War of the Dark Underground

by StrayShot

Choices. Zootopia denizens make them every day. In the underbelly of society are those who thrive on craftiness and questionable morals. If you fall to their schemes, you obviously aren't smart. The Dark Council rules the criminal element ruthlessly, and now time is ripe to wrest control of all Zootopia. Sides are drawn, choices must be made. Even for Mr. Big.

3. 1x03 - The Chaos Grows

The Chaos Grows.

The tactic of using cloned bodies with minimal life signs was working perfectly. It allowed Mr. Big's teams to resume using explosives with proper strength and the Tv news crews had plenty of video footage showing blood and gore everywhere. It also had the additional benefit of earning extra protection money, which the Arctic shrew would ensure minimal damage to shops that paid would receive. Only specified units of MERT teams would be allowed to clean up the mess, and all flesh and body parts would be sent to a specific wing of Zootopia General Hospital where they would be recycled for the next false attack.

Mr. Big was sitting in the lounge in the godfather's primary residence. It appeared Gregor McKeen finally agreed to recognize and accept the pact his successor had made with the shrew. Maybe it was how control was freely given back to the original godfather; obviously McGregor had demanded all foreigners out of his territory until he could determine the loyalties of his minions. Now that the Dark Underground was on the move, perhaps the fox decided he needed an ally; especially since the death warrant the chancellor had placed on him months ago was still in effect. Still the little rodent had protections in place, just in case this turned out to be a cleverly disguised attempt to kill him and take over Tundratown.

Gregor McKeen was being cautious. He knew the rodent had minions in stealth nearby; he would do the same if he were the one on the size disadvantage. But he was a good reader of mammals' behavior; thus he already deduced the tiny mafia boss had figured out his primary motive for agreeing to work with the rodent. Namely he needed an ally, especially since the death warrant was still in effect. Another motive was they both had tasking in Zootopia, as was others. Gregor wanted to get ahead of them; and two working together could accomplish more.

"Twelve... I know we started out on the wrong paw, so I wish to make amends."

"Ten, it is a shame you have been demoted and unjustly in my opinion. Being put so far down was not what should have been done, at least not the initial demotion. Far worse has happened because of the ladies."

"That stung, Twelve. Are you sure you are trying to be cordial?"

"Ten, truth is truth. I would have demoted you only one level for the first; that is, being outwitted by Josephine. After being captured by the Zootopians... that justified the second demotion. This should have been no more than two positions. You should be Nine, not Ten."

"Much better. Thank you for the explanation."

"It is too bad we lost two Alphas; your former wife and he who was the former Eleven. He chose to defend Josephine, and he suffered his fate."

"It favored me, but yes you are right. But let's not focus on the past. There is a reason why I asked you here."

"As I deduced. Go ahead."

The godfather paused, collecting his thoughts. "Our common tasking. We should coordinate our efforts. It will give us better results against the others. Especially Eight and Eleven. Six possibly."

"I am keeping a particularly close eye on Eleven."

"Your granddaughter's godmother, right?"

The shrew raised an eyebrow. McKeen continued.

"Servants of the Truth. That group has a hate-on for inter-species relationships. Remember: my Ex had a flame for the fox that married your granddaughter's godmother. Of course I would know this. Ok... we'll address this group as well."

"Thank you, Ten. As long as that group stays away from the godmother, you'll have my full support."

"Twelve, she is a ZPD officer and a highly valued one at that. How do you propose to carry out the Council's will?"

Mr. Big looked into the grey fox's eyes. "I will lock her in my home if need be. She is family, as long as she doesn't act against me directly. You know the old laws."

The grey fox nodded. "Aye... then she has my protection as well. Only when she acts directly against you will I be free to act against her. Let's hope the council does not know about her. Otherwise both of us will be in a hot kettle of fish."

Mr. Big did not allow himself to settle into complacency; he knew this fox had ulterior plans, as a fox they always had multiple plans going on at same time. He would welcome any help this Alpha offered, but have a back-up plan of his own ready to go should the situation require it. He also had a fox he could consult; namely his granddaughter godmother's husband. He also would not tell Ten about his intention to minimize injuries to the ZPD; they worked surprisingly well during the Wilde-Hopps Trial. As a result they currently have Judy and Nick acting as intermediary to exchange information each side needs. In this manner the ZPD has made significant inroads in cases involving the Dark Underground; and Mr. Big received information on activities his fellow Alphas were doing if they intruded upon his territory.

---

Kathrin Wintersprite found tracking the slippery vixen difficult and challenging. It made her feel alive; it scared her to death. What she discovered thus far confirmed her fears, and justified her actions... at least in her eyes. The so-called Life-Indebtor was actually a high-ranking member of a criminal organization, of what she didn't know but certainly one powerful enough to force harden criminals to keep their muzzles shut. This meant she had to approach things from a different tactic; it meant she had to be a sleuth, more subtle or else it would be her that gets caught and this was the last thing she wanted.

What she wanted most of all was the answer to a simple question: what was it about those two vixens, her nieces... that justified such a valuable mammal's time and energy? Her last college professor urged her to drop the quest; he stated she simply did not have the knowledge or tools to solve it. But since she had proven to be his most promising student in many years, he referred her to a friend. Kathrin was now outside and looking at the storefront and back to the card in her paw: *Details-R-Us Detective Agency*. She also had another card in her pocket which he insisted she have just in case things went sideways. She had looked at it earlier thinking it might help in her talks with her mentor's friend: *Wong Rung Leapers and Associates*. A brief memory of what he told her earlier that afternoon came back in her mind: *a good detective always has a backup, a better one has friends that can help out in times of need. Just remember this goes both ways, and it may be you who will have to suck it up to help them*.

She took a quick breath and entered the office. An elderly ewe sat behind a desk overflowing with papers. Kathrin smiled to herself; this was a common tactic used to impress common citizenry into thinking this was a very successful establishment. But she was certain if she were to *accidentally* bump into one of the piles, she would discover most pages would be blank. Just a prop to fool the unsuspecting; but in actuality the piles allowed the secretary to quickly dunk out of sight should mammals of ill-repute walk into the office.

The ewe raised her head and greeted the young vixen. "Good afternoon, miss. How can I be of assistance?"

Kathrin smiled. "I would like to talk to Mr. Steele, please."

"I'm afraid he is quite busy at the moment, miss. I can take a message or perhaps you would like to schedule a visit?"

The young vixen's face was featureless, but inside she knew now was the time to play the card her mentor suggested. He gave her several, but this one would have the best chance to bring the friend out to meet her.

"I would hate to bother Mr. Steele with such a minor matter. A simple question that surely doesn't merit his dropping that leg of lamb; I'll just go over to the park nearby and wait for the 523 bus. I'm actually headed to the Zootennial Fair, my arm has gotten pretty good so I think I'll clear out that vendor. I have my eye on the stuffed ZPD Judy Hopps doll. I think my niece will enjoy it."

This was a cover story, which actually described a real-life event her mentor once had with this private investigator. It involved a case of stolen merchandise that eventually was solved when the thief hid a key to a bank deposit box inside a balloon at a carnival. The PI had seen the thief insert the key into a balloon and blow it up partially. Unfortunately the thief got away, but the PI put two and two together and realized the item was hiding in plain sight. After spending a good chunk of change at nearly every booth, he noticed one balloon would never burst when hit by darts. Upon examining the dart handed to him, it was noticed to be slightly beveled. Obviously this would cause it to ricochet upon hitting a balloon. So he pretended to drop it and when hidden out of the carney's sight, he pulled out his own dart. Sure enough; when his dart hit the balloon burst, sending the key dropping to the floor. It was only a quick hop across the counter to immobilize the thief until the ZPD arrived. What was hidden in the bank deposit box was a note; the address written on it led the ZPD to an abandoned warehouse that criminals were holding captive the niece of Zootopia's favorite singer: Gazelle. The reward for rescuing her was dinner at the five-star restaurant at the top of the Palm Hotel. The PI preferred his favorite: leg of lamb.

The story worked. Ramington Steele quickly exited his office and welcomed the young vixen. He was nothing as his name suggested. She was not told and merely assumed judging by the name she would be meeting a ram... not a Timber Wolf.

"Good afternoon, miss. Please step inside my office."

Kathrin couldn't help notice the slightly ashen face of the secretary. This was not a good sign; in her classes it was taught that getting on the good side of the office staff was sometime the best way to getting a case solved. She had just committed an act that most likely would put any request of hers at the ewe's back pile... on the bottom.

"Never you mind about Ms. Fields. She only hears that tale when my old friend sends promising students my way. And he always sends her an apology afterwards; an all-day pampering at the Mystic Springs Oasis followed by her favorite flowers from Amour & Flora in the Rainforest District and diner at the restaurant in the Palm Hotel's uppermost floor. You must be a very promising student for him to go through this effort. Let's pray you live up to his promises."

For the first time Kathrin felt unease about her quest. Up until now everyone seemed to strongly discourage her; now it seemed they had very high expectations. As a fox she was used to every mammal doubting her; now here was one that was complete opposite.

Mr. Steele had been quietly observing the young vixen, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. "Wondering why expectations suddenly turned tables?"

Her nodding in the affirmative was all he received.

"Reginald has to play that part; it brings out the best in those who have a natural ability to focus through great stress. You have been a constant subject of our talks recently. So I like to think I have a leg-up on you."

The wolf chuckled softly, awarding him a puzzled expression from the vixen. "Leg up... leg of lamb... from your little tale."

Seeing no epiphany from the young one he continued. "This was the secret code phrase we use when your instructor wanted me to help one of his students. Your abilities give you a leg up on your quest. Meaning I don't have to hold your paws and spoon-feed you everything. Although I may have to hold you back before you get yourself killed. Now let's see what you have thus far, it'll give me an idea where to point you."

Kathrin grinned. Now she was positive soon she would discover who the real father of the lighter-hue vixen is.

---

The two earthen priests were sitting on the balcony, itself inside a cliff at the edge of a timber overlooking a lush meadow with a babbling brook flowing underneath. The cool air flowed across them smelled sweet yet musky from the organics lining the floor beneath the trees. The High Priest could tell his underling was troubled by something yet unspoken. This one always pleased the old buck; the honey badger had excellent senses and a firm grasp of the other world. For him to seek an audience with the head of their order meant something big was coming. He had heard the youngster tell his tale, asked as few pointed questions, and now the young one was waiting for his superior to reply.

At this moment his guest arrived; the one whom his own visions confirmed she was experiencing as well. High Priestess Ishanah strode onto the balcony and gracefully bowed to both priests. Pastor Chester bowed back, assuming it was proper to greet his superior. She grinned.

"It is good to see you again, young one. But I am here to hear you tell your tale in person. Time is of the essence." She accepted a cool glass of blueberry juice and sat down as the High Priest placed the chair under her. The puzzled expression on his face said it all.

"The High Priest always does this, young one. Even he enjoys the little things one does for a lady. It helps keeps him grounded. I on the other paw have my own practice that young eyes are not permitted to view. Now please tell your tale."

The honey badger told his dream; of the visions being in a cage in various rooms, of him portraying a young vixen who was terribly frightened and helpless. He even repeated the words he heard her say under duress. When he finished, everyone remained quiet for a few uncomfortable minutes. Finally the High Priestess spoke.

"So it is true. They have finally begun their plans."

"Yes, they have. It appears we must send this young one on his destiny before our plans have finalized. While I have great faith of all mammals in my order, he is the one most likely to succeed."

Ishanah reached over and gently stroked the young mammal's face. He was surprised she would do this. She must have known he would react in this manner, for she grinned wider than he ever saw her did. "I think I have someone who can improve our odds for success."

She clapped her paws, and an orderly came running. She whispered something into his ear, and the mammal departed quickly. When it became obvious that the young honey badger was puzzled, she held her paws up to his muzzle. "Good things come to those who wait young one."

He didn't have to wait long. The mammal who strode into the room he knew well.

Priestess Paulina Lionheart walked into the room, followed closely by a female honey badger. This struck him strangely; if there had been another of his species entering the priesthood, surely by now it would have gotten to his ears. He bowed to both priestesses, who bowed to him in return. His old friend gave him a peck on the cheek to which he returned the favor. What he didn't expect was the muzzle of the new female giving him a kiss on his cheek. Paulina smiled brightly as the young female's ears were a shade of crimson, not to mention the young males.

A gruff throaty sound came from nearby. "Now that introductions are out of the way, let's get straight to business."

He motioned for everyone to sit. As the High Priest told everyone what Pastor Chester had already told the two senior members earlier, the male honey badger found it difficult keeping his eyes forward; and he was pleasantly pleased the young female was subtly glancing his way, albeit more subtle than he. Little was he aware that the High Priestess was enjoying his dilemma, as was the other priestess. Finally she could stand it no more.

"Pardon me Aaron, it appears you have forgotten something."

The elder priest turned around, his facial expression somewhat bewildered. "I am high priest, I never forget a thing. My mind is as a steel trap; nothing escapes it."

"Well... it must be getting rusty. Obviously you forgot introductions." Ishanah was grinning broadly, knowing he set it up for her words.

He smiled broadly as well. "Nonsense. These two needed to test the waters for themselves. If they are to work together, they will need to set boundaries only they will know properly. Paulina will guide both."

Wait. Paulina? But isn't she the one who will be working with him?

Ishanah now was barely containing her smile. Paulina had joined her. Now so too was the High Priest. Only two who was not smiling were the two honey badgers; and they were busy trying to avoid staring at each other. But now that their elders made it clear exactly which were meant to be doing the tasking, they now turned around and purposely looked at the other. It wasn't fireworks, but the room did get noticeably warmer.

High Priestess cleared her throat. "Pastor Chester Marquis, may I present to you Priestess Initiate Clare Noble."

Initiate? That would explain...

"Yes, she has just been accepted into our order. It was tough call; she could easily be accepted into your order. But she wanted to focus on the healing side, a natural position for us females. Unfortunately her assignment working under the tutelage of Priestess Lionheart requires her to follow her mentor wherever she goes; hence why she is tagging along on your mission."

Pastor Chester felt a cold chill run through him. Could he have been wrong? Could it be he was mistaken on just who it was in his dreams?

High Priest Aaron noticed the concern on his face. "You're wondering if your dreams may be mistaken. When Miss Noble applied we weren't aware of your dreams. Now that we are, that possibility of it being her doing the screaming is minimized with the experienced priestess going along. Besides, honey badgers don't scream. And with two going along, these chances are slimmer."

Ishanah looked around. "Let's eat."

Paulina and Clare sat down next to Chester, one on each side; Ishanah and Aaron sat on the other side of the table. A small group of orderlies walked around the corner and placed lunch before the priests. Meat dishes were placed in front of Paulina and Ishanah. Chef Salad with extra ham slices and bacon were placed in front of the honey badgers. The high priest received a vegetable variety dish with multiple choices of salad dressings. For dessert the lions received ice cream, toast with plenty of clover honey was for the honey badgers, and clover-infused tea for the hare.

The afternoon was spent drafting the mission scope and other important details. Primary of which was to discover if the rumors were true: did the former godfather Josephine Wintersprite had cubs and did some of them survive and were in hiding.

---

Commissioner Ursus poured two packets of Quickie-fix onto his tongue. It normally was strongly discouraged, and his personal physician would scold him... but the headache he was experiencing needed to be calmed quickly before they arrived. The mayor and his staff would be here at any moment and the last thing he wanted was to have a frown upon his face. No sooner than he took a swig of water than his physician bolted into the room.

"You disobeyed my order, didn't you?" He would have denied it if the wrapper wasn't still in his paws.

"Yes. Do you have anything quicker? Then present it."

The panther sighed. He opened his pouch and pulled out a couple X-ray film plates. "It isn't a migraine or an unusually strong headache: that old piece of shrapnel from that explosion has finally slid enough that we think we can surgically remove it. Fortunately for you, we have come across new technology, courtesy of Gary Bevyton and his mysterious workshop. I am scheduling you for surgery in a couple days. We'll minimize your time so you can get back to fighting bad guys. We have Zootopia's best surgeon doing this: Dr. Carl Harrinton."

The commissioner grunted his approval. Dr. Harrinton was not only the Big's family doctor; he was proven to be an accomplished surgeon. When he wasn't tending to the needs of the Tundratown mafia boss's family or working in his private medical office, he was doing surgeries for very important mammals in the city government. This explains why this doctor is doing the surgery and not the normally assigned surgeons at Zootopia General Hospital.

"Now take this. It will coat your stomach, unless you want a repeat of last time. Take these pills, two every four hours. Nurse White will let you know when to stop and what you need to do or not do before surgery. Have a good day."

The bear watched the panther walk out the door. For a moment he wanted to throw the small bottle of Pepto Bismol out the window, and then thought better of it. Last time he was curled up fetal style for an hour while his staff made one excuse after another to his wife; obviously it didn't work. He was forced to stay in bed for the next three days while she played the world's worst nursemaid. He quickly drank the contents, or as quickly as it would pour out, and then filled it with a mild alcoholic drink. It would clean out the pink residue while giving him some satisfaction by the drink.

He was feeling much better by the time the mayor's team arrived. As was expected the topic of their concern was the increasing violence, to which he could only tell them it could easily be solved with a mandatory 24 hour in-home quarantine of the complete citizenry lasting several weeks. They would howl about the complaints their constituencies let alone the one who obviously would break it out of spite.

---

Agent Walker did her duties efficiently, but anyone who knew the vixen could tell she was distracted. Someone like her favorite partner: Agent Rogers. Stella wondered just what it was that could distract the most focused mammal she ever knew. It most decidedly had something to do with the discussion about those two young vixens. She had never seen her boss so insistent about a topic; at least not a topic they dealt with regularly. Stella was also Cynthia's best friend. As such they talked about many things females liked: shoes, bubble baths, style of clothes, colors, difficulty understanding males, and the vixen's current obsession with their hare coworker.

"Penny for your thoughts." The ferret said as she handed the vixen's favorite type of hot chocolate.

"You could make it a gold doubloon and I'll not discuss it."

Yup. She obviously was distracted by something. "Ok... shall I guess 21 questions then?"

The vixen sighed. Her friend rarely needed to use all 21 questions. With the tone of voice she used just now, it meant she already had a good idea what was bothering her. "Not here, not now."

"Mmmm kay. Wanna hear my thoughts about it?" She didn't wait for a response. "I agree... those two young ones need to be with Zootopia's favorite duo."

Cynthia shocked face gave her away. "Why?"

Stella rested her paw upon her best friend. "Because when you get this way, it means you are the only one in the right path. I have enough reading material about fox idiosyncrasies and talking to Dr. Bearinton to know just how hard-wired a fox is about their cubs. This is why you are so careful about choosing the proper partner; it borders on a phobia. So yes... Nickolas would most likely go ape if he ever found out he had cubs. Dr. Bearinton thinks it is a deep desire of his; only he isn't so thrilled at the thought of having many large litters, seeing to whom he married."

"Does that bear know?"

"Ummm, he does not. I talked to him about fox behavior pattern when the council trial was still going on. I asked him about many things, including Nick's agreement to invoke should the verdict be Guilty. The good doctor explained his thoughts about how Nick could react if that was the verdict and Judy was pregnant with his offspring. Their parents did admit the duo had sex several times the night before and that morning of the verdict. So it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to conjure up this scenario."

Cynthia chuckled. "Judy won't take after her mother; they live in the city after all. Even as a crime boss's godmother, I don't think she would be entitled to an elephant's apartment."

This caused both females to heartily chuckle; such an apartment converted into a makeshift burrow just might be worth seeing. Although to be accurate, the front door would have to be moved to the top floor, a few floors added between, and the windows boarded up... sunlight never enters through the bottom layers.

Stella looked slyly at her boss. "She doesn't have to have a litter every year, not with the new Inhibitor shots the ZHC have developed for Lapins. She just has to decide how far apart she wants her litters, not to mention the shot that determines how many kits she wants."

Cynthia waved a finger at her junior. "Perhaps, but if I know Judy I think once she has kits, she'll decide to have a litter every year."

Now it was Stella's turn to wave a finger at the other. "I disagree. She still values her job more than anything, so I think she will space them years between litters."

The Arctic vixen paused for a moment, seriously considering her protégé's words. "I see your point and can agree with them up to a certain point. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between our viewpoints."

The ferret doe looked at her mentor. "Yes. Perhaps it does rest somewhere between ours. Judy certainly has defied odds and blazed new paths. It most definitely will be interesting what kind of young she will produce with a fox as the father."

---

Alpha Six, Eight, and Eleven were sitting at a small table in a small shopping mall. Plenty of shade trees adorn the small strip between the shops and cafes that faced each other and ran off a good distance. This tree-lined strip made for excellent romantic rendezvous for lovers. It also made for a neutral place for different species.

Six, the wolf from the Lupusdon Empire, looked as if he was enjoying being here. Eight, the greater kudu from the Olmec Plains, was looking at Six with a puzzled expression on his face. Eleven, the hare from the Black Forest, was smiling at the kudu's puzzlement.

"Don't tell me getting away from the cubs really is this relaxing, Six?" the hare said as he enjoyed the subtle reaction the wolf gave at his words.

"Getting away? Nobody told me you had a family, Six. I would have sent something appropriate." The kudu muttered as the wolf leaned backwards on the chair, obviously enjoying being able to do so.

"Eight... your spouse doesn't rule an empire and doesn't have the urge to fill it with her own young. I spend my days changing diapers, entertaining young cubs by speaking in kindergarten tones, and filling her urges on a whim. If I even hint at balking, she won't hesitate to remove my head and replace me with a younger model. THIS... doing my official duty for the Dark Underground, is the only thing allowing me a tiny bit of freedom."

The wolf turned his gaze to the buck. "Eleven... your species naturally enjoys large litters; the more per year the better."

The hare merely grinned broader. "Forced to by Nature. We were highly sought after by nearly every predator species after all."

"I don't know how rabbits can keep it up. Oh the sex is great, can't argue about that. It's the constant talking in simplified words that's grating. Some days I wish I could hire a nanny or a few."

Now it was the buck's turn to be confused. "Why don't you? Surely with her position it wouldn't be a problem finding suitable one."

The wolf gave him an annoyed stare. "It also would give her enemies an excellent opportunity to slip in an assassin. Hence why only close family is allowed. And by *close*... she means her mate, the father of her litter. The only one she can trust to not kill her. She ensures this by flagging her tail; that is the main weakness us todds just can't resist."

"Sounds like a personal prison to me." The kudu muttered, and then quickly dunked to avoid a claw. "Testy I see. If you resisted that flagged tail, then you wouldn't be in this predicament."

"If I did exactly that, she would kill me and get a younger model. I thought I made that clear."

The kudu stopped sipping on his kale shake and looked at the wolf. "She really would do that? Most females would enjoy having less the older they get. They want more compatibility of the mind the older they get."

"She has to. Her enemies would use her unsatisfied mate to blackmail him; it would be another path for them to sneak in an assassin. Hence that's why she keeps a tube of anti-soreness medication nearby."

"Ok... time to change the subject" the buck muttered. "Six... what's your next plan of attack against the Zootopians?"

The wolf grinned and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Got an idea from Twelve's failures. He placed explosives in trash bins at street corners, and then timed the explosions at rush hour. So let's put our explosives in parked cars and place these near bus stops? Twelve chose non-directional type bombs; his bombs put shrapnel mostly upwards which resulted in few mammals getting hurt but lots of dead pigeons."

"That's not bad, Six" the Kudu muttered. "Try this: grenade or IED placed in tailpiece of a roof gutter with remote-controlled trigger. Or maybe put them in a box; when some feline gets curious and picks up the box, they rolls out and detonates."

The buck just sighed. "Old antique methods. You guys are unimaginative. This is how you do it." His companions rolled eyes and muttered under their breath.

"Have a cute bunny walk downtown during rush hour. If her skimpy shorts don't kill them, the explosives in her clutch will."

His companions mouths dropped open and they stared disbelieving at him. "That's a waste of perfect cuteness, Eleven. Why'd you do that anyway?"

The buck looked at his companions and evil grin spread across his face. "When every doe you ever been interested in tears apart your psyche and laughs with her doe-friends at your humiliation... it is worth every penny tricking them into thinking the expensive jewelry and clothes came from the Hollywood stud they adore. Tricking said stud into writing a personal note helps convince them to carry the sealed clutch to his scheduled press conference that day."

Six was incredulous by now. "You're a rabbit. Wasting females like that isn't in your nature. Besides... isn't it true that Lapins are allowed to be promiscuous so long as both have no marriage partners?"

The buck leaned in closer. "I'm a Hare; we have longer legs, ears, and most importantly schlong. Those does' deserved what they got. I would have accepted a simple *No* but they had to up the ante and raise my humiliation to another level. When I discovered the Dark Underground my mentor taught me how to use unconventional methods to humiliate them. You don't think the suggestion I gave was a story, did you? Those does' really did think they were meeting their idol... and I got to eliminate not only my tormenters, but their idol that inspired them to be unrealistic and mean to us normal bucks."

The kudu looked as if he was going to be sick. "I can't top that. But... surely you could have done what Six suggested? With your newfound power, surly you could have your pick of does'? Heck you might have simply paid someone knowledgeable enough to subtly harass them."

Eleven looked at him, took a long draw from his mug of apple wine, and grinned sympathetically. "I don't do peasants: I want only the best of the best and with my family's wealth... I can."

"Sounds like another rabbit I know. Careful Eleven... those words don't have a good track record in Zootopia." The wolf took a draw from his drink.

The buck scratched his chin for a moment. "The Wilde-Hopps case; rabbit in question had something wrong with his... member. Hmmm."

He thought for a bit longer. "Ah... got it. Erectile dysfunction. He tried solving it by himself, but he didn't use two reference sources and was proven erroneous by his tech library being compromised. But he did live the good life: successfully kitnapped many of the most attractive does' and had all the... fun... he wanted. He's my idol, and I think I can succeed where he left off."

"Kitnapping does' and raising kits?" the kudu asked.

"Hmmm... No, but that's an interesting idea. I was thinking of the formulas he was working on."

"Sorry to burst you bubble, but the ZHC already was given those. Does' here can postpone their litters for a few years while having all the fun they wish. The other formula allows them to determine litter size." The kudu placed a sympathetic hoof on the hare's paw.

"How about the other formula? The one that drives them wild in bed?" the buck asked.

Six answered quickly. "Some mammal developed a formula and sold it to the Lynxions. We only recently discovered this when their food source problem was solved with replicators, thus allowing their rabbit slaves to be repatriated back here." It was the wolf's turn to lean close and grin. "Now rabbits in Zootopia are happier than ever, but hospital visits have increased dramatically. ZHC is trying to get their paws on a sample to reverse engineer and develop one with milder effects. But the rabbits aren't being cooperative."

All three chuckled. "Can you blame them?" the kudu asked.

"Not me. But if the rabbits ever do release it onto the market, think of the profits one could make." Money bags were flowing through his thoughts.

"Makes you wonder why it hasn't been done before."

The buck was depressed; missed opportunity, but he still could do the other suggestion... kitnap beautiful does. There was another way, he could simply offer *the good life* once total control of Zootopia was obtained by the Dark Council. Then he could offer his penthouse only to those does' that were the most beautiful, and replace those who balked at his desires. These thoughts started a grin upon his face.

The rest of the meeting was spent finalizing which plan they were going to use. Only the IED clutch was vetoed but agreed to use should a high-valued but hardened target presented itself. The wolf decided to keep his ear open for news of newly abducted does; he was pretty sure the hare never considered kitnapping does' and using them as a harem. He decided to research old cases of homicides worldwide; if what this hare suggested, there had to be unsolved cases. He could use this to blackmail the hare.

Gary Noble had a suspicion one of these would attempt to use his suggestion and attempt to do a search on unsolved cases. Back in his home country he had eliminated many of his high school tormenters, male and female alike. He already had his corrupted cops purge the files so being discovered wasn't his worries; it was the cops themselves turning against him. So far he had ensured their cooperation by unconventional means; he just had to make sure he didn't remind them too often.

---

"Good Evening. I'm Fabienne Growley."

"And I'm Peter Moosebridge. Here's what's happened in Zootopia today. Violence continues to wreck the streets of Zoopotia. Officer Judy Hopps was caught in a blast over on Cherry and Plum, the explosion hurling the bunny a few yards from the site. Fortunately she still lives and is staying overnight at Zootopia General for observations. Her fellow officers were not caught in the blast probably because said bunny was chasing a suspect at a good clip of speed. Doctors credits recent mandatory wearing of additional armor contributed to minimal injuries."

The snow leopard continued. "In other news the legal case of the Hopps Family against what they claim was a *switch-and-bait* scheme proceeded before the Circuit Court of Bunny Burrow. Judge Petunia Springs heard preliminary arguments this morning and placed a temporary stay on the case until further evidence is gathered and presented. Let's turn it over our very own Victoria Harridon for additional details."

The vixen reporter was in her signature business suit. "Good evening viewers. My team has talked with several involved in this case and here's what we found. Roll the tape."

The scene showed an elder rabbit walking with a young hare towards the camera. Next scene showed same rabbit and hare inside and both looking down into what appeared to be a central balcony with a wide open space between floors; the elder could be heard explaining a problem with a young farmer and the two exchanging ideas. The young hare handed the elder rabbit a bill which obviously surprised the old one. Paws were shaken and the young one departed the burrow.

"As you saw, the Hopps claim no written contract was drawn up at that time; however once they realized what the money could represent, they immediately contacted a law firm and had their understanding put into proper contract form. This video is a concise version of the video and audio evidence they sent to the hare's legal residence. Obviously the hare disagrees and has sent his version of the contract to the Hopps residence. This reporter can verify that the Hopps paperwork indeed is time-stamped before the other, including taking the differences in time zones. While this should be an open-and-shut case, given the video and audio evidence presented to the court; nothing is as easy as it seems. Before I forget... the young hare in question has been identified as Mr. Gary Noble from the Black Forest; a Horticulturist executive from the worldwide firm of Whole Vegetables Incorporated. Mr. Noble also is a philanthropist; one who identifies mammals that show great potential but lack the means to afford education necessary to achieve it. It could be argued he gave the money to assist the unidentified rabbit. It could also be argued as a bussinessmammal, he would never simply hand over that large amount without first obtaining a written and signed contract. Time will tell which side has the stronger case. Back to you Fabienne and Peter."

---

Keven and his brother Raymond were each leading a team of their fellow bears. Raymond's team was making their way through the Canal District; Keven's team was going through the Nocturnal District. Thankfully it was at night and the air was cooler than usual, thus making their patrol much easier. Both teams had members of Finnick's crew so if something needed to be disarmed or the blast pattern modified or any number of changes each deemed important they could do so quickly as possible. Fru Fru was contacting each team for status update, mostly to keep her nerves somewhat calm. She would someday become the Godfather; thus it was important for her to step-up and run some of the family business. Like when she did during the Wilde-Hopps trial.

Tonight the goal was to identify any traps that Alpha Six, Eight, or Eleven's teams had placed and make them less deadly. Whatever they did, it had to be as secretive as possible; it had to also be as close to intended operation as possible, meaning it had to shed blood but not kill. It also had to be completely operational from whatever mammal was tasked to flip the switch.

Raymond's team was surrounding a trash barrel with their explosives expert modifying the charge when a ZPD cruiser pulled over nearby, its headlights and spotlight focused on the group. Officer Delgato and Wolford got out and approached the group. Shortly thereafter another ZPD cruiser pulled up nearby, Officer Grizzoli and Anderson joined their fellow officers. When Finnick completed his tasking he got out and addressed the officers on behalf of the group.

"Heya fellas! What's happening tonight?" the fennec fox wryly smiled at the officers.

"That is what we want to know. What is a group of well-behaving fellows such as yourselves doing out at this hour of the night?" Grizzoli was in a neutral stance, ready to grab his tranqgun or wrestle a suspect.

"Oh... we are out doing our community service, you know... like putting the trash back in these cans." The little fox made an exclamation by throwing a banana peel into the trash can.

"Yeah, about that. Why does it take a bunch of bears and a peep-squeek little fox to do that?"

"Listen bub, I don't make the rules... I follow what I'm told. You take it up with my parole officer."

Officer Wolford was on the radio calling for said parole officer. A few minutes later he received a response. "Parole Officer said he is 5-minutes late reporting in."

"Well duh... you fine gentlemammals had me sitting here with my paws in plain sight. How am I to get my zphone out of my pocket? Lately you all have been *shoot first ask questions later*. Which begs the question: why didn't you open fire instead of asking questions when you got here?"

The answer never got the opportunity to present itself. Another ZPD cruiser screeched to a halt; out jumped Officer Wilde and Hopps. If one looked closely you could tell the bears were relieved: the godmother was here and things would be quickly settled. Nick walked up to Finnick and Judy up to Raymond, standing not too close but enough to reassure the bear that soon they could go about their tasking.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Well if it isn't floppsy copsy and her orange-hued bodyguard."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. The officers tensed up and peered dagger eyes at the little fox.

"Don't insult our little sister like that, bub" Officer Grizzoli growled.

"Hey Griz... everything's just fine. Hopps and I know these gentlemammals. They're subcontractors working for Colonel Kohle." Nick had to use his hustler skills to make up something he hoped would sound legitimate without giving up any actual truth.

"Wilde... you're pulling my tail again. Do you really think I'm gonna fall for that lame excuse again?" Wolford looked at the fox incredulously.

"Would I even attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of a ZPD officer who is waaay more experienced than I?" The fox gestured several motions with arms.

At that moment Judy's radio buzzed to life. "Home to floppsy copsy, come in Judy." Clawhauser's distinctive voice could readily be identified anywhere.

"Floppsy here. What you need, Choco-puff?" This happened to be his newest chocolate-flavored breakfast cereal.

"Wait one for a relay." Judy rolled her eyes.

A couple moments later the distinctive voice of a Scottish Terrier. "Big dog to burrow, status?"

"Burrow here. Our team is paused . ZPD questioning motives."

"Did you explain who they're working for?"

"Affirmative, sir. No joy."

"Wait one."

Nick looked at his fellow officers. "You have an idea who he is talking to next?"

Before either could answer Grizzoli's radio sprung to life. "Chinashop to polar. Status?" It was the unmistakable voice of the chief.

Grizzoli keyed his mike. "Polar here. We've stopped a group and questioning their activities."

"Cease and desist. Group working for Upper Chain. Track and support Burrow. Further explanation following."

Grizzoli was puzzled but shrugged. This wasn't the first time operations changed in mid-shift. "Rodger that. Polar out."

"Sorry about that Griz. We only found out not too long ago, hence why we're here" Nick said as he walked the bear back to his cruiser.

The polar bear merely regrouped with his partner and patrol mates. "Can you at least give us a clue what's going on?"

This time it was Judy that shushed her partner. "GSD has ZPD assisting these good mammals. As you probably noticed, the bears provide cover for the technician who disarms or redirects whatever traps or bombs or *whatever* they find. Their tasking is to allow traps to go off as intended but minimize the effect. They are working for us, so try not delay them too much."

"They?" all four patrol members asked simultaneously.

"Yes... there's two groups. Nick and I are tasked with running between both groups. They signal when-where they found something and we report that back to Team Bravo. Hopefully a pattern will develop."

"Can't you just use the traffic cameras?" Officer Anderson queried.

"Uncertain if they've been compromised. Clawhauser checks time-stamp each location as they're reported, and updates chief accordingly. If something is odd, Team Bravo goes to work. We're just the gophers collecting the nuts."

Judy and Nick waved good bye to the officers as the group continued on their route. While Nick was getting an update with Finnick Judy contacted Keven's team to get their current status. Both reports were compiled and sent to Clawhauser. The Wilde-Hopps duo went to their next tasking after making sure the fennec fox and the bears were ready to resume their search for traps and IED's.

---

GSD were busy conducting their Health and Welfare Inspections on the selected burrows; the ones that had been identified as having members of the Dark Underground operating out of. So far all that turned up was a normal burrow; the families appeared happy and quite helpful. The interior was remarkably clean and everything put in its proper place. The kitchens were remarkably clean and most likely would pass an inspection by a boot camp gunny sergeant. The equipment they brought along was carefully hidden under the cloaks they wore, the readings being taken would be analyzed back at the shop at the council's estate. Once the inspections were completed, the teams thanked the Elders of each burrow and departed.

"So, anyone notice something out of the ordinary?" Agent Savage asked.

"Kitchens are never that clean. Obviously a carefully done for our benefit, and to mask what goes on" Agent Walker noted.

"It's too clean, too orderly. Heck... Bonnie Hopps doesn't keep her burrow this clean, and she has tons of older kits helping her cook and clean the place" Agent Golden remarked.

"The readings support our suspicions; there's an operation going on down below. When we were at the bottom inspecting their emergency bunker, I swore the readings indicated a few more rooms. At least there was an indication of more bodies via blips on the scanner than we already accounted for" Agent Rodgers pointed at her screen.

"That's... disturbing. Are you suggesting something, Stella?" Savage asked the ferret.

"Nothing I care to say more about at this moment. I want to inspect these readings when we get back to base. Besides... we were being monitored."

The hare rolled his eyes. "That we already knew. Minions or something else?"

The look the ferret gave him confirmed his worst fears. Great... just what they needed this close to their base of operations. When they entered the council's estate they were surprised security had been tighten. The agents knew something was up, and it didn't bode well for their future. Commander McHorn and Commander Knolls, Chief Vaulter, and Colonel Kohle all were waiting outside the Estate Law Enforcement Center.

"Good. You're all in one piece. Come... we have an emergency."

This was all the Scottish terrier would say. He led everyone up to their conference room; and what was waiting inside confirmed everyone's day had just gotten worse. Senior Technician Pangolin was sitting next to the chancellor and matron; her paws bandaged and her favorite cup of bamboo tea before her. Director Dench and Mayor Leporide along with a few council members from Bunny Burrow city hall also were sitting nearby. Dr. Lopps and Nurse Coveyton were finishing medical aid on the female panda.

"Good, you all return safely. Let's hear your report" the mouse said bluntly.

"It is as we suspected... the burrows are being used as bases of operations. Unfortunately we've detected something more: these could be access points for underground tunnels." The hare was not surprised by his superior's simple nodding their heads acknowledging his report. He also was not surprised by the looks of surprise from the other mammals.

"Access points? Can they really burrow upwards from below?" Clearly the council member was shocked by the possibility.

The director held up her paws. "We are just now starting to understand just how long the criminal organization known as the Dark Underground has lived in the caverns underneath the great city of Zootopia. Our contact who willingly risks his hide every day... even he doesn't know how far these caverns go. He suspects over the centuries it is possible the criminals have excavated new voids for their use; therefor it is possible they could have dug their way all the distance to the Tri-Burrows. The injuries our technician here received confirm this."

At this point the panda held up a newly finished bandaged paw. "I was working in the power conduits tracing down a symptom for a power drop. What met me down there wasn't what the designers anticipated: a tunnel had been dug directly into this vertical shaft. The mammals I saw before they winged me were inspecting the high-capacity power conduits. Thankfully I activated the defensive systems before they could gain access to the remainder of the..." she cut herself off before uttering something non-estate members were not allowed to know.

The chancellor spoke up before anyone else had a chance. "Should we prepare for the worse? Shift power source to fuel cells?"

"Already have that system running. Main power has been shut down and GSD security teams already are sweeping the compound and shaft. Thus far I can confirm the intruders were not trained in combat."

"What's wrong with your paw? How did you injure it?" Walker asked, obviously she was concerned about her friend.

"Accident. Sprained it while trying to dodge bullets. No damage to the power conduits, but the communication cables is a different matter."

A city hall council member raised his paws. "Where is this compound? Can we see it?"

Colonel Kohle smiled. Months ago it was suggested to create a dummy compound complete with a miniature geothermal power plant that was used for training purposes before allowing new technicians duties on the real thing. The hot rocks at the mile deep shaft allowed just enough energy conversion to give the trainees realistic experience without errors actually causing a major event.

"Can't take you to the actual shaft contains the breech, but we can show you a maintenance shaft that will give you an idea of the depths we are working in."

The councilmammal's face turned pale. "Ummm no, I just want to see the compound so I have an idea what we are defending."

Agent Rodgers and Agent Winter entered the conference room and turned on a view screen. Displayed was a ragged hole in the side of the shaft, the concrete-like walls obviously distorted. This hole was easily same diameter if not wider than the vertical shaft, but it had grazed it and just barely missed cutting the power conduits.

Agent Winter pointed at something with a laser pointer. "We think whatever machine was doing the actual boring had an automatic avoidance system, something that prevented it from boring straight over a void in the rock. The machine turned and only roughly the outer quarter diameter of their tunnel cuts through ours. Whoever they are has retreated backwards through their tunnel along with the machine, obviously using it as a shield. Measurements suggest it leads back to one of the nearby burrows we inspected earlier today."

Agent Rodgers spoke next. "Security has teams outfitted in heavy armor supplemented with droids. We are not waiting for them to return; while repair teams are placing a temporary patch others are installing a temporary door, these are exploring the tunnel. Other teams are going with security and will install a security door and thick wall a few hundred yards up their tunnel. Team Lima is following the tunnel to verify it leads where we think it does; their orders are not to go into the burrow if that is where this originates. They are merely to verify and return. Meanwhile droids are building several walls as quickly as it can; doors are being assembled quickly as can be fabricated. Our recommendation is to have several of these doors premanufactured and in storage; now that we know these mammals have this ability."

"Make it so" Director Dench muttered as she scribbled notes on her screen.

---

Jonathan and Emma were reading a report. The Cloverson Burrow had not been heard from in many days. This was unusual for the family that had a reputation for being gossipers and poking their noses into neighbors business. Same thing happened to their neighbors, the Dexter Burrow, although that family preferred to keep to themselves unless being at the county fair, where they usually won top prizes in every agricultural event. They missed this year's fair. Only after many calls of inquiry and concern about both burrows go unanswered did the chancellor and matron decide to send a team to check up on both burrows. It was early this morning when both teams were sent out; now the setting sun has signaled both teams haven't returned and something is wrong.

A lone runner from the teams that was sent out now returned; his face ashen and the expression upon his face didn't bode for good news. His report was equally disturbing. When he first arrived at the Dexter Burrow there were rabbits working in the fields, but they didn't acknowledge his presence as they usually did. The elders of the burrow were unusually short-worded; normally he would be warmly greeted and offered chilled carrot juice freshly made. He couldn't figure out why there was an air of unease about the burrow. He left and soon arrived at the Cloverson Burrow; situation was almost mirror-like to the previous burrow. To say these rabbits weren't behaving normally would be an understatement; robotic and spoon-fed words would be more accurate. His assumptions proved true when strange mammals appeared from the burrow and almost succeeded in capturing him; but they did most of his team. Only when several of the Cloverson teenagers threw themselves upon the unknown mammals did the runner managed to escape. The sounds a few of the bunnies made only convinced the runner than many did not survive their tussle with their captors.

This news helped explain why there was a strange blockage interfering with normal communications which started happening within the last hour. Jonathan ordered security to send an alert message to GSD via burst transmission through satellite communication. The Zootopians needed to be alerted to events happening here; even if they couldn't respond immediately they should at least know the extent of the problems in the Outback Isles. Emma was busy talking to the Svalbear Ambassador, requesting that he send a runner to the Great Mother. Hopefully her empire was not experiencing what was happening here.

---

The Chancellor of the Twelve was having a meeting with Alpha One. "Progress report."

Alpha One puffed his chest. "Conflicting reports from the excavation teams suggest some major discovery has been found. Evaluation of all taken together suggest a new power source has been discovered. One that Zootopia has nothing compatible with it."

The chancellor obviously was intrigued. "New source? Zootopians don't know about it? Are we sure?"

Alpha Eleven walked into the room. "Alpha One is obviously mistaken. What was discovered was the bunker my previous members of the Servants of Truth had excavated near Bunny Burrow. It is powerful, possibly could kill every mammal this side of the planet in just a few hours."

One looked at the hare and snarled. "How do you know this? Wasn't the entirety of that order wiped out a few years ago?"

The hare merely looked annoyingly at the lion. "True, most were... but not all. Those who loved building things others could only dream about, these were spared. They were tolerated by their original peers only because they did not actively oppose the group. They were left alone to build their beloved things as long as the end result was the Movement was the sole controllers of their creations. When the mass-execution occurred they were isolated because of their remote location building a fuel cell manufacturing facility. These engineers knew about outsiders but had limited contact with them. The literature their original group had obviously been thrown away, but not before some were salvaged by mammals that understood the value and threat that the Wilde-Hopps duo represents to the world. We are the new Servants of Truth; and we will not allow ourselves to suffer the same fate as the original group."

"Your group does not understand subtlety; or else it would never have been exterminated like the roaches they behaved like." One muttered towards Eleven.

The hare merely smiled. "We learn fast."

"ENOUGH!" The chancellor knew he better stop this or else it could throw their plans off schedule. "Eleven, you better control these *Servants* and make certain they do not interfere with our goals. Do whatever you wish to that annoyingly successful fox-rabbit abomination. As long as they are effectively removed or prevented from our operations, I could care less whatever happens to them. Skin them both alive or make Wilde-Hopps stew... whatever. Just remove them from the field of battle."

Eleven nodded to the chancellor, smiled at the lion, and departed from the room.

"Are you sure it was wise to allow that hare to become a member?" One asked the chancellor.

"Patience my friend. It is better to have them under our watchful eyes than allow them to operate alone and potentially mess up any of our operations. We have limited control of their group, but control nonetheless. May I suggest you continue letting that hare think he has the wool pulled over your eyes? I'll have Alpha Three keep her watchful eyes on them; perhaps even let her make Hasenpfeffer out of him once our goals are completed."

Both mammals chuckled at the thought; surely by now the hare had an idea his acceptance into the council was more than circumstance.

---

Director Audrey Wilde was sitting in her office; feeling numb, angry, betrayed, and a whole host of feelings. One of her agents had caught wind of something her superiors were trying to keep secret. She couldn't believe something like this had been purposely done; but she knew there were some in the upper echelon of government that did not like her, and every once in a while did something to make her job or life difficult. Something like hiding key facts away from her office or organization. Something like hiding the fact that her grandson, Nickolas Wilde, was a father.

A father. She knew if he ever discovered this his psyche would be severely damaged. It just might cause him to revoke his pledge as an officer of the law. Thankfully her agent kept this off the wire and brought it straight to her. After making sure she really was all right, remembering the incident that happened shortly after she learned Nick and Judy were to be tried by the Council of Elders, the agent called her husband and her relative who was a department head here at the ZHC. Both were sitting in this office right now, trying to come to grips at the news and how they should proceed. Mindy Softpaw, her personal secretary, knew and was sitting next to her boss.

Marcus Wilde, her husband's brother was writing notes on a pad. "Let me see if I understand correctly. Upper Command decided the young vixens had a better support structure with their maternal grandparents than their father. All we know so far is their maternal grandparents live somewhere in the Meadowlands, their nursemaid has questionable association with organized crime, and this nursemaid has been forcibly evicted from this home."

Audrey spoke up. "The other grandparents names are Carl and Kimberly. Knowing this, it would be cub's play to find them. In fact, the GSD already knows exactly where they live and has been keeping an eye on them ever since."

Arnold placed his paw upon his wife's. "You're feeling betrayed, aren't you?"

Audrey bit back an angry retort. "My close friend looked me in the eyes and told me she knew nothing about this. While I completely understand as head of a major organization why she had to keep it secret, I can't help but feel completely betrayed."

"You have no idea how it was tearing me apart inside" a squeaky voice said from the doorway.

Everyone immediately turned towards the voice, and the rodent guided her Segway into the room and placed it next to her friend. "I don't know who told you but I am very glad you know. Agent Walker feels strongly that this should have been told to all of you earlier than it has."

"It wasn't Agent Walker, just to clear the air. One of my agents happened to be nearby when your conference was going on up at the Council's estate. My agent overheard your conversation with the chancellor and matron in that lounge, and later overheard Agent Walker being consoled by her partner about this and came directly here to tell me. You can be assured no one outside this room knows this."

The white mouse nodded her little head. "I'm very relieved. Now, shall we discuss how we can safely break this news to Nickolas?"

Arnold looked at the mouse. "Perhaps it might be best to break it to Jackie and John first. Once they are settled down then all of us, including you director, can figure out the best way to inform Nick and Judy. We might need to bring Bonnie and Stu in on this."

Director Dench raised her paws. "Don't forget... Judy's grandparents, Councilors Floyd and Elizabeth Jumper, should be informed before Bonnie and Stu. They will know how best to break the news to their family. We just need to stress it was completely out of Nickolas' paws."

The group soon broke up and headed to their respective places of employment. Audrey, Arnold, and Director Dench met Jackie's parents, Nathan and Vickey Keen over at a very secluded restaurant where the news was broken to them as gently as possible. Vickey took the news as hard as Audrey did, but recovered much quicker; probably because she could talk to everyone who had all the information. Later that evening John and Jackie were brought to Arnold and Audrey's home where Nathan and Vickey broke the news. It was a long and difficult evening, but finally after most of the vixens had vented their feelings, it was agreed to arrange with the chancellor and matron at the Council of Elder's estate to talk about this with Floyd and Elizabeth. Agent Walker and Rodgers would assist them in explaining the intricacies of foxes.

---

Kathrin Wintersprite was annoyed. Ramington Steele, the private investigator her professor sent her to, was anything but helpful. At least by her definition. He had her shuffling papers for Mrs. Fields, his secretary, for the past couple days. The elder ewe was more forgiving than the young vixen expected; it might have been her many years of experience or it might have been that extra-large bouquet of flowers and the expensive dinner both her husband and she went to last night.

"Professor Reginald always treats me right, but between us ladies... I wish he would save his money and simply have you treat me to lunch. Using his money, of course."

"Ma'am, why..."

"Charlotte my dear, just call me Charlotte. We'll be working together for quite some time. No need to be so formal. Mr. Steele has that department taken care of himself."

"Charlotte... why are we shuffling papers? I have a mystery to solve, and time's a wasting."

"Dear, have you been paying any attention to these papers? There's a reason why we are going through them. Remember: if you aren't the one paying him, then you are the one doing the work. Think of this as another on-the-job training program. You want information; we are helping you gather it one piece at a time. You are paying us with sweat equity."

Before the young vixen could respond, the wolf snickered. "You didn't think we would be doing all the work, did you? Your mentor knows you have it inside yourself to figure your problem by yourself. But you lack experience; that is where we come in. If we are lucky, some of the previous students he sent will drop by and assist us from time to time. Word of a new protégé spreads rapidly, and nothing stirs their interest like a challenging mystery."

At that moment the door chime sounded as three mammals entered: a vixen, an otter, and a swine. Each gave the ewe a kiss on her cheek and shook the young vixens' paw.

"So this is the newest member of the Squinting Eye club?" the vixen asked.

"I thought it was the Rusty Magnifier" the otter muttered as she was shaking paws.

"It is obvious Mr. Know-it-All tells each of us a different name. So sweetie, what did he call it to you?" the sow asked.

"Ummm... nothing yet."

"What was the story you told Charlotte? The key words, please." The sow asked politely.

Kathrin felt her face blush. "leg, bus, doll, fair, balloon, darts..."

The sow put her hoof on the fox's snout. "Carnival." She turned and glared at the wolf. "Really? A carnival act?"

The wolf held up his paws. "Before you all decide to gang up and skin me alive remember this: this really is a challenging case. Therefore we'll be called Empress Choice."

The other females tilted their heads with a puzzled expression upon their faces. "Empress Choice?"

Charlotte giggled. "He wanted this group to be named Carnival Dames. I reminded him what happened to the last aptly named group; they failed to solve the case."

"Ok ok... blame me for that one!" Mr. Steele growled. "Shall we continue?"

The otter grinned back at him. "It truly was your fault. The judge dismissed the case because you contaminated the evidence when you threw that pie at the suspect."

"I didn't throw it... I fell on a table and as it tilted and sent the pie flying through the air."

"Uh-huh. That's not what the security camera showed."

The vixen smiled. "Ok ladies, we've roasted him enough. Let's get briefed on the case. Mr. Steele... if you will, please?"

The wolf took the folder that the ewe handed him. "Our case is about two young vixens; each having different todd as fathers. The mother is dead and her nursemaid is of questionable background; organized crime if we believe what the clues tell us. One of the todds is known; he's a member of said organized crime of the nursemaid. It is the other todd which concerns us... and we'll focus on. However... the plot thickens; the nursemaid was forcibly removed due to her controlling nature and questionable activities. We believe she has ulterior plans for both young vixens; and will attempt to cubnap one or both at some point in time soon."

The sow grimaced. "Would this have anything to do with that godmother who was killed and beheaded?"

Kathrin gasped. "Yes. You are good."

The sow held up an old newspaper front page. "Observant. This was lying on the floor in front of me. But this vixen was in the news recently; something to do with the Council of Elders."

The vixen smiled. "I remember that now. It also was about the time the Wilde-Hopps case was going on."

"Exactly. They were on trial for something. Anyway rumor had it the godfather had the hots for that todd. She..."

Kathrin's ears shot up. "Wait! Are you saying she had an interest in Officer Wilde? Could he..."

Now it was the young foxs' turn to be interrupted by the vixen. "Oh my god... that's it! Gotta be it! But the papers say he married his rabbit ZPD partner."

The otter nodded her head. "Cubless and Kitless as well. Rumor also had it he was abducted about this time. If it were the godfather, it stands to reason she copulated with him as well. His fur is lighter than most todds. We just have to compare his to theirs."

Kathrin held up her paw. "I can get fur sample from the vixen in question, assuming my parents still has custody. But the todd..."

The otter raised her paw. "Leave that to me. My uncle often sells them flowers, so I should be able to get him get me close enough."

The wolf snickered. "If this is true, then he knows and doesn't care; or he is purposely being kept in the dark about these vixens. Ladies... your case is before you. May lady luck shine her favor upon you."

The swine looked at the wolf. "I'll take Athena any day."

The wolf and sheep watched as all four mammals walked out the door. They overheard the swine invite the others to a nearby Italian eatery. Charlotte looked over to Ramington with a questioning look upon her muzzle.

"You placed that newspaper there, didn't you?"

He looked over to her, feigning innocence. "I was reading some old newspapers and that page must've fell out. If I don't know things before them, then what good am I? But we should have our friends watch over them, call Fennick and request his assistance. Standard fee applies."

As the elder ewe dialed the number he watched the group walking towards the restaurant.

"I hope you ladies find these answers quickly; it's getting more dangerous by the day. And I for one don't want to lose any more of your group than these days have already done."

Charlotte placed her hoof on his shoulder. "Agreed. I'm surprised the others didn't notice their group was smaller than normal."

---

Pastor Chester was happy to be working with his old friend, Priestess Lionheart. It was the Initiate that was causing him difficulty. He had been purposely walking on the outside, keeping Paulina between him and the attractive initiate. He was doing short meditation techniques to refocus his mind; and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Clare doing same thing. Good; it bode well the young female focused her mind on their assignment. He had to as well, if what he suspected turned out to be true they would all need to be on their A-game. Paulina insisted they would be just fine. Clare... she was handling the situation pretty good, unless she was an old hand at hiding her emotions.

Presently they were walking towards a known safe house; one that an informant had mentioned the occupants had provided unlawful assistance to the deceased godfather, the mother of the two young vixens. The building was a typical residential building in this part of the residential district in Savanah Square. Three stories if you counted the attic; these buildings were noted for the attics as being outfitted for guest rooms. The occupants worked for Zootopia Emergency Services; the male a paramedic and the female a city council member's staffer. Their informant had presented an expense report that as his job in resupplying paramedics in this district didn't quite pass muster. The amount requisitioned was slightly more than normal, and the dispatch records didn't indicate the injuries matched supplies used.

The grey fox vixen who answered the door was dressed quite smartly in a pantsuit; the todd obviously had just put on his trousers. Both were puzzled why a group of priests would be visiting them and why.

"I am Eric der Fuchs, and this is my wife Dana. How can we help you?" The male obviously decided to start things on a friendly tone, seeing how upsetting one more group against them would only add to their existing troubles.

"I am Priestess Paulina Lionheart. This is Priestess Clare Noble, and the gentlemammal is Pastor Chester Marquis. We are not here to cause you harm, but we would like to hear what you know about the case we are investigating."

"Investigating? Priests? Should you have the ZPD doing that?" Dana asked politely.

"May we have this discussion inside, please? Your neighbors are starting to become inquisitive. We are sticking out like sore thumbs." Chester pointed to a nearby window which a face was trying to see beyond barely parted shades.

"Come in" Eric opened the door and motioned for them to enter. Meanwhile Dana went to get a pan of refreshments and a picture of juice. When the guests were seated on the sofa and the drinks and refreshments served, Eric started the conversation.

"May I know the purpose why you are here?"

Paulina being the senior answered first. "We are trying to determine the parentage of a couple young vixens who have come into our care. Normally pedigree is already known but in this case only the mother is known."

"Sorry to hear about that" Dana muttered and ears folded on her head. "Fox orphans have always been difficult to place in the foster system. Why do you think we may have the information you seek?"

Chester held up his paw. "We only wish to hear what you know about the mother. Please tell us everything you know and we'll be on our way quickly."

Eric was looking strangely at Clare, a look that suggested he often saw her somewhere but not knew her name. Suddenly his ears flew up and eyes opened big as saucers. "You! You were one of them!"

Clare didn't budge an inch. "Yes. You obviously know about the group I once was affiliated with. They are a dangerous one to be on the wrong end of their ire. To abandon the oath binding my future to their goals means my life is forever in danger. But their goals proved to be false, and as you can see I've found a better use of my life. So... my dear gentlemammal, do you wish to discuss my history, or shall we focus on the simple thing my companions came here to seek answers to?"

Now it was Dana that gasped. It was a good thing the picture and refreshments were already placed on the stand nearby. "Servants of Truth... you were once with them."

It was obvious that Paulina did not know this, but one would have to have been watching her closely to tell. The lionesses simply stepped between them and waved her paw; making the motion of the calming spell to relax everyone in the room.

"Everyone... please calm down. As was made plain when we entered, we have a singular purpose for being here. You both know something about the former vixen godfather. We only want that information. We are certain it will help us search for the unknown todd."

Eric looked at his wife. "If we utter one syllable our lives are forfeit. You don't know the reach of the Dark Underground."

Paulina removed a sheet of paper from her pocket. "Your superiors are waiting nearby. An audit showed an irregularity in some of your resupply requests awhile back. A controlled substance didn't have the proper information; either that or you treated a wounded mammal who needed to remain off the radar of law enforcement. They have agreed to let you leave in our protection... but only if you tell us everything. And it is verifiable. Anything less and they will proceed. It's your choice."

"We cannot. We've seen how fast they kill. Police custody is cubsplay for them. And if they cannot reach us directly, our siblings will suffer our fate, every single one at once. They are everywhere and no one can tell who is a member of them and who is not. We're sorry, but we cannot help you."

Clara motioned for her companions to gather in a nearby corner. "They aren't kidding. The Servants have friends and others who are sympathetic to their cause, but unwilling to actively join their cause. It is these others who help them identify mammals who snitch and help them find where they went. If we are to gain their cooperation, we need to identify these others."

Chester opened his zphone and dialed a number. When the call was answered the mammal was practically breathless.

"Pastor... can this wait? We..." The screen went blurry until it resumed its clarity; now showing the world in a sideward view. If the honey badger didn't know better it looked as if it was showing the side of the bed, as if the zphone fell off the bed. Judy could be heard groaning happily and the bed was shaking. The priest ended the call, kinda embarrassed at what was interrupted. Both priestesses giggled soon as they too realized what had happened.

"Well, guess we'll have to wait for them to finish before they call back." Paulina said between her fierce grin that obviously refused to go away.

"May I ask just who you tried to call... and why?" Clara asked still grinning but also puzzled.

"He was calling the Wilde-Hopps; he is their family priest. I suspect the fox has someone he knows who can help us with our problem. Maybe even identify the minions."

The zphone rang, startling the group. Chester answered, and was surprised to see Judy's face onscreen. "My apologies, pastor. You caught me... us... at an inopportune time. But it's all good now. So what did you need our help with?"

Clara giggled; the screen obviously was held at arm's length but the view showed both mammals. It was obvious that Judy was sitting on Nick's lap and holding the zphone over his shoulder.

"Officer Hopps, we'll make our request short and sweet. We have a couple of foxes in Savanah Central that has information we need but they are being threatened. The group threatening them has minions and informants that help them track and find those who run afoul. I believe you two need no introduction and neither do I. They are... the Servants of Truth."

Judy's image onscreen went blank, almost ghostlike. Yes, she knew them. The screen jostled a bit, now showing Nick's face. "Pastor, give us an hour to prepare and also where to meet you at. Send this in our preferred format; you know it."

Before the screen could turn off Paulina put her face in front of the priest's. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do! We'll wait for your knotting moment to pass, just don't waste the time. May I suggest getting ahold of Savage and formulate a plan?"

"Paulina, don't you get enough of your husband?" Nick asked. The group heard Judy's gasp and heard her hit her husband hard.

"We will make plans on our end, lovebirds. And yes... Leonard received his this morning. Hence why I'm so giddy at what you two are doing at this moment. Ok, we'll leave you be and call back when you are ready." Paulina ended the call and giggled some more.

"Priestess, I didn't know you were married" the Initiate asked quizzed.

"Clara, we normally don't tell you about that *officially* until further in your training. But yes, priest and priestess are allowed to marry... but only once in this lifetime. Should love leave your relationship, it then becomes one of convenience. We never divorce; only when death claims us is this vow released."

Clara had a puzzled look upon her muzzle. "Death? Can't you remarry if your spouse dies?"

The lioness looked at her protégé. "No. It is too easy to figure a way to kill the spouse, especially if someone else does it on your behalf. There simply are too many mammals who are all too willing to help do this for us. They know it gives them power over us, something to force us to misappropriate our abilities to do their will. Should you ever see a priest or priestess wearing a crystal that glows blood red... then you are in the presence of a Dark Priest or Dark Priestess. I pray you never find yourself in such a position; the only way for either of you to leave the presence of the other... one of you two must die."

A cough from the room reminded the priests that others in the room overheard their conversation. Looking over to the Vulpes showed both had deep concern across their muzzles. Eric looked into his wife's eyes; she nodded.

"We should not tell you this but the words you just said compels us to give you this warning: they are expecting you, and laying a trap. Last we heard was them saying something about a male badger being a very valuable addition to their organization. Please... we beg you; stop now. In that dark amphitheater were many torches; each one we knew was held by a mammal. We know they are coming for you. For your sake... leave. Don't handle this alone."

Paulina walked over to the two foxes, bent over and calmly muttered: "If they intend on cornering us, then it is obvious that we are already being herded towards their objective. So if it's all the same, please give us the information we requested. Obviously we have to go through them; therefor the information is as safe in our paws as it is in your heads."

Dana looked into her husband's eyes. "The godfather, the pregnant vixen who visited us here in our home, indeed she spoke about the todds who impregnated her. One was her favorite bodyguard; the other was a ZPD officer. She tricked the officer into going to her private quarters, where it took quite a bit of convincing. But ultimately she received what she wanted, and kept him in chains afterwards. The bodyguard obviously was watching; and once it was obvious she wasn't knotted, he stepped in and they did as he always was allowed. He knotted her and the rest as they say is history."

Clara held her paws across her muzzle; obviously astonished at what the implications were. "Nickolas Wilde... this news is going to hurt him."

Paulina put a sympathetic paw upon Chester's shoulder. "Do not fret my friend; I will be there to assist you. We will handle this together."

Clara quickly placed her paw upon his other shoulder, this time it didn't feel awkward... it felt she had a new purpose. Chester looked at both females, feeling as if the weight that suddenly fell on his shoulders was lifted just a bit.

"Ladies" he muttered, "it still is my burden. But I am pleased good friends such as yourselves are by my side."

The trio thanked the vulpes and went out the door and towards their next stop. Meanwhile Paulina sent a quick text message to the Wilde-Hopps duo telling them they got the information they sought. She also wrote another to the Council of the Moon. They needed to know about Nick's unknown cub... and the trap the Dark Priesthood was setting up. If what they were just told was true, then it was a certainty that the dark forces would not allow any of them to return without a battle. The Dark Priesthood was intent on adding new members to their fold; if these three remained uncorrupted, then either they would be killed or they would become victorious.

The die was cast; time would tell which priesthood would emerge victorious.

---

Councilor Floyd and his wife Elizabeth were waiting in the lobby at the chancellor and matron's office. Elders of the Burrow, Albert and Opal Hopps, were there also. Both sets of elder rabbits were puzzled why they were requested to be here. The matron had called the Hopps Farm herself and requested both set of grandparents to come quickly to the estate. The matron made it very clear this was urgent and all should get there no later than 2pm. Albert and Floyd were making small talk, speculating what this was all about. Obviously it had to do something with the Wilde-Hopps couple, since this was the only thing that caused the council to get ahold of them for any reason. Opal and Elizabeth were a bit on edge, but agreed nothing about punishment could be involved, neither grandparent could think of any violation either young mammal could have done recently. Other than the wedding being a few months delayed, but the council had agreed that their bylaws didn't take into consideration the extended negotiations two completely different species families required; each had their own traditions that needed to be done for legitimate reasons.

The private meeting room door opened and Margret, the chancellor's personal secretary and wife, beckoned the rabbits inside. What was inside surprised them. Nick's parents and both sets of his grandparents were on one side of the grand table. Director Dench, Colonel Kohle, Dr. Otterton along with his wife-nurse Clare, Dr. Bearinton, and the estate's own primary physician Dr. Lopps... all these were around the table as well. The remaining empty seats were obviously meant for them, except two beside the chancellor. Once everyone was seated the chancellor got down to business.

"Apologies for the suddenness of this meeting. As you can plainly see, it won't be an easy topic. No, Councilor Judy isn't in trouble... but we aren't entirely certain just how Councilor Nickolas will handle the news; hence why his relatives are here."

Opal and Elizabeth gasped; they had developed a strong bond with the fox, he had proven his ability to get along well with everyone in the burrow, even helped with the household chores and took lead in storytelling. These elder does' backed him up when he rebuked young bunnies about breaking a burrow rule, thus proving he understood them and willingly helped maintain the chaotic order necessary to keep the burrow functioning.

The matron spoke next. "It was discussed with Nick's family first, obviously because our news affects them primarily. They have ideas how to solve it, but your family must be informed. After all Councilor Hopps is his wife and her family will know best how to break this news to her. It is our hope both of you will know best how to inform your family."

Councilor Floyd raised his paw. "Chancellor, Matron... thank you for your consideration. I see non-family members are here, so this must be something that affects Zootopia as well. Please... just say it plainly."

Dr. Bearinton spoke. "It isn't as easy as just telling you. But you know... my door is always open to your family. Apparently my private practice is on the proverbial back burner these days."

Albert Hopps raised his paw. "Then just tell us. Nickolas has become an integral part of our burrow. We will do whatever is necessary to help his predicament."

Jackie couldn't contain herself any longer. "Nickolas is a father."

Silence filled the room. It was obvious this was the last thing either elder expected. To Lapin, it meant the todd had possibly betrayed their trust; more than that... Judy's. Each married couple looked at their spouse, and then to the other. They moved their chairs so they could talk quietly among themselves. A few minutes later they arranged their chairs as before.

Councilor Floyd asked a simple question. "We agree since the council has not brought charges against Nickolas there must be pretty substantial evidence proving his innocence. Please present it to us."

Dr. Lopps clicked a remote and the room darkened slightly, a view screen lit up. On it was displayed the former godfather, Josephine Wintersprite.

"This is the vixen, the mother in question. Her name is Josephine Wintersprite; godfather of the Outback Isles Mafia. On her orders Nickolas was abducted and brought into her private quarters. It was there she did certain things that resulted in pregnancy. She carried her litter to term and all cubs were born healthy. Sometime before the cubs could be weaned many of them were killed during a scuffle, including the mother. Only two vixen cubs survived. These have been in the care of their maternal grandparents ever since."

Colonel Kohle spoke next, obviously since his voice would carry through the room better. "Our GSD teams were the one that rescued Nickolas. We can confirm he was in restraints when our teams located him, and we can confirm she had systems in place to ensure he remained as a captive." He paused for a moment. "Our upper command thought it best for the two vixens to remain with their maternal grandparents. They had a better support structure and thus far this theory has been proven correct. Unfortunately events have occurred to jeopardize their security. We are therefore forced to make other arrangements."

Councilor Elizabeth noticed the undertone. "What events? The unrest going through the countryside?"

Director Dench quickly spoke up. "No, that is being handled. It is their nursemaid... a vixen we have identified as being a ranking member of the Outback Isles Mafia. Our sources have proof this vixen intends to use these young ones to regain control. Our sources also suggest she intends to use one of these to lure Officer Wilde to a place where she can abduct him."

Opal looked incredulous. "Lure? Nickolas is a highly trained ZPD officer. He is partnered with Judy, who is known for keeping him grounded. Do they really think a cub will cause him to react without thinking? I think not."

John motioned for his wife to remain silent. "Perhaps you need to hear from a todd's perspective."

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Has Nick explained what our cubs means to us? Our reaction to becoming a parent?"

Opal bit back a retort. "Yes. He mentioned something about it is the greatest thing for a fox. Especially considering how difficult it is for them to form relationships."

"Ok. Here's the rest of the story." John looked into the elder does' eyes. "Vulpes have a biological reaction when they realize they have become parents. Their sole focus becomes onto their cubs. The early days are the happiest and most critical; these set the heart and mind to willingly put the cub's welfare above one's own. It is not unusual to see a family in which the parents are malnourished but the cubs are perfectly healthy. When Nickolas discovers he missed out on these early days, I fear he will fall into despair. If he ever learns that his superiors purposely withheld this information, I am certain he will abandon his oath to the ZPD and quite possibly abandon Judy."

Now it was Councilor Elizabeth who was puzzled. "Abandon? Are you that certain? In the time I've known him he has proven remarkably resilient and resourceful. Adaptable is the keyword which comes to my mind."

John looked at the councilor. "My son is very much like me. This is how I would react; I'm certain he would do the same."

Councilor Floyd interjected. "You could be correct, but Nick is also much like his mother. He may not have the overly-emotional nature she so freely expresses, but he does have her sturdy commitment. My opinion is he will be methodical at seeking his rights to see his cub."

The chancellor tapped a crystal glass half filled with water. "Gentlemammals, this meeting should be focused on how we can break this news as gently as possible. It is this councilor's opinion that the young vixen be brought here to meet her famous father. Bring the whole family if need be. But we need your insights."

Director Dench coughed. "That's a tall order. Their maternal grandparents are only aware of the true father of one of them. Far as we can tell they are convinced both vixens have the same todd. Just what excuse would you have us use?"

Albert grinned. "How about having us four go meet them?" He motioned towards the elder rabbits, "Floyd and Elizabeth can call you if things go south. My wife and I can gently break the news to them. Or perhaps we can simply act as relays, deliver your official summons and escort them here?"

Audrey stood up. "If you're going, we should go too. After all, we are direct family."

The door opened and Margret stuck her head inside. "Pardon the intrusion. You have unexpected guests."

She opened the door fully and two priests walked in. Chancellor and matron stood up; these needed no introduction.

"High Priest Aaron, High Priestess Ishanah. It is a pleasure to have you here. May we inquire why your presence?"

The High Priest bowed. "Pardon our intrusion, but word reached our ears about the councilor-officer's predicament. We may have a solution."

The matron's eyes widen. "Pray tell, give us your solution."

The High Priestess grinned. "We already have a priest inserted inside the family. He is as we speak preparing the family for the necessary meeting with your member. He has informed us mammals have quietly taken positions inside the nearby woods. Are these GSD members?"

Colonel Kohle nodded affirmatively. "It was a necessary step, since a meeting here a few days ago went south quicker than we thought."

"As we thought. If it all the same, permit us to accompany your team. It will be best if they see a friendly face among the group. Or at the very least, our priest will affirm the group is friendly. Either way you decide, we are heading in that direction after leaving this estate. It was thought best to include your members, as it is always a good idea to have representatives of the government and law enforcement tagging along."

Councilor Floyd raised a paw. "Ok. Besides the four of us, how about sending Team Bravo along?"

The mouse nodded her head and pressed a button. "Savage."

"Yes ma'am. Your wish?" She face palmed; the hare sometimes treated her as if she just rubbed his genie lamp.

"Suit up. Your team is leaving within the hour. A simple trip, but be prepared for anything. Meet here in the chancellor's conference room asap."

"Your wish is my command."

A few minutes later Team Bravo entered the room. Chancellor and matron gave them the break-down on what the two priests and the elder foxes and rabbits were going to do. Colonel Kohle gave them a listing of permitted actions and actions permitted in emergency. The local sheriff was sending a deputy so if anyone were to be apprehended he would do so. The group departed and soon were driving away from the estate and towards the village of Woolie Meadows.

---

Judge Amy Cloverfield was getting debriefed by Bailiff Don Henen when a knock on her door interrupted them. She smiled and motioned her partner in. Judge Petunia Springs grinned as she walked up to her fellow judge and received a big bunny hug.

"So, are you sure you want this case? Boss has already said he can move it up to the Appellate level where the more experienced ones can take it."

Amy merely *Pfffted* at her co-hort. "I'm fine. If things gets outta paw, my bailiff can always have a snack."

Said bailiff merely grinned.

"Now I understand why you requested him. Just had to have a honey badger of your own."

"Actually, I knew him back when I clerked. He's no-nonsense and ain't afraid to check anyone in the courtroom. Including me should I make a mistake."

The bailiff looked at his judge. "I would never do that, your honor. I'd merely suggest something. That's all."

Amy looked over at Petunia. "So, what's your schedule looking like?"

"My case doesn't start until after lunch. Plaintiff's lawyer wanted extra time to get discovery on a witness that just became available. I figure I'd sit upstairs and observe your case. My bailiff has the option of assisting yours in the courtroom or being upstairs with me."

"Or doing paperwork where he's supposed to be." Amy chuckled. "But he has a minion that happens to be very good at filing reports. That's why you authorized a bump in pay and an additional rank, eh?"

"The Director of Zootopia Legal System authorized a new position. I merely lateral moved him to fill the position, and his replacement should be arriving next week. Our new law clerk is quite happy not having to kit-sit jailees, although I still have to get the new equipment he needs to process paperwork quicker. It has many new features including auto-correct."

"Ok. We need to wrap this up so I can start court. See you there." Amy waved as her fellow judge left the room. A few words and signing forms later and the bailiff departed to get the courtroom ready. Amy brushed her facial fur and applied a little bit of neutral makeup; enough to minimize the glare of the morning sun as it fell across her cheeks. She had a remote for the curtains and another for the outside shutters, but she enjoyed having sunlight streaming inside. Besides, it gave an indication of time that was as subtle as it was useful. She did take mercy on her bailiff; she made sure the window that sunlight fell across his position had its shutter closed and angled so the light was directed upwards onto the ceiling.

"All Rise." Bailiff Henen said as she entered the courtroom and sat down at her desk. He read the case number and title, and then handed the folder to her. "Your honor, the members has been sworn and is ready to proceed."

"Thank you. Alright, this case is about who-agreed-to-what without actually having anything written down before departing company. The Plaintiff, that's you Mr. Noble, claims one thing. The Defendant, that's your client, Ms. Leaps, claims differently and has video evidence to back-up her client's claims. I have reviewed the case and all evidence submitted. I will now hear oral arguments. Mr. Noble, you may proceed."

Gary Noble stood up."On the day in question I was walking around the area enjoying the fresh air and smell of the fields. Soon I met the defendant and struck up a conversation. I was invited to dinner and during that was presented a business proposition regarding a fellow farmer down on his luck and needed help. I offered a small cash transaction which was agreed to. Since I did not have with me the form normally used for this transaction I offered the moneys with a verbal agreement to be followed up later with proper paperwork. I was surprised to recieve the documentation from the defendant shortly after sending my own, I was under the impression it was I who was to draw-up these items. The video evidence is a farce and therefore I was unknowingly and unlawfully videoed without my consent. I move to strike this evidence."

Clara stood up. "Your honor, the evidence most certainly was not. Signs and placards were posted at all entry points to the farm, including the burrow's entrances. Does the Plaintiff wish to see the maintenance records and Tri-Burrow license?"

Gary was cursing under his breath. "Yes, please."

The bailiff walked over to the doe, took the paperwork and then walked them over to the Plaintiff, placing them on his podium. Gary slowly flipped through the paperwork, and then handed them back to the bailiff. "Time stamp is out of date. This evidence is null and void. I ask it be dismissed."

Clara stood up again. "Your honor, Tri-Burrow regulations allow for a 30-day grace period after said time stamp until the commission must send and updated license. Page #47 shows the inspection and functional tests were completed one month prior to expiration of the license. Wednesday next week will be the end of the grace period. You may note the memorandum dated last Monday was sent to the commission reminding them of the inspections and functional tests were completed and the Defendant waiting for his paperwork and license. We submit the video is legitimate and remains as is."

Amy flipped through the pages, noting the discrepancy and the consulted her computer. The technician down in the computer room would take what she typed and consult the appropriate government agency for the answer. While the judge knew she could do this herself, having a court employee do it left a paper trail that either members in this case or her superiors could see for themselves. A couple moments later a beeping alerted her of the response from the search.

"Mr. Noble, the offices of the appropriate Tri-Burrow agency answers in the affirmative. The defendant did indeed have the appropriate inspection done and the paperwork is in the pipeline for processing. Therefore the evidence submitted is current and acceptable to this court. Continue with your argument, please."

"Your honor, what they submitted is not what was agreed to. We suspect tampering with the video. We ask again for it to be stricken."

Clara looked at the hare. "There was no such thing. This was anticipated therefore we had a copy submitted to a computer forensic lab. Preliminary report says all data is current and no abnormalities evident. A copy of this report is available for the plaintiff and court records."

The judge motioned for it brought to her, and the bailiff retrieved it. After a moment or two skimming through the paperwork she looked towards the hare. "Everything appears as the counsel has stated. Do you want your copy now?"

"Your honor, we do not accept the copy being tested. We will have that which was submitted tested."

Clara again looked at the hare. "The defense suspects trickery. We ask the plaintiff surrenders his copy to the court, and the court have an appropriate company do the testing."

Amy could see what the plaintiff was attempting, and decided to head it off. "Mr. Noble, are you challenging everything submitted by the defense? If so, please make the list and give it to me here and now. We'll save the taxpayers time and money and submit it all at one time. I will tell you here and now... it seems to this court that this case should better be handled in arbitration. Both sides failed to have a basic agreement written before departing company."

Gary's ears laid flat on his head. "Yes we are your honor. Our evidence clearly shows what actually took place. Our list will be to your desk momentarily."

After receiving the list she had a clerk of the court get the items and take them for processing. Amy looked to Clara. "The defense may present your side."

Clara stood up. "We contend that the video and audio evidence we submitted is true and correct. It is our opinion the plaintiff offered the money without any strings attached. Neither did he make any attempt to correct his offer at any time while he was with my client. This position we believe is clearly shown in the evidence provided. We urge the court to rule our written contract is true and the only one clearly supported by evidence."

Before the hare could utter a word Amy rapped her gavel. "I have heard enough. While I can make my ruling today, I will await for professional analysis of everything being contested."

She consulted her computer and typed a query, waited a moment for a response, then addressed the courtroom. "Technical says all items should be completed with analysis by weeks end. Therefor I am scheduling next court date this same timeframe and same day next week."

She gaveled the court ended.

"All Rise" the bailiff said. When the judge left the room he announced everyone could depart at their leisure.

A week later everyone was back in the courtroom.

Amy looked around the room. "Copies of the results of the analysis are on your desks. We can suspend the court for an hour if either of you wants time to comprehend it."

The hare was not a happy camper. "This is ridiculous! It isn't even close to what happened. Do your minions hire kindergarteners to do the analysis?"

Clara looked at the here. "I'll have you know some of my relatives have young ones who can do this work better than college trained mammals."

Amy rapped her gavel. "Let's stay professional. Mr. Noble, one more disrespectful word about this court and my ruling will take such comment into consideration."

The hare composed himself. "My apology to your honor."

"Apology accepted. Now... in light of the analysis, is either side willing to go into binding arbitration?"

Clara leaned over and whispered to her client, after a short conversation she stood up. "Your honor, my client is willing; however he will only do so as long as the video and audio evidence provided to this court is the sole focus for the arbitration."

The hare stood up. "Your honor, we will not accept the video nor the audio evidence to be used in arbitration. Our contract is the only we will use."

Amy checked her physical response. It had been a long time since she witnessed such brashness in court, including her many years clerking. "Alright Mr. Noble, such is your prerogative."

She paused for a couple moments, using the motion of consulting something on her computer screen to mask her intended counting down time.

Amy looked at both claimants. "My ruling is as follows. Mr. Noble... I suspect you attempted to use the nativity of country rabbits who rarely conduct such negotiations against them. The video presented shows you made no attempt to protect yourself. You are the more experienced in this type of business transaction, thus you should have known better. While I have no proof such misdirection is your normal modus operandi, I strongly suspect your actions are. From this court's viewing of the evidence, the initial agreement at the time the money was handed over can reasonably be considered a simple gift."

She looked at the defendant. "Video and audio evidence from the Hopps Farm clearly supports your offer. It also shows what the plaintiff wrote on a notepad before leaving the farm. By sending this evidence to be properly processed and notarized, it cemented your version of the contract as what was actually agreed to. I'll stipulate here that neither side actually had a verbal agreement, thus it became a race in time as to which side could get their contract notarized and served first."

"Verdict is for the Defendant." Amy wrapped her gavel hard.

"All rise. The court of the Honorable Amy Cloverson is hereby ended. You may depart soon as her honor has left the room."

After gathering her paperwork, the judge stood up and departed quickly. The marshal standing outside the courtroom spoke into his mic as she nodded to him and headed towards the elevator reserved solely for the judges. It was not marked as a visible entrance, rather a panel that moved inwards and then sideways, revealing the car which would carry the judge to the floor where her private chambers were. Each judge had a working chamber nearby the courtroom that she was required to be in when an active case was in recess. The private elevator was operated by a mammal in the marshal office down in the basement. Video cameras with multi-angles showed both sides of the entrance and down both ends of the hallway. It was the marshal speaking into his mic that alerted the operator not only to the judge but if she was headed to her private chambers and if she had guests, or if she was headed outside to enjoy fresh air in the park.

Zootopia Civil Engineers solved a small conflict about what the judge's action were by installing a private entrance to the park solely for the judges to use. It was on the opposite hallway away from the private elevator. The private entrance was partially hidden on the outside behind a concrete wall and evergreen trees. It also helped that a guard would step outside to prevent passersby from attempting to use it, not that they actually could use it. There was no handle, but the same marshal down in the marshal office would open the door for the judge and her guests.

Amy rode the elevator to her floor and walked into her chambers. She was greeted by many young rabbits as they swamped their mother. Their grandmothers chuckled as they apologized for the intrusion. The young bunnies wanted to go to lunch with their mother, and instead of having the judge's family wait downstairs the marshals thought it best to send them up here. Amy thanked the two marshals who were escorting her family and after putting her paperwork on her desk, everyone went downstairs in the judge's elevator and out to the park. There they went over to a vendor and purchased a nice lunch for everyone. The young bunnies pointed to the group of Council Guards as they walked by in formation; it was not uncommon for them to be here at this time of the day. Neither was it uncommon for the two judges to have lunch in this park at this time of the day; hence another reason for them to be here. If one looked closely you could see a ZPD cruiser or Bunny Burrow officer go by.

Amy gleefully talked with the elder does' as all mature rabbits carefully watched the rambunctious bunnies as they ran around the park instead of eating lunch. One larger than normal buck was swamped by the pack of bunnies; the guards and marshals just watched the commotion. He was their father and it was not unusual for him to feign to be subdued by his young. He gathered his unruly pack and led them to their elders where they had to eat something before they could continue playing. It was interesting that the bunnies actually ate something when their father told them, but ignored their mother. This caused their grandmothers to chuckle, and tell stories about similar things when these two were growing up.

Across the street a shadowy figure was cautiously snapping pictures of this group. He stopped only when he noticed the guards moving towards his vehicle. It obviously would not bode well if they discovered the dossier he had been compiling. He quickly left the area and headed to his next assignment. The information he was gathering was important for the next step of their goals.

---

Alpha Eleven, aka: Gary Noble, was sitting at his assigned place when the meeting was called to order. The Chancellor of Truth was sitting at the center-right on the table; the Matron of Truth on his left-paw. She was not his spouse, and quite powerful in her own right. The Adjutant was currently talking roll call, noting who was here and who was absent. Everyone present wondered why this meeting was necessary.

"Mr. Noble," the chancellor eyes glaring at the hare, "What possessed your ever-loving mind to go after that burrow?"

Gary sat back in his seat, reclining on its two rear legs as if it were a recliner. "What I do to make a profit is of no concern to this organization."

"I disagree," the matron leaned towards the hare, "the chances of failure increases when one of us has a setback such as the ruling in today's court case. Have you considered how you look in the news? Sloppy doesn't begin to describe it."

Gary grinned at the vixen. "Oh I am not done with those rabbits. I failed to consider they would realize their error so quickly, and take immediate action. Having relatives that worked in the legal profession was indeed a surprise. Now that I have a complete dossier of the entire family, there will not be a repeat."

"Mr. Noble, you will have no further interactions with that family for the foreseeable future. Only focus on getting the doe: the one who is an abomination. If we discover you have touched a hair on any family's body, you will wish it was never discovered." The chancellor's tone of voice was stern; his facial features harden as well.

Gary sighed. "Fine. I'll do as requested. I assume I can use a singular family member to use as bait in order to draw-out the abominations?"

The chancellor's face wrinkled as he contemplated the request. It was obvious Gary was attempting to operate in the grey area, an action he could use to mask one of his schemes.

"Mr. Noble, it is allowed... but only one member. If we discover you absconded with several members, you will wish you didn't. Last thing we need is the whole law enforcement up in arms about several missing rabbits."

Gary bowed and then headed out the door. They couldn't know if the evidence was beyond their methods of surveillance. What he had planned was going to take several does' to be used for payment as well as bait. He grinned as he flipped open his zphone and placed a call.