-Landfall-
A dull thud traveled through the hull of the ferry as it connected with the pier at Camp Hudson. With the quarantine in place and the bridges clogged with vehicles stranded from the evacuations the JTF had to use ferries, helicopters, and a few remaining tunnels to get supplies and personnel into the camps.
NYPD Officer Judy Hopps spent the ride across the river leaning against the railing, the strong winds pushing her light grey hair back and causing her eyes to water as she looked at the city that had been her home for the past year and a half.
All it took was a few weeks before the panic and chaos almost destroyed this wonderful city, she thought with a sigh. Unzipping her grey hiking jacket she bent down to grab her backpack and rifle before turning around and walking over to the other side to disembark.
On her way over to the line she reached up to remove the scarf she had covering her face, she forgot to grab hers before boat ride over to Brooklyn three days ago and her whole face felt numb after the ride; luckily, this time she was able to borrow one.
Recalling who she borrowed it from, Judy couldn't suppress the smile that crept its way to her face. Of course there was sadness to the smile as she remembered what the Agent had told her as they parted.
It was only a few hours ago but I already feels like it's been days, she reflected as the line shuffled forward slowly.
Earlier that morning the snow began to fall heavily for a while, causing near white-out conditions, and Judy's patrol group was pinned down by armed rioters who were trying to steal the supply drop they were guarding. One by one the JTF fire team fell, leaving Judy as the last line of defense against three or four assailants. Luckily, Agent Savage came onto the scene and helped turn back the tide of attackers before she was overwhelmed.
Judy took Jack's offer to team up and together they worked to clean up the streets. As the two of them searched the neighborhoods the heavy snowflakes began to sting her face, which she tried to cover with her hands, reducing the pain but not eliminating it.
Rather than fighting the snow and low visibility they took shelter inside a deserted store, taking a breather and grabbing a snack of energy bars and water. Jack surprised her by offering his scarf, claiming he was going to be fine without it, despite the biting winds and snow.
By noon they and a small group of National Guard soldiers saved the Brooklyn police precinct from a large group of rioters. With Brooklyn saved and their job done Judy had tried returning the grey scarf to him before they parted ways.
He smiled and shook his head, "You can keep it Officer Hopps. I've been fine without it all day, plus you can use it as a backup now."
"Oh, thank you," she said, blushing a little at the unexpected gift. "Well…if we meet up in the future I can always give it back to you if you need it."
"Then I'll leave it in your safekeeping," he replied in a cool and calm voice. "Thank you for your help today Officer, if we had more people like you I'm sure we'd take back New York in a week," he chuckled, reaching out to shake her hand.
Judy felt her face burn even hotter as she slowly let go of his hand, maybe she was more wind burned then she originally thought. Still, she chuckled along with the agent, shyly averting her eyes.
She felt uncomfortable when people complimented her, even after the Night Howler case that she and Nick cracked. She just felt that it was her duty; just part of the job, the attention was merely an unwelcome by-product.
"So what happens now?"
He paused a moment to brush off the snow out of his hair and off his shoulders with a gloved hand before responding, "I'm honestly not sure, I guess I'll head back to the safe house and…"
Before he could finish, the computer on his shoulder chirped and he raised a hand to his ear. As he listened he paced back and forth, nodding his head and uttering a couple of 'mmhmms' and 'yeahs' throughout the message. Judy waited quietly, curious of what the message was, but she curbed the temptation to step closer to him and eavesdrop.
"Okay," Jack proclaimed loudly with a clap of his hands, causing Judy to jump a little, "that was Faye Lau, a fellow Divison agent. She and the rest of the second wave of agents are waiting at the pier." He made eye contact with Judy for a moment, trying to pick his words carefully, before wetting his lips and turning away.
"I'll be honest Judy," he started hesitantly. She perked up at the sound of her name, he hadn't used it all day except when they introduced themselves, it's always been 'Officer Hopps' or 'Officer' or even just 'Hopps' a couple of times, just like everyone else at the precinct.
"I'm really nervous about this mission, and I'm also…really excited. And that makes me feel horrible." He gave a harsh bark of a laugh, "How I can be excited about doing my job, when the only reason I'm here is because everything is standing at the edge of a bottomless void. I mean people lie dead in the streets, good people…innocent people. Criminals are running rampant apparently. And good men and women like you are here, facing death and hate everyday just trying to make it all right again."
"How can I be excited about this? How?!"
When he finished he met her eyes again, this time they were filled with something she hadn't seen in them all day, uncertainty.
Judy stood there, stunned; here was a man who just minutes ago faced down armed rioters and thugs without flinching. A man whose calm helped her make it through the day; who saved her life not three hours ago. And now, he was letting her, a stranger, see past the mask he wore, letting her see the worries and thoughts and emotions he kept hidden just beneath the surface.
Throughout the morning Judy spoke a lot, or rather, she rambled; whenever she got nervous she would talk and talk and talk. She tried to control it, but it still happened, a lot.
Now, while she didn't learn much about Agent Savage through conversation, she did learn a lot through his actions and the way he treated civilians and other JTF officers.
Although Jack Savage was a dangerous man, Judy knew he was a good man.
He helped any civilian they came across, whether it was making sure they got to safety or sharing some of his meager supplies, he made sure to do all he could to make their lives better. Whenever they came across fellow JTF officers he would always make sure they made it out, thinking quickly and reacting fast, saving lives whenever he could.
A good dozen JTF personnel owed Jack their lives today; herself included.
"Jack," she started softly, reaching up to touch his shoulder in a way she hoped was comforting, "I know how you feel…cause I feel the same way."
Jack squared his shoulders, and faced Judy with a puzzled look in his eyes. She took that as a cue to continue, "I feel the same way about my job. I'm a police officer Jack, I capture criminals and write tickets all day but that only happens after they break the law, not stopping the crime from happening in the first place, and it's really saddening sometimes."
"But I'm excited every day I get up and put on my uniform, because at least somehow, in some little way, I can make the world a better place," she finished with a smile.
Jack stood there looking into her eyes, shining in the afternoon light. Throughout the day he noticed her eyes tended to sparkle whenever she talked about the things she loved; her job, her family, even her friends in the force.
As he searched her eyes, Jack felt his resolve bolstered by hers, taking a deep breath he straighten up and managed a smile. "Thank you Judy," he said, reaching across his chest to give her hand a gentle squeeze, "thank you for your help and insight today. I hope we get the chance to meet again."
His eyes grew a little sad again when he said 'hope', but he shook his head and smiled as he stepped away and turned around, exiting through the gates that lead to the helipad at the back of the precinct's grounds.
Judy stood there for a moment, transfixed on the gate Jack left through, before shaking herself out of her stupor. She needed to head to the JTF ferry herself to catch the next boat over. She had to get back to base and to her precinct, and Nick; she knew he would be helpless without her and she'd been gone for over three days now. Turning the opposite way Agent Savage had and she began jogging to the Camp Hudson boats a few blocks away.
She was long gone in a couple of minutes, and too far away to hear the explosion of the Divison's doomed transport.
A few hours of waiting and one 15 minute boat ride later she was back at Camp Hudson, the huge CERA refugee camp at the Hudson Piers. The delay was caused by a mix-up between the dock workers and JTF soldiers and workers trying to load the boat with as much supplies as they could, which took a lot of moving and finagling to not over load the boat.
With only another hour or so of light left in the day Judy was worried they might not let her out of the camp to head to base, even JTF personnel had to abide by the curfew unless they were on patrol or assignment.
She stepped out on the concrete of the pier; the wind blowing off the water pushed her hair forward annoyingly, making it whip around her face and into her eyes. Frowning, she combated her unruly hair with a ponytail holder she had on her wrist, tying it up and pulling it through the loop at the back of her NYPD cap. After replacing her cap she stood there, a short distance from the ferry, trying to get her bearings, wondering where to go or who to see to get permission to leave for base.
"Look alive po-po, make way for the real soldiers," a gruff voice said behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Judy saw a group of National Guardsmen walking up the path from the boat. They hadn't even received their JTF markings and gear yet.
She scowled at the man's rude comment, but moved aside anyway. She had learned early on with nearly everyone telling her that a country girl from a family of farmers would never make it as a cop; there were many battles worth fighting, but many more not worth the effort.
After the soldiers passed by she looked back to the boat, noticing some of the gear they were off-loading now. The crew set down four large crates, large enough to hold several bodies within them, like the ones they were using at the burial lots. What caught her eye though was the emblem on the side.
The emblem was a picture of a white phoenix, its wings flared out, surrounded by an orange ring. Above the phoenix were the letters S.H.D, and below it the words 'Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia'.
As of this morning Judy knew about as much Latin as the next person, and definitely not those four words, but after working with Agent Savage earlier today, she knew them now.
'Extreme Remedies for Extreme Evils'
Judy watched as they loaded the four crates onto flatbed carts and started wheeling them away. She had a hunch; and listening to her intuition she followed the crates.
The first set of Divison agents acted very insular from the rest of the JTF but they still needed a place to store their gear and restock, she figured this new gear would be stored at the Base of Operations as well. It wasn't a guarantee but she figured if those crates were bound for the base, she could tag alongside and get back and rejoin her co-workers.
The Joint Tasks Force tried to keep people together, according to their jobs and positions before the crisis, but given the death rates among the JTF and the needs of staffing the safe houses and refugee camps, people were sent where they were needed; and the camps always needed more police and guards.
If Judy didn't get back to base tonight it was possible she may never get a chance to return. Her duty came before personal preference, but she wouldn't give up on trying to return to her precinct.
These thoughts weighed down on her mind as the crates made their way to the front gates of the camp. A small group of people were gathered around a truck, which was being loaded down with gear and supplies. As the workers loaded the Divison crates onto the truck, she walked up to the group of people, noticing the regular crates of varying sizes all said 'To Base of Operations' painted on the side.
Hunch confirmed, Judy smirked as she inwardly cheered; now to find out how to join this bandwagon.
Even at the back of the group Judy could see that everyone was standing around a National Guard lieutenant and a woman seated at a table, who had a bandage wrapped around her head and right eye. The two seemed to be locked in a heated debate for the moment.
"Listen," the lieutenant was saying, "I am not sending in my newest troops to be lost in a trap or rush headlong into a firefight. I say we wait for the reinforcements coming tomorrow and then we can consider taking back the base, if the opportunity presents itself."
The woman sighed tiredly before responding, "Lieutenant, I understand your reluctance to risk lives, but we can't let the base fall. Plus there are many non-combatant personnel still inside who need our help."
The National Guard lieutenant threw his arms in the air and started pacing before the seated woman; Judy took a chance and edged closer to the pair. From her new vantage point she could see the woman had a brace against her leg, with bandages around it too.
What happened to her, Judy wondered.
"I don't think you understand Miss Lau," the lieutenant nearly shouted, stopping in front of her while he slammed his hands down on the table. "These men could be used to patrol and keep this camp safe, or sent up north to strengthen some of the safe houses up there. They're not going to be wasted on a lost cause that the Chief himself didn't even stay around to hold."
What?! Chief Bogo would never abandon the base, especially with people still inside, Judy worried about the implications of the lieutenant's words.
"Lieutenant you're getting carried away, you know the Chief wouldn't leave without a good reason. My agent is on his way, when he arrives, let these men go with him and free up the base, then we can begin rebuilding the JTF's forces all over the city."
For a moment it looked like the lieutenant would continue fighting, instead he sighed wearily, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine, if they want to help your crazy agent on this insane rescue operation then they can go," he paused, glaring at Lau as if she assaulted his mother, "but I remember how helpful the first group of 'Divison agents' were. I don't trust you or your friends."
Slowly rising from her chair, Lau met the lieutenant's eyes. "Don't worry your men will return, successful," Lau assured the lieutenant, ignoring the insult he threw at her.
As the group of soldiers moved about gathering their gear, Judy walked up to the woman, figuring she was her best shot at joining this group.
"Excuse me," she started quietly, trying to not be overheard by the aggravated guardsmen around them.
Faye turned to face her and paused, giving Judy a once-over, her eye stopping briefly at her cap and badge, which she kept pinned to her vest. "Yes… officer, can I help you?"
"Hi, I'm Officer Judy Hopps NYPD," she extended her hand which the other woman shook, "my precinct is actually under Chief Bogo and we're in charge of guarding the Base of Operations. I'd like to join the group going there."
Lau chuckled before hissing and jerking a hand to the stitches by her eye. "Officer Hopps you say?"
Judy nodded slowly, unsure where she was going with the question.
Lau continued, "I'm Strategic Homeland Divison Agent Faye Lau, it's nice to meet you. Agent Savage spoke very highly about you."
"He did?" Judy squeaked slightly, she nervously pushed her bangs out of her face, "y-you know Agent Savage? He gave the impression that you Divison agents were very…personal in nature."
Lau nodded her head as she sat back down, "Yeah, most of us are, but I was activated along with Savage and we met up at the safe house in Brooklyn, and at the helipad," she turned her head away at the last part. "So you want to get back to base? No problem, just follow these officers here, they're going there in a minute to break the siege."
"Siege? What siege?"
"From what I've been told, as of two days ago a large group of armed rioters assaulted the field hospital at Madison Square Garden and the JTF headquarters at the NYC post office across the street."
Panic seized Judy's heart at the news; she just heard the argument about trying to take back the base so she knew that they were still standing, but two days of fighting? Her friends were in trouble, she needed to get there now.
Taking a deep breath she tried to calm her fraying nerves, her heart felt like it was trying to come through her ribcage. What if Nick was hurt? What if Clawhauser or anyone else was? Where did the chief go, why did he leave them?
Faye watched the young police officer pace back and forth, her eyes flicking side to side. "Officer Hopps," she called out.
Judy ignored her, or possibly didn't hear her.
"Officer Hopps," she called again, a little bit louder.
Again nothing as Judy walked past the table, her hands covering her mouth as she started breathing heavily.
"Officer Judy HOPPS," she shouted, causing the workers and soldiers turn and look at the two of them, before returning to their work.
This time Judy jumped and spun around to face her, chagrined at her inattention. "Yes, agent?"
"It's going to be ok Judy; we're going to take back that base, and you're going to help."
"Yeah…yeah you're right. Thank you," she smiled.
By now the National Guardsmen were done gathering up their guns and vests, now marking them as JTF officers. As Judy and Faye were talking they got closer, clearly interested in the conversation, one stepped forward who Judy recognized as the man who yelled at her earlier down by the boat.
"Excuse me, did you say the po-po is coming with us," the man asked in a curt tone, looking right past Judy to stare down Faye.
"Yes I did sergeant; Officer Hopps here was originally stationed there and needs to report to her superiors."
"Well that may be but she's not coming with us. I mean it's cute and all that you think she could keep up with real soldiers like us, but I'll not have an under-trained police officer endangering me and my men." He smiled as a couple of the men behind him chuckled arrogantly.
Judy could feel her face heat up in anger as he spoke, she was fairly certain if her mother felt her face at this moment she would send her to bed with the instruction to drink lots of water. Earlier, she let the man's rude comment slide, figuring it wasn't worth the trouble to correct him.
But if he was going to stop her from getting back to her friends; well then, it was time to take off the gloves.
Taking a step forward, Judy planted a hand on her hip and took in lungful of air, preparing to let loose at the conceited officer. It was a well rehearsed speech that she gave often, all about not judging people by their appearances and never underestimating what people were capable of; especially her.
Before she could release the beast the sergeant unwisely provoked, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and heard the clicking of boots stomping on the concrete. Turning her head to address the stranger holding her, she looked up and gulped in surprise.
"Excuse me sergeant, but I'd have Officer Hopps at my side any day, especially over a bunch of cocky soldiers who haven't even been out past the gates yet," the man said in a strong, calm voice.
"Just who the hell are you," one of the guardsmen in the back asked heatedly.
"I don't care who he is," the sergeant scoffed, waving a hand dismissively in their direction, "we were assigned the task to break the siege and we won't be letting some arrogant prick and his sidekick cop get in our way."
Judy turned back to the soldiers, seething as they continued to insult her. It was like her first week at the precinct all over again, no one cared about what she could do or the fact that she was the valedictorian of her class, all they saw was a girl from the country who 'wouldn't make it in the big city'.
"To answer your question," he said coolly, pointing at the man in the back, "I am Strategic Homeland Divison Agent Jack Savage, and now, I do believe it's time to go save some friends, with or without your help, sergeant. Officer Hopps and I will be leaving in just a minute." He smiled as though they were discussing the weather over some coffee, instead of getting in an argument about who was or wasn't getting to enter a warzone.
Gently taking her shoulder, Jack spun Judy around and together they faced Faye Lau, who had watched the proceedings with great interest. As they stepped up to the table Jack opened a small holographic map that sprung up from the orange ringed watch he wore, it only showed the nearby blocks but he began moving a pair of fingers over the map, causing it pan over the nearby neighborhoods.
Judy was still a little red in the face and breathing heavily, her anger still simmering inside. Jack looked at for a second before speaking, "Calm down Hopps, you know they aren't worth the effort." He smiled, letting himself relax, hoping it would encourage her to do the same.
She took a couple more deep breaths and began to calm down. While she stood there she couldn't stop from hearing Nick's voice in her head, offering the advice he had given her several times before, 'Don't let them see they get to you.'
Well I missed the mark on that one didn't I, she thought dourly.
"Hey Hopps where is the base on this map," Jack asked, pulling her back to the conversion at hand.
"Riiight…there," she pointed to the post office in Pennsylvania Plaza.
"Thank you. And Faye, how are you?" He asked looking up from the miniature map which closed as he lowered his arm.
"I'm good agent, thanks for asking. Are you ready to take back our base?"
"Yes I am," he answered then, turning to look at Judy, his eyes filled with concern, "Are you ready to go home Judy?"
Before answering she took a deep breath, still a little shaky from fighting with the guardsmen, she nodded, causing her ponytail to bob up and down, "Yeah, I'm ready; I need to get back there."
Jack stared into her purple eyes, making sure she was calm and ready. Satisfied with what he saw he smiled and nodded, then clapped her on the arm before turning away and calling out, "Alright everyone let's get this show on the road."
With that Jack, Judy, and the six JTF officers all started jogging through the gates, towards the outer ring of the camp. As Judy followed Jack through the decontamination rooms she began to smell smoke in the air and something else, something acrid.
When they stepped back outside she saw why.
The outer ring of camp was just an extension built to accommodate for the increasing numbers of refugees, when she left for Brooklyn the camp seemed a little quiet but there were still people here and there.
Now, it was a snow-covered, burned out husk of melted plastic and twisted chain link fence.
As they continued on she saw rows and rows of snow covered body bags lining the sidewalks, all which lead to the melted ruins of the outer set of screening rooms. The smell of smoke and plastic was almost unbearable as they walked through the rooms, broken pieces of equipment lay strewn about the floor and the walls were in various states of falling down, some sections were completely gone showing the ground outside.
Judy was happy to finally be outside again; even the freezing wind was a nice reprieve from the oppressive sights and smells of the ruined camp.
"What happened out here," one of the guardsmen asked when they stepped out onto the streets.
Jack pulled out his shooting glasses from one of his jacket pockets, and after putting them on he looked around for a minute. "Looks like all this was done a couple of days ago, a large group of rioters stormed through; lots of improvised weapons and Molotov cocktails, which explains all the partially burned surfaces," he answered.
Everyone looked around for themselves, not seeing what Jack saw. They couldn't see the motionless, orange pixilated forms of the angry mob. They didn't hear the angry shouts of the people or the sounds of breaking glass and fire spreading.
They couldn't see the dozen JTF guards in riot control gear trying to keep the crowd from storming through the gates; nor could they see the flags that ISAC pulled up from its many databases, displaying in full detail their names, faces, and how they had died.
No, only Jack saw what the echo showed. Judy and the others could only see the aftermath, and it was bad enough.
Judy couldn't suppress the shudder that worked its way up her spine. Why, she wondered, why would anyone attack innocents just trying to survive?
"Come on everyone, the longer we take to get there the more trouble are friends getting into," Jack called out turning around and started jogging away, leading the group towards base.
AN: Thanks for continuing to read It's A Jungle Out There. As a heads up, school is back in session so my already slow rate of writing will be slowing down even more now. For those interested in this story, please stay tuned, just give me time and the chapters will keep coming. Thanks again. -RA