I'm back, with Chapter two. This was actually a bit difficult to write, and I'm still not entirely happy with the emotions. I know how I want them to be in my head, but I can't seem to find the right words to describe them. That said, I feel this is about as close as I'll get. Hopefully the writing is still good, even if it isn't perfect. Also, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, my ego has been boosted significantly. As I stated before, constructive criticism is not only welcomed, but desired. Please tell me if I have made any mistakes, or if you have advice about writing in emotions better. Anyway, I digress.
Sadly, I don't own Zootopia. (If only I did; I'd be so rich...)
Okay, now that that's over, on to the story.
CHAPTER TWO
FOX MAYOR CAUGHT IN TRYST WITH PREY MAMMAL
Editorial by Stephen Slothmore
Yesterday evening, Mayor Nicholas Wilde was seen exiting a hotel room with one Lorraine Chanceux, a French-Zootopian rabbit. What they were doing is self evident. The fact that our mayor has such a perverse interest in prey is quite disheartening. Add to that that the mayor is in a relationship already, and it is even more unseemly.
Uncouth No predator should be involved in a relationship with a prey. It is unnatural, aberrant and revolting. For Zootopia's own mayor to be involved in such a revolting, unnatural relationship is abhorrent…
Judy looked up from her phone, shocked by the article's vitriol. She looked back at the photo that accompanied the article. It was a somewhat blurry photo of a red fox in a tuxedo, without the bow tie, several buttons done wrong, exiting a hotel room, and a brown bunny poking out of the room, handing him his bow tie, a towel wrapped around her, obviously nude. Judy was even more surprised.
Oh my gods. He slept with a bunny?Maybe he'll sleep with me… NO. Don't think like that. Be professional!
She entered the small room, which was marked as the office of Assistant Mayor Bellwether. She walked in and saw a diminutive sheep, about the same size as Judy.
"Oh, Hi there! I'm Assistant Mayor Bellwether, you must be Officer Judy Hopps! It's nice to meet you!" said the sheep.
"Nice to meet you too. I'm supposed to be security for the mayor, he sent me here for the specifics. I've never done anything like this before, so I don't really know what I'm doing, sorry," Judy replied.
"Well, it's pretty simple, you just follow Mayor Wilde around, make sure he isn't swarmed by journalists and what not. If anything really bad happens, you'll take him to the bunker. But that isn't very likely. Really, you just have to drive him around and make sure he can have a bit of privacy." Bellwether stated. It seemed like a very simple job. Judy knew she would rather be out solving crimes, but recognized that this was important, and at least it wasn't parking duty.
Nick sat in the back of his SUV, going over his speech. He looked out of the window and saw the amphitheater's seating beginning to fill. My career is ending here. I guess it's better to go out with a bang… he chuckled at his own bad pun. But I thought it would last longer. How unfortunate.
"Mr. Mayor?" came a soft, pleasant voice. Judy. Such a beautiful voice. And not bad looking either… No, stop. That kind of thinking is what got me into this mess to begin with, and I didn't even get that same feeling with Chanceux that I get around Judy. My career is over because of it, and I didn't even get what I was looking for.
"Yes, Officer Hopps?" Nick asked immediately, then looking up. As he looked into her eyes, he felt the tension in his muscles relax. You know, maybe my career ending wouldn't be that bad… I could be with Judy without fearing the consequences, he thought. Then a small part of his brain chimed in. No you couldn't. She would never want to be with you, a fox.
"It's time for your speech, sir," she replied, a look of concern on her face. "Are you ready? Are you okay?"
Nick closed his eyes, steeling himself for what he knew was coming. Never let them see they get to you.
"Yup," he said, giving a soft nod and turning to look her in the eyes. His shoulders went back, his chest out, and his chin up. A playful grin came onto his lips, and he got out of the SUV quickly, walking toward the stage with large steps, smiling at the crowd, waving, and acting very sure of himself.
He climbed up the stairs to the podium, and faced the crowd. He made sure to project signs of confidence, knowing that looking weak would be a hindrance.
"Good morning, my fellow Zootopians. I have called this press conference to address the accusation leveled at me by certain news sources. This is, at it's core, yellow journalism. It is scandal-mongering in it's worst form," he stated, his mouth downturned in obvious contempt. Then his expression changed. He sighed, his shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his feet. "That said, I will admit that I did have an affair. I made a mistake, I drank too much, and I was unfaithful. That part of these accusations was, to my shame. To my dearest Nikula, I am sorry. Please, if you can find it in your heart, forgive me."
"As for the object of my affair," he continued, the remorse still in his expression, but mixed with the contempt seen earlier, "That is where the accusations become untrue. I do not know who this 'Lorraine Chanceux' is, and I most certainly did not have an affair with her. I became involved with a young vixen, not a Rabbit. I may have been unfaithful, and I truly regret that, but I would not be involved in such an inter-species relationship. I will now be taking questions."
"Who did you have an affair with?" "Why are you telling us about the affair?" "How do we know you're telling the truth?" "Are you against inter-species relationships?" "Have you had other affairs?" "How long have you been having this affair?"
"Please," Nick said. "Please, one question at a time. Did I have an affair, yes, yes I did. Who was it with? A young vixen named Amaretta Voss. Why am I telling you about the affair? Because I regret it, deeply, and I want forgiveness," he said, trying to answer all of the journalists' questions.
Three sheep dressed as wolves walked into the amphitheater. All three wore black trench coats, turtlenecks, and baseball caps. They exchanged glances, and split up to spread throughout the crowd. They waited for the mayor to begin taking questions, and after he had answered several, they reached into their coats, and pulled out automatic rifles, firing on the crowd. After spending their magazines, and having killed several dozen mammals, they ran for the back exit, where a van waited for them.
Judy was scanning the crowd, looking for potential threats. She saw none, until she caught a glimpse of a group of wolves, who looked at each other, then split up and moved to equidistant parts of the amphitheater. That's odd… All three were dressed rather suspiciously, and just as Nick answered his fourth question, she saw the wolves reaching into their trench coats. She saw one pulling out what looked like a rifle, something she hadn't seen since the marksmanship training at the academy, and her instincts as a police officer kicked in. She rushed to Nick, grabbing him and dragging him to the SUV, and alerting the other officers.
"What are you doing, Hopps?!" Nick asked, surprised, as they got into the SUV.
"Those wolves had guns! We need to get to the bunker," she replied, hopping into the driver's seat and starting the vehicle. As she began to drive away, she looked back, and saw mammals fleeing the amphitheater, screaming, crying, many of them with paws covering their ears, or clinging to each other. She was aghast at the open displays of terror. She turned the corner, and began the drive to the bunker.
Nick let out a breath, making sure it was quiet enough that Judy would not hear. His mouth felt dry, and for some reason his muscles lost all tension. Your scandal will be secondary news after this! Thank the gods! Why did I just think that? That's horrible. People died, and I'm thinking of myself? What is wrong with me? Nick rubbed his neck, feeling conflicted about his sadness about the victims, his curiosity about the attackers, and his relief that the scandal would be buried by the attack. He shut his eyes and grimaced, internalizing his confliction as much as he could. Before he knew it, the SUV stopped, the door opened, and Judy was dragging him to the mayoral bunker. Just before he entered, he looked around. He had never been here before. It was a silo in the meadowlands district, in a large empty field. The SUV was parked in a nearby barn, and a dirt road lead away from the buildings.
They entered the silo, and saw that instead of an empty tube, it was a room with a spiral staircase going down.
"Huh. I've never been here before. Looks a bit different that I expected," said Nick, as he began going down the staircase. It felt like they were walking down the stars for fifteen minutes or so, and when he looked up, he could no longer see the entrance. They got to the bottom of the staircase, and saw a large pressure door, similar to what one might see on a submarine. It had a round valve in the center, and he began to turn it. The door made a loud hissing noise, then opened. Behind it was a long concrete hallway. The walls and ceiling were painted white, and the floor was unpainted, save for two yellow lines and inch from the walls, and a line of yellow arrows down the center.
Judy and Nick followed the arrows, and went through several more pressurized doors, these requiring identification in the form of eye scanning, paw prints, and even DNA. Finally, they opened the last door and entered a large room. Both Judy and Nick were awed by it's size and opulence. The floor was grey marble, with black marble trimming and columns rising to the ceiling, which was easily thirty feet up. A large staircase, also marble, rose from the center of the room, went to the back wall, and curved back around, leading to a second floor. On the landing of the staircase was a large mahogany grandfather clock. Around the columns and walls stood porcelain and marble statues, of lions, tigers, and bears. There were several large black wood doors on the sides of the room, and on the back wall, on either side of the staircase, were two hallways, equally opulent, that led back to a large modern kitchen, a home theater, a full sized gymnasium, and even a bowling alley. Upstairs, there were several suites of bedrooms, easily enough to fit several large families. The bunker even dwarfed Judy's childhood home in size, and she had grown up with several hundred siblings.
"Wow," said Nick, astonished. He felt his blood rushing, his eyes wide in utter amazement. "I knew Lionheart was corrupt, but this… this is truly palatial. And to think it was built with taxpayer money."
Nick sat in the sumptuous bunker's study, after having explored the place. Even after several hours, he still felt as if he hadn't seen everything. He had retreated to the study to think, and to get away from Judy. His astonishment, confliction, and relief might lead him to do something he would regret. He leaned back in the green leather armchair he was in, and stared at the crackling fireplace. The wooden logs atop the marble and granite hearth, surrounded by more marble, with mahogany accenting the outside of the mantle. He looked up a bit, seeing the bookcases surrounding the fireplace, with many leather bound books, and green felt backing. It reminded him of something one would see on Deerton Abbey.
"Nick?" asked Judy, who had just walked into the library and saw Nick transfixed by the fireplace.
"Huh? Oh, hello. What do you need?" Nick responded after being jolted from his thoughts.
"I made some food, if you're hungry." Judy said. See, Judy, already cooking him dinner. You could at least ask him if he's interested, her mind suggested. No! He's in a relationship already, and he just condemned Inter-species relationships at the press conference. Besides, I'm working. That would be unprofessional.
