A Life in the Balance.
Cindy Hopps and her closest friend and sister Ginny were sitting outside this morning and both shivered. All their lives they had only known the air outside their burrow being warmer than the day before and sometimes rainy. Her brothers and some of her sisters enjoyed splashing around in the mud puddles obviously ignoring Grandma Bridget's warning not to get into the puddles. Now half of her siblings were sick with the cold, all because of the morning nippy air. Grandma Bonnie and Great-grandmother Opal made daily trips to visit the sick ones and cheer up the others, many of the Hopps siblings came over as well. Cindy and her siblings had long ago stopped nursing thus her grandmothers were serving a soup they said had magical healing in it to sick bunnies. Although Cindy, Ginny, and a few others were the only ones not sick they were given the soup as well, Great-grandmother Opal said it wouldn't hurt for them to eat what their littermates did.
A large fluffy tail folded around the two little does but they only flinched before grasping it. This had become a regular occurrence these past few mornings.
"Good morning Miss Cindy, Miss Ginny."
"Good morning Mr. Marquis."
This was another thing that became a new occurrence, the elder wolf or one of the other predator species being nearby whenever the young bunnies went outside the burrow to play. Something else was new, every few days a tracker team returned with injured members. Cindy and her littermates always were prevented from seeing these enter the rear entrance, but the moans made it clear there were injuries among them. Nurses Amanda Grays and Charlene Snowshoe would rush by the young bunnies and neither would be seen the remainder of the evening. By this point in their young lives Cindy's littermates were well acquainted with the sound of an ambulance, even when its siren wasn't blaring as it arrived late in the evening after the young bunnies' bedtime. The numbers of trackers and scavengers were getting smaller as the days went on, something that wasn't lost on the young bunnies.
An Arctic fox and a Gray fox, both vixens stepped and stood beside the elder wolf. These seemed to be wherever Grand Tracker Marquis was and he seemed to always have something for them to do. Like at the moment. These vixens were whispering something into his ear; obviously the two bunnies strained their ears to hear what was so secretive about. Moments later the vixens left without saying a thing to the bunnies.
"Something bad has happened, hasn't it?" Cindy's ears were lying on back of her head, Ginny's did as well.
"Not as bad as it may seem young ones. One of our tracker teams made an important discovery, but I must go to help figure what it means."
"We'll both go too!"
A couple pairs of paws grasped the two young does and picked them up, these didn't need introduction. Great-grandmother Elizabeth and Great-grandfather Floyd picked them up and the elder wolf bid them good bye as he quickly made his way towards the rear entrance. As much as Ginny and Cindy loved these elder rabbits right now there was a mystery to be solved and they were being foiled.
"Let the Grand Tracker do his job, young ones. He'll tell you more when the time is right."
"But granddad, you keep saying that and in these past few days Mr. Marquis has been quiet as a... ummm..."
"He has been monitoring where the teams go each night thus quite tired when he finishes debriefing them. I'm certain when things calm down he'll tell you. But now he needs to tend to his charges, just as your grandparents need to catch up on happenings in your home."
The two young does' were being held firmly in the elder rabbits paws as they were being carried back into the burrow. There was a mystery to be solved and these two needed to know what was being hidden. Grandma Bridget opened the door and greeted the elder rabbits, waiting until after the door closed and the young bunnies were put down to properly greet them. As Elizabeth and Floyd held the young does' paws they walked to the kitchen where Bridget served them carroffee and Danishes. She was surprised these rabbits asked for plain straight coffee, Elizabeth explained their job required long hours and carrot-blended coffee was too weak. The two young does' were released and as the elders talked about recent events in Bunny Burrow, Cindy and Ginny rushed to their rooms. They grabbed a magnifying glass each and then slowly walked the halls looking for clues, or at least making their way towards the lowest levels of the burrow.
The pair of eyes watched its assignment intently. Its fellow officers were receiving awards and promotions as the afternoon dragged on, and itself stepped forward to receive recognition. As the ceremony crawled by it had a time to contemplate the series of events leading to today's actions. Like anyone involved in a large public ceremony this officer was used to standing for stretches of time in one spot. A small smirk escaped from the corner of its mouth, this was nothing its species couldn't do with blindfold on and spun around until directed to reposition itself back to facing the original position. Could the two abominations do this it wondered?
Many months ago it used to think the rabbit and fox were ordinary ZPD officers, possibly too green to be assigned as partners. When the two started being seen spending time together after work, increasingly as the months went by, it knew something more than simply discussing the day's events was occurring. Soon it became plain as daylight the bunny was getting some tail from the predator, which to this mammal seemed more like an invitation to dinner than actual romance. When the bunny-fox underwent a trial by those elder rabbits and were found in a genuine relationship this mammal thought the verdict was a mistake. After the Lynxion War ended and the original group named Servants of Truth was mysteriously killed this mammal discovered pamphlets explaining their ideology, and thus saw clearly the threat the Wilde-Hopps were to normal mammalian species.
The ceremony mercifully was over and he followed the fox, staying in its blind spot waiting for the opening to apply the dart. Unfortunately the only chance that presented a clear shot resulted in a waiter becoming incapacitated, apparently the jackal made a quick trip between two officers in an attempt to get through the crowd quickly. Now the eyes needed to get away quickly as possible. It retrieved the dart using the confusion of the crowd to mask its movement and then made its escape with no further incident. The Council of Truth would have to understand Murphy's Law simply prohibited the assassination attempt.
Somewhere during the night this agent found himself killed by an assassin as he drove on his Precinct's assigned route.
Agent of Truth saw the failure to kill the fox and reported it instantly. It accepted the revised contract and followed the fox out the side door. Using its IT clearance it followed the fox via the surveillance cameras and as it walked to intercept it watched his target via his zphone's view screen. It cursed when the fox entered an office space followed by a few mammals this agent knew were fellow detectives the fox worked with frequently. It was going to be a long wait so the agent sent a code to alert him when the door opened. The agent didn't notice it was sitting next to a drum that was leaking an odorless gas, moments later this agent was unconscious and hours later its zphone beeped, indicating the door had opened and the target now was moving towards the exit.
It would be the next oncoming shift that would discover the dead body and ponder why the technician was in the wrong part of the building.
It had been a long afternoon and the female inwardly grumbled as she made her way around the building one floor at a time. She had been hired by the management to perform basic cleaning services which gave the Servants of Truth a perfect opportunity to place one of their own this close to the abominations. Day by day, week by week she performed her duties and kept a watchful eye on the goings on around the abominations' apartment. One thing that puzzled her were the three groups of elder foxes that were called *grandparents* by the young vixens. Anyone with an ounce of sense knew a mammal only had two pairs of grandparents. She decided to pay closer attention and figure out why this was so.
Last night the bunny and two young vixens returned home, but only briefly as they left with a few day bags that obviously meant this was going to be a short trip probably an overnight one at that. Tomorrow they most likely would return late in the afternoon, as evident by the two elder foxes that left with the bunny. This female already knew these were the male abomination's parents. Ahhh... overnight at their place, perfect opportunity to use her lock picking abilities.
*DOH* She slapped herself mentally; she already had a stolen key to the apartment. Actually the abominations had left their key in the door one evening when the bunny was frisky and the todd carried her inside. It was disgusting hearing the commotion as the pair did something physical somewhere in the living room, but thankfully just long enough they were distracted and didn't notice the key pulled out and pressed onto a soft wax plate and just as quick returned to the door lock. She had just returned to the other side of the hallway when the bunny opened the door to retrieve the key, apologizing to the custodian the lapin assumed was merely going about her duties cleaning the hallway.
When the family and elders locked the door and said good-bye to the maid, she watched the abomination enter into the elevator and disappear. She waited a decent amount of time going about her duties before stopping and going straight to the apartment. Her newly cut key worked perfect and within moments she was inside the apartment and locking the door behind her. She was surprised the decor was more appropriate for foxes than for... oh, there it was. The bedroom was colors more appropriate for lapins and the window covered by thick sun-blocking curtains. She went into the study, surprised the key worked in the door lock. The walls had what obviously their current case as depicted by the sting leading to various pages pinned to the wall. But what was these three heads doing here? Oh... now she recognized two of them. The two vixens had been in the news earlier this year, one died in a government raid and the other at an ambush somewhere in the Outback Isles. But why was a rabbit's head here?
She dismissed the question for now and went about searching the apartment for something that could give her intel on what these abominations would be doing in the days to come. She noticed two patrol officer's badges in velvet-lined boxes inside a drawer. Obviously this was something about the big police ceremony that happened earlier this day, promotion probably. The remainder of the search revealed nothing out of the ordinary, maybe not the bunny-size underwear hanging on the bedpost with fox-size boxers nearby, disgusting for certain but a normal part of married life. She didn't find anything useful in the rooms obviously being used by the elder foxes, the pair that lived somewhere in the Meadowlands and the pair that lived in the Outback Isles. So she decided to end this search before someone decided to check up on the apartment.
When she opened the front door a large white fur-covered paw firmly grasped her neck and quickly stuffed her into a gunny sack. It was many minutes later after being carried hither and yon and a car ride when she was unceremoniously dumped out of the sack, and finding her shoulders firmly grasped again. The sight she found before her scared her sick. Before her the floor was quickly opened revealing ice water, and the tiny mammal speaking to her gave her orders she knew she couldn't reveal. Thus she took the purpose of her mission to her icy watery grave. At least her siblings would receive the large lump sum the Servants of Truth was obligated to pay for her never revealing her service to their cause.
But the shrew never revealed he already knew she was one of many whose purpose was to kill the godmother, and for nothing more than loving and marrying a mammal not of her species. He shook his head, how the bunny and fox could be intimate was something he didn't want to think about. But he did secretly copy the pics and videos that were presented as evidence in the Council of Elders trial, and thus had mammals knowledgeable in computer graphics make the videos in which a scantily-clad bunny seduced various males of different species. He was a mafia boss after all, and making money from methods of ill-repute was his business. The bunny in the videos had to be different fur coloring and pattern else the ZPD officer would instantly know who authorized the videos. The shrew's wife and daughter knew and they insisted these changes to be made to preserve some of the godmother's dignity. The fox... not so much, but at least changing the black markings on its body and the addition of other male species made it less obvious.
Judy closed the bedroom door after joining Marilyn and Caroline for bedtime prayers. The two vixens started developing typical predator humor weeks ago, something Jackie, Wendy and Kimberly... the fox grandmothers... assured the bunny they would try to tone down. Judy put this on Nick's encouragement, and the Vulpes grandmothers agreed that references to Hasenpfeffer should not be made in jest. Still, her two daughters were now well over a year old and it seemed the Terrible Twos were starting early.
The Denninson's and Wintersprite's were visiting Zootopia unexpected, each claiming they were here simply on a whim. But when Kathrin and her group of aspiring detectives dropped by claiming they wanted to ask Kathrin's mother a few questions, Judy's hackles were raised. Too many coincident were occurring in such a short time span. But the group of female detectives asked simple questions about sewing buttons and repairing small tears in blouses, so Judy relaxed and chalked her suspicions to nerves and went to bed.
"She's finally asleep" Jackie said as she closed the hallway door.
The bunny was sleeping in Nick's old bedroom upon the new king-size bed with her daughters cuddled next to her. It was no surprise the two vixens couldn't sleep and were given a cup of something called *Dennison's Sleep Aid* which smelled suspiciously like warm milk and buttered rum. Now these two were asleep with the bunny after the three grandmothers sang a lullaby.
"Good. Now tell us the real reason you're here" Kimberly said to her daughter.
"One of Mr. Steele's associates caught wind of an upcoming attack on our Wilde-Hopps couple" Kathrin said as her fellow detectives looked on.
"It was murky and limited on details, but another associate working for Mr. Big gave us another clue that when put together with the first lined up nicely with something else Mr. Steele got from a current case he was working on. Thus he passed it on to the Arctic shrew who as you know holds influence with Precinct One's commander. The result is your granddaughters staying here overnight while the shrew's own minions deal with the threat" Janis Wallow muttered as she cracked open peanuts.
"Nickolas was targeted specifically, why is not known. His boss pulled him soon as possible from the awards ceremony; this was under the guise of getting his clearances updated. Why him isn't clear, possibly because they're trying a different tactic. Judy as you know was abducted twice and both times failed. Once in Vulpinstan and the other during their trial with those old rabbits" Mindy Riverbay said as she accepted a platter of clams from Wendy.
"Who is targeting him?" Wendy asked.
"The Servants of Truth. This is an organization that abhors cross-species romantic relationships, and since Nickolas and Judy married this has driven them to end their marriage with any means possible" Rachel Canny explained as she accepted a bowl of rewarmed stew leftover from the evening's meal, the other females also received a bowl of stew as well. A large bowl of crescent rolls and another of cornbread was placed before the young females, probably a subtle encouragement to keep them here for a few hours.
The three grandmothers nodded in unison. By now it was no secret what these misguided mammals were trying to do, and they also knew what these young females hobby was thus it was no surprise when Kathrin asked to meet her mother. After many weeks of not hearing a peep Kimberly was pleased to receive a zphone call from her daughter.
"I just can't understand why some mammals won't let others live their lives alone. If young ones want to ruin their lives, then it's obvious they ignore their parents training. Judy is no pushover if what she did to that rhino in the academy is true" Wendy said with a huff.
"Let's not forget what she did to that misguided rabbit up on the secluded island. She beat him at his own game and freed those captives" Kimberly said with a touch of pride in her voice.
Jackie felt a touch of reverie, in all the months of knowing these elder vixens this was the first time they spoke of Judy as if she were their family member. The bunny did have a knack of endearing herself to almost everyone she met, and it seemed she tried harder with those who were blood relatives to her daughters.
"John's mother has been in regular contact with the Director of GSD, what you three just told us explains why that mouse asked for Nickolas to be removed quickly and for our grandcubs to stay here overnight. Mr. Big sent over a few mammals to watch Nick's apartment. Whatever mystery that has the ZPD spooked and that rodent's hackles up must be some kind of real threat."
Janice held up a hoof. "Our boss says the Council of Investigators has anything involving the Wilde-Hopps as a particular interest and they're following it accordingly. Word of a possible assassination attempt went through them and this led to Nick and Judy being separated tonight. It is a good thing the upper command in the ZPD trusts the Council more these days."
Mindy put down another empty shell. "I heard some of the Council's members are retired ZPD mid-level management. This probably is the best explanation."
"I'm certain these lovely ladies agree with me... thank you, every organization for working on behalf of our ZPD officers." Jackie gave each young female a hug which was followed up by the other elder vixens doing same.
The rest of the evening was spent making small talk on various topics, some on males in general.
Somewhere in the great city of Zootopia in a secluded park something was moving about. The specter in the form of a honey badger glided from one place to another seemingly without rhyme or reason. Normally this place was empty with exception of the vegetation as it went about daily activities plants are prone to do. The specter glided from tree to another looking at branches and leaves as if this would reveal some hidden meaning.
"My faithful servant, what bothers you so?" It was rare for Mother Nature to speak in the mortal realm much less to the spectral-badger that once lived eons ago.
"Great One, time is racing towards a conclusion. Are we certain the young one can bring him here?"
"She must if she is to fulfill her destiny. Have faith in her, she is well-placed among those able to see beyond her vision. As for you, do you doubt your part?"
"Great One, it is not doubt but end goal. Must he die?"
"Perhaps not, but his actions will determine his fate. He must be addressed and removed from the upcoming battle. You know well how a badger can handle multiple opponents, but infused with the arcane and it becomes an army unto itself. This very spot was cleansed by your actions therefore it is possible the evil ones can use such mammal to reverse everything done here eons ago. This must not be allowed to occur."
The mist thought for a moment.
"Great One, do you think the Young One will succeed bringing him here?"
"I have faith she will. The hint of using the Oracle priestesses is the hook we placed before her. It will take all three working together to bring him here, perhaps using our Young One as bait. There are others willing to help her; perhaps the shrew living among the bears of ice may be motivated to help, and then he known as the Desert Fox just might be tempted by the challenge. I am waiting to see how she gathers resources to accomplish what we placed before her."
The specter nodded its wispy head. "If only I could leave this area to help her."
For a moment the clouds in the sky seemed to form a face with a gentle smile. "My faithful servant, your essence is what keeps this park purified. The ancient blood spilled here cleansed the pool and surrounding area, it is this which gives you power. When it is your time for battle you can call upon those who once tended to the needs of this park, their souls are attuned to this just as yours is. Only by working together can the badger be overwhelmed and his soul be redeemed."
Battle Priest Marquis walked out from the sermon. After the previous evening's unsettling vision that seemed to be a one-episode event, spending time praying alone seemed to refresh his spirit and removed the unsettling thoughts. Was he truly a priest in a previous life? A member of the enemy faction that he was told was sworn to end his life without receiving a proper chance to explain himself? What was it about his new ability to eat simple foodstuff albeit in the form of honey? A quick search through a medical database told him honey was a highly condensed form of sugar and as such it was a rich source of energy, it also caused tooth decay rapidly hence why brushing one's teeth became critical after eating.
The high priestess's circumstance had changed recently. Two others equal in rank beat her in battle and now these three shared ruling of the priesthood. He wasn't certain if his sudden change in eating habits was connected with her change in power, if it were he could only wonder what else lay in store for him... for the priesthood.
His ears twitched suddenly and involuntarily moved towards something at an offset angle. He spun around and blocked a paw that came from thin air, and within a few well-practiced moves disarmed the intruder. But there was no time to apprehend and tie up the intruder before a few others emerged from thin air. It was a tough fight, he often found himself at a disadvantage. But true to his species reputation it was only a matter of time before he bested the lot and gave chase, growling to nobody in particular when he lost track of them around a corner. He prowled around using his acute senses to make an attempt to recover the trail but after several long minutes he deemed further efforts were futile and returned to his personal quarters.
He was disappointed but not surprised the first mammal he disarmed was nowhere to be seen. After making a careful search through every crevice inside his apartment he relaxed and went to bed. He wasn't certain how he knew but he had conjured an orb that he was certain would prevent anyone from using the ethereal plane to attack him in his sleep. Why he never told the high priestess this spell he wasn't certain, just that somewhere in the pit of his stomach he knew they should never know.
"They shouldn't."
He sat upright and looked around. There in the corner of the room was the mist he saw before.
"Who are you?"
"I am that which watches over all living things. Down here below the ground my influence is limited, even more the further down one travels. But here in these caverns life is concentrated thus I have sway."
"Why me? What interest in me do you have?"
"You once served me faithfully. But these that claim what they are not have captured you, placed you in that rock layer. In there your body was transformed, but true to your species you are resilient. It strains me to reclaim you, change you back to your former self. If you wish to be that which made you powerful then stay away from that rock layer. Meanwhile I am using the totality of the life force down here to reclaim you. Even now you can sense your body changing, but you still retain the ability to tap into the life force of others. Time will tell if you use this for good or ill."
"I... once served you?"
"Yes. Through my efforts your former life is returning, evident by your new ability to eat honey... and by conjuring the orb of protection. Those that seek the ancient spells do not understand: conjuring the orbs is easy but maintaining them is not. A living body creates energy constantly via converting food. Thus through their body's energy the orb is sustained. These that captured you are not living; their bodies only absorb energy from others. Long life it gives them, ability to harness pure energy it gives them, but in the end they must have many living bodies nearby or else they fall into unconsciousness. The number of these *dark priests* is reaching a critical level, there simply isn't enough living bodies down here to sustain any more."
"But we go topside each day."
"This is why I am here; you must covert back into your former life. Stop them. If they succeed in controlling those above, they will utterly destroy all I have created. They will multiply and soon discover there isn't enough life force to sustain their numbers. They will drain all bodies in an effort to keep themselves barely functioning, each not willing to limit their cravings. Thus females won't conceive leading to stagnant population which leads to decline. As mammal number drop these priest will starve and soon fight to control the available living. War will utterly kill all and soon no priests will remain active because no life remains. At that point my purpose here ends and I leave."
The badger remained quiet for a moment. "If what you say is true, what mechanism allows these priests' numbers to increase? They once used the Orb of the Oracles to transform mammals into them, but since they no longer control the orb I haven't seen any increase in their numbers."
"There is a strange rock layer not too far from here. Its properties once were used to transform living flesh into undeath but only through accidental means was this discovered. Now that they lost this orb, they have returned their ancient source. At this very moment new priests and priestesses are using different areas carved into this rock layer to change from a Living into an Undead. Only they don't know this is happening, they simply are following the instructions to meditate and study the false teachings of their religious books."
He scratched his chin once more.
"There has been a change in the leadership. A tribunal has formed. Surly this will stabilize our numbers?"
"Unfortunately no. Like all governing authorities they will soon want to grow their membership, if only to have more members on their side that the opposing tribunal member. Can you see the consequences? Desire to keep more influence pressures each to seek more priests, thus starts the cascade."
"But... two are cooperating together."
"Today, yes... but the ancient one seeks to reestablish the ancient rules. The other two will oppose this, thus it reverts back to a race to gain more members under their sway than the other two. The cascade starts and life becomes unable to sustain these numbers. These priests will be forced to go above where for awhile their numbers grow until just as what happened below happens above: life cannot sustain their numbers. Life ceases to exist."
The badger sat solemn in bed.
"This... seems unreal. I cannot find flaw in your logic, but I will give it careful consideration."
"That is all I can ask. I seek to preserve life, reclaiming yours is but one step in preserving life. But the choice is yours. Welding power is addicting as you have experienced, but the trade off to reclaiming your previous life is well worth the effort. I'll not say any more. Choose wisely."
He saw the mist vanish and felt alone, as if a dear friend had left. All he had was words, but these painted a grim picture for the future. Would the tribunal fail to work sensibly together? Surly if they did as their public announcement said then balance would be restored. But the mist said each desired more control than the other, he could see where this would lead to desire of more priests and thus become as if an arms race. The cascade could be... catastrophic.
He needed to evaluate the tribunal, determine just how closely they were working together. The mist claimed the ancient one wanted a return to the old ways; this was something he could find evidence of. He already knew where High Priestess Greta Dapperclaw stood: she only wanted power and total control. He was fairly certain High Priest Billie simply wanted balance in the tribunal, but he could desire an army to ensure the other two acted in good faith. Bishop Gandoff was a Living and Billie's right-paw mammal, thus his enforcer. Bishop Charlotte Snowshoe also was a Living and was High Priestess Dapperclaws's right-paw mammal. Geoffrey Kerrigan also a Living and served High Priestess Ganieda, but the elder buck was rumored to have a young doe on the side. Why would the high priestess allow her chosen buck to have a mistress? It must have something to do with restoring the ancient laws.
If he was being converted back into a Living, what was he to do with the Tribunal? To these two Living bishops? He didn't like the implication: it seemed the Mist wanted him to eliminate the Tribunal. Or perhaps help transform the priesthood. He needed to think about this, gather more evidence before he could form a plan of action.
Something growled in his belly. Evidence... hunger was evidence. He got out of bed and strolled to the cabinet, removed a jar and opened it. The honey started tasting better every day he ate it, certainly more proof he was reverting back. He wondered; odd flashes of another like him occurred in his dreams. It seemed familiar but he couldn't put a paw on it. After finishing the contents he put it into the dishwasher and returned to bed. When he started needing sleep he couldn't put his paw on the date, but slowly over days he needed a few more minutes. As the Sand-mammal's paw sprinkled sleep over his eyes his last conscious thought was about the dark priesthood and hoping they never discovered him sleeping... and the orb that now floated next to his bed.
Tomorrow he would start sleuthing to gather evidence. Either this all was a horrible mind game or something drastic was about to occur in the underworld.
A few minutes after losing the badger Team Charlie uncloaked in an alcove, taking note of just how powerful the badger was and sending a burst transmission back to GSD headquarters. Dr. Bevyton and Dexter needed to know that their upgraded stealth units were effortlessly overcome by the badger's senses. A new game plan needed to be devised if the Zootopians were going to remove this badger before the invasion started. Orders were to capture alive if possible, kill if necessary. Both attempts failed miserably. How could they expect to accomplish this, and what made the oracle priestesses confident they could succeed? The badger just beat technology; surely he could beat mammals whispering prayers.
Team Charlie cloaked and moved to their next assignment, something that certainly would be much easier than attempting to assassinate the badger. Rumors had it there was a change in the governing of the priesthood and the director wanted this confirmed. It would be easier to misdirect the dark priests if the leadership was run solely by the incompetent high priestess, incompetence only in reference to management not necessarily in ability. If the rumors were true then the opposition the main thrust would face would be much better organized and thus more casualties on the Zootopian's side. The team had their work cut out for them.
As they made their way through the maze of pathways each couldn't help but notice this part of the cavern was quite unlike that where they first entered. In fact it was unlike any of the previous entrances they used to enter the caverns. This area was very large and didn't look anything like a cavern; it clearly was mammal-made. The ceiling and walls were unnaturally straight and they noticed the buildings stretched from floor to the top of the cavern. Each building was many stories in height and not a hint of rock forming these, their walls had colorant almost like those in Bunny Burrow. But this wasn't the only surprise they would notice. Their scanners showed this area was made up of rectangular segments, each separated by thick walls and each rectangular segment not only resting on several below it but also led to several on either side as well as towards front and rear. This was excavation on an entirely different skill level.
Unfortunately something in this new area prevented transmission to the topside world. Thus the team had to carefully retrace their paw-prints back to the last area they could send a transmission, sending updated information on the area they just traveled through. Not only would General Rommel need it but the GSD and their allies as well. After sending their report and getting further instructions the team cloaked and went back to their previous position. They crossed paths with a group of dark priests and after making sure these did not detect them followed the priests. The priests were discussing their responsibilities once they reached the Dark Cathedral, something that perked the agents' interest especially since no Zootopian had a clue where it is located. This would be invaluable, especially to the priest factions topside.
Nick was sitting out in the pouring rain, annoyed his superior wanted him placed as bait. Last night he was removed from his family and told about the discovery unearthed with the help of many mammals and agencies. Council of Investigators? Lieutenant Markle whispered the secret about this group; they were mostly retired ZPD investigators who did private investigations as a second career. It was one of their members that discovered the threat against the Wilde-Hopps... specifically his hide, thus the need to separate and place both in protective custody. He was pretty certain Judy was hopping at the bit to be here with him, and certain his mother was having none of that. Lillian and Emma staying overnight calmed his nerves and since these two were assigned to be with Judy... err, well today since it now was midnight... on a what Chief Mondo said was a *poke and prod* operation. A newly discovered access point was discovered and the GSD was going along mostly to ensure this wasn't a trap to ensnare Judy. Just because the trap to ensnare him was discovered didn't mean another was set for what the Servants of Truth called *the abominations*.
Abominations... he snickered at the thought. If those misguided mammals thought dating between two different species was wrong, what did they think about friendships between species? Back when he was in high school it was common that certain similar species were dating, in his class a raccoon dated an otter which lasted longer than anyone gave them credit. But normally it was the school administration that stepped in and ended the relationships, not unlike how elder rabbits intervened when bunnies became closer to their non-rabbit friends than deemed proper.
He switched his mind back to the present; again it focused on events that placed him out in the rain sitting on a tree stump.
He knew Mr. Big was watching the apartment since Finnick's crew was there, and he kept in contact hourly with his former partner and still best friend. He was glad his grandmother requested Judy's normal partners stay overnight with his family at his parent's apartment. He smiled; his mother always encouraged them to stay regularly, an obvious encouragement for him to make her a grandmother not that the bunny wasn't making an effort towards that goal.
He adjusted his deerstalker cap and inverness cape, something he now appreciated its natural water-shedding trait. A twig's snapping in the distance stole his attention and he leaned towards where he thought the sound came from. His eye's night vision didn't see anything unusual but he couldn't sit here any longer so he got up and walked casually in the direction. Lieutenant Markle's voice in his earpiece cautioned him against going too far, Nick responded he would only go as far as the wolf hidden underneath the tarp and then return to the tree stump. By then it would be soaked but thankfully his gear was water resistant.
Stopping where he knew the wolf was supposed to be was unsettled the vulpine. Looking around the canine was not here and the tarp itself was mysteriously missing as well, evidenced by the spot being clearly rain soaked and his own eyes once saw the wolf setting up his hiding spot. He looked around trying to gather clues what could have happened.
A large body slammed into him, its momentum sending both mammals into a nearby ally. Nick was about to start fighting when he noticed the wolf agent looking down at him. Before he could say some snide remark his muzzle was suddenly encased in a muzzle quite similar to that which he once was forced to wear back when he attempted to join the Ranger Scouts. The wolf remained on top keeping his arms pinned down and in a moment the remainder of the team was looking down at him, each now had a grin forming on their faces.
"Well lookie here, seems the abomination thought he was safe among fellow agents. Obviously he didn't learn from the last of our brethren that was executed by the ZPD. There are many more throughout the ZPD that holds our values against unnatural mating, is it any wonder it was so easy to drawl you out in the open. Now... get him into the van before the others realize something's amiss."
Nick didn't appreciate the roughhousing as he was forcibly paw-cuffed and tossed into a cage that looked eerily similar to that which Judy once was abducted in. Just like Judy back then he knew self-rescue was a near impossibility, so he settled in to memorizing everything his senses were telling him. Perhaps he could use this to formulate an escape plan or if nothing else somehow figure out where they were taking him.
Lieutenant Markle didn't like what his sixth sense was telling him; neither did the agent's report make any sense, the one responsible for closing the trap opposite his current location. He was watching the fox when someone stumbled against him, it turned out to be a zebra that seemed habitually to stumble against him at odd times. Now was not the time for inner-ear issues. He clicked on his radio calling his team for status update, noting as each responded claiming the fox wandered into an alleyway and most assuredly would be walking back to the tree stump. Something didn't feel right so he carefully made his way around the perimeter until he arrived at the alleyway and looked around.
Empty. WTF?
He called his team and after nobody answered verbally he called via radio. No response except a hyena's laughter over the radio. He didn't have one assigned to his team and this was the tell-tale calling card every time the Servants of Truth used the radio. A pit was growing in his belly and with his team missing it didn't take rocket science to figure out what happened. They had been members of that foul group long enough to deceive the ZPD, to deceive him. He had convinced the fox to remain working with his team using all his persuasion he could muster. Now against Nick's better judgement he was tricked into trusting the group of detectives, into trusting the wolf who now was looking into an empty alley and desperately trying to keep a calm mind while making new plans. But first he needed resources and a team he could trust.
Flipping through his contact list he searched for the name of his first partner in the ZPD. This was a Timber wolf while he was a Grey wolf, but together they earned respect throughout the streets of Zootopia's meanest neighborhoods. He found the number and pressed the *send* macro and waited.
Detective Joe Friday grumbled when he answered the call.
"Markle... do you know what time it is?"
"I got a code 561Alpha16."
It was no surprise the other wolf went silent, this code was the one no detective wanted to hear. It meant one's team went rogue and the assignment was missing. Markle heard through the speaker something moving about; most likely a paw trying to grasp something and it was resisting the paw. A moment later the voice returned.
"Rodger. Proceed with 761Charlie Lima. I'll be there shortly. Out."
Markle closed his phone and huddled down. If the renegades were still around he would be dead meat if he left this alley, most likely already had a sniper's cross-hairs focused on him. Sitting down was a subtle message he signaled the assassin that he knew his situation and when the bullet reached him his body would slump down as if simply sleeping; lessening the chance the public would notice unless they looked at the bullet holes in his head.
Detective Friday arrived thirty minutes later with a small group he instantly recognized as non-ZPD. These were friends that specialized in hostage rescue and were a private organization. They also understood if either of the detectives asked for their help it meant the Servants of Truth were involved and neither could trust anyone in the ZPD. He watched as they combed the area, scanners and whatever those strange devices were. Soon a female Arctic Fox sat beside him.
"Coast is clear. Geezus Markie, what have you gotten involved with?" Wendy Springpaw was an old flame and he knew she would be here if it were dire.
"My newest detective. Seems the Servants decided the bunny was too lucky and now they want his hide."
"Well, I have friends that work in a detective agency. I left them a curt message and expect a reply shortly. More help should be forthcoming" she replied.
A heavy footprint announced unexpected visitor and both turned their weapon towards the sound, Markle instantly lowered his and urged the fox to do likewise. The pair of polar bears needed no introduction as did the fennec fox.
"I see nothing gets by Mr. Big" Markle said to the small fox.
Finnick spit out his twig. "We were in the area minding our business when your call for help was intercepted. Care to bring us up to date?"
By now Detective Friday and the remainder of his group was gathered around, obviously pondering why these mammals were here. Markle gave brief introduction simply mentioning these were business associates of Detective Wilde and they were conducting something nearby. Both detectives knew the real connection Fennick and these bears had with Nick, it seemed the others accepted the ruse. Except for the Arctic fox, her mannerism made it clear she knew something they left unsaid. Especially once the name of a major crime boss was mentioned.
"Mr. Big will not be happy those foolish mammals have harmed the godmother's consort" Raymond said with a dire tone in his voice.
"Who is..."
This was all the raccoon managed to say before a paw was quickly placed across his mouth.
"More will be explained when we get back to our base. Markie... Joe... coming along? You three are invited along as well."
Wendy got up and walked quickly down the street, her group forming around her as if by instinct. Markle and his old partner got up and along with the two bears and small fox followed them. Everyone got into a van which now seemed too small to fit everyone comfortably, and then she drove through the dark streets twisting around many corners and through alleyways until finally arriving inside a warehouse. No lights were on as she led everyone down the stairs and into a room, closing the door and turning on the lights.
"Now to explain why I was out there in the first place" Markle said as he opened his notebook.
"Wait a moment. Should you be talking about this in front of... you know... those that have no need to know?"
The raccoon obviously didn't put *two plus two equals* together. It wasn't only the two detectives that frowned at him as the Arctic fox slapped his shoulder. What she whispered into his ears made an obvious impression as he quickly apologized to those he had referenced.
"As I was saying... we were conducting a simple sting operation. ZPD upper chain had gotten intel on something the Servants of Truth were planning thus the reason his family was isolated shortly after the awards ceremony. Sergeant Hopps and her daughters were placed with his family and he was placed with my team. I had though my team was adequate to safeguard him during the operation. I was wrong as your presence demonstrates. My only clue about their loyalties was when I received this after none of them responded to my inquiry."
The reply of the laughing hyena needed no explanation as everyone's facial expression made it clear they understood its implication.
"Care to give me a copy? My electronics technician might be able to match it with several we already have compiled. Seems the Servants have several in their employ."
Wendy accepted the thumb drive and left a quick peck on Markle's cheek, ignoring the whistles and cat-calls of her team. She put it into the nearest computer and clicked on a few macro buttons. Moments later a message box appeared and she whistled.
"It's a real mammal and our sources say he's employed in MERT. Director Wilde and Commander Warmpaw are not going to be pleased. They have not had any luck identifying this mole."
She turned around with a grin upon her muzzle. "But we have a good idea. Team, we're going out for coffee."
As her team hoot-n-hollered she pulled the others close and told them what was planned. This time it was Lieutenant Markle who left a quick kiss upon the Arctic fox's cheek. Meanwhile Finnick called Tundra Town boss and left a message on Melissa's answering machine. Mr. Big's secretary would retrieve it shortly and forward it to him, then return his call letting him know what action to take. The small fox already had a good idea what it would be and had the two bears prepare accordingly.
The teams arrived at the location where Grand Tracker said was a long abandoned access point. Once the ancient door was forced open it became evident why this was in disuse. They had to rappel down to a landing pad that itself was severely corroded thus only one at a time landed and cautiously moved off to one side. The week before a GSD engineering team had rappelled down to investigate and determine if this ancient access point could be used. They had carefully added new metal support struts and a wooden platform before deeming the upper levels reasonably safe to investigate.
"Judy... please don't go too far ahead. That's my team's job."
Kimberly, the Tracker Mission Leader, shook her head but knew from prior experience the ZPD bunny would never go further than she could expect to run back to safety. Her tracker team was monitoring the steep and lightless tunnel that extended far below, ready to give alarm if a guard discovered their presence. At least Team Echo was nearby and one of them beside the bunny.
"We'll make certain she doesn't go far enough that one of us will fall down into the abyss with her." Agent Friars said as he kept pace near Judy, his eyes monitoring the device in his paw. A Tracker team caught up with the duo and moved ahead cautiously.
The bunny glanced down at her wrist occasionally to see what her Pip-Boar's readings showed. Something unusual caused the device to emit a beep which was the reason she walked in this direction. Ever since Team Bravo and the oracle priestesses ran into a group of dark priests down in a tunnel somewhere in Vulpinstan, Director Dench made it mandatory for all teams venturing underground to wear wrist-mounted computers. Judy grinned; hers wasn't issued from the GSD. Hers was a gift from a couple very old rabbits who insisted her future rested with theirs. Nevertheless the two scientists working as advisors to the GSD decided to create a computer small enough to wear on one's wrist that while functional was quite inferior to that which Judy wore.
Officer Lillian Lioness and Officer Emma Quickpaw were keeping an eye on the bunny. They knew better than most the bunny's quirks thus prepared themselves to react the moment Judy made a rash decision. Thankfully she was behind the Tracker team and a couple GSD agents; Kimberly was between the lioness and lynx. A beep came from the nearest GSD agent's wrist-computer which caught most everyone's attention, except those that had wrist computers of their own.
"Something not too far away, can't tell if above, below, or this level. Can tell more in a few" the agent said into his mic keeping attention on the device.
Lilian and Emma was impressed as Kimberly spoke an alpha numeric phrase softly into her mic then remained quiet as before. The Tracker team engaged the stealth units they wore and faded from sight. Those that had wrist-mounted computers watched their screen, noting where the Trackers were heading and these pointed their weapons in the general direction. The blips showed the Trackers going somewhere ahead, Kimberly made a paw-motion and the GSD team started walking ahead. Judy didn't need to be told but the lioness and lynx now were next to the bunny. During the pre-operation briefing Kimberly informed everyone once her teams went into stealth no further conversation would be allowed, ambush or collapse of the tunnel being an exception. Additionally everyone was to remain behind until a signal was sent that Kimberly acknowledged they could move forward to a designated spot a certain distance from the stealth Tracker team.
This level appeared to have once been a burrow ages ago; old timbers were giving off the scent of rot and mold. Judy couldn't help but wonder which family once lived here and how the town of Bunny Burrow literally grew over it without noticing its existence. She consulted her pip-boar and noticed no large building above only multiple small shops; obviously these were not massive enough to cause the ancient timbers to buckle and the ground to cave in underneath the stores. They had walked in a half circle and now were presented with two choices, two hallways leading off in slightly different directions. One obviously the original and the other had walls made of something that obviously weren't available to the original builders. Foot-pad shoe prints lead down the newer hallway and Kimberly pointed towards it. Blips on their wrist computers showed the Trackers had stopped a few yards away.
"Mission Leader, there is a shaft leading down. Sensors suggest it most likely ends down in the caverns. Proceed?" Obviously the Tracker team leader was speaking softly into his mic and everyone with an ear-bud could hear the conversation.
"Go ahead. Standard procedure entering unknown hostile space."
"Judy" Emma whispered into the bunny's' ear. "Something doesn't add up. This is supposed to be an abandoned access shaft but so far it appears only the entrance door hasn't been used in quite some time. I'm beginning to think..."
A bright flash of light appeared behind them and Judy felt something hit her neck. Shortly after pulling out the dart she slipped unconscious. Meanwhile bullets ricocheted off the walls causing the others to drop onto the floor and return fire.
The firefight lasted longer than it should, probably due to Lillian's and Emma's quick reaction. Why they weren't tranqil-darted was a mystery, one could assume Murphy and his laws took pity or had other plans. GSD team wore tactical uniforms that protected the back of their necks, as evident by darts hanging down from these areas. These agents laid down a barrage of bullets as Lillian and Emma, now realizing Judy was unconscious, pulled the bunny into a side room and then leaned out the doorway just enough to position their weapons towards the enemy.
Neither noticed the wall opening and several mammals removing the bunny quickly before retreating and closing the wall.
What happened next ended the firefight. A high-pitch sound wailed through the hallway as a thick fog rolled out from overhead vents and quickly filled the hallway. This continued until every member of the GSD team and the lioness and lynx lay unconscious upon the floor. Several mammals wearing masks walked among them collecting anything of value, especially the wrist-mounted computers. These departed quickly as they came and left the Zootopians where they lay, and for many minutes nothing disturbed them as the air was slowly ventilated with fresh air.
When everyone woke up groggily from whatever it was that hit the group, each mammal looked around them trying to regain their senses. It quickly became apparent that something was amiss. Lillian and Emma awaken and looked around groggily; once the truth of their situation became evident they searched the perimeter. Just like everyone else their weapons were missing, so the two had to pull out their snub-nose revolvers which was cleverly hidden somewhere on their body. The GSD team followed suit and after a few moments their situation became crystal clear: some of their members were missing. Team Echo Leader quickly deduced Kimberly, Judy, and the Tracker team was missing and as such he needed to take charge.
Lillian pulled out a micro radio, activated it and adjusted it to Judy's favorite frequency, the one they always used when they didn't want something broadcast to the whole ZPD. She pressed the mic and called for the bunny. The response received was nothing she expected, and judging from the reaction of those closest neither did them. A high-pitched hyena's laughter came through the speaker and judging by the lioness reaction this voice clearly made known who or what organization it served.
Team Echo Leader used Lillian's micro-radio to call back to Colonel Kohle and relayed the bad news, getting permission to do what he knew was the best option however humiliating it may be. The enemy had bested them and now was not the time for heroics. The trek back was humiliating but thankfully no more traps lay waiting for them, at least it seemed the ambushers simply were content with their captives. It was a pleasant sight as they saw several groups waiting for them at the entrance. Team Echo Leader gave a quick briefing on what had happened to the mammal in charge, then the ZPD officers and Team Echo got aboard the van for the trip back to base. GSD Intelligence division would have to determine just how a secret mission was detected and how an ambush was set up to remove the two most valuable members of this mission. It would also have to figure out what became of the Tracker team and if their disappearance was voluntary or coerced.
Everyone went to their usual places to rest and regroup tomorrow morning.
After getting a briefing from Colonel Kohle, Director Dench called Councilor Elizabeth. Since they were friends for many years she figured such news was best delivered by her. Having one of the family matriarch's know about Judy's abduction would help the burrow remain stable, at least allow only those family members that were most mature and with a need to know receive the information. The reaction was as she expected, thankfully the elder doe wasn't overly emotional but with rabbits this was difficult to tell. She assured Elizabeth that GSD was on the case and reinforced team was making its way down the once-abandoned access point. These teams had the advantage the original team didn't, scanner information that included how the Servants of Truth was able to conceal the ambush.
Next the director called the Denninson's and Wintersprite's using a conference call. She was pleased this turned out to be the correct course of action, both sets of grandparents were thankful for getting the news first before it was on tomorrow's ZNN evening news. Having at least one set of grandparents beside Judy's daughters would greatly keep Jackie's emotions down to a manageable level, and letting each of these grandparents take turns keeping the youngsters would conceal the actual status of the Wilde-Hopps. This wasn't the first time this was done, but it was necessary now that both parents were missing. It was bad enough that Nick was abducted... now that Judy was as well keeping this from Marilyn and Caroline has become a priority.
One last phone call needed to be made; this was out of professional courtesy as it was from a friendship viewpoint. The Arctic shrew's emotions would be difficult to judge but his reaction was not in doubt.
Battle Priest Marquis watched the young doe cautiously. Bishop Charlotte Snowshoe was one of two still-living members of the priesthood and cute as far as hares go. She had come to this secluded room often and he had ignored this until now. Something told him she was troubled and he had a pretty good idea what it was about. She was whispering something he was certain directed towards a deity the priesthood merely pretended to honor.
He smiled. Simple faith held sway over great priests in ages gone by, now he was certain she wanted to be a priestess worthy of the original priesthood as defined by the textbooks. She had risen through the ranks by being a role model and performing her duties better than her peers. He was aware she had many that were envious of her accomplishments; she was the youngest to ever have risen to rank of bishop. It was a mystery why she was not converted, and why she did not have a litter after passing the mandatory age.
Suddenly her ears flew up and she turned around, now clearly looking at him. He held up his paws signaling he meant no harm.
"Pardon me; I was only curious why you came to this place nearly every day. Now I know, and I apologize for interrupting your daily prayers."
She smiled and her paw beckoned him to be near her. He went over and sat near her.
"Battle priest..."
"Marquis. Call me that. No need to be so forthright."
"All right. Why are you so interested in what I do? Doesn't the tribunal have your paws full with the suspected battle that's forthcoming?"
He grinned. "Perhaps. But there's something I suspect that's far more important. Tell me, have you noticed High Priestess Ganieda's plans for the Elder Scholar and his new fiancé? He is supposed to be her buck but she's allowing the other doe to marry him. What are the odds she becomes involved with their kits?"
Charlotte frowned. "What are you insinuating, Marquis? Do you not know the custom we have in the caverns? Two does' may share the same buck if he is able to support their kits or he is a highly prized male. Good genes often are in short supply down here hence the custom."
He shook his head. "My point is this: the tribunal is headed towards escalation and it will be the Living that loses."
She blinked her eyes. "And what makes you so certain of that? Ganieda and Billie get along very well and both of them form and opposition to Greta."
He cocked his head. "Let's just say that when the scholar's first litter is born I suspect Ganieda will attempt to control their education, possibly to uproot the entire education system altogether. Naturally Greta will be offended as would Billie, thus when she refuses to revert back both of these will seek to counter her. Greta most likely will attempt to have priests loyal to her counter this. Billie most likely attempt to restore balance and have priests loyal to him doing the same. In order to *protect* her interest Ganieda will have new priests created thus have an imbalance. Naturally this will lead to the other two doing same. All this leads to a cascade and soon the available number of Living here and soon worldwide cannot support the increasing numbers of priests. Care to guess what happens next?"
Charlotte was incredulous. "What makes you think Ganieda wants to control the kits? She's undead, thus has no feelings of motherhood."
"That's where you are mistaken. Listen to this."
He pressed the *play* macro on his laptop computer and both saw what was recorded through what could only be a spy system.
"How..."
"I discovered the Chancellor's surveillance system by accident. He had a few priests working it on his behalf after the assassination attempt, thus how I was able to get myself put on the roster. I was impatient and with little to do, so when one of the priests grumbled about not having time to perform its normal duties I volunteered to be trained. When I gained sufficient experience we traded time on the surveillance system schedule. Soon I was keeping track of the tribunal and learned of Ganieda's agreement with the young doe. I used a computer program to run a few hypothetical situations and discovered this one I told you was most probable."
"This is a lie."
"Suit yourself. You are a Living; I am not... at least for a little while longer."
This caught her attention as did the small jar of honey he pulled out his pocket and slowly ate the contents. She didn't say a thing for a few minutes, and he didn't balk when she used a stethoscope to listen to his stomach as it made digestive noises. When she finally spoke she was clearly disturbed.
"Any idea when you'll be mortal? Is this why you are trying to stop... this? Self-preservation?"
"Something like that. But since I can still weld energy it's not entirely certain I'll revert back to a mortal. After all my body did change and honey is concentrated energy, so by eating it doesn't mean I'm completely reverting back. But on the other paw I really do want to preserve the status quo. My situation is... complicated."
Charlotte motioned her paw. "Marquis... let me have some time to meditate on this. You have my word of honor I will keep this between ourselves."
"Very well. I have duties that require my attention. Good afternoon, bishop."
After exchanging the proper pleasantries the badger walked away and down the corridor. The hare watched him for a few moments until he turned around a corner and was out of sight and pretty much out of hearing. She sat down quite puzzled, her thoughts wheeling around her mind like a heard of wildebeests. The high priest and priestess duo had paw-picked her to be close to the other high priestess, mostly so they could keep tabs on her. These two were responsible for restoring her faith in the priesthood, and now the battle priest had poured proverbial water on the fire. If she didn't see with her own eyes him eating honey thus being more than an undead, she would have politely went along with his story and completely dismissed it afterwards. But she had already noticed some of the clues he gave her.
She had volunteered to be High Priestess Greta Dapperclaw's right-paw assistant, but she was well-aware of High Priestess Ganieda's agreement with Gwyn Rex. As she had just mentioned this was normal sharing of a quality buck, but it was the additional information the battle priest just gave her that now gave her cause for concern.
As she sat in her usual meditating position letting the conversation replay in her head, she found herself growing more unease. Ganieda certainly wanted to enjoy Gwyn's first litter and now the battle priest's words shed a different light on this. Would the ancient high priestess stop only with this litter, or would she do as Marquis suggested? And what was this about a cascade effect? She had been feeling more tired lately but she assumed it was due to the hours she was putting on Greta's behalf. But what if the badger was correct... could this be the result of the increasing number of dark priests? Surely they would be courteous towards Bishop Gandoff and her.
Charlotte slapped her forehead. These were undead; they didn't have feelings like normal mammals. A cold sensation went down her spine, she had been relating to the Tribunal as if they were normal mammals. Now with the words the battle priest said she realized what had been occurring in the rock layer these past few weeks. She had thought nothing about the new initiates spending time praying in there, it was up to each when and where they did their prayers. But without access to the Orb of the Oracles the normal transforming of flesh into... them... had been halted. She had assumed there would be no more priests inducted into the Dark Priesthood.
Now she realized just how wrong she was. The process simply would take more time, and minds needed to be occupied while the strange rock layer transformed their bodies. Endlessly saying prayers to nobody in particular, or to a deity like she did, would sufficiently divert one's attention while the conversion process went about. It was cleaver. Now she knew what was needed to be done and who to seek, but first she had something else that needed to be done.
Charlotte stood up and gathered her things into her bag, leaving the small candle burning on the stone plate behind as she departed to go to her personal quarters. She needed to change into her mission garb and head topside to the outer world. Where she was heading towards nobody down here in the caverns needed to know, it was her secret to disguise why she wasn't converted thus why her body wasn't feeling the urge to procreate. The doctor in Bunny Burrow Hospital had been treating her these past few years, treatments that greatly minimized her body's urges to mate. Now that the authorities in Zootopia made a discovery that proved a does' fertility cycle could safely be interrupted and had treatment medication which had been proven to work effectively and safely, the doctor had scheduled her to receive them.
Charlotte smiled, once she received this she would no longer have to hide herself inside her room. No longer would the craving for a buck threaten to reveal her true state to non-priests. No longer would her guardians have to fabricate excuses why she couldn't perform certain sacraments when her heat was raging. Thankfully the high priestess knew about her true condition and had made certain priests responsible to guarantee to do her responsibilities during these times. Now all this could be done away with, at least for the next five years. She wasn't certain how she would handle what the doctor said was a mandatory pregnancy, a priestess simply couldn't choose a buck and mate then after the litter was born raise them as a normal doe would. High Priestess Greta Dapperclaw said they would cross that bridge when the time came, but Charlotte suspected the undead hare would attempt another conversion before then.
As she walked towards her intended access shaft to the topside world she was met by Bishop Gandoff; the ram was wearing similar clothing as hers and he simply told her High Priest Billie wanted her properly escorted. A team of Trackers was already topside waiting for them and when the two bishops emerged they set off to make sure nothing out of the ordinary was ahead. Gandoff inquired why it was so important for the young and attractive doe to travel to Bunny Burrow Hospital each month, to which the hare said it was personal. She was surprised when he whispered the reason in her ear; her blushing was all the confirmation he needed. After assuring her that this secret was known only to himself, High Priestess Ganieda and High Priest Billie they walked closer together as if more than friends.
Commissioner Frank Ursus rubbed his eyes. What was shown onscreen was something he almost couldn't believe, but he couldn't afford to dismiss it outright. Zootopia's favorite officers were missing and the ZPD now confirmed to have an infestation of its own members that served the Servants of Truth. Who could he trust? Who was friend... or foe? Worse yet was the missing Tracker team and their leader, their leader was sister to Officer Hopps' brother's wife. Every report about this mammal claimed she was the real-deal, and totally committed to a common cause: removal of the Council of the Twelve.
He frowned. All mammals that had defected and were currently living in the second burrow on the Hopps farm had been carefully vetted. Even the two scientists working in that strange bunker used a machine they swore was an advanced deception detection machine gave them a clean report. Why the machine was not called a lie detector he didn't understand, but the scientists claimed the term *lie* was a misnomer and *deception* was a better description to what the GSD and ZPD really wanted to know. But since everything provided by the bunker's machines proved invaluable, he was willing to go on their claims without hesitation.
It didn't make sense, other than the Servants of Truth must be taking advantage of the situation to further their goals.
Frank smiled to no one in particular. How two different species could find enough commonality to form romantic relationship was almost beyond his comprehension, but in his entire career in the ZPD he had seen enough strangeness which changed his mind on this. One of his friends, another grizzly, dated a panda for a number of years. Another, a horse, dated a zebra and eventually got married. He saw first-paw how these differences caused heartache if the pair rushed into a relationship without taking time to discuss their differences, preferably over a few weeks. Arguments were inevitable but knock-down gnashing teeth and slashing paws or kicking hooves were a good sign the relationship was most likely over. So too was the couple spending a night or two behind the comfortable bars and hard cot of a ZPD cell in jail.
The Wilde-Hopps couple certainly proved love was blind; he just didn't want to imagine how they could have bedroom activities. Surely any day now the bunny would become dinner to the fox, he was almost certain of it. But neither was he holding his breath until that day came, their induction into the very organization that wanted to kill them proved something about this couple.
He sighed and opened a drawer, unlocked the box within, and pulled out the file marked *Top Secret: Need to Know* and then closed both. He held the thick file in his paws; inside was everything about the two officers. Their private lives before joining the ZPD, their family history... at least those that had regular daily or monthly contact, their close friends and those that had regular contact. This was written and compiled back when Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde were undergoing the trial by those old rabbits that governed Lapin society. He closed his eyes and recalled from memory the details, and shortly thereafter was interrupted by a knock on the door. Quickly he put the file back into the box and that back into the drawer, and when this was done he pressed the button that unlocked the door and automatically opened it.
His wife, Jean, stepped into the room and received a kiss and a hug.
"Pack it up; dinner with the Grizzoli's is in half an hour. And this time don't say anything when Ben spouts off about mismatched couples. We both and his wife Beatrice knows he is too backwards in his thinking about relationships."
Frank paused; this was something he didn't consider. The Servants of Truth could very well have this mammal as a spy, or at least as a useful idiot. But he knew many that were members never spouted things like this, effectively masking their true intentions as they gathered intelligence for that backwards organization. They were either double agents or clueless accomplices; these mammals helped that organization to propel their hatred. Jean obviously read his mind.
"Ok, Ben could very well be trouble for the ZPD but I think he's more backwards than active agent. But tonight *we* are going to ignore his rantings. It's been for too long since Beatrice and I have enjoyed dinner together."
"I made it clear you and her could do this at any time."
Jean sighed. "You know why she hates that... having several undercover officers nearby spoils the mood."
"And you know why, too. Abduction of your friend would put you into a foul mood, and I would never hear the end of it until she is found and brought back safe and sound."
She rubbed her muzzle against his, passing her matriarchal scent onto him. "You know what I mean and I thank you for this. Still... it seems less intrusive when both couples are together. Perhaps it just seems that way; either that or your security guards are a bit further away."
She helped him put his coat on, pausing to enjoy looking at the various things that denoted her husband as being the top ranking mammal in the ZPD. Still she knew he didn't have total control; there were several subcommittees whose sole purpose was to review everything he did. But he still wore the ranking uniform and that was enough to stroke her pride. They walked out, pausing so he could update his secretary on his whereabouts this evening. The female snow leopard bid them good evening and accepted Jean's nuzzling her muzzle, something she knew the sow enjoyed marking his staff which let them know they were considered her family.
Jean didn't say it but she knew something was up at the ZPD. Everyone at One Police Plaza was stressed about something, and the last time it affected all the mammals was an event about the Wilde-Hopps officers. She had her own unofficial means to know what was happening inside the top echelon of the police force, this told her something indeed happened to both the fox and the bunny. General details were still murky but she knew she had to help her husband keep focused, if the commissioner was overly emotional it spread down through the upper ranks. She may not have expressed authority, but her subtle actions let his staff know she was monitoring them. Actions such as the muzzle rubbing, everyone seemed to enjoy *mother bear* was watching and keeping the top officer in-check.
Soon they were at the Boar's Nest, a semi-secret bar and grill that was solely for selected law enforcement officer's use. They went to the upper room that the owner built solely for use by everyone working at One Police Plaza; it actually was several floors above and nearly the same width as the building. Windows allowed nearly a panoramic view and sound resistant from eavesdroppers. Here they could use it as an emergency operations center but tonight it was empty except for these two couples, apparently everyone else was busy trying to track down what happened to Zootpia's favorite police officers.
The two couples enjoyed the evening with minimal comments about *unnatural* relationships, probably due to the wives prior warning about such things. But Murphy and his laws had other plans. On the evening news the snow leopard and moose told of various protests against such relationships. This was different from the usual stories about attacks occurring throughout the city, and the commissioner told everyone the ZPD had prior warning about these thus explaining his nonchalant attitude.
But it was *breaking news* that changed his.
A hooded figure sat in a dark room, backlit obviously so his identity couldn't be revealed. His voice was electronically altered to further ensure his concealment. As it talked about a new order which now declared itself the arbiter of proper relationships between all species, photos showing Nick and Judy gaged, chained, blindfolded, and tied to a chair. Both photographs were shown split-screen momentarily, just long enough for a sloth to comprehend who was pictured. Before it signed off, the mammal left a dire warning: all mammals from this moment onwards that formed a romantic relationship and were of different species... these would face the wrath of this new order. After the screen went blank a hyena's laughter was heard at an uncomfortable level, this lasting for a few seconds until the broadcast ended.
Fabienne and Peter sat behind the desk momentarily speechless, and then asked the viewers to say a prayer for the two police officers. Peter reminded everyone of Officer's Hopps unique stroke of luck which was the only explanation how she escaped the numerous dangerous situation she has faced. The view switched to a commercial espousing the virtues of enjoying a relaxing time at the Mystic Springs Oasis.
M.