A.N. Foxes, such emotional creatures. Particularly when separated. What emotions you say? Read on!
Thanks to J Shute and Sapperjoe85 for their reviews of chapter 22. This latest one took a week longer than my recent, arbitrary, self-imposed deadline for posting; in return dear readers, it's the second longest so far! (Divided into three convenient segments) I particularly enjoyed writing this one-I'd love to read your comments on it!
As always, Zootopia and its original characters are the intellectual property of the Walt Disney Corporation, and are used in this non-commercial fanfiction for your enjoyment. (This disclaimer doesn't apply to my OC's, they may show up elsewhere)
Chapter Twenty-three:
Outfoxed
11:15 A.M. Thursday, April 27th in the Weston Heights shopping center, Concordia.
Nick Wilde slid the pants off and put his own now likely description compromised ones back on. He opened the lightweight slatted door to the midsize fitting room just enough to pass them out to a black furred paw.
"First one's good; this one's ok on length, but too snug. Try to find a warmer color; I don't go with everything like you do. And I just got a text," he said more softly. Kristen's muzzle poked in to see who it was from. "Madam please! I am shirtless and don't wish to overexcite you!" Nick quietly said in faux shock as he held a paw in front of her eyes. She pushed it away to reveal her patient smile. He retrieved his phone, looked and whispered, "Our Jackalope." Kristen nodded and withdrew.
Jack's reply to his earlier hurried message seemed even hastier. He'd repeated much of the information contained in Skye's letter—he must not have received his yet—and ended it with a no reply code. He was probably already in contact with the recently arrived ZBI search team—had Judy gone with him?
Kristen's next selection was silently tossed over the top of the door—his reflexes twisted him to catch it before it ended on the floor. It was fine, so she retook the clothes to purchase, and retrieved her small case. Another text notification sounded; she waited while he read it.
"Bring these two back, then wait for me outside. He's got us a place to go now that's larger than a post box." The hare had sent more useful information this time, including the availability of his car. Nick felt a wave of relief; that would allow them to check out Skye's suppositions, and have a fighting chance of evading the conspirators if things got tight.
The lady Addax in Old World tribal garb at the check out looked at him curiously as he walked up to reclaim their two larger pieces of luggage. Right, he'd come in with them long after Kristen had arrived, they'd met, now she'd left and he was wearing some of the clothes she'd bought. That was rather weird—so Nick pretended to look around.
"Where'd she go? Really need to thank her." His minimalist explanation didn't work.
"Said she'd wait for you out there," the large antelope pointed off to the right of the store entrance. "Good she found you a replacement Mr. Fox. Be careful, I think she likes you."
Nick nodded and hurried outside. Their contrived attempt to minimize his visibility to the few customers in the store and maintain their separation had been an utter failure. Kristen must have realized that and tried a new cover story. He spotted her far across the parking lot next to a donation bin that would serve to relieve him of the last remnants of Mr. Holcroft. She walked away towards a shaded area once she knew he'd seen her.
"You look at least two years younger now foxy," Kristen said with another flirty tail wave once he'd met her in a copse of trees between business properties.
"I'm so relieved," Nick said flatly as he stepped around her swung plume. "What brand of dye did you two use on me; Permastain? I'll age into this look by the time it wears off!"
"Guess I'll just have to settle for a…mature male. We certainly didn't stop Ms. Ennedi Herd back there from assuming we were a…I recognized that pattern on her aba," she said to the cultural unawareness on his face.
Face it fox, you know a lot about the one city you've lived in and almost nothing of things beyond it. Most of the mammals you've met recently have much broader knowledge than you do. Police academy was hard work and you came out on top, but that was for the job, it's not enough now. To keep up with professional friends and continue to make Judy proud, you'll have to keep building on that. She's a little provincial too; you can grow and learn together. Admit it, Kristen reminds you of her in a few ways—is that why you're still bantering with her like… Cusses! We're still flirting and we've both enjoyed it! Needed it?
"Before we get into more trouble out here in the woods Miss Provocative, we need to get to Jack's place." That surprised her. "He must think it's still safe and we'll have a car to use—we really need that! He's got keys and cash in the post box, it's about a mile away. I'll walk there to get those; it's a good day for it and I'm feeling too vulnerable to risk public transportation again. I think it's safe enough for you to call a Zuber and take these closer to his address; it's about five miles west of here." He set the cases down and let her read the texted directions on his phone.
"Where do you want to meet?" she asked while dutifully entering notes in her tablet."
"Find someplace inconspicuous nearby to hole up and text me. I'll find you so we can approach the house together. We don't know if Jack's under suspicion and I want to scope it out first." He walked their cases out to the street a few minutes before the promised arrival time of her ride, and watched from the copse until she'd loaded up and left.
The post office's noon lineup of mammals to serve covered his accessing Jack's box—he immediately noticed, then snuck a quick picture of Skye's wanted poster. There wasn't one for him yet. Regretfully, she'd likely stood on this same spot a day or so before. Was she already in the Deer Trail prison she'd speculated about? He hadn't told Kristen about that, and wanted some more information before contacting Jack—he'd be deeply upset when he finally got his mate's letter and was already stressed enough now based on his texts.
It was cool for mid-day and the sky had clouded in the west over the mountains—it grew visibly and would soon cover the sun. Nick started to jog once he was off the main streets to reduce Kristen's wait and beat the weather. Concordia's rectilinear street grid was far more orderly than Zootopia's, so his route to Jack's place was fairly direct. Its higher elevation than Junction City meant his shortness of breath slowed him back to a walk after a mile.
Kristen's 'I'm here' text had come in time to relieve any latent anxiety about her safety. It told him to take the trail down by the stream in back of the houses. That explained some of Jack's prior approval of his own choice of apartment.
Things were much grayer and rain was threatening by the time he got to where Jack's street branched off diagonally to his right. Thicker vegetation further out from it revealed the wandering course of the stream. They grew closer together before the street went up a small rise to where the rows of houses started. At its base there was an unpaved gravel area with one large parked van. A gap in it's well made wooden railing showed where the trail access was—not far along it he found Kristen seated on a bench carefully massaging her foot. She stopped and stood as soon as she saw him.
"I'm fine, just doing this whenever I heard someone so I had a reason to be sitting here. Glad you made it Nick, looks like we're about to get wet. Found the access, his looks to be that second house. Hid the cases back here." She worked her way behind a couple of bushes and retrieved her luggage. He collected his then followed her a short way up the trail.
"Right here!" Kristen stopped partway along a stretch of low stone retaining wall where the slope above was a little steeper. She stepped up to it, turned and smiled at him. It matched Jack's description and was just high enough to make it awkward for the skunk—they weren't leapers.
Nick rejected giving her a simple paw up as insufficient, then briefly considered taking it with one of his and using the other under her rump to shove. He finally acquiesced to the wish in her eyes; silently picked her up and set her on top. She smiled again from above his eye level; then took the cases when he passed them up.
"There's a longish word that describes you perfectly, Dr. Soren; I'm trying to recall it."
"Incorrigible?"
"That's the one." Nick jumped up beside her and she deliberately made her little sound of surprise again. He picked up the cases, sighed, and followed her through an apparently overgrown area trimmed just enough to show the way up to the house. "Hold up; be still," he whispered at her fur buried ear. He turned and shifted a bit to watch through the bushes.
They were only thirty feet up from the trail, but well screened. Within a minute, voices were obvious, and a tall caribou scoutmaster led two smaller versions of himself, several impala, a pronghorn, and an okapi down the trail. A few drops of rain made it through their concealing foliage to punctuate the young troops haste.
It was an all prey group, but their uniforms weren't Ranger Scout's, that precluded any lingering bitterness on his part. Must be a private school or academy, which would explain their weekday outing. This whole area seemed fairly upscale—Nick wondered about Jack's ZBI compensation—it had to be much better than what the ZPD paid rookie officers.
They arrived at the back door just as the rain started to get annoying. The key fit to his relief, and he disabled the alarm as instructed. Its control box was in the back of a small closet, behind three coats. One was Skye's size, which meant…
"Kristen!" Nick whispered fervently, "Stay here while I check the house! Be ready to run and hide if you hear anything!" He gently pushed her closer to the back door, dropped to all fours and stealthily left her there. He stood again as soon as he was out of her sight and quickly explored the house in the low light.
Three smiling portraits of the vixen, two white foxy knickknacks, and one picture of them together later—he'd made Jack's house safer for clueless skunks. It also meant that Jack hadn't expected blowback directed his way when he'd left for this assignment, and that no one had yet come to search the house.
"No sign that anyone's been in the place; we seem safe for now. Just watch it with lights and keep curtains closed and the like," Nick said. "I hit a convenience store on the way over, so I've had lunch—got these for you just in case." He gave her the two Bountiful Bars from his pocket—Kristen's fashion selections for him having been fairly utilitarian.
"Why thank you Nicholas! How considerate," she said with another alluring 'oh yes I'm trouble' smile. She unwrapped one, took a bite. "Need to see what I have to work with in his kitchen for tonight," she said around the mouthful and wandered further into the house.
The kitchen! You didn't check cupboards or the fridge for any predatory products or betrayal bottles of Skye!
Nick followed her tail, then stood nervously back in the small dining area while she explored. He just managed to slip his relaxed mask back on once she'd closed the last cabinet without any reaction, then turned towards him.
"Better than I expected; he obviously does more for himself than just order out," Kristen said. "Won't need to start for a couple of hours, so let's go settle in for a rainy day!"
It was that—already hard enough to hear it on the roof. The living room in the front of Jack's house had a sofa large enough to comfortably sleep on and allow a chaste one-foot distance between the two of them. Kristen immediately sat at one end to both permit that and urge him to join her. She'd been so needfully social with him since they'd met in the restaurant—and rather cuddly back on the train too.
He sat right next to her, she looked mildly pleased without turning to face him, and kept her tail still. They both remained quiet for a couple of minutes and idly watched the blank TV in front of them—it had a good three times the screen area of the one in his apartment.
"Let me know if you need another moment Kristen…just promise that you'll never tell my intended about any of this!" Nick said. "Not trying to disappoint you here," he added.
"I know Nick, you've been really considerate," There was a touch of sadness in her voice. "Been a long time since I met someone that was just…comfortable with me…so I'm allowed to be a little disappointed aren't I?"
Don't make her ask for it. She can't control the stress she's been under. She deals well with it herself when she has to, but needs help to recover. It's her way—and your duty.
He put his arm around her again and gently tugged her closer. She leaned in slightly but did nothing else. They both quietly absorbed the dim comfort of Jack's haven until his phone's notification dispelled their reverie. He dug it out and opened it to find they'd been sitting together for almost half an hour. Kristen stirred and frowned at it.
"Jack just wants our status." Nick texted back that both they and the house were secure—there were no signs of unwanted entry—and that he'd done a quick defoxing to avoid any revelations. He put it away, got up, and offered her a paw. "I'm afraid we're not done for the day, you should read Skye's letter now, and we'll need your tablet."
They relocated to Jack's dining table; its woodwork was quite elegant which befitted his covert mate. He gave Kristen the vixen's carefully written pages, spread the regional map, then partially unscrewed some of the bulbs in the ceiling fixture before he turned it on. Like him, the skunk didn't need much light beyond what the rain-streaked window provided.
"It's about here, although they don't show it on this map," he said when she looked up from Skye's last page. "She's made a good enough case that I'll have to reconnoiter that old prison fairly soon—seems to be my specialty now. Like before I'll sneak in at night, it should be easier since they want to keep a low profile, and I'll be better prepared! You'll insert and extract me; we need to select a rendezvous point a few miles away, some road out of sight of the prison."
"Get away driver's my specialty too, after operation Vivian!" Kristen was actually smiling again. "I'll look up what I can on it." She started immediately, poking at her device.
Nick contacted Jack again, and asked about specific resources that might be in the house. He left Kristen to her task; the scientist in her seemed happy whenever there was a problem to research and solve—that seemed to be the trick to avoid her melancholy, keep her busy.
He sent his message and decided to explore Jack's house more thoroughly. A sliding door near the kitchen had stairs behind that led down to a large combined basement and garage. No worry about lights down here—they revealed the laundry, a workbench with a prudent but not obsessively paranoid amount of emergency supplies underneath, along with a small generator wired into a breaker box and vented through a high window. The mid-sized light gray performance sedan had some familiar looking decorative black wedges added up front below its headlights. Oh vanity; thy name is Jack Savage!
Nick headed back up the stairs to find the spare car keys—Kristen waved him over.
"I'm finding some useful stuff Nick, here's an article about Deer Trail that has some pics. Place was closed over forty years ago. Now does Jack have a computer here—or a printer—we might want some copies of these."
"There seemed to be a home office setup in the bedroom; don't know about a printer. I'll check now since I'm after his car keys."
"A network cable or mem stick would help too," Kristen said to his back.
Jack did have everything, although the computer would undoubtedly have a finger-cramping password given his diligence. He'd need to text Jack for that—his phone was in his paw when another notification came. One word, 'jaunt'—Ulric was safely on the train.
The wolf's text was immediately followed by a rather odd one from their hare. He did have binoculars and a digital camera they could use along with where to find them—then he gave careful directions to his linen storage to find extra blankets, along with a specific request for him to look in the very back to ease his troubles.
He's that concerned about our comfort? Something about mine in particular? Did he see our weather report back here? I've got to be missing something. Just humor him and wait on the password; we're not going anywhere tonight.
Nick found the specified extra blankets on the top shelf of the closet. He pushed his paw back under them until he bumped something that felt like a good sized book, wiggled to get a grip, and managed to slide it out without dumping everything else on the floor. It had a plain workaday binding that was somewhat worn—he flipped it open…
…and stared in disbelief at one of the most notorious, reviled, banned by some and highly sought by others books since printing began. It was usually fragmentary and badly copied if it was to be had at all. Generally known as the Lover's List, Inter's Index or by several less savory names—he held a likely complete and very rare bound original. Even with a personal interest, and being ZBI, how Jack had acquired this would be quite the tale.
In seconds, he'd closed the bedroom door behind him, turned the light on, and sat on the edge of Jack's bed with the book on his lap. Nick carefully turned the yellow-edged pages as if they would dissolve back into the raunchy realm they'd been conjured from.
There were definitions and a species cross-reference, then varied commentaries and illustrations. The prose ranged from almost clinical to apparently working notes by working mammals—the portrayals from crude sketches to erotic art. Each page revealed his lack of worldly…experience—his personal quest would end on number fifty-eight. His paw started to flip past several at a time…six to go…two…
The door snicked and Kristen said; "Nick, did you find any…" The book slipped from his numb paws down to the floor, bounced on its spine and flopped open to where he'd turned.
Time and space froze along with his heart. Kristen moved first; her eyes and muzzle tracked down to stare at the book. She slowly took two doom laden steps closer. Three permutations of revelatory and fairly decent artwork left no doubt about his interests.
The skunk quite slowly and horribly bent down, picked up the book and set it on the bed beside him—still opened to the artist's interpretation of happily cuddling foxes and bunnies. She stood silently rapt for over a minute, apparently reading, while his embarrassment slowly suffused throughout as he thawed.
"Is this a general inclination of yours or a specific one where I might know the other party?" Kristen said slowly and precisely without looking up.
You won't sidetrack the scientist; she'll figure out everything soon enough. Go ahead and get it over with. She already read what you're still desperate to learn—although the pictures are certainly encouraging!
"You know her Kristen, we're partners in every sense except for that—well so far." Nick pointed, but couldn't quite bear to actually touch one of the illustrations. "Before you ask why that book's here, look in that bottom drawer."
That widened her eyes. Her mouth opened too once she'd found and stared at a happily framed Skye and Jack. Once her attention returned to him, she followed his gestures to restore them to their place on top of the dresser.
"I can understand you Nick; you're bad at species identification. That doesn't explain them, or how Judy became involved—you know, with you—she has to be since your mother approved? She must have, she seemed comfortable enough with you two. When did all of…you all…happen? I had no idea at all!" Kristen seemed rather stunned at the moment.
"We're not exactly something that society readily accepts. We have to be…discreet for the sake of ourselves, our careers, the shame for families and friends." They locked eyes—he desperate to see understanding, while she…had already accepted the general idea and shown it through her flirting with him. "Sorry for the distrust Kristen, we had to be careful and we've known you for what, two weeks?"
"So how long have you and Judy been a…well…committed couple? And them?" Kristen gestured to the very snuggly and contented pair she'd put back on the dresser.
"They've been vowed up mates for three years now. Only our little group knows that, so keep it that way for them, ok?"
"Oh wow," she breathed, "did Skye really insist he take…those permanent fox pledges?"
"We're talking about Skye here. Take it from one who knows, she wouldn't ever have to require or convince anyone to do that; they'd all be begging for the chance!"
"And they hid it for all of that time," Kristen wondered, "and made me think they had issues with each other. So what about you two? Judy worked with you on the savage predator crisis a year ago. When did you first realize your…uh mutual interest?"
"Actually not long after we met," Nick admitted, "it just kinda happened; although it was only recently that we could admit it to each other; we needed…a little help." It was his turn to point out the picture. "Not vowed up yet, we just declared our…intentions a…well a bit over a week ago." Nick couldn't avoid having a guilty tone creep into his voice. Kristen became thoughtful, then shocked, then…
"In my house!" she shouted in a much higher pitch. "You said Vivian approved so she had to—you were all in my house and I wasn't there how could you I missed it all! I cooked dinner for you all and you hogged all of the dessert!" Kristen pounded her fists on top of his thigh several times in frustration. He let her, knowing that Judy would require that penance from him—or would have happily done it herself.
The skunk wore a mixture of incredulous upset and disbelief on her face as she glared from him to the photo of Jack and Skye and back again. He was sure they'd eventually hear about this too. She finally wound down, sighed deeply and threw her paws up.
Nick took the opportunity to turn the book and read for himself. First, potential…couples were placed into…categories: Compatible, Compatible with care, Possible with precautions, Possible with significant risk—and finally—Not recommended or dangerous. The second was marked for them, with the only caution being for self-restraint on the part of the larger stronger partner. There was some discussion of normal physiological responses, along with noteworthy differences and expectations for each species. This entry also had a section on recommended positions, and techniques for enhanced…performance.
He'd leave that for later, he now felt quite dazed himself. All of his and Judy's angst over breaking species boundaries and societal mores with their heretofore-unique love had been utterly futile. First, the users of this very bed he sat on had preempted it, and now he'd discovered that it was an apparently well-traveled, if still a rather hidden and daunting path.
"You look like I feel Nick," Kristen said softly, "Kinda like we'd missed or avoided a big part of life for too long." She sat and reclaimed the book. "Sorry, I'm a paleontologist, that involves comparative anatomy, can't help it—this thing's legendary!" To his chagrin, she found a relevant entry two pages later. "Hey foxy! There's no restrictions for us!"
"Please, let's leave that be for now." Nick briefly wrapped his paws over his eyes to reinforce his point for the coquettish skunk. "I don't know about you, but there's no way I'm staying in here tonight—it's theirs! I think I'd really prefer the sofa." They exchanged looks and she nodded in agreement. "Make you a deal Kristen, cook dinner and it's yours; plenty of good spots on the floor for me."
Deer Trail Correctional Facility, building #4.
Another failed stretch across the void between—Jack remained beyond her grasp. He tried to speak in silent cadence, then dissolved as a sharp click and scrape came from behind her. Turn to the danger. She fought inertia to roll toward her good side and force her eyes open—arms with hard tipped extremities shoved her shoulders back down.
Others firmly pinioned her legs; then she was pushed into a seated position that squeezed out a yelp of pain. Skye managed to crack her eyelids before a cold wet cloth was slapped over them, wrapped around her muzzle and firmly tied behind her head. For a moment, she saw pale blue light beyond her narrow window before the drippy wetness blocked it out.
"Do it now then get out—and remember!" harsh voice said before her right shoulder was released and her arm grabbed lower down. The mild sting came between her scapula and spine—her legs were then pulled over the side of the bed and she was hauled upright. She was frog-marched out of the cell; her hindbrain trying to coordinate her balance and pace as everything higher endured a hard start.
Skye awakened enough while being strapped back down again to realize that her head was now lower than her feet. The cloth and her face were soaked…she'd been set up for imminent torture! That briefly panicked her into ineffectual struggles against her bonds—she now realized their hatred easily allowed them to sanction such abominable acts.
Callously dragged out of your sleep with no warning or reason given, kept off balance, drugged, and put into a life-threatening situation. Threatened, threat. The threat is more powerful than the action! An aphorism common to chess players; I can play their game.
They badly needed something from her—this haste was meant to overrun her defenses before she could fully marshal them. A trickle of water spattered onto her cloth mask—she bit off her breath mid inhale. The dribble then moved slowly down along her front as far as the bandage around her ribs—she quietly drew air again and shuddered from the chill.
"If you have any problems talking, we can help moisten your throat from time to time," Doug said with a tinge of sarcasm before other steps entered from behind.
You just overdid it and negated your wake-up ruse lawnmower. Thanks for that, badger lady; it fits him well. And for the ketamine, my pain's fading. I'm ready for them now; I'll match their sadism with my deceit!
"You have not been wholly forthcoming agent Winter," said her earlier interrogator. "It is not only for the sake of your future to do so—since far more than just your responsibilities are now contingent upon the immediacy and accuracy of your responses. We regret that these methods are necessary to remind you of where your obligations lie."
He's still trying to appeal to my sense of duty! After threatening torture? Really?
Skye kept her anger at their extralegal coercion in check—she had to remain outwardly passive and compliant. The badger had somehow contrived to underdose her again; she felt as alert as before, but thankfully with lessened pain.
"The rogue elements within the ZBI that misdirected you have been tentatively linked to the perpetrators of the original fabrications to turn mammals against one another. Any clues to their identities that you can remember would greatly mitigate your apparent culpability."
This is the same song he sung at the first interrogation! They bought my story in whole and may not have anyone else in custody. He claimed they had three, can I use that?
"Why are you asking me who they are if the ones you arrested have a connection with them? I only knew of Dr. Ulric through the files I scrubbed off of Dr. Alder's computer. I had no idea he was coming to Concordia until I got my phone alert!"
"Yet you were conveniently in the vicinity of the station and apparently uniquely selected for the job. That indicates prior preparation on someone's part; I'd like to know if that was your handler or you Ms. Winter," said the interrogator's resonant voice.
"How would I have known about Ulric's arrival unless someone here had told me? I'd only flown in from Zootopia three days earlier!" Skye said with a careful tone of incredulity. "I don't recall telling anyone that I was going to be at the mall, phones can be tracked."
"Your excuses would be reasonable ones except for the unfortunate fact that you were able to quickly recognize Dr. Ulric and spirit him away from the station under the muzzles of legitimate agency personnel," the voice said with noticeable satisfaction. "You seemed quite…adept at separating your anonymous lone wolf from the crowd inside the station!"
Okay, we have a good volley going now. If those are the flaws in my narrative he wants to exploit, it means my counterintelligence has succeeded beyond our hopes! My nonexistent phone has them panicked! And now he's set himself up for my corner kill shot.
"I knew he was linked to Dr. Alder in Zootopia due to his files," Skye said unevenly. "I wrote that name on a sign, stood where I could be seen on the platform, and Dr. Ulric found me! Didn't he already tell you that?" Her inquisitor was silent for a good fifteen seconds.
Game, set, and match. There's a reason we foxes dominate our size class! That I told him the truth makes my victory all the sweeter. They're absolutely desperate to find the mole in the conspiracy and don't realize that they already have me! Regardless of all their training, they'll still underestimate perceived inferiors like me in spite of our demonstrated abilities.
"Alright fox," he said curtly. "Now there is another issue—one where you can certainly help yourself by helping us," he said, now trying to sound more reasonable. "We have been…unable to access the data in Omnivore that would excuse some of your actions. What is your log-in? Your account might allow us to bypass some apparent…blockages."
"My secure access was pulled two months ago when I finished my work on the project—parameter tweaking in the search algorithms," Skye said listlessly. This mammal obviously wasn't any kind of programmer or IT expert—nor had he consulted with one first. He's just blowing hot air, so she'd blow it right back.
They use Omnivore against our own, but don't have full access to it? User access only? I had been delivering special reports to them after all; did I actually impede them when I followed policy and renounced my full admin access?
Maybe that's why Tarija had tasked her with the museum information retrieval; the conspiracy still lacked committed members with certain skillsets and the relevant clearances. So if this was her interrogator's plan B, it was rather pathetic.
Faint sounds were followed by a door opening; then it closed. After a few minutes, Skye assumed she'd been left alone—until a dash of water hit the wrap on her face. She jerked at the impact, but the amount was minimal. She took shallow breaths and tried to keep her lungs filled anticipating more, several minutes stretched before another slapped into her muzzle unexpectedly.
I'll bet that's Doug playing with me, that sick sheep waited for me to take a deeper inhale to throw that one! That means the other's gone; probably discussing my responses on the phone somewhere.
Skye gasped in surprise and arched her back with a yelp when a stream of freezing water hit her crotch. Her rib pain spiked. She settled back and tried to remain limp, not wanting to give that sadist further satisfaction. The door reopened behind her.
"Little bitch wet herself," Doug said flatly before a thump and low grunt came and his sudden hurried hoofsteps receded before the door clicked shut.
He went too far that time and likely upset my interrogator's mode of attack! I hope whatever just transpired restrains him for awhile and doesn't just invite retaliation.
A chair creaked and papers were tapped into order. "Ms. Winter…you indicated before that the ZBI documents involving yourself and Officer Wilde were from a year ago—when they were actually far more recent. Can you clarify?"
"I was asked to make the endorsement for Wilde last year…in the early fall. That's what I meant. I thought little of it at the time; probably just fixing someone's oversight."
"And you maintain that you did not know him at that time?" He sounded rather dubious.
"Yes, the first time I met him or spoke to him was somewhere around two weeks ago at the ZPD—it's been hard to keep track of how long I've been in here."
"Did you have any prior form of communication or interaction with Officer Wilde, Ms. Winter, including through intermediaries?"
He's pushing to discover usable evidence that supports the bribe accusation they sent to Bogo. The badger said they want me tried in open court—they need that to help justify their sham case against Wilde and also to explain my arrest. And my Ulric intercept is too double-edged for them to risk revealing.
"None whatsoever, although I probably saw a news report mentioning him around that time; he and Officer Hopps had broken Zootopia's savage predator plot." Skye said. "I'd never been to Zootopia before this assignment!" There was enough slack in the strap to allow her to thump her left elbow on the slanted table. "Now, could you please at least level this thing for me; I'm trying to cooperate! You should know enough about these techniques to realize they won't force trustworthy answers. Your fuzzy sadist has had his fun!"
Scrapes, a slight bump and vibration, and she was cranked over to a more comfortable head up angle. Water started to run down her soaked tail from under her rump. She started to shiver uncontrollably and something was draped over her. It wasn't very effective.
"Understand Ms. Winter. We just discovered the existence of significant subversive elements within the agency that threatened to compromise a very sensitive case—one you are only partially aware of! Your recent activities, fairly or not, have strongly implicated you in this and demanded immediate action! High level approval was sought and given."
So, I've forced him into playing the good cop now since nothing else he tried really worked. Not only have we pushed the conspirators into precipitate action; we did it well before they could set up a fully functional organization! The fact they've had to utilize Jack and myself, and the deficient staff here shows that. Jack! Figure it out! We can't wait for them to consolidate, the time to act is now—with whatever we have!
"Ms. Winter," her interrogator continued with a hint of condescension, "we have been aware of your continuing and carefully concealed history of dubious associations, it is only natural we assumed Officer Wilde was merely the latest, since prior evidence has also linked you to one Alexander Clifton within the agency! This individual has also violated our trust—in his case due to your emotional influence upon him."
"What! That creep!" Skye's self control momentarily slipped due to his insinuation, even though she knew he was trying for a rise out of her. "Personnel substantiated my harassment claim and discharged him months ago," she managed to say more calmly.
"Which we now know was a successful application of mammal engineering on your part. A skill developed during your prior career. You have moved in some very exclusive circles Ms. Winter. Some corporations have considered your appearance very marketable, and you have retained your popularity up to the present day by your own admission. We have gathered statements from many of your…clients—those tell us that Agent Clifton and Officer Wilde would have been easy marks for a skilled vixen such as yourself."
"You really aren't prepared for what you're doing, are you Mr. Inquisitor! Or maybe it's whoever told you to try that slimy tactic!" Skye tried to project her righteous anger through her mask and ignore the warnings from her ribs. "I've had to deal with these insinuations and allegations for years! Yes, I'm well recognized; I'm envied and resented, I've been and still am an object of desire—even outside of my species! Far too many of those clients you mention have tried to score this trophy, and none have ever succeeded!" She paused for a few calming breaths—they didn't work. Watch it Skye, he finally managed to provoke you.
"Ms. Winter, you seem to hold an unreasonably high opinion of yourself and of your present status within this agency! We have investigated your past thoroughly…"
"If you'd dig beneath those statements you've supposedly been given, you'd find them to be the bragging of massive egos that can never admit failure. Yes, I went to many corporate events and paid appearances for my employer. I was subjected to so much crude behavior I sometimes had to request protection. My efforts to avoid the propositions and attempts to be seen as my escort only made me a more desirable prize and their conduct more blatant.
"Once, I'd merely taken an unscheduled break in my hotel room to recover from a very fatiguing reception; it caused a major incident. Two VIP's later separately and publicly claimed to have been with me during that time, and became involved with each other to the point of a lawsuit. I was required to testify against two powerful mammals—that induced me to leave advertising and work programming—which I'd hoped would be less stressful."
"You have told me a convincing and disturbing tale of hidden agency malfeasance—unfortunately, evidence that clears you of direct involvement in that remains elusive."
"You might consider restoring my access to Omnivore if you're having trouble," Skye said sullenly. "I'd like to clear myself as soon as possible." Like that would ever happen.
"Don't overestimate your value or underestimate your culpability, we'll continue to check your veracity and uncover all of your associations!" her interlocutor said curtly, likely realizing he wouldn't get anything more out of her today. She heard him stand and open the door. "Take Ms. Winter here back to her room, get her a dry blanket and let the doc check her out, five minutes only, and no more of your crude coercion, we still need her evidence."
Her jailer insisted in guiding her the short distance to her cell with what felt like a fairly large split hoof on her shoulder. She was pushed inside, and the door secured. Skye grimaced as she reached back with her arms and clumsily untied her cloth hood. She was alone for the moment and the door's viewport was closed, so she went to the shelf and put two of her remaining four nutrition bars into the driest pocket of her pants.
The badger was admitted and admonished to ask only medical questions by a dour looking ram that followed her in. He walked around to leer at Skye's limp, soaked tail.
"Biggest damn rat I ever saw! Does it squeal if you squeeze it?"
Skye ignored his provocation and sat on the bed, then kept her arms up and paws visible while her damp bandage was changed. "It's hurting lower now too; about here." She briefly touched her hip by the slight lump in her pocket.
"Yeah, it's a bit swollen, bruise's spreading and you probably pulled an oblique," the badger muttered as she palpitated down Skye's flank. She winced convincingly to draw the sheep's attention as the doctor moved around enough to block his view momentarily; the bars vanished into her medical satchel. Her paw came back with a stethoscope and Skye's lung was listened to. Finally, her pulse was taken and she felt a tapped 'tnks'.
"You're done here," said the sheep as he waved the badger back. He stepped over to Skye's shelf and picked up the nearly empty box. "Looks like these expired, guess we'll hafta order some more!" He took it with him and opened the door as Skye shook 'no' to the badger's slight hesitation and glance back. She was left alone to painfully struggle out of her wet pants and ease herself under the blanket.
You should have asked your new friend for some more painkiller! Conspiracy's definitely thin on legitimate agency personnel; they've been forced to use some real lowlifes to fill out the ranks. My interrogator and I both know we're only pretending that there's anything remotely moral or legal about this. They'll drop that pretense when their patience runs out—which it almost has. Well done Skye, you just let them know that sexual harassment is your weak point…what have you opened yourself up to?
She started shaking again—not just from the chill inside her cell.
8:33 A.M. Friday, April 28th, at the Wilde home, Happytown Ward, Savanna Central.
Vivian quickly dried her paws and walked out of the kitchen. She wasn't expecting anyone, and this neighborhood wasn't prone to solicitors—at least this early in the day. The age hoarsened buzzer sounded again—someone's impatient.
She stepped quietly to the door and turned her head to use its viewer; there was a crouched zebra just outside, with a tall black furred llama a step or two behind. Business attire, briefcase, Skye and Jack's descriptions—Vivian took out her phone, opened a text window and typed in a four digit code. She pressed 'send' as the zebra tried knocking.
"Mrs. Wilde. I'm agent Kahame, ZBI, we'd like to talk to you please."
That was fast. I only found out that Nicholas and Kristen had been compromised the night before last! They're safe now, so I guess I'm the conspirator's most…accessible lead.
Vivian rapidly and silently padded well back into her hall to shout, "Just a minute, I'm coming!" She needed to delay them for as long as she could. Once back at her door she demanded, "Who are you again and why are you here? Go away if you're media!"
"Agent Kahame, ZBI. That's the Zootopia Bureau of Investigation Mrs. Wilde, we just need to ask you a few questions."
"Alright." She hadn't seen anything threatening held by the two agents, and they were too large to enter her house, so she flipped back both deadbolts—then cautiously opened the door halfway to peer out from behind it.
"About what now?" Vivian put as much resigned weariness into her voice as she could. "I already gave the ZPD a full statement earlier this week. It's all I know, get it from them!"
"The entire ZPD, not just your son is now subject to a Federal inquiry," the llama said smoothly. "It might be helpful to him if you came with us to…clarify things in a secure setting where we can discuss recent developments."
"I'm fine right here; there's nobody else around to bother us," Vivian said, making a wary show of looking around her door out past the agents. "What do you know about my son that the media hasn't already lied about?" she said firmly. Be a distrustful, annoying fox Viv, as they would expect.
"Any information from you, however inconsequential it may seem, could help expose those lies and unravel this matter. However, this all needs to be conveyed under the setting of a legal deposition for it to be helpful for any of us," Chief Tarija said patiently, having obviously gamed this visit out previously. "Your statement to the ZPD is unfortunately invalidated by our federal investigation into those particular individuals that might have questioned you. We will of course follow all legal requirements and provide counsel to assist you."
"I'd prefer my own if needed and he's likely asleep now. Also, I'm not going anywhere with unidentified mammals that show up on my doorstep since someone has already followed me around claiming to be a ZBI agent! So a name from him isn't enough." She pointed out the zebra, then closed her door just enough to get an ear flick from the chief.
"Apologies," Tarija said. Agent Kahame stepped closer and held his ID out for her to peruse for several seconds; she nodded and he withdrew with it.
"And you?" Vivian said clearly while she lifted her muzzle to regain eye contact with Tarija—needed even at three paces apart. She saw a slight facial twitch; another tell to remember. The ID held down for her made that clearer, it had the llama's picture, but not her real name—it disappeared after just a couple of seconds.
You suspect me and want me to assume this is a routine follow up until you get me in custody. So you're a regular agent now station chief! Looking for clues to Nicholas' whereabouts. Hope Rafe already reported his loss earlier. Now how far do I dare push your patience Tarija? I'm betting my freedom that back up is on the way!
"Go ahead, ask your questions. How is it? Off the record?" Vivian said to Tarija's compressing lips. "If you need it to be formal later we can always set up an appointment."
"This is a very serious matter and y…your son Officer Wilde might badly need your testimony for his defense based on the apparent evidence against him." Chief Tarija struggled to keep her voice sounding reasonable. "Any delay could go adversely for both of you! I urge you again to come with us now and cooperate Mrs. Wilde!"
"Both of us? Am I under suspicion now too? By association? I think I'll stay here! Ask your questions unless you're ready to charge and arrest me!" Vivian maintained a resolute teeth hidden expression—words were enough to effectively bare them to the prey agents.
"This is a Federal matter, your son's dubious ZPD connections will not shield you any more!" Tarija raised a hoof and sharply snapped two digits together.
Vivian was doubly startled; first, by the fact that the llama could even do that, then by the two smaller agents that appeared behind her from off to the side of her house.
"I'm afraid Mrs. Wilde, that I must insist," Tarija said confidently. One of her summoned back ups, a gazelle, having been seen, put a hoof momentarily up to a tell-tale bulge in his jacket, then went off again presumably around to the back of the house. The other, a rather close-trimmed alpaca, came up beside her chief, waited for a nod, and then slowly approached Vivian—likely giving her a last chance to comply. She had a bulge too, and was small enough to enter the house.
Vivian was the first one to see the ZPD cruiser coast up and stop behind the unmarked ZBI vehicle out front. That induced her to stand firm rather than try to slam and lock the door. The alpaca reached and grabbed its edge to prevent that.
"I have a right to be secure in my own home! You'd better have a warrant!" she shouted to cover the exiting cheetah and wolf officers. They left the cruiser's doors ajar and made it halfway across the yard before the ZBI agents noticed and turned towards them. The officers stopped a few feet away—they had bodycams and stood apart to frame the scene. The young female cheetah officer carefully maintained a clear view between them to Vivian's relief.
"What is going on here!" the big wolf said firmly, "you must be ZBI. Who's in charge?"
"I might forgive that lapse from your partner Packard! You well know this is a Federal matter you're interrupting! I may overlook this if you leave now!" Tarija had half-turned to stare down at the wolf with tensed leg muscles. He looked up with slightly bared teeth.
"Like the lady fox said, do you have a warrant?" He lowered his gaze to her. "Mrs. Vivian Wilde I presume?"
She nodded to Officer Packard. "Yes. Agent Orrico here just insisted that I come with them," she said clearly while pointing out Tarija for their cameras.
"Agent…Orrico is it? Have Federal indictments been issued for Mrs. Wilde?" Officer Packard asked the ZBI Chief in well-faked surprise. "Is this a sanctioned raid? Why weren't we notified?" The alpaca agent turned towards him as her split hoof went inside her suit. Agent Kahame hesitantly adopted a similar stance and glanced at his chief.
Completely caught out, Tarija appeared to deflate slightly as she realized that her best outcome here would be embarrassment rather than an outright exposure of their agenda. She swept a hoof to one side. "Be at ease everyone. Merely a harmless subterfuge to avoid causing undue distress for Mrs. Wilde.
"What subterfuge? Federal indictments? Why have you threatened me and put armed agents around my home?" Vivian said sharply to further discomfit Tarija. It worked, the llama visibly tensed again. The cheetah officer gave her a slight smile of appreciation, so she added, "there's one at my back door."
Officer Packard stepped forward, produced an envelope with an official looking seal and title; he held it up to Tarija. "I have a bench warrant to take Mrs. Wilde into protective custody as a hostile material witness! Unless you have something that supercedes this, you are interfering with our enforcement duties. We could have avoided this…interagency misunderstanding through better use of proper channels." He leaned back slightly to record the ZPD chief while she examined it—her hoof and the paper trembling angrily.
Vivian noticed that her neighbor's daughter Catherine was out on the sidewalk; her smartphone steadily held in a raised paw. Agent Kahame had seen her as well; he sighed, relaxed, and signaled his chief. Tarija made an almost electrical hum and chewing motions as she looked over at the civilian witness. She then appeared like she was about to throw the warrant back at Packard, but restrained herself enough to pass it to him—abruptly.
"Very well, this isn't over. Inform your…chief to retain her until you receive the proper transfer papers later," Chief Tarija said, her words clipped. She led her agents back to their car—the alpaca on her phone before the gazelle hurried around the house to rejoin them.
The cheetah gracefully walked up with a reassuring grin. Her nameplate said 'Catano'. "Let's get inside and grab some overnight things for you Mrs. Wilde, we need to go now."
It took under a minute to fetch her bag, lock the house and nod her thanks to Catherine. Vivian held her paws close together for show at officer Catano's suggestion as she was guided into the cruiser's rear seat with a paw on her shoulder—since the black ZBI car hadn't left yet. They followed it for a few blocks before it turned away onto another route.
"That was a very near thing, we'd just left our shift briefing when the chief got your text," Packard said with excitement in his voice. "Called us back, guessed what was going down, ordered bodycams and told us to…piss off chief Tarija if we could. He had a running cruiser waiting outside for us—had a Wilde ride to get here in the Nick of time." He paused and grinned back at her in satisfaction. "She really used a false ID on you Mrs. Wilde?"
"Covering her tracks officer. She flashed it to me quickly, but I still caught the name! I'm not supposed to know who she is and she didn't expect you to interrupt us!" Vivian said, very grateful they'd been able to. "I think I would have just vanished without you two!"
"That was certainly the intent since they pulled this during our shift change and brought four agents to deal with you," Catano said looking back at her through the heavy mesh divider. "Almost worked, nobody informed was close."
"We'll want a statement from you about the whole incident and particularly that ID as soon as we get to the precinct," Packard said, "that, along with our videos, might give us enough to make them back off the ZPD a little. So far they've sidelined six of us on administrative leave. We're fairly new on the force, so we haven't built up much of an exploitable record for them to use against us. I'm in Chief Tarija's sights now; she won't forget my…disrespect! Kii here's squeaky clean, she shouldn't have any problem." Officer Catano nodded somewhat self-consciously.
"I wasn't expecting to have…allies like you, thanks from me and from officer Wilde as well, he worries about me and I'd like you to realize how much he would appreciate it if he knew what you did for me today." Vivian said, unsure if she should say more.
"Just tell him next chance you get Mrs. Wilde," Catano said more informally. "We're well aware there's still hidden corruption behind this anti-predatory revival, your son was just the first one of us targeted. Chief is keeping things close, so those few like us are still need-to-know—which isn't much so far. It's tough to have to go along with everything being imposed on us. Can you tell us if Officer Wilde is safe and well?"
"He is, and has been effectively gathering critical evidence; I can at least say that much."
"That's good, keep cautious Mrs. Wilde," Packard said. "We'll try to keep you secure and you should see the chief soon. We know he's been exposing himself to protect all of us—and that his acceptance of some of these directives and accusations was forced from above. We won't ask him—or you—about any more of this right now."
They pulled in back of the police station and she was quickly taken inside—Officer Packard shielded her with his considerable bulk while Officer Catano scouted ahead. Few noticed as she was booked in and gave her statement in an interview room—she was then taken up to the second floor and left in a large office belonging to a Detective Farley.
"Wait here, facilities are just that way, we need to be seen back on patrol." Packard hesitated and looked more carefully at her. "I'd like Wilde back, I…relish our little verbal competitions." The wolf closed the door quietly and left her alone with her thoughts.
Nicholas doesn't just have colleagues here; he's making friends! Do any of them have the slightest suspicion that his partner might have become…more? It will be impossible to hide it with those two, what will the rest think when it does come out? What will Bogo do?
Her temporary sanctuary seemed to belong to a large equine or cervid based on the furniture, although there were a couple of seats for smaller mammals. There was a mounted floorplan for the entire station on one wall; a large map of Savanna central was opposite.
Vivian was examining the floorplan when chief Bogo entered without warning fifteen minutes later. Startled, she turned; he simply nodded once in approval and went to sit behind the desk. She pulled the most appropriate seat for her up in front of it and sat. His attitude wasn't unexpected, since she understood that his whole nature was rooted in authority.
"A productive use of your time Mrs. Wilde," he said while pointing to the diagram, "since you might have to evade within or leave this precinct at any time with or without our assistance. You are now officially held at the ZPD, but up here we will have good warning before any outside attempts can find you. Your incident this morning, among other recent ones, forces us to accept that most of our activities have been exposed to the conspiracy. What actions they take, legal or otherwise, and when, will be difficult to anticipate—you and I will likely remain their focus for now due to our simple accessibility."
"The texts I've gotten recently from our team haven't been very reassuring either; they seemed rushed and I feel that a lot's been left out! The last I got from my…Officer Wilde merely said that he and Dr. Soren were safe with no details."
"They, and Savage, have been forced by events to restrict their communications. I received more extensive updates from both overnight—you were not copied since some very sensitive information was involved and they both wanted to limit its possible exposure," Bogo said, apparently concerned about her reaction. "I can convey that now due to your fortuitous arrest. Did you bring your burner?"
"Yes chief, I've got it. Officer Catano made sure of that." Nicholas, you have an ear-wringing coming in spite of Bogo's excuses for leaving me out of this! Maybe Savage too.
"First Mrs. Wilde; I'm learning to…appreciate foxes more. I watched the video of your interaction with Chief Tarija, you did a magnificent job of putting her off balance and obtaining her admission of an illegal act! We exposed her warrantless raid and that will prevent any further legal actions from her regarding you. She lost her gamble to keep this below the radar as soon as my officers pulled up," Bogo said, allowing himself a brief smile.
"Can't they still have their Federal judges issue their own warrant for me? They're already trying to change laws," Vivian said, worried her freedom might be taken regardless.
"Jurisdictional issues, our evidence of their illegal attempt to snatch you, lack of evidence to justify it—they won't waste that much time or effort just for you now. Although it will go nowhere, we will file our complaint about what happened to you with the Justice Department—to get it in the public record. A small win for our side." Bogo leaned closer. "All of this, of course, will not prevent further legal attempts against anyone else they see as a threat—or illegal attempts to eliminate any of us."
"I can't really go home can I? Or put any of my friends there at risk, they've already done so much for Nicholas and I. Where do you think I'd be safe now…and still be of use!"
"Thank you Mrs. Wilde. You are about to become very useful; we can no longer remain passive and gather information, events now require direct action. Have you set up an appointment with Derreck Growley about his aircraft yet?"
"No, I was hoping that Agent Savage or you would let me know first when we need that," Vivian said, trailing off weakly. "I'm afraid chief that I'm going to be a weak negotiator—you must know his reputation better than I do. What if I don't convince him?" To her embarrassment, she couldn't prevent a distressed whine from creeping into her voice. Her paws clenched themselves in front of her and she very slowly rocked from side to side as she tried to control her panting breath. She couldn't stop her apprehension from spreading.
Has to be a delayed reaction to finding the ZBI at your door—like after it happened at Kristen's—and Nicholas being found out and running again—Skye's gone and the news everywhere is vilifying us again. To be hunted down one by one—no longer your excitement, your game—it's theirs now. You shouldn't have let me wait in here to stew chief and expect me to cover your inability to act yourself—I'm not safe here either— we've always been outmatched and are starting to lose…everyone.
The void of despair before her closed eyes tugged forward—her lean stopped as her forehead gently met something hard. Shame wasn't finished with her; wet trickled down the sides of her muzzle. Eventually there was a nudge and grip, as if from a friendly piece of earth moving equipment. Vivian was able to turn her head from the edge of the desk to see—blunt powerful horn tipped fingers at the end of a massive arm carefully grasped her; another moved in with a small paper cup of water delicately poised between its rough tips.
Vivian sighed, wiped her muzzle briefly and looked up at the chief—his look of abject dread quickly dispelled most of her own fears. She took the cup and drank; he immediately left to get another.
He looked completely helpless! Don't worry about your embarrassment, he'll ignore it for the sake of his! Compose yourself Viv, you're still needed by your friends.
The chief returned with another cup and a paper towel. They collected themselves in silence and made eye contact when they were seated and ready to resume. "Don't worry chief Bogo, I promise I won't tell Nicholas about your vulnerability to overemotional vixens," she said steadily to the still somewhat wary buffalo.
"If I ever needed proof you two were related, that's it Mrs. Wilde." He relaxed a little more. "Now, as for the updates, we have some positive developments for once. Officer Hopps will be returning to Zootopia sometime later today, so the three of us can personally brief one another, Then, if you can set up your meeting with Mr. Growley for tomorrow afternoon, she should be able to join you. That should ease things for all of you."
"Should chief? What's bringing Judy back here?" That was an encouraging development; her tail firmed up enough to require a shift of position for its freedom.
By foxfire! You said Judy! And Bogo noticed again—he's far too observant.
"Our opposition wants her to record some public service or promotional broadcast material for them. There's enough propaganda being disseminated already that her contribution isn't likely to make much difference—except for her own future embarrassment. I believe this is a net positive for us."
"That has to be particularly difficult for her," Vivian said. "A lot of us didn't take her last…appearance very well." Her sympathy for Judy's dilemma again drew Bogo's notice.
"Officer Hopps public acceptance has improved considerably, although this will be a scripted setback for her." The chief seemed sympathetic as well. "She needs to do this to remain above suspicion. Agent Savage also enjoys that status within the conspiracy, which has allowed your son and Dr. Soren to take shelter in his Concordia home. That will be their base of operations to act on findings received from agent Winter yesterday morning."
"Skye is still free? I haven't heard anything since she dropped that professor off with Nick! Why didn't any of you think to tell me that! I thought I was an equal part of this!"
"You are Mrs. Wilde, and have more than proven that to me," Bogo said as passively as he could likely manage. "Unexpected events have forced us to react to them without the luxury of informed preparation. Yesterday morning Wilde was able to put Dr Ulric safely on the train to Zootopia—he also received a letter from Winter. She had found strong circumstantial evidence that the conspiracy is illegally utilizing the abandoned Deer Trail prison outside of Concordia—possibly to house political prisoners like ex mayor Lionheart. I strongly feel that was also supposed to be Dawn Bellwether's final destination before her transfer was exposed. Winter's letter was sent Wednesday morning, she has not communicated since, and if now under arrest may also be held there."
Bogo briefly held up his arm with splayed fingers to keep her silent. She clenched her jaw, nodded, and he continued.
"I have not seen this evidence; Savage anticipates its arrival in time to hopefully have officer Hopps bring it along when she comes this afternoon. She is also bringing down further evidence from Dr. Ulric—which had been sent earlier to her by Officer Wilde to keep it safe. Wilde feels Winter's evidence is strong enough that he is planning to infiltrate the prison to confirm it—as soon as the local weather clears." He held his hoof up again.
"He is properly prepared for this, Savage's home has the resources he needs, and between Winter's letter and Dr. Soren's research, he has adequate intelligence about the site. He is the perfect officer for the task, and security at the prison should be minimal—the conspiracy is certainly relying on its apparently abandoned state and lack of activity for that."
"You will excuse a mother for worrying!" Vivian snapped. "We've been trying all along to stay out of the conspiracy's paws and prisons, and Nicholas keeps trying to get into them. I already fear for Skye, I don't think any of us would be treated well if we were caught."
"Quite true Mrs. Wilde. However, fortune had placed our pair of foxes in positions to discover critical evidence, and now to act upon it! Agent Savage has reported that the conspiracy's efforts to find useful feral mammals has likely stalled. I believe the initiative may be ours now. If Officer Wilde finds illegally incarcerated mammals at Deer Trail, and we get better evidence of the activities in Junction City, that, properly released, might be enough to break this conspiracy well before their plot can fully develop."
"So we have a chance and it's all up to Nicholas," Vivian said quietly. "And they know he's in the area." Do you know how they found him out?"
"Yes, the sheep he fought and escaped from in Junction Ci…" Chief Bogo abruptly stopped as an oddly cadenced knock sounded from the door behind her. "Enter Ben," he ordered.
It was the pudgy cheetah desk officer. He closed the door behind him and came up alongside her. He glanced at her, then the chief.
"Chief Bogo sir, sorry to interrupt. We just got the call from the Able Paws company, who should I send over?"
Our next exciting installment—Chapter Twenty-four: Skulkduggery