Both NCIS and the ZPD officers in the lobby, standing by the receptionist desk. A group of camera crew, reporters and anchor-mammals were huddled up to the side. The news crew were asking questions, but Chief Bogo wasn't at the podium; Sapphire was, with Tojirou standing next to her. She continued to answer any questions concerning the kidnapping case.

"As for the whereabouts," Sapphire said, "we are still looking further into it, since this was recently announced. However, I can assure you that ZPD, with the help of NCIS, will get to the bottom of this."

"Officer Lovell...are there anymore comments you have to say to the families, here?"

"Besides the case, for those who's children were kidnapped last night...I want you to stay calm and hope for the best. I understand how it must feel to be under pressure. I feel the same way." She put a hand on Tojirou's head.

"But we can't blame anyone, or ourselves for this. At this time, we need to stay together and get through this. So please, stay home and we will be in contact as soon as we find something. No one is to approach these families or question them any further without our permission, including the media, or you will be detained. Thank you for your time." Reporters kept asking questions as Sapphire and Tojioru left the podium.

"Wow," Clawhauser whispered, "she didn't hesitate or flinch one bit."

"She's got courage, that girl," Jabari complimented, "thanks for letting her take charge, son."

"She's got her mother's stubbornness in her blood," Darius implied.

"Which means you trust her more than ever, now."

Sapphire's POV

"Go to these locations and see if you can find anything."

"Yes, ma'am." I watched as three officers left towards the back of the building. I looked at Tojirou.

"I want you to stay with Martin's dad, okay? He'll keep you safe." Tojirou just shook his head and hugged me tight.

"I know, sweetie, but its not safe, here. I promise, I'll come get you after..." I walked over to Officer Delgato and gave him the cub.

"George is waiting outside...make sure both Tojirou and Kyle stay in the house."

"Don't worry," the tiger smiled, "I'll be guarding the house all night if I have to."

"Thank you." When the media left the building, I returned to my friends at the desk.

"Alright Sapphire," Late said, "you're in charge...what's next?"

"For starters, you and agent Tallis can head to downtown and see if anyone has seen our suspects." I gave them a file.

"Ginger, you can use our forensic lab downstairs. Take Officer Wolfram with you; he's one of our best trackers."

"Great. We'll get right on it."

"This way," Randal led her towards the elevator.

"We can interrogate some of the criminals locked in the cells," Jabari suggested, "maybe they might know who these characters are."

"Go ahead," Darius nodded to his father.

"Chief...will you be staying here?"

"I'm afraid so, Lovell."

"Take care, then. Let's go Martin..we have an appointment with city hall."

"Right behind you, partner."

"Lovell."

"..." I looked back at Bogo.

"You're taking the lead, here...so don't lose focus."

"Yes, sir." I saluted as I left.

Bogo's POV

"Dad?" I turned to my sons. I put a hoof on my eldest son's shoulder.

"I need you two to stay with me so I can keep an eye on you."

"Sure thing, dad."

"Are you going to find them, dad?" Marcus asked. I patted his head.

"Yes we are. Both me and your grandfather are going to solve this case."

"Will Sapphire be okay?" Manson asked.

"I'm sure she will. She always did."

Flashback

"Sapphire! Come back here!"

Darius Bogo, now the new chief of ZPD, heard noises outside his office.

I the door open and close shut. A tiny girl came in and went around to hide under my desk. I tilted my body to see Sapphire sitting, looking down.

"Sapphire," I saw her frowning. Then I noticed her knee was scraped.

"What happened?"

"I'm fine Mr. Bogo," she wiped her tears, "I tried to ride my bike without training wheels, but I fell and hurt my knee."

"Let me see."

"No," she protested. Even so, I picked her up and put her on the edge of the desk. I pulled out some bandages and medicine, and started applying it on her knee. Just then, the door opened, revealing George Saber. The tiger panted as he leaned on the door.

"Hah...hah...geez..."

"Lieutenant Saber," I stood up.

"I'm alright, friend," he put a paw out, "but seriously, what do you feed her? She's got more energy than a cheetah."

"It's not my fault you're no match for my speed, old cat." A snicker from my mouth.

"Teaching her how to be tough, aye?" George smirked.

"You could say that. She can't be dependent forever."

"Yup," Sapphire smiled, "I'm gonna be strong just like you, Mr. Bogo."

"Yeah...strong and stubborn," George smirked at me as I chuckled.

End of Flashback

I came back to reality.

"Lovell is tough. She can handle her own."

No One's POV

Meanwhile...

"Oh. My. Holly," Ginger awed at the decorations that were set up in the lab.

"You guys really know how to celebrate." She settled her things on a table and sat down. Pulling out her laptop, she typed vigorously on the keyboard as she pulls up some data.

"For the past hour, I managed to find security footage within the last 24 hours and thirty-seven minutes. This is what I found on the east side of the neighborhood." She pulled up a footage. As it played out, they saw three figures coming out of the window, carrying two kids as they climbed to the rooftop.

"Based on the families who caught them in action, they were wearing exactly how they described; black outfits covering but their eyes."

"They kind of look like ninjas," Randal implied.

"That would explain it," Ginger thought, "the stealthy maneuver, their agility and speed..."

"Wait a sec...do you see that?" Randal pointed at one of the kidnappers. The wolf enhanced it, and pulled it up to the big tv screen hanging on the wall.

"Right there," he said. There was a symbol in white, a Japanese word with claw marks slashed on it.

"Wow...nice going Randy." The wolf smiled. Ginger typed on her computer.

"According to translations, this word means 'eternity.' What does this mean?"

"I don't know...but I know someone who might." Randal pulled out his phone.

Meanwhile, Martin and Sapphire were in the mayor's office discussing the case with Lionheart. Needless to say that the mayor was shocked and outraged by this.

"Absolutely," the lion bellowed, "I will double the security throughout the city if I have to."

"There were also reports of orphans being kidnapped the day before the other kids were stolen. Do you know anyone who might do this?"

"No. Not that I know of..." He ruffled his mane.

"I hate to say this, but," Sapphire caught their attention, "you don't think this has to do with..." She paused, which wasn't a good sign for the others.

"Sapphire, what is it?" Martin asked.

"...sigh... Do you believe that these criminals are part of... mammal trafficking...?" Things went dead for a minute, as if processing the thought. Lionheart faced Sapphire and gave a serious expression.

"If that were the case... then this will be the worst Christmas Zootopia has ever faced." The officers felt their bodies tense.

Ring! Ring~!

"Hello?" Sapphire picked her phone up.

"Hey Randy...what? Are you sure? Okay then...I'll see what I can do." She hung up and looked at Martin.

"You should head back to the station. Meet up with Judy and Nick to go to Sahara Square."

"What about you?"

"I need to be somewhere else. Alone and in private."

"You sure?"

"Trust me. We need to cover more ground by splitting up. I'll be back around 7 p.m. Now, go..." She pressed on, which Martin got the message. Once he left, Sapphire turned to see Lionheart.

"I have one more question before I leave."

"Is it the case?"

"No, its something personal... I've been wondering for a while now."

"Okay, then..." Lionheart sat down as Sapphire stood in front of his desk.

"I've been meaning to ask somebody...Earlier this morning, I saw Chief Bogo talking to some horse in a suit...one of my co-workers overheard them saying that they had lost information about me." She saw the lion's eyes widened for a split second.

"Do you know anything about that?"

"Ahem...uh, well..."

"...You do know. Come on, what is it?"

"Well..." He tugged on his tie while shifting his eyes.

"Leodore...out with it. Its clear to me that you remember something."

"... Sigh~...alright, I confess."

"And~?" Lionheart just pulled his desk drawer and gave her a small card.

"If you find this, then everything will be explained. Good luck finding the children."

"... Thank you, mayor." She left his office. Once she was outside, she stared back at the card, and on it was the same symbol; "Eternity"

"Only one way to find out." As the crowd was walking on the streets, Sapphire was no where to be seen.

Fast Forward

"You don't know anything except that?" Jabari asked the criminal. The criminal and two others in their cells said the same thing.

"That's right."

"These are dark rumors that not even us could speak in public."

"And you're sure this is their motive?"

"We don't know who's behind it, but we're telling the truth. You got a cruel genius on your hooves."

"We sure do," Jabari sighed as he left the jail cell. At that moment, Daniel and Agent Shang were right by his side.

"What did they say?" Shang asked.

"Seems like this case is bigger than we thought."

"How big?"

"If by big, you mean selling off kids in auctions by the boat load. Then yes... its that big."

"As in mammal trafficking?"

"Wait, so Sapphire was right?" Unexpectedly, Judy, Nick and Martin were overheard them.

"From what Ginger told me, there was a symbol of the word 'eternity' written on the kidnappers' outfit."

"What does that mean?"

"I believe that this symbol means something... something powerful and dangerous if we're not careful; and Sapphire is diving right into it."

Sapphire's POV

SCREE~CH

The wooden doors opened, and I was granted inside the temple. I kept my hands in my coat pockets, shielding from the coldness of the Tundratown mountains. Two snow leopards blocked my way. Putting my arms out, they took my weapons and utilitybelt away.

"Follow me," he said. I walked behind him.

"Thank you for coming with me." I looked up at Chai. He had his paws linked together, covered by his sleeves.

"It was no trouble Lovell-san," Chai said, "when you came to our home, Master Yin was generous to let me accompany you. I can see why..." He looked at the two leopards dressed in black. The two mammals slid the doors open, entering a large room. They went down on their knees and bowed with their paws lying in front of them.

"Master Kuma. We brought Master Chai Senshi from the Yoshi Temple, and Officer Sapphire Lovell from Savannah Central. She wishes to speak with you." Looking ahead, there was a large grizzly bear criss-crossed on a floor that was higher than where we stood. He wore a traditional kimono, black with white trims. She saw the symbol on the left side of his top.

'Eternity...so its true...'

"So," Master Kuma's voice was deep and robust, "you come to my temple to speak with me. Why?" He had a bored expression.

"Forgive me if I'm intruding," I walked closer to him. The subordinates were about to move, but Kuma put a paw out that stopped them. I gave a quick bow.

"I heard that you were allies with the Yoshi Temple."

"You are correct young one."

"I am strictly on duty right now. I would like to ask you some questions for an investigation." I pulled out a notepad and pen.

"Hmph...and what might this be about?" He rested on arm on his knee as his paw cupped his face.

"A kidnapping. Seven families reported fifteen children...and about ten orphans in the mix, were stolen right out of their beds. I believe this has to do with mammal trafficking."

"How disgusting," the bear groaned.

"We discovered that three mammals were caught on camera. However...they were wearing the same outfits your students have. The same symbol that means 'eternity'...the name of your karate clan."

"And you suspect that I was involved with such treachery?" His voice began to raise.

" I don't suspect anything until I the very end. For all I know, they could be imposters."

"That is impossible," he slammed his fist on the floor, "the Eternity Clan is very strict on secrecy. Only true martial artists are allowed to wear our symbol."

"Do you suppose that they are imposters? Or maybe former students that might have a grudge on you?"

"You are testing my patience, Lovell. I think we are done here." He waved his paw, and his students went towards me. However, I did a handstand and twirled myself, legs swinging as the mammals backed away." I stood my ground. This slightly impressed Master Kuma, as he rubbed his chin.

"I see you are quite skilled."

"You should know...you know who I am. Mayor Lionheart gave me this card with your clan's name written on it. You have some information that I need."

"I assume this is not related to the case."

"That...and I'm still talking about the case," I raised my voice, "families are grieving because they're too worried about where their children are, and who could have taken them. I am not leaving until you tell me anything-anything, that could help me. I know they are scared, lost, confused, and have no idea what will happen next. Every second that I'm here, I am running out of time, and you're waisting it. Please...I don't want these parents to grow old without their children growing up first. I lost my parents...I am not letting them lose their families. Not tomorrow...not on Christmas...Please...?"

He saw the look in my eyes. The bear motioned for my to come forward, so I did, sitting only tne inches away from him.

"What I am about to say, may shock you."

"I've seen and heard worse, Master Kuma."

"Heh," he smirked, "now then...long ago...your mother and father were still alive. They would visit Master Yin and myself whenever we have a feast together. You were such a tiny thing, I thought I might have crushed you with just one paw. I would often look after you during your parent's absence at work. That is when I realized you were becoming fascinated by karate. I began to give you lessons when you were only five. You were persistent, stubborn, but showed a caring heart to everyone."

"I thought I was just watching too many movies."

"You were very skilled at a young age. However, when you turned seven, that is when your parents died on that dreadful day. Just like Master Yin, my clan takes in orphans and lost children, and teach them the ways of martial arts."

"So I was orphan for quite a while."

"That is true. However, a few weeks later, your commander in chief decided to take you in."

"Chief Bogo."

"Yes. As for the investigation...the kidnappers could be former students of mine gone bad, and probably trained their own clan of warriors."

"If I could prove this, the Eternity Clan will be clear of any suspicions."

"If that is what must be done, then I will support your actions." We bowed to each other.

"Thank you for your time," Chai bowed to the bear.

"Tell Master Yin that all is well. I will see him at the feast on Christmas."

"Of course." As Chai went on ahead, I reached into my jacket. I pulled out a red scarf.

"The weather is dropping," I put the scarf around Kuma's furry neck.

"I thought you could use something to warm yourself."

"Hehehe...I will treasure this," he smiled, letting me give a warm hug before I left with Chai.

CREAK~~ SHUT

The wooden doors closed behind them as they walked on the path.

"I still can not believe you were under the care of Master Kuma. This is shocking, I must say."

"You and me both."

"So, how will you solve this case?"

"Well... Master Kuma was generous enough to let me take a uniform for further analysis." I looked at the Eternity Clan's uniform in a bag.

"There's just one thing I have to be clear on..."

Fast Forward

Back at ZPD, things were still on high alert. However, that wasn't the only thing that was on alert; loud and rang through the bullpen.

"SHE. DID. WHAT!?" Bogo yelled. His officers cringed, along with the agent behind them. Jabari covered Marcus's ears in advance, knowing his son would outburst.

"S-sir...please calm down."

"That isn't going to work with me, Hopps! You let Lovell go off on her own to see the Eternity Clan!? They are a powerful martial arts group for their immense strength! And you let her go alone!?"

"We didn't know where she was going. She didn't tell us a thing."

"Listen to your cadets, son," Jabari firmly spoke, "Sapphire made the choice to confront them herself."

"Argh...I should take her off the case for acting so reckless," Darius grumbled.

"She's only doing her job," Jabari whispered, "she wants to find these criminals as much as you do. She knows what it feels like to be separated from family. You know this, too." Darius sighed in defeat. Just then, Clawhauser came inside.

"Chief, Sapphire is on the line. She wants to speak to you." The group was lead to the empty lobby.

"Put her on speaker, Clawhauser."

"Uh~ are you sure you want that, chief?" Clawhauser asked with uneasy expression.

"Do as I say. Put her on speaker."

"Yes sir." Clawhauser became wary and reached his finger to the button. Once he pressed it, the cheetah took cover under his desk.

"Lovell-"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU TAKE ME OFF THE CASE! YOU AND I NEED TO SPEAK IN YOUR OFFICE! I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE HIDING FROM ME, AND THIS SECRET IS LONG OVER DUE FOR AN INTERVENTION! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!? YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW WORRIED AND GULTY I FEEL RIGHT NOW! AS A MATTER OF FACT-!"

As she ranted on, the officers and agents paled at her tone of voice. Jabari was unaffected, casually looking at his shocked son, who wide eyed the speaker that echoed her voice in the building. Other officers began to pause as they listened in astonishment.

"Early 20's," Jabari smiled, "but a high-strong female."

"AND THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH! I'LL SEE YOU IN YOUR OFFICE! SORRY FOR SHOUTING, SIR! GOODBYE!"

Bleep

The line went dead. Clawhauser slowly peeked his head up. Everyone was stone cold. Judy had her mouth covered, Nick was coming out behind her, Late and Avery were as speechless as Randal and Daniel, and the chief was the one who got hit hard while Jabari remained his composure.

Meanwhile, Manson was in his father's office and hear everything form down below. He sweat dropped as he awkwardly laughed.

"That's the first time anyone's ever shouted at him," he said to himself.

Manson organized some paperwork, and he placed it on the desk. However, just when he turned around, he knocked something over. Manson looked down to see some papers out of an envelope file. One in particular, was a letter, but the buffalo saw that it had Sapphire's last name on it. He picked it up and saw that it was open. Curious, he took out the paper and unfolded it. Manson read it, and as he did, his eyes widened. He looked at the other papers, as if trying to find something. He examined it thoroughly, and was left speechless.

'...What...?'

"Manson." He heard his dad coming as his hoof-steps became louder. Manson briskly put everything on top of the desk, with a box covering it.

"Manson," Bogo stood in front of the door as Manson faced him.

"Yeah dad?" he looked at him.

"I need you to look after Marcus with your grandfather. I-um...ahem... I have some business to take care of."

"Okay, dad. I'll, uh... I'll see you later." The young buffalo quickly closed the door behind him and sighed. However, he looked down at himself and stared at the file he carried in his hooves. He was going to regret this, but even he knew that it was the right thing to do.