Alright, here we go. Finnick, you take the first review ?
"Shure. Well Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, I'm sure we'll discover soon what's happen to the team on the ground floor, thoh I dunno how a swat team coulda made its way there with the crowd and chaos an shit. If I had to guess, I'd say it's just regular officers with regular gear. As for something happenin' to the bunny two shoes, ya can be shure I'll take good care of her fer Nick. Now, J Shute Norway, I'm glad too that dis idiot stopped thinkin' outta his ass. I'll be sure to kick to keep him in the right path if need be. As fer gettin' a pardon, I'm shure we'll find a way to make it happen. About Jack... I don't trust that buck. Very schemy. I'm pretty sure he has a personal reason to be here. I hope it ain't gonna bite us in the as. And yeah, Guest, there's a big TV at Koslov's for everyone to follow what's goin' on."
Chapter 36 : Battle for the Future
The chief can't say the situation is getting better. The crowd is still wild. Mammals are chanting, some fighting, and all are trying to push their way toward City Hall.
More ZPD officers have arrived at the scene, but coordinating while being in the thick of it is not an easy task, and the buffalo has trouble dealing with the situation.
All the while, the crowd is growing bigger, mammals pouring into the plaza from everywhere.
There's a part of him that just wants to let them into the building, thrash it and lynch its occupants, but another more rational one knows that this needs to be resolved as peacefully as possible. And he knows that the building is on lockdown anyway, so even if he ordered to get out of the way, the only result would be citizen getting squashed against the doors, and likely hurt.
Rights are going to be ignored, laws broken, mammals hurt, but if the city falls into chaos, then this won't lead them anywhere.
Then, he hears his radio beeps, signalling the message coming from the emergency channel. "Come in, Claw-"
"Chief, you need to take your phone out !"
"Wha-"
"Just do it !"
The chief scowls as he executes the order.
"Ben ? I'm kind of in the middle of something !" He shouts to cover the noise around him. "Back off ! Back off from the steps and return to your homes !"
"Chief, Bellwether is in City Hall !"
"I figured as much, but my arms are full at the moment. Once this crowd clears out, we'll be able to do something about it. I think we stirred things more than we antici-"
"I received a message from the mayor. Lionheart and Swinton are locked in there with her and BellSec ! They're trying to eliminate them !" Comes Judy's voice.
"This is getting out of hoof ! Do you think they got to a panic room ?"
"It said they tried, but I didn't get any message after that."
For a while the sound of the crowd is all they can hear. "Okay." Comes the chief's voice after a time. "I can… I'll assemble a team and get in there."
"I have my equipment, chief." States the bunny. "If I find transportation-"
"That's a negative. You're not getting through that crowd, and even if you were, I need officer that has experience with SWAT tactics. I'm sorry Hopps, but you're out on this one."
"Chief, you're going to need all the help you can ge ! I'm coming, and this is final !"
The chief almost shouts back, but keeps himself. "I can't keep you from coming here, but we can't afford to wait for you. You'll have to find your own way here." He says with a scowl.
"I can do that."
"Great." The buffalo says, meaning the opposite. "Bogo out." He finishes, disconnecting the call. They need to get in there, but with the crowd…
"Fangmeyer, Wolford, we need to get inside City Hall ! Right now !"
"We're understaffed, sir !" Comes the wolf's voice.
"I don't care, I want both of you near the gate in five with an idea on how to get in !" The chief then turns his head toward the officers near him. "You two, fill in my gap ! There's an emergency !"
"But chief-" React grizzoli before being cut.
"Just do your fucking job !" He bellows, before turning before turning toward the crowd. "And BACK THE FUCK OFF !" The mammals in front of him recoil, some of them covering their ears at the sheer power of his booming voice. All the while he disengages himself from them, hoping his officers will manage without him.
Arriving at the doors, he's surprised to see both the predators officers he ordered to come, but also Francine.
"Pennington ? What are you doing here ?"
"I have good ears sir. I heard you needed to get in here, and thought you could use a battering ram."
The chief smiles. "So, I take it you're on our side ?"
"The other side would be the wrong one, so yes, sir."
"Good. Then please, Sergeant Pennington, open these doors." The chief asks, taking out his tranq gun, imitated by Wolford and Fangmeyer.
The pachyderm takes a couple of steps back, before using her momentum to throw an earth-shattering kick into the door. A noise of broken concrete and creaking metal is heard, and the doors bends inward. She kicks a second time, and they see the hinges breaking away from the walls. At the third kick, the doors fall in a crash of broken oak wood. The sound of gunshots follow and the elephant instinctively protects her face, taking a step behind cover as she does so. Ralph's eyes turn toward the crowd. Luckily, the bullets that got past the pachyderm flew over the mass of mammal. Hearing the gunshot, the ones on the front are starting to hesitate to push forward. That should buy them some time.
"Pennington, are you okay ?" The chief asks.
"Like being stung by a mosquito." She answers, shaking her right harm where two bloody holes have appeared. Her vest has taken three shots as well, but she didn't even feel them. "They shoot 9mm. This is nothing."
"Maybe to you." Wolford says, putting a paw to his shoulder. "But if they can put out a barrage of fire, even you are going to get hurt eventually. And if they have heavier ordnance..."
"He's right Pennington. We need to go slow until we find proper cover." Adds the buffalo.
"I'm proper cover." She smiles.
"You don't have your TUSK equipment. We'll find another way."
Looking around, the pachyderm's eyes fall on something at the edge of the crowd. "What about out of the box, but safe ?"
"What do you propose ?"
"Can we afford to lose a cruiser ?"
Understanding, the chief nods. "Go ahead."
Francine takes off toward the crowd, pusshing it with her large hooves. Some protest, but a harder shove deters them to try and retaliate. She arrives near the stage and grabs a medium sized cruiser by the bumper, before propping it on her shoulder and carrying it back up the stairs. She then places it, its back toward the door and lifts the front wheels, high enough that the silhouette covers her whole body.
"I guess we got cover." Wolford smiles.
In the meantime, the chief takes his radio. "Bogo to all units. Me, as well as three officers are going to try and arrest Bellwether, and bring the mammals inside city hall to safety. We need to act fast, so as soon as the crowd begins to clear out, you have orders to come as back up. Bogo out."
Then, he waves to Francine to start pushing, and the vehicles goes through the doors. In front of them, bullets start punching holes into the cruisers and walls, while they return fire.
They set foot in the vestibule where they can go only forward. Farther, in the entrance hall, it would seem that opponents are falling back toward the right. Which means that they'll probably find Bellwether that way.
Wolford manages to take down an imprudent sheep that spent a second too long in the open, but though the cruiser offers cover, it doesn't make it easier for them to aim.
"We won't have much cover in the entrance Hall." States the buffalo. "But it seems they're defending the right side. That's where we're going. Switch to lethal, the reload time of our tranqs is too high."
Both Ralph and Nadine execute the order. Francine doesn't, as her hooves are occupied.
"I'll take a look." States Wolford. "Cover me." Both the chief and tiger follow him to the entrance of the hall. Peering, the wolf only has the time to take a step back, bullets crashing down on his position from every direction.
"If we get in such an open space, we're dead." He states. "We need another route."
Francine starts thinking, an idea forming in her head.
"Then let's make one." She says, before putting down the cruiser and approaching the wall on their right. With a punch, she pierces the plaster and rips it down, opening a way into a cloak room. "We can move from cover to cover by using the rooms and offices."
"Good idea. Let's just hope City Hall doesn't send us the note in the end."
Going to the other side of the of the room, they open another hole, to find themselves in a small office, where the pachyderm can't manoeuvre. She tries to go over the desk, but stumble and steps in the middle of it, breaking it in half.
"Oops."
"I haven't seen anything." The chief states, going to the door at the other side, where she won't fit either.
Opening it slowly, he sees a hallway going to their left, and in it, sheep aiming at the fork they would have come from if they had moved forward through regular mean. It seems that the sound of covering fire their shooting is covering the sound of their progression.
"Five hostiles." The chief whispers. "Engage at my signal."
Counting down, he erupts into the halway. "Now !" Francine bursts the wall behind them as they unload their weapons on the BellSec agents. Turning around, they try to return fire, but most of them retreat into adjacent rooms. Three of them are lying down, two dead and one holding his wound, still trying to aim at them. Nadine rushes forward and knocks him out, taking cover behind a wall. A long hallway leads to another hall, where they see a few other BellSec agents appearing.
"They're too many ! We won't have enough bullets !" States Wolford.
"Grab their guns and ammo !" Orders the chief. "We're not stopping now !"
They keep progressing down the hallway, covering each other and taking out the threats that appears from sideway doors, but the opposition is starting to get overwhelming, and they're too exposed. "Get inside a room, Francine, continue to open the way !" She chief orders. As his officers execute the order, the chief hear's a thumping noise coming from behind him. He first attributes it to Francine, until he realises it's the sound of a charging pachyderm.
"BOGO !" Booms a voice. At the last moment, the chief turns to see MacHorn barrelling toward him. He only has the time to lift his arms defensively before being ripped from the ground and pushed through a wall. He feels his gun escaping his hoof, as he breaks another, and another, until, five broken walls later, his back collides with a load-bearing one. His breath is cut and he tries to get up again, but a fist crashes against his cheekbone.
"You stole my case ! And now you're siding with those FILTH !?"
A hoof grabs his snout, and the back of his skull collides with the wall. A white pulsing light fills his field of vision. He knows it's only been a couple of seconds when his eyes clear out, as the rhino is squatting in front of him, his horn covered with blood.
"You don't deserve to be called a chief."
Bogo coughs, a taste of iron and copper filling his mouth. He suddenly has a weird sensation, he feels like he is drowning and keep coughing. MacHorn's expression change. Uncertainty, realisation… And then it hardens again. The buffalo tries to push him away, and reaches for his tranq gun, but something grabs his wrist and shoves it away. His tranquillizer clatters on the tiled floor, followed by his taser and his radio. MacHorn pats him down and finds his phone, crushing it in his hoof.
"I told you I'd have your head for this." The rhino spits. "Soon, the misguided idiots that follow you will realise how much of a fool you were, siding with predators. And Hopps, your little protégé ? She'll be thrown in the deepest hole we have, where she belongs."
The chief tries to answer, but another fit of cough takes him. Putting a hoof to his mouth, he sees it covered with blood.
"Now, I have three other idiots to stop. I might have to hurt them, and it'll be all because of you."
The rhino turns around and starts walking away. Bogo looks down on himself, to see a massive gash on the right side of his chest. Only now does the chief remembers that his ceremonial uniform didn't include a bulletproof vest.
He can see the caved in ribs, their end protruding from his skin. With a groan of pain, he pushes himself against the wall to prop himself up. Each of his movement is painful, and he can feel life escaping him as his blood pours out of his wound, his mouth and his nose. But if MacHorn charges Francine, Ralph and Nadine, he could trample the medium sized mammals to death and seriously harm the megafauna.
"You know why you could never get a promotion ?" The chief grunts, uselessly holding his wound as he steps away from the wall.
MacHorn whips around, his gun raised. The chief puts his left arm in a defensive boxer position, hoping the pachyderm will take the bait.
"And why ?"
"Because you could never finish what you started, you incompetent dickwad."
With a roar of rage, MacHorn charges the buffalo, horn first. He staggers more than he dodges, but the chief manages to put himself out of the way. His fists joined like a hammer, he brings them down on his opponents neck with all that remains of his might. The rhino falls on all four, letting go of his gun. Before he can find his bearings again, the chief grabs his horn, kneeing him in the throat as hard as he can. Something breaks, and the chief knows it's not his kneecap. Falling to the side, the rhino scratches his neck desperately, trying to take in at least one gust of air. Pushing him, the chief rolls him on his belly and sets a knee in his neck, before grabbing him under his chin and pulling up.
"This is how you finish a job, Herold." He seethes, a crack echoing in the room as the rhino falls limp.
Losing his footing, the chief falls on his back, pain coursing through his body. He reaches for the dead mammal's radio, but realise he broke it in the scuffle. His belly and legs are covered in his own blood, and he feels himself losing consciousness. But his officers are under fire, and he can't let them face this alone.
With a snarl, he pushes himself up, to immediately fall against a wall. "Officer !" He calls. "Wolford ! Fangmeyer ! Pennington ! Answer !" Pushing himself to move, he reaches the last hole he went through. "Answer me !" His vision blurs. "Clawhauser, we need reinforcement ! Clawhauser ! Ben !" The world goes vertical and his shoulder hit the ground. "Ben !"
"Chief !" Shouts an approaching voice.
"Ben ? Is that-"
"Chief, keep your eyes open ! Oh spirits, he's losing so much blood ! Call to all units, this is 39W8, officer down at City Hall ! I repeat, officer down at City Hall ! Chief keep your eyes open !"
The buffalo feels paws and hooves on his body, rolling him on his back. Something suddenly pushes against his wound, waking him up instantly making him moan in pain. Francine his covering his entire wound with her hooves, but blood is still passing through.
"I don't care ! Get through the crowd if you have to ! We need EMTs ! Now ! We don't have half an hour !" Wolford shouts into his radio. "We need evac now ! Chief, hold on ! Help's coming."
"Wolford-" He begins, lifting his hoof, for it to be forced down.
"Don't move, you already lost too much blood !"
"Wolf-"
"You're okay chief, it's going to be o-
"Ralph !" He says louder, more blood escaping his lips. "Not much… Time…"
"You're okay, sir, you'll get throu-"
"Need… A… Phone..."
The wolf and tiger exchange a glance, and Nadine takes out hers. "Who do you want to talk to ?" She utters in her grating voice.
"Ben. Need… Talk… To Ben."
The tiger calls his number on Yaksapp and shoves the device in his hoof. Sounds of hooved feet are heard, coming from behind them and she runs to delays them, delivering covering fire. "Take as much time as you need." She shouts, before moving back toward the sound of hooved feet. "Let's do this, you fucks !"
"Don't… Have… Much… Anyway." He smiles, trying to keep the device level.
"Chief, you're not going to-" The wolf falls mute as he sees the look on his superior's pale and tired face. "I'll go help Nadine." He mutters.
Then the call goes through "Nadine what do you-"
"Is… Me… Adrian…." The chief says, cutting the cheetah.
"Chief ? What's happening ? I heard the radio call, is everyone-"
"Turn on… Video… Need to… See you..."
The screen lights up with a video feed, showing the cheetah's face. As he takes in what's happening, a paw flies to his mouth. "Chief ! Chief, what… Oh my gosh ! You're hurt."
In the background, they all can hear the sound of gunshots. It seems Nadine and Ralph are handling themselves.
"Is… Fine… Can't feel..."
"No ! No, no, no, no ! Chief ! You can't-"
"Not much… Time..." The buffalo says, his voice getting lower. He feels his hoof weakening and almost lets the phone escape, but Francine catches it and keeps it in front of his face. Only one of her hooves are enough to cover his wound anyway, and even with two hooves she can't apply enough pressure to keep the blood out.
"To all units ! The chief is wounded ! I repeat, the chief is wounded ! We need EMT's at City Hall ! Now-"
"Ben !" The chief cuts him more forcefully. "Have… Two… Minutes… At best..."
"Don't say that ! You'll live, you'll-"
"So glad… We met..."
"No… Please… Don't do this. Please, you can't-"
"Years… Spent as partners… Best…"
"Chief-"
"So sorry… Let you rot… Wasn't… There…"
"It wasn't your fault ! Don't- Please, don't die ! Please !" The feline weeps, his phone trembling in his paw. "I'm getting better ! I'm losing weight ! We could- We could patrol again ! You know, once in a while ? It would be nice, wouldn't it, chief ?"
"Very… Nice… Ben… So cold..."
"No ! No chief ! You can't ! I-" The cat chokes. "I love you ! I'm- For years ! You can't die ! I'm in love with you !"
"Ben… I…" Even in his oxygen deprived mind, the chief realises that his desire to speak to the feline one last time was selfish. And if he's to die today, he can't deny the feline closure. Even if it hurts him more than the wound piercing his chest. "Sorry Ben… You're… Best friend… I had…."
"It's okay, sir. I-"
"I don't… Think less… Of you… I… Promise."
The buffalo feels his eyes closing, and fights to keep them open. A little more. He just needs a little more time.
"I'm… I'm glad, sir. I'm glad we can be friends." The feline answers through his tears.
"Glad… We can… Ben… I…"
His eyes are closing. Not now. Not yet. He's not ready.
"Chief ! Chief ! Stay conscious ! Please, chief ! Please !"
"Wish…. Call me… First name… Again…"
"Of course Chie- Adrian ! But you need to keep fighting, okay ? You hear me Adrian ? Adrian ?"
The chief's eyes are closed. His chest has stopped rising. His face is pale, and he has deep dark circles under his eyes, but there is a thin smile on his blood covered lips.
"Adrian ! Adrian ! Wake up !"
Francine checks for a pulse, but there's nothing. He's not bleeding anymore either.
"Francine ! Start CPR ! Do something !"
"He's gone, Ben." She says in a choking voice. "He lost too much blood."
"He's not- He can't-"
"He's gone. He's… He's dead."
The pachyderm has to wipe her eyes as the wailing starts. "I need to go Ben. Nadine and Ralph need me." Not waiting for answer, she cuts the communication. She stares at the chief's face for a few seconds with sad eyes, before getting up and wiping her blood soaked hooves on her trousers. "You were the best, chief. Don't worry, I'll protect them."
"Sure takes time for them to get through." Says the lion with a smile.
The sow is sitting on the other side of the bet, her arms around her knees, her gaze riveted to the door with an expression that oscillate between worried and sour.
There's it's been at least an hour already, and the only proof that their assailants are trying to get through is a hot glowing yellow point on the bottom of the door.
"Mayor, is everything okay ?"
"No." She mutters.
"Care to elaborate ?"
"I feel stupid. I… I provoked Bellwether, thinking that she wouldn't- No, I didn't think. I was just angry. If I had stalled, or pretended to play along we wouldn't be there. You wouldn't be hurt."
Lionheart chuckles. "It's not so bad."
"It's very bad."
"You need to focus on something else."
"And since when are you an expert in mammal psyche ?" She retorts, before wiping her face with her hoof. "Sorry… I think you're right, I'm just on edge. I never felt that… Threatened before."
"Never did I, even with the collar."
Silence lingers, while the pig takes out her phone and checks the reception again. No bars, no wifi, nothing.
"Come on…" She mutters to the device.
"What do we do after this ?" Suddenly asks Lionheart.
She slowly turns her head toward him. "After what ?"
"After we get out of here."
"Why do you think we will ?"
"I'm trying to be optimistic here. What are you going to do ?"
The mayor falls mute. She doesn't know. The conspiracy completely flipped the script. She's always been an advocate of justice, though she mostly used repression as a mean to seek it. But now… The unfairness of the situation makes her sick to her stomach. All the way her assistant encouraged her and nudged her toward regulation that went against predator rights…
"The collars stay off, that's a given." She states. "I'm not having you all put them back up. After that, I don't know."
"That's still a start."
"That doesn't feel like enough." She mutters. "Do you have any suggestion ?"
"Well… If the collars are off, maybe you should grant amnesty to all the collar related crimes. They broke the law, but they were unfair laws. Some would argue that it's a citizen's duty to break unjust laws."
"That seems logical, yes." She answers after a short reflective time.
"There's also going to be a need in education. Mammals need to understand that predators aren't more prone to violence than prey."
Swinton suddenly laughs, making Lionheart eye's widen.
"What is it ?"
"I'm just thinking about the upcoming elections. If I try to reverse the collar laws, there's going to be a candidate with a proposition to reverse it back… My electorate is going to be divided… And yours might grow, but… Well…"
"It'd still be a minority." Lionheart agrees.
"It'll take years for this city to become what it should be…"
The lion has entered a state of reflection. Swinton is right about the upcoming election, aside from one thing. She's familiar, she's been here for years. In troubled times, it's what mammal tend to turn toward.
"Mayor-"
"At this point, I think you can call me Tilda too."
"Tilda, I have a question. What did you think about the MII ?"
"I was sceptical at first, but it worked out. I don't disagree with your policies most of the time, I just don't think inclusion and education are what this city needs the most."
"Don't or didn't ?"
"Right now, I hardly know what to think."
"It might be important for you to find out. The divide is probably going to further as a short term reaction to all that is happening. It'll be City Hall's work to stop that from happening."
"While I agree, I think you should get to the point."
"Simple. I have the predator electorate, I can get a lot of the Small Mammal electorate too. I'm pretty sure I can get a big part of Tundratown as well. If you keep half of your voters, then…"
"Y-you want me to be your assistant mayor ?" The sow reacts. "That would be bold. Even that way, having a predator mayor… That would be quite a change, I doubt the citizen would be ready."
"I agree. I those troubled times, mammals will try to cling to what is familiar. And whatever you choose to do, you're still familiar. All you'll have to do get my voters is appoint me as your running mate and assistant mayor."
Swinton's jaw goes slack.
"I thought it was complicated to get in here !" Judy whispers to Jack as they move along the beams in the attic toward the door that will let them go down. The place is covered in cobwebs, and they struggle not to cough as each of their steps raise clouds of dust.
"Oh, yeah, I said that." Jack smiles, still guiding them.
"You lied ?" The doe reacts.
"Of course I lied. Do you think I'd let you face BellSec on your own ? I have a bone to pick, here."
She grabs his arm and stops him. "Are you leading us into a trap ? Jack, I'm this close from tranqing your butt."
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't sit on my ass doing nothing while others cleaned the mess I helped making." He says in an even voice, though she can see in his expression that the situation affects him more than he wants to let on.
"If ya betray us, I'm breakin' yer legs, punk." Seethes Finnick, taking out his baseball bat. "Ya understand ?"
"Perfectly. Now we need to go, your colleagues need our help."
Pushing the door open, the sound of gunfire suddenly becomes louder. They go down old wooden and cracking stairs, reaching the first floor of the building. "Where to ?" Reggie asks.
"The gunshots are comin' from the right, I'd say on the lower level." Finnick informs.
"So that's where we're going." Judy states. "Do you know the layout, Jack ?"
"Of course. We take to the left, there are utility stairs leading to the lower level."
"Lead the way. Quietly."
As they move, the sound of shooting gets louder. It makes it harder to hear the sounds closer to them, and starts giving the bunnies and fennec a headache, but there isn't much they can do about it. "Here !" The buck says, pointing at a door with his chin.
"I got it." Reggie says, hopping and grabbing the knob. As the door open, they find themselves face to face with half a dozen sheep, moving up the stair case.
"What the-"
One of them grabs his radio. "Intru-"
Jack doesn't let him finish, leaping at him and kicking the electronic device out of his hoof. Bouncing on his chest, he manages to send himself upward, and sees the gun being aimed his way.
Taser probes hit two of the sheep and send them to the ground, followed by tranq darts hitting two others. Letting himself fall down, Jack send his knees toward one of his opponents neck.
The sheep dodges him, and the buck rolls under him, before getting up and headbutting him in the crotch.
Both Reggie and Finnick wince as they take their shots.
"Nice one, floppsy." The fennec grins. "Maybe give us a heads up next time."
"He gave a heads up alright." Smirks Reggie, while reloading his tranq gun.
"Guys ?" Judy intervenes. "Do you hear that ?"
"What ?" Asks the mustelid. "I hear no- The shooting has stopped !"
"Yeah, we need to get down there fast." Agrees the doe.
Francine makes sure the chief's eyes are closed, before moving back toward her colleagues.
"How's the chief ?" Ralph ask, with a last remnant of hope.
"I'm sorry." Answers the elephant. "He's… He's gone."
The lupine can see the tear tracks under her eyes and doesn't add anything.
"What do we do now ?" Asks Nadine, her voice becoming more grating each time she uses it, before returning fire at the sheep still shooting at them.
"We get on with this. We need to find out in what state the mayor truly is. And get her out of here as well as Lionheart if we find him. Ready ?"
"Ready." Answers the wolf with a focused expression.
"Permission to use claws ?" Asks the tiger.
Francine hesitates. "We'll need all the advantage we can get. Go ahead."
"Good."
The pachyderm shoots a glance through the hole in the wall. They'll need some sort of cover if they're to get out of here. "Follow me." She utters, raising her left arm to protect her face.
Ralph and Nadine don't have the time to protest as the elephant puts herself in the line of fire. Her gun screams, the calibre she uses sawing in half the targets they hit.
In the meantime, her left arm gets sorer with each bullet it stops, but it's only a minor inconvenience.
The sheep retreat in front of them, and they keep advancing, through the smoke and broken plaster, stepping over corpses.
Ralph can't bring himself to be horrified, when he sees Nadine slitting the throat of a wounded mammal on the ground. Himself is picking up the guns and ammo the dead leave behind, and sharing them with her. Soon, Francine will be out of bullets, and she'll have to use a gun too small for her hooves and trunk.
"There's a large hallway there !" Signals the elephant. "It seems they have retreated further."
"Do you see them ?"
Peering up, the elephant looks at the balconies above them, and at the marble steps that leads upstairs. Her ears a ringing, due to the sound of gunfire, and she can't hear any footsteps above or around them. "No, they've probably barricaded themselves with Bellwether. We'll dislodge them."
"Alright."
Slowly, they advance through the exposed space, ready to shoot.
"Hostile !" Shouts Francine, as a sheep appears at a balcony. She aim in his direction, her gun screaming, and his head bursts into a mist of blood and bones. A second shooter appear, and then a third, and a fourth. Soon, a rain of bullet is falling on them coming from everywhere, and they realise their retreat is cut. As a reflex, the pachyderm grabs both predator and rolls herself into a ball above them, protecting her own head.
- 1 -
The four small mammals make their way forward, as silently as they can, hugging the walls to offer less visibility to their potential opponents. When they reach the end of the hall way, Jack signals them to get down.
From what they can see, there's a large room ahead, and rows of armed sheep around them, aiming at something that looks like a large ball.
"You think they're-"
"I said, put down your weapons ! This is your last warning !" A voice shouts. The four of them freeze, until they realise it's not addressed to them.
"I think they're pinned down." Whispers Reggie. "We need to help them."
"If they are, we can't burst out guns blazing. They'll be shot before we can get them out." Says Judy, before taking out her keys.
"What are you doing ?"
"Uncuffing Jack. We're going to need all the help we can get." She explains, before sliding her tranq gun in his paw. "I'm going to trust you with this, but you're going to follow my lead."
"Okay."
They slowly advance, hiding behind furnitures, until they arrive on the edge of the room, hiding under an wooden cabinet. From there, they can see the sheep on the balcony above, as well as their colleagues that have raised their arms. Ralph and Nadine seem mostly fine, though the feline is bleeding from her left thigh. The elephant sports numerous gunwounds on her arms and legs, and her ears have been pierced by multiple bullets. Their guns are on the floor and a sheep goes to grab them.
"We got them, boss." Says a sheep in a radio. "Only three, elephant, wolf, tiger. Do you want us to… Ah… Oh, yeah, that's a good idea, we'll wait for you."
"What do we do ? They're too many." Hisses Judy.
"Maybe we can take a few of them down, hopin' yer friends react quickly enough." Suggests Finnick.
"That's last resort. They're in the open and unarmed."
"I think we're already in a last resort situa-"
"I have an idea." Cuts Jack. The three other small mammals turn toward him. "I'm positive they were talking to Bellwether. She's coming here. If we nab her, we can tell them to put down their gun. But for that, she'll need to be really scared."
"Do you think that could work ?"
"I'm positive. She needs to believe she'll be shot, and her agents will have to believe that too. That implies putting a gun to her head and be ready to execute her. So Judy, you're out."
"I can do it." Says Finnick.
"You're smaller than her. You're a predator, but you won't impress them."
"Hey-"
"I'm not doubting your motivation, I'm doubting their intelligence." Cuts Jack, which seems to appease the fennec fox, who only grumbles in frustration. "That leaves me and Reggie here. Reggie, how good is your psycho face ?"
"Pretty good." He mutters.
"Show me."
With a sigh the mustela grabs his collar and puts his face at an inch of his, his traits changing into a frightening mask of gleeful sadism.
"Okay, that is pretty scary." States Jack, with a tone that suggests it's anything but. "You're on hostage taking duty."
"Can you please not call it that ?"
- 2 -
As they finish drawing up their plan, the sound of hooved feet fill the hallway.
"Judy and I take down the guards." Jack says in a hushed tone. "Finnick, Reggie, you're grabbing her. I want to hear growls and snarls, got it ?"
"Got it." They whisper.
The three caprid pass their hiding spot, and the four small mammals crawl out of under it. The weasel and fennec fox shoot forward, the arms of the smaller mammal grab round her waist, while the other puts his gun to the back of her head. In the meantime, two tranqs are shot, catching the guards in the back of the neck.
"Everyone put their fucking gun down or we cap the ewe !" Shouts Reggie, careful to pull her back from the hall, as to use her as cover and to limit the angles he can get shot from.
Dawn freezes as she feels the cold barrel press against the back of her skull. She tries to tell her agents to take her attackers down, but her words get caught in her throat when she hears a low growl in her back.
"You have five seconds to comply !"
None of the sheep make a move to comply, instead, their gun turn toward them.
"Tell them to drop their guns, bitch !" Orders Finnick.
This isn't going the way they want it to. Despite the weasel's 'Mad Rick' face, the sheep aren't complying. If they decide to shoot through their boss, they're toast. He keep drawing her away from the hall, to reduce his chance to get shot.
Pulling from the most hated and impulsive part of himself, the mustelid turns the ewe around and stares her in the face. "Each three seconds, I'm gonna put a bullet in you until you tell'em to drop their weapons." He threatens, her eyes widening in fears. Her lips try to move, but only tremble.
Seconds pass, and his gun lowers, aiming at her shoulder.
"Put down your guns !" She shrieks. "Put them down ! Put them down !"
Another second pass, before they hear the clatter of weapons on the tiled floor.
"Ralph, is it done ?!" Shouts Judy, from behind cover.
"Yeah ! They've all dropped them !"
"Then round them up !"
"Order them to assemble in the middle of the hall." Seethes Reggie.
"I won-"
"We can do this the easy way or the painful way." He shoves the barrel of his gun against one of her eyes and starts pushing.
"Get in the middle of the hall ! In the m-middle of the hall !"
"Okay, I think we can move." Says Jack, Judy's tranq-gun in his paw. The group of small mammal approaches the hall, to see Nadine and Ralph piling weapons in a corner of the room, while Francine is keep her weapon trained on the bunched sheep in the middle of it.
"Do you think we'll have enough ziplocks for all of them ?" Asks Reggie.
"Don't worry, I have big pockets." Francine smiles, producing a bunch of them and dropping them on the ground. It takes them a couple of minutes to tie them all up, and when it's done, the weasel emits a weird sigh. "Can I stop pointing my gun at her ?"
"Sure." Jack answers. "They aren't going anywhere now."
The mustelid holsters his gun and slowly exhales, shuddering.
"You okay, buddy ?" Ralph asks him, putting a supportive paw to his shoulder.
"Not really." He mumbles. "I'm fine. Just hate being in that headspace. First time I didn't get a beep from the collar, now I really couldn't find the limit."
"That bad ?"
"I almost shot her. So yeah, that bad."
With a puzzled expression, the wolf shrugs and moves back toward his colleagues.
"Francine, how are you faring ?" Asks Judy
"Fine. I haven't lost much blood. It hurts, but it's manageable." The pachyderm has started turning parts of her uniform into bandage, but doesn't seem to be in much pain.
"Good. Ralph, where's the chief ?"
The three bigger officers suddenly turns silent, exchanging looks. Finally, Ralph opens his mouth.
"He's… He's dead."
Judy puts a paws to her mouth. "No… It can't-"
"MacHorn killed him, but not before… Well, their corpses are that way." He says sadly, pointing at the other side of the hall.
Anger in her eyes, the doe turns to Dawn.
All the while, she seems to have regained her calm. "He paid for his crime. He chose the wrong side and now the whole city will pay the-"
"Frankly, your hypocrisy is nauseating." Jack's tone is conversational, but the look in his eyes makes her recoil.
"So, you betrayed us ?" She seethes at him.
"From my point of view, you betrayed me, but it's all semantics."
"You really think the predators should walk free ? You knew they're just a bunch of power hungry preying monsters."
"Makes you and them quite similar. I wonder why you can't see eye to eye."
"Sorry to cut yer lil' conversation short, but we got important stuff on the grill. Where's the mayor ?" Finnick asks.
"Dead. Lionheart killed her."
"She's lying." States Jack.
"I'm not-"
"Quit your bullshit."
The ewe stares at the mammals around her. "You can't win this."
"We already have." Answers Judy. "Right now, Ramowitz, Doug Ramses, and your father are being arrested by our mammals around the city. You were the last one. Now, where is the mayor."
"I'm not-"
"She doesn't have her." Answers Jack in her stead. "She's trying to make us lose time because Swinton is in the saferoom. Not the one next to her office, but the old one in the basement, from the fifties. That's why we didn't hear from her, there's no reception down there, and if they cut the lines, they don't have a way to phone out either. She's trying to make us lose time, because some of her agents are still trying to get in there. How right am I ?"
The ewe glares at him, but doesn't say anything.
"Last question. Who was the corpse under the sheet you showed on the television ?"
The ewe looks down.
"You killed an innocent mammal, didn't you ? You even made it look like a savage predator attack. Tell me Dawn, did you have him slashed apart before or after killing him ?"
"After ! Do you take me for a monster ?"
"Takes one to know one."
The ewe looks around to see the disgusted look Judy sends her way, before turning toward her colleagues.
"Are there other civilians here ?"
The ewe still doesn't answer.
"Dawn, I'm being patient here, you shouldn't push it." Threatens the buck, taking a step toward her. "I have nothing to lose. I'll probably get thrown in jail as soon as all this will be over, so adding one crime to the list means nothing to me."
"You wouldn't-"
"I would. I would enjoy it."
"T-they are in the public hall, on the upper level."
"Guarded ?"
"Yes."
"How many ?"
"I… I don't know. Half a dozen ? Maybe less."
The buck turns to the doe. "She's not lying. I think our priority should remain the mayor. We're not enough to ensure the security of so many mammals. Half of us should remain here to keep these guys, and the other to find what we came for."
"Nadine, Ralph, Francine, you okay keeping these guys in check ?" Judy asks.
"Sure." Answers the wolf. "We'll move them to a more defensible corner, and we'll be fine. "Alright guys !" He shouts, turning toward the sheep. "You lot are going to follow me. And if anyone breaks rank, they'll get shot. Understood ?"
They mumble in answer and do as he ordered.
"I guess we're done here." Reggie states.
"Not quite." Says Jack, before pulling the mustelid's gun out of its holster. In slow motion, Judy sees him aim at Dawn.
"No !" She tries to push the ewe out of the way, but the buck is too fast.
The suppressed gun fires, and the bullet catches its target above the left eye. Dawn falls to the ground in a silent cry, her head hitting the tiles with a thudding noise. The buck shoots her a second time in the middle of the forehead, spraying the ground with blood and grey matter.
"Now we're done." The buck says, handing back the gun to his owner.
The whole room has gone quiet, all mammals staring at him.
"Why did you do that ?" The doe asks is choking voice.
"It had to be done."
"It- no ! You can't just kill-"
"I just did."
Finnick has kneeled near the ewe, uselessly checking her pulse. "Yup. She dead."
Judy seems lost, her eyes going from the corpse to Jack.
"There were going to be victims, Judy. It was inevitable."
"Not in her case !"
"She was going to die."
"Is that why you wanted to be come with us ?" She asks in realisation.
"Yes."
The slap he receives sends him reeling, almost falling to the ground. "Ow."
"And how will we learn what she knew ? She can't talk now !" Intervenes Reggie.
"Others know more than she does. Her father, for instance. She wasn't the only head to this hydra."
"You're lucky we're short pawed and that I need you to find Lionheart and the mayor." Judy seethes. "Now let's go, we've lost enough time.."
With a nod, Jack starts walking toward the way Dawn came from. He takes them through the hallways toward a door that lead to a set of stairs. They can hear voices, but none that they can recognise. As silently as they can, they reach the basement, and find a pair of sheep with a blowtorch trying to cut their way through a door. It doesn't seem to go well, though, as they've only cut what amounts to twenty centimetres of metal.
Without warning, Reggie and Judy tranq them and walk to the door. The doe bangs on it. "Mayor ! Mr Lionheart ! Are you there ? It's me Judy !"
"Judy ?" Comes a muffled female voice. "Is that you ?"
"It's me ! It's safe ! You can come out !"
There's a metallic sound and the door starts moving lowly, showing the sow with blood on her sleeve and dress, turning a wheel that has to be the manual opening system. "Are you hurt ?"
"I'm fine. But Mr Lionheart-"
"Leodore !" Corrects the lion's voice from inside the room.
"Leodore is, though. He's going to need medical attention."
"How bad is he ? And why is it so dark ?"
"They cut the power. And this old thing doesn't have its own generator. As for how bad, I managed to stop the bleeding, but his right leg is badly hurt."
"Alright. We're going to get you topside, and call for an ambulance. Again."
Judy waves the mayor to follow her but she seems to hesitate, throwing a look behind her shoulder.
"Reggie and Finnick will stay with him, mayor. He'll be okay."
"Right. Okay." The sow agrees, before following the doe up.
"I'll restore the power in the meantime. Should just be a lever to pull." Says Jack. "Can I have your flashlight ?" Turning it on has he takes it, the buck walks away.
"Hey, you two are so small !" Snorts the Lion as Reggie and Finnick reach him, a few seconds after the power returned.
"Oh… Wow. I think he's high." Says the fennec fox.
"Oh yeah. We found morphine for the pain. It's… Really good." The feline grins. "I hope you don't intend to move me, because I doubt you'll manage it."
"No we don't. We'd just like to look at your wounds." States Reggie.
"Okay, but I'm not wearing pants. Pants. Weird word pants. Panting. Panting should mean putting on pants. Would make more sense."
"Earth to Lionheart !" Intervenes the mustelid. "The wounds, remember ?"
"Oh, yeah. But our good mayor already patched up two of them. Did a brilliant job if you ask me." The Lion turns and show his shoulder and ribs. "See ?"
"What about the leg ?"
"Well, it's not as painful than before, but you know… Morphine." The lion pushes away the cover over his legs, to show his bandaged thighs. "I got shot just below the buttcheek."
"Not much we can do 'bout dat. At least you're not bleedin'." Remarks Finnick.
"I guess we'll just wait here with you then."
- 3 -
Judy and the mayor reach the top of the stairs. The officer leads the mayor to the hall where the sheep are being kept, to notice that there's now a shirt over Dawn's face.
"Oh ! Oh my gosh !" Reacts the sow. "It's… Dawn. Is she..."
"She's dead, mayor."
"I..." It seems that the mayor has trouble processing the information. All the while the doe takes out her radio.
"Judy to… Well, all units. The mayor is safe, but councillor Lionheart is wounded. We're going to need evac for him, and several vans to-"
A noise is heard in the hallway where Ralph, Nadine and Francine had come from. The officers aim their gun toward the sound of footsteps as Judy pushes the mayor behind her.
A trio of predator officers, Grizzoli, Snarlov and Jackson have appeared.
"Grizz !?" Reacts Ralph. "Are things calming down outside ?"
"Not really, but we thought you needed back up. The crowd hasn't cleared out yet, but more prey officers have arrrived to help. And since Bellwether's announcement about suspending the pred officers, it got really hard to keep them in check They're barely listening to us so we thought we'd be more useful in here. We… Saw the chief. And Rhinowitz." He mutters with anger in his eyes.
"She did what !?" Reacts Swinton. "Did she declare a state of emergency ?"
"Yes. Maybe you should reverse it." The bear nods, while his colleagues are spreading to help protect the hall.
"No. I have a better idea, but I need to be able to make a public announcement. We could do it from my office, I have a set up-"
"Getting on the upper level is going to be dangerous. But I'm pretty sure there's an other way we can do it." Smiles the doe, before calling a number.
"Yes ?" Comes a female voice. "I'm kind of occu-"
"Ho- Bunker, I need to be able to make a public announcement from my phone. Can you manage something like that ?"
"You want me to plug you in to the TV network ? Yeah, sure, give me a minute."
"And to the screen on the plaza too."
"That was a given… Okay, it's almost up. You're going to get a message on your phone in three… Two… One..."
A yaksapp notification appears and the doe clicks it.
"It's just like a regular facecall. Go nuts." The mustelid grins. "Whenever you're ready."
Judy taps the green icon and hands over her phone to the mayor.
"Uhm… Guys ?" A technician is tapping the side of his screen. The computer has frozen and the output signal is on, only transmitting a black image. "Guys, I think we have a problem. Mr Moosebridge ! Mr Fergusson ! You're not onscreen anymore !"
"What ? Well, fix it !"
"We can't ! It's like… Something took control of our stuff remotely."
"Can you-"
"Moosebridge !" Reacts the quilled rodent, pointing at the screen. "Look at this !"
"It's the mayor ! She's alive !"
"Citizens of Zootopia." Comes her voice through the speakers. "This is your mayor talking. I'm alive and well, thanks to the effort of councillor Lionheart as well as the brave police officers that came to rescue us. Dawn… My ex-assistant, Dawn Bellwether was the one that attempted to end my life, in order to seize control of the city. It appears that… She won't be a threat anymore. The state of emergency will remain in place, but the suspension of the predator ZPD officers is lifted. I'm asking you all to clear out the street. There are wounded mammals in City Hall that need attention, and each second wasted might result in more lives lost. I want to add that Leo- Assistant Mayor Lionheart, though wounded, is safe as well. To all that would support BellSec or Ramses Lab, know that will not tolerate any speciest actions toward predators, or retaliation toward those that support them. I wish to add that no predator caught without a collar will be arrested until further notice. I still urge all of you to be careful and mindful of others. That will be all. Thank you."
The porcupine and moose are staring at their screen in shock, slowly turning toward each other.
"Fabienne." Slowly says Moosebridge in his microphone. "Fabienne did you see this ?"
"Y- yes. It was onscreen at the plaza. I think… I think we just won."