Chapter 4 – Interrogation
The next day started like every other day. You wake up and decide to immediately close your eyes again and have 'another five minutes'. And then somebody wakes you up even more because she wants you for her last checks.
Dr. Badger was standing at the bottom of my bed.
"If I wouldn't know better I would say you would still be in a coma. Come on we've got a lot of things to do."
I got up. Got the T-shirt and sweatpants Judy got me. And then it started; a long and tedious marathon of medical examinations. They took blood, made a full body X-ray and even monitored my brain activity. But hey, all in the name of science, right?
And then at around 3pm it was finally over. Sweet, sweet freedom.
Judy and Nick were already waiting for me at the reception.
"And doc. What did you find?" Nick asked Dr. Badger, who was behind me.
"Well, nothing."
"Nothing? That can't be you must have gotten something."
"I mean nothing extraordinary, which could explain why he survived the change. Except for the height, he is now an ordinary bunny." When she finished the sentence she looked at standing beside Judy and got a questioning face and made "Hmm…"
"What is it, doc?" Nick asked her.
"You two look awfully similar. If I wouldn't know your story you could be brother and sister." She said while pointing at us two. "I wonder if that's because she bit you."
I looked down at Judy. We couldn't looks so similar, right? We had the same fur colour, yes, I'll give her that. And the same black tips on the ears and the white batch of fur around the muzzle and on the palms … OK, I get what she means now.
"If that's all you need doc, we are going to take him to the station now." Nick said.
"Yes. Do that."
"Oliver, here is all your stuff from the locker. Let's go." Nick handed me my backpack with my old clothing in.
We got to the parking deck and into a police cruiser and Nick drove off to the station.
"If the traffic isn't too bad it shouldn't take long until we get to the police station."
he said to me while looking through the rear view mirror. He switched his attention to Judy.
"And, Carrots? Did you ask him questions until he collapsed from exhaustion?"
"Not really. But I think you better ask him yourself." she said in an 'I don't really wanna talk about it' tone.
"Uhm… OK." He decided to leave it at that as the rest of the journey was silence.
Meanwhile I was just staring out the window for my first proper look at Zootopia.
Nick drove into a parking garage. We got out and into the building.
"I get myself ready for service. I'll join you two later." Judy said and went.
"OK. Till then." he called after her "Come on we have to get you to Chef Bogo. He wanted to see you first."
We headed down a few corridors until we got to the big open reception space.
We turned right and after a few steps Nick knocked on an office door.
"Come In."
Nick opened the door.
"Morning, Sir. I've got the new guy."
He just pointed at the chair in front of his desk, without looking up from his paperwork.
But after a few seconds of awkward silence he did look up.
"I'll make it short. I don't care who you are, I don't care where you came from, nor what happened to you. I care that the guys that did to you are still out there and are a possible threat to the public.
But nevertheless you are a witness. And we don't quite know why they brought you here yet.
So we will put you into the 'Witness Protection Program' partly because there is a serious possibility 'they' are still 'interested' in you and because we don't need the public to worry about new species and other universes. Officer Wilde will do all the paperwork with you."
"Arrgh." It came from my back.
"No, argument Wilde. We can't risk anyone else getting onto this. This is Top Secret. Only people who absolutely need to, get to know. So get him into the system, get the interview and get him to the Professor. He wants to speak to him. So don't waste time and get going."
And with that we left.
"You're not a talker, are you?" Nick asked me.
"Not when you start screaming in a bloody monologue at me, no."
"So what was Judy meaning when she said 'you will find out in the interview.'? What were you two talking about in the hospital?"
"Oh, just some similarities and differences between the two worlds."
He raised an eyebrow.
"For example?"
"Well, pop culture, the movie and so on you know."
"Yeah, but that doesn't make Carrots react like this."
I had a deep breath. "OK, when we had dinner we also talked about food."
"And?"
"Humans are predators and we sort of have the same approach to food like here. If it isn't savage don't eat it, generally speaking. There are some exceptions and cultural differences."
"But you said you guys are the only ones not savage. So that means you guys eat mammals?"
"Yes." I paused and let out a sigh. "But it got worse."
"How so?"
"Well I didn't tell her exactly, but I am pretty sure she got it. Where I am from that includes the occasional bunny."
"So, you … ?"
"Yes. Yes, I did."
"Wow, that's hard stuff, fluffbut."
"Yeah, but I can understand her. I mean the whole 'eating other mammals' thing must be shocking in this world and then having the 'luck' to get somebody who actually … you know."
He placed his paw on my shoulder.
"Hey that isn't you fault. You follow the rules of you society that's all. And besides I imagine Judy in a world with sentience lettuce. She would be sentenced to death for mass murder." He chuckled. "Don't worry about it."
We got to the interview rooms.
"After you." he said while holding the door open.
It really looked like an interrogation room you know from the movies nothing special. On the table there was a voice recorder.
"I'll be joining you in minute. I have to get your Paperwork first." He closed the door.
And I started twiddling my thumbs. Then a door shut in the room besides mine. Probably the observation room behind the mirrors. And I could hear Nick and Judy in it talking.
"You got his file?" Nick asked.
"Yes. But we only got the stuff from his wallet. Which isn't much." she still was a bit grumpy.
"Carrots, what's the matter? Is it because of him with the food?"
No answer.
"Oh, come on. You can hardly hold that against him. Other worlds have different standards what they eat, so what? What would you do in 'lettuce world'?"
"Nick, that's ridiculous."
"As ridiculous as an unknown species from another world landing in Zootopia and then turning into a bunny? Huh, yeah."
"Ok, I look over it. He seems to be nice after all. You'll begin now?"
"As you wish my lady."
A door was opened and shut and Nick came into my room.
He sat down, opened the file and read through it.
He made a surprised face and showed me a copy of my ID card.
"Is that Name and birth-date correct? Oliver Schmidt, born 5th of October 1995."
"Yes."
"And how old are you?"
"20. But why are you asking you already know my birthdate. Can't you divide 2016 minus 1995?"
"2016 you say?" He wrote something down on his paper.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, we have the Year 264 here."
Wait that wasn't in the movie, was it? They never said a Year though.
So different points in time for the Year zero. Interesting, I wonder what occasion they use for the zero.
"Out of interest what was the occasion for your Year zero?" He asked.
"Religious stuff." I answered.
"And what date did you leave your world?"
"2nd of August."
"OK, at least that's the same. " He mumbled to himself and wrote it into the file.
'Click', he pushed a button on the voice recorder.
"Interview with Oliver Schmidt, born 5th October 1995, that equals 5th October 243 in the Zootopia. Zootopia Police Department, File number S86743." he started "OK, Mr. Schmidt, tell us what happened to you?"
And I pretty much told him the story to the point I woke up in the hospital, that I don't really know why I am here or why exactly I and then he ended the interview. We got out of the room and out of the next door came Judy. I guessed she must have seen it through the mirrors.
"What did Bogo say what happens with him?" she asked.
"WPP" Nick answered her.
"Urghh, that's gonna take the whole day!"
"Uhm, if I might ask what does that mean? What is going to happen?"
"Well, you get a new Identity and in transition time you get a financial aid." Nick answered.
"So, I literally get paid to keep my story secret?"
"Sort of. The transition period is only like 2-3 months. We will also get you a job to make your cover believable."
"A job?"
"Nothing, special. They are mostly within some government agency so we can have an eye on you. By the way what did you do before?"
"I was a Computer science student."
"Well, IT is always needed. I don't think you'll have a problem finding something for you there."
Then we got into the big reception area again. And it was chaos. A large group of people was standing in front of the reception desk and poor Clawhauser was totally overwhelmed by all of them.
Judy got to him. "Clawhauser what is going on here?"
"The communication in the city is pretty much broken down. Nobody knows why. All mobile phone networks have broken down, TV and Radio is out. Internet is gone."
Nick started checking his Phone.
"By the way thank you for having my back with her." I said to Nick, Judy was still occupied with trying to help Clawhauser to appease the mob.
"You heard us?"
"I guess these aren't just for the looks." I pointed at my ears.
"Damn, forgot about that. Anyway, He is right no service."
"Excuse me; are you Officer Wile and Hops?" A skunk had left the mass of people and approached us.
"Yes and No. I'm Wilde but he isn't Hops. That's Hops." Nick answered, pointing to Judy at the reception.
"Oh, sorry. You two really look alike. Are you a relative or something?"
"No. And who are you?" I asked him.
"I am Professor Howard Stine from Zootopia University and I know why this is happening."
ATHOR'S NOTE:
For everybody who didn't knew this: The Movie takes place in the Year 262 (Zootopian Years). You can see the year on a newspaper when Judy is back at her family after the press conference.
