Here is the 33rd installment. Hope you enjoy.

Remember to share the love. Review and Fav. It is the life blood of every writer to know you are enjoying their work. I also want to thank everyone who has Fav'd, followed, and reviewed this little project. I know that isn't much, but to me, it's huge. Even as a writer of original fiction, that you enjoy this means a lot to me as an author. You can check out my original work and link to my Blog, Scribblings, where a lot of it lives by hopping over to ( Direct: dcballard because the forwarding is misbehaving.)

If you enjoy this, and you are not also reading my original Log Entries series over on my Blog. Why aren't you? (takes a Nick-esk pose of hurt) Also. I am now posting them on AO3, so you have even less excuse. It's free, ORIGINAL fiction. "An original story told through the log entries of the pilot and captain of an experimental star ship."

Informational The ZPD in my universe runs a 3 shift, 10 hour, overlapping multi-schedule that has multiple teams or officers ensuring at least 2 shifts on the clock during the busiest parts of the day. This allows plenty of coverage, officers getting rolling days off sometimes just one, sometimes three days off. Also makes it easier to allow for time off without compromising coverage.

The end of First shift, which Nick, Judy, Lizz, and Mike are on, and part of the same shift group or team, overlaps with the start of 3rd shift. 2nd shift coming on early in the morning and overlapping both 3rd shifts end and the start of 1st shift. This has the benefit of ensuring that officers from all shifts interact with each other and are at least passingly familiar with each other. The hours of the shift are gerenally fixed, but with multiple groups of officers, days off are rolling and different for different officer groups allows some flexibility and additional overlap. So you will have 1st-A, 1st-B, 1st-C, etc...

If you wanted an extra day off, you might swap a day off with 1st-C if you're on 1st-A to give you a 4 day weekend without needing to use PTO. Need some OT, pick up a shift from 2nd-A or 3rd-B, approved of course.

Officers are salary, but are due overtime greater than 40 hours (thank the union), which is why they clock in and out, and why Bogo or the shift captain will send an officer home early to avoid OT, even giving them a day off if needed. Another benefit of the rolling shifts, there is always at least 2 groups of a shift on, sometimes 3, allowing for officers hitting their 40 to be released as needed without compromising coverage.

Sadly, I do not own and thus can claim no rights to Zootopia or its characters. They belong to Disney.

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Precinct 1 - End of Second shift.

Nick and Mike walked in from the parking area after dropping off their suspects and headed towards their desks to fill out their daily reports, log their evidence from the robbery, and close up for the day. They didn't have to get it all done that night, so they were only going to get the basics done and go home.

The mammals they arrested were already linked to another robbery case they had been working, so they had no worries about them getting out before they were able to get the rest of the paperwork done in the morning and do interrogations. As they both finished up reviewing each others reports and pulled out their phones to find out where their mates were, Bogo walked up.

Nick saw him coming. "Hey Chief. Got an answer for me already?"

Grunting, Bogo came to a stop between their cubicles. "I need both of you, in uniform and weapons, at the entrance to the precinct in five. With support from Major Friedkin and Instructor Fallow, along with McHorn; you will be arresting Officers Thrillis, Rast, and Root." Looking down at Nick. "Chromest and Ghalt continued your investigation into them when Judy went on maternity leave and you couldn't continue digging."

Nick opened his phone and immediately sent a text to Judy that he was going to be late and that he would explain when he got home. Looking back up at Bogo with a determined scowl. "Looking forward to it, sir!"

Mike did the same. Both getting texts that they were with Judy's family and Nick's snow leopard aunts at Therus for dinner, and to be safe. "I'm there sir."

"Good. Then file those reports and get to the lobby."

Mike and Nick nodded to each other, finished reviewing the reports, got them printed, checked their equipment, and headed for the front desk three minutes later. Dropping them off gave them the perfect excuse to head for the front. As they walked up, they looked over and saw Friedkin and Fallow on either side of the doors, McHorn leaning against the desk on the other side.

Ben looked at Mike and down at Nick. "Hey guys. How are you doing? About out of here aren't you?"

Nick nodded, slipping on his friendly hustler smirk. "Yep. Just one thing left to do." Turning towards the door, he saw the targets just walking up the steps. "You're about off shift now too, aren't you buddy?"

"Nah, I still have a few hours to go. I have a three hour lunch, so that leaves me working later, but it works for the third shift guy. At least for now. I'm no morning mammal, so I work out on my lunch. I'm sticking to what you, Judy, and Lizz set up for me. As I get in better shape it won't take me as long to recover."

Mike smiled at Ben. "That's great Ben, as long as you stick to it and keep working at it."

Nick dropped a low dropping tone whistle, which had Mike turning casually towards the doors. They watched them open and Officers Thrillis, Rast, Ket, and Root, entered. McHorn shifted to block the passage on his side of the reception desk.

Nick gave three quick whistles, and mike moved to take up a similar position to McHorn, noting that Bogo was there as well. Ben noticed this, then noticed Friedkin and Fallow moving up behind the group that had just entered. Realizing something was up, he leaned down to Nick. "Nick. What's going on? Bogo looks pissed. I mean more than usual."

"Not now Ben, I have something to do really quick." With that, Nick slid deeper into his signature smirk and walked quickly but casually forward, catching the approaching officers dead center of the atrium. With a warm, friendly tone, Nick made himself known. "Good evening officers. Shaping up to be a great night, don't you think? I'm impressed though, after as many years as I have lived in the sun, I don't think I could actually work 3rd shift."

The group stopped and looked down at the fox with some measure of shock and irritation, Thrillis a polar bear, speaking. "What the hell. They'll let anyone be a cop. I really thought you were just scamming us. What do you want, fox?"

Never losing his smirk, Nick chuckled. "That would be Sergeant to you." Pointing to his rank insignia.

Thrillis clearly didn't care. "Whatever. Again, what do you want, fox?"

Nick could hear the shift commander having a conversation with Bogo which ended with a shocked, shouted, what? They all looked up at that, seeing Bogo and Wolford standing on that side with the shift captain. Rast, a Tiger, whispered to Thrillis, though Nick was close enough to hear. "McHorn is blocking the other passage. What's going on?"

Thrillis shrugged. "How should I know. Stay cool."

Having enough of it. Nick Spoke up. "You'll also notice Major Friedkin and Instructor Fallow from the ZPA behind you. While you are at it. Officer Ket, you might wish to step away from the other three. Officers Thrillis, Rast, and Root, please follow me to the front desk where I will ask that you hand over to Officer Clawhauser your ZPD IDs, badges, weapons, cuffs, etc... At which point we will take a little trip down to booking. While I know you should know your rights and the way there, I'm going to read them to you anyway."

Nick pulled a card from his pocket and cleared his throat. "You, Officers Thrillis, Rast, and Root, have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to have an attorney present during questioning, if you cannot afford one, one will be provided." Putting the card away. "Though, as officers, we can and will question you without your attorney present, as that is in your employment contract."

Thrillis looked down at Nick with pure hate in his eyes. "Why you little pelt piece of shit. I can smell rabbit all over you. So it's true, you're one of those deviants. Disgusting prey chaser. I will not take orders from you. Get out of my way!"

With that, Thrillis went to shove Nick out of the way, only to find himself on his face on the ground, arm pulled back behind himself with the feeling of pawcuffs around his wrist. As he went to shove him, Nick grabbed said arm, his claws getting purchase in the thicker fur at the wrist, and with a powerful lead to the side, spun and pulled Thrillis off balance, resulting in him landing on his face on the floor. Thrillis tried to pull away only to yelp in pain as Nick applied a pressure point. Reaching back with his other arm, he tried to grab Nick with his free paw, only to have that one captured as well and the pawcuffs applied, Nick standing on his back towards his shoulders and out of reach of the grasping claws of the bear.

Grinning down at Thrillis, Nick chuckled. "You larger mammals really seem to not realize that Judy and I earned our valedictorian status in the academy for real. They didn't have the different standards until very recently. We had no choice but to compete, and win, against the likes of you."

Thrillis ignored Nick. "Help me you idiots, you just going to stand there while this pelt pervert does this?" Looking up at McHorn. "McHorn. Why are you letting him do this?"

McHorn glared down at Thrillis. "You're lucky Bogo decided to have Wilde do the arrest, I don't think I would have been able to not injure you, accidentally, in the process."

Shocked, Thrillis turned to try and see the others. "Rast! Root! What are you..." He stopped when he saw the other two held by Friedkin and Fallow.

Their shift commander, another polar bear, lifted Thrillis up to his feat, the anger in his face hot enough to melt a glacier. "Thrillis, Rast, Root. You three are under arrest. Charges will include, but not limited to falsification of evidence, false imprisonment, falsification of evidence resulting in conviction of an innocent, abuse of power, abuse of position, and far more than I care to list." With that he removed their utility belts, badges, name plates and other marks of rank or position in the ZPD save their uniforms themselves, though those had multiple tears where things like rank sewn and badge had been pinned. Handing the equipment to Mike as it was removed. "It is a good thing that you three are not on the list of officers that are required to carry even off duty. If you were, you'd have been tranq'd the moment you walked in those doors. Oh, and for your information, Sergeant Wilde is one of those that is required to carry. That makes him trusted more than you, and he is definitely ten times the officer you ever were."

The three were then handed over to McHorn, with Friedkin and Fallow assisting as they were taken down to booking and processing cursing and yelling the whole way. The shift commander then turned to Ket, a large white tailed buck who was looking shell shocked and terrified. "Officer Ket. I am putting you on desk duty until your connection to the actions of your partner, officer Root, can be verified. You will either join them in holding or be cleared of wrong doing and allowed to change shifts and seek a new partner, or request a transfer to another precinct. Do yourself a favor and tell me now. Were you a part of what those three were doing?"

Ket looked at his commander, over to Bogo, to where the others had been taken, in cuffs, and then down to Nick. Looking back up at his commander. "Sir... I... I don't understand what just happened. Falsification of Evidence‽ Abuse of Power‽" His voice rising in shock and fear. "If I was, I didn't know. Root was my TO and took me on as his official partner two months ago."

Nick spoke up. "Captain Whelt, Ket was cleared in our initial review, and I'm sure Chromest and Ghalt included him in their review. Unless he has participated in something very recently, he should come back clean. His only bad luck being that he was partnered with that scum, and hat is sadly going to taint him."

Bogo stepped up. "Wilde. Didn't you have him on your list of alternatives for your proposed task force?"

"I did sir. If he clears a follow up review, and the task for is approved, I'd still be willing to bring him on. Working on that would probably help counter the taint being partnered with Root is going to leave and he'd make a good sounding board and sanity check."

Ket looked between them. "Task force? Review? Dear gods, what did Root do?"

Captain Whelt looked at his officer. "I think you will figure it out once the review starts tomorrow. For now, you're on desk duty, but DO NOT log into your computer. Today, you are getting paid to sit in the lounge and watch TV, play on your phone, etc... The review will start tomorrow. Note, your personal devices will be handed over for review."

Clearly upset and feeling like his job was on the line, Ket shook his head. "Sir. I don't understand. You're saying that I'm suspect because I was partnered with Root? I don't even know what for?"

Nick jumped in. "Let me ask you this, Officer Ket. What is your personal position on inter-species couples?"

"I couldn't care less. Love is love. My brother is dating a wolf and I have never seen him happier. They talk constantly to make sure they understand each other, something they picked up from an inter-species support group. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, that right there is where you and Root differ. You heard the things Thrillis was saying. Rast and Root were right there with him. Did you ever tell him who your brother was dating?"

"I did. His reaction confused me. He never seemed outright against them, just uncomfortable."

Nick turned to Bogo. "With permission, I would like to meet with Officer Ket's brother and girlfriend."

Ket interrupted Nick. "Boyfriend, actually. I just assumed Root was anti-gay."

"No, he was far worse than that. Sir?"

Bogo nodded, a hint of a smile almost missed passing his muzzle. If Nick hadn't been looking, he'd have missed it. "Granted. Captain, please get the needed details from Officer Ket and put them on Officer Wilde's desk so he and his partner can interview Officer Ket's brother and boyfriend. See if there are any indications that Root, Thrillis, Rast, or anyone else, were planning something. Probably using Ket as a the stooge for it."

Captain Whelt nodded. "I will sir. Officer, why don't we head to my office and we can get those details together."

"Sir." Ket then followed his commander. Stopping in front of the front desk. "Sir. Should I turn over my phone now?"

Commander Whelt nodded. "That would be wise. Please text or call anyone you need under Officer Clawhausers supervision, then turn in your devices. You might give him the key to your place as well, as officers will be visiting it as well. Then come up to my office when you're done."

With tears in his eyes, Ket nodded. "Yes sir." He walked around to the side where Ben was waiting for him. "I'll let my fiance know that she will need to let the officers in to do what they need to do."

Whelt gave a reassuring smile. "If what Officer Wilde says is true, then this is all an unfortunate formality. Let her know that it isn't you, but your former partner that is the issue and we just have to check due to you being partners."

"Understood, sir. I'll try and make her understand."

Bogo looked down at Nick. "You and Wolford, punch out. Go home. I don't want to see either of you until at least eleven, got that?"

With a smirk and sharp salute, Nick replied. "Yes sir! We are ghosted." Stopping by Ket as they head back towards their desks. "Ket. Take a deep breath. From everything I've read, you're a good officer that unfortunately got a bad partner. It happens, but it isn't the end of the world."

Looking at Nick as his fiance answers. "Thanks Sergeant. I really hope so." Turning to his phone. "Hi love. I'm probably going to be home early today, but don't bother calling me. I have to turn my phone over for review."

Ben spoke up. "Don't worry. I'm going to put your phone in for quick download, since you're doing it willingly, tech can pull everything they need off in a about an hour."

"Thanks Ben. So, yeah. Not sure when I'll get home, but something I can't go into right now happened and I'll be on desk duty. At least for a while until things filter out. Once it's all said and done I can tell you about it." Seeing a smile and nod from Ben. "Might be a few day, a week or two. Also, there are some officers that are going to come to the apartment. I'll try to be with them. ... Like I said, it isn't me, but something that touches my by unfortunate happenstance. ... I don't think I did anything, at least not knowingly."

Ben speaking up. "Ma'am. It was his partner, so by default we have to clear him as well. Not even Captain Whelt thinks James is going to have any issues, but we have to check."

Ket listened. "Right. If I can be, I will be with them when they go. I'll talk to the Captain. ... Okay. I love you."

With that, Ket hangs up and shows Ben his unlock code. Taking that and his other equipment, Ben heads for tech quickly, while Ket heads for the break room after punching in as instructed. Nick and Mike return to their desks, put away their equipment, and quickly punched out. Taking a detour they swing through the break room and find Ket with his head in his hooves.

Walking up, Nick coughs to get his attention. "Hey, James right?"

Ket looks up. "Yes Sergeant."

Nick smiles. "Call me Nick. I'm off the clock, mostly. How you holding up?"

Ket shook his head. "I... I don't know. What they are being booked for. I swung by and looked at the book. My gods. Thrillis has a possible murder rap on him too, with Rast and Root as accessory. How am I going to get past that stain? Even if I'm cleared, Nick. This is not something you get past."

Smiling, Nick nodded. "You'd think that. But look at me. I'm a Sergeant. I'm looking to hopefully make LT and Detective soon. Surely you've heard about my past on the rumor mill at this point? Not all of it is true, but it is true that I was a hustler since I was a kit, right up until Hopps, hopped into my life. I worked for Big at one point in my life, and both me and my partner are considered family." Smiling at the shocked look. "This is not a secret from Bogo or IA, nor the DA, not many other officers. Hell, there are officers that have actual blood family that work for Big. We do constant reviews, as in monthly at the moment, because of it. That hasn't stopped us from making rank, working cases, or having the respect from our fellow officers.

So don't let this hiccup get you down. Yeah,the review sucks. Having IA up your tail hole is a real pain, but you'll get through this. So deep breath, and if you haven't, go talk to the captain and make sure you're at least there to console your fiance."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Ket nodded. "Thank you. That's some perspective I didn't have and makes sense. I'm going to head to talk to the captain. Have a good night."

"You too."

With that, Nick and Mike left the precinct, on their way to Therus only forty five minutes late. As they walked out, Mike turned to Nick.

"Oh, hey. Nick..."

Nick turned to Mike. "What's up?"

"Tomorrow, you and Judy. My parents home for dinner."

Nick laughed a moment before realizing Mike was serious and started shaking his head vigorously in the negative. "Mike. No! I.. We... Just No."

"My mother insists. Lizz is going to pick up Judy and we'll just meet at my place then head over."

"Mike, you have got to be joking. Carrots and I have no business at a family dinner for the alphas of the Wolford pack."

"My mother thinks differently."

Nick frowned deeply. "Crap. Does Judy know, or do I have to break that news?"

"No, Lizz is supposed to tell her and make sure she comes, my assignment is you."

With a loud sigh and groan, Nick nodded. "Well, I know better than to not show up when a pack alpha invites me in. We will be there."

"Great. See you at Therus."

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A/N Keep the reviews and comments coming, it's making Muse happy, which lets me work on this and other things. And also remember, if you see issues, misspellings, etc... Let me know in PM, I'm under no illusion of being perfect and want to fix those things I miss.

If you are truly enjoying this, you can check out my original work by popping over to my blog, Scribblings. You can link to it here: and then select Scribblings Blog.