couple of times and each one of them had ended in a bloody nose or mouth.
The bunny jumped in place a few times, watching the rodent take place on the ring. No punching pad for him. He knew how to avoid attacks, but was a bit too pacific for her taste. He had to get that frame of mind that allowed him to let himself harm another mammal. It was something that had taken time for her to get too, and no amount of punching the pads would help.
"Ready ?" He nodded and they fist bumped. At first glance, the large rodent could seem really static, but she had learnt that it wasn't the case. With his compact frame and short limbs, and despite his training, cardio wasn't his forte. He was actively choosing to save his movements. She tried a simple series of punch that he avoided, with his own series of short and almost slow sidesteps, paws up to give her less of a punching surface.
She deliberately gave him an opening by throwing a poorly aimed kick, but he didn't take up the opportunity. "You can't win a fight if you don't attack Arthur." Sent in a rotation, she launched a high hook under which he dodged. He closed in and threw a couple of punch. The first one connected and made her back down a bit, but didn't hurt. The bunny frowned. She was sure of it now.
Stepping forward, she entered his attack zone with a barrage of easily avoidable fists. "Why do you pull your punches Arthur ?" A backhand punch caught his jaw, but he absorbed it by turning his head. "Is it because I'm a female ?" She swiped one of his leg putting him off balance and launched her shoulder in his stomach, making him stumble. He rolled back on his feet. "Or because I'm a meek cute bunny."
A bit out of breath, the capybara put up his defense. "I just don't want to harm you." He muttered with an apologetic expression.
She launched a kick powerful enough to open his guard, and a second that only caught his shoulder. Before he could recover his step, he received two lip opening jabs, and tasted blood. She gave him an aggressive glare "Then I'll make you bleed until you do." She hoped her little bout of acting would wake him up, and gave him a third punch for good measure.
"Alright." She heard him say under a loud breath. "Alright." Was there anger in his tone ? If it was what it took to instill in him a bit of combativeness, so be it. His posture changed slightly. His shoulders and back straightened up. He was waiting for her.
She jumped and threw a downward kick that only found the air. She had seen it coming though, and rolled under his fist, trying to swipe his foot again. He moved it the quarter of an inch and launched his knee toward her face. She blocked it with both her paws and rolled back. By his posture, it looked like he hadn't moved. If he was Buster, she would exhort him to be lighter on his feet, but the Capybara's body wasn't adapted to such a combat style. He suddenly launched himself forward, two jabs toward her face and two toward her guts. She received all of them with her open paws, ejected his paws to the side with her forearms and landed a hard kick on his chest. There was a light huff, but she had kicked him lighter than she thought she would. His slight recoiling move had absorbed most of the impact. She only had the time to lift up her guard when a surprise kick came from the side. This one would have knocked her out cold. "That's good Cavid. Very good !" She launched two swift kicks and he caught her left leg on the second. She suddenly felt a cold chill. Despite the knee strap she wore while sparring, she was afraid her knee could get hurt. She twisted her hips and threw a kick powered by her fear with her free leg that only brushed his snout. It was a good thing, because she would have fractured it. She felt him let go of her leg and got in for an attack. Instead of rolling forward to recover, she let herself fall flat on the ground and rolled sideways, using her right leg to jump high enough so he couldn't attack her. She saw him place himself where she was about to land, ready to attack. His punch caught her in the cheek and her kick caught him in the ear.
His inner ear shocked, the capybara stumbled a bit, trying to find back his balance. The bunny felt the thumping in her jaw and the taste of blood. This had been a good punch. For the third time, she launched a leg swipe, and he fell flat on his back, his guard immediately coming up to cover his face.
"Well played Cavid. You're getting the hang of it." She said, offering a paw.
"Thanks Lieutenant." He said gruffly, straightening up.
There was hope yet for those two. She was sad to admit than there was absolutely none for the others however. Most of them performed the exercise she gave only half-heartedly, and she had heard a few of them talking about giving up. Well, it was true, most mammals weren't cut out for police work, too bad they had to realize it that way. But better like that than on the street.
Beginning of August 2019
Nick wasn't authorized to disclose much about what he was learning at the ZIA but he could see it was different than what it looked like in the first place.
The organization was very tight, and analysts worked around the clock with the intel the field agents fed them. From what info he had gathered, there were little more than fifty people working there, which made the results they got even more impressive.
Director Barklin hadn't completely lied when he had said than he knew as much as the other agent about how the ZIA worked. Each branch was divided, and very few knew of the other's actions. Field agents were the less informed on the other's behavior, and he had only seen a couple of them in the premises. He had asked about it and it happened that it was very unusual to get back to HQ. They mostly used dead drops and secured connexions to communicate.
They all got a bit of formation on the skills they lacked, dispensed by senior agents. Which meant Savage and two others, tops. All those had training in psychology to help monitor the other agents and also doubled as liaison between field agents and the ZIA when it was needed.
Aside from the data analyst, were also the tech mammals divided in two branches : the computer mammals and the engineers. The former were in charge of hacking, conceiving or modifying software, and the latter built special equipment the agents could need.
He now understood why their operations could stay a secret, with so few agents, they really were hard to find. But the thing was, if he was to change the way the agents acted in the field, he needed to see them and talk to them. To watch how they operated, to understand which limitations he could impose and which he couldn't.
And they had to find a way for the ZPD to know about the ZIA operations without risking for those operations to be discovered, and given that the ZPD had been infiltrated a few months ago, it wasn't going to be an easy task to convince the agency.
Maybe he would end up being the only one having the inside knowledge of the ZIA, since he couldn't really know who in the ZPD could or could not be corrupted.
At that thought, he felt a bit paranoid. Most of his coworkers could be trusted. Could they ? Worst case scenario, he would have to supervise both ZIA and ZPD operations to keep them from colliding.
All those thoughts were swirling in his head while he was waiting on the sofa while browsing the web on his phone. He heard the door open and close and a raccoon stepped in the living room. Instantly, as he saw the fox, he took out his gun and aimed. "Paws up ! Who the hell are... Wait. Are you Nick Wilde ?"
The fox had casually lifted his paws. "Hello Domino. Yes, I am. Could you please take down your weapon ?"
The raccoon's eyes squinted. At second glance he seemed completely exhausted. "Where is Chester ?"
Nick's mindcogs started turning. The raccoon was referring to his ZIA liaison. "I'm replacing him this time." The procyonid slowly put away the gun and approached in small steps.
"What is the great Nick Wilde doing here ?"
"I'm here as a sort of liaison between the ZIA and the ZPD." He took out the document that proved it but the raccoon only glanced at it. "I'd like to ask you a few questions, about this operation and the way you work in general."
The raccoon emitted a sound between a sigh and a snort while making his way to the nearest armchair. "Do you have what I ordered ?" Nick slid a bag toward the other mammal. He had looked inside, it contained surveillance material, and a whole bunch of medication, most of which could only be acquired with a prescription. Nick was pretty sure the agent could have found this stuff on his own, but he understood how he could want to spare himself the hassle. The raccoon took one of the bottle out and popped a couple of pills. From what Nick had read on the box, those were antidepressant. He added a mental note that field agents probably needed more psyche monitoring and support. "Ask away, fox."
Nick put his chin on his paws. "First, could you talk to me a bit about what you're currently doing." Truth was, he had given the agent's file a look, part of it had worried him. For instance, there were some evasive parts. And he had contact with the agency only once every six months. Sometimes even less. Nick needed to know how the raccoon was approaching the assignment.
"I'm working under Vlad. Unearthing a whole lot of intel. Since a bunch of his mammal cargo was released a couple of months ago, he went almost ballistic. Shoots his henchmen for no reason, sees traitors everywhere. The few that stay are new and probably a bit nuts. He's about to try something on Mr Big's turf, and though he's really secretive about it, I can already tell it's going to blow up in his face." The fox almost had a devious smile at Vlad's impending doom. "I've already transferred my report through a secure channel. What else do you need to know ?"
"What kind of task do you accomplish and how do you perform them ?"
"I sell and buy dope. I beat up the problematic mammals who won't pay me or ask too much for it. Standard stuff." Nick could feel the answer was deliberately evasive.
"And how many of those problematic mammals have had accidents ?" The truth was, Nick had read the brief reports the raccoon provided, and nowhere was any mentions of those altercations.
"What is to you ?" From evasive, the raccoon had gone to defensive. It was logical after all. That field agent didn't possess the 'licence to kill', and as Nick had come to understand, it was to deter the agents to make systematic use of violence. The ZIA would try and cover them, hide the evidence, but any agent caught by the ZPD as a criminal would immediately be abandoned and disavowed by the agency.
Nick sighed, obviously the raccoon had no idea what was happening between the ZIA and ZPD at the moment. "Listen, about me being the ZIA and ZPD liaison, I'm not here to arrest you or stop you from doing your job. I'm here to help." The raccoon lifted a brow. "The thing is, the ZIA has been acting on its own for too long. The director, the chief of police and the mayor think it should be held accountable for its actions."
"Yeah, because risking sanction for doing my job is going to help me." Said the black and grey mammal sarcastically.
"There is going to be a transition. We won't just put behind bars the agents that have blood on their paws, it would be counterproductive. And also probably put a big dent in the workforce. My goal here is to help the ZIA and the agents to change their ways a bit. Find a way for them to have limits on what they can and cannot do."
The raccoon chuckled. "And this will help me how ?"
"How many of those 'accidents' could have been avoided if you had a direct line to the ZPD ? If you had a way to have them taken out of your way without bloodshed ?"
Agent Domino scratched his chin. "Maybe a few..."
"If you had a way to have some big guns to rely on, and not only your wits and the handful of other field agents, how easier would your job be ?"
"Depends on what you mean by 'Big guns.' And how quick they could act."
"I'm talking SWAT teams. So of course, time is needed for preparation. But you could have a direct line to the ZPD and get officers nearby in a whim. And that would also mean zero risk of being arrested along with the targets."
Domino crossed his arms and looked at the fox suspiciously. "And you say it's what Director Pardalis want ? I really can't imagine that."
Nick scoffed. The ZIA really was secretive, even toward its own agents. "Adamska Pardalis is retired. The new director is Jonath-"
"Jonathan Barklin ?" For the first time since had entered the room, the raccoon had a genuine smile. "Jonathan Sears Fucking Barklin ?"
"Yeah...?"
"Oh. My. Fucking. Gods."
"You're a fan ?" Chuckled Nick.
The raccoon leaned back on his seat. "This guy is a legend. I don't know if you know agent Savage, but most of us agent wish we were him. Savage wishes he were Barklin."
Nick wanted to say he had been a temporary agent and there was no way in hell he'd ever want to be like the buck, but he kept it to himself. "Mind explaining why ?"
"Let's just say I read dossiers I wasn't supposed to." Said the raccoon with a sly smile.
Nick frowned. There was obviously surveillance material in the hideout, wasn't he putting himself at risk by divulging how much he knew.
"Don't make this face. They know that I know. Those are really old and cold cases now. To give you an idea, there are a few stories about an agent that would have defected to work under Mr Big, and that was one of the things that propelled the Big's family at the top of the underground food chain."
"Let's say I've heard of it."
The raccoon leaned forward with a really secretive expression. "Believe it or not, this was Barklin's plan. He was the one that pushed that agent on that case, and he knew he would defect. And Barklin was manipulating another crimelord in the shadow to make him an enemy of Big and put him on the path to self-destruction. And he did all this without the support from Pardalis. Total field improvisation. It's all in his reports. And it checks out."
"You make him sound like a perfect manipulator." remarked the fox.
"He's the kind of mammal that can make you eat the bait, the hook, the cane and make you believe it tasted good.."
The fox put that info at the back of his mind. It was good to know.
"Okay, so you see, this is another thing we wish to change. There isn't enough communication with field agents. Some of you, the ones that undertake extended undercover tasks are left on your own. And you have absolutely no idea what is happening at the agency."
"Maybe, but it means we have nothing to say in case of interrogation."
The fox lifted a brow. "Being left in the dark with absolutely no back up can be a bit hard on the nerves don't you think ?"
"We get used to it."
"Or take antidepressants. Whatever works."
The raccoon fell mute for a few seconds. "Okay, I wouldn't be against a bit more communication."
Nick smiled. "Well, I'll see what we can do. Change is on its way. In the meantime, please try to take it easy, especially on the collateral damage."
The raccoon smirked. "We do what we have to."
"Speaking of which, I'd like to get back on topic. Your work. With details this time."