Jacob returned to his car, throwing his encased rifle into the passenger seat. He knew where he was to drive now. "Judy, Nick, I'll save you, I promise." He vowed to the steering wheel. He pulled out the map to make sure he drove to the correct place. He noticed that there were two locations side by side that was near the crime scene where the duo got kitnapped. He put the small map down then pulled out his badge from the glove box. "No tie like the present. Mary, if I don't come back please forgive me."
He pulled out of the decrepit factory, heading for one of the two marked locations. "I mean, sensibly, it has to be one of those two, since they would need a place that is not too far but actually quite close. Especially since, they wouldn't want to be seen on any cameras. I hope I'm right." He put on his bandana over his face covering his muzzle. "Time to get the show on the road." He then drove off and headed towards the place he looked at.
After a few minutes of driving, he entered the Savannah. He still had doubts about doing all this. He wasn't sure whether he should do this or not. He looked around, slightly stressed that someone could see him. Maybe an officer or maybe a criminal. In reality, no-one was looking at him and no-one cared enough to look at him. He drove past calmly, hoping that he wouldn't arouse suspicion from anyone that was around him. Civilians walked past and didn't even look at him.
Eventually, he arrived at his destination and realised that the other x from his map
was literally right across the road. He was shocked when he found out. He didn't expect them to be so close. Then he realised something else. They could be connected and this is just one large place.
He left the car, placed a pistol in his holster, picked up a few zip-ties then taken his case. He walked tot he door, that thought was to enter the place. He knocked on it and a metal slide pulled open and a tiger was on the other side.
"What are you here for?"
"For the fights, of course." He mentally face palmed as he thought that was a terrible thing to say out in the open. The slide then shut itself. Jacob now opened up his case and searched it for anything that could help him open it. All of a sudden he regretted not taking any lockpicks, not that he knew how to use them. In the end, he taken his bowie knife and jammed it in between the door and the frame. When it was stuck inside, he pushed hard to try and brute force the door open. In the end, it opened as the knife pushed the small lockbolt into the door and opened it.
The tiger looked at Jacob perplexed. He just smiled back. He stood up straight and pulled out his pistol behind his back. Then he pulled out his badge and said "Police you're under arrest." The tiger growled and pulled out a pistol. Jacob drew his pistol and fired at the tiger's paw, knocking the pistol away. "Paws where I can see them." The tiger begrudgingly raised them and Jacob zip-tied them together behind the tiger's back. "Now stay here." The tiger rolled his eyes.
Jacob continued down the the corridor and, after a few minutes of nothing, realised that this was a loading bay of some kind where shipments come and go. "Damn, I went to the wrong area." He muttered quietly. Around him were crates, all filled with different things. He went through all of them and started to list them. "Food, water, cages, fertiliser, Nigh... Wait a second, Night howler? This could be really bad." He pulled out his Bowie knife and opened the crate. Inside was a filled with small purply blue pellets. "This really isn't good, they could turn the whole city savage if they so desire, who would then stop them? We can't let them do that." He scanned the whole room and saw that there were other crates. One of the crates was labelled 'Sulfolipids.' "Wonder what that is.". He opened the crate, looked inside and instantly looked away. "Jeebus Hecking Christo, why are there brains and livers? What the hell is going on?".
He shut the box then heard a few voices around the corner. He knew it was more than one, so he didn't want to risk an engagement. He tried hiding behind a few boxes then go around as there was another door on the other side of the room. The voices grew louder. "Ensure that the mammals are not too confident. Maybe use more of these as the boss suggested, possibly mix it with some of that."
"Yes master." Someone then ran to the box filled with the organs and then ran to another box and pulled something out before leaving the room. The other one didn't leave and stood still in the middle of the room.
"You can come out now." He declared into the empty air. Jacob refused to leave and thus he remained stationary and silent. "I SAID LEAVE! SHOW YOURSELF COWARD!" Jacob pulled out his rifle then presented himself, aiming at the mammal before him. "So you are the little pain that has decided to enter here. Shame you will not leave, but I will give you a decision, as you can eat meat. Hunter or Hunted?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You'll see soon enough. Also interesting to see a fellow raccoon here, though not surprised it is you, Pawson. Tell me, how is Mary?"
Jacob responded aggressively, "What do you care about her? If you even think of touching her, I will end you."
"Then end me, you have the power right now. Pull the trigger." The raccoon edged closer to Jacob. "Do it, what do you have to lose? I mean it would be a shame to not use that beautiful firearm." He then stated proudly, "It would be proud and honoured to have my blood stain it."
"Paws up, it wasn't a question." The raccoon chuckled then raised his paws to be positioned in front of his chest with straight arms.
"Cuff me then." Jacob walked towards him, pulling out a zip-tie. Just as Jacob lowered his rifle, the raccoon asked "Did you really think it would be that easy to capture the storm?" When his question finished, he kicked Jacob back, causing him to stumble and drop to the floor. His rifle would've dropped as well if he didn't have the strap over his shoulder. "I see potential in you, a chance for you to change. I'm curious if you will take it."
"Who are you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I want to know, who I'm trying to arrest."
"Well, I am Master Raccson. I, for all intents and purposes, am in control over the area, whereas you are barely a peasant compared to me." He laughed, while walking over to Jacob. "Now tell me Jake, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't know yet, but I will figure something out and make sure you are where you belong." Raccson shook his head. "I promise you that much."
"Big words for a puny being."
"We're the same species, you belligerent fool."
"It isn't species that divides us, it is power."
"You have no power, you are but a sad fool that believes his criminal gains are noteworthy. We've seen many like you in the academy. I pity you for thinking that you have any power."
"I could have you killed then wiped from history in a second, and you believe that is no power?" Raccson asked rhetorically.
"No, I think it is criminal ignorance." Raccson then kicked Jacob in the jaw, causing him to fall onto his back.
Jacob looked back to where the other raccoon was. He was gone now. "Damn."
He stood back up and then walked to the door. Then he walked back as he remembered to bring his case. "Nearly forgot this. I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached to my head." He chuckled, wiping a bit of blood from his mouth. He Then returned to the door, checking if he still had everything. He walked through then paused. "He knew me, he knew me and Mary. He knew Mary. Oh no, this could get bad."
He sprinted onwards, now in a hurry, and stopped by a door, opening it slowly and carefully. Beyond the door was a few rabbits and a couple weasels. "Rabbits? What are rab-..." Then one of the rabbits turned around. "Hehe, hey, police?" The five mammals turned and rushed at Jacob. He pulled out his rifle and aimed it at the group. He then pulled out his badge and presented it. "Paws above your heads." Four of them did so but one decided to carry on running and try to strike the police officer.
He weaved left and kicked at the knee, forcing the weasel to drop to the floor. He then zip-tied the weasels paws behind his back. He then continued with everyone else. All resisted but quietened down when threatened with a barrel of a rifle. 'I'm pretty sure this isn't allowed but what do I care right now.' He headed towards a door but then turned around to look at the mammals. 'Probably very illegal what I did but hey it worked.' He walked through the door, where he saw faintly a group of naked mammals all in cages.
"Woah, what's going on in here?" He asked curiously as all whimpered away from him. "Hey, it's all okay, I'm here to get you out. You'll be safe." No-one budged and then he started to slowly inch forwards. "Hey, I'm a police officer, it is all safe." He pulled out his badge and tried to present it. A few then started to trust him and turned their heads. He looked at the cages then noticed that the locks were all only padlocks. He looked around, making the most of his night vision.
He then saw a whole array of keys and assumed it was for the cages. On the keys were numbers. "I don't think I saw numbers."
"There's numbers on the tops of the cages, maybe its those." Jacob then cross-examined the keys with the cages. It was a perfect match, even if not every cage had a mammal, or if not every cage was present.
"Thanks for the help." He then looked around. "Hey, you guys see either a red fox that is savage, or a rabbit that isn't savage. A Judy Hopps? Anyone?" They all looked around at each other with worried expressions. "What's not being said?"
One spoke up. "She was taken by them. Those that are taken are never back, I don't know what happens to them."
"Considering the tonnes of Night Howler they possess and the other chemicals they own, I need to hurry." He looked around quickly. "Damn, do you think you can make it out alone?" They nodded slowly. "The path is simple. Go through those doors then go straight and up the steps, never turn. You will reach a tiger with a bleeding paw by the exit, then run. Go to the police together and tell your story." They nodded and left. "Godspeed guys, Godspeed." He watched them all run in a frantic hurry, then he turned around and headed through the other door, where a shutter was located as well.
He walked through the door and saw a single raccoon sitting on a chair with his blue cloak. "So, you finally made it. I have an offer for you, after deliberating it with myself. I see myself in you so clearly, eager, hopeful, angry, proud, loyal. A younger me maybe."
"Cut to the chase."
"Impatient as well. Right, what I want to say is this, become my protege, my successor and I will teach and protect you. Mary will also be safe. You don't need to tell her, after all my wife doesn't know."
"Why would I join you?"
"I told you why, and I would hate to see such potential wasted. Why do you think I kept you alive?"
"Pride. You think you are right. Sorry to burst your bubble, you are wrong. I don't want anything to do with you. You are a cancerous stain that needs to be cleaned off of the streets." Jacob smiled as he said that.
"I'm not giving up on you just yet. You just need to grow up, see the world for what it truly is. Then and only then, will you join me. I wish you luck, and hope you reconsider."
"For now, I cordially decline, you snobby fart."
"Well" He stood up and turned towards the officer. "I guess, you need something to remember me by." He walks towards him, his paws hidden. When he revealed them, he held a badge, one that was for their group. An eleven pronged star with a skull in the middle. "Keep it until the time is right, then and only then should you choose."
"Enough games, where's Judy and Nick. I know you know about them."
"In the pit, hunter vs. hunted. But leave it to them to change history and work together."
"Where?"
"Down there, in the pit. So, I will see you another time, when you should be ready."
"So, never? I hope that means never. Actually no, I will need to see you to arrest you."
"Yes yes, I understand. You dislike me. But, we will see how much that remains. Until next we meet." He left the room, disappointed. Jacob smiled and walked through the door in front of him.
He entered a room, where a single rabbit sat with a microphone. He sat happy with what he was doing, until Jacob revealed his position. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
He turned around, confused. "Why would you ask? It's almost as if, you shouldn't be here. So, who are you?"
"Police, now answer my question."
"Well, I'm just an announcer. That's it." He stated while rolling his paw behind him in circles.
"Paws up." The rabbit smiled as he heard that then threw a pellet onto the floor, filling the area with smoke. Jacob coughed for a few seconds then heard, "Sorry mate, I'm not going to the slammer yet." He groaned then went to where the rabbit sat. He saw a monitor with Nick and Judy both fighting and running. "No, I'll get you, I swear."
He looked back, to where he heard the rabbit yell. He then decided to not go after him as he will be caught later. Besides, there were bigger fish to fry. He barged through another door hoping that it would lead to the place he needed. Through the door there was an unlit staircase. "What is it with mammals never lighting up these sets of stairs? It's not scary, it's just annoying." He started stepping down, where he then heard a creak. He swung his gun up, and aimed in both directions around him. "Okay, maybe it is a little scary." He admitted, while continuing down his path. Then he heard a voice ahead of him.
"So do you think that token rabbit and token fox will survive?"
"Well, nah, you said it yourself, they're token mammals, they are only there to encourage diversity. Let's be honest, they are both weak and stupid individuals."
The two then bumped into Jacob. "Hey mate, no going down there, we had to clean it up."
He just responded with. "Hey guys, don't tell me what I can and can't do, besides, you're both under arrest."
"A copper? Shee-at." Both tried to swing at him but he just jumped back and fired his gun upwards. The suppressed bullet was enough to make them reconsider fighting.
"I hope all of you are this easy to fight." He joked, while putting on zip-ties on the two mammals.
He headed downstairs, and headed through a small opening. He opened a green door.
"So, did you do as I asked?"
"Of course, I did. Storm, I only did it coz we friends, if it weren't for that, I'd've ignored ya. Ya don't outrank me."
"I know, I know, just it's a little test. You place the pieces, let's see who follows it."
"Did ya set up the trap?"
"Of course I did, why wouldn't I?"
"Well, then what if your, ahem, replacement finds it and triggers it."
"Then I have severely overestimated him. But I think he will be fine."
"Well, Am outta 'ere. See ya."
"Til next we meet, Baxter."
A/N: I finally wrote it. YES. Hallelujah. Well, ugh, I'll post this and the next chapter side by side as an apology for neglecting this story. We cool now?