Before I get started, I wanted to apologize for the delay in posting this. I was partway through writing, but a hardware issue with my laptop held me up for a while and the quarantine – which is still only partially over for me – hasn't been as kind to my writing as I'd expected. But I'm back in business now!
Proofread by HawkTooth. Also, one small FYI: a couple of errors in the previous chapter have been fixed. Sorry it they took away from the experience. Happy reading!
"Fool. She even knew I had the secret of the deplorable word. Did she think – she was always a weakling – that I would not use it?"
Jadis, the Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
As Judy moved through the duct work with her associates, one of the photographers wrinkled his snout in disgust. "Goodnight, and I thought the theater floor smelled bad."
Judy was inclined to agree, but there were more pressing issues to consider. "Shush," she hissed, walking behind the two of them and keeping her ears open. It was doubtful whether their shooter would be foolish enough to wait around, but there was always a chance. Then, too, there could be a trap of some kind. Any sound but their paw steps and the clicking of cameras, and any smell but the dust and galvanized steel around them, could be an enemy.
Coming up on an intersection, one of the photographers suddenly jumped. "Hey!" he shouted, his cry thundering around them as if they were inside a microphone.
His partner quickly smacked him across the scalp, raising a finger to his lips and hissing for him to be silent. As Judy removed her paws from over her ears, the excitable mustelid pointed ahead. Squinting to make out what had caught his notice, the other two raised their flashlights a little higher.
"Paw prints!" hissed Judy. They could of course be from a maintenance worker, but it was fairly probable that these were the tracks of their culprit.
Silently, Judy nudged the two photographers aside. There were no fresh tracks in their passage, so it was safe to assume she wouldn't disturb any evidence. If there was any indication the perp was still there, she'd have to take them on. She crept forward until she was just shy of the tracks, every sense cranked to the maximum.
As they had suspected, the paw prints were fresh. 'One direction…' her stomach sank. 'And definitely vulpine.'
Her thoughts immediately jumped to Vanya, but she knew better than to make too many assumptions. Heck, even if Vanya was involved there was no guarantee she had pulled the trigger. All the same, she bent over one of the tracks and sniffed. She had to hastily pull back so her sneeze wouldn't mess up the scene, but she had definitely caught a whiff of perfume consistent with the white witch.
For a moment she almost hoped Vanya had flown the coop. If they did nab her she'd find some way to make things difficult if not impossible for Nick. Then she shook her head and reconsidered. With Catano's suspicions about Nick, capturing Vanya and bringing her to justice on his account was the only way to prove Nick was a good guy.
Weapon at the ready, she peered down the way the tracks went. Then she looked back the other way, in case Vanya had played the old trick of walking backward. With no sign of danger, she waved the photographers forward and they resumed their search.
"Keep your heads down," she ordered as they went, one taking pictures while the other waved around a scent recorder resembling a microphone. Between the eerie lighting and the close space, the latter almost looked like an archaeologist inspecting a tunnel by torchlight.
Judy wished she had gotten a map of the ventilation system from mall security or something, but she was fairly certain now that they were headed out over the theater. If something was going to happen, this would be the place.
"Looks like she knelt down here," remarked the one with the camera.
"She?" echoed Judy, trying not to sound too startled by this declaration.
The ferret nodded. "There's a sashay in her steps that pretty much only ever shows up in ladies," he replied. "Little bit in your step too, but not as pronounced."
Judy reflected that even though these photographers were officially just technical support, they had obviously been around a while and picked up some detective skills. Any help she could get was worth getting.
"Anything else?" she asked.
He nodded and pointed ahead. "White fur stuck in that junction there, so I'm guessing she's Arctic. We'll leave that for the forensics guys to collect." Sniffing the fur, he added, "And she's wearing some fancy perfume, like my girlfriend wears for, uh, special occasions."
Judy bit her lip. This was definitely shaping up to be Vanya's doing, and apart from mere concern for Nick – serious as that was itself – the magnitude of this crime would have made her afraid if she hadn't been so ticked. Mammals could have been killed that day. Some probably had. She herself had almost had to shoot an elephant who'd never hurt anyone of his own free will. What was this about anyway? Payback for the Cloven Hoof?
'Focus, Judy,' she told herself firmly. 'We can find out why she's doing this when we catch her.'
"I want to go on ahead as soon as you have all your evidence," she said decisively. "We need to move before the trail gets cold."
If Vanya Zarra was in these vents, Judy meant – once and for all – to bring her in.
As Judy searched, the object of her investigation was already driving away in a coyote-sized RV. While a pudu drove, an 'angel' colleague assisted Vanya in the bathroom with washing off her perfume and current makeup, dyeing her fur, and going through myriad other preparations in case of a police search. It wasn't long at all before Alexandra – currently going by Erin – had transformed the alluring Arctic vixen into a charming but unassuming coyote pup much like herself save for enough details to pass as siblings but not twins.
"You really should be Vance more often," teased 'Erin' with a smirk.
Vanya frowned, slipping into a young boy falsetto for the sake of the charade. "Next time I rig the coin toss."
"It wasn't rigged," Alexandra objected. "You saw the coin for yourself."
Rolling her eyes, Vanya ran a paw along Alexandra's shirt and produced a two-tailed quarter. "Did you forget who taught you magic?" she argued in her own voice, smirking as she did so. The fruit bat illusionist who'd let her in on his best acts in the circus would be proud if he weren't aghast over her using his tricks for crime. He would be, of course; the soft-hearted fool.
Alexandra clapped a paw to her sleeve in annoyance, then shrugged. "Fair's fair," she conceded, though they both knew she would try to cheat again in a heartbeat. Loyal as they were in crime, their little sisterhood always worked to one-up or trick one another in other matters. It kept them sharp.
A phone chimed in a toiletry rack on the wall, and Alexandra answered in her Erin voice. "Hello?"
"I want a status report," came the familiar voice of Obearon. "Give me Lady Macbat, now."
Vanya took the phone. "The job went just as you planned, sir. I watched long enough to make certain the formula did its job."
"Splendid. Your payment's already on the reloadable card. Come to the meeting place at once. From there you'll be escorted to the safe house for further operations."
She nodded her understanding. Obearon was smart; he made certain they didn't know where the new safehouse was, always coming and going blindfolded. All she knew for certain was that it was too deep underground for tracking signals, which of course she had tried. It didn't matter, inasmuch as she had no intention of selling out this boss for the moment. If Obearon was telling the truth about what he had to offer, she'd soon possess a secret that would make the Night Howler formula look like a child's plaything. If he was lying… well, she had enough connections to get out of the country at a moment's notice if necessary. Once she had enough information on this Obearon creature her options would only increase, whether she stayed loyal or not.
Life was good.
The remainder of Judy's day was spent chiefly in cataloging evidence while dispatch circulated an All Points Bulletin for any sign of Vanya. Unfortunately, Vanya had had the foresight to disable the security camera nearest her exit before her getaway car arrived, leaving the police with few clues as to what kind of vehicle to pursue. The whole thing burned Judy up on several levels.
Making matters worse, Catano hadn't forgotten to lecture her about her antics in the theater… and she brought backup too.
"Officer Hopps," Bogo informed her in his office just before clockout, "I'm sure you realize that averting this crisis does not get you off the hook for breaking formation during a standoff."
Judy cleared her throat. "With all due respect, sir, I had a good reason – and it did work."
"It could easily have not worked," argued the buffalo, "especially since you chose not to coordinate this half a plan of yours with the rest of the team or even your partner. Did you stop to consider for one moment that another officer could have been killed chasing after you when you rushed in? Or that your interaction could have sparked off worse aggression? Officer Catano here had to shove aside at least a dozen fellow officers trying to rescue your tail, and if the elephant hadn't been as conscious as he was that could have easily set off a charge. Officers would have died, and the rest would have been forced to use deadly force on a civilian."
As successful as her idea had been, Judy knew she was backed into a corner on this. She had, in all fairness, broken several major rules of police protocol: insubordination, abandoning her post, reckless endangerment of her fellow officers and an innocent bystander… Yes, it was pretty much the same list as her first lecture from the chief, but this was way different. That had been a chase. This was a standoff, and way too much of a gamble even allowing that it had worked.
"No excuse, sir," she answered, standing straight as a ramrod. "I accept full responsibility for everything."
Bogo eyed her for a long moment from under his furrowed brow before he nodded. "Good. Now, Officer Hopps, because you did manage to save the life of an innocent civilian and pick up some valuable information, I'm choosing to delay your disciplinary action – for now. However, the next time you have a plan, no matter how brilliant it seems or what the situation, I want it coordinated with myself or whoever's in charge or I won't be so lenient with whatever's left of you when you're done. Understood?"
Judy felt a slight shake go through her insides, but she nodded. She hadn't felt this antsy since Bogo gave her the badge ultimatum. "Understood, sir. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't," he replied, "because if it does and someone is hurt, I won't be the one explaining it to the relatives. You two are dismissed."
Judy strode out of the room, followed by a very silent Officer Catano. She could feel the weight of what Bogo had just unfolded like a massive burden on her shoulders. Sure they had won, but it was close. It was like crossing a balance beam blindfolded and then finding out there was a spike pit below it. If things had gone differently… the officer behind her might be dead now.
"We all have to take risks, Hopps," said Catano slowly. For a moment it sounded like she was actually trying to comfort her partner, which confused Judy since Catano had been the first to call her out.
Then came the other half of it. "That's the reason we need to coordinate. As successful as you've been, you're not Supermammal. You have to work with the rest of us for our sakes and your own."
"I know, I know," Judy groaned quietly. The rush of victory was drowning now in the reality of an escaped perpetrator and a mess that had almost been many times worse. "I was only trying to stop an elephant who had nothing to do with this fight from getting killed."
"And you should," agreed Catano, "but we have to do it as a team. I may be your partner, but I can't be your babysitter. If we're going to make this work, I need you to trust me. If you can't work with me there's no way you can work with Wilde; not as a police officer. Chief Bogo knows that."
The mention of Nick was like a slap, and Judy's impulse was to whirl around. Bringing Nick into this was… was what?
Reality. That's what it was: cold, hard reality and nothing else. If Nick were in uniform he would have been one of the officers whose lives she had just risked. Besides that, his agility and size would have put him much closer to the action once he got on her tail. The truth of it went through her as if someone had poured ice-cold water into her bloodstream.
"That's not going to happen," she objected. "I'd never risk Nick's life."
"Then you're prepared to do what I did today?" argued Catano. "What I do every day, with every partner I get assigned? Chief Bogo gives me all the wildest rookies because he knows I'll do anything to keep them alive. Are you ready to do that for Wilde?"
As impulsive as she was, Judy couldn't just up and answer that. Not a chance. As it sank in she realized she had been taking Catano for granted in a huge way. Her disparagement, skepticism, and coldness had another side to them: a side that cared about protecting perhaps more than any other officer on the force.
She took a deep breath and nodded. "If I am ready, then what would you say to do next?" she asked.
Catano studied her for a long moment. "Realize you're not," came the stone cold answer. "Realize you're not ready to answer for another officer's life, and then take everything you put into besting the training course. Take it and put that into being ready."
Well, as always I hope the read was worth the wait. I had an interesting time writing this chapter, especially the lecture from Catano and Chief Bogo. As capable of a cop as she proved to be in the movie, there's no getting around the fact that Judy would have to deal with some pret-ty grim realities as an officer.
To Guest Readers:
ff: En efecto.
Guest: (On Catano's past) Quite a few things, and not many nice ones.
zz: Si, eso siempre es un gran problema.
Guest: (Judy's adventure time) Quite so. :)
Guest: Thank you! :)
Easter Egg Answers:
Chapter 36:
The Silver Chair reference is a pretty obscure one (maybe I should start just referencing scenes from Disney movies?), but readers of that excellent book by C.S. Lewis may have recognized Nick's thought that finding his mother old and gray would almost be worse than finding her dead. Eustace thought the same when, thanks to Narnian time, he found an old and not much older friend of his having grown into a decrepit old man in what was to him about the space of one year.
Those of you unfamiliar with Star Wars memes might doubt I put a reference in there, but I promise "It's true. All of it."
My hat's off also to the Mr. E for noting a semblance to The Incredibles as well. The old "Here's exactly what I'd like to tell you but can't," trick may not be original to The Incredibles, but it's a memorable enough part of the movie to more than justify listing in its honor.
Chapter 38
Catano's remark about Nick being "a smart fox with good survival instincts," while very different in implications, is an almost exact quote from Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. And, come to think of it, actually suggests a darn good voice for her character as well.
I can't promise exactly when I'll get to the next chapter, inasmuch as I'm still trying to make the most of project time at home while also adjusting to a (somewhat) back to work schedule that keeps me very much on my toes even when I should be in bed sleeping, so we'll see how it goes. Hang in there!
