Change starts with You

by Winerp

Extra credit goes to Euphonemes who is now helping me by Beta Reading these chapters. He's being extremely helpful in this learning experience for me and his own fic Run definitely deserves a careful read.


Chapter 5 – IFF Pt 1

IFF = Identification Friend or Foe, technique which, with the proper equipment allows identification of a target as friendly but not as hostile. If the system gets a valid response from the target it can be confirmed as friendly, but an invalid or non-existent reply does NOT positively confirm it as hostile… Military nerdiness kicking in, sorry XP.

In many ways the Nocturnal District was a direct continuation of Zootopia and its ideals into the bowels of the Earth. Its core however, the mammals which inhabited it, lived in an almost alternate reality. On the surface, the night is a time for fun, friends, the odd stiff drink and the mistakes that it usually entails, it's nothing more than a passing state, a slate that's wiped clean with the Sun's first rays. Underground however, the night is the only life there is.

Zootopia had been built on top of a legendary watering hole – remnants of which could still be found in districts like Savannah Central or Sahara Square. This spot had brought mammals together for centuries, regardless of species. During the initial stages of the city's construction, it was discovered that said watering hole was supplied by a massive underground aquifer, which was tapped in order to facilitate the water distribution for such a massive city. It was during the excavation of the aquifers' supply lines that the massive cave system that would later become the Nocturnal District had been discovered.

While initially seen as potential sources of lucrative mineral deposits, the caves turned out to be mad of only depleted hunks of rock. The City's builders then thought that this would be a golden opportunity to further improve Zootopia's welcoming stance on species: it would now be possible for nocturnal mammals to work alongside their diurnal counterparts without the Suns meddling.

And what the cave system was lacking in precious metals and minerals, it made up for in building supplies: limestone, granite, clay, iron, everything the city needed. Soon, the rate of edification of the underground space was rivalling that of the surface.

Even with the abundance of raw materials, it was still thought best to use the natural geological features of the caves in the construction of the Nocturnal District – if not to facilitate it, then at least to compliment the already alien aesthetic of the area.

The results were now causing a certain bunny to find herself glued to her police cruiser's passenger side window, jaw hanging and eyes wide. It was a bit of a struggle to see with the dimer lighting, but it really was more the sights of the District that had her like this.

Over eons, the army of stalagmites and stalactites that littered the caves had become connected, as diluted minerals in the aquifer's water slowly dripped from the ceiling, depositing themselves and growing.

Some of those natural pillars had been reinforced, now serving as additional supports for the caves. But most had been hollowed ot at their thicker ends and were now the District's double-ended skyscrapers.

Likely due to the origins of the cave the floor wasn't flat throughout the district. Rather it was like living in a massive cereal bowl. Finally one big enough for Clawhauser's appetite, Judy thought. To address this oddity of nature, architects and engineers had taken a page from hill farming and had turned the steeper, uninhabitable slopes into several levels of terraces, each with its own neighbourhood.

The smaller and higher up pockets were used to accommodate most of the District's industry. This had been done to prevent most industrial waste and especially any exhaust fumes from reaching the suburban areas. While the caves had a complex air cycling system which pushed most gases to the surface through the tunnels which also led into the district, it was thought best to give industrial exhausts their own removal system. To that end, the higher up the factory, the less digging would be required to directly extract its fumes to the surface. Also great places for secret meetings… Judy might have been in awe from the sights, but her cop brain still managed to pull through.

While taking in this fascinating new world, Judy suddenly found herself surprised to actually be able to see these features. She couldn't garner every detail, yes, but she had expected a pitch black environment that would completely rob her of her sight. It was still enough for her other senses to assume more prominent roles.

As they calmly rolled down a busy street, all the little sounds her oversized ears were constantly picking out (and that she usually just ignored) suddenly became relevant: the bell from an opening shop door, the little snippets of conversation that lingered in the air, even her partner's calm breathing. He didn't really have much to be excited about down there, though Judy figured he was probably trying to keep himself calm. Given the latest developments on their assignment, she couldn't really blame him.

At the same time, her nose also started being more active, picking out the inviting scent of a nearby bakery, and then that of a dry-cleaner's, and… Nick's musk?

After 3 years of living almost every waking moment with him, she'd gone nose blind to his scent. With her vision hampered, it once again registered. And yet… it wasn't what she remembered. When they had started out as actual partners, it was probably one of the only things she found unpleasant in him, but it was… comforting. It confirmed he was sitting there next to her.

As a nearby car screeched to a halt in front of a red light, she found her attention drawn to the sources of light around her. She found that the bigger main streets (like the one they were on) had similar lights as the ones above ground, only they were set to a much lower power output. Still, that couldn't explain how she managed to take in even the areas without clear light sources.

The confusion must have shown on her face, for as soon as she turned towards her partner to ask about it, she saw him holding his free paw up and pointing towards the ceiling.

"Look up Carrots."

Woah…

Glow-worms. As far as the eye could see, emitting a constant and pleasantly soft light of a bluish hue. They were also neatly organized into several lines, stretching the entire roof of the cave. Almost like crops in a field, Judy thought.

"It's quite a sight huh Fluff…"

"You've got that right partner…"

Nick chuckled.

"It's actually amazing how efficient they manage to be down here. They grow the worms up there for a softer ambient light, and then use them as a local delicacy!"

While the mere thought of eating glow-worms made her stomach turn as she shuddered in disgust, her original confusion settled back in.

"But why does there need to be light? Aren't most of the Nocturnals able to see in the dark?"

"A common misconception my naïve lapine friend…"

Oh great, she thought, I've just given him more joke ammo…

"While there are some mammals who don't actually need any light to see, like bats for instance, the truth is that the night vision the rest of us possess only allows us to better make use of low light conditions. We still need some to see, just a lot less than other mammals.

And as I'm sure you've already guessed, the main streets have some extra lighting so that surface dwellers don't struggle as much when they need to come down here."

Judy hummed affirmatively as she refocused on their surroundings. She noticed they were travelling down one of those same main streets, towards one of the biggest pillars around – at least, as far as her hampered eyesight could tell.

"Is that where we're heading?"

Nick nodded.

"Yup. According to Bogo's instructions, that pillar houses most of the main public services for the district, namely ZPD's Precinct 12."

This was certainly shaping up to be quite the field trip.

#

Having parked their cruiser in the visitor portion of the precinct's motor pool, fox and rabbit made their way up to the main lobby.

Turned out most ZPD Precincts followed the same basic layout, only with differences in scale and some facilities: for instance, Precinct 12 had two front entrances, one on the ground level and another some 30 feet in the air designated for bats.

Walking up to the reception they found it manned by a grey furred opossum. As they waited for him to finish answering a call, they took the time to notice that Precinct 12 was actually designed for mammals around their size, and that it was mostly populated by moles, opossums such as the receptionist, badgers, aardvarks and the odd wolf.

"Um… ex-excuse me? Can I, um, help you officers?"

The opossum had finished and was now looking at them rather uncomfortably. He'd probably noticed they weren't from his precinct. Even though their Precinct 1 badges shone in the more intense light inside the station, Judy guessed other more obvious traits had given it away.

Taking the initiative, Judy smiled broadly as she explained.

"Oh hi! Yes, actually. We're here from Precinct 1. We have a meeting with your Chief. Officers Hopps and Wilde?"

Fully opening his beady black eyes, the opossum nearly fell off his chair.

They turned to each other finding that both had their eyebrows raised at the unfolding spectacle.

Returning their gaze to the now panting mammal, it was Nick's turn to chime in.

"You okay there buddy? It looked like you were about to faint!"

Still breathing heavily, the opossum regained enough composure to once again address the visitors. "Sorry about that… It's just I don't really do to well with… um… famous people."

While Nick had to quickly don unmovable expression of his hustling days just to keep the laughter at bay, Judy couldn't help but groan slightly. The fame their first case had brought was nice, but she still looked at it as nothing more than doing her job.

Trying to regain her initial friendly expression, she repeated her question. "So, about that meeting...?"

"OH! Um…" The opossum quickly glanced at his monitor before answering. "Yes, um… He's expecting you. Do you need help getting there?"

Having avoided his potential laughing fit, Nick started heading for the stairs and shot back. "Nah don't worry, this Precinct's just like ours."

#

Easily navigating the vaguely familiar corridors of Precinct 12, both officers soon found themselves looking at what they knew to be the Deputy Chief's door, only in this case they didn't have to reach up to grab the doorknob…

Once again Judy took the lead and gently knocked on the door's frosted glass while announcing her and her partner's presence. "Excuse me, Deputy Chief Gordon? It's officers Hopps and Wilde."

"Ah yes! Do come in officers."

As they pushed the door open, they once again found themselves in a miniature version of their own boss' office. Only this one wasn't quite as tidy, with plenty of case file boxes crammed between furniture on which even more boxes were piled high.

"Please, have a seat."

They did – in separate chairs for once – and finally came eye to eye with the true reason behind their visit to the District: the beaver Castor Gordon, Deputy Chief of Precinct 12. While he was, for the most part, pretty ordinary when it came to looks, there were a few distinctive features that Judy's trained eyes caught.

His fur, for instance, was the same deep brown as pretty much any other beaver, but it was rather kempt and groomed. His tail had slightly discoloured and swollen edges, as if it kept getting hit or hitting something. And finally, even for a beaver, he had an impressive set of whiskers, both in size and number.

"Well I must say it's an honour to finally meet the officers who brought down Bellwether's conspiracy."

Their fame seemed to follow them everywhere, and while usually a source of admiration and pride, it was still slightly uncomfortable to have a Chief of Police compliment them… Probably Bogo's influence, Judy thought.

"The feeling is mutual, Deputy Chief Gordon." Nick decided to step in. "The work you've done for the Nocturnal District is truly remarkable."

Gordon had been appointed Deputy Chief of the underground district's police force around the time Bogo got his own promotion to the position in Downtown, about 15 years before. And while the changes weren't immediate, when they started they couldn't be stopped. Thanks to less than standard tactics, the numerous criminal gangs of the District had, for the first time in decades, found themselves pushed out of its main suburban areas, allowing the local residents to finally feel something akin to safety. It wasn't a perfect district and it still had more crime than the surface, but it was miles from what it used to be.

There were rumours he hadn't accomplished this alone, but the results were what had mattered at the time and no evidence of foul play had ever been found.

But Bogo trusted him, and for Nick and Judy that was about the best recommendation anyone could get.

"Though I wish this meeting were under better circumstances." The fox concluded.

The beaver's expression immediately soured.

"Yes… I had to deal with my own share of corrupt cops when I became Chief down here… It's a sickening feeling, knowing that your co-workers are spitting on the values that our badge proudly carries."

Gordon drew in a deep breath and then pressed the issue.

"That's not where I gained the knowledge that brings you both down here, however. In fact, compared to the undercover missions we've had on our hands, this one involves many more risks…"

While Nick restricted himself to a nod, Judy couldn't help but to cast a quick glance at her partner. She knew the fox could take care of himself – he was alone long before she found him – but now she couldn't help but worry and fear for her friend.

"You see officers, most of the time, when infiltrating a criminal organization you tend to already have some idea of who its members are and how they operate. Preparation is always important in our line of work, but even more so when we send someone behind enemy lines, so to speak."

He opened one of his desk's drawers and removed another case file exactly like the ones Nick and Judy had been given.

"In this case, however, the nature of the threat has forced your Chief's hand, and you're now going in pretty much naked… And to make matters worse the only intel we have on this MR's ranks are the possibly corrupt cops from one ZPD Precinct out of twelve. Not to mention whatever politicians they have in City Hall."

At this point the beaver had slid slightly down his chair and was looking glumly at the file Bogo had forwarded him.

"So how do we go about this, Chief?" The rabbit was the one asking, her back straight in her chair.

The beaver chuckled as he responded. "Your reputation precedes you, Officer Hopps… You're right, let's get down to business." He turned his attention to Nick. "If you're going to succeed in getting into MR you're going to need to do two things: one, show that you are not the straight-arrow cop everyone thinks you are, and two, either have something they might be interested in or – and this is the worse option but also the more likely – be the one to ask for their services…"

While Judy immediately froze with shock clouding her face, Nick's expression was one of pure disgust, with his ears flat, a grimace replacing his signature smirk and his hackles fully raised.

Closing his eyes and nodding in understanding Gordon continued. "I know, I know… but it's your best shot. You could play your closeness to Chief Bogo as a possible source of interest for them, but they already seem to have Sargent Higgins on the payroll, so they have all the eyes and ears on the Chief they need."

Higgins, as Sargent, handled the assignment of officers to each case. Bogo would dictate, and Higgins would comply. What better position to monitor the buffalo. "That's the biggest issue with this whole debacle: apart from one or two suspects, all we can really be sure of is who might not be a part of MR, and even that is a short list…"

Since Judy was still trying to exit her daze Nick took to furthering the conversation. "But how – never mind why – would I even ask for their help? We only know about Higgins because he was careless. Talking to him would only warn MR we're onto them!"

"We'll get to why in a minute, but as for how you'd go about it… no matter how secretive these syndicates are, they still deal in favours, extortion and, well, mammals…" The beaver stopped for a second and scratched his chin. "That actually gives me an inkling of what 'MR' might stand for… but as I was saying, because of their business they will always have someone serving as their… let's say public contact."

Nick appeared a tad skeptical. "A public contact?"

"Someone, who's usually a part of the higher echelons of the syndicate's ranks, which serves as a permanent and general point of contact for any client or associate. As for who that mammal is, you'll have to figure that one out yourselves, but look for the one everyone turns to when they need something in your precinct…"

Shaking her head, Judy was finally able to re-join the discussion. "I might have an idea as to who that could be… but I'll need to make sure."

Turning back towards the fox, Gordon's expression grew even more serious.

"Just a minute ago, you asked me why you would even ask for their help, Officer Wilde."

Allowing the tod to nod, he continued.

"As I already said, the first thing you'll need to accomplish is convincing everyone that whatever good your records might say of you is nothing more than you trying to gain the ZPD's trust… and now that it's been a year since your probation period has ended –"

Both Nick and Judy's eyes suddenly widened and the latter head swivelled towards her partner. How the heck did Gordon know about that?!

"Yes, Officer, I know of your deal with Bogo. Quite the leap of faith for the both of you. But we should assume that MR knows about it as well."

Gordon allowed himself a small pause, giving both officers in front of him a moment to recompose themselves.

"Anyway, now your probation is one year behind you, should you start playing by your own rules, they probably wouldn't think much of it. Maybe they'd even wonder how you went straight for so long."

Nick could only look away, trying to focus himself on anything but the lie he'd have to live in for the foreseeable future. Judy noticed his eyes wandered onto the oversized ZPD badge all its Chiefs' had in their offices, and then locked onto the values engraved onto it: 'Trust', 'Bravery', 'Integrity'…

"I know this is hard Officer, but we need to continue."

Nodding once before turning back towards Gordon, Nick once again caught Judy's glance. Only it wasn't filled with worry this time around. No, this time she looked at him with the trust only a relationship like theirs could allow for.

"Now, if you manage to exude this message through your actions and posture for a few weeks, together with your past, it might be enough for MR to not suspect of any involvement you have with them."

"As for getting their help, I'm afraid you'll have to, well… commit a crime. Something big enough to be a problem for your career but small enough to not be noticed immediately. You'd approach their contact seeking help in keeping quiet whatever mess you came up with."

At this point, Nick just allowed his head to collapse onto his paws, shaking it slowly in disbelief. Judy, on the other hand, thanked her grey fur, as she could feel herself going white under it.

Despite the harried looks of the two officers sitting in his chairs, Gordon continued. "Having made contact, MR should then see you as a useful asset that they could control, since they would have the means to pull the rug on you should you disobey. At that point you'd be one more of their pawns, but you'd also be in a position to start climbing their ranks and discovering who they are and how they work."

His exposition concluded, Gordon fell silent and stared at the two young officers before him. Suddenly, they'd found themselves caught up in a case that would have a senior Organized Crime officer thinking twice about the job…

"There's one thing I should add, which would make this slightly harder but also safer for you, Officer Wilde: if the crime you committed could be set up with Bogo's knowledge and the help from a friend you fully trust, then you'd have one less thing to deal with in the potential fallout of the case…"

In Nick's mind his snarky side made a sudden appearance, Hey this has a silver-lining after all! Before being once again crushed by the weight of the discussion that had just transpired.

Taking a deep breath, Deputy Chief Gordon turned his gaze to the rabbit, who had, in the meantime, placed a hand on the fox's shoulder and was now rubbing it tenderly.

"May I address you now, Officer Hopps?"

Judy was startled, and her head immediately turned to her superior, though her hand never left Nick's shoulder.

"Hm? Oh, yes of course, Chief Gordon!"

"Bogo wanted me to give you some insight into what we might be dealing with in City Hall, correct?" At the bunny's nod, the beaver continued and, for the first time since the beginning of the conversation, smiled slightly. "Well, for that I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you on another wild goose chase, only this time, you'll be heading to Zootopia's Penitentiary."

Having recovered some of his composure, Nick joined Judy with his own eyebrow raised.

"I understand why your Chief didn't send you there in the first place, but if he won't tell you, then I will."

"But who in prison would be able to help us, let alone even want to talk to us?" Judy was incredulous.

"Arguably the only non-savaged victim of the Nighthowler case: Leodore Lionheart." Gordon said naturally.

Nick suddenly harrumphed before talking. "Figures… though I'm guessing it's his experience as mayor we're interested in?"

"Exactly." Pulling open another drawer, Gordon started rummaging through what sounded like stacks of paper, and eventually produced an old newspaper. "You see, while the Mammal Inclusion Initiative was the main banner for both his candidacy and his term, another, less public point of his was the fight on corruption in City Hall. And to this end he actually enlisted the help of some prominent ZPD figures… such as myself."

Turning the newspaper over to where it was now facing the younger officers, he presented a news article that detailed the arrest of a mouse, describing him as a corrupt city official. "The Little Rodentia construction scandal was one of the cases we actually managed to conclude, though many more were opened during Lionheart's administration."

Scratching his chin Nick added, "I remember that, there were payoffs to ignore some construction standards and skim the resulting leftovers in the budgets, right?"

Humming affirmatively, Gordon concluded "I've already taken the liberty of scheduling an interview with him in ooohhh…" He looked over at a clock on the wall. "…about 90 minutes."

"I'm sorry Chief, but aren't those interviews always monitored? If MR has people in the Penitentiary they'll likely get suspicious…" Just another issue with the secrecy of the case that popped up in Judy's head.

"Not to worry Officer Hopps. MR aren't the only ones with contacts in prison…" he said, smiling in a way Judy could only describe as… Nickish. "As I said earlier, the only people whose allegiances we can be sure of are our closest allies. While that's admittedly a short list it does include a couple of prison guards…"

At that both fox and rabbit looked at each other, exchanging quizzical expressions.

"Officers, when half or more of the convicts in the Penitentiary are Nocturnal District thugs and enforcers, it pays off to have a permanent eye on them."

Looking at each other again, Nick and Judy just shrugged. So far Chief Gordon had in fact lived up to Bogo's praise, and everything the former said had been both true and useful. They figured even if things were done a bit differently underground, it really wasn't their place to judge. Especially given their propensity for, creative, solutions for whatever case they happened to be working on…

"My contacts in prison will make sure your conversation with Leodore is not recorded, so try to learn as much as you can."

#

While Judy kept on intently listening, Nick noticed something odd: just as with Bogo, Gordon was referring to Lionheart as more of an acquaintance than a convicted criminal… He didn't get the chance to voice his suspicions however, as the beaver started wrapping up.

"Now, since we've covered the theory of this case, let's actually get your hands on some gear, shall we?" He said as he hopped off his chair and started waddling to the door.

As he reached it, he looked back only to find both younger mammals still in their respective chairs looking dumbfounded. Only Judy actually managed to speak up. "Uh, sir? Chief Bogo only sent us here to talk to you… He didn't say anything about equipment."

"Of course he didn't, but I'm not letting you two walk into a mess of these proportions without some technological help." At that he opened the door and exited, turning right as he did.

While Judy started scratching her chin, Probably trying to guess what Gordon's gonna give us, Nick's mind was preoccupied with a more personal issue.

He'd never been one to hog the spotlight. Even when working for Big, he always preferred to set up a deal and then have someone else go and ratify it. That way, not only did he avoid potential ambushes from Mr Big's rivals, he also dodged the full responsibility for whatever deal was being brokered.

When he went clean and joined the ZPD, he followed the same guidelines: do your job, don't over-invest yourself, never be the one to have to answer for anything. And while this wasn't always possible, it did mean he kept a low profile while never actually slacking off or being looked down upon.

With this case however, there was no way around it. He was the one who had to go in. His performance would mean the difference between the ZPD purging itself or losing itself. And even worse, it might also be crucial to Judy's safety.

Should his true intentions be discovered, their enemies would no doubt make the connection to whatever snooping Judy might be doing. And if they got to him, she'd be next.

As if that wasn't enough, he was also reminded he'd be putting the image he'd fought tooth and nail for on the line. His true image: that of a friendly, sometimes annoying, but honest fox. When he lived on the streets he thought anyone else seeing him that way was just impossible. But after Judy showed him a different side to everyone, his newfound respect – both from himself and from others – became his most prized possession.

Gritting his teeth he made an effort to push these doubts to the back of his mind. There were more pressing matters that needed attention. Chief Gordon, for one, was waiting for them.

"Guess we better go see what he has in store for us Carrots." Nick said getting off his chair.

Nodding in agreement, Judy followed her partner out of the office, where they found the beaver waiting for them in front of the elevators down the hall.

This trip to the Nocturnal District was getting more interesting by the minute.


A/N

This chapter was in part a completely new experience for me, with the description of a complex location such as the Nocturnal District. So tell me how you think I did in that regard. (And once again a BIG thanks to Euphonemes for his help, which was especially important in that section).

Also regarding the District, I derped a bit and forgot it's actually a part of the 12 mentioned in the movie, so having its Precinct be number 13 makes no sense (so much for the spooky number…). I've already gone back to correct the previous chapter in this regard.

If someone tells me I'm the first to compare the Nocturnal District to Gotham or at least Arkham, I won't believe you… but I'm still happy with my beaver Gordon XD Also, I might make an alternate version of this chapter (separate from this story) with one or two more funny cameos. I just thought it would take away from the story's sombre tone, so I restricted myself to Gordon here.

An important note regarding the Universe I've set this story on.

I say Bogo (and Gordon) both took office as Chiefs 15 years before this stories' events, which means 12 years before the movie. This is more or less an arbitrary figure, but I did assume Bogo was in his late 40s early 50s in the film, putting him in his mid to late 30s when he became Chief. While he would be a bit young for the role, I'm basing myself more on the Bogo we saw in the movie and his physique.

I think I've already seen the glow-worm idea before, maybe in When Instinct Falls by Upplet. I only remebered as I was posting this chapter so... if he did mention it, let's hope he doesn't mind :P

Give me your thoughts on what's been revealed so far :D

See you next weekend, with tech, another heart to heart, a talk in prison and more!

Cheers!