I'm back with another exciting update for you guys! Before we get started I would like to thank JKnight97 for beta reading this chapter. Seriously dude, you are better than any automated program or grammar check software! Now, let us return to our heroes…..
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The Chinese forces had been routed from Zootopia, but they had done immense damage to the city. Hundreds of structures had been blasted or destroyed, and rubble littered many streets. Wrecked Chinese ships sat in the bay; the fallen bodies of soldiers from both sides of the battle lay on the ground before being recovered; inoperable military vehicles were either crushed or broken down for scrap metal.
Instead of making another decisive strike on the Chinese, Heroes decided to stay and help out the rebuilding efforts in Zootopia. Once again, everyone took on a role, but instead of a combat mission, this time it was to help the wounded city. This was a place they knew and loved; they could not, in good conscience, leave the city behind laying in ruin.
Toothdee was helping a crew dismantle a few totaled armored vehicles. The munitions and explosives had been taken care of, but the carcasses of metal amidst the debris strewn around them still remained.
The young warrior was attaching cables to the vehicle wreckage so it could be lifted up by a crane, before she was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Toothdee?"
She turned around to see Fabienne Growley behind her with a microphone and a cameraman. The camera was connected to a ZNN van, and an operator sat in the back, manning the screens and communications devices.
"Yes, Fabienne?"
"Would you be willing to give us a few moments of your time?"
"You want to talk to me?" Toothdee said, surprised she was being interviewed by a ZNN anchor.
"If you can, but if not that's fine."
"No, I can spare a few minutes of my time."
The trio stepped away from the ruined armored transport. Fabienne gave a signal to the operator and he pressed some buttons inside the van.
"This is a live interview." The news anchor said. "I hope you don't mind."
"Oh, fine by me." Toothdee said, fixing her fur up a bit to look good on camera, and taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.
The operator gave Fabienne a thumbs up.
"Hello, this is Fabienne Growley reporting live from the ravaged streets of Zootopia. I am joined by Toothdee, the Heroes warrior and combat expert" the feline said into the camera. "Could you tell us a bit more about the attack on Zootopia?"
"It was an all-out assault by the Chinese. Clearly, they wanted to take the city or inflict monumental damage. Luckily, we had multiple ships in the harbor, along with dozens of aircraft to help us in the fight."
"What was the fighting like?"
"Intense," said the warrior, as she maintained a serious tone that was appropriate for the current situation. "Armored vehicles were heavily used, and the fact that we were in a city forced the enemy into close quarters combat. Thankfully, the US Marine Corps quickly responded and helped Heroes beat back the threat."
"And we are all thankful for their speedy response. How much damage did the Chinese do to the city, and how are clean up efforts going?"
"Well as you can see..." Toothdee gestured to the demolished conveyances behind her. "A lot of damage has been inflicted on the city. Many buildings have been hit by munitions, and there are numerous demolished military equipment everywhere, some still containing live munitions. In the meantime we urge everyone to stay away from any area that has not been cleared of explosives or firearms. Heroes are assisting in clean-up operations, and soon, the city will be back to normal. It will take time, but we can repair all the infrastructure that was damaged during the battle for the city."
"I know many citizens will be glad to have things back to the way they were. Is there anything else you would like to say?"
Toothdee looked straight at the camera and spoke clearly.
"I know many mammals out there are frightened now that the war has come home. But we can endure. This city has weathered threats before, and I know the people here possess a strong will. We can rise from the damage the Chinese inflicted on us, and we can survive anything else they throw at us."
"Thank you for those kind words."
Toothdee moved out of the way of the camera and breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped her words had inspired the residents of Zootopia, as hearts and minds are what win wars, and Toothdee really wanted to win this war. The Chinese had started this conflict, but the US would finish it, with Heroes being more than happy to help the country. As the young hero walked away to return to her work, she overheard Fabienne continuing to talk to the camera.
"Like she said, we can we can rally together from this devastating event, and show the Chinese they haven't broken our spirit. Don't forget that there is plenty you can do around the city to help with the war effort, or clean-up operations. However as mentioned, if you want to volunteer to clean up debris, please make sure the site has been cleared of dangerous material by military personnel ."
Toothdee continued working with the crew removing the armored vehicles, but within a few minutes, civilians started showing up and asking how they could help. Some mammals didn't even wait for an invitation, and they started picking up debris and rubble and tossing it into a dumpster nearby. The area had been deemed safe, as it had already been cleared by specially trained personnel that had removed or destroyed any firearms ordinance they came across.
Toothdee was glad to see individuals so enthusiastically helping in clean up efforts, it gave her a sense of hope, and that all was not lost. She just hoped the Chinese wouldn't make another assault on the city.
000
The ZPD had been working overtime since the Chinese attacked the city. Although the military had stepped in to help with security, they had other, more pressing needs pertaining to the war effort. Many officers had given their lives in defense of Zootopia, and the department had to continue to function with them gone. They needed to deter mammals trying to take advantage of the situation, and help civilian life function with parts of the city heavily damaged.
Nick and Judy had been stationed in an area of the rainforest district where some shops had been looted earlier, and they were keeping a vigilant watch. Heroes did pay them well, and it was a great way to make the world a better place, but the ZPD was where they belonged. Chief Bogo was alright with the two working with Heroes, possibly because they were still helping to enforce law and order in a broken world. Or it may be because the fox and bunny still functioned as police officers, except now they were donating their skills to Heroes, almost like an operator exchange program. Having two ZPD officers on the team really helped out with missions in Zootopia or other dense urban areas. No one was more familiar with the workings of cities than Nick and Judy. Both were also proficient in firearms usage as part of their ZPD training, so they knew how to handle tough situations.
However, they were bored today; sitting in their cruiser while keeping an eye out for illegal activity. Nothing had transpired in the hours they had been stationed in the rainforest district. The pair had been playing cards to pass the time, and right now they were in the middle of another game.
"Got any threes?" Nick asked.
"Go fish."
The fox picked up another card from the deck and muttered about how boring this assignment was.
"Hey it's all part of making the world a better place." Judy said.
"Call Toothdee. Maybe she'll have work for us?"
"She's busy helping to clean up the city."
"Oh, well, why don't you tell me what's been bothering you? I can tell you're upset about something, Carrots."
"Well, I've been thinking about everyone's dark counterparts, and what that means for us. If Dark Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde could be so evil, what's stopping the same from happening to us?"
"Hmmm... I'm unsure how to respond to that..."
"Maybe we should take some precautions? Maybe there's some way we can make sure that we don't become like our counterparts."
"Well, I think right now we should worry about stopping our counterparts. Then, we can worry about ourselves."
"True, we can put this topic on the back burner for now. By the way, got any fives?"
"Go fish."
The rabbit sighed and looked out the window towards a shop that had been damaged by gunfire from a Chinese aircraft.
"I don't like what happened here." Judy said, her ears drooping. "I wanted to help the world, help Zootopia, but now the city has been attacked."
"I know, it's depressing." Nick said, putting down his cards. "I wish we could have done something different and prevented this."
The duo sat in guilty silence for a moment, thinking about the destruction that had been unleashed upon Zootopia, and how it was somehow their fault. Looking into each other's eyes, the pair instinctively reached out and hugged; Nick wrapping Judy in his tail while Judy nuzzled into his chest. They both wanted to stop their dark counterparts and the Chinese, while continuing to make the world a better place. It was a driving goal for both of them, and why they would stop at nothing until order had been restored.
"We'll make it right, Carrots, I promise."
000
Retsuko and Haida wanted nothing more than to go out and find a karaoke place to while away the night, but they had unfinished business aboard the Typhoon. Having previously worked in an office accounting department, their minds were finetuned machines capable of processing and managing vast amounts of numbers and information. Today, that meant dealing with reports and data of all types coming in from around Zootopia. Damage dealt to structures, disruption of normal operations for various organizations, info about the Chinese attack, among other topics. They had to sift through this mountain of information, so Heroes and Zootopia could better use it. Comprehensively analyzing the damage inflicted on the city would help destroyed areas return back to operating strength. Knowledge was power, and they were part of the process that allowed that fact to ring true.
While their job wasn't as exciting as getting out in the field and fighting the enemy, it was an integral part of operations. Finished paper reports were organized in a neat pile by the entrance of the room they worked in, and electronic copies were sent to the people that needed them, and out into the Heroes database.
Haida had just finished sending a list of US casualties to a military officer, and he could feel the stress starting to set in.
Retsuko was busy working on a file relating to the cost of damages to a skyscraper, but the hyena figured she could use something to drink and eat.
"Tea and sushi?" Haida said, getting up and heading for the door. "A fresh shipment of supplies just arrived."
"Yes, please." The red panda responded, her eyes not moving from the computer screen.
Haida made his way to the Typhoon's kitchen, which was better equipped than most military kitchens. Heroes had fully recognized that good food helped a warrior both physically and mentally, and as such the ship was fully stocked with food for all species.
Placing a teapot on the stove and prepping the ingredients for the sushi, Haida reflected once again on how his current job was so much better than his last one. The bosses he had now didn't yell at him, and were sure to thank him for his work. He could see that this was the same for Retsuko, and Haida was happy to see his red panda girlfriend loving her job again.
Once the meal was ready, Haida set two cups of tea and a couple of plates of sushi on a wooden tray and returned to Retsuko, who had just finished the file she had been working on, and was pulling up a new one.
The smell of food broke Retsuko away from her work, and she spun around to enjoy the meal with her hyena.
"I made your favorite." Haida said, giving his red panda her meal.
"Thank you, Haida." Retsuko said, giving her boyfriend a kiss on the nose as thanks. The hyena blushed madly and nervously rubbed the back of his head. He tried in vain to create small talk.
"So... what have you been... uh... working on?"
"Just some files about damaged structures. What about you?"
"Well, I finished a list of casualties. Unfortunately, there were a lot. You know, I like this job, but all this destruction does is make me stop and pause."
"Me, too." Retsuko said between sips of tea. "It's not exactly cheerful, but it's just something we must deal with."
The hyena nodded before Retsuko smiled slightly. "Don't tell me your thinking of leaving this job."
"Of course not! I love this job! You know how much of an improvement it is over working in the accounting department."
Retsuko giggled. "You know I was really thrown for a loop when we started working here, to the point where I actually made Toothdee a cup of tea, like I used to for the higher ups back at the office."
"You did not!" The hyena laughed, nearly choking on his sushi.
"She had such a strange look on her face. She told me 'you don't need to do this.' But she did appreciate the kind gesture."
Haida laughed again and tried to imagine the look on Toothdee's face.
"Although that doesn't mean you can stop getting me tea, Haida." Retsuko said, grateful for the fact that he had been thinking of her.
"Noted. Remember how I said all the destruction made me pause and think? I do take some solace in knowing that what we're doing helps fix it."
"All our work is not wasted. Without us, I don't know exactly how much would get done."
"I hope to see some improvements in Zootopia after I get through all these files. Someone better use them to repair the city!"
The pair finished their meal and Haida moved to clean up the dishes before Retsuko stopped him.
"I got this." She said, putting the dishes on the tray. "You can get back to helping people by working on those files."
"Ok, thank you, Retsuko."
"No, thank you for the lovely meal, Haida." The little red panda paused to stand on tip toe and planted a smooch on her surprised boyfriend's mouth. She giggled as she exited the room, leaving a dazed and happy hyena in her wake.
000
The sun was setting on Zootopia, but many people continued to work to repair the broken city. Captain Boehm and some workers had just finished cleaning up concrete debris on a highway, allowing for faster travel for all mammals. The Captain had been working all day, and while there was still a lot to do, he was ready to go to bed. He sat down on a bench and almost fell asleep as he waited for JayJay to come pick him up with one of the vehicles from the Typhoon in order to take him back to the ship.
The wolf soon arrived, but she wasn't driving a vehicle, instead she was walking down the street.
"JayJay? Where's the car?"
"Actually, my place isn't far from here. I figured we could walk there instead of having to go all the way back to the Typhoon. It would be a nice change of pace."
"Eh... I'm not sure."
Alex thought about how he wouldn't have any of his personal effects. He didn't like to be without his things.
"I think I have a spare toothbrush you can use, and a phone charger."
"...uh... Alright, fair enough."
"It's a cozy little place, you'll enjoy it."
The pair began to walk towards the wolf's apartment, while discussing what they had been doing that day. Both of them were exhausted from trying to help the city, as being a paragon for peace and order was not all about heroic missions into enemy territory.
"What projects did you work on today?" Alex asked as he watched his companion rub her shoulder.
"Helped a grocery store get back on its feet and some people to clean up their apartment block among other things. What about you?"
"Cleared some concrete debris off a highway and unloaded some emergency food supplies from a Red Cross truck."
"I'm definitely gonna feel sore tomorrow."
"By the way, is there a place for me to sleep at your apartment?"
"Sure, you can take the bed, I'll have the couch."
"What, I don't want to kick you out of your bed. I'll take the couch, I'm the guest after all."
"That's exactly why I want to give you the bed, so you can have a nice sleep while visiting my abode."
"I can sleep fine on a couch, or even a floor with pillows."
"You know, if you're comfortable with it, we could try sharing the bed," JayJay hesitantly suggested. "I think it's big enough for the both of us."
"Erm… Okay, that seems fair. I just don't want you to give up your bed for me."
The pair arrived at the apartment complex and found their way to JayJay's dwelling. The wolf opened the door to her apartment with a key and theatrically swept a paw to show off her place. The wolf's apartment was very nice, and included amenities such as a bathroom and kitchen. Lots of items in the apartment were a bright color, which reflected the wolf's upbeat personality, as evidenced by the clothes she wore.
Alex sat down on the couch, relieved that he was able to sit, while JayJay flipped on the lights.
"Do you want something to eat?" She asked, going into the kitchen and disappearing out of sight, "I have this nice little snack container I think you'd like."
Alex turned on the TV and tried to find something for them to watch, eventually settling on a movie that was playing. The wolf came back with two cups of juice and a plastic container that was divided up into 6 sections, each of which had a different kind of snack. It had grapes, carrots, jerky, cheese, nuts, and crackers. JayJay sat down right next to Alex and the pair feasted on the delicious snack while drinking their juice and watching the TV. Both were overjoyed that they could spend time with each other, without needing to worry.
"I like this jerky." Alex said, taking another piece from the container.
"So do I, wolves actually need protein to survive."
"So do humans; we also need protein in our diet. Also, what makes living a little sweeter is having a nice wolf friend."
"Aww, well life is certainly better when you're a wolf with a kind human friend." JayJay concurred, her tail wagging in agreement.
As the pair watched TV and relaxed from their long day, JayJay eventually felt comfortable enough to rest her head on Alex's shoulder. The Captain felt a soft form pressing against him. Enjoying the contact and wanting to do something in return, Alex reached over the sofa and put his arm around her, causing the wolf to sigh contentedly and wrap her tail around the two of them.
"Is this okay?" JayJay asked, not wanting Alex to feel nervous or uncomfortable. "Do you mind?"
"No, I don't. Your fur's all soft and warm. I mean.. uh.."
The Captain chuckled to himself and realized he was probably being a little too straightforward with his friend. He didn't want to weird her out. But the wolf just snuggled closer, so he could feel more of her fur.
"This is nice." JayJay said, closing her eyes and trying to fall asleep. But, without warning, the wolf picked up her head and planted a sweet kiss on the Captain's face. Both mammals blushed madly, being extremely nervous about what just happened. Eventually Alex managed to ask about what prompted this act of affection.
"Was that for luck?"
"No, that was for me."
"Well, let me know if you need to do that again. I'd be more than happy to oblige."
The pair continued watching movies till their eyelids grew heavy, eventually falling asleep on the couch., The two heroes, tired from working all day, instinctively curled into one another, with Alex forming the big spoon as he held his friend close to his chest in his sleep. The TV eventually shut off due to inactivity, and the room became silent as the two warriors rested and recharged together.
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And that's a wrap! Another slower paced chapter to balance out all the action and conflict! The next chapter is also slower paced like this one, so stay tuned!
