Cornered
If Jack's math was right, he had seven minutes before the wounded ship would make violent contact with the Rainforest Docks. There was no time to figure out how many of the crates that he had seen were stocked with dangerous chemicals similar to what damaged the wheelhouse. He reached up and grabbed the mounted radio above the desk. He straightened the coiled cord for maximum length and frantically hit its buttons. The megaphone above the wheelhouse wailed to life. Jack shouted,
"Clear the docks! Out of control boat. Going to crash!" Jack pushed the radio away from him – allowing it to dangle carelessly by its cord – and reached for his binoculars. He focused his gaze on Bellwether. When she appeared to react with urgency, he sighed knowing that the speaker carried his message through. Her expression of fear pulled his lips into a smile. "You're not getting away." Jack turned to Frieda, lifted her up over his shoulder and hurried down with hopes of escaping the ship.
"Easy, Chief. I got you." Officer Oats draped Bogo's arm across his shoulder and allowed the massive buffalo to lean on him as they carefully walked out of City Hall. Judy watched with inward satisfaction as officers subdued their attackers and smoothly apprehended others willing to surrender. SWAT's arrival and the news that Mayor Lionheart was still alive appeared to demoralize the enemy. They were headless. Vulnerable.
Judy passed a sealed bag containing forged files from Bellwether's office to the officers behind her. She stood with a held breath, inundated by the sight of the amount of evidence they obtained. Three officers carried towering stacks of documents and bags full of shredded files and books. Two others carefully carried lab equipment from the office. For once in what seemed like weeks, Judy beamed with a wide and sincere smile. Before she could inquire about how they would find Bellwether, her attention was stolen by her radio as it transmitted a frantic message:
"Suspect Dawn Bellwether, a female sheep, is in the Rainforest District. All units respond immediately. Dangerous terrorist target. Use extreme caution."
"There!" She turned with nervous energy to Chief Bogo and Oats. "I'm going ahead." It wasn't a veiled request for permission. It was declarative. And she was going to rush off whether Bogo agreed or not. Thankfully, Bogo nodded and said,
"Get after it, Hopps." Charged with encouragement and approval, Judy dashed out of City Hall. The mission in some sense remained the same. Taking out Bellwether would clear the way to Big. And his recent theatrical display before he went silent only ensured his guilt. Judy shook her head glad for their error. This was the time to retaliate. Never know when to quit!
"McHorn!" Judy paused and waved at McHorn as he sat alone in the driver's seat of his car.
"Get in, Hopps! We're going to the Rainforest District!"
"Yes, of course!" His timing couldn't be better. And she was glad to see he wouldn't complain about her tagging along. She brushed off the thought that she was still a rookie with less than a year of experience. This was easily the biggest case of her career. If she could help secure a win for the ZPD, her future was sure to shine as bright as her undying optimism.
McHorn blasted the siren and sped through the congested streets. Judy buzzed with energy in the passenger's seat. But wasn't McHorn supposed to be with Fangmeyer guarding Jack's home?
"Oh, where's Fangmeyer?" she asked. McHorn smirked and shook his head.
"Last I saw, she was with Nick...joined at the hip." He made a suggestive gesture with his fist.
"Oh..." Judy's eyes wandered for a second. The tingling in her brain slowly sketched out the true meaning of McHorn's words. "Oh!" McHorn laughed at her reaction.
"Yes. When I got the message from Bogo, I was about to rush out. I went to get Fangmeyer in the guest room. She and Nick were going at it on the bed!"
"Sweet cheeses. How rude!" said Judy between laughs. Disappointment mixed with the humor of the thought. They could have picked a better location than to get intimate in Jack's home. But it was also nice to hear that Nick was bonding, even after what happened.
"Maybe he's more resilient than I gave him credit for."
"Huh?"
"Nick. I thought he would be shelling up after everything."
"He's had it pretty bad." Judy clung to her seat as McHorn turned a hard corner. "But I'll say this: the fox is smart and tough. He's decent. We protect the decent." McHorn gave Judy a firm look. She responded the same. An officer's duty. "Jennifer keeps him happy."
"Officer McHorn?"
"Hmm?"
"Has there been any word on Big?"
"Not yet. He's gone into hiding. Not sure why. He made quite a show on tv. He delivered on nothing he promised. But I think that's our fault. So there hasn't been word from him anywhere."
"Oh..."
"By the way," he looked at Judy with as much a smile his face could allow and said, "call me Chief. Just got the word on my way over!" Judy turned her head and sat straight up in her seat.
"What?"
"The noble Bogo is stepping down. His injuries and age. But mostly because of his injuries. Call me Chief McHorn!"
"I don't believe it." Judy's ears slowly drooped, betraying her feelings. "Con...gratulations?"
"Don't be too sad. He made his decision. He knows what's good for him. We carry on what he's done for the ZPD and honor it through our continued service." Despite the sometimes frosty relationship she had with Bogo, a pang of sadness sat in her chest. He was fair and a fine representation of what the ZPD stood for. She was sure to feel his departure for a long time. Judy straightened her slumping shoulders and with blurred vision and a choked breath turned to McHorn.
"Yes, Sir!"
They passed through the Rainforest District's checkpoint; a string of parallel roads rolled out like carpets of asphalt leading toward the higher elevated territory of Zootopia. Green trees stretched on the hill like fur on the back of a bear. The docks were on the other end. To her right, the border wall separating the temperate climate of the rainforest from Tundratown caught Judy's eye. Truly, Zootopia's engineering was a marvel of the world.
"Hey! What's that smoke?" Judy pointed behind the line of trees. A plume of black smoke floated heavy and ill over Zootopia. The blast must have been intense because Judy heard the wash of wind as it carried the noise across the forest. Bugs scattered through the air like sparks off a flame. The police radio in McHorn's car blipped with loud panicked shouts.
"Explosion at Rainforest Docks!"
"Enough of this shit!" McHorn parked his car and angrily stomped out of his vehicle.
"I'm right here!" said Judy as she followed. They stood and watched as feline officers in the distance rushed ahead into the thick of the trees stretching up the hill, shouting instruction to one another. The bass voice of McHorn tickled Judy's ears,
"We're here to bring Dawn Bellwether in for questioning. Nothing else." Judy nodded.
"Understood." They walked together into the dense forest and listened to the sounds around them. The banging of objects, shouts, frenzied steps, the whooping of distant mammals and crunching of twigs were nothing to Judy's hardened nerves. But she still needed something comforting. Something reassuring. She reached for her phone and hit the call button on Jack's name, but it went straight to voicemail. "Huh? Why?" It should have gone through. They've been in constant contact the whole time until now. Could it be because he was on the water? Wait...
Her thoughts about the sudden explosion at the docks cut her breath short. But Jack's last call was about him chasing Manchas to the water off the Sahara docks. She struggled to fight against the venomous what ifs now playing tricks on her mind. But...what if?
"No, I can't! I have to know." Judy fumbled with the phone in her hands and dropped it into the moist dirt. She noticed an unread text as she shakily picked it up and smeared the dirt on her phone. She didn't acknowledge McHorn's words behind her and hastily opened the message. The screen blurred behind her tears:
"Bellwether is at the Rainforest Docks. Stay clear! Danger. Poisoned by midnicampum. Boat going to crash."
"No, Jack. Don't you leave me." The world finally returned to focus as she stared at the large horn just inches from her face.
"Come on!" A sharp pain ran up Judy's shoulder as she was yanked by McHorn running for cover. Bullets buzzed by Judy's ears like mosquitoes. Shouts and snarls similar to what she heard the night of the blackout filled her with dread.
"Bellwether was spotted at the docks," said Judy. "Jack said so." As soon as they huddled under a large tree, the noise began to soften. Officers paced the perimeter; the thick of the forest that branched out to different communities of various species.
"Is he sure?" asked McHorn. The question hurt like she was poked in the chest. She shook her head and said,
"Jack has never been wrong." McHorn nodded. They carefully stepped through the forest, trailing behind a group of officers pursuing attackers.
"Let's hurry over and join up with stragglers. We'll do better in numbers."
"Right." Her agreement was emphatic. She wanted to reach the docks. She needed to know that Jack was still in one piece.