Zoopopia belongs to Disney. Spider-Man belongs to Marvel/Sony.
I'm still learning so much. Hopefully I'm giving you all a good story to read.
Only one change today, an important detail at the end of Chapter 8, during the climax of the nightmare sequence. That's an important detail for later.
He was ready to explode.
That had not gone the way he'd thought. Grr! BOGO! It took all of his self-control to properly be dismissed by the mayor. He bore the pain of holding under the surface as he walked toward the exit. Almost there.
He pushed on the shiny wood and- GAAAH! It appeared the universe was not going to make this easy for him. The eyes of the two buffalo turned toward him and instantly turned hostile. Whatever you're up to, you will lose, he seemed to be saying. The Chief... he made him feel as if the whole city was watching him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been waiting for him - to let him know that he was being watched. He turned and resisted the urge to look back. He could feel the Chief's eyes on him as he left.
Once he finally exited the building, he brought his hands close together and flexed them into claws as if he were squeezing the life out of something. He growled quietly, not caring that mammals were passing by him carefully as they entered the building. He knew he looked dangerous. At this moment, he wanted to. The very notion that anyone would stand up to him... after he had laid his life on the line, and provided for his country in such a monumental way I WAS A PRISONER OF WAR ON YOUR BEHALF, YOU... it made his blood churn!
As he marched off, he could hear the distant sounds coming from the Plaza a couple miles off. It made him roll his eyes. Amazing how far animals were willing to go to ignore their problems. He didn't have that problem. He didn't need to dump all of his hard-earned income into such things. He pulled out his phone to call his driver- hold on, why was his phone off? He didn't do that, did he? He depressed the home button to turn it back on, but several seconds later the screen was still dark.
It was dead.
He sucked air through his teeth in frustration. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING has to go wrong today, DOESN'T IT! If he could have just one day where everything went well... then he could be happy for once. He stomped to a small coffee shop and shoved the doors open, only to smack a large, hairless mammal's behind with one of them. The animal exclaimed in a deep voice at the impact.
Lukagi ignored and pushed past the mammal to make it to a table that had an outlet, when a hand gripped his collar and pulled him backward, choking him briefly. He was lifted up and turned around to face a large walrus, who stared him in the face. "You bumped into me," he said in a voice that indicated he probably had a second-grade reading level.
"Hey, let me down, you flabby chew toy!" he growled. Pointing toward himself, he said, "I'm Zsander Lukagi, head of the business that provides for your military! I'm having a very bad day right now, so I wouldn't mess with me if I were you." He smiled dangerously to make his point. "If you don't put me down right now, I will sue you onto the streets for assault! I will make sure you never see the sun or the moon again!"
The walrus whimpered slightly and slowly set him down. He brushed himself off while giving the intimidated walrus a hateful glare, to which he responded by backing up and running out of the coffee shop. Lukagi noticed that the line of animals in the shop were staring at him, with varying degrees of shock.
"What are you all staring at?" he asked before walking over to a table and sitting down. He rubbed his eyes. Amazing. Out of all the mammals in that room, the only one who protested happened to have monumental influence over the entire city and the police. Along with Councilman Hurdle, the Chief was among the most trusted authority figures in the city. He needed the Chief's support in order to get this drug through the proper channels. He wouldn't stand a chance if he didn't side with him.
Pulling his phone charger out of his suitcase, he plugged it into an outlet under the table. He took out a BerryPod and began situating it into his ear. His phone vibrated, and when he looked at it, the earbud fell from his fingers and onto the floor.
Fifty-five missed calls and nearly a hundred texts. That was not normal. He picked it up and sifted through the messages. And every one frayed his nerves further and further.
"You... this... this can't be happening..." Every message... all of them were all about one thing: The kid escaped. Every one of them. No, wait. Not every one of them. He found some that were about how Kityarn broke into the compound and set him free, and also that one of his workers was dead. Oh, and Serpiento... left?
He... left. With Kityarn, apparently. Really the only good news was that the serum had seemed to yield results, yet that wasn't enough to stay his rage and panic.
After over a decade of profoundly hard work, after all the trust they had built, and after everything he had done for that lion, he... just... left.
He sat there, the realization hitting him that this all had happened so fast. He hardly had time to register that everything his ambition had led to, he had attained it, and yet it was all crashing down just as fast. What happened?
He rubbed his temples in an attempt to think straight. But he was so close to eruption that he couldn't construct his thoughts meaningfully.
His phone vibrated, bringing him out of his tortuous contemplation. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, but he was in a mood to yell. He punched the answer key.
"WHAT!" he shouted without thinking. Animals turned toward him in shock. He didn't care.
Guardian Angel's smooth, alto voice came through the speaker. "I assume you've caught up with current events? I was wondering whether you knew or not."
"Don't... start with me," he growled. "This is not the time."
"You seem angry. Didn't you see that the meeting was a step in the right direction? A great step, I might add."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" he bellowed.
"Excuse me, sir, can you take it outside?" asked a timid, adolescent kangaroo in uniform. The next moment, the kangaroo was scurrying back behind the desk to avoid the angry wolf's wrath.
"How? How was that a success? How was anything that's happened today a success? I lost my test subject so we can't make any more serum; my best worker is gone; the FDA is going to disapprove my product, and my business depends on-"
"Calm..."
At the woman's voice, a strange ringing deadened the sounds around him, Lukagi suddenly felt his muscles relaxing. The sounds around him faded into silence. The anger began to dissipate, replaced with a kind of... stillness. Just stillness. He fell back against the chair. He didn't move. His eyes lolled around lazily, his head tilted to the side.
"...down."
He was calm even before she'd finished. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that others, both servers and customers, were experiencing what he was at the same moment. It was almost as if the inside of the shop had become a separate world in the middle of the chaotic world surrounding it, a quiet place. That... was strange. Though he was perplexed, his rage was nowhere to be found. At least he could think straight now.
"Listen to me. The Chief was the only one who opposed you. Everyone else was in full compliance. That was me. I did that. They were easy. But Bogo... he was able to resist me somehow, even though I was right there in the room. I tried pushing him harder, but it felt like something was blocking me. And that's... that's never happened before. My only guess is that his strength of will was able to protect him. And if that's the case, he's far stronger than the others, in fact, than anyone I've ever seen. I suspected it when he figured out that he actually needs rest to function, but regardless, I couldn't risk compromising myself. Even if he is resistant to my power, I am certain there are excessively few others who can match such fortitude."
Lukagi wondered what she was talking about, but he was too relaxed to care at the moment. "What about the FDA? We won't have their support if he isn't-"
"You forget who you're talking to - don't forget that I have been in control of everything even since before Bellwether became Assistant Mayor. Don't worry about anything. This is just one more step out of the way. As for your test subject... leave him alone."
"I can't just leave him. We need him for the serum."
"You don't need to worry. We don't need him anymore. Now is the time to focus on preparing our clients overseas. They're necessary in getting FDA approval, since they have sympathetic counterparts in a several developed countries above the tropics. Start with China and Japan; they're the most cooperative when it comes to research related to accelerated evolution. Their support will be invaluable. Don't worry about Arcturus. His fear, everything he's been through the past couple of days, has crippled him completely - uuuh," she shuddered, "I can feel it. Rest assured. He's not necessary, nor is he a threat."
"What about the compound?"
"The underground complex has served its purpose. Close it. Pitch the new firearm cartridge design for the military. Go on about your business above ground. Everything's falling into place just like you wanted. One buffalo can't change that, no matter his public influence or his strength of will."
He nodded.
"Regardless of any supposed 'drawbacks,' I have it all planned out. I was a hardened war general long before you or even the Chief was even born. I've seen more than you can imagine. All part of my plan, one that I have been building for a long, long time."
"But what about the police? They've managed to set us back several times these past few years."
"Oh, trust me," said GA in a low voice. "I knew they'd make it this long. I counted on it."
Lukagi didn't say anything. But he felt that GA was about to answer his unspoken question... How?
"Now that the Chief is regaining his resolve... now that Arcturus is tossed in the wind... now that Nichelle with the Wildes... It couldn't be more perfect. I can assure you that very soon, prey will see what happens when they cross the predator population."
A smile tugged at the edge of the wolf's lips. But he refrained, knowing that he had better things to attend to. If only he could see that plan in action. To see that imprisoned sheep realize fully how she'd provoked the gods of the earth...
"Someone's coming. I have to go." The call ended and Lukagi gasped as he felt something like... something being sucked from him. That was the only way he could describe it.
He breathed deeply a few times. He felt... drained. Though not from that feeling he'd just experienced, as if his anger had been sucked from him along with that presence, but rather from his anger itself. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was. How exhausting his anger was.
Thank you, GA, for opening my eyes, he thought emphatically. Looking around for a moment, he noticed his perception of the sounds around him were coming back - the sound of coffee being brewed, latte machines constructing their products, cashiers swiping cards...
How did she...? he thought, pressing his fingers against his temple. How did she do that?
"...everyone else was in full compliance. That was me. I did that..." That was her? Because she... she was in the room with them... that meant...
That meant GA was a councilmammal. No wonder she was so privy to what was going on!
Exiting the coffee shop with his lingering calmness that had been laid on top of him, he couldn't help but wonder about GA... how often had she done that to him? And in what other ways had she controlled him?
Chief Bogo's eyes were glued to the top of the stairs below which the wolf's head had just disappeared seconds ago. He had noticed how Lukagi's expression had changed when he'd seen him sitting here. He'd seen the way his shoulders were pulled back and tight like an armed sling shot about to fire. It couldn't be more obvious.
He was hiding something. And he wanted to know what. He found himself beginning to map out how he was going to go about this, whether it would even be wise to investigate Lukagi again. He'd already done that. And the fallout he'd received for doing so... he shuddered at the tabloids that had come out, the news stories: "Bogo Gone Bonkers Over Big, Bad Wolf!" "The Bogo Who Cried Wolf!" "Buffalo vs. Wolf - Who Wins?" Lukagi had vindicated him, but he sensed that it had been nothing more than rhetoric, a veiled threat, warning him to stay off his back. Regardless of what anyone had done, who pointed fingers at whom, it was clear by now. There was something lurking in the shadows of Lukagi's enterprise. What was he really planning? Introducing Nighthowlers as a solution to Nighthowlers? Why did he even need to say anything about that? He would have thought that the very notion of such a ludicrous plan was self-defeating, but everyone... everyone seemed to concede. Or at least they seemed too defeated themselves to put up a fight.
Well he wasn't. And neither was his force.
Or... were they?
He recalled that thought. That couldn't have been further from the truth. The way they'd seen him the past several weeks, months even... it was shameful. He was the Chief of the ZPD, the figurehead of the most effective crime-fighting force in America, commander of two of the most famous officers on the Eastern seaboard. And he had acted as if his job didn't matter. He let go of his wife and began to stand up.
"What's wrong?" asked Sarah as her husband got to his feet, a look of resolution on his face. His eyebrows were knitted downward, his face steadfastly a visage of determination. He knew Lukagi was up to something, and he was going to find out what.
"Go ahead back to work, Darling," he said as he walked toward the stairs. He turned around and smiled at her confidently. "I've let my officers languish long enough. It's time for me to do my job."
Do my job. Sarah slowly smiled. The Chief was back...
He started his trek across the large clearing between City Hall and Precinct One.
The old buffalo's eyes traced the pillars that adorned the curved edge of the front of the building as he approached it, reminiscent of grass dried by the sun in the heat of a summer plain. He scanned the radial steps that lined the plateau leading to the front courtyard, admiring the way the sun reflected off of the polished windows. He quietly exhaled a chuckle. How many times had he walked to City Hall and back? He couldn't remember the last time he actually noticed the building, the beautiful architecture that blended in perfectly with the sun-soaked district around him? The building in which he'd worked for decades... Of course, being Chief, he spent ninety percent of his time cramped in his office, doing paperwork, working complex assignments, dying of boredom and coffee overdose... but thanks to his Sarah, that was no longer the case. And he knew what his task was. His city was in trouble. And he was ready to defend it...
Defend it... He stopped at the first stair leading up to the courtyard in front of the precinct. How long had it been since he'd actually defended the city?
How many animals had called the station, begging for help that they couldn't give? How many had been critically injured, had died because the precinct prioritized one assignment over another or because they were bound by jurisdiction? How many more had to die before the city would be willing to take whatever measures were necessary?
He wasn't blind to his staff. He knew they had been suffering under this crisis, and he hadn't been able to deal with it. Every day, he saw officers coming to the precinct for a short break, only to be called right back out... how they had looked to him, but he had ignored them due to his own problems. Their burnout was palpable.
They needed him. And he hadn't been there for them. He steeled himself as he marched up to the precinct.
The doors opened reverently for the Chief to boldly pass through. His eyes stayed straight in front of him, refusing to stop on anyone. Officers and staff looked up and froze as he passed by, watching with wide eyes as the buffalo strode toward the stairs. The precinct grew silent. Exactly what he meant to happen. He wanted them to see their Chief as the strong and capable force they needed him to be. He felt like he did when he first walked through those doors with these weighty stars on his shoulders - hopeful for a brighter future, one where the city was secure and he could finally rest - finally go on that honeymoon with his wife he'd never been able to take. He'd make it happen.
He came to his office and opened the door. Turning on the light, he looked around. He looked around at all the paperwork he still had to do, looked around at all the case files he had yet to comb... there was something he needed to do first.
Sitting down in his chair that groaned under his weight, he felt himself falter suddenly. His idea suddenly began to seem more and more dumb. There were other options, weren't there? Certainly, there were. If he did what he was thinking about, and his hunch turned out wrong, then Lukagi would have every reason to sue him. Disgrace him. Point blame at him. The city would hate him. He'd be thrown out, or at the very best be demoted to a meter maid. Sarah might even lose her job. They wouldn't be able to provide for their daughter...
Growling loudly, he pushed himself backward from the desk. The battle had instantly become a paralyzing deadlock. He didn't know how to break it. He walked toward the window and looked down into the city. He thought of Sophia, her living on the streets because Daddy made a grave mistake. How could this be the best thing to do? What would Sarah say? How would she process this?
He immediately lifted his chin. He didn't even have to think about the answer. "She would tell me to do the right thing, no matter what," he said aloud with resolve. He knew the stakes. He'd seen animals do the same and end up in the gutter. Lukagi was nigh untouchable. He had the best, and the most vicious, lawyers, the best resources, the right mammals in his pocket. If that secretary who had reached out to him hadn't been embezzling in the first place, he'd have likely been thrown out of his job right then. You have to let it go. Just let it go... You have a family to think about. Just keep an eye open, and if something does happen...
He knew he had to. No one else knew of the wolf's quieted anti-prey stance, hidden under rhetoric and smooth talk. Even the others seemed to have forgotten that, even the fact that there were other discrepancies that had been confirmed by the IRS but had been swept under the rug by the same. He was the shareholder of the business that kept the citizens happy every year, reminding them that the Crisis was over when in reality, it had only gotten worse. He had bailed out loan sharks, provided his own lawyers to defend patent murderers, embellished the honesty of his own business while casting shame on others of greater repute. He was the primary reason such a socially and politically inept leopard had been voted into office as mayor, rendering him and the Councilmammals the grunts behind the scenes, the actual leaders of the city. After everything, Lukagi was the center of it all, and the city seemed to miss it, or to not even care. Even he had missed it for years, even though it was right in front of his face.
How was it that he was just now noticing?
He took a deep breath and sat down. He stared at his desk, deeply contemplating.
Do it. No! Yes! Your daughter, your wife, your JOB! The city comes first. Really? Over your family?
He slammed his fist on his desk as he fought. The tension began to build. It was torment...
Suddenly, that smile entered his mind, the one that Sarah had given him during the meeting. "I love you," she'd said, "and I want you to know that I support you one hundred percent."
That voice, that beautiful voice. It was all he needed. Pushing all other objections out of his mind, tensing his fist until the knuckles cracked, he made his decision.
I am Chief of the ZPD. My duty is to the city and to my family. It's time to fight for them.
Grabbing the first file in the stack, he worked tirelessly, finishing faster than he ever had before. He had work to do, and he was going to get it done.
"Mm, this is so good!" said Arya as she licked continually on her Pawpsicle. "You used to make these?"
"Yep!"
"How?"
"...Ehm, another time, Honey," he answered nervously.
Angel had already finished with hers. "If I eat anything else, I'm going to throw up. Again."
Arya laughed. "That's the best part!"
"I don't know how it's possible for anyone to enjoy that!" said Angel, grasping her stomach in trepidation at the thought of a reprisal.
"I guess... I don't know, it just doesn't really bother me."
Nick snickered to himself at the thought of what had happened on their first ride after eating.
Two hours ago
They had exited Grayback, swooning as they had before.
Arya gestured drunkenly. "Ooh, I see what you meant, Nicky; I see several you's."
"It passes after a few..." Nick gagged briefly. "A few..." he gagged again and grasped his stomach. "Oh boy, I think I'm gonna..."
"Me too!" said Arya and Angel simultaneously. The three of them ran into a bathroom that had been thankfully just feet away. Disregarding gender, they burst into one of the restrooms and hurled into three respective toilets.
Now
Nick looked up at the sky as he finished off the last of his water. It was starting to get dark. He was thankful that he and Judy had caught Bellwether on a Saturday, or else he'd have to go home sooner. He was amazed at how big this event had gotten. The number of attractions every year grew in number and in size. His only regret was animals seemed to forget what it was all about - ending persecution of predators.
The three of them sat near a court at the side of the park, where there appeared to be dozens of mammals beginning to gather. He and the girls watched what was going on. Lights were beginning to illuminate a massive, square, wooden floor near the edge of the Plaza. The sound of feedback assaulted their ears for an instant, indicating that someone was plugging speakers in. There were the sounds of cheers around the area and mammals began to congregate near the floor.
"What do you think they're all doing over there?" asked Angel, her interest shifting toward the large group of mammals. She asked because she knew. She just wanted to put Arya's attention on it.
"I don't know, what do you think?"
Angel gave a lopsided smile. Without saying a word, she gestured for Arya to follow her. Arya started to get the idea and suddenly felt on the spot.
"Oh, you know I gotta join this party," said Nick, tossing an empty water bottle in a recycling bin and following Angel. He looked back toward the lamb. "Come on, Sweetheart. It's time for you to have some actual fun for once."
Arya lowered herself down from the bench carefully and slowly walked toward the growing crowd of small-to-medium size mammals.
None of them knew what was coming... what was going to descend on the whole city.
We'll be getting to Danny soon. Trust me, he's still a part of this story. He's got a long way to go.
Now's a little fun time. Coming soon!
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29:2
