I DO NOT OWN ZOOTOPIA NOR THE CHARACTERS ONLY OC'S
"Come on Carrots let me in, I'm sorry!", Nick said face up against the cruiser window.
Nick had called Judy cute 100 times too many and she had told him to not call her that. When he was told this he decided to be a smart-ass. He used the word in every sentence to mess with her, she finally had enough.
I smirked at the red reynard and he shot me a glare. He decided to plead with me. His voice slightly muffled through the cruiser window. "Come on Major, tell Carrots to let me in", he begged in a tone hungry for pity.
I answered him, "No, you got yourself into this one Blue". He shot me a deadpanned look and went to Judy's side and got in her window. Judy was currently pretending to not hear him and had her earbuds in, listening to that gazelle I keep hearing about.
"Carrots, please", he said this in a fake desperate tone and made a childish pout with puppy dog eyes. Judy saw this and closed her eyes and grumbled under her breath, "No not that face. Don't fall for it, Judy". She cracked open an eye and he was still making the face.
She sighed and unlocked the door. He quickly rushed in and fastened his seatbelt. "Thanks, fluff", he quickly remarked. We were currently on the side of one of the main highways with a radar gun setup. We were just waiting to catch some speeders.
This road was well known for illegal street races and others who wanted to speed for the thrill or trying to get somewhere.
Judy groaned at his antics and stuffed the earbuds back in her ears. Nick then turned to me and remarked sarcastically, "Thanks for the help with carrots". I decided to answer sarcastically as well, "Thank you, Officer Wilde, I really like to help poor helpless mammals in need".
Nick just snorted at me playfully and turned around deciding to check his phone.
We sat there for about 20 more minutes, another slow day.
Right about now, I was sweating from being in the hot and stuffy cruiser and wiped my damp brow. "When are we gonna get some action!", I groaned. Nick turned to me equally bored and answered, "I'm not sure, it would be a miracle". Soon as he said this a black minivan sped 20mph over the speed limit right past us. This set off the radar and Judy jumped to attention putting the cruiser in drive.
Nick and I were pleasantly surprised and he commented, "Well, hallelujah".
Judy put on a focused face and the cruiser jerked forward into motion. Shortly after, Judy clicked on the sirens the minivan came to a stop almost immediately. "Well, so much for a chase", I commented a little disappointed.
The minivan slowed and pulled over to the side of the road with us in tow. We both came to an eventual stop. Judy holstered her tranquilizer and cut the sirens off, leaving the flashing lights on. We were all a bit nervous, this stop was shady. Normally Judy would do the talking and I would watch and attempt to memorize the procedure. But, this felt different.
Nick was thinking the same thing and looked just as worried. Judy grabbed the car door handle to push it open and I grabbed her paw. She gave me a confused look and I started to speak, "Cottontail, this doesn't seem right. I and Nick will approach undetected in their blindspot and watch them. Do everything normal and act natural, we got your back".
She nodded at me and gave me and Nick a small smile. We then all got out. Judy walked ahead to the tinted car window and knocked on it. A male sheep rolled down the window and his face darkened when he saw her. This set off alarm bells in my and Nick's head and we approached slowly from the opposite side. All the windows were tinted and we couldn't figure out if the car held more mammals. I barely heard the chatter between Judy and the sheep as I focused on the van and if someone else is in there. The rear window had a little bit of the tint ripped up and I peaked through.
Inside it was trashed. I saw a few posters with various female mammals in lingerie and some fully nude taped to the walls. In the middle was a dirty mattress stained with black stains and cigarette burns. Trash, beer cans, and cigarette packs dotted the floor and were strewn about.
I sighed, then went to back up, before stopping. A box of syringes with suspicious blue liquid caught my eye as it lay "hidden" under a ripped bedsheet. I decided to get Nick's input, "Blue come check this out". I stepped back and glanced at him. He turned around and nodded, going to check out the van. I assumed his position and pulled out my gun watching the van doors.
I took a quick look at him and his whole body and tail went rigid.
This concerned me and he turned to me with a serious look and said, "Alert Judy now". I was shocked seeing him this serious and quickly walked around the van. I approached the pair and the sheep noticed me and went wide-eyed. He was caught off guard and asked in a raspy voice, "Is that the mysterious creature who fell out of the sky?". I rolled my eyes and turned to Judy.
She gave me a glare asking why I am not hiding. He kept staring at me in wonder and Judy then said, "Well you see he-". I cut her off and stepped in front of her, "Sir, I am Officer King and I ask you to step out of the vehicle so we may search it. We have seen potential drugs or paraphernalia in the back of your van sir. Therefore, we are legally allowed to search without the need for consent or a warrant".
He froze and I could see the blood drain from his face.
Even though I lied, I had a feeling I was doing the right thing.
He tried to sputter out some bullshit excuse, "I-I-I I don't know what you're talking about". He gripped his wheel tightly and Judy intervened, seeing as he was guilty about something. Judy then barked with authority, "Sir, get out right now!". He sighed then stepped out and shut the door. Judy further instructed him with an authoritative edge in her voice, "Put your hooves up and turn around". He did so reluctantly and he was pushed up against the van and Judy patted him down.
I then went to the back where Nick stood watching the whole thing. He hadn't opened the door yet and stood there. I was a bit confused and asked, "Well?". He sighed then started explaining, "It is locked and there is no alternative way into the van. I am also sure he doesn't plan on giving or telling us where the key is".
I soon got an idea.
"Nick", I asked. "Yeah", he answered attentively listening for an idea. I finished my thought, "You got keys to the cruiser". He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a pair of keys. "Yeah why?", he questioned. I then took them out of his hand and walked back towards the cruiser and he quickly followed. Walking alongside me he asked, "What are we doing?". I glanced at him answering his question, "If I recall, I spotted a crowbar in the trunk".
I finally approached the trunk and opened it. Sure enough, there lay a rusty crowbar. I snatched it up and quickly shut the trunk and strolled back towards the van. Nick then stated, "You know. We aren't allowed to do that". I answered smugly, "Well, I am not an officer ... yet. Also, since when did you care about the rules. I think cottontail is rubbing off on you a bit too much". He chuckled and replied, "Can't argue with there. I would sure like to rub off on her though". He said the last part under his breath and I caught his slip-up.
I just ignored it and arrived at the back of the minivan. I placed the crowbar end between the doors and pulled towards me. With a hard pull and a grunt, the door popped open and we stepped inside. Me and Nick's noses wrinkled at the smell. It smelt like body odor, alcohol, and unwashed sheep.
I swept aside the old and tattered sheet and grabbed a box full of bright blue syringes. I brought them out and nick opened the box and grabbed one. He examined it and gave it a sniff. He froze again and muttered, "No fucking way!". He quickly dashed to Judy as she sat outside her cruiser with a very scared sheep in the back. We both made it to her and Nick frantically handed her the syringe. She gave him a weird look and examined it, just like Nick, giving it a whiff. She got as shaken up as him and stated aloud, "Sweet cheese and crackers".
1:30 P.M. Precinct One, Forensics Lab
Me, Nick, and Judy stood quietly waiting in the lab, watching the analyzers frantically jog around the room working various machines.
We stood in a pure white room with a marble floor, it looked more like a hospital than a forensics lab. Mammals of all different sizes and species ran to and fro with stacks of papers or strange substances. The room was cluttered with various machines and wires running up walls and tangling together on the floor. I saw plenty of lab equipment and printers as well with mammals hard at work. Ever since we found this strange substance Nick and Judy have been in thought and haven't uttered a word. I could see they were troubled but, I needed the scoop of what is going on so I broke the deafening silence between us. "So ... what's got you so hot and bothered?", I asked this as a joke and playfully winked at Judy and she just stared at me. She ran her paw down her face periodically stretching her eyelids, "We have a hunch. If it is what we think it is. Then the whole city is in danger".
She gave me this half-answer and returned to her thoughtful expression. I was getting annoyed and tried to think about what it is bothering them. Then I remembered when they told me about the 'Night Howler Case' and the blue drug used to make predators go savage. I then suddenly remembered the mammal in possession of this strange blue liquid was a sheep. Then it dawned on me and a feeling of dread dotted out the sun in my spirit. "Holy fuck", I stated aloud. Judy then replied, "You can say that again".
A young-looking snow leopard jogged up to us panting, with fear in her dark brown eyes. She wore a white lab coat and her face was contorted in horror as her trembling paws held her clipboard. She took in a deep breath and exhaled before announcing the results, "It is as we feared. Night-Howler serum. What makes it worst is the serum has modified strands of unidentified material and is fundamentally changed. This is a new form of it and it has been tampered with, so, we have no cure".
The atmosphere got deadly silent and I am sure Nick and Judy died for a few moments. I was struck with fear too. Even though I have only been here a few days, the city has grown on me and I expect it to be my new home now. Nick was hyperventilating like a mad man while Judy just stood petrified with a paled face and ears.
Out of nowhere, we heard Chief Bogo's crackle over the intercom, "Every officer report to the Bullpen now, it is an emergency".
Without exchanging any words we nodded towards the leopard who returned it and we wordlessly went to the Bullpen. Even though I am not an officer yet, I still felt to get involved with this case. I followed them through the main lobby and Clawhauser was seen quickly wiping donut crumbs off his face making himself presentable to arrive to the Bullpen. I saw other officers as well as a tigress, rhino, and lion walk by us, for once, not giving me a weird stare. Everyone was dead quiet. Even though they hadn't been informed yet, I guess this doesn't happen much and everyone is expecting the worst.
They led me into the Bullpen and it was a simple room with multiple chairs and tables in front of a podium. Others were sitting in their chairs quietly and some still filing in. I followed Nick and Judy, they both sat in the same chair because of their sizes. I sat in the chair next to them and folded my hands waiting to see what will go down.
In about five minutes, everyone was sitting down and it was so quiet you could hear the fan slightly buzz and the clock on the wall tick with each passing second. Soon we heard a loud stomping noise and the whole of the Bullpen's occupant's breaths hitched awaiting the angry buffalo.
The door slammed open and it fell off the hinges and smacked the floor pathetically. A few seconds later Chief Bogo walked in over it and the anger on his face struck fear into my heart. He looked like the devil himself, horns and all.
He turned to us and rested his hooves on the podium and breathed out deeply. He slowly put on his reading glasses and picked up his paper in a rather calm manner, confusing everyone in the room. Everyone watched with their utmost attention including me as he opened his mouth to speak but before a word was uttered someone's phone went off. Flo Rida - Low start blasting from some mammals pocket and the whole place froze. Bogo stared at the crowd with disbelieving eyes as if they were purposely being insubordinate and taking this as a joke. I glanced back and a male lion officer pulled out his phone and declined a call looking terrified. He quickly stuffed it back in his pants and it played out loud again, "Two missed call from mom. Message from mom. Damnit' boy if you keep pissing on the toilet seat and not cleaning it up I will kick you out. You are too old for this shit, learn to aim".
It was hilarious. But, Chief was here and no one cracked the slightest smile. Not even Wilde who laughs at stupid shit like this.
Chief sighed again and announced the news. He started with a calm tone and this scared me. He was so angry ...he was speechless. That is a side I hope to never see again, in this state, I sincerely believe he would murder someone. He opened his mouth to speak calmly, "We have received bad news. Night Howler serum is now being sold amongst dealers and it is being trafficked through Zootopia. It is a new strand and ... we have no cure or a way to get the cure. We have to put a stop to this and quick, this could get more out of hand than anyone could imagine. Everybody will be briefed and assigned a different part of this investigation. This will be done in private to ensure if there are officers among you that work with these mammals as insiders they would not know too much. First, King, Wilde, and Hopps you three come to my office".
We all three gulped as the rest of the Bullpen was frozen in fear and dread and their faces showed evidence of their inner turmoil.
We made it to the chief's office still silent and sat patiently in the chairs awaiting his arrival. He very soon arrived and gently opened the door and ever so gently closed it. He sat down and immediately started his questioning, "What happened".
We told him everything, leaving out the crowbar and me pretending to be an Officer part though. He snorted and rubbed his temples so hard you would think his head would pop like a grape. He then snorted again this time with words attached, "I will allow you three administrator access with our systems and profiling software. Nail those sons' of bitches". We all nodded and left the office and made our way to the main lobby.
Judy finally broke the silence catching me and Nick's attention, "We have a case to crack".
Hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback always appreciated!