Early in the morning, Jimmy got up from his bed after wonderful night of fucking his three lovely ladies. As he slipped a red thong on, he could see his three lovers also putting on some very revealing bikini's. With a smile now on the white wolf's face, Jimmy got ready for a swim in his outdoor heated swimming pool, but then he remembered something in the kitchen. But while he was looking for his frozen coffee, Porsha and Cherry had somehow found an opening in the mansion' security and was able to sneak into Jimmy's back yard.
The two canines looked around, taking note that Jimmy and his lovers were still inside. Now it was time to make that bastard pay for hurting so many good people. Cherry pulled out a big bottle of blue dye from his backpack, causing Porsha to smile.
"This will get him good," she smiled watching Cherry pour the dye into Jimmy's pool.
The sound the sliding glass door alerted Porsha and Cherry that Jimmy was coming outside, so they quickly hid behind some pillars as Jimmy finished his frozen coffee. Once the white wolf was done, he called Su.
"Hungry Like the Wolf!"
The sexy feline pressed a button on a remote as "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran began to play on his stereo.
Porsha and Cherry couldn't help but laugh to see Jimmy dancing rather ridiculous as they sneaked into the house to cause more mischief. Cheery made her way into the living room, where she pulled out glue and squirted it on Jimmy's favorite leather chair. Porsha headed for Jimmy's room where she unleashed some fleas into the white wolf's boxers before heading for the bathroom. Her goal here was a real nail in the coffin.
Outside Jimmy took a deep breath and dove into the pool, being completely oblivious that his fur had changed from white to blue.
Porsha smiled as she found her rapist's favorite lemon-flavored mouthwash, ready to give him the grossest surprise of his life.
"Mr. Crystal, you've really pissed me off," she said pouring the mouthwash down the sink. Once the bottle was empty, Porsha pulled down her pants and began to urinate into the bottle. She filled the bottle and quickly put it back.
Once the two canines had finished their little sabotage mission, they exited out of the house and hailed a passing cab. As they all got into the cab, they heard a loud…
"AAAAHHHH! OH MY GOD!" Jimmy screamed so loud that the two girls were certain all Redshore heard him.
"Jeez, what the hell was that?!" Jack Savage asked looking up from his laptop.
"Well, sounds like someone's having a crappy day," Cain said to him.
Redshore City Courthouse
7:50 A.M.
Trial of James Crystal
Day 2
The courthouse was just as busy as before, if not busier. The crowds gathered outside were getting rather anxious, everyone wanting the actual trial to get underway. And of course, Linda Le Bon was especially anxious to get the juicy details for her next segment. She had even interviewed a polar bear who had started a betting pool on whether or not Crystal would be found guilty. But, despite the humdrum of activity outside, the main courtroom was actually pleasantly mild.
Well, pleasant in terms of activity. But in terms of tension…
Buster could feel it in every fiber of his being.
Even though he had plead guilty to more than half of the charges against, Charlie had confessed that that didn't mean Jade Tusk would still find a way to use it against them. In truth, Charlie was on a bit more of a high alert around Jade Tusk than he would have been with Jack Burro, the sheer steadfast determination radiating from the doe as she sat beside her client very much present. In fact, Charlie had even more to be worried about as someone, he didn't see who, slipped an anonymous letter into his jacket pocket when he first arrived, the letter merely stating; Her name is Cherise Lu…Be Wary. But, even with this in mind, if Charlie played his cards right, the trial would be over before dinner…
With Crystal sent off to Prison.
"How are you doing, Rosita?" Charlie heard Buster whisper to the sci-fi star as she sat with the others, the mother of 25 still very much on edge from the threatening note she had received, her gaze ever present on her clasped hands, wishing her husband was there to offer her comfort. But she knew it was better for him to stay at the hotel and oversee the preparations for him and the kids to leave for Calatonia that afternoon. She was, however, more than content with Nick offering her that comfort instead.
"I-I'm fine," Rosita stammered with a forced smile, the mother waving everyone away as they looked at her with great concern.
"I-I called the police, gave them the note and told them to get it, Charlie. They even offered to have the hotel watched for our protection."
"Was there anything on security cameras?" Clay inquired in his gruff voice.
"Hotel security said they caught something," Suki added in, "but the person's face was covered by a hoodie. The only thing we could gather is that they were feline because you could see their tail."
"And I called in a few favors to find this feline," Nick said assuring the mother pig.
"That reminds me," Buster said, "where's Jerry?"
It was at that moment the other's realized that Buster was right. Crystal's ever loyal cat secretary was nowhere to be seen. Not the day before and not now. In fact, when the news came from hotel security that the person of interest in the letter incident was feline, they had assumed it might have been Jerry. However, it didn't add up as security said that the hooded figure had a tall, lean frame, possible five-ten, a far cry from Jerry's short, four-five portly stature.
"I don't know," Suki responded, tapping a pencil against her chin in thought.
"He had been issued a subpoena and was supposed to report an hour before the official start of today's proceedings."
"Probably scared out of wits to testify," Nooshy joked, the lynx leaning forward and resting her chin on her arms, which were casually draped over the wooden barrier separating them from the gallery and the main floor.
"More than likely," Charlie added in, his thoughtful gaze forward, bushy eyebrows furrowed in contemplation as he thought over what Nooshy had said.
"Jerry has never been very strong when it comes to confrontation. If this lawyer called him as a witness, he would definitely fold under cross-examination. Jerry, upon learning I was the prosecuting attorney, would probably have realized this."
"So, Jerry risks going to jail because he's afraid of you?" Johnny inquired, somewhat incredulously.
"Kind of, like, raising yourself on that pedestal, Ja?" Gunter added in, his face a mixture of confusion and amusement, the question itself causing Charlie to chuckle at this observation.
"Well," he said, turning his attention to the others, "a little bit. But, then again, we don't know the whole story. I'm willing to give Jerry the benefit of the doubt and say he's running VERY late."
"ALL RISE!"
The sudden intrusion of the bailiffs booming voice caused the group to jump a little bit. But, once the initial shock had worn off, the prosecution and the defense, as well as the gallery and jury, did as instructed. And as Judge Prides made his way into the courtroom, this time backed by a slim, brown-furred female gazelle, who Charlie and Jade Tusk recognized as his court recorder, Buster couldn't be sure, but the tension seemed to grow exponentially.
"Be seated," Prides called as he took his seat, everyone else, save for Charlie and Jade, did so. And once everything had settled, Prides, after placing his glasses on his face, turned to the congregated jury.
"Jury, you have heard opening arguments," he began, "now we will hear both sides of the alleged incident from Mr. Crystal and Mr. Moon. Upon conclusion of each testimony, both Mr. Lane and Ms. Lu will conduct a cross-examination if they see fit. Once testimony and cross-examinations are complete, both parties may call forward witnesses, be they actual witnesses to the alleged crimes or character witnesses. With that said, in terms of testimony, we will hear from the defense. Mr. Crystal…"
Crystal himself, upon having his name called, ran a hand over his now freshly cleaned white fur that had once been dyed blue, let a smug smirk form on his muzzle as he looked at Prides, the lion sporting a less-than-amused frown.
"Would you please take the stand."
As Crystal stood and made his way towards the witness stand, he took one last chance to shoot the opposition one last defiant smirk before taking a seat in the booth to Pride's left. At that moment, the bailiff stepped forward, a bible in his hands.
"Please stand, place your left hand on the bible and raise your right."
Doing as he was told, Crystal, with as straight a face as possible, placed his left hand on the good book while rising his other, his actions mirrored by the bailiff.
"Do you, James Crystal, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"I do," Crystal responded with great civility, civility that Suki and Buster recognized as being very fake but could not quote on it. However, this did not quell Charlie's sense of humor as he leaned over to Buster and Suki before whispering so only they could hear.
"I half expected him to burst into flames when he put the first claw on the bible."
This did cause both koala and female saluki to crack a smirk and release a small guffaw or giggle. However, that little moment of levity vanished once Crystal had finished swearing his oath, the wolf taking a seat as the bailiff placed the bible at the edge of the witness stand.
"Mr. Crystal," the bailiff began, "in your own words, could you please describe to the court the events leading up to your arrest?"
"Certainly," Crystal responded with a huge grin, the expression itself actually causing Suki to roll her eyes.
For the most part, Crystal's testimony would have been very similar to Buster's. He talked about how Buster and his crew had come to Redshore to audition for him. He had rejected them when they had initially pitched their rendition of "Alice in Wonderland" but was intrigued by Gunter's idea for a space-themed musical starring Clay Calloway. Everything past that point went exactly as Buster and the other's remembered, with slight embellishment on Crystal's part.
But it was when Crystal got to the part of when Buster was first called to his office that his so-called "memory" of events started to change.
"I had called Mr. Moon to my office to discuss a very important update in the show's production. My team had recently been in contact with Mr. Calloway's lawyer…"
At that moment, Crystal's smile, while still maintaining that faux civility, turned a bit more ominous. And needless to say, it did not sit well with Charlie, as he realized before the words left his mouth, what Jack Burro had planned for his case.
"One Charles Lane…"
And seeing as how Clay was siding with him, Charlie, upon trading a concerned glance with Clay, knew that Jade Tusk had already scored a point.
"He said that Mr. Calloway had never heard of Moon, or his little show."
And what was said next filled Buster with great disgust.
"Now, I am a reasonable man. So, I gave Mr. Moon an ultimatum. Either get Mr. Calloway by the end of the week, or he and his little show are out."
And with that disgust…
Came distress, the twisting of events that lead to him discovering the cold, cruel nature that was THE Jimmy Crystal. And at that very moment, as Buster watched the otherwise immoral, rageful wolf calmly and collectedly recount that meeting with unrepentant grace and civility, the memory of what did happen seemed in the stage that was reality to sweep its way from upstage as it began twirling and Grandejetéing until it was front and center in front of the koala huddled in on himself in the seat that felt like an iron maiden rather than a cushioned chair.
"And a week later, what does he do to show his gratitude? Fires my Sweet Lovely Porsha, who had known was never my daughter to begin with, but I loved and took care of her like she was my own."
It was at that Buster found himself pulled from his thoughts, his hitched breaths and rapid breathing a clear sign to him that he seemed to suffer some sort of panic attack. But that could wait, for the moment he laid eyes on Porsha, he knew from her pained expression, her eyes misting and her bottom lip quivering, that the teen must have felt sick to her stomach. Here he was, her rapist, Jimmy Crystal, the man who had called her a talentless loser, talking about her as if she were his pride and joy, his face now contorted into what could only be assumed to be fatherly anguish.
"Porsha," he whispered, only for his call to fall on deaf ears as Porsha looked to the ground, her ears pinned to her head as she looked like a lost pup. And at that moment, Buster could hear silent murmuring from the jury. There they were, looking at Porsha with great pity, her current position making it appear as Crystal was speaking the truth. And it must have been the case as some began to look at Buster with a damning scowl.
If only they knew.
They will know, Buster thought to himself.
"And I'm sure," Crystal continued, his face still scrunched up in false sorrow, "without a doubt, that he promised my darling little angel, in her heartbroken state, that if she helped him put on his show, then she would become a star. But in reality, he was only using her because he thought it would gain my forgiveness. And when I tried to shut down this illegal performance, what does this tiny monster do? Sends his goons to attack me and my security and locks me beneath the stage like a savage beast until the police showed up, CALLED BY THE ONE WOMAN I THOUGHT WAS MY FRIEND! MY LOYAL TALENT SCOUT, SUKI LANE!"
And icing to the cake, big wet, CROCODILLIAN tears fell from Crystal's eyes, his sobs clearly not phasing the prosecution, Charlie just sitting with a neutral expression and Suki rolling her eyes at her former employer's over-dramatics. But, as Buster observed the two salukis, and for that matter, his troupe, displaying such little emotion did not help their appearance as the jury looked upon these apparently "unrepentant perpetrators," with great contempt.
Nick on the other hand turned and looked over to the seated on lookers, Dax, Sam and Jack were seated and listening to Jimmy spin his web of lies.
"I AM NOT THE VILLAIN HERE!" Crystal wailed, reaching out to the jury as if he were a pup begging his mother for a comforting embrace. And needless to say, Charlie was quite impressed with how easily Crystal was able to sway the jury, some of the female members fishing out tissues and hankies to dry their misting eyes. Thankfully, the troupe wasn't the only who could see through the facade.
Prides looked at him with great scrutiny, like a scientist looking at a flu sample under a microscope, not out of total disbelief, but because the lion had heard such stories of woe for twenty years.
"That…" Crystal whimpered, the wolf dramatically pulling his handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe his tears, "is all I have to say about that."
"Yes," Prides finally said, the same scrutiny on his face that was present before still there, "well, thank you, Mr. Crystal…you may step down."
With that, Jimmy did as he was told. In summation, despite seeming like an hour to Buster, Crystal's testimony, in reality, had been two minutes. And needless to say, given the jury's reaction, it would seem that his "great performance" had definitely started to sway them to his side. But Buster was sure to hopefully rectify that.
"Mr. Moon," Prides called, pulling Buster's attention from the scowling jury, "please take the stand."
"Y-yes, Your Honor," Buster meekly responded, his own timid demeanor making it seem as though Crystal had hit the ball too close to home. But, as he got down from his chair, making his way around Charlie, Buster felt some of his worry melt away as he passed Porsha, the teen, despite the pain in her eyes, sending him a comforting, encouraging smile. Unfortunately, that comfort vanished the moment he saw that smug smirk on Crystal's face.
And Jade Tusk…well hers was more neutral. Buster couldn't quite get a read on her…
Neither could Charlie.
What are you thinking, Deer? The saluki lawyer thought to himself as Buster made his way past the judging eyes of the jury before taking his seat in the witness stand. And, as he had done before, the bailiff presented the bible to the koala, his right hand up as the left hand rested on the holy book.
"Do you, Buster Moon, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"I do."
"Mr. Moon, in your own words, could you please describe to the court your view of events leading up to Mr. Crystal's arrest?"
"Well," Buster began timidly, a sheepish smile on his face as he began, "as you could possibly imagine, I was very thrilled to have the opportunity to work under THE Jimmy Crystal. When he agreed to do our show, he had given us three weeks to get it going. A bit tight, but it was doable. He had escorted us to the roof of the tower where he was getting ready to depart on his helicopter. But before he did, he looked at me and told me not to do anything to make him look bad. I had said I would never let that happen. And then he told me, with now that I look back on it, an eerily straight face, that I better not, or he'd throw you off the roof."
This earned a round of chuckles from the jury at the absurdness of his statement, which was somewhat what Buster wanted. And out of the corner of his eye, Buster could see Jade Tusk and Crystal chuckle as well. But he knew it was to make it seem that THEY found the"absurdness" humorous too.
"Yeah," he continued with a good-natured chuckle, "I laughed too. But my first inclination that I had bitten off more than I could chew was, uh…"
Buster stalled for a moment, his gaze landing on Suki. Realizing what the koala was getting at, Suki, after a moment of hesitation, nodded.
"When Suki Lane had told me I had no idea what I was getting myself into."
This resulted in a hushed murmur as the jury's attention now turned to the very stiff Suki.
"NOW!" Buster immediately added, desperate to keep the jury's attention off Suki, "had I know what was to come, I would have obeyed my first instinct and gotten us out. Now, the first, and I think, only time Mr. Crystal came to set was a few days later, when we were getting started on set designs. He came along with Suki, Jerry Stilwell, and Porsha. He explained that he brought Porsha because she was a fan of Mr. Calloway and wanted to meet him."
This little tidbit caused Clay to look to the opposite end of the pew, Porsha doing the same as she offered a sheepish wave, one which was returned with caring smile.
"Well, around that time, I was summoned to one of our high-rise platforms by our stunt coordinator Sasha because Rosita seemed to have developed, to my surprise and the surprise of our group, a sudden case of acrophobia…uh, fear of heights."
This was said to the jury, each with a visible look of confusion at the "fancy" word Buster had just used, each offering a silent "oh" or "ah" in response.
"Porsha had actually followed me up and after a little, for a lack of a better word, argument, had hooked herself up to the harness. I'm not gonna lie, the kid is a natural acrobat, talking about how she had seen that very situation in a dream she had the night before."
This earned another chuckle from the jury. The troupe even laughed, including Porsha herself. Unfortunately for her, she knew what came next as her smile faltered into a frown laced with, as some might see, shame.
"Anyway, after we had gotten back to the ground floor, Porsha…well, uh…"
At that moment, Buster sent an almost sad look to Porsha, the wolf, ears pinned to her head, offering a sad smile and nod.
"She said she understood what her dream meant, that Rosita was afraid and wouldn't be able to do the part. That she was young and wasn't afraid of anything. Now, I was about to explain to Porsha that the part had been specifically written for Rosita…but Mr. Crystal stopped me and asked me to walk with him."
At that point, Buster glanced out of the corner of his eye, Crystal's smile turning into a deep frown almost instantly. And despite the fear that started to grow in him, the koala knew he had to keep going. However, Charlie began to grow nervous, not about Crystal, or Jade Tusk for that matter, but Buster as the diminutive showman's breath seemed to be getting quicker.
"We were walking on one of the sets, and he had asked me, well," he continued, pausing briefly to let out a light chuckle, "if I 'had a kink in my think.' I was going to explain to him what I was going to explain to Porsha, but he told me that what I had was an opportunity to make him happy."
Buster took in a gulp of air before continuing.
"And when an opportunity like that happens…I need to grab it. He meant GRAB IT because he grabbed my collar and hoisted me up to his face. I hesitated when he asked if I understood, and he accused me of thinking that Porsha wasn't good enough for his show, and he said this while picking his teeth with his claws. Now if that isn't a silent threat, I don't know what is."
Buster paused for a minute, his eyes landing on the edge of the witness booth, the koala unaware that a few of the glares in jury box were now longer on him, but Crystal, the disgraced mogul actually squirming a bit in his seat at the harsh glares. The remaining jury, while not entirely judging Buster anymore, still maintained a look that conveyed they were now divided, all thanks to Buster's testimony so far.
"Anyway, a few days later, Suki had told me that Mr. Crystal wanted to see me. And it started pretty much the way Mr. Crystal had described it. His team had gotten in touch with Mr. Calloway's lawyer, Dr. Lane. But…"
Buster hesitated once again, the marsupial taking a deep breath to steel himself before he continued.
"He was not 'reasonable.' He went into this rage; told me I had lied to him. He was practically screaming in face. I tried to explain that I thought I could get Mr. Calloway in the show. He just shoved everything off his desk, baring his teeth, snarling."
Buster's voice started to become quieter, his eyes going wide with fear as his mind told him he was no longer in a courtroom, but back in that office, staring down the muzzle a snarling wolf. And needless to say, his friends did not like what they saw. Porsha began to have flashbacks of Jimmy raping her, showing the same kind of rage that Buster described. Even Charlie could see that Buster was on the verge of a panic attack. And to his relief, even Jade seemed to be a bit concerned for the koala rather than her frowning client, though her face didn't show it.
"There was no ultimatum. He had told that if I didn't have Porsha in the show, I would have been out his window by that point. He did give me a week, but if I didn't deliver, well, I got a pretty good idea when word got out that I had reportedly "fired" Porsha. Now, I want to clear something up before I continue. I didn't fire Porsha. It was a misunderstanding. I gave her the opportunity to switch roles with Rosita. Well, she told her Mr. Crystal differently."
A pause. Buster didn't want Porsha to know what her actions nearly caused, but knew it was the only way to ensure a chance that Crystal would be locked up.
"I tried to explain to Mr. Crystal, but he wouldn't listen. H-he grabbed me…w-walked out onto his balcony…"
Buster at that this point was beginning to hyperventilate, his ears back and eyes clenched shut as he was forced to relive that dreadful moment.
"Held me over…"
Buster at this point was holding back a sob. At that moment, Buster's friends felt their hearts break for him. Even Clay felt a sense of sympathy for what this koala went through to make his show a reality. And now here he was, reliving this pain in a way Charlie recognized all too well.
Nick leaned over to Rosita. "Maybe I should just ice Jimmy today, save the state some money," he joked.
Rosita found herself cracking a smile at the joke, but she instead refocused her attention to Buster.
"Buster," Charlie called in a sort of loud whisper, the lawyer overjoyed to find that was all it took for the koala to look his way. And, without a word, Charlie began breathing calmly through his nose, and out through his mouth, over and over until Buster began to mimic it. For several minutes, the courtroom was filled with intense silence, all except for the sound of Buster's breathing.
"I'm sorry," he finally said after a half a minute.
"It's alright, Mr. Moon," Prides responded, his expression still neutral, but his voice soft.
"Take as much time as you need."
"Anyway," Buster continued, his breathing still uneven but his voice steady and firm, "he said I made him look bad…and he had to 'let me go...' Literally. Luckily, I grabbed onto his arm. That's when Jerry showed up, said that Mr. Crystal had an interview with Linda Le Bon and that they would have to 'put a pin in it.' He threw me in his closet and said he would 'finish the job later.' I would have been dead if Suki hadn't let me out."
It was at that moment Buster sent the female saluki an appreciative smile and nod, the talent scout sending Buster a bittersweet smile in return.
"She told me to leave and never come back. She said that when Mr. Crystal found me gone then he would send his thugs after me. I had gathered everyone to leave, but then we saw Mr. Crystal's interview with Le Bon. The things he said."
Buster paused for another moment, the fear and sorrow in his face morphing into something else, something his friends easily recognized.
And it made them feel warm on the inside.
"We were going to prove him wrong. Yes, I got everyone together to put the show on. And if memory serves, people were raving about it after. It still doesn't excuse that we went behind Mr. Crystal's back, but I was determined that our hard work did not go to waste. And knowing that once Mr. Crystal found out what we were doing he would come for us, which is why I sent for Johnny's dad."
Johnny tensed at this, but seemed to calm down as Nooshy, never once taking her attention away from Buster, gave his hand a comforting squeeze.
"But" Buster continued, his face now becoming firm, the koala once again taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, "that didn't stop him. He got through, grabbed me. Suki tried to pry me free, but Crystal had grabbed her too. He took us to the top of the support frames. Suki, I guess in a moment of defiance, told Mr. Crystal that she quit…he didn't care. Then he called me a lowlife little loser."
And with each word coming from the now defiant koala's mouth, some of the holdouts in the jury were being swayed to his side now, though not entirely.
"I told him," Buster continued, "that I was not a loser. We had accomplished what we had set out to do. And there was nothing he could say or do to change that…"
Another pause before the big reveal.
"He said he could do whatever he wanted, held us over the edge, and let go…and neither of us could catch his arm this time."
The room was deadly silent for a few moments before Buster, his face still contorted in pain as he relived that terrifying moment, that moment of weightlessness as he and his beautiful girlfriend plummeted to his certain death.
"But," he finally said, a warm smile on his face as he looked to the star of his show, "Rosita saved us."
And it was then that Buster's expression took a sour tone as he turned his attention to Crystal, who, despite the amount of power he still had over Buster, couldn't help but shrink a little under the koala's indignant glare.
"But, the worst thing out of ALL OF THAT…was Mr. Crystal attempting to take credit for all of our hard work, expecting me to call us even. And well, you all know what happened next."
The room was silent.
Not a single person spoke, moved, or even breathed.
You could hear a pin drop… or rather Charlie's cane.
The sound of the brass eagle hitting the floor caused a startled shriek to escape Miss Crawley's lips, resulting in a few other similar reactions around her, even Charlie and Suki. The only two seemingly not phased…
The wolf and koala staring daggers at each other from across the room.
And after a full minute, Prides broke the silence.
"Thank you, Mr. Moon," he said, his voice now matching his face in terms of neutrality, the lion looking to Jade Tusk, the doe, having regained some of her composure after listening to Buster's testimony, taking the stare from the larger feline as a silent invitation to stand. And with what Prides said next, Buster, as well as Charlie, were certain, that at that moment…
"Your witness, Ms. Lu."
…That they began to sweat.
Meanwhile, Richie, Manchas and Big Daddy's plane landed at Cape Suzette, the three immediately greeted by a quartet of bears. The most prominent was a male grey sloth bear, tale and broadly built, though from working with this male in the past Big Daddy knew that underneath his beige cargo shirt and brown pants tucked into his brown boots that this bear processed a fair amount of muscle. This was Benjamin Von Bruinwald, though everyone called him Baloo. And by his side was his wife, a beautiful, curvy brown bear, by the name of Rebecca Cunnigham dressed in a stylish maroon jacket over a white turtleneck sweater, and purple slacks tucked into a pair of black jack-boots. And by their side, two teen bears; young, brown-furred male, no more than eighteen, dressed similarly to Baloo, but with a brown leather bomber jacket and blue baseball cap. And by his side a blonde-furred female, perhaps fifteen or sixteen dressed in a dirty white jumpsuit and brown work-boots. This was Kit Cloudkicker and Molly Cunnigham, the son and daughter of Baloo and Rebecca respectively, and the stepchildren of the other's spouse.
And for Big Daddy, the group was a sight for sore eyes.
"Baloo, long time no see!" Big Daddy said as he and Richie hugged the cargo pilot.
"It's good to see you and Richie again, Marcus!" Baloo greeted back, a strong mid-western accent in his voice, accompanied by a faint German undertone, the bear returning the hug with great vigor.
"Hey, what about us?" Kit asked with a coy laugh, he and his step-sister quickly be greeted by Richie as he stepped forward.
"You too, Kit and Molly," Richie laughed as he hugged the bear kids.
"That's Danger Woman to you," Molly laughed, joined by the others until Baloo began leading them to their mode of transport, which was a beet up old Willy's 41 jeep. Baloo drove Richie and Big Daddy to Higher for Hire as they got out of the car and grabbed their luggage. Richie noticed three of Don Karnage's former cyber pirates that changed their lives and were now working as Higher for Hire employees. Their names are Matthew Dodgson, David Tucker, and Gibson Ford. Also known as Mad Dog, Dumptruck and Gibber.
"Dumptruck?" Richie asked, stepping towards the Swedish great dane.
"Richie?" Dumptruck asked as he recognized the German Shepherd, stepping towards as he extended his hand, which was taken by Richie with a luagh.
"Long time no see."
"How are you three holding up?" Richie asked as he shook Dump Truck's hand.
"Holding out very well. Baloo and Matthew gave us a second chance by offering us a job and a place to stay," Gibber said, the mutt cracking his back form the hard work he and his boys had been doing.
"Yeah, it was nice to have a second chance after Don Karnage's arrest," Mad Dog added in, the ginger coyote wiping some filth from his hands with a rag as he spoke.
Richie remembered seeing Don Karnage in Jasper and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He thought that maybe he should get a second chance as well as he and his pirates would be perfect for his dad's casino. In fact, Don Karnage and his pirates would be perfect for the entertainment venue to star in a pirate show and musical.
"You know, there's an offer at my dad's casino, The Pirate's Booty, in Redshore City, New Jersey that Don Karnage would be interested. I know you three would be perfect," Richie said as he offered them his dad's business card.
"Here's my dad's card. If you do come across with Karnage, tell him that I highly recommended you all to my dad for a job offer."
"We'll be sure to do that, Rich," Dump Truck said, placing the card in his pocket.
"So how's Katie been doing, DT?" Richie asked, referring to the world famous vixen archaeologist who had come closer than anyone to discovering evidence of the existence of fabled civilizations such as Atlantis or El Dorado. But of course in the end, they were once again written off as myth. He remembered hearing about Katie being one of Garth's excavation team in Jasper.
"Very well actually. She was bummed out when her expeditions for Atlantis and El Dorado were a bust, but now she's helping out this anonymous investor who's a nut on the subject of religious artifacts."
"Religious Artifacts?" Manchas asked, curious as to what the Great Dane meant.
"Yeah, you know," Dump Truck continued, "the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Holy Lance, that sort of stuff. But apparently, one he's really big on right now is something that supposedly lets you time travel. Something that they're looking for on some dig in Greece."
This earned a round of amused chuckles from the group, who could only hold their smiles when Dump Truck continued with a lovestruck smile.
"But despite all that, she's a great girlfriend." David said as he was so in love the archaeologist vixen.
"I'm actually thinking of popping the question."
"Well, I'm glad to hear you two are going well," Richie said as he clapped the dane on the back.
"Say, what do you say we head over to Louis's club?" Gibber butted in, the suggestion actually earning round of approval.
"Sure, it's be a while since I've seen Louis," Big Daddy said, the gorilla wasting no time in make his way towards the jeep with the others, who despite their mission, thought a little fun would be a god way to calm the nerves. With that, Baloo ushered them to his pride and joy, the rusty, but still fully functional custom Conwing L-16, the Sea Duck, for the only way to get to their destination, was by air or sea. And before long, the group was on their way to a sequestered island that housed one of the most talked about clubs in the region, Louie's Place. And if Richie was being honest, he never got tired of the awe-inspiring sight of the club that eh could see from his window.
Nestled against the trunk of a giant banyan tree, the popular island nightclub was the hottest refreshment spot in the South Seas. Over the course of a few short years, the seemingly quaint establishment had become famous among pilots, travelers, and partygoers from Cape Suzette and nearby regions for its delicious fruit drinks, uproarious parties, and its energetic manager and host, Louie himself. And before Richie and the other knew it, they were inside the jaw-dropping club, everyone taking in the amazing sight.
Louie's Place was constructed entirely around the wreck of an old sailing ship which came with the island property. Rather than disposing of the shipwreck, Louie transformed the boat into part of his club using bits of leftover wood and material to hand-fashion the club's main structure. What was once the ship's mast now served as the main support beam for the building's tall, thatched-hut roof. As Richie observed, bamboo-pole framework surrounded the thatched walls and ceilings, lending a jungle flavor to the club's makeshift architecture. All around, ornate wooden tiki masks, many of them gifts from Louie's customers, adorned the upper walls and balconies while aircraft propellers hang from the rafters high above, acting as ceiling fans.
All around, crude tables built from planks and wooden barrels occupied the club's main seating area, which also servds as an impromptu dance floor during festivities, while various other small tables and booths, constructed out of all manner of "found" items, lined the walls around the main floor. And to add to the club's unique charm, the main cabin of the shipwreck Louie's Place is built upon had been converted into a special lounge room, with the best seats in Louie's club typically reserved for special customers such as business "headhunters" and other affluent, important, or favorite guests.
Which that night, included them.
And of course the true centerpiece of Louie's Place, much to Baloo and Big Daddy's delight, was the bar, located adjacent to the main dining floor. And as Richie could see, rows of bottles lined the back shelves, each containing fruit juices and various non-alcoholic beverages, all of them awaiting use in one of Louie's many elaborate concoctions. And the moment he made it to the bar, Big Daddy let a big, boisterous grin spread on his muzzle as he looked upon the lively orangutang working behind it, his vibrant Hawaiian shirt flowing with his movements, along with his baggy cargo short.
"Marcus!" the shorter primate bellowed, briefly stopping in his actions of making a martini to quickly go over and give his "cousin" a quick hug before getting back to work.
"Hey Louis, been a while" Big Daddy said as he watched Louie man the bar, the orangutan working with remarkable flourish and dexterity, serving up hot fudge sundaes for the newly arrived Kit and Molly, sarsaparilla sodas, mango shakes, and other refreshments for hungry patrons. And before Big Daddy could make an order, he was immediately given one of Louie's most oft-requested dishes, his world-famous Krakatoa Special, an incredibly delicious combination of ice cream and chocolate syrup topped with blazing sparklers for added effect. But as Big Daddy started to eat his treat, Louie's face took a somber expression.
"I figured you needed the pick me up," he said, finally stopping in his actions as he leaned against the bar top.
"So, you've been keeping tabs on the trial?" Big Dady said with a sigh.
"It's all anyone really talks about around here," Louie responded with a sad laugh. And as the two primates conversed about the mess that Big Daddy's boy and his friends were in, David spotted his lovely girlfriend gesturing to him to join her in the closet. Once inside, the busty vixen opened her shirt, letting her d-cup breasts be free. The Great Dane wasted no time dripping his pants as he slid his huge 16-inch dick in between Katie's big boobs.
He always loved to start things off with a good titjob.
Meanwhile, Mad Dog motioned for Richie to follow him up to the lounge, which was typically used by customer who wanted a table away from the main floor's craziness, a cozy spot with some privacy, or simply a seat with a view should visit the upper-deck lounge, once the main cabin of the wrecked ship around which Louie built his nightclub.
But for Mad Dog, it was the second one.
"What's up, Matt?" Richie inquired, slightly unnerved by the usually placid mutt's nervousness.
"Richie," Mad Dog began hesitantly, the dog making sur that they were truly alone before continuing.
"You should know, a few shady characters going in and out of Khan Industries ever since he croaked in Zootopia. There're usually about ten of them, in they're only ever in there for about forty-five minutes, an hour tops."
As Mad Dog spoke, he could see that the shepherd was visibly bothered by this information, the canine thanking the mutt for this information before walking away. But what Mad Dog didn't know was that Richie was bothered by this so much that the moment he stepped out of the lounge's back door, quickly calling in a few other friends, which really consisted of Tony, Wolf and Webbs to help him out on this assignment.
Back in the closet, Katie now had her pants down and David was fucking her tight ass good. With one final thrust, the great dane knotted Katie's ass and locked them together.
"Sure hope no one opens this door," Katie moaned.
"They won't," David replied as he groped the vixen's breasts.
Later that evening, on top one of the rooftops of the many buildings in the heart of Cape Suzette, Richie scoped out the tall glass façade of the infamous Kahn Industries. And as he did, he couldn't help but wonder why, after the tiger crime boss's death, it was still attracting attention from less-than reputable individuals. But then again, this was Kahn Industries he was talking about.
Until his death, the multi-billion-dollar megacorporation known as Khan Industries had always occupied a position of prominence in the economic world. It had been founded before the turn of the century by the Khan family of business magnates, making its start in marine shipping and manufacturing, quickly becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing businesses in the harbor city of Cape Suzette. With it came visionary leadership and strong competitive standards, which contributed to the phenomenal early successes of the Khan corporation. By the time the World War I broke out, Khan Industries was recognized as a world leader in international shipping and merchandise as well as raw material production and technology, even brokering contracts with big name shipping companies such as the Cunard and White Star Line, the latter showing great appreciation after the loss of one of their grandest achievements on the morning of April 15, 1912.
When Shere Khan's grandfather, a rising star of aviation executives, assumed control of the business shortly after the close of the Great War, he expanded upon many of the enterprises and business opportunities explored by the previous Khan chairman. Having learned well from his predecessor, the elder Khan devoted a significant portion of the company's efforts toward branching into new fields, particularly the booming post-War air cargo industry. Thanks to Chairman Khan's keen foresight, Khan Industries created the most formidable air transport fleet run by conventionally trained pilots in modern history, giving the company a decisive edge over many of its shipping competitors.
Further solidifying the corporation's industrial base after assuming control of it, Shere Khan aggressively pursued natural resources and mining operations through the Khan Enterprises division. He also launched expensive research and development projects concentrating primarily on aircraft design, electronics, and alternative energy sources. Many of these endeavors resulted in breakthrough achievements, most notably the Sub-Electron Amplifier project which unfortunately ended in a fiasco involving Air Pirates, an attack on Cape Suzette, and a devastating weapon known as the "lightning gun" powered by the stolen amplifier. Another widely-publicized debacle was a short-lived business deal which nearly crippled the commercial aviation industry.
Having overcome these setbacks, Khan Industries enjoyed continuing success as the biggest corporation in the world, but the company's chairman was not without his share of critics. Many in the general public and corporate circles despised Shere Khan's ruthlessness and bloodthirsty competitive streak. There were also those convinced that several of Shere Khan's assorted business ventures were not aboveboard, citing persistent rumors of illicit negotiations between Khan and the Air Pirates as grounds for police investigation.
Dismissing these accusations as products of corporate envy, Shere Khan maintained firm control of Khan Industries, his only concern being to guide the corporation — and himself — to greater heights of prosperity, and power.
Until his death at the hands of the Crimson Den.
Richie was pulled from his personal musings as he noticed the lights of one of the top floors come on, a clear sign that whoever had been coming to Khan Industries was back again.
"This is Team Leader to Blue Team. Do you hear me?" Richie asked.
"Hear you, Team Leader," Big Daddy said on his headset.
"In position," Manchas said in the getaway car.
"DIA got a positive ID on your target from the parking lot security cameras, a guy named Tai Lung," Tony said.
"How do I find him?"
"By his license plate," Tony responded.
"And he's not with his car?" Richie asked, wanting to make sure eh accounted for everything he could.
"No," Tony responded, "but his driver will be. Grab him and make him talk, don't be afraid to use force."
"Who, me?" Richie asked with a cheeky grin as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop until he stuck on the side of Khan Industries with his specialized gloves and boots.
"Serena just pulled up the schematics on the building. They've got a laser security grid online in the research department," Tony said.
"So I stay out of the research department."
"Don't let them trigger any alarms at all. We still don't have official approval from the Joint Chiefs for this operation, so one slip-up and it's game over."
Richie snuck into the building along with Wolf, who had followed close behind. Wolf took out one of the guards as Richie deactivated the security cameras, before making their way to the garage while avoiding guards.
"Mason, keep watch," Richie said.
"Got it," Wolf said.
Richie spotted the driver, a skinny wolf with a bad leg. The German shepherd carefully moved in close and grabbed him from behind and pointed his gun at his head.
"What the hell?" The driver asked, but stopped as he felt the silenced Browning 9mm pistol press against his head.
"I'm going to ask you some questions. When I think you're lying, I'll do this," Richie said as he struck a pressure point at the wolf's throat.
"Who do you work for?"
And if Richie had a dime for every weak-willed lacky who caved instantly, he would have two dimes…which wasn't a lot, but Richie thought it was weird it only happened two times.
"Tai Lung."
"Tell me about him," Richie growled as he pressed the pressure point further.
"He used to be Chinese Special Forces!" the driver cried in pain, tears forming in his eyes as Richie held his grip, "Now, he's a mercenary! He works for some guy called Shendu!"
"Where do I find Tai Lung?"
"I don't know!" the driver tried to lie…big mistake.
"Bullshit!" Richie growled as he pressed harder on the pressure point, the wolf beneath him letting out a strangled sob of pain.
"If I say anything I'm a dead man!"
"You're a dead man if you DON'T!"
The drive let out another strangled yell before he finally caved.
"He is meeting Professor Ratigan in the research department."
"Who is this Professor Ratigan?"
"Regor Ratigan, some tech guy! He used to work for Shere Khan. He's meeting Tai Lung here."
"What's this meeting about?"
"I don't know, I SWEAR! It's got to be something bad!"
"I need you to understand we never talked."
"I understand."
"Good," Richie said as he pistol-whipped the driver and knocked him out.
"I want to hear what Tai Lung and Ratigan talk about in the research department," Tony said.
"I'll need to deactivate the lab laser grid to get in position," Richie said.
"Then do it."
Richie and Wolf sneaked past patrols and managed to deactivate the security system to the research department. The two canines got into position in the lab as they took notes of the lab. There were robots that appeared to synths and some security strip. They also noticed there was a cot in the lab.
"Looks like someone has been sleeping here," Wolf said.
"Whoever it was must be working long hours and different schedules," Richie said.
At that moment, Tai Lung and Ratigan entered the lab.
"The two tangos are in position," Webbs said.
"Make with the laser mic, Barkin and Canis. It's mission critical that we hear what Lung and Ratigan say before they exit the lab," Tony said.
Wolf turned on the mic as the two spoke.
"It's been too long since you came to me, Ratigan," Tai Lung said.
"I admit it's been long," Ratigan said.
"You're in the wrong line of work to avoid getting blood on your hands," Tai Lung growled as he straightened his tie, all while glaring down at the rat that came up to his knees.
"Well, whatever your boss Shendu wants with me, better be worth the money," Ratigan hissed.
"You would really sell out your country, your honor for money?" Tai Lung asked with a smile.
"Yes, the Lords of Prey were too arrogant to know that they had bitten off more than they could chew, but if I help Shendu, he'll rule the world and in return I'll have all of England in the palm of my hand," Ratigan laughed.
"And what of Jimmy Crystal?" Tai Lung asked turning to a wall full of new paper articles about said wolf.
"Jimmy Crystal will be a useful player in Shendu's game. It won't matter if he is proven guilty or innocent, he'll play his part, then depending on how my master feels, will either kill him or let him go free. You need to talk to that..."
Wolf turned off the laser microphone as Tony spoke.
"Sounds like we found the evidence to put the dirt on Jimmy Crystal."
"That conversation's going straight to the Joint Chiefs, and we're gonna need more," Webbs added.
"Tai Lung's computer?" Wolf asked.
"You guessed it. Get inside his office and access that machine. Alarms aren't mission critical anymore, we're moving into Fifth Freedom territory."
Wolf and Richie once again used stealth to move around, only needing to take down a few guards with before making their way into Tai's Lungs office by rappel down the outside of the building. Richie shot at the window with his silenced 9mm pistol and broke the glass as the guard looked at the broken window. Wolf hung from the ceiling with his specialized gloves and boots and took the guard out and hid his body in a corner of the office. Richie shot out one of the lights to conceal the body and stuck a flash drive into the computer as Richie and Wolf downloaded the data off the computer.
"Christ almighty," Tony said.
"What do you have?" Wolf asked.
"Bad things. Keep transmitting, we need to see how far this goes."
"What's going on?" Richie asked.
"Corpses, sleeper cells. They've had synths at work in Redshore, Zootopia, Jasper City and Calatonia for weeks. How the hell did we miss this? Keep transmitting."
Suddenly, Richie and Wolf heard something they didn't want to hear.
"Alert! All men to full alert! We have an intruder in Tai Lung's office!" a guard shouted over the loudspeaker.
At that moment, Richie and Wolf hid outside of the office and stuck to the side of the building thanks to their gloves and shoes.
When the guards entered the office, they began to sweep the room. They couldn't find Wolf and Richie and quickly left the office to continue to find them.
"You know, we should make a movie or video game of us as super spies or something after this mission is over," Richie laughed.
"Right back at you," Wolf smiled.
"Barkin and Canis, we need the rest of the files from Tai Lung's computer. This stuff is going straight to the president and Charlie Lane. We might be headed for military action, and we're gonna need airtight proof," Tony said.
Richie and Wolf went back to the computer and downloaded the rest of the data and safely removed the flash drive.
"That's the end of it. Thank God," Tony said.
"What exactly is going on?" Richie asked.
"You wouldn't believe the numbers. Crystal's been systematically murdering his way through Redshore."
"And we didn't know about it?" Wolf asked.
"Nobody did."
"What does he want?"
"You can watch the news later. Rendezvous with Big Daddy and Renato Manchas for extraction."
"Tai Lung's office is clear! We're heading for the rear gangway!" One guard said as they went through the door and searched for the intruders. Richie and Wolf got past them as they descended the elevator as they heard Tai Lung on the comms.
"I want an update. Why hasn't the intruder been caught yet? Do we have the rear stairwell secure?"
"About to lock-down the stairwell, sir," one guard said but Wolf and Richie were already in the parking garage when they heard a loud, "HALT OR WE'LL FIRE FIRE!"
They went to the source of the shouting, only two see two dead guards and Big Daddy with a smoking silenced M16 rifle and Renato with silenced 10mm pistol.
"What the hell did you two find in there? Tony's flipping out big time," Big Daddy said.
"What's he saying?" Wolf asked.
"That we're going to war," Manchas said.
"And Shendu is who we are now against."
The four quickly got into the getaway car and drove off before Tai Lung's forces could capture them.
The next morning at Redshore Police Department headquarters, Chief Able Aldan was reading through the files on Jimmy Crystal's business partners, finding many inconstancies in various business deals. But as he looked over the material, he became vaguely aware of two mice sitting together on one of the chairs in front of his desk, one, by mouse standards, rather short and portly at about a foot, dressed in a smart tweed jacket and slacks and sporting a bushy mustache, and the other rather tall and lean by the same stadnards at a foot-and- a half, and dressed smartly in neatly pressed brown suit.
"May I help you?" Able asked.
"Chief Aldan, my name is Basil Baker. " the tall mouse said as he introduced himself.
"I'm with Redshore PD Internal Affairs and former Director of Interpol in London, and former criminal consultant for Scotland Yard. And this is my partner…"
Basil indicated the portly mouse, who spoke after clearing his throat.
" Dr. John Dawson, medical examiner and coroner."
"We have been informed that Professor Ratigan is involved in this case you are investigating," Basil continued, receiving an affirming nod from Able.
"Yes, but I only hope it isn't too late to stop the coming storm."
But at that same moment, Kayla Wilde and her beautiful daughter-in-law Kris were heading to Redshore City to see Jimmy Crystal's trial.