Chapter Twenty – Calm Before the Storm
"But your place is here, Judy, at headquarters. You are the senior assistant deputy chief." Bogo's voice, a tone of frustration emanating from it, echoed along a seemingly empty locker room as he turned a corner. "You should not be doing th…!" Coming to a sudden stop, quickly averting his eyes at the sight before him, he turned around rapidly before resting his massive shoulder up against a set of mixed height lockers to his left. Judy, semi-nude, putting on one of her spare black sports bras, turned her head quickly toward the back of Bogo, not saying a word. Turning back into her service locker, rummaging deep within it, she felt as her eyes move toward a paw full of family photos taped up on the inside of the locker door. "Judy, you have not been in the field like this since before I retired." Bogo, moving his head slightly back to her, spoke as her concentration returned and she resumed the task she was doing. "You need to think about it…what is ahead of you. You don't know what is waiting for you in that building."
"Do I know? Yes, yes I do Bogo!" Judy called back in a strong, carrying voice. "My son!" Removing a black tactical shirt from within, she quickly slipped it over her ears. Tucking the shirt quickly in into a matching pair of pants, she grabbed a thigh drop holster hanging from inside locker. Snapping it around her waist and along her right thigh, she raised her right paw high up on the top shelf of the locker. Removing a set of three magazines from its top shelf, she immediately placed two in the small compartments along her thigh. Setting the third down next her she reached up to the top shelf one last time, withdrawing her service side arm. Lowering it down, glancing at it for a second, without hesitation she quickly reached down and inserted the third magazine, chambering a round quickly before placing it inside the holster.
Hearing the sound of the gun's slide lock chambering, Bogo immediately turned around to face her. "Why not just let Clawhauser…" Bogo began once again as Judy shut her metal locker with a loud slam.
"I'm going Bogo, that's it, end of discussion!" Judy shouted. "This is my choice, not yours!" Turning to look down the row to the massive buffalo staring back her, she bent down, quickly picking up an 'M' class body vest at her feet. Moving along the line of lockers, she stopped in front of Bogo. "I am not going to let that psychopathic family take one more thing away from me."
"Just listen to yourself right now, Judy you're not even thinking like an officer!" Bogo, quickly grabbing on to her wrist, moved in front of her. "You are allowing your own personal feelings to interfere…"
"As to what Bogo…to what?" Judy shouted back. "My husband nearly died weeks ago after being shot under their orders, my daughter was physically assaulted and almost kidnapped. At this very moment Hindquarter is struggling to remain alive after coming to the aide of Leo. What in the hell is wrong with you Bogo!" Judy exploded. "My son is being held by those two wolves! My son…not yours!" Her whole body shaking, she raised her head, looking him dead in the eyes. "You, above all mammals that know me, know I will not just sit idly by here like some little token bunny when my family is being threatened. So I am telling you right this second, let…go…of…my…paw!"
"They are playing with your emotions, Judy." Bogo replied, quickly releasing her as she started to move once again toward the door of the locker room. "Nick's father told you this, remember, or do you not care about everything that fox has done for you and your family?" These words suddenly stopped Judy in her tracks. "You are the key to this whole scheme. Pyetr and Anna planned this out for over two years. They want to break you, Judy, piece by piece." Bogo, moving gently up to her, stopped again. "Yes, they have Leo, hell I want him back, safe and sound just as much as you, but just think about one thing. What about Susan in all of this? Yeah, did you forget about her, or perhaps her own family? You know as well as I do about that building. The building offers a danger for both us and them. You saw the maps earlier. Positioned against the ocean, no immediate means of escape, it's a fool's choice, but they chose it!" Bogo stared back her.
Judy, still breathing heavily, her left paw pressed on the locker room door, turned her head back to Bogo, ready to respond as a deep male voice suddenly erupted over the rooms announce system.
"Commander Wilde, your presence is need immediately in Docking Bay 3." The male voice echoed, repeating the line a second time before becoming dead silent.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at Bogo, standing there with a look of hesitation. "You better get over to the supply room and suit up. I'm officially reinstating you, as of this second, back into the ZPD with the rank of Commander." Pressing the door open, she began to walk out of the locker room and into a hallway. "Meet me in the Docking Bay 3 when you're ready. I'll make a stopover at the armory and have the duty Sergeant there have your old friend waiting for you."
"Old friend?" Bogo began to think quickly, screwing up his face as he processed words that had just been said. Moving to the door, he watched as Judy continued to walk along the hallway. "Wait, you mean…" He call out, suddenly understanding the meaning. "I haven't used that old rifle, let alone fire it, in over thirty years." Bogo replied, his face showing hesitation as Judy, not looking back, continued to walk toward down the lighted hallway, a slight smirk emerging before quickly vanishing.
"What's the situation?" Judy, pressing herself through the door leading into headquarters back docking areas, called out to a large mass of heavily armed police officers nearby.
"We just got word from Pawler." Beth Clawhauser, emerging from within the group, approached Judy. "Another group of mammals just arrived at the cannery." Beth motioned toward a folding table to her right covered with maps and a single assault rifle. "Four vehicles total, Commander. One of the wireless cameras Pawler and Logger had placed before moving caught a glimpse of the brother, Pyetr, exiting one of the four vehicles."
"Any signs of Anna?" Judy asked suddenly.
"No, ma'am." Beth replied. "But she could already be there or just was not seen getting out of one of the vehicles. With the added numbers, Commander, that brings it to at least twenty or more."
"Are you saying I chose the wrong group for this operation Beth? You and your boys can't handle those kinds of numbers?" Judy looked at the cheetah, raising an eyebrow.
"Ma'am, my boys can handle a full on rhino stampede in the middle of Sahara Square, during mid-July." Beth replied quickly.
"Good to hear it." Judy stared back at her, smiling as a sense of pride showed on her face. "Oh I wish your Uncle Benjamin could be here to see you now Beth, he would be so proud of you and your accomplishments." Judy, blinking her eyes rapidly turned away from Beth as she began to feel herself become emotional remembering Benjamin and his lovable smile. "God… I miss that big fluffy guy so much. He was such a great uncle to my own Marie and Leo when they were younger. But you know, if he was right here with us now seeing me getting all emotional like this…" Judy placed both her paws on top of the table, lowering her eyes as she continued to talk. "…I am certain I would more than likely find him right here…" She raised a paw to her side, pointing next to her. "… next to me, offering me one of his dough…"
"Doughnut, Commander?" Beth spoke suddenly in a calm manner, extending a paw toward Judy, clutching a blueberry glazed doughnut, as she smiled back at her.
Immediately, looking back at Beth, Judy unable to control herself, erupted into hysteric laughter as a few officers turned toward her confused, as now both she and Beth laughed at one another. Accepting the doughnut happily in her paw, Judy felt a few tears from her laughter fall from her face. "You are truly living up to the name Clawhauser, Beth, at this very moment. Thank you." Judy quickly wiped a few tears from her face before happily biting into the blueberry glaze. Turning back around to the two squads of officers gathering next to her and Beth, for the first time all day, she felt a feeling of happiness flow through her as simply stood there, eating the doughnut. "This is Nick's all-time favorite by the way Beth." She mentioned, raising the last of the doughnut in her paw. "He would kill me if he knew I was eating it."
Finishing the last few bits of the doughnut, hearing the door leading into the docking bay open and close, Judy turned as she caught sight of an approaching mammal. Turning fully around, leaning up against the table next to Beth and one of her men, Judy, crossed her front paws across her chest. Bogo, moving past a few officers, wearing a swat uniform and a M24 rifle slung over his massive frame, stopped just shy of her and Beth.
"Ma'am, why is Bogo wearing…" Beth, leaning slowly sideways as she watched Bogo approaching the two of them, began to whisper softly before quickly being interrupted.
"Everyone listen up!" Judy, taking a step away from the table, began to speak to the group. "Everyone here knows fully well of former Chief Bogo. He will be joining our little party under my orders, is that understood? "
"Yes ma'am!" The group around replied as one.
Stepping back up to Beth, she lowered her voice as she lend in to her. "Beth, I want you be sure you bring him up on everything on the way to the target. Alright…" Judy spoke once again, stepping away quickly and addressing the group again. "I want everyone loaded up and ready to go in five minutes."
1 Hour Later…
"…Beth I want the other two placed across from here. If they try and double back from this door I want to be sure…"
"Commander?" A female Siberian tiger spoke gently from a slight distance behind Judy.
"Yes?" Judy replied, turning around with a puzzled look on her face.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but we had more movement again." The tiger replied quickly.
"Where?" Judy spoke quickly, rising from the ground and turning to face the tiger fully as she approached her.
"Back toward the north side, but that's not all of it, ma'am." The tiger continued on. "Catching sight of the shift, Samson and Pawler went to investigate around the area near that back end and they caught someone."
"Bring them here directly, Jackie." Judy ordered the tiger.
"Yes ma'am." Jackie replied, turning around and leaving quickly.
Looking quickly back at Beth and Bogo, Judy simply walked back to where the two of them were, still kneeing on the ground. "I do not want to hear it from you Bogo, nor from you Beth. Start getting everyone in position." She spoke, leaning down and grabbing a small clear bag lying on the ground next to a blueprint of the old cannery. Reaching into the small bag, she withdrew a piece of celery and began chewing on it nervously.
"I know that tell, Judy. It's never a good sign if you start to chew like that." Bogo, noticing her, stood up fully.
"Shut up Bogo." Judy put the piece of celery down. Quickly hearing the sound of struggling movement from behind them, Beth, Judy and Bogo all turned as one to the sound of paw steps approaching them. There, struggling heavily to break free from his captures, Vinnie Cooner, the raccoon that had been filmed shooting at Joseph Hindquarter, now stood in from of them. Wearing a dark polo shirt and slacks, Vinnie felt himself stiffen slightly at the sudden sight of Bogo standing nearby.
"Cooner!" Bogo spoke first.
"Well, if this is not a friendly reunion of the family." Vinnie, his eye's moving from Bogo them to Judy. "The bosses will be so happy to see you both."
Rushing suddenly up to Vinnie, her right paw clutched in a tight fist, Beth hammered hard across the raccoon's face, throwing him to the ground.
"Beth, stand down!" Judy called to her, moving forward.
"He shot one of our own!" Beth spoke back, breathing heavily, her emotions exploding from her.
"I know Beth, but I need him to be conscious." Judy replied, grabbing at Beth's police vest.
"Is that all you got, big girl?" Vinnie rubbed his face with top of his shoulder as he lay on the ground. "You hit as soft as this one's kit does." Laughing slightly he turned to Judy. "You might want to teach your son how to throw a proper punch, its lacking…" Vinnie, beginning to raise himself back up off the ground, suddenly screamed out as he felt pain erupt along his weak rear leg. Beth, quickly covering his mouth with her paw to muffle his screaming, looked back at Judy now standing over Vinnie.
Judy, breathing heavily, looked down at him as his whole body shook, relaxed her now clinched fist. "How's that for lacking?" Judy, moving to alongside Vinnie still shaking on the ground, grabbed his face and turned it to her. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions Vinnie and I better get truthful answers from you." Her lavender eyes seemingly piercing into his black.
As the early morning glow came from far along the distant horizon, a slight breeze began to blow along the wild beach grass hiding Judy and Beth. Based on Vinnie's answers to Judy's line of questions earlier, both females carefully went over their plan of attack one final time. Finding out from the raccoon that both brother and sister were indeed inside the old cannery, the hardest steps in the operation lay in their capture. "Where is there a location that we can enter without being seen?" Judy asked the question as the two of them returned to a safe position further down from the cannery.
"What about the emergency side door along the second floor fire escape?" Bogo asked kneeling next to the now restrained raccoon, looking over the buildings blueprints. "We both heard Pawler talk about it during her debriefing. It's not being watched because it can only be opened from the inside. If we take Vinnie's here information as truth, there are only two assailants in that area."
"Beth, once you and your men are safely inside, I want all exits locked down. Have one team start clearing the front offices and storerooms." Judy spoke, bending down and pointing to multiple locations on the blueprint. "Until we have both brother and sister, no one is to let their guard down for a second. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes." Beth spoke immediately. "What about you and Bogo?"
"Pawler, report to me immediately." Judy spoke into her radio mic positioned along her vest. Within seconds, Pawler, wearing a body vest over her detective suite, approached Judy and the others there. "If we use this door here, how long will we have before we may be seen?" Judy pointed to building's blueprint on the ground.
"I can't say Commander. Maybe five minutes or ten at the most with the morning light coming in. There is a partially open window pane along one end of the fire escape. If you were able to fit through it, you should be able to open the door from the inside."
"Alright, then that's where we will go, Bogo and I. Beth, whatever you do keep the fighting directed in your area. We need time to hopefully locate Leo and Susan. If anyone sees any sign of Leo or Susan, immediately radio your location." Judy reaching down and grabbing the blueprint off the ground, folded it up and handed it to Beth. Taking a rifle from Beth's paws, she slung it over herself. "Have someone put this trash in one of the vans." She motioned to Vinnie Cooner still lying on the ground, his face muzzled to keep him from yelling out. "Once I am inside, wait until I give the word and then unleash all hell!"
"We'll be ready Commander!" Beth replied turning back to Jackie as both females reached down and grabbed Vinnie by his arms, moving him.