Chapter 34: night howlers again
We have a few good weeks; we build a solid case against the Don. He now has a public defender; none of his lawyers would defend him now that he had no money. The mansion was in foreclosure and the Z.P.D. The auction of the house and all the household goods was going well; it's amazing what people would buy online sight unseen. Wilde holdings purchased the home on sycamore; the tunnel was filled in, the house was cleaned up, and sold to a friendly family of red deer.
There was no improvement in Elisabeth or John, except that they were maturing in the coma like us. Susan and I wonder what they are learning. Mom and dad had them moved to Mercy General. They were being studied just like Susan and me. For all his misgivings about John, Dad was the first to shout with joy when John's arm moved of its own accord. Elisabeth's moved a bit as well. They were put on the "Stim" suits, so their muscles didn't anthropeia. It's a lonely Christmas without Elisabeth and John, but we all buck up and make the best of it.
Genie had a love interest, but she would tell no one about him/her. All of us respected her privacy, except for mom; she was always pushing her to tell her who he/she was. When mom would ask, Genie would just laugh, kiss mom, and leave the room. Mom was not versed well in finding things out emotionally. This frustrated her to no end.
Just after Christmas, we were called into Chief Bogo's office, with mom and dad. The Chief puts his paperwork down and looks at all of us as we enter his office. "Close the door, Wilde." Not sure who he's asking to do it, so I close the door. "this is a meeting I hoped never to have. We have two new night howler cases. We have received a demand in the mail, stating to release Bellwether, or there would be more incidents with predator and prey". This is a top priority for the four of you, Wilde's, you have the most experience with night howlers, Daniel, Susan follow their lead. Clawhauser has the file. Get it from him. Need I remind you to keep it on the down-low? Try to keep it out of the media. Dismissed". He goes back to the paperwork in front of him and says nothing else to us. We feel what he's feeling and agree; none of us are ready for this again. The Chief deflates on the inside as he puts his hoof to his forehead and thinks, "I'm getting too old for this scat."
Mom and dad aren't much better, but they firm up their resolve and think to us, "Let's do this." We get the file and head for our office. We lay the file on the table, go to the Zootopia map, and plot where the two attacks occur. We converse silently but can see nothing. The note the precinct received was pasted words from a cut-up newspaper. But the strange thing was the paper was old and yellowed, like an old newspaper or magazine.
The Wolfstein's were brought to precinct one; the boys David and Darwin and their younger sister Annabelle were with social services; they were just under the limit for young offenders. We were questioning their parents when their lawyer showed up; Cindy walked in. "Right, my clients will be answering no more questions at this point; we need to discuss some things. Can you officers leave us alone please"? we smile at Cindy, and she smiles back; we leave the room.
"So, Donna and Donald, can you tell me why did you do it"? Donald speaks, "We have no lawyer; who are you"? "Why I'm a lawyer who saw your plight and felt I could help you, and you do need a lawyer; you are both facing some pretty serious charges; my name is Cindy P O'Hare." "We can't afford to pay you; we have no money." "That's ok; I'm doing this pro bono." "Can we leave my wife out of this? She had nothing to do with what happened; I did it all".
"Very noble, sir, but Dudley Bearsden told me that you were both at the house on sycamore. She was aiding in the setup of Dudley". "Yes, we were both there, but the Don had our daughter and threatened to hurt her if we didn't do as he asked." "So, you did this under duress"? "Yes, I did; when we went out that afternoon, he handed me the trank gun and told me what to say to them. He threatened me with my wife and daughter if I didn't do as he asked. I didn't know it was a revenge thing; I probably would not have done it". "Well, it's done now, and we have to deal with the aftermath. Do you have any proof of what you are telling me"? "No, I don't. I'm sure I was to be caught. With me out of the picture, he would have taken my wife; he was always leering at her". "Right, I need statements that I can take to the DA, would you be willing to give me some"? Both the Wolfstein's give their statements. "All right, you Sir, are facing several charges, carrying a concealed weapon, illegal use of a trank gun, and second-degree attempted murder. I should be able to get the charges dropped against your wife, and I might be able to get the charges reduced against you, but I can't guarantee that". "That is all I can hope for, as long as my wife and children are safe, do with me as you will." He hangs his head. Cindy hugs them both as she leaves.
Cindy meets us both in the hall. We talk fast in our minds and continue on our way. Cindy leaves the precinct and goes to speak to the DA. By the end of the afternoon, Donna is released, social services set's herself and her kids up in a temporary shelter, and is looking for more permanent placement. Donald is arraigned for trial.
We trace the letter back to the post office in Podunk, but they can't help us. Mom and dad, Susan and I canvas all the locals who would talk to us. We show them pictures of Doug, Jesse, and Wolter Rameses, but no one can help us. Why drive out here just to mail a letter? Are they in Zootopia? Our answer came later in the week when two more mammals were darted with night howler. It was darts this time, not pellets. One was a Cheetah; the other was a pachyderm. The letter arrived in the afternoon, and they sent another to the news media. The whole thing has now blown up in our faces. We could not do our jobs properly. Mom and dad ran media interference, and we were left in the clear to continue the investigation. The Chief was right livid, but he couldn't blame us; the perps did send the same letter to the media. Susan and I got that letter as evidence; we had to get a warrant to get it. Same old newspaper and magazines, but this time we could tell the magazine it came from, not much of a clue, but it was something. We still have nothing; we plot the next two victims on the board, still not enough to get a correlation.
By the middle of next week, we get two more victims. This time a gazelle and a brown bear. In all the attacks, no one was killed, but some were mauled, but not seriously. We pin these victims on the board, and we defiantly see a pattern; they form a perfect circle. The epicenter is the old warehouse district. Wilde industries had bought the complex but hadn't done anything with the old warehouses yet. This blows up in the media, and the public is pushing for the release of Bellwether. That is the last thing we are planning to do. Susan and I separate ourselves and hunt for Doug. after about half an hour; we find him and his brothers in warehouse "W" the furthest from the main building. We roll S.W.A.T. and surround the building, but they are gone by the time we get there; how did they know we were coming? There are old magazines, food containers, mattresses, and newspapers all over the room they were in. It looks like they had been there for some time, about three weeks we estimated. Where were they for the last eleven years? And why return now? We had more questions but no answers.
Elisabeth and John don't wake up like Susan, and I did; they wake up in fits and starts, but they are back by the end of the month. Peter walks into their room, "Morning, you two." No response, "Hmm, Thinks Peter, then getting a smile on his face, uncovers their hind paws, and quickly runs his claws up their paw pads. They both scream as they sit upright. Elisabeth looks at Peter, "What the heck grandpa"? Several nurses rush over, but seeing Peter there, turn around and go back to their station. "Well, I see motor responses are good. I need to do a few more tests on you two. Come, sit on the edge of the bed for me". By the end of the testing, he pronounces them fit to leave the hospital. As they are minors, mom and dad are called to pick them up. They change into clothes that he had brought for them. Grandma had supplied the dress and undergarments for Elisabeth, and I provided the clothes for John as he was taller than dad and about my size.
Mom and dad are so happy to see them up and around; they hug them both. They are also glad they are away from the media Circus, if just for a little while. "Well, John, how are you feeling, son"? "Ah, technically, I'm not your son, but I would like to think of myself as your son." Dad holds him at arm's length, "You are my son, and I'm just wondering when's the wedding? "son." Elisabeth blushes, "dad, we haven't talked about it yet, but can we do it soon"? dad hugs Elisabeth and marvels at her forest green eye color; John has emerald green eyes, same as dads. "Yes, you can." "Dad, I thought you didn't like John." "It's not that I don't like John. I was having a hard time letting go of you, you are my little girl, and no boy is good enough in my eyes for my little girl. But I've had several months to get used to the idea, and I can feel your bond. So yes, you can marry John. I felt your bond, even while you were in the coma, and what God has brought together, let no mammal including me, tear apart". She hugs him back, fiercely, "Dad, that means a lot to me, thanks." Mom hugs them both, "That's big of you, slick, you are learning." Dad looks down at mom, "Am I learning? Yes, yes, I am". He says this while bringing mom up into a kiss. Elisabeth and John copy the example in front of them.
When they walk into the house, Grandma starts to cry and just holds them both. She lets them go and brings food out of the fridge. "real food," both John and Elisabeth scream, as they sit down and devour it all. Grandma just laughs as they eat. Grandma, Miss Watts, and Bonnie are the only ones home; Miss Watts smiles at them; Scott and Justin were at school. Later Grandma takes them to the supercenter for clothes. Several employees watch them. The ones that have seen them before, just leave them alone. But one employee is trying to make a name for himself.
He confronts them in the jewelry aisle as they look at rings. "Alright, fox, what do you have in the bag"? "Nothing, sir, that I didn't have in there when I walked in." "Right empty it on the counter here." "Are you sure you want to do this"? "Just empty the bag before I call security." Vivian does as requested; he finds nothing from the store. "Alright, I want you all to leave." "But we haven't finished shopping." "Your finished fox, get out." "Kindly get your manager over here. I need to talk to him". "You will do as I say; I'm calling security."
He gets on his radio and does so. The manager hears the call and rushes over with security. "So, Orin, what seems to be the problem here." The security guards stand behind the manager with their arms crossed as he asks that question. "Sir, I caught these foxes shoplifting." The manager's eyes get big as he looks at Vivian. "Is this true, Miss Howler"? "No, it isn't Normand; I just think your employee is a little overzealous in his job." Orin gets a shocked look on his face; she knows the store manager? "Well, Orin, I believe Miss Howler is correct; you are in the wrong; apologize to her."
"I WILL NOT; she's just a shifty fox." The manager just smiles at Orin, "Orin, I will not tolerate this attitude towards Miss Howler, you will apologize to her, or you don't work here." "But she's just a fox." "She may be just a fox, as you put it, but she is a fox with five police officers in her family; she does not need to steal from us. Now apologize to her". Orin thinks for a few seconds, and turns away from them, and walks out the door. "I'm sorry, Vivian, if I had known about his attitude before I hired him, I would not have hired him." He turns to tell the guards to go back to their posts, but they had already left. "It's ok, Normand, I believe you, but we are done here." She ushers John and Elisabeth to the checkout. They go later in the afternoon to Brock-in-Stock jewelers for their rings.
We are no closer to finding Doug and his brothers, so we look at all the evidence collected at the warehouse. We get a call later from William; we put him on speakerphone and shut our office door. "Hey guys, I've analyzed the power plant and gun; it is very simple work compared to mine. The power plant is cobbled together from several different components from several different manufactures; I'll send you the manufactures info, along with the component supplied by that manufacturer. The computer chip running it is crude by Ricks standard but functional. He says it is based in the trinary language but is not all there; there is enough programming to control the plant properly. Some of the language is missing, almost like it was copied from a paper sheet with part of the paper missing. I'm surprised it works at all". My phone beeps as the info comes across.
"As for the gun, it gives me ideas about the replicators you two talked about, and I'm hoping to have one up and running by the end of the year. Again, you should be receiving the component and manufacturers info shortly". Anything else you can tell us about the gun"? Well, if I were to build it, it would be at least five times more devastating than this one; I have now destroyed it. No one needs that weapon". "Are there any records of it"? Not here, but Mavis does know and has the specs, she also has the specs for the old replicators, but I want to see what I can come up with first". "Right, thanks, William, we'll let the Chief know it's gone." "Anything else you want me to look at"? "Not at the moment, bro, but we'll keep you in mind." "Right, see you at supper, have a good day."
We tell the Chief the weapon is off the street permanently, but if Carl did build it, he could make another. The Chief tells us he is still number one to find. We tell him we are looking, but no new info has come to light; none of the bills from the robberies have surfaced yet. He sighs as we leave his office. We find mom and dad in our office as we come in, dad has coffee and mom has tea. "Thanks for running media interference for us; anything new"? In response, dad hands us a new letter.
This one is different; it's made with a new newspaper. The demand is new as well, they still want Bellwether, but now they want five-million dollars as well. They give us a time frame of two days. We can tell it's new as the date was still on one corner piece. It was four days ago about the right time frame for the postal service. Mom and dad had managed to trace the letter to "Happy Town." No cop goes in there and comes out unscathed. With mom and dad in the room, we separate ourselves to hunt for the Ramses. After an hour, and just before we have to come back, we find them. We come back and set up a game plan with mom and dad. We keep tabs on them as we set up the takedown.
We have to get them out of "Happy Town" if the cops went in there in force, we would start a war. No one wants to have that. We talk to the media and tell them we are releasing Bellwether. It hits the airwaves and T.V. like a bombshell. There are protests on both sides of the coin. The more vocal ones are against her release. We get Mary Jane from precinct eighteen. With some body sculpting from Elisabeth, she is the spitting image of Dawn.
We put Bellwether in solitary lockdown. We will release her later back into the general population; we need her to have no outside contact, not that she had much to begin with. We roll Mary Jane into the prison in a van, and twenty minutes later, she then walks out. Susan and I pick her up and take her back to town in our cruiser. Susan keeps a lookout for Doug and his brothers. About two miles down the road, the brothers turn out onto the street and follow us. We take her to precinct-one for processing.
Jessie and Woolther are waiting in the outdoor café across the street from the precinct. Mom and dad walk with us all as we head for the café; dad carries a case that could contain money. The five of us sit down at the table outside and wait for Doug. We had lost him. I guess tinfoil hats do work well to block us, how we don't know. We found out later he had a small shield device like the one that protected Carl's complex. The four of us turn to leave when we are tranked. Doug was on the roof across the street from the precinct.
Doug's P.O.V…
"There you are, you two bastards, this is for Jesse's belly wool," it had never grown back. "This is for all the pain you caused me over the years, the hiding, the waiting." Doug keeps his finger on the trigger as he looks through the scope. He watches them all, the new rabbit and fox as well, and thinks four with one stone. He thinks back to how he was offered this chance for revenge. This strange lion found them hiding out in the wilderness, fed them, put them up, and offered him this new gun. He had over five hundred rounds for this gun. It was new to him; he had never seen one like it before. He practiced for months with this gun. It got to the point he could hit a dart with another dart at five-hundred yards. This gun was rapid-fire. He could fire ten darts in six-seconds. This gun was very impressive. He was led to believe it was his after he did his job for the lion. He kept his eye on the four of them, and as they turned to go, he tranked them all. He started to trank everyone in sight for maximum effect, the gun had a magazine that held twenty darts, and he had ten more clips with him, all filled with night howler.
My P.O.V….
When we were tranked, it was all I could do to remain sane. Susan and I fell to our knees, mom and dad fell to all fours and, looking at us with slitted eyes, growl at us both. Susan and I reach for our guns and trank mom and dad. We get ourselves under control and stand up. I turn around and trank Jesses and Woolther as they stand up to run. Mary Jane then pulls out her mark seven and starts to trank victims.
Susan and I do the same, but how many rounds does he have? "Dispatch," screams Susan into her shoulder mike, "Clawhauser, code blue in the square, all available units, night howler antidote needed in the plaza, HURRY." I throw my gun and spare trank clip to Susan. As I spot Doug, I go after him. She lets go of her mike as a bobcat jumps at her. She tranks him, "Sorry, Bobby." She has a gun in either paw and continues to trank victims.
I run to the building; I get one more dart as I run. I don't go into the building. I go around the side and go straight up the outside of the fire escape. I land on the roof and growl at Doug. He turns and tranks me again. I just smile at him as I pull the dart out. I then rush him before he can dart me again. I knock the gun out of his hooves and growl at him again. He can see my slitted eyes, and he wets himself thinking he is about to die. I pounce on him as he lets out a scared bleat. I roll him over and cuff him. I pick up the rifle and clips. I stand him up, and we go down the fire escape.
Several officers are waiting for us at the bottom. They back up a bit when they see my slitted eyes and feel my savageness. They take Doug into custody and read him his rights. They give me a wide berth as we walk out of the alley into the mayhem. There are several ambulances in the square; the emergency personal are taking mammals to the hospitals. We walk up to the Chief, and he backs up from Susan and me.
"Chief, is the isolation cell empty at the moment"? "Why? you two need to go to the hospital". "Sorry, sir, the antidote won't work on us; the night howler serum is like tar in our systems; only time will allow us to get rid of it. "How are you able to be coherent at the moment." "Sir we are battling the effects at the moment." "How…."? "Sir, we know our bodies, and we will have to let ourselves go savage, and the isolation cell will protect everyone else from us. If we were strapped to hospital beds, I can't guarantee the restraints will hold us; they may hurt us, and we could then hurt others". The antidote in our bodies will be like water, and we will just burn through it, without taking any of the serum with it, or only a small part of the serum". "How long do we put you in isolation"? "We think three to four days should do, Bobby, when he come out of the hospital, can monitor us in the cell. He can tell you when the serum finally leaves our system". "No one else has been able to beat the serum on their own; they just stayed savage." "Yes, sir, but you know we are different; we will beat this." The chief shakes his head, "Alright, I'll believe you, Snarlov escort our guests to the isolation cell." He turns back to us, "Your guns please, you can talk to I.A. when you are coherent again." "Thanks, Chief," we say as we roll up our guns and hand them to the Chief. When we get to the isolation cell, we strip and go in naked. Once the door is locked, we allow ourselves to go savage.
"Good evening Zootopia, I'm Peter Moosebridge, Miss Growler is away, filling in is Heather Hammerstein. Our top story tonight is the mayhem in central Square. Doug Ramses and his brothers Jesse and Woolther were apprehended, trying to start another night howler incident. Sixty individuals were darted, but thanks to the police force's quick thinking, there were no maulings. Two of the Z.P.D. police force members appear to be immune to night howler serum…." "Sorry to interrupt Peter, but I have just been informed the officers in question are at the precinct in an isolation cell. There was no room at local area hospitals for them; they are being monitored by one Bobby Hofmeyr, the Z.P.D.'s head lab personal he has given them the antidote".
"Thank you, Heather, now on to the secondary story. Does Spider mammal exist? Again, we have shake footage of the impossible. The officer in question went straight up the outside of a fire escape. Look at him go; how can he do that? He then arrested Doug Ramses and walked him back down the fire escape. His partner on the force continued to trank victims as Doug created them. If you look closely at her eyes, you can see Slitted eyes. Was she savage? This is not the first time Daniel Wilde has done the impossible; he was the one to lift the bus off two accident victims, several months back, I'm told those victims have recovered fully from their ordeal, Heather"?
"Thank you, Peter, in entertainment news today, Gazelle has announced a benefit concert later this year for the victims of the central square incident. In other related news…".
