Hey guys! I hope you're all enjoying the story and thank you for following me so far. So I could use a bit of input from you guys here on a particular subject: The thing is, this chapter features a bit of action (in particular, regarding Eli's movements) and there will be similar future chapters, so I need to know if I'm describing these sequences well enough for you guys to understand. If you are having difficulty understanding, let me know so I can improve future chapters.

Thanks, and now onto the chapter...


The next morning

Eli sat in thought as he stared out the window of the limousine at the passing Sahara Square scenery. He always did like the architecture and environment of this place. It was a part of Zootopia, yet no matter how many times he came here, it always felt so foreign, like he had entered another country. The looming form of the iconic Palm Oasis hotel had been visible since he had entered the district, even with an almost twenty minute drive left! It was a testament to the structure's massive size.

"Three minutes sir." The chauffeur called out from the front to prepare him once they were closer.

"Yes, thank you." Eli responded, mentally checking off items to make sure he didn't miss anything. He had more or less everything he needed for this assignment. He was wearing a dark grey three piece suit courtesy of Mr. Khan's tailor, and had been groomed well under the chairmammal's supervision to make him look worthy of a penthouse suite at this prestigious hotel. He sifted through his pocket and retrieved an earpiece with a built-in microphone given to him for communications, placing it into his ear. It was quite the useful little trinket constructed by Khan's research division, small enough that it wouldn't be noticed by anyone else.

"Radio check." He spoke.

"Reading you loud and clear. How's it on your end?" Came the voice of Anya in the earpiece.

"Crystal clear. So, is everything ready?"

"Absolutely. Just follow the plan we discussed and rehearsed. And don't worry, I'm here to help out anytime you need. First order of business is to contact the receptionist."

"Right. I'll let you know as soon as I get in touch." Eli finished just as the limousine entered the premises of the hotel. This was the first time he had seen the structure from this close, and it was indeed a marvel of engineering and design. Even the grounds of the hotel contained an intricately designed and maintained garden that looked completely different compared to the rest of Sahara Square. The limousine stopped at the guest drop off point that featured a path leading through a part of the luxurious garden till the actual entrance doors. Other mammals could also be seen arriving and departing in their own vehicles. The chauffeur exited the vehicle then went back to Eli's side door and opened it for him, allowing the man to get out as well. Now no longer in the air conditioned car, the full force of the typical Sahara Square heatwave struck him like a speeding train, though the lush vegetation in the garden helped to reduce the effect somewhat. Eli spent a moment taking in the sights and sounds around him. His family could only dream of even just standing within these grounds, and here he was about to spend a whole day and night here. How circumstances seem to change overnight.

"I will return tomorrow before noon to retrieve you as per Mr. Khan's instructions. Good luck, sir." The tiger said. Eli thanked him, and the chauffeur sat back in the driver's seat and left. Eli casually made his way through the garden path towards the entrance, already impressed with the beauty of the garden and the work that had gone into it. It actually looked like an oasis in the middle of the desert complete with numerous palm trees, jungle-like vegetation and fountains that simulated the pools of water. Appropriately themed benches were placed in various spots for guests to relax and enjoy the garden, although most seemed to prefer hanging about the water pools, some even drinking from it or playing with it. As was usual, Eli's appearance garnered considerable amount of stares from the other mammals around, and it almost made him wish he was any species other than human. Normally he was used to it and wouldn't care so much, but in his current line of work, getting everyone's attention was the last thing he'd want, and it only made his mission that much harder. He stopped at the large revolving doors that separated the outside of the hotel from the inside and took a deep breath.

"Okay Eli, you can do this buddy."

Gathering his courage, he pushed his way past the doors, seemingly entering another world. It was like entering a palace, intricately designed and lavishly decorated with vibrant colours and expensive materials of the highest quality. Eli wasn't entirely sure but from the looks of things he guessed a lot more money had gone into presentation here than what he saw in 'The Fang', though it made sense as this was a luxury hotel while the other was more of an office building.

"Boy, do I wish mom and dad were here to see this."

The patronage was appropriately classed as well. Wealthy mammals of all sizes, species and caliber wearing all manner of fancy garb wandered the lobby, and judging by the clothing, many of the guests here were foreign nationals. Some of them were lined up at the reception desk to check in or out. The desk itself was almost centrally located in the lobby, right at the base of a very large tree whose canopy almost reached the lobby roof, and was mammaled by two receptionists, a giraffe that attended the larger guests and a deer attending to medium and small sized guests. Eli wondered if the tree was real, and if it was, then how in the world did they manage to grow it indoors like that. He stood in the line of mammals being attended to by the deer and waited until it was finally his turn.

"Good morning sir and welcome to the Palm Oasis hotel, how may I help you?" The deer greeted after a moment's hesitation of coming to grips with Eli's species.

"Good morning. I'm here to stay for one night, and I'm told I already have a room booked in my name."

"And what name would that be sir?" The deer asked, looking down at the computer before him ready to type the name and retrieve the appropriate information.

"Mr. Charles Darwin." Eli answered, using the false name he had been given. The deer froze and his head shot back up to stare wide eyed at the man before him. It took him a moment to recover enough to respond.

"I… I see…in that case, I'd have to ask you how much that diamond is worth to you?"

"More than my blood." Eli answered. This was the query and response needed to confirm Eli's identity to the receptionist, who stared at him intently with a serious expression for a few moments before he turned around, seemingly looking for something in a cabinet behind him then returning to Eli. On the desk he placed a keycard and a small suitcase.

"Here's the key to your suite, number 5, and… the case you'll need. Mr. Hwong is residing in suite number 8. After you're done, come to me before noon tomorrow to check out." He finished. Eli took both items, thanked the deer and made for the elevators, making sure to inform Anya of the successful contact as he had been instructed. The suite given to him was on the topmost floor, mainly because Hwong was staying on that same floor as well. He couldn't help but feel giddy upon reaching his suite's door, and was visibly surprised and pleased upon opening it. It was gigantic, almost a whole apartment on its own, furnished with top-of-the-line expensive furniture and appliances, and he felt like the rooms within were bigger than the rooms in his own house.

"Huh, Mr. Khan sure doesn't spare any expense."

Once he finished looking around, Eli set the suitcase on a table and opened it. It contained a few sets of clothes, such as a pair of night suits, a pair of casual outfits, a couple of formal shirts and trousers and some swimwear, all tailored for human physique. Removing the clothes, he searched the lining of the case and stumbled upon a small button, well hidden from view. Pushing it opened up a compartment on the outside of the case with just enough space to place something that might fit in the palm of his hand. It seemed good enough to hide his 'special cargo' in plain sight.

Eli knew he still had some time to himself and he'd never get an opportunity like this again, so after getting settled into his room he decided to check out the amenities, exploring the spacious bathroom, checking out the balcony, playing around with the giant screen TV and whatever other fancy electronics he found there. He was like a kid in a toy store all over again. Once again, he wished his father was here, he knew he would've gone all out enjoying the place to its fullest. Afterwards he flopped onto the gigantic bed in the large bedroom, loving how he could spread his arms and legs while laying in the centre and still he had seemingly miles of bed remaining on all sides. Oh yeah, he'd definitely sleep well tonight!

But now wasn't the time, there was still so much to explore, and Eli didn't know where to start! The hotel offered a multitude of facilities, and he was determined to experience them all, although he understood that Mr. Khan was paying for his expenses so he made it a point to try and keep them to a minimum. He changed into his swimwear and decided to have fun in the hotel's pool… and quickly started feeling like that was a bad idea, as the other patrons at the pool seemed to find it the best opportunity to take in the sight of his furless form.

"Seriously though, whats up with that? There oughta be a law against staring at humans!"

He would probably have left had he not spotted Mr. Hwong sunning there in one of the chairs, so for the sake of the mission he decided to stick around just to observe the panda, and get in some swimming at the same time. All in all, the pool area was gorgeous, surrounded by vegetation to make it look as much like a natural waterhole, while keeping a clean appearance throughout. Eli felt he could actually enjoy the place were it not for him being the centre of everyone's attention. Luckily, the longer he stayed there, the more the guests became used to him and began minding their own business.

After a while, the panda left for the sauna and Eli followed him. Throughout the day in the course of observing him, he ended up following him almost all over the hotel, including the swimming pool, sauna, gym, spa, restaurant, bar and even the casino, which turned out to be his second favourite place there, and he ended up having a little too much fun with the slot machines. The temptations made it all the more harder to keep an eye on Hwong, but at least Eli's luck seemed to cash out well, as he had accumulated a decent amount of money in winnings. While attending to one of the slot machines, he felt a tap on his leg and looked down to his side to see a fox waiter standing there.

"Excuse me sir, but the gentlemammal at the table over there has requested your presence." He said, pointing to the aforementioned 'gentlemammal', who, much to Eli's surprise, happened to be none other than Mr. Hwong himself, sitting at a poker table nearby with a few other guests.

"Uh… thank you." He addressed the waiter and gulped. Had he noticed he was following him? Was his cover blown? He hoped not, for he had no way of defending himself save for the partial self defence training he had received, and even that might not be enough. He readjusted his tie, neatened his suit and carefully walked over to the table, greeted by a smile from the panda.

"Hello and welcome! You're the human from the pool, right?"

"Y-Yes, I am."

"Silly me, of course you are, I needn't even ask, you're the only human currently in the hotel after all. I could see you were quite the fascinating spectacle there. You managed to capture everyone's attention." He chuckled, though Eli wasn't amused. "But of course, where are my manners. I'm Mr. Napoleon Hwong." He introduced, offering a paw to shake.

"Charles Darwin. Pleasure to meet you." He shook his paw, though his tone implied otherwise, but Hwong didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Likewise. Say, I've been watching you for a while now and I can't help but notice you've got yourself a lucky paw there. We've got an open seat for one more and I was wondering if you'd like to test that luck with a friendly game of poker… that is, if you're up for the challenge." He offered. Eli was initially hesitant and wanted to get to a safe distance before things got out of hand, but he realised this could be a good opportunity to find out where Hwong was hiding the ruby. He accepted the offer and sat down on the empty chair opposite to the panda, with his other two friends on either side. They played a few rounds and talked about random subjects. Eli discovered that Hwong was quite the skillful player. He lost some of his money to the panda, but won some back later on. Overall, it ended up more or less as a draw. Although throughout the time, Eli watched him very carefully, but didn't once see any hint of the ruby anywhere on him.

"You play very well, I'm impressed. Not many mammals last that long against me. Where did you learn to play?" Hwong asked.

"My dad taught me. We've been playing since I was a kit. It's one of his favourite pastimes."

"Oh, he's a gambling mammal, eh? I'd very much enjoy playing against him sometime. If you're any indication of his skill, then I bet he'd be a worthy opponent."

"You never know, maybe someday…"

"Quite. Now if you'll excuse me, I shall retire to my room. It was nice meeting you. Good night." He yawned, then left the table.

"Well that was an awkward encounter." Eli thought as he pretended to head off in a different direction, not expecting to actually meet and talk to his target. He was on edge the whole time, but luckily the panda didn't seem to have caught on to his true identity or intentions. He followed him at a distance till he reached his room, with Eli doing the same in his own room, where he changed into casual wear and began thinking.

All in all, Mr. Hwong fully enjoyed all the amenities offered by the hotel, giving Eli the same opportunity much to his fortune. But throughout his observations, Eli didn't see him with the Blood Diamond at any time, and he could only conclude that the gem must be in his room.

"Now that he's gone into his room, the door's locked and there's no way to open it again without the keycard, which he has in his possession all the time, and there doesn't seem to be any other way in, unless…" Eli thought as his gaze fell on the balcony of his suite and he went over to inspect it, opening the sliding glass doors to step outside into the warm, nighttime desert air. He realised Hwong would be having a balcony too, and immediately looked at the wall off the side of the balcony to find a route. He grinned, then went back in. All that was left to do now was wait until Hwong was asleep.

Eli waited until midnight to make his move, hoping that the panda would be asleep by now. He stepped back out onto the balcony, taking another look off the side down below, and gulped.

"Ho boy, it's a long way down, I better not fall. Get it together Eli, you've done this many times before! Just not… that often with buildings this tall… and with no other buildings nearby…"

Steeling himself, he vaulted off it's side to grab onto it's edge, moving sideways until he reached close to a ledge on the hotel's exterior wall that formed part of the 'palm tree bark' design. He jumped off to grab it and continued moving sideways along the wall until he reached the next suite's balcony, then pulled himself up onto it. Luckily, the lights inside were off and the occupants were sleeping. The man quietly crossed the balcony till the other side then vaulted off to grab its side, again moving sideways along the wall till reaching the next balcony. However this suite had it's lights on, the occupants probably awake, and Eli couldn't risk being spotted while crossing, so he decided to take a detour. He let go of the ledge and fell down till he grabbed the ledge on a lower level, in between his floor and the lower one, moving sideways underneath that particular balcony. Once he had bypassed it completely, he found a small vertical crack in the wall, just large enough for him to stick his fingers into, then used it and a couple other irregularities to climb back up to his floor, continuing sideways again until he finally reached Hwong's balcony.

Carefully he peeked over the side to make sure the lights were off before pulling himself up onto the balcony and making his way to the sliding glass doors. He opened it quietly then snuck in, pleased to find that the panda was snoring away blissfully. Using the light from his smartphone, he found the panda's briefcase and placed it on the nearby desk. Opening it revealed it to be full of everyday office paraphernalia, but sifting through it he found a small case that caught his interest. As he had hoped, it contained exactly what he was looking for. Fitting perfectly inside an indentation in the box rested the Blood Diamond in all it's glory. Eli picked it up and admired it for a moment. It looked much larger in real life, just barely fitting in the palm of his hand. Stowing the stone in his pocket, he closed the case and briefcase and placed it where it originally was, then snuck to the balcony and retraced his path back to his own suite, breathing a sigh of relief. The hard part was over, and Eli informed Anya of his success. All that was left was to leave tomorrow, so he immediately stored the jewel in the secret compartment of his case then went off to bed.

Eli awoke to a sharp and loud beeping noise. Opening his eyes, he realised the noise was coming from the earpiece he had placed on his side table. Looking at the clock revealed it was 9 am. He wore the earpiece to be greeted by Anya's voice, sounding very urgent.

"Finally! I was trying to contact you for ages! Where the hell were you?" She began.

"Sorry, wasn't expecting a wake up call yet. What happened?"

"Hwong found out about the ruby and he's called the police. They'll be here shortly. Get ready as fast as you can, grab the case and get out of there! The limo is on the way to pick you up. The receptionist is helping me access the hotel's security cameras so I can monitor your exfil."

"I'm on my way." Eli responded, changing into his suit as fast as he could and packing all his belongings, including the small amount of winnings from last night. No point in leaving that behind. He wondered how Hwong had discovered the theft so quickly, he wasn't expecting it to happen for at least another two hours, closer to the auction time that Anya had told him about. Just as he had picked up the case and was about to leave, Anya chimed in again.

"We have a change of plans. The police have arrived and they're in the building. They've cordoned off the main entrance so you'll have to get out the back as fast as you can before they cordon that off too. Find the receptionist, he'll show you the way. I've got camera access and I'm seeing four officers arriving at your floor. Stay in your room for now, you can't afford to let them see you." She instructed. Eli did as she told, peeking through the peephole on his door to see the aforementioned officers jogging past on their way to Hwong's room.

"Dammit! Two officers are staying in the hallway on guard. You can't leave yet. Wait until they go." She said. He patiently waited, but the more time that passed, the more worried he became until finally Anya spoke up again.

"Uh oh, looks like they're spreading out and searching the neighbouring suites. Two of them are approaching your door." Anya warned, but no sooner than she did so that Eli heard a knock on his door.

"This is the ZPD! We're investigating a robbery and need to check all the rooms on this floor. Open the door please." The officer called out. Eli panicked and backed away from the door, unsure of what to do. After a moment, the officer called out again, this time in a much harsher tone. The young man knew they meant business, and he was sure they were going to break down the door if he didn't think of something fast!

"Eli! Quick! The balcony! The suite next to yours, suite 4, is empty. Can you make your way there?" Anya suggested. Eli immediately set into motion. Reaching the edge of his balcony, he saw the next one wasn't too far away, and using all his might, tossed the case over to it. It was enough to just barely make it past the edge. Now it was his turn. He vaulted off the edge and grabbed onto it, then scaled his way to the balcony, this time going in the opposite direction to where he went last night. Hauling himself onto the new balcony, he retrieved the case and peered inside the room, seeing it was indeed empty, then hid inside. Just in time too, as he heard the door being broken down in his old room, followed by the muffled voices of the two officers on the other side of the wall.

"What the?... The room's empty!"

"It can't be! The door was locked from the inside!"

"Search the place! Maybe they're still hiding here somewhere. Did you call for backup?"

"Yeah, they should be getting here any moment now."

"Eli, all of the officers are searching the rooms and there's no one guarding the hallway. Now's your chance! Sneak past them into the hallway and make for the elevators." She advised. Eli carefully opened the door and peeked out, making sure the coast was clear in both directions before he set out. He could hear the noise made by the officers as they rummaged around in his old room, though fading away now as he got further and further away from them and closer to the elevators. He was only a few meters away when he heard the 'ding' sound of the elevator arriving followed by the sound of it's doors opening.

"Heads up! Three more officers just arrived on your floor. Quickly! Duck into the maintenance room on your right!" Anya guided once more. Sure enough, Eli saw the door and made a run for it, entering the small room and shutting the door as quietly as possible. As the name had suggested, the cramped room was full of supplies and parts for use by maintenance staff as well as janitorial supplies. A moment later, he heard the muffled voices of the officers as they passed by, but couldn't exactly make out what they were saying as they were talking quietly amongst themselves.

"…But you know what I think? I bet the guy just misplaced his stuff and didn't bother to look before calling 911."

"Look, just because the last few robbery calls were false alarms doesn't mean every one of them will be the same. We could be looking at the real deal here! Maybe if we're lucky, the thief's probably still here since they've cordoned off the entrance."

"You hear that rookie? The mean ol' robber's still around. Think you've got what it takes to bag your first crook?"

"O-Oh dear! T-that sounds… *gulp*… dangerous! M-maybe I could… uh… I dunno… head back down a-and, uh, guard the entrance… w-with the other officers... where its safer?"

"Oh no you don't! C'mere! You've been training for this after all. You're gonna be the one to say hello to the perp… with your tranquilliser gun!..."

Eli heard the voices fading as the sources moved further away, but left the room only when Anya gave him the all-clear. He turned the corner and entered the elevator, the same one the officers had used, then pushed the button for the ground floor.

"Okay, what happens now?" He asked.

"The back door is still clear, that's your way out. The receptionist is waiting for you at the elevators. He'll escort you out. The chauffeur has been instructed to pick you up at the back instead too." Anya replied. Sure enough, when Eli reached the ground floor, the receptionist was standing right in front of the elevator, wearing an extremely concerned expression.

"Mr. Darwin, come with me." He said, barely waiting for the man as he started off. Most of the guests in the lobby area were gathered at the main entrance, curious as to what was happening, while some were even arguing with the officers who were preventing anyone from leaving. With attention drawn elsewhere, it was much easier to sneak by to the door leading to the 'staff only' section of the hotel. The deer headed for the back with Eli in tow, weaving through narrower corridors, careful not to be spotted by anyone. Luckily, most of the staff were busy attempting to calm the guests and thus the hallways were empty. The last thing they wanted was a riot on their paws.

"I have removed your name from the guest registry and your colleague has access to the security records and will alter the video footage as soon as you leave the building." He reported just as the two reached the back door. It led to a smaller and simpler looking garden, though Eli realised it was the rear part of the garden seen at the front. As the sirens of more incoming police units wailed in the background the two made their way through to a smaller gate leading off the hotel's premises, and Eli could see the white limousine waiting for him beyond, the familiar tiger chauffeur standing there next to it. As soon as the gate opened and Eli passed through, the receptionist grabbed his arm and stopped him. He snapped around to see the distressed expression on the deer's face.

"Wait! What about my daughter?!"

"…I'm… I'm sorry, what?..." Eli frowned, confused.

"I did everything you asked! Please, give her back to me! Please, I'm begging you!" The deer pleaded, tears starting to stream down the sides of his cheeks.

"I… I…" Eli tried to speak, completely flabbergasted, but was interrupted by the chauffeur, who forcefully removed the deer's grip on his arm and pulled him away in the direction of the limousine.

"There's no time to lose sir! The police are swarming the place! We have to leave now!" He said, almost shoving the young man into the back seat and closing the door before getting in the driver seat and speeding away. The tiger seemed to be using back alleys and less used side roads to prevent detection by the police, driving away from the blaring sirens, only merging back onto the main road once they were far enough away from the crime scene. Eli on the other paw was partly in shock and couldn't shake the thought of the deer's words out of his head. What was he babbling on about his daughter? And why would he think Eli had something to do with it? Something was amiss here, perhaps something going on that he wasn't told about, and he felt only Mr. Khan could give him the answer. This was the second question he'd have to remember to ask him at the next opportunity.