"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice." - Anton Chekhov
1:30 P.M
Nick was happy to know that he and Harlan weren't so different from eachother after all.
Despite their divergent paths through life, both mammals seemed to have much more in common with one another than they first realized. Aside from both growing up in the same run-down ghetto of a neighborhood during their youth, Happy-Town, they both had rather cynical dispositions, and a love of making personal progress, be it putting money in the bank, in Nick's case, or achieving weightlifting records, as Harlan's. Idly chatting as they paced down one of academy's many hallways, the two mammals only managed to further learn about one another's personality and preferences. Once Harlan had at last fully opened up to Nick, it seemed that he was a pretty likable kind of guy.
On their way to nowhere in particular, the two mammals casually conversed most of all about their common background: Growing up in Happy-Town.
"And there was that stupid wooden cut-out sign near the entrance - you remember that? - and all the kids would spit on it when they went to school." The fox exclaimed.
"Hard to forget." Harlan replied. "That thing was disgusting enough before it was dripping with saliva."
Nodding his head, Nick produced a half-lidded grin. "Oh yeah. Happy-Town always was the biggest misnomer in the city." He said. "Might as well make the sign match, eh?"
The wolf barked a gruff sort of chuckle.
"I couldn't agree more."
Continuing their meandering stroll around the academy, the two of them eventually reached a sizable lecture-hall not too far off from the cafeteria. Inside, they could detect the sounds of mammals talking in chaotic tones. It was clearly a class of recruits, waiting to be lectured over something. Nick gestured to the hallway while eyeing the door.
Just through the tiny rectangular window, he could see Judy standing patiently on the other side, tapping her foot repeatedly. Nick had a feeling she was waiting for him.
"Looks like the class has gathered for another lesson. You go and find Mary." He instructed Harlan. "Judy told me she was last seen near the restrooms. I'd start there."
Harlan pursed his lips. "Wait, so you're basically telling me to be late to this lesson? After all that talk about staying up on my grades?" He asked.
The fox laughed. "I just think it would be a good idea for you to find Mary and bring her here yourself. Doesn't look like the class has started. You won't miss much, I bet."
"Alright, sure. I'll go looking for her."
"Good plan. I'll be sure to vouch for you if Friedkin yells at ya for being late. Now go! Time's a wasting." Nick stated with a quick wink of the eye.
The wolf nodded his head in agreement before setting out down the hall. Exhaling in preparation, Nick then opened the door and immediately entered the lecture-hall. A blast of sound hit him as the door swung open and closed behind him. With all of the recruits in one spot, it only made sense that the gross volume of the room increased greatly. When she caught sight of the fox approaching her, Judy ran up and grabbed his forearm before tugging him along beside the nearby podium, where Major Friedkin was standing. From what Nick could tell, it seemed that Judy was in a rush because she and the Major had been waiting on him to return before starting the latest lesson.
"So, what's going on here?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Major Friedkin's about to teach the recruits their first lesson on the crime-lords."
Nick's cheery expression melted. "Really?"
"Yeah. Really. We've been waiting on you to show up. She's probably gonna want us to explain how we took some of them down, so try to remember how we beat them!"
"Uh, luck?" The fox quipped, earning himself an unamused sigh from his wife.
"You know what I mean." She stated. "Just be ready to talk, okay?"
The vulpine's smile returned. "I always am."
"Good." Friedkin added, leaning down and grumbling at the two smaller officers. "Because I don't want to be hollerin' here the entire time. Speaking of which..."
At that, the polar bear cleared her throat aloud before shouting out to the crowd of mammals before them, of which instantaneously quieted upon hearing the Major's voice;
"Alright, listen up, cadets! You're all gathered here today for a special seminar on criminology. Today you'll learning about - surprise, surprise - criminals. But not just any old criminals! Zootopia happens to harbor a batch of extra elite baddies that we at the ZPD so generously refer to as crime-lords. They're at the top of the pyramid: Zootopia's worst, most dangerous and prolific criminal figureheads. One for each of the five primary districts. You'll be learning a bit about every single one of them, so pay attention!"
Friedkin pressed a button on the side of a nearby projector, powering it up. As soon as the machine whirred to life, she used a handheld clicker to start a presentation. The first slide that appeared on the screen's projection was a dark, blurry image taken from afar. The picture was taken from the ground, and the background seemed to be that of the Nocturnal-District's cavernous rooftop, complete with hundreds of rocky stalactites and millions of shining blue glow-worms. High above, if one looked closely, a dark splotch in the shape of an outstretched pair of bat wings could be seen. The photographer must have caught a brief snapshot of Nick's least favorite bat, Vladzotz Fangpyre.
Sure enough, Major Friedkin immediately took to explaining over the mysterious contents of the presented image, including the likes of its shadowy main attraction.
"This is Vladzotz Fangpyre the third, or at least, the best picture that we have of him so far. His shtick centers around espionage, subterfuge, and blackmail. He's easily the most elusive of the crime-lords, and the relative isolation of his home-turf, the Nocturnal-District, makes him difficult to keep tabs on, due to being farther away from the greater influence of the ZPD. Some of you, if assigned to Precinct Six, may one day have to face down this clown."
The Major changed the slide by clicking a button on her device. Another few images of Vladzotz's outline from a distance popped up, though none were as clear as the first one. Alongside those, a few new pictures popped up showing Castle Fangpyre, Vlad's old manor, before and after it was burned to the ground. Nick recalled that incident well.
"He was thought dead for a long time, that is, until recent happenings have proven his existence to us once more. When his family estate, nicknamed Castle Fangpyre, was destroyed in a fire, a portion of the Nocturnal-Mob's power went up in smoke along with it. However, in recent months, they've been making some exceptional comebacks, in part, likely due to the assistance of another criminal that has recently been reported associating with the Nocturnal-Mob: A female vampire bat named Lucy."
Fingering the button once more, another image showed up on the projector's screen, this one being the shadowy visage of a female vampire bat hanging upside-down from a vine in the Rainforest-District by the claws on her feet. Her hourglass form was wrapped in a sleeveless black bodysuit, and the nighttime shadows bent around her outline like a blanket, obscuring parts of it, though the light of the moon still illuminated the sharpness of her fangs, and the slyness of her expression.
Judy remembered all too well who the picture showed. She didn't need a roll-call to remember how arduous her fight with that vampire bat had been, back in Beaverdam.
"We don't know her last name, but intel classifies her as a nighttime burglar responsible for dozens of counts of petty theft, extortion, impersonation, and grand larceny. She is also the primary suspect for the recent arson attack at Precinct One. She currently has a warrant on her, but so far, nothing useful has been produced from it. Her true relationship to the Nocturnal-Mob is largely unknown, for the most part, but we can speculate that she has allied herself with them for standard crime-business benefits. Both bats are believed to be responsible for a large string of rodent murders, with the victims completely drained of their blood. Considered as highly dangerous mammals."
Clicking a button on her little handheld device, Major Friedkin then changed the slide to the next subject. Nick was glad to see his old enemy's visage blink away for good.
What came up on the proceeding slide looked to be a grinning mugshot of the very same tasmanian-devil that he and his partner Judy had gotten to know oh-so well in the Deciduous-District. It was difficult to forget that wide, confident smile, the jet-black fur braided with wooden beads, and the wild look buried deep in his burnt-orange eyes.
"Iluka Rombahe," The polar bear introduced. "Recently apprehended in the Woodlands by our very own ZPD officers, Judy Hopps, and Nick Wilde."
She briefly gestured to the bunny and fox, who both nodded and waved politely, before continuing her presentation.
"Currently serving a life-sentence in Zootopia County Prison. He's a charismatic, yet hot-tempered archaeologist-turned kingpin that got his money out of extorting ancient marsupial-tribe artifacts from his homeland of Outback-Island. When that wasn't enough, he turned his attention toward the mainland, and eventually got himself caught."
Nick recalled all too well the debacle that Iluka had forced him and Judy through. The entire district had nearly collapsed in on itself, thanks to that devil's reckless drilling.
"Thankfully, we don't have to worry about him anymore, now that he's behind bars again. Precinct Five over on Outback-Island has reported a sharp drop in criminal activity, lately, no doubt in part due to Iluka's imprisonment. Without their poster-boy leading the charge, they all just seem to lose motivation. All the better for us officers, at least."
Friedkin clicked on the button again, and everyone watched as Iluka's grinning mugshot disappeared, only to be replaced by another, this one being of a familiar pangolin.
"Here we have Shahaz Pholmok, more commonly referred to as The Stinger, due to his interrogation methods involving live scorpions. A brutal pangolin with a penchant for racketeering and high-class fraud. The most infamous scheme he developed was the former shell-company of Sahara-Square Sundries, which funneled black-market goods across district borders. Many of his scales were sharpened, turning him into a living weapon. Also recently brought down and imprisoned by one Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps."
Judy thought back to how that nasty pangolin had cut up her paw pretty badly with those sharpened scales of his, during the tussle in his desert warehouse, all those months ago. She still had the scar from it, though it was quite faded, by now: Just a thin, white line stretching across the length of her palm. She was glad that he was behind bars.
Major Friedkin's booming voice moved on to the next criminal on the line-up. When she clicked her button, Shahaz's mugshot disappeared, and a number of family portraits of what Judy assumed to be Mr. Big showed up on the screen. A brief pang of guilt swelled up within her chest, thinking back to her own ties as a Godmother to that shrew.
"Mr. Big. Fiercely loyal to his allies, and notoriously terrible to his enemies. Infamous for his execution methods involvin' the dunkin' and drownin' of his victims in ice-cold water. The results ain't pretty. Tundra-Town is his territory, and he is Precinct Two's biggest threat! His mob gets its money through extortion, hard favors, and real estate. He also runs a crooked limo business. Many fine officers have lost their lives to this sleazeball. Alongside him and Fangpyre, there is only one more crime-lord still out and active on the streets of this city."
When Major Friedkin pressed on the button one final time, an image taken from a distance of a heavy-set, spotted jaguar flashed onto the screen. A large, black overcoat obscured most of his features, and on the top of his head nestled a clean fedora, the bowl of which was wrapped in vines. From the looks of the image, it appeared as though his likeness had been photographed in the middle of some unsuccessful, late-night ZPD stakeout. He was the one crime-lord that Nick and Judy had yet to meet, or even see.
"Al Catpone. Jaguar, from the Rainforest-District. This guy's got a massive hold on Zootopia's drug market, and controls it with an iron fist. He's peaceful, for a crime-lord, at least, with the lowest officially documented murder count on record. That doesn't make him any less dangerous, though, so be warned, those who are assigned to Precinct Four, once your days at the academy are over. Intel portrays him to be lax compared to his associates; preferring to stay in the background and wait for his moment, rather than work offensively, like some of these other crime-lords. However, he can still be deadly when backed into a corner, and is willin' to take desperate measures for power."
Friedkin jabbed a crooked finger at the screen. "You hear that, in the back? This guy is desperate! That makes him dangerous! Don't forget that! All his buddies are gettin' locked up, and he's one of only three crime-lords left standing! It's very likely that he'll try something crazy to push back at the ZPD for costing him so much, especially this past year alone. Be on the lookout for this guy."
Both Nick and Judy knew that Major Friedkin must have been calling out the spy. She was practically challenging them to do something rash. Yet still, the two tiny officers kept quiet, knowing that this must have been part of Friedkin's plan: To intimidate the infiltrator, and dissuade them from acting out. It was almost hard to believe that somewhere in the crowd of mammals in front of them, there was a single traitor trying to undermine the efforts of the Zootopian Police Department, and the academy, too.
They may not have acted yet, but it was likely only a matter of time before they tried something. Judy made herself a mental note to pay extra attention to those around her. Nick, on the other hand, had just noticed Harlan and Mary sneak in through the door, mostly unnoticed due to the Major's fiery, attention-sucking personality. The fox watched as the two of them clambered their way to the very back of the farthest row in the lecture-hall, and take a seat for themselves. They both looked calm and at ease.
Nick smiled, believing his good work to have paid off. He made himself a personal promise to fill Harlan and Mary in on what they missed from the lecture sometime later on.
Nonetheless, when Friedkin clicked her button one more time, and the screen went black at last, she immediately resumed her explanation.
"Now, one thing that you need to understand about these freaks is what they have in common: That they all see themselves as business-mammals, or even as victims. They take what they want, don't play by the rules, and care nothin' for those hurt along the way, and you can be damn sure that each and every one of them has an excuse for it."
Friedkin grinned as the topic took a more optimistic route.
"However, that makes them all the more predictable, and easier for us to read. We at the ZPD are constantly monitoring the criminal activity that these mobs, gangs, and hooligans stir up, and as police officers, you lot need to be prepared to face any one of them, if the time comes! That's why I'm teaching you this: Know your enemy, because if you do, you're one step closer to beatin' them. Our very own officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps have gone toe-to-toe with a number of these mammals, recently, in fact."
The polar bear turned towards her smaller-sized associates.
"You've dealt with some o' them before, and know them better than most other officers on the field. Is there anythin' you'd like to add, while we're on the topic?" She offered.
Nick and Judy both stepped forward a bit, putting themselves in the spotlight of the classroom.
"Right... All of these criminals, and others like them, are very dangerous mammals, as the Major said. A few of them have been apprehended, yes, but there are still others out there. We may not know where they are or what they're planning yet, but if we stay vigilant, we can outlast them, and eventually put them in jail, where they belong."
Clearing his throat aloud, Nick leaned forward before adding his own two cents.
"Oh, and to clarify, it's important to keep in mind that these guys aren't unbeatable. They may have power, money, and influence, but not as much as we do. Criminals can make mistakes, become petty, careless, or too-driven for their own good, and lead to their own downfall. Sometimes, you don't even need a tranq-gun to bring them down."
"Wise words, Wilde." Major Friedkin interjected. "It seems that that silver tongue of yours can do more than just make bad jokes, after all."
The classroom stirred with chuckles at the Major's quip. Nick just shrugged nonchalantly, choosing to remain silent this time around, rather than retort.
"Alright, that's enough worldly advice from our esteemed tutors." Friedkin declared. "Next on the list, I get to teach you newbloods how to properly file a traffic log!"
The entire class groaned, knowing that this meant more paperwork for them. Nick couldn't help but snicker. He then locked eyes with Judy, and grinned at her with ease. She gave him a thumbs-up, which Nick figured to be a sign of approval for his success in pairing up Mary and Harlan together. Spotting them out among the crowd, he nodded as his gaze met that of their own. The wolf nodded, and although Mary still looked a bit timid, Judy herself thought that she definitely didn't seem as nervous as she was before.
And that seemed a good step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Rainforest-District...
Doug watched in awe as a number of burly ocelots forced a sniveling male hyena into the medical bed behind the dirty window, and restrained his paws to the sides. He was wearing nothing but a standard light-blue patient gown, just like the ones in regular hospitals. His fur was matted and disheveled, and his eyes were wide with sheer terror.
"What is this?" The ram questioned to his captor.
"The test subject. He'll be helpin' us in our experiments. Don't worry 'bout the ZPD lookin' for him. He's homeless: No friends, no family, no life. The perfect liability for us."
Pursing his lips in disapproval, Doug stared back at the window separating himself from the frightened hyena. Doug may have been a criminal himself, but he never was a fan of violence, or at least, wasn't a fan of it when it was directly in front of him. He could see the fear and confusion in the hyena's eyes, and hear his pleas even past the glass.
When the ocelot thugs were done with him, having made sure he was fully secured, they all left him alone in the room, save for one lean panther with a doctor's facemask covering his mouth. He double-checked the restraints on the patient before performing a few minor medical examinations such as shining a flashlight in his eye, and pressing down his tongue with a wooden tongue-depressor. The hyena tried biting at him to no avail, much to the amusement of the mammals watching from the other side of the window, save Doug himself, who just kept on watching in silence. Once the doctor was done with his inspection, he gave a thumbs-up to Al before swiftly exiting the room.
Al approached the glass window before him. He tapped on the pane before leaning down and pressing a small button on the wall that Doug hadn't noticed before. A small control console popped out of the wall like a DVD player. On it, Al lingered over a few brightly colored buttons before at last pushing down on a lever, causing a slight grinding noise to fill the air, as though giant metal fans had just been turned on, somewhere above. Doug watched with fascination as a continuous plume of bright-blue gas pumped out of the rusted air-ducts in the roof of the testing room. Al Catpone smiled darkly as the mysterious gas floated down to ground level, coating the room with blue.
The hyena must have known that something sinister was about to happen. He tried to hold his breath, and for nearly a minute, he kept the air in his lungs until he could take it no more. He gasped out, and with each recovering breath that he took, more and more of the blue gas entered his system. He shook his head, not knowing what was to come. Then, something odd began to happen: The hyena's body momentarily stiffened out before starting to tremble like he was having a seizure. His mouth began to foam.
Al smiled, and then pulled back down on the tiny lever that he had first pushed. The grinding sound returned, and within a few seconds, all of the gas had been sucked up back into the ventilation chambers up above, leaving only the hyena left in the room. With all eyes on him, everyone watched intently as he thrashed around in his strong restraints, trying to break free. But something was wrong: His muscles clenched and his teeth gnashed in a way that no ordinary mammal's would. His eyes were glazed over, like his mind had been overcome with primal instinct. They seemed cloudy, and off focus. This hyena was not some apex predator: He had turned completely savage.
Pazzo growled so strongly that droplets of saliva fell from his clenched teeth. "It didn't work!" He shouted, which Doug thought to be so obvious to the point of offense.
The crowd of mammals watched as the savage hyena thrashed around, still restrained to the medical bed. He howled and snapped at everything around him, causing the medical bed to shake violently. The hyena quickly calmed down when he caught sight of the window, however. He then simply resulted to growling at it with wild aggression.
Al Catpone grit his teeth almost as hard as the savage animal. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his overcoat and radioed to the other end. "The test has failed. Take the beast back to his pen."
The band of burly ocelots returned, this time pushing the medical bed out of the room, along with the savage hyena. The door closed shut behind them, and he was gone.
"You see?!" Al roared, pointing at the window. "Our tests haven't been working! That's why we need you, Doug: To help us figure out what's wrong with our formula."
"And why should I help you?" Doug argued. "Especially after just witnessing that mess?"
"You're our prisoner. We can make you, if we must." Al snarled menacingly.
"I wouldn't count on it!" The ram piped out. "You hurt me, and there's not a chance I'm helping!"
Catpone seemed to give this some thought. He had been hoping that Doug wasn't clever enough to realize that they needed him in one-piece. Unfortunately, the sheep lived up to his intellectual reputation. The argument between the jaguar and Doug had left an uneasy stillness in the air, yet after a few soft seconds of ease, it quickly dissipated. Al was tempted to say something along the lines of Doug being in no position to bargain, but unfortunately, he was: The Rainforest-Outfit needed his health and compliance.
"Well, we may be able to compensate you for all your troubles, then." He mused, his soft voice filling the room's previous silence. "Perhaps some money could do the trick."
Doug let loose a slight hiss of air from between his teeth. He remembered how his old partner, Duke Weaselton, had caved in to his demands at the offer of money. Now, it seemed that he was on the opposing side. He had to admit, the thought of financial compensation was definitely an appealing one. But was it worth all of this cold suffering?
"Fine. I'll help you, on the condition that you pay me back for my hard work, and entitle me to future financial benefits with my creation if this thing doesn't go south!"
Al looked at his men skeptically. "Consida' it done. But you have to make a workin' formula, understand? Fix our mistakes and make us proud, and I will gladly make you the richest sheep in Zootopia."
Doug gave his own ominous smile. The richest sheep in Zootopia... Now that was something that he could get used to.
"It's a deal, then." He concluded. "Besides, I suppose I'll take some pride in being able to have the privilege of altering my original formula into something even greater."
Al nodded. "That's right. Your work here will change the world."
"Can't say I'm a fan of what you're doing, but hey, if I'm up to my ego in money by the end of this, I couldn't care less what you do with the city of Zootopia." Doug claimed.
The jaguar chuckled with a villainous smirk, but behind his words laced a true, genuine tone of compassion. "Well said. I'm glad you understand. You should know that all I'm tryin' to accomplish here is to make a better future for predators. Prey will be left unaffected. City hall is the only target: They are the ones I plan on bringing down. With them gone, this city will be able to heal at long last. No harm will come to any prey species. You have my word."
Uttering a slight sigh beneath his breath, the ram took some ease in knowing that Al Catpone didn't plan on doing anything totally insane, like forcing all prey species into ghettos or camps, or eating them like fish. A plan like that just wouldn't work. He still thought that the crime-lord's plan was a total waste of time and effort, but at least he could do this without any weight on his conscience, knowing that he wouldn't be putting his fellow friends and other prey mammals into a completely nightmarish situation.
Doug then turned around, took in a deep breath of air, and shouted aloud at the small crowd of mobsters before him.
"Listen up, you mouth-breathers! I'm gonna need two things: First, I want full access to your lab and all of its equipment."
He looked at Al pointedly for confirmation.
"Done." The jaguar said simply.
"And second..." The sheep continued. "I need a blanket."
"A what?" Al scoffed.
"A blanket." He repeated flatly.
"Why?"
"Gee, I don't know, why don't you ask him." Doug growled, jabbing his chin in Pazzo's direction. The tayra simply snickered beneath his breath at the ram's misfortune.
"Alright, sure. Wouldn't be of any help to us if ya caught a cold, or somethin' like that." The jaguar grumbled. "Margaret! Go find something to keep him warm."
The thin margay that had been lounging on one of the nearby couches rose to her full height, stretching out her limber body before exiting the room.
"Sure, whatever." She muttered flatly as she vacated the area.
Doug then stared down Catpone himself. "Alright. Now take me to your lab. I want to see how this drug of yours works up close."
From there, the jaguar and his henchmen took the ram to a large, hidden room positioned behind the previously seen testing room. In it, all kinds of medicinal contraptions were available, from fully operational brain-scanners to simple test tubes. Plastic pipes and vials of bubbling blue liquid not too different from Doug's old lab lined the walls, and hypodermic needles and other minor medical utensils, alongside basic chemistry equipment, was filled into every last nook and cranny that the ram could see. It wasn't exactly a clean and orderly work station, but there was definitely a lot more toys to work with than his old lab ever had. That would play to his advantage by a wide margin.
Doug may have been a prisoner, but he was happy to be able to to do the kind of work that he loved. Just about anything was better than being in that gross closet, at least.
Turning his attention towards the farthest end of the room, Doug approached a small work table that was empty save for three items: One being a single, solid Night-Howler orb, another being a glass beaker filled with extracted Night-Howler fluid, and the last being a small, compact plastic bag filled with a dark-blue gas, just like the ones that Al's minions had forced that homeless hyena to inhale from earlier. Scratching at his bare chin, a slew of questions erupted into the sheep's head. He gestured at the table.
"Explain this to me." He instructed to his captor. The jaguar took a deep breath before doing just that;
"That orb is one of the original pellets that you used durin' Bellwether's scheme. The liquid next to it is just a glass full a' the juices that we squeezed out o' those orbs. We call it the Linear-A formula, cuz it's designed to be directly injected, rather than shot through a gun with a pellet. Other than that, it's the same Night-Howler formula that you created. And as for the bag, that's the Linear-B formula: The new drug that we're tryin' to make. The compounds in it seem to work most effectively when it's in a gas form."
"Oh, so you recreated my Night-Howler formula into a purely liquid form, as well?" Doug growled in question before sighing. "All my good work exploited by fools like you."
The sheep then glared at the plastic package pulsating with the blue-colored gas. He sneered, knowing it to be the counterfeit replacement of his original creation.
"So your new drug is in a gas form, unlike my original formula, which was solid." Doug spared a glance at the nearby Night-Howler orb on the table. "At least on the outside."
"Yes. We have two formulas: One, the original - liquid - that turns you savage, and one gaseous, that is supposed to turn you into an apex!" Al said, clearly frustrated with it.
Doug pondered over the jaguar's last statement. "Why keep the liquid form? It's the gas form that you want, right?"
"We need the liquid form to create the gas form." Catpone responded sternly. "Besides, we're planning to make some more use of it soon, at the ZPA. A field test, you see."
"The ZPA, huh? Interesting." Doug muttered before turning his attention back towards the table. "So, the liquid is your dependent, and the gas is your final product."
"You understand now?" Al asked.
"Yes, I do. It's not that hard." The sheep growled. "You're taking my original formula and turning it into a gas, which explains what I saw earlier."
The jaguar nodded. "Good. So you do understand." He muttered. "That puts us one step closer to figurin' out what's wrong with it. As you saw, our gas isn't workin' right."
"I noticed." The ram said flatly. "The test-subject turned savage, instead of whatever it is that you're trying to make, here."
"An apex predator!" Al growled.
"Right, sure. So many nicknames: Linear-A, Linear-B, apex predators, gas forms, and liquid forms. Ugh. Even I'm starting to lose track of them all. Let's just keep things simple and try to refer to the drugs, in general, as Night-Howlers, alright? No need to overdo it with all the nicknames."
"Fine. Whatever." Al grumbled. "Just help us figure out what's wrong with it!"
Exhaling through his nostrils, Doug drummed his fingers on the side of the table before beginning to pace around the space of the laboratory.
"Judging from what I saw, I would guess that your drug isn't working properly because some trace amounts of the original Night-Howler formula is still in it. I know that your drug is based off of my own design, of course, so that's a given, but to be specific, I'm thinking that the components that turn mammals fully savage are having an effect on whatever you cooked up in this lab. It isn't working right because it's contaminated. I also noticed that the consumption rate of your drug is exceedingly fast."
"Uh..." Donnie the tapir stifled in a timid voice. "What's all that supposed mean?"
The ram rolled his eyes before explaining.
"Meaning that after being inhaled into the lungs, it directly enters the bloodstream, allowing for almost immediate effects. It might even be working too fast for the counter-agents in the drug to prevent the user from turning savage! This thing, after all, is based off of my original Night-Howler design. It may be different, but it still has those particular traits inside them. Hmm... In fact, I have reason to believe that those very traits could be having a negative effect on the metabolic rate of your drug!"
"What's your point?" Pazzo snarled lowly.
"My point, is that your disgusting abomination of a drug isn't working the way that it's supposed to, because a certain chemical from my old design that turns mammals savage is still in it, and that you won't be able to keep your test subjects from going savage unless you either get rid of that chemical completely, which risks ruining the effects of the entire formula, or, by adding in a new ingredient to nullify those effects: A counter-agent. And that comes with its own set of risks, entirely!"
"You're gonna need to explain it to us some more." Al Catpone claimed, trying to divert the tension between Pazzo and Doug. "How do we get rid of it with a counter-agent?"
Doug had to resist rolling his eyes again. He may have been impressed by how far these gangsters have gotten on their own, but it was quite clear that they all understand relatively little about the detailed workings of chemistry, even Al Catpone himself, the head of the operation. Then again, Doug didn't expect much from a bunch of crooks.
"Easier said than done. You can try to graft it out, but the most effective way to negate it would be either to strengthen your existing counter-agents, if you even have any in there, or to add more: To find another chemical that counteracts the effects of the savage trait, and then add it to your gas formula, thus allowing its user to maintain their grasp on reality, all while having full access to the benefits of savagery. In short, you need to do some maintenance on your stupid drug."
"Once we have this chemical, you think it would allow our drug to work as intended?" Al asked curiously, ignoring the sheep's last comment.
The ram nodded his head. "It's just a matter of finding out which chemical you need to form the counter-agents."
"And how do we do that?"
Doug chuckled dryly to himself before answering.
"Also easier said than done. There could be thousands of different chemicals that could work or not work, each with thousands of different combinations to be added to the formula. It's like finding a single needle in a haystack the size of a mountain, and then hoping that needle interacts with your drug the way you want it to. Lucky for you, I happen to know exactly what kind of chemical you need. I'll gladly tell you what it is and where you can get it, if you can let me go once my work is done here, in addition to all of the other compensation that we already talked about. Having some money for the job would be nice, but most of all, I'd just like to get out of here."
Some of the mobsters snarled beneath their breaths, clearly not keen on that agreement. "How do we know you aren't tricking us?" One of them asked.
The sheep shrugged. "I have nothing left to lose, and nowhere to go. If the chemical source doesn't work, then you're free to kill me. But it will work."
Despite his henchmen's protests, Al Catpone himself seemed to consider this offer.
"Alright, Doug. You win. I will personally ensure your freedom, once this is all over, in exchange for the location of the ingredient, and your help with making it work."
"Ah-ah," The ram tutted. "Shake on it." He insisted.
Without any hesitation, Al leaned forward and took Doug's hoof in his own. The two mammals shook. Quickly letting go and wiping his palm on his pants, Doug smirked.
"Excellent. As promised, I'll tell you what it is that you need to complete your precious formula - You're looking for a mushroom."
Silence encompassed the room. "What? Are you kidding me?" Pazzo hissed in disbelief. "Mushrooms, of all things?"
"Hey, who has the biochemical engineering degree here?" Doug spat back. "You?"
The tayra just growled beneath his breath, remaining silent as he averted his gaze from Doug, who for the first time since being captured, had just stood up to him.
"That's what I thought." He muttered. "But yes, you're looking for a mushroom. A small, slimy blue one. Glows in the dark. It may not seem like much, but it contains the chemical that you need to form the counter-agent. In fact, I'm pretty sure this same mushroom was an ingredient in the Night-Howler vaccine that undid all of my good work! If I can get my hooves on some of those mushrooms, I may be able to use 'em to reverse-engineer your new formula: Getting rid of the parts of it that are turning your test-subjects savage. With those parts gone thanks to the chemicals in the mushroom serving as a counter-agent, your drug will let you take advantage of the high without the side-effect of losing your minds. Now, if you're going to get these mushrooms for me to work on, you're first going to have to know where they grow."
Al Catpone furrowed his heavy brow. "Sounds like a plan. Where do they grow?" He inquired.
"Dark, rocky environments, typically next to glowworm fecal matter. In other words, the Nocturnal-District."
The jaguar crime-lord narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but otherwise went along with Doug's previous assertion.
"I know a guy who can help." He said before pointing to Donnie the tapir. "Get me a phone. It's time we give old Bo a call."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Nocturnal-District...
The safehouse was quiet, save for the sharp, metallic ring of a dial-up phone reverberating throughout the structure.
Despite the sensitive ears of the house's owner, it failed to capture his attention as he rested within the bed chamber.
Within the deeper confines of the room, Vladzotz hung from the ceiling, quietly reading over a fresh newspaper, his reading glasses perched carefully on the very tip of his leaf-shaped nose. He was dressed in his usual three-piece suit, minus the sleeves, of course, to allow for maximum flying capabilities. Meanwhile, across the room, his mate, Lucy Sang, was pampering herself in a large mirror fashioned to the wall. She sat with one leg draped across the kneecap of the other as she cleaned out her pointed teeth. The female's body was coated in her standard oil-black bodysuit. It was quite comfortable to wear, after all, and it never hurt to be ready for a potential sneaky escape, too.
In the mirror, Lucy examined her fangs; meticulously prodding over and picking at them with her talons. One of the pointed teeth in the back of her mouth had gotten loosened out from her fight with that rabbit officer, Judy Hopps, back in the heart of the Deciduous-District. As Lucy recalled, she had taken a rather hard blow to the jaw with the butt of a tranquilizer gun. The vampire bat growled beneath her breath. Just thinking about that bunny was enough to make her mad. Judy had managed to land some pretty solid hits during that fight, which Lucy could admittedly admire, but the fact that she had also knocked loose one of her teeth was enough to cement the bat's hatred towards her. She promised herself that she'd be feasting on that rabbit's blood, one day. One day very soon.
Choosing not to dwell on what bothered her for very long, the female bat diverted her attention away from the mirror and over to Vladzotz, who hung silent and still from the roof. Leaping off of the stool and waltzing over to him, she admired the thin, dark fur on his face before leading her gaze into his ear canal. She furrowed her brow in disgust.
"Vladdy, have you been taking care of your ears?" Lucy asked as she scratched at those of her mate's with her sharp talons.
"Yes, dear." The male bat replied as he flipped a page in his newspaper.
"Oh yeah?" Lucy questioned sassily. "Then what's this?"
She then dipped two of her fingers into Vlad's ear canal before pulling out a small white parasite from within. She displayed it in front of his face to let him get a good look at it before popping it into her mouth and swallowing it. For as much as blood was a staple part of the vampire bat diet, munching on the occasional parasitic insect didn't hurt.
"You've gotta keep up with this stuff, Hon. As tasty as these things are, I don't want to have to be pulling them out of your ears all the time." The female bat chided.
Vladzotz chuckled to himself. "You're right. My apologies. I've just been very invested in my work, these past few days. There's been little time for such pleasantries."
"Staying healthy is far from trivial, Vladdy. I'd say you're a pretty fine specimen, as is, but I don't wanna be seeing any more parasites, okay?"
"Very well. You have my word." The male promised with a smile. "And I must say, you're looking quite fine, yourself, too." He wooed, eyeing her lithe body up and down from his perch.
Lucy blushed. "Why, thank you." Having been grooming herself for the past half-hour, her fur was looking extra clean, and easily succeeded in attracting her male counterpart's full attention. Just as Lucy was leaning in to give him a thankful kiss on the lips, there was a sharp knock on the door that separated the bedroom from the outside hallway. Lucy sneered, the moment having been ruined.
"Come in." Vladzotz called out, mild irritation tracing his voice.
One of his criminal henchmen, a portly raccoon, opened the door and peeked inside. "Sir! There's a phone call for you." He claimed.
Vlad briefly locked eyes with Lucy, who just shrugged before casually gesturing towards the door.
"Yes, thank you. I will be there in a moment." The male stated.
With that being said, the raccoon excused himself from the chamber, leaving the door open for his master to follow shortly behind. Vlad then hopped down from his perch.
"How 'bout we continue this later, huh?" Lucy said before teasingly blowing him kiss she had failed to give him earlier.
The male bat chuckled lightly. Despite having been dating for quite some time, he still liked it when Lucy flirted with him. Clearing his throat aloud, Vladzotz recomposed himself before making the journey to the nearby library, where an old dial-up phone had been set up for calls across city districts. He wondered who had the purpose of making one at these hours. Once he entered the library, he approached the phone, which was currently being handled by the same raccoon that had notified him of it in the first place. Handing the old phone to his boss, the raccoon then scampered out of the room, leaving Vlad to himself, with his only company being the mammal on the phone's opposing end.
"Hello?" He initiated.
From the other side of the line, Vlad heard a deep and sleazy voice break out. "Ey, Bo. Long time no talk."
Vladzotz snorted. "Alphonse. It's been a while." He acknowledged. "This wouldn't happen to be about those counterfeit shippings I sent you the other week, would it?"
"Nah, don't you worry 'bout that. They all arrived on time." Catpone claimed. "I'm here for something special, you see."
"Special, hm? Pray tell, what could be so special enough for you to call me at this hour?" The bat inquired.
"My boys an' I got a new drug cookin' up here in the rainforest. Night-Howler based. It's gonna make a lot of money for us. Might even use it to cause some troubles for the city government, too. Sound appealing? It still needs some tweakin', and a few new ingredients to get it just right, mainly a mushroom that only grows down where you live."
"Yes. So?"
"So I's was wonderin' if you could pick a batch of 'em for me, and bring them here to the Rainforest-District?" Al requested.
The bat's left eye twitched. Irritation started to build within him. He may have been Al's associate, and a friend, however loose, but he was certainly not his errand-boy.
"I am a criminal mastermind, and one with a busy schedule, at that!" Vlad exclaimed with annoyance. "I am not going on some... Some truffle-hunt for you!"
"Then find someone who can! Send one of your lackeys, or maybe even that girlfriend o' yours. She likes takin' things that aren't hers, right?" Al hissed. "She'd be perfect."
Vladzotz sensed the animosity in the jaguar's voice. He was tempted to hang-up on him for bringing up Lucy, but instead chose to play that topic to his advantage. He stated;
"Alphonse, I am sorry that she stole some of your finances, but that was many years ago, and she's long since decided to put her clandestine talents to better use, working alongside myself. I can ask Lucy to retrieve some of these mushrooms for you if, in turn, you promise to refrain from holding any more judgement against her from now on."
The other end of the line was completely silent to the count of five.
"Fine." Al spoke at last. "I promise. I'll also pay you, give you a few vials of my new formula, when it's finished, as a token of my appreciation. Good stuff?"
"I'll hold you to that, you know. Having a sample of whatever kind of drug that you're brewing up could be most... Salubrious, for the Nocturnal-Mob."
"Uh... I don't know what that word means." The jaguar mumbled.
Vladzotz rolled his one good eye. For as smart as Al was, he definitely didn't have a very diverse vocabulary.
"It means beneficial to a person's health or well-being." The bat replied. "And what could be more salubrious for my men and I than having a chemical weapon at our disposal?"
"That's the spirit, Bo!" Catpone exclaimed happily. "I promise to send you a dose as soon as it's ready."
"Excellent. And I, in turn, shall send Lucy to retrieve your special ingredient, and then deliver it to you right away."
"Thank you, Vlad. I knew I could count on ya. You can find the mushrooms growing next to, uh, glow-worm droppings. They're small, slimy, and blue. Good luck."
From there, the two mammals exchanged farewells before hanging up and ending the conversation for good. Vladzotz paced out of the library before returning to the privacy of the bedroom where he and Lucy had been relaxing together earlier. When he arrived, he immediately spotted her still examining her fangs under the light of the mirror.
"Lucy, my dear," Vladzotz began. "I have a new mission for you. Could you track down some mushrooms growing in the glow-worm deposits for Alphonse Catpone?"
"Huh? And why would I do that? I hate that guy." She grumbled. "For you, it'd be a different story, but I'm not so keen on helping Al. What does he want mushrooms for?"
"Apparently, he's making some ridiculous new version of the Night-Howler formula that plagued the city some years ago, and he needs some rare mushrooms for the final ingredient. I'm not precisely sure what he plans to do with this potential concoction of his, but he did say that he plans to use it to cause troubles for the city government."
The female bat pursed her lips, as though the plan sounded mildly interesting to her, but she still kept her eyes narrowed in apprehension.
"I like a bit of anarchy as much as the next mammal, but that overgrown kitten is gonna have to offer something extra special if he wants my help! I'm still peeved that Iluka got captured by that stupid bunny cop and her foxy friend before he could fulfill his end of our deal, so I'm not about to jump in on some new operation without good reason."
Vlad's chuckled. Approaching her from behind, Vladzotz carefully draped his pointed claws on Lucy's shoulders as though he were about to give her a neck massage.
"I understand that what happened in the Deciduous-District wasn't of your highest favor - that your fight with that rabbit left you injured, and that Iluka Rombahe was imprisoned before he could repay you for your work with him - but you shouldn't forget that said work has left every criminal in the city with an unpayable debt to you, my dear. Even me. Who knows what would have happened to us if the ZPD had managed to acquire the full usage of Ratsputin's extortion archive before you had destroyed it?" The bat-lord carefully drummed his long talons upon Lucy's collarbone. "As I recall, you even promised Alphonse that you'd burn all of the information that they had on him, even though you do not like him. Perhaps, if you were to help him one last time, you may very well be able to hold him against your own leverage. He already owes you a near unpayable debt, as I said. Why not let him sink down even further?"
Lucy made a slight hmm sound from within her throat, contemplating her mate's attempt at compromise. To know that Vlad put her before that irritating cat was reassuring. It made her feel better, even if her tooth was still aching.
"That does sound appealing," She admitted. "But it isn't enough for me. Not after last time."
"Understandable. However, did I mention that Al has promised the two of us a gift for our troubles?" Vladzotz mused.
"What kind of gift?"
Vladzotz gave her a fanged smile. "You said you wanted something extra special, yes? How does a dosage of Al's new Night-Howlers sound to you?" He asked.
The female's large ears perked up at her mate's previous notion. Her eyes lit up with shining intrigue, as they did whenever she realized she could acquire something new.
"Really now? That's more like it." She said, all the while thoughtfully tapping at her chin. "I bet it'd be worth a lot of money!"
"Indeed." Vlad concurred. "And it can be all ours, if you simply pick a few mushrooms for Al." He finalized, sensing her about to give in. "So... Do we have a deal?"
"Hmph. Not exactly the most exciting job, but I'll give it a shot." Lucy concluded, much to her mate's approval.
"Grand." The male bat stated. "I'm sure that once Alphonse enacts his plan, there will be plenty more opportunities for you to claim, both from him, and the city of Zootopia."
"Yeah! Like getting even more favors to make up for losing Iluka's!" Lucy said, perking up even more. "And whatever fun kind of chaos arises from Al's plan!"
She then whirled around and lept off the stool to her feet, straightening out her back and rising to her full height, even though she still stood a few inches smaller than Vlad.
"And plenty more blood to sample, too." Vladzotz added with a wicked grin etched across his muzzle. "As I know you particularly enjoy."
Lucy licked her lips hungrily. "Ooo, sounds exciting! I can't wait!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly.
Vladzotz smiled, happy to see his mate's usual exuberance returning to her in such quantities. He had a feeling that good, if not a tad bit chaotic opportunities were to arise from Al Catpone's plan, and if said opportunities were enough to keep Lucy herself from getting bored or unmotivated to do what she loved, then Vladzotz was all for it. The male bat watched as his female counterpart recomposed herself, calming down and then proceeding to cock her hips to the side. She sported a sly smile that exposed her fangs.
"You can be a pretty smooth talker, when you want to." She complimented.
"Perhaps I am," Vladzotz started. "Or perhaps I just know you well enough to understand what motivates you and your passions."
Lucy smirked, and then playfully poked his chest a single time. "And that's one of the things I love about you." She said before leaning forward and pecking him on the lips.
The kiss was brief, but enjoyable. When she pulled away, Lucy was left staring at Vlad, chewing on her cheek as if contemplating something.
"What's on your mind?" The male bat asked curiously.
"Oh, just thinking about how I'm gonna get you back for draggin' me into this. I have a few ideas," She claimed with a knowing smirk. "Maybe we can try 'em out tonight."
Vlad laughed. "Whatever you wish, my dear." He said chivalrously. "But now is not the time for idle talk. There is planning to be done, if your next mission is to be a success!"
From there, Vlad stepped back and made his way out of the bedroom, beckoning with his long black claws for Lucy to follow. The female bat blinked, the moment having been ruined again, though not without a slight smile tugging on the edge of her lips, for she knew that she'd be able to snag him all for herself later on.
"Such a spoil-sport." She muttered to herself before following after him, all the while steeling herself for next assignment.
Hey everyone!
We haven't seen much of Vlad and Lucy in a while, have we? Truth be told, I had no need for them until now: They've just been going about life until Al showed up, though I'm sure you noticed how I made sure to recount Lucy's fight with Judy, which many of you ranked as your favorite action scene in the story in one of my older public polls, as I recall. It's one of my favorites too! Seeing these characters duke it out for dominance was quite entertaining, especially since one has the moral high-ground while the other, well, just plain doesn't. Point is, I couldn't just let that scene go unmentioned, since it was, after all, the last time that we've seen Lucy. Given that the story is coming to a close eventually, I can promise you that this won't be the last time that we see of any of these characters, and that each of them will play important enough roles in the upcoming finale and the proceeding chapters.
Until then, I sure hoped that you enjoyed what they had to say and do this time around!
So, to all my reviewers out there: What did you think of Friedkin's new lesson, Doug's secret work alongside Al Catpone, and Vlad and Lucy's new scene?
I'd love to know your thoughts on it all! Alongside that, if any of you reading this have yet to Favorite/Follow this story of yours, I'll have you know that you are more than welcome to do so, if you'd like. All new readers and reviewers alike are greatly appreciated! Oh, and one last thing: Like the flower that the original Night-Howler's are based off of, the mushroom that the antagonists are looking for, of course, does not really exist. I'm no chemist, but I figured it would be fitting for a new make-believe component to be introduced to the make-believe drug, not all too different from the flowers in the original movie.
Just thought I'd point that out, at least. You'll be learning more about them soon enough.
One last announcement: I'd like to point out that although the last two chapters have been pretty focused on Al's plot, the coming chapters will focus much more on Nick and Judy's work at the academy, and what comes after. There's gonna be some fun new stuff to experience, I can promise you all that much.
Anyways, that's just about all that I've gotta say for now, really. Thanks for reading, truly, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon!
'Till next time...
Peace!