Hey Everyone!
Quick few announcements beforehand. For starters, I just want to make mention of the fact that this chapter, similarly to chapter 70, focuses a lot of time and energy towards the other characters of the story, though, I assure you, that is the intended purpose. You'll get your Nick and Judy shenanigans next time around, but for now, enjoy a brief look at things from the side of the villainous Al Catpone as he leads his mysterious work in the Rainforest-District.
Lastly, here's a music suggestion for the scene with Al Catpone, I might add: Katz Theme - Original [Full Version]
Feel free to check it out! It definitely captures the sleazy vibe that those scenes are designed to give off. Anyhow, let's jump right into this, shall we?
Enjoy...
"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone." - Al Capone
10:30 P.M ; Somewhere in the Rainforest-District
Al Catpone's patience was wearing thin.
Everything he'd been working towards for the past few months was finally coming to fruition: An ambitious plan that would secure the spotted jaguar's place in the annals of history for the rest of his existence. It was considerably risky, but he knew that the potential payoff was worth every liability. All he needed now was one last puzzle piece...
The problem was, however, that this particular puzzle piece was refusing to cooperate.
Catpone's precious plan would be for not if he couldn't manage to pass the final hurdle. After that, it would be smooth sailing, but to get there, this last step in his ongoing agenda needed to be fulfilled. He needed to learn the formula's secret, and he wouldn't take no for an answer; No matter the consequences. It all rested upon this meeting.
Meandering down the length of the dark hallway, grimy hallway, Al Catpone promptly reached a barricaded door that blocked his path, at its very end. Two ocelot guards flanked the entrance, silently watching from their posts. They raised their heads in anticipation as their boss approached them, and proceeded to gesture towards the door.
"Any luck with him?" The jaguar asked.
"He hasn't said a word since we bagged 'im." One of the guards said. "We figured maybe you could get somethin' out of im', boss."
Al nodded his head. "Open the door." He ordered.
Obliging to his leader's request, the ocelot promptly hauled open the door to the storage room, revealing its interior. Walls decorated with knives, clippers, and other assorted tools encircled an open space. Within, a single wooden chair supported the weight of a flabby male sheep. Ropes bound his arms to his sides, and his body to the back of the chair. His shirt had been torn to shreds and discarded, and his pants were speckled with mud. Rectangular eyes stared at the jaguar as he stood calmly just a few feet away.
"Doug," Catpone acknowledged. "How nice of you to join us."
From behind, the two other mobsters entered the room, flanking their boss like an honor guard on dutiful watch.
"I would like to apologize on behalf of my employees for the, ah..." Al trailed off and scratched behind his ear. "Forced transportation."
The sheep just sneered. "You mean kidnapping me?" He scoffed. "Skip the pleasantries: Give me a break, cat, and just tell me what you really want."
Catpone chuckled softly to himself as he pulled out a thick brown cigar from one of the pockets on his overcoat. He lit the rod of tobacco with a shiny silver lighter that he fished out from the innards of his coat, and proceeded to breath in a deep draft of smoke before exhaling from his nostrils; Filling the small room with clouds of black smog.
"Well, aren't you an impudent one?" He finally muttered. "Can't enjoy the pleasures of patience without a purpose."
Doug raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Fine, I'll cut to the chase." Catpone muttered, irritated. "We brought you 'ere because we figured that your particular set of skills could be of use to the Rainforest-Outfit."
"My skills?" Doug repeated flatly.
"Yes, your skills." Catpone confirmed without hesitation. "You helped Bellwhether with her conspiracy, didn't you? Helped her make that savage formula?"
Although he didn't look very happy about it, Doug nodded in confirmation.
Al smiled. "Then this is easy business for you, my friend. Just tell us everything that you know about the Night-Howler serum, and the formula to make it. Capisce?"
The sheep snorted in distrust.
"And why would I do that?" He grumbled.
Al straightened his slack posture ever so slightly. He then explained;
"My boys and I have run in to a few... Setbacks, that we have yet to break through. Our tests haven't been working the way that we intended. We know that we're missing something, and we're dead-set on finding it. That's where you come in. We know that you have degrees in chemistry and bio-engineering. We know that you helped Mayor Bellwether develop her own Night-Howler formula back in the day, and we know that if you don't help us make our own, that you're gonna wish you were never even born."
The sheep took a moment to digest his captor's words. He was completely silent to the count of ten, that was, until a loathsome look of contempt grew upon his face.
"Tests?" Doug finally repeated, spit flying from his mouth as he retched out that first word. "What in the world are you gangbangers doing here?"
A minuscule smile played at the corner's of the jaguar's mouth.
"Jus' a little experiment." He claimed innocently. "Consider it field research. Don' worry 'bout it."
Doug's hooves tightened into balls. "You're not planning another Night-Howler epidemic, are you? How unoriginal." He spat.
Al just shook his head. "No, you misunderstand... We want the formula for a different reason altogether."
"So... You aren't planning another-" Doug began, but stopped short of finishing his sentence when Catpone growled audibly and interjected with a roar of anger;
"Of course not! What do you think I am, some kinda numskull? What have I to gain by turning random predators savage? What does the Rainforest-Outfit get from repeating the failures of the past? I'm a predator! Bellwhether and her plans made me sick to my stomach! No, my boys an' I have our own ambitions to shoot for, and to reach them, we need that formula. We need you. You're the only mammal in the city that knows it, and don't think fo' one lousy second that we won't crack open your head just to get it!"
The jaguar calmed down, and swallowed back his rage. Doug took some time to register his captor's rant. Just as quickly, he grit his teeth together and declared his answer;
"I don't know what you think you're doing, but I'm not gonna have a part in it. No. I'm not helping a filthy predator like you!"
Catpone tilted his head; Regarding his captive with a disapproving expression, almost like pity.
"Defiant to the end, I see." The jaguar lazily scratched his chin. "Are you sure you don't want to help? You could make a pretty valuable addition to the Rainforest-Outfit."
Leaning back in his chair, Doug proceeded to hawk a ball of spit at the ground.
"Not a chance." He snarled. "I've seen worse than you, kitty-cat."
The jaguar grimaced, as though he had just come to terms with an unpleasant truth. "It's not me that you have to worry about."
Doug's eyes narrowed in apprehension; He watched as Al stepped back and pointed to one of his guards.
"Hand the sheep over to Pazzo... He'll make short work of him." The jaguar ordered.
The guard then gestured to the corner of the outside hall, where the shadowed walls obscured the form of a mysterious mammal; One who had been quietly observing the conversation within the storage room from just outside the entire time. The creature stepped forward and into the light, illuminating a face coated with greasy black fur.
A male tayra - a large member of the weasel family native to the jungle environment - entered the room without a word. His posture was hunched, and rigid. Multiple large scars ran down his cheek and snout, matting the greasy black hair around them, and showing off patchy lines of pink skin. He wore a pair of oil-black slacks held up by elastic suspenders that reached around the shoulders of a wrinkled white button-up shirt. Lavender eyes glared outward threateningly from sunken sockets, flitting from one place to another in an almost paranoid fashion, as if he expected to be attacked. They were strained and bloodshot, like they had spent too much time staring into a bright flame.
Though, when those same eyes locked upon the shivering form of Doug the sheep, a sinister smile spread across the fanged, slavering mouth of the twisted mammal.
The tayra stifled a high-pitched slew of snickers. "It will be my pleasure." He muttered in a feathery, yet harsh voice that reminded Catpone of nails grinding on a chalkboard.
Al pursed his lips. He had a considerably low opinion of the tayra. Of all the mammals that he employed, Pazzo was the most unpredictable; Most unstable, and dangerous. Although he stuck to the shadows, leaving the heavy lifting and actual business work to others, there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that the tayra had deadly potential. Sadistic and cruel, Pazzo took nothing but satisfaction in serving as Al's top interrogator. Although rather unhinged and reckless, he produced results, and Al liked results. It was the only reason that he kept him around. But still; As much as Catpone appreciated Pazzo's ruthlessness, he couldn't help but grimace as he pondered over what sort of heinous torment that the tayra would inflict upon Doug. In the end, though, the Rainforest-Outfit couldn't afford to be weak. If plans were to be met, they needed answers.
And to get answers, Doug would have to be handed over to Pazzo. It was a necessary decision.
The jaguar shook his head irritably from side to side, pushing the disturbing imagery from his mind. Catpone then explained;
"I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but my boys and I are on a tight schedule, and we have no time for dawdling. We'll give you some one-on-one time with dear ol' Pazzo ova' here, and see if you reconsider that vow of silence o' yours. We'll leave you two alone now... I got some business to take care of with Mister Fangpyre. Have fun."
At that, the jaguar blew a stream of hot smog directly into the sheep's face. Doug sputtered and hacked, cursing at Al as he turned tail and vacated the storage room. Once Catpone was gone, the door was closed shut with finality, and locked for good measure. After the smoke had dissipated, Doug set his sights on the overgrown weasel nearby.
"Well... Guess it's just you and me now." Pazzo muttered, glaring with amusement at the sheep before him.
"Don't get your hopes up, 'cuz I'm not saying anything." Doug spat back.
The tayra chuckled to himself; His thin, cruel lips pulling back to reveal a set of slavering yellow fangs.
"You're missing the point," He growled as he plucked a pair of shears from a nearby table and approached the sheep. "Spill or not, this is a field day for me either way!"
Doug's eyes widened in horror as Pazzo descended upon him.
"No! No, not the wool!" The sheep cried out in panic.
A terrifying mixture of anguished screaming and maniacal laughter filled the night for the coming hours.
Hey Everyone!
There isn't much else for me to say, by now. The next chapter is already in the works, and it's looking up to be pretty detailed, if I do say so myself. It will cover a lot of ground when it comes to Nick and Judy's characters, and help establish their thoughts on their endeavors at the police academy. Stay tuned!
You won't be disappointed. That much I can promise, for sure! ;)
I know that this particular chapter was a bit short, but the coming ones will more than make up for it, I'm sure. Can't wait!
In the meantime, do feel free to drop a review on this latest new chapter update of ours. I'd like that a lot. I always appreciate listening in on you guys's thoughts and opinions on the story, so I welcome whatever you have to say. So, what do you think of this new chapter? What about the return of Doug the sheep, or of Pazzo, or of Al Catpone and his gang? Alongside that, if you haven't already, you are all also welcome to favorite and/or follow this story, too!
It means a lot to me.
Oh, and while on the topic of Doug: Since we didn't see what happened to him in the original movie after he was kicked out of the train by Judy (It's safe to assume that he was captured, or perhaps he got away. Who knows?) in that one scene. I have decided to bring him back for a brief bit, as the villainous Rainforest-Outfit seeks to get some information from him revolving the original Night-Howler serum that he worked on. Oh yes, things are coming full circle soon enough. A lot of new revelations and reveals are coming, and I have a good feeling that you're gonna like them! Stay tuned to see what happens next!
Yes, in the coming chapters, you can expect more Nick and Judy shenanigans, of course, but also some further development in the likes of some new characters that will be introduced, including Harlan, among some others. In short, the roster of relatable and lovable characters at the ZPA will extend beyond our dynamic duo, so be on the lookout for that! Though of course, trouble will be brewing; Nefarious forces working to undermine the efforts of the ZPD, and spread chaos across the city of Zootopia. You all can expect some scenes of Chief Bogo working with his associate counterparts, including Chief Urzo and Latran (who some of you enthusiastic readers have generously dubbed Chief Latrine), in the coming chapters, and maybe even a special scene featuring a character or two that we haven't seen in a while. You'll see! Until then, do enjoy what this latest new chapter update of ours has to offer out.
Soon enough, Nick and Judy will go toe-to-toe against these aforementioned forces, but for now, they will enjoy their work at the academy. I know I will!
Last up for announcements, I'll have you know that you can find some new art featuring Harlan, Pazzo, and other characters over on my tumblr and DA accounts, if you're interested. So if you'd like to get an ideas as to what they look like, you can feel free to check those out. Gotta love the fan-art, huh?
Anyhow, I'm out of things to say for now. Again, thanks for reading this update of ours, and I can promise you that the next is on its way. Stay tuned!
'Till next time...
Peace!
PS: Did you know that "Pazzo" is the Italian word for crazy? Can't be a coincidence, I'm sure, when coinciding with that final scene. :P
PPS: Hard to believe it's been over 2 years since the original movie first came out, eh? Time flies.