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The following is a work of fanfiction: there is no intent of this author to violate, transgress, profit from or infringe upon the Copyright and Intellectual Property (IP) rights of the parent Copyright or IP holders of characters, events or locations belonging to the same which may be contained within this work. To reiterate; this is a Derivative Work meant to be used under Fair Use as described in 17 U.S.C. § 101 and § 107.
All language is either through Google Translate, or the site 'Bits'n'Bob-stones'
The Sons of Efrafa
.
"Jacob, good; come in, I need to talk to you."
"I need to talk to you too, Chief. What's up?"
"This incident with Bove seems to have shaken the bureaucratic tree; CLEAn is forming a Joint Task Force with the Polis on this Thule situation. I need DuPrey here, so I'm appointing you as the Seventh Precinct Liaison."
Hraka, this is gonna go over like a lead zeppelin. "I'm, afraid I have to decline ma-am."
"This isn't a suggestion, officer; I've already appointed you."
"I understand ma'am, but I still have to decline. Here."
"What is this?" -rustle- "You've been recalled to active duty?!"
Chapter 22
Chief Winterhorn's blood pressure could almost be heard rising as she read the Notice of Activation. Jacob steeled himself when she turned an arched look at him.
"I've already called MEP-C this morning, ma-am; the orders are legitimate."
"Time frame?"
"No less than six months, but as long as two and a half years, ma'am."
-grrr- "Get down to Mammal Resources and put in for three months Administrative leave."
Jacob hesitated. "Ma'am, my orders stipulate…"
"I know, officer; no less than six months." The Chief sounded more tired than angry. "I can only authorize Admin Leave in three-month blocks, before MR has to perform a Retention Justification Review. The city has so few military veterans, that issues of activation and retention haven't come up before now. Chrisakes, now I'm down a patrol officer, and two detectives."
Jacob took his orders back. "Two detectives?"
"Lilly went into labor last night."
"Ah. Is the Task Force some kind of permanent transfer?"
The reindeer huffed. "The key to administrative planning, is the assumption of worst case scenarios. I just wanted to avoid putting DuPrey in with Capt. Kamel and Interim-Mayor Canidae; Between those two egos, CLEAn's posturing, and how close Jean-Pierre is to this whole Thule Society issue, I had very poor hopes that anything productive would happen."
"But I could be voluntold to suffer this debacle?" Jacob hinted a smile.
The Chief snorted and nodded. "You're lowest on the totem pole, so you're where all the crap settles. Keep safe and get back here in one piece; I'm not giving you up without a fight."
Jacob snapped to attention and saluted before heading out.
…
Jacob showed up at the MEP-C at 8:00 sharp in his blue Class-B service kilt and tunic, with his grandfather's sword at his side. There was about two hours of in-processing to accomplish, including being sworn in and re-entered into the computer system and having his chip re-activated. He was then directed to a briefing room to receive his assignment. He arrived to find Lt. Redmane, the red deer head of LoNF security for the International Offices, as well as a rail-thin raccoon with an almost comically pronounced mask, and one very familiar, if unexpected face. "Mrs. Daveed?"
"Capt. Daveed, if you please Jacob." She was completely at ease in the Medei Aleph uniform of the Judean Armed Forces.
The raccoon stood and extended a paw. "Sgt. Raibert! Thanks for coming in on such short notice." The procyon's smile was worthy of Nick at his smarmiest. Jacob took the proffered paw.
"Sgt. Raibert, reporting as ordered, so it's not as if I had much choice. I've met the Lt., and I thought I knew Mrs., Capt. Daveed, but I don't know you."
The Lieutenant looked ready to jump over the table at Jacob's seeming disrespect when the raccoon waved him off as Rachel chuckled.
"Relax, Mike; the circumstances certainly warrant skepticism." He stood erect before Jacob and was instantly the picture of professionalism. "Special Investigator-in-charge Sylvester Cooper-Montoya, Interpol. You've met Lt. Mike Redmane, LoNF Special Intelligence Directorate; and of course, Capt. Rachel Daveed, Mossad."
Several odd encounters with the Eweden female suddenly made more sense. "You've been keeping tabs on the Society? That explains your interest in DuPrey."
She nodded in agreement. "The State of Judea is understandably interested in the activities and movements of the Thule Society. The Society has been trying to make inroads into Zootopia for years, since the close of the Tannerman Era. Bellwether's little coup attempt opened the door for them."
"Sgt." The Lt. stood from his seat. "At the request of Mossad, and with the shining recommendations from several of your former superiors, you are hereby reactivated for the ostensible purpose of participating as the official representative of the League of Nations, and its affiliate bodies, on the newly formed 'Zootopian Anti-Terrorism Commission'(ZATC)." He then handed Jacob a signed and notarized document. When he looked it over, he saw that the LoN was pulling a CLEAn on CLEAn.
He looked at the cervine officer, who waited patiently. "There's a lot of political capital invested in this sir, and whatever my orders might say, several of the mammals involved are my superiors. They're not going to like me telling them what to do, even if it is just 'play nice and share your toys'."
"And we don't expect you to." Sylvester had slipped back into his easy-going demeanor; Jacob almost wondered if he shared more in common with Nick than just a smug grin. "You're there as the LoN representative on the task force due to your extensive knowledge and experience in counter-terrorism operations, as well as your knowledge of the Thule Society. Your recommendations are our recommendations; if they try to shut you out, we sweep in on grounds of international security. Other than that, everything stays the same. Canidae chairs the commission, Kamel ibn Kamel heads field operations, and you work with ZPD under the Joint Law-Enforcement agreement, just like back in Anatolia." Jacob sincerely hoped not; those ended up being a bloody three years. "Now then, Sgt., let's get down to your security brief."
…
Jacob walked into First Precinct the next morning in full Class-B's: heavy service kilt, beret and tunic, sword and sidearm; though where once the feel of the FN FiveSeven was a comfort, now it was a reminder of how bad things were becoming. There were more than a few odd stares from his colleagues which turned to alarm at the sight of a live firearm, rather than the police issue non-lethal systems.
Jacob nodded greetings to those he made eye contact with, but otherwise headed directly for reception. "Officer Clawhauser, good morning. Looking good, the dance machine must agree with you."
The cheetah looked up from his terminal with a smile to answer, when he noticed Jacob's attire. "Oh. Em. Gee. Jacob?!"
"In the flesh. I'm here for the ZATC."
There was a flash of puckish glee in his eyes. "So, it's true?! CLEAn got cleaned out of the operation?"
Jacob smirked slightly. "Not entirely; this is an international venture, due to the international nature of the threat, but it's still a domestic issue, so domestic agencies have jurisdiction. I'm just here to co-ordinate international interests and assets into this commission, and to ensure everyone contributes to the fullest extent. I'm also here as the Seventh Precinct rep, since I'll be working there when I'm not here."
"And the, uhh…" Ben glanced at Jacob's armaments.
Jacob's demeanor became very formal. "I'm here in an official capacity as a military police officer and counter-terrorism specialist. They're a part of the uniform."
"Very good. Give me a moment to get you assigned a visitor's badge and an officer escort." He typed for a minute, then while the visitors badge was being coded in, he paged the Chief's office. "Chief, The LoN rep is here.".
"Fine, have Hopps escort them up." The Cape Buffalo's gruff voice carried an additional edge that Jacob assumed was due to the increased bureaucracy the commission involved.
"Yessir!" The building PA cut in. "Sgt. Hopps to reception, please."
"Sgt., Hopps? When did this happen, Ben?" Jacob quirked his ears.
Clawhauser leaned back into his seat. "Just this morning; Chief stipulated he would get representation since the commission is meeting here, and they said it needed to be a minimum of a Sgt., so he brevet promoted her six months early."
Jacob paused in his musings; Winterhorn had intended to post him to the commission, and he wasn't an NCO outside of the military, so how was that supposed to work?
It only took a minute for Judy to come down to the atrium. She was just as surprised as everyone else at the sight of Jacob. It took her a moment to gather herself, before addressing her fellow lagomorph. "Good morning, Sgt.? Raibert."
"Good morning Sgt. Hopps. Congratulations, by the way. I need an escort to the SLECC."
Judy smiled nervously as she glanced at her new rank insignia. "Thank you, Sgt. If you'll follow me, please."
The two made their way to the second floor and back to the command center. She glanced at Jacob from the corner of her eye. "How's Valerie doing?"
"Better." Jacob's shoulders relaxed slightly. "She's stopped asking about her knife, at least." He paused at the head of the stairs. "I know it's just an irrational male thing, but what upsets me the most right now is that I can't fix this; I can't find something to take a knife or a hammer to, and make it better for her."
Judy gripped his forearm for a second. "She doesn't need you to fix this, just be there for her."
"But I'm not!" Jacob gritted out. "I'm here playing at international politics, instead of at her side; but this is where I can do something, maybe put an end to this group, at least here in Zootopia." He looked at her with chagrin. "I had a long talk with her, my Marli-fa and my sister, and that's what they all said; I'll also be talking with Father Tatapolis, if only to have someone who isn't family tell me the same thing. Speaking of, how are yours reacting to the attacks?"
Judy huffed in frustration. "That, as you would say, is a two-drink ante conversation. But we're talking, at least."
"And Nick?"
Judy barked a laugh. "He's too busy with the Detective exams. The real drama is watching Oates and Daschle trying to get him to commit to one or the other as an intradepartmental transfer. I swear, every time they're in a room together, you can hear fight music from that old 'Stellar Voyage' show."
Jacob shook his head in mock dismay. "It's the end of an era; the breaking up of the 'Dream Team'."
"We're changing departments, not continents." Judy mused with a smile. "Besides, only one of us can become Chief some day, and I think he enjoys the mental exercise of detective work too much to give it up for the promotion ladder. He says he'll be surprised if he makes Lt. before he retires. I'll be surprised if he doesn't."
Judy knocked on the entrance and announced that the LoN representative had arrived. When the door opened, it was onto a scene out of a Tinsel-town action cop movie. In the background, a wolverine whom Jacob assumed was Special Agent Jed Swayze, looked on with a barely contained grin. Next to him was the city's Deputy Fire Chief, Capt. Kurt McCaffrey, an African clawless otter known for his loyalty to his peers in the fire service.
Capt. Kamel was standing in front of his chair glaring down at Interim Mayor Canidae. "You can't expect me to provide security for the city if we keep having new faces pouring in through the borders, not with mamming at our current numbers! Either close the borders or authorize the activation of the Police Reserve."
The dowdy wolf looked singularly unimpressed. "Salim, you know damn well we don't have the budget for that, and we certainly won't have it if we lose any more polis revenue from port tariffs. We need the trade to secure funds, and we need confidence in our Polis' security to entice trade. As it is, we're dealing with nuisance attacks; high profile, but nuisance attacks nonetheless. I am not going to take any action that will compromise the city's economy or international standing over a bank robbery gone wrong and a failed mugging."
Judy looked aghast at the Mayor. "My god! You're arguing about budgets and reputations? Mammals live are on the line!"
When Agent Swayze's eyes lit up like a kit in a toy store, Jacob knew he needed to act, no matter how much he might agree with Hopps' sentiment. "Of course, they're talking politics." Jacob hesitated for a moment until he saw the wolverine's grin grow ever so slightly. "They have a city to run; it's not as simple as just saying, 'throw more mammals and money at it.' Without trade, the city has no funds, without funds, the city can't pay the police, without police there's no confidence in the security of the city, and without confidence there is no trade."
Jacob almost laughed at the scowl on the Agent's muzzle. "Who the hell are you?"
Jacob and Judy strode towards the conference table. "I'm Sgt. Jacob Raibert, 237th MP Battalion Det. 3. I'm here as the LoN liaison and Precinct 7 representative; you may call me Sgt. Raibert."
Judy cast a sidelong glance at Jacob's subtle rebuke of the agent, then turned her attention back to the commission. "I'm Sgt. Judy Hopps. It's a pleasure to be here Madam Mayor, Capt. Kamel, Capt. McCaffrey, Agent, who are you again?"
"Special Agent-in-Charge Jed Swayze." The mustelid drew himself up as much as possible, but both Raibert and Hopps could see he was restraining himself from further comment. "Couldn't LoN send someone better suited than a couple of cute little bunnies?" Okay, not restraining himself, just trying to find the most offensive string of words possible.
"No, Agent Swayze, the LoN couldn't find another mammal with extensive counter-terrorism experience who was also intimately familiar with both the threat subject and the municipality in question. My colleague Sgt. Hopps," Jacob nodded to Judy, "…has been involved in nearly every instance of Thule activity in the Polis in the last year, as well as having a proven track record of novel thinking which resulted in breaking two citywide conspiracies."
Jacob noted the sudden attention the three senior mammals were directing his way, as well as the CLEAn agent's worsening mien. "On that note, Madam Mayor, I do have to correct you on the matter of the attacks; there has been a clear trend of escalation, from one murder, to serial rape, to the attempted firebombing of Lemming Brothers, to the organized assault at the charity fight last week. The Thule Society's ideology of rule through strength means they can't ignore their repeated failures in Zootopia, and they have a history of mass casualty attacks."
As the agent scoffed, Capt. McCaffrey spoke up. "How bad are we talking? Worst case scenario."
Jacob crossed his manual paws on the table. "Wankdorf Stadium, Bearne Switzerland in 1954. The Thule detonated the Graf Hindenburg II directly over the semi-finals of the World Cup; 8,000 dead, another 20,000 injured, to say nothing of the economic cost. Switzerland managed to stay out of the Great War, the Coup and attempted Iberian unification war by General Franco, and the Weimar Republic Civil War and Austro-Hungarian war. Intel seems to indicate their refusal to lend the NAZI party financial aid was one of the reasons they were targeted."
The Agent's scowl changed slightly. "They're not just about big foreign attacks. They hit the L in Chi-town in 1983; when they blew the tracks, a full commuter train went off the rails and plowed into a mixed species apartment. 183 dead, ten times that many injured; millions in damages and millions more in lost revenue when the L shut down for repairs and inspection."
Jacob nodded to the agent, hoping this was a sign that he was, at the least, going to meaningfully contribute. "There was also an attack in Tel Aviv in 1996. They rigged an X-Ray emitter to a pressure plate at a bus stop in the business district. Mossad thinks the device was operational for at least two weeks before they realized why people were getting sick; no direct fatalities, but the fear and disruption in municipal infrastructure triggered a recession. In every case, once the damage was done the Society claimed responsibility as an attack against the corruptors of the natural order. They seem to favor, 'combating the Zionists', though any herbivore dominant society, and especially any group preaching co-operation and inclusiveness is a target to them."
Judy looked thoughtful. "So why haven't we been hit before now?"
Canidae leaned forward. "International scrutiny would be my guess; after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the repeal of the Tannerman laws, Zootopia was required to have both a Confederation and a League of Nations representative on the Polis Senate for 50 years, to keep those kinds of breaches of civil liberty from being passed into law again. Any attack on the Polis would have garnered an immediate response by both the Continental Congress and the LoN." She sighed and looked between all the sitting members. "So, we are dealing with a sophisticated, dedicated enemy that's only now getting started?"
"That's correct ma-am." Jacob nodded his head. "Though I should emphasize, while their attacks may target the citizens, their true aim is the end of interspecies cooperation, and by extension, the idea of Zootopia. Any decisions this body makes, should be weighed against that goal."
…
Whatever hopes Jacob had of Special Agent Swayze being non-obstructionist were dashed as the morning went on. Both he and Hopps saw a clear trend developing; if an idea was floated which the CLEAn agent had not himself put forward, it was ferociously challenged, most often by subtly attacking whoever made the proposal. The same happened if there was any discussion on changing ideas he put forward. It was apparent that Canidae could see through him, and McCaffrey was unaffected by Jed's less than subtle attacks. Kamel however, despite his political aspirations, was too hot blooded to know when he was being played. By lunchtime, Jacob had decided he needed to make a call to some of his old LoN SID contacts. He had contemplated just seeing what Daveed might be able to do but felt that was the nuclear option.
Agent Jed ran his claws through the fur on top of his head. "Cripes, we're getting nowhere with this. Hey, Miss Hopps; I want a sandwich and a coffee."
Jacob, as well as the rest of the commission, could see murder pass through Hopps' eyes for a moment before an almost serene expression settled on her features.
"Personally, I'm in the mood for pizza. What about you, Jacob?"
It took Jacob a moment to gather himself up. "I could go for Pie-Zano's."
Capt. McCaffrey snorted. "You want good pizza, you go to Delaney's on Westchester Ave."
Judy just shook her head. "Chicago Deep-dish isn't pizza, it's quiche without eggs."
Agent Swayze looked on in growing frustration as the three smaller commission members debated the merits of various types of pizza and where to get them.
"Can you believe this?!" He asked Capt. Kamel.
The camel shook his head in dismay. "Disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful." He paused for a moment when the CLEAn agent got a smug look on his muzzle. "Everyone knows the best pizza in the city comes from Ristorante Castellano." The agent was shocked into immobility.
Jacob looked pointedly at the police Capt. "That's easy to say on Capt. pay, but we're wage slaves."
Aurelia cleared her throat. "I think, as the Agent suggested, that we should break for lunch; hopefully full stomachs will facilitate fresh perspectives. We'll reconvene at," She glanced at one of the wall clocks. "…1400."
With that, everyone except the agent got up and headed out, while the Wolverine sputtered in indignation.
…
A night out with friends had helped to calm frayed nerves from the day before, though Jacob was still a little tired the next morning; he had stayed up later than everyone else to make a very long-distance call. He had high hopes that, one way or another, the CLEAn issue would be resolved by the next evening.
The various commission members were pleasantly surprised Tuesday morning when Agent Swayze was not there to meet with everyone. Judy actively perked up. "Maybe he's getting everyone donuts by way of apology?"
"Unlikely." Kurt settled into his chair. "Let's just see how much we can get done before he finally gets in."
After an hour of debate, the various mammals had a better grasp on the extent of the resources they would have, and need; Aurelia, as the Chairmam of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), needed at least an afternoon to coordinate with the city's Surgeon General and directors of the Housing Commission and the Department of Public Works (DPW) on possible refugee, supply, and triage camps if a mass casualty event did take place. Both Capts. Kamel and McCaffrey felt that the Police Reserve and Volunteer Fire Services needed discretionary funds set aside but agreed not to use them until and/or unless they became necessary. Jacob would be checking on the availability of Corps of Engineers and MASH units that could be called up from neighboring states.
Hopps surprised everyone with one of her suggestions. "We could ask Pacifica and the Britannian Northwest Territories to step up their Maritime patrols. That could alleviate some of the burden from our own police and maritime services, while adding a second layer of security for the interim."
When everyone looked at her, she blushed but pushed on. "Well, they have as much at stake as we do; if Zootopia falls to these mammals, or even if we just take a hit, it's going to affect trade up and down the coast as well as across the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If we can get the other stakeholders involved, not just in potential cleanup, it could relieve a lot of the financial and mammal power burden from us; then we could focus on tracking these, monsters down."
Canidae smiled at Judy in appreciation. "That idea has significant merit. I'll get in touch with the Pacifican Governor about…"
The Mayor was cut off when the conference room doors were slammed open, and Agent Swayze swaggered in.
"Alright, I'm here; we can get started."
Canidae waited until he was seated to address him.
"In point of fact, Special Agent, we started over an hour ago, at the time we all agreed to reconvene." She affixed the government agent with a pointed look. "Since we have been working for an hour, I am calling a 15-minute recess to refresh ourselves." With that, she and the other senior members stood up and headed towards the door.
He finally stopped sputtering when Judy and Jacob stood to leave.
-Grr- "Hopps, I want a coffee."
She didn't even pause on her way to the door. "Break room is on the first floor, first door on the left past the elevator." She walked out next to Jacob, tail flashing in agitation. As soon as they were down stairs and out of sight, she turned around, buried her face in Jacob's tunic and screamed.
Jacob gently scratched the base of her ears until her breathing returned to normal. "It'll be okay, Judy."
"The hell you say, 'it'll be okay'! He's not treating you like a personal assistant!" Jacob could hear the edge in her voice, and knew she was on the verge of tears. "I am so sick of being treated as less than I am. What do I have to do to be treated like I'm worthy, get a sex change?!"
Jacob stood her up and looked her in the eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you; in his eyes, you'll never be worthy." She balked at that statement, but Jacob kept her focus. "I have it on the highest authority that Special Needs Agent Swayze…" Judy barked a laugh at that, and Jacob shared in the moment, "…thank you Nick for another fine zinger. Anyway, he's par for the course as far as CLEAn is concerned. It's top down, institutional narcissism; has been that way for about three years now."
Judy stepped back and leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "Great, we're at the mercy of an agency approved toddler. So, what do we do."
Jacob pulled his phone out. "You are going to ignore him as the meaningless government middle mammal he is; and I do mean ignore him. If he doesn't address you as Sgt. Hopps, don't answer him, don't look at him, don't acknowledge him. You saw the look on the muzzles of the rest of the commission in there; they've noticed you, and not just as a flash in the pan lucky rook. They're the ones whose opinions matter."
"Thanks. And what about you?"
Jacob held his paw up to forestall further comment and made a call.
"Kim? It's Jacob.
"Yep.
"About five minutes ago.
"Say, fifteen minutes?
"You can? Perfect, thanks."
Jacob noted Judy confused look as he hung up. "Nick's not the only mammal who 'knows a mammal'. Come on, let's head back upstairs; I guarantee, you don't want to miss this."
Once everyone was back in the meeting room, Swayze looked at Hopps expectantly. "Where's my coffee?"
Judy settled into her seat. "Ma'am, was there anything you might specifically need from first precinct? I don't mean to step on Capt. Kamel's hooves, but Chief Bogo can be…"
The wolf waved her off. "Chief Bogo is as prickly as a porcupine when it comes to city politics, so having an intermediary is a nice change. We'll probably need a few work stations in the SLECC set aside for inter-state…"
"Hey, I asked you a question rabbit." Jed's voice was stern and paternalistic.
There was dead silence in the room after the outburst. It was Capt. Kamel who spoke up. "No, Special Agent, you didn't." Swayze looked almost shocked at being contradicted. "You stated you wanted a coffee, then interrupted the meeting to demand why you aren't being served. Sgt. Hopps doesn't work for you; she works for the Polis. You would do well to remember that in the future."
Jed seemed to draw himself up to argue, when his cellphone rang. There was a pause as everyone looked at the agent, who flushed in anger and embarrassment. Embarrassment turned to alarm when he looked to see who it was. He was about to try to say something to the commission, when Jacob spoke. "Answer that. We'll wait, he won't." The rest of the commission looked at Jacob in shock at that declaration. Jed's alarm started to morph into genuine fear as he answered the call.
"Special Agent Swayze.
"Yes, sir I…
"No sir. It's just…
"No sir.
"Absolutely not, sir. I…
"Yes sir."
His paw shook as he put the phone away. Everyone was either looking at the agent or looking at Jacob. "You wanted to know yesterday." The agent looked up when Jacob spoke. "That is who I am. We will not have this conversation again."
Jacob turned and faced the rest of the commission. "My apologies, Madame Mayor, Captains, Sargent. We were discussing the possibility of coordinating with neighboring state agencies to expand our capabilities in searching for more Thule infiltrators?"
…
The rest of the day went quite smoothly, if awkwardly; Agent Swayze only had to be reminded once that Judy was to be addressed as Sgt. Hopps, not Miss Hopps. The other commission members insisted on referring to Jacob as Sgt. Raibert, which was good on the face of it, but carried a tension Jacob wasn't entirely comfortable with. This was especially noticeable with Judy, who seemed to shy away from eye contact. Jacob resolved to give her the space she seemed to need.
As far as commission work was concerned, the day was a success. The basics of available resources were presented, from RAT assets stationed at the Teller-Ulam building, to forensic specialists in Philadelphia. It was agreed to adjourn for one full day, to give everybody a chance to coordinate with their various entities on when and what could be rapidly put into place. They would reconvene on Thursday to begin laying out a framework for an Emergency Action Plan.
As they were leaving, McCaffrey pulled Jacob aside for a moment. After a minute of conversation, Jacob headed over to Judy. "Sgt. Hopps, a moment."
Judy froze in place without turning around, though her ears did track to him. "Yes, Sgt. Raibert?"
"Capt. McCaffrey just challenged me to put up or shut up on the pizza issue from yesterday. You in?"
Judy hesitated for a moment while looking at Jacob from the corner of her eye. "No, thank you though. I've got a… a thing with Nick." She walked away, internally wincing and hoping she wasn't ruining another of Zib and Nick's date nights. She really needed to talk to someone, and Nick was the best person she knew for evaluating people.
Luckily, Nick and Zib weren't on a date that night, though he did insist on inviting Zib. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of having another female along; she loved Nick better than some of her own kin, but he still didn't have a female's perspective. They decided to meet at the 'Cat café'.
Judy was nursing her hot and sour soup while the two foxes shared a plate of Crab Rangoon. "Thank you, for letting me vent. It's just frustrating, feeling afraid like this; I feel like the stereotypical bunny, jumping at shadows, or like I'm about to have another Press Conference moment. It doesn't help that 'Capt. Hammer, Government Tool' can't go five minutes without saying something belittling to someone.
"Then, there's Jacob; I thought I'd feel relieved at having a peer in there with me, but he's not. It may seem stupid, but I was scared! Here's this government Special Agent sent from the Capitol, and he nearly wet himself after Jacob made a 30 second phone call! I just… I feel like I don't know him. It's one thing to joke about, 'ask in five years', but what did he really do that he has that kind of political clout? I just feel so, small." Judy sagged against the table.
Zib held out one of her paws for Judy. The doe was grateful for the contact. "Judy are you scared of Jacob, or what you now know he can do?"
Judy hung her head. "A little of both. I've never met anyone with that kind of power before; what happens if, I don't know, I offend him or something?"
Zib and Nick looked at each other in concern, before Zib spoke up. "Judy, it's all right. You're allowed to feel fear, just don't let it control you."
Nick lightly rubbed the top of Judy's paw. "You remember that bit of 'hard earned foxy wisdom' I shared with you a few months ago months ago?"
"'We fear what we don't understand and hate what we fear'."
"Close, we only fear what we don't understand. It's a choice, not a state of being. For perspective, could you do me a favor?" When she looked up, he had a nervous grin on his face. "Go into your phone's contact list and bring up the letter 'F'. Who's the first name that comes up?"
Judy sat up straight. "I don't need to look; it's Fru-Fru."
Zib's paw tightened in surprise, and Judy was alarmed by the look on the vixen's muzzle. She was about to reassure her friend when Nick continued. "That's right Judy; you have the heir apparent of the Bagnoli crime syndicate on speed dial, and that's scary to people."
"But that's different; I saved her life, and she's my friend! I'm her first-born's godmother. I'd never use that to…"
Nick tapped her on the nose. "But you did, and I was there. Yes, mammals lives were on the line and you didn't have any other resources to draw on, but you still made the call. Jacob made the call he had to, and you can't say that making sure the ZATC runs smoothly when we're under threat of attack isn't as important as trying to find the true mastermind of the Nighthowler plot."
Judy let her head sag down and tried to pull her paw back, but Zib kept a firm but gentle grip. "Judy, I know it's scary to find out someone you know has scary secrets." The vixen rubbed her thumb across the back of the doe's paw. "God knows I've been shocked by some of the things Nick has shared with me. I know it's hard being a female in a position of authority; hell, Cat's a big cougar and she still gets treated like that. It's okay to feel frustrated at your treatment, or startled by the power you're seeing, but the heart of the matter is that Jacob doesn't abuse that power, just like you don't abuse yours. You need to have faith in your friends, because we have faith in you."
Judy groaned and lay her head on the table. "Now I feel like a terrible person."
Nick started scratching her behind her ears. "No, just a normal one. At least you know it takes a solar powered flashlight like Swayze to get Jacob to break out the big guns."
Judy looked up in confusion. "Solar powered what?"
Zib squeezed her paw and smirked. "A special kind of worthless tool."
…
Jacob sat in front of the flight officers of the Teller-Ulam buildings RAT security detachment, while nursing his oatmeal and coffee with honey; he boggled that Kurt could power through an entire Chicago deep-dish pizza, as the one slice he'd eaten had left him blocked up like a beaver dam. The mammals in front of him were very understanding of his short explanation and were ready to get down to work.
"So, F.O. Hacket, W.O. Jack…"
"Please, Gadget and Monterey." The hefty brown rat cut in with an Anzac drawl. The diminutive field mouse with a shock of blond head fur nodded in agreement.
Jacob arched an eyebrow at the two pilots of the RQ-19/O observation ornicopters, calls signs Rescue One and Rescue Two.
"Maybe off duty, but not with the Lt. lurking around."
There was a chuckle from Lt. Charles Damner and F.O. Dale Edwards, the two chipmunk pilots for the MQ-12 flight, call signs Ranger One and Ranger Two. "Redmane's a pussycat, figuratively speaking." The chipmunk in a bomber jacket opined.
"Be that as it may, I'm not taking chances on this. Anyway, I need to know what you'd need for secure comms from inside a building? In a pinch, we could erect an ATC (Air Traffic Control) rig on Precinct One's roof, but I'd rather have a direct link in the Command Center, if we need to call you guys up."
"Dale's sweetheart's in charge of forward control so she's the one you'd ask, mate." Monterey flinched when a pine nut bounced off his head, courtesy of the aforementioned brown bat.
"Watch the sexist crap Monty, or I'll put you up on report, again!"
The aging Warrant Officer looked around, but got no support, especially not from his female wing-mate.
"On task, mammals." Jacob chided lightly. Once everyone was focused again, he turned to the aforementioned brown bat. "So how about it Cpl. Foxglove; can you tie in through Zootopia's communications gear, or are we going to need special Crypto lines installed?"
She squared her shoulders and looked at Jacob. "All the Cryptography is handled by the vehicle radios and the base-station, and we do have one mobile base station for forward deployments at un-improved locations. We'll just need security for the gear and an adapter for the power, since it's meant to run off a generator."
Jacob nodded. "Alright, I'll talk to Redmane about a detail, or see if he's willing to vet ZPD officers if all they need to do is make sure nobody tampers with the gear."
Dale gnawed on a pine nut. "What's the ROE going to be, if we are called up?"
"Urban riot, minimally lethal." Jacob leaned forward. "There's nothing in the city, police or otherwise, that'll stand up to steel-core .50 A.E., so we'll leave the chin guns alone. Ordinance pods will be millimeter wave Active Denial Systems, and C.S. canister launchers. Unless directed otherwise, or you are directly engaged with weapons fire, stick to the pods. Any other questions? No? All right, thanks for your time." Jacob stood and saluted the W.O. and Lt., then started working on his proposal to Bogo and Redmane.
He was interrupted by a knock on the conference room's door frame. Special Inspector Cooper-Montoya stuck his head around the corner. "A moment of your time, Emanuel?"
"Certainly, sir."
"Oh, none of that formality crap; call me Sly."
Jacob rolled his eyes and waved the raccoon in. "What did you need?"
"An in with the Hornblowers: our media relations office wants to, screen any propaganda that comes out of the Thule, and CLEAn managed to bollocks up the initial meet and greet."
"Was that the one where Val was threatening the deer in a suit?"
"If Val was the Lapina, then yes. You know her?"
Jacob got a wistful look on his face. "We're dating, hopefully more soon."
Sly whistled and smiled while worrying his unadorned ring finger. "Gotta watch those Iberian ladies."
Jacob pushed his paperwork to the side. "Want to talk about it?"
The inspector looked at his paws. "No, but maybe take some hard-won advice: don't ever, ever stop communicating. I did, and I got fixated on old problems, old feuds. By the time I got my head out from under my tail, our marriage was tanked, and my career nearly with it. She took a posting as Deputy Director of the Kanto office under Zenigata, and I was busted down to special investigator and assigned to Zootopia." He looked up at Jacob. "There's not a day goes by I don't wish that crazy bastard really had built a time machine, so I could go back and slap some sense into myself."
He levered himself up and headed back out. "Anyway, if you could arrange a meet and greet for me, I'd really appreciate it."
Jacob stood up. "I'll see what I can do; just to warn you, censorship of any kind is a real hot button issue with both Horace and his dad."
Sly nodded and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. I don't need a second Iberian angry at me; Carm would get jealous of anyone else kicking my backside, and her not being involved. Then again, it might be worth it if that brings her home, even for a day."
…
Thursday's meeting had started much smoother than Tuesday's, with Agent Swayze keeping sullen and quiet unless directly addressed. The first hiccup came when Jacob was explaining the requirements for integration of LoNF Ornicopter operations. Interim Mayor Canidae leaned forward with a puzzled look. "I think I understand most of the first part of that, though it will be the responsibility of First Precinct to provide adequate security; you and Sgt. Hopps should have no difficulty coordinating that."
Jacob looked over at Judy and noticed her pensive demeanor. Thinking about his conversation with Special Investigator Cooper-Montoya, he decided that he would need to talk to her and clear the air between them; though that would have to wait for lunch, as Canidae was continuing.
"It is the rest of the technical terms I don't understand; and as they seem to relate to the readiness and capabilities of these aircraft, could you elaborate for the rest of the commission?"
"Certainly, ma'am." He used the terminal at his seat to operate the 90" monitor at the unoccupied side of the room, to show a pair of machines, with rodent crews for scale and technical data printed next to them. "These are the RQ-19 Dragonfly, and MQ-12 Hornet. They are both electric ornicopters, with microwave rectennas for main power, and fuel cell backup power. The Dragonfly is the quad rotor, has a crew of four, and specializes in ELint and EWar." Jacob looked abashed at the pointed look Canidae gave him. "Apologies ma'am; electronic intelligence gathering, and electronic warfare."
Capt. Kamel tapped the table with a hoof. "How is that helpful to us?"
"The 19's have rather powerful monitoring and jamming gear, so we can use them to track intercept, or even jam any communications within a three-kilometer radius; and with a speed of around 250 Kph, they can keep pace with any vehicles we might want to track."
Capt. McCaffrey perked his ears. "Search and rescue capabilities?"
"Minimal, sir; they're meant to track electronics, not people. For that, we would use the Hornets. They include a FLIR, or Forward Looking Infrared sensor system, coupled to the chin turret." Jacob noted the alarm in both Hopps and Canidae. "This is the same system used by fire jumper teams in the Sierra's, for tracking wildfire teams, and locating mammals caught in a blaze."
The mustelid captain raised an eyebrow. "They can spot a mammal's heat through a fire?"
"So a friend of mine says. He's with the Pike's Peak fire station as an ornicopter pilot."
Frank gave Aurelia a look that promised discussion at the next budget meeting.
Jed piped up. "If the FLIR is coupled to the turret, what's to keep the crew from, say, accidentally mowing down pedestrians they're looking at?" While the commission might not like the tone he used, it was apparent that this was one of the concerns that they all had. "I mean, that thing's a 50 caliber submachinegun; that'll open up a rhino like it had a zipper."
Jacob was annoyed more with the smug look on the agent's face, than he was with the concern being brought up. "The same thing that keeps cops and soldiers from doing that: good trigger control. The gunner operates the weapons, but only after the pilot arms them." Jacob wanted to chuckle at the agent's pout. "Standing orders are not to arm the gun unless fired upon or ordered to do so. That's one of the reasons I wanted the forward air controllers here; any orders for the flight would have to be cleared by this commission. As for the pods, Capt. Kamel and Sgt. Hopps are both familiar with these systems, if not the carrier itself."
The desert beast nodded his head. "TUSK team vehicles have a similar device in a remote turret on the roof; an automatic tear gas-grenade launcher, next to a directional microwave emitter for breaking up riots."
Jacob turned is head back to Aurelia. "Ultimately, it's your choice whether not to use these assets."
She leaned back in thought for a moment. "I'll approve, but only for search and rescue purposes at this time; I have no desire for Zootopia to turn into a police state patrolled by military gunships." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Let's break here for lunch."
Jacob headed over to where Judy was packing up her reports. "Hey, Sgt. Hopps; the Falafel Cart should be at Unity Park. Care to Join me for some al-fresco fried food?"
She hesitated for a moment. He was about to press, when she turned to him.
"Sure; Nick's taking his exam today, and I hate eating alone."
Jacob and Judy headed across the street to the large park that dominated the space between City Hall and Precinct One. Once they secured their lunches, they found a bench that faced the central spring-fed fountain. Jacob had just taken a bite when Judy spoke without looking up.
"You scare me Jacob." Jacob nearly choked and was about to speak when she continued. "You scare me, and I hate feeling like a stereotypical scared little bunny. I was looking forward to having at least one mammal in there who wasn't some big-shot political player, and then you made that call and I was once again the smallest mammal in the room. I hate feeling like I need a, 'big strong male' to save meek little me, but there it was; Swayze can't, or won't respect anyone smaller than him, or who doesn't have testicles."
"That's not an unreasonable concern, Hopps." Jacob looked down at his lunch. "You get the short end of the cultural stick on this one; small, female, and classed as prey. You're a triple threat of stereotype fodder." He looked over at his friend. "It's okay to be afraid of things you don't understand at first. It's just, I had hoped you knew me well enough to trust me."
Judy growled and scratched the top of her head. "I know, and I feel terrible because of that. That's the scared bunny thing to do; react to the threat by running and hiding. But I am not, and I refuseto be a scared little bunny." She turned to face Jacob. "And you're right, what you said about fear and all; Nick and Zib said the same thing to me the other night. So, help me understand. You always go on about your NDA, and 'ask me in five years'. Help me not be afraid."
Jacob nodded and leaned forward to rest on his elbows. "Among other things, I was involved in several interrogations that led to the creation of double agents in several terrorist groups. Those inside mammals, and their SID handlers are still in play in Anatolia, as well as the Levant, Assyria and Purrsia. I'm known to the Directorate and have met the current regional head of operations. That's who I called; mammals who scare me as much as I scare you."
Judy scrunched her muzzle up. "You're not going to get called to do any 'Jack Savage' shenanigans because of that call, are you?"
Jacob chuckled at that. "No, this isn't a Quid Pro Quo kind of setup; that call, is precisely why I was activated and put on the commission. Now, if I had done something like that while inactive, then I might have gotten a visit by the 'Smoking Mammal'; though more than likely, I'd just get told no, and found my phone was blocked."
Judy deflated slightly. "Is it bad that I'm relieved by that fact?"
"Not at all; there need to be checks on mammals with that kind of power, and ultimately, I think that's why you're on the commission."
Judy smiled, and raised her fork in salute.
…
When Jacob came back from the days meeting, he had a list of officers who were assigned security of the SLECC. Out of all twelve names, only one was rejected due to a drunk-and-disorderly charge from Oakland PD. Jacob had always thought McHorn was a rock-solid officer, but apparently it really is always the quiet ones. This still left eleven officers who could provide the necessary security, and the next day saw the beginnings of the integration of the LoN's RAT detachment. Friday was also the day the commission finalized and formalized their emergency action plan. It was six that night before the meetings were adjourned, with the plan to meet once a week for departmental updates and reviews. Judy headed out to celebrate Nick's passing his detectives exam, while Jacob stayed behind to ensure the ATC was up and running. Once that was done, he fully intended to join them.
They were doing final radio checks with Rescue 1 over the Climate Wall between Sahara Square and Tundra Town when a tech from cyber-crime rushed in.
"Sgt.?" The out of breath Sun Bear handed Jacob a printout while leaning on a workstation.
Jacob's ears shot up in alarm as he read the sheet. "When was this?"
"Only about ten minutes ago; conversation's still going, as far as I know, but it sounds like…"
"Neues Kristallnacht; New Night of Broken Glass. Is this a Tweeter™ feed?"
"Yes sir, but it's a new account; set up in the last couple of days. CLEAn data-miners spotted it earlier today."
Jacob handed the sheet back. "Looks like we got all this set up just in time. Keep on this; we've got two large Eweden populations in the metro area, we need to know which one is the target, and when they plan to hit." The specialist nodded and headed back to her work center. Jacob then turned to the dispatch officers assigned to the ZATC. "Officer Nolan, get on the phone tree; we're going live. Officer Wiggins, get ahold of Precinct Seven and Precinct Nine, tell them to stand up for a possible attack against the Eweden community. Cpl. Foxglove reroute Rescue One to the border of the Meadowlands and launch Rescue Two to hold at the border of Foxburough Parish; once there, start listening for cell phone chatter. We'll get them specific numbers as they come in. Also, put Ranger One and Ranger Two on Ready-Five status."
There was a rush of activity as the Command Center spun up. During the lull, Jacob started to compose a text message for the FCDC. While he was typing, he received a text from Mrs. Horowitz. When he read it, he smiled in relief; this was a general text alert being sent out across the FCDC, advising that the police were conducting operations, and to be on the lookout for suspicious activity. There were directions on who to notify if anything was spotted, as well as rally points where people could bunker down until the all clear was given. Jacob erased the message he had been composing, and simply acknowledged receiving the text. With the network up and running, he could focus on his job with confidence that the neighborhood was in good paws.
Officer Nolan was still going through the phone tree, when Officer Wiggins put the Precinct Seven and Precinct Nine dispatchers on dedicated terminals.
"This is Officer Hartnell, Precinct Nine."
"This is Officer Santusky, Precinct Seven."
Cpl. Foxglove turned around from her terminal. "Rescue One and Two are on station, Ranger One and Two are on the hot pad."
Just then, Nolan hung up his phone. "Everyone but Capt. McCaffrey is on their way; he's dealing with a restaurant fire on Tujunga Dr. in the RFD (Rain Forrest District)."
"Alright." Jacob stood at military parade rest, and everyone look at him. "Nolan, you coordinate with Hartnell and Rescue one. Wiggins, you've got Santusky and Rescue Two. Foxglove, ZPD isn't used to having this kind of aerial recon; ease them into it, and let Monterey know if he gives the cops too much crap, I'll wrap him in duct tape and donate him to the UZ Jai Alai team."
There was a short round of chuckles, and then everyone swept into action. The first of the commission members started to show up five minutes later.
"Good evening, Sgt. Raibert. I'm assuming this isn't just a drill?" Mayor Canidae was in a much more casual slacks and blouse than she had been wearing earlier.
"No ma'am. CLEAn and Cyber-Crime got a hit; it looks like the Thule intend to hit the Eweden community, either in Foxburough or the Meadowlands, maybe both. McCaffrey's tied up with a fire in the RFD; other than that, everyone is on their way. I'll have Cyber-crime patch in through monitor two." Jacob nodded to the tech at the appropriate terminal, and soon a flustered sun bear appeared on the screen. There were a few seconds of the ursine gawping at the camera, before she got up and walked away.
Jacob looked around in alarm for a second before Officer Nolan spoke up.
"Naomi hates cameras."
Before either Jacob or Aurelia could say anything, a ferret in a turtleneck was placed in front of the camera.
"Um, hello? Mrs. Mayor, ma'am? I'm specialist Nielson; I guess, I'm your mammal."
"Good, as long as we have one. Once the rest of the commission arrives, I want you to brief them as to what you've found."
There was a squeak from off screen which caused Nielson to look over in sympathy before responding. "Yes ma'am."
It took another twenty minutes for everyone else to arrive. The last to come in was Agent Swayze.
"I got pulled over!" There was some cheese sauce on his tie, indicating he had been eating when the call came in. He glanced around. "Where's the fuzzy noodle? If we're here, so should he!"
Jacob spared a moment to give the agent a disdainful look. "Capt. McCaffrey is fighting a fire in the RFD. He'll join us when he can."
Capt. Kamel waved the obnoxious wolverine off without looking at him. "We'll have any ticket cleared up, and work on a priority signal for Traffic to know to let you through. Now, Sgt. Raibert, what do we have."
"Sirs, at approximately 1900 hours, a social media channel CLEAn had flagged had this posted on it; Specialist Nielson?" At that, the ferret was replaced with a Tweeter™ post calling on, 'all true Alfen to strike a blow against the Zionist lie! #NeuesKristallnacht!' "That was when I activated the call roster and notified the two Precincts with the largest Eweden populations in the city: Precinct Nine in the Meadowlands, and Precinct Seven in Foxburough Parish."
The Capt. looked around the command center. "We're online, then?"
Jacob nodded. "Yes sir, Chief Stiles and Chief Winterhorn are on and waiting; ZATC is all yours."
Aurelia settled into one of the chairs. "Good. Hopefully, this is just angry hate speech, and nothing else comes of it."
Specialist Nielson's voice came from the screen. "Sorry ma'am but it doesn't look that way; chatter shot up in the last ten minutes from 50+ mammals, and we have a possible time frame, though it looks to be in code, unless someone knows what, 'the hour of claws' means."
Canidae's shoulders slumped. "It means 11:11 at night." She mimicked dragging her claws down in front of her.
Judy nodded her head and squared her shoulders. "Well, that gives us three hours to get in place. Your orders, Capt.?" Judy stood at parade rest in front of Kamel.
The Capt. stepped forward, his head held high; now was the time for Zootopia to shine.
