Sunderance - Chapter 7: Shadows of Power (Patreon)

   “I don’t like accusations being made against my officers,” the cape buffalo rumbled, making an imposing figure behind the equally imposingly large desk. Which was in an imposingly large office where the bunny and fox sat in a chair that was imposingly large enough to seat them both with space to spare. Space that Nick used to remain standing off to the side, leaning against the back of the chair with one leg crossed over the other and his hands shoved into his pockets. He looked far more relaxed than she felt. “Especially when you have no proof to back up your claim.”

   “I am not accusing your officers of anything,” Judy replied, sitting up straight with as professional an air about her as she could manage with her legs dangling four feet off the floor and her neck craned back so she could meet the gaze of the Chief of Police. “Not directly. I am simply not leaving anything to question, and the Otterton murder trial has a great many questions that were never answered. Many of them dealing with the response time of the first officer on the scene and the anonymous tip that led to action being taking in the first place. And on that subject, was the caller ever identified?”

   “Miss Hopps,” the Chief replied, sliding on his wire-frame glasses as he looked down at a file on his desk. It seemed to her that he had been prepared for their arrival, if not annoyed by the intrusion. “Maybe things are different in the Commonwealth, but here in Zootopia anonymous means unidentified. We are not in the habit of hunting down calls of this type for one very simple and obvious reason: if we did, then mammals would stop giving anonymous tips. And all the precious arrests that come, as a result, removing dangerous mammals from the streets, would stop. Is that all you’ve come to ask me about, or would you like to ask another stupid question?”

   The sweetly sarcastic tone of his voice and the acidic smile that was painted on his broad muzzle caused her anger to rise quickly, as did the fact that the fox beside her had made not a sound since entering the ZPD. He even had his sunglasses on again. Indoors. And because she was irritated, that single fact made her want to swipe them from his muzzle just because wearing sunglasses inside was so…

   Realizing that she was projecting and losing focus, she centered her mind on what was important. The obviously unhappy Chief Bogo was trying to stonewall her and she knew it. The question for her was whether he was going it because he had taken part in the cover up, or because he was defending his department.

   “I am aware of what it means,” she said, squaring her shoulders and lifting her ears as she looked directly into his dark eyes. “I am also aware of cases where anonymous tips have been used to cover up crimes. Or frame another mammal for a crime, as the case may be with Otterton. Combined with the exceptionally rapid arrival of the first responder, it does bring a shadow of doubt to my mind. And because it brings it to my mind, it will be brought to the attention of the court.”

   This caused the darkly pleasant smile to drop from the massive mammal’s muzzle, curving instead into a deep frown as he folded his hooves on the desk in front of him. She could see that he was working on another sharp reply but plowed ahead before he could speak.

   “The way I see it, Chief Bogo, is that you have two primary options here. The first,” she said, reaching into her case to draw out a manila folder and stand to place it on his desk. “Is to look over this copy of the report. I have noted the inconsistencies, the oddities, and everything that I am likely to bring to the attention of the court during the appeal. This will allow us to discuss and possibly iron out some of the problems. Come to an agreement on the language used when this file is presented as evidence. You might even find yourself noticing the same problems that I have, which could lead us to work together to correct a miscarriage of justice. One that happened under your watch.”

   His face went from expressive and just as annoyed as she was, to expressionless calm as he ignored the file she had placed in front of him. “And the second?”

   “The second,” she began as she sat again, doing her best not to feel foolish in the overly large chair as she kept her head of steam going to push forward. “Is that I present the same evidence to the courts without your assistance in translating the events leading up to the arrest of Mr. Otterton. It will be entirely up to me how I present and interpret what I have been given to work with. And given the very public nature of the trial, we both know that it won’t take long for every bit of it to reach the public at large. I won’t be gentle and I will be forced to let them know that I received no help from the ZPD in my investigation.

   “A mammal’s life is on the line, and I will make sure that every second is put under the microscope in the court’s eyes and those of the public. I don’t want that to sound like a threat. But I am not going to be stonewalled because you feel you have to protect your officers.” She met and held his gaze for a long moment, during which his ears flicked twice and his eyes considered her. “If you really believe that the actions of the ZPD are beyond reproach in this case, then you will take the second option. But if there is any doubt in your mind – even a tiny bit – then I hope you will have a look at that file and help me. Showing the ZPD’s willingness to take care of its own means more than shielding them when they do wrong.”

   She could all but feel Nick’s gaze on her, much more clear and intimidating than the one of the buffalo in front of her. It was like a chill running down the back of her neck and had her wondering if some long-buried instinct meant to help avoid predators was kicking in because of him. The idea was silly, a little insane even. As was the way it almost made her want to fold down her ears and bolt. It also confused her that she wondered why he was watching her now. Was he trying to silently warn her off, urge her to play nice? Or was he impressed? Given his amused reaction to her dealing with Otterton, he seemed impressed when she showed that she did have a spine. And somehow, the feeling warmed her. Warmed her enough to have the fur of her back feeling hot and itchy when she turned her eyes back to meet his eyes for a moment.

   “You’ve made the inevitable seem like a favor to me as much as a threat,” Bogo murmured, distracting her thoughts as he leaned back in his seat with a dour expression. “All right, Miss Hopps. Once I have larger copies made, I will look over your notes on the case. If I find anything unusual or see that your notes outline possible misconduct or misdirection, I will be sure to discuss it with you. As long as you know that if I find these things, it will lead to an investigation of my own. Until then, do you have any questions I can answer before looking into the file?”

   “Just one,” she said, reaching into her case to pull out a notepad and carrot pen. “Who were the first responders? The case file I was given records all officers present on the scene, but not who arrived first. I will have questions for them, too.”

   That the Chief of Police would be familiar with one of the most publicized cases in recent history was not surprising when he came up with the two names. “Officer Fangmeyer and Lieutenant Weaselton.”

   With the carrot pen poised over the paper standing still, the slightly stunned bunny craned her head around to look at the dark-suited fox standing behind her. At first glance, it seemed that he was unmoved by the tidbit. It was the fact that his muzzle drew just a little tighter than usual and the fact that she could see the shift of his paws in his pockets that gave his reaction away. “That explains a few things,” she muttered, mostly to herself as she turned her attention back to Bogo. The cape buffalo raise one brow as he looked between the two of them before resting on Nick.

   “Do I need to ask if you know why the Lieutenant called in his remaining sick days?”

   “To avoid the humiliation of walking around the ZPD with a limp?” Nick cut in coolly but with just enough of a smirk to have Bogo glaring daggers at him. Slim shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Don’t look at me, Chief. I promise I didn’t lay a finger on him.”

   “I did,” Judy said, turning to face the Chief again and pressed forward without further explanation. “Which could make it problematic to question him. To say that he would be a hostile witness might be an understatement.”

   “Would you care to elaborate?” Bogo said, waving one hoof in almost friendly irritation. She felt that he didn’t like being left out of the loop, and rightly so.

   “He came to see me in my new office, somehow managing to arrive only minutes after I did,” she began, quietly realizing that this seemed to be a convenient habit that the weasel had mastered. “His attitude was hostile. Aggressive. He claimed he was looking for my bodyguard in connection to the death of the tiger who tried to murder me and when I failed to produce him, he became angry. I was afraid that his actions were heading towards violence, so I persuaded him to stop by kicking him in the groin.”

   There was a beat of silence in the office. Bogo’s stony face betrayed nothing of his reaction for a long moment before he reached over to stab at the phone on his desk. “Clawhauser!”

   “Yes, Chief?” the cheerful voice of the cheetah at the front desk replied almost instantly.

   “Get Weaselton on the phone and tell him that I expect to see him in my office within the hour. Limp or not.”

   “Sure thing, Chief!”

   “I will make sure that he is ready to talk to you when you need him,” he said, his attention now focused on her. The surprise must have been clear on her face and in the set of her ears because he waved her away with a quick flick of both hooves towards the door. “Now get out of my station. I’ll let you know when I’m finished with these files.”

   The door slammed at their backs as soon as they were out of the office, causing her to jump slightly at the violence of it. She frowned a bit, mind already working through the next stop on her long list of people to see, when Nick placed a paw on her shoulder to draw her to the side of the door quickly. The finger he placed over his lips halted her protest before they began as he leaned back against the wall and perked one ear towards the door. A few beats passed in silence, during which she became very aware of exactly how close to him she was. The smell of him caused her nose to twitch rapidly. The scent of male and predator and fox, had he breathing in deeply in a way that made her paws itch to reach out and touch the chest that was so close. She could hear his heartbeat. Steady and almost as quick as her own. She stared up at him for a long moment, her mouth going dry when he turned the dark glasses towards her again. When she opened her mouth to speak, he shushed her again silently. Growing irritated, she frowned at him and opened her mouth to speak anyway when she heard…

   Snickering.

   The sound was faint, muffled, obviously being held back and covered up but it grew louder once it started in a quick chuckle from Bogo’s door. Her ears perked when she realized that it was Bogo himself who started to laugh in sporadic bursts; the sort of laughs that came when something that shouldn’t have been funny was funny. Her gaze darted to the door and then back to Nick, her heart skipping a little beat when she saw what might have been the first real smile spreading upwards along the narrow muzzle. She told herself it was the show of sharp, predatory teeth that had her holding her breath for a moment. It had nothing to do with the way that smile seemed to warm his face, and the fact that she would have killed to see his eyes in that moment was just…

   Then the moment passed along with the sound of amusement from the office. The smile faded as he turned his gaze to glance around the lobby for threats, which seemed silly to her inside of the ZPD, his face was stoic again. Back to business as usual when he cocked his head towards the exit and waited for her to take the lead before following her out.

Damn it.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

   “Administrator, Counselor Valter is on the line for you.”

   The announcement from the pleasant female voice coming through the speaker did not interrupt the vixen’s thoughts as her gaze moved over the pad in her paw. The swarm of requests for any information on the would-be assassin’s identity was not aggressive enough to be cause for concern, but neither could they be ignored. The single attempt to obtain a photograph of the body – an attempt made by and overly zealous and possibly desperate armature journalist – had been met with a gentle removal from the morgue and a refusal to press charges by the city. Luckily, the rodent (gerbil, she believed) had not managed to bypass the motion sensors to reach the cold storage locker noted on the charts. Otherwise, the media would now be wondering not only the identity of the tiger but also why his body had been incinerated almost the moment it had been taken into custody. The entity that was mainstream media tended to be an idiotic mass of fools shouting questions and looking for the hot story, no matter how it was presented. But there were always dangerous ones in the mix.

   As she set the pad aside and pulled out a compact to check the status of her flawlessly groomed fur, her mind drifted to the arctic vixen who had questioned Hopps outside of the courthouse. Video of the incident showed that the snowy furred vixen had not seemed afraid despite the deadly, if quick, fight taking place not twenty feet away from her. She had ventured closer, looked focused and had zeroed in on the right thing. While so many tried to find out who the dead tiger was, she was the one who kept sending requests for any information the Council might have on the fox currently acting as guard for the lawyer. This made her interesting and dangerous and very possibly useful in the future.

   After adding just the fainted ruffle to the fur around her ears, because this particular male was a fan of the slightly rumpled look, she glanced at the timepiece on her desk. It had been five minutes since the voice had informed her of the call. “You may put the call through now.”

   “Of course, Madam Administrator.” 

   Rising from her chair, she allowed her finger pads to linger for a moment on the controls as she debated refusing a holographic face-to-face. She finally depressed the button, causing the platform on the far wall to light up and the motion cameras around it to begin recording. This was going to be an important call, after all. She could see the cameras twist and adjust as she moved across the room, taking in every inch of her and reflecting it back through the emitters on the platform. A simply vanity, and a necessary one. It allowed her to make sure that the sharp green jacket was nearly pressed to maintain professional air while the dark skirt, cut just above her knees, hugged her hips in a way meant to disarm any Todd with a pulse.

   Whether the aging Red Fox that appeared as a nearly solid figure of colored light when her own image faded still had a heart at all was debatable. But she happened to know exactly how much he enjoyed the way she looked and as she always did for their private conversations, her muzzle parted in a coy smile. Even if the way the fox turned his eyes instantly down the length of her body made her skin crawl under her fur, making her feel the need to scratch at the imaginary fleas his lust painted all over her. If he had been there, she had no doubt that he would be trying to get his paws under her skirt. The perfectly kept military uniform and ruthless intelligence that he did possess were sometimes overwhelmed by his endless libido for younger, more attractive vixens. Such as herself. Which was why she had made a point of never being alone with him.

   “Kyubi,” he said in a cheerful tone. The use of her first name forced her to carefully manage her smile, lest it turn into a snarl. But she allowed him to continue without interruption. “It is always such a pleasure to see you. I was beginning to wonder if your assistant told you I was waiting.”

   “General,” she replied with a slight tip of her head and a friendly, if chilly, tone. The use of his rank rather than his name caused his openly over-familiar smile to hesitate for a moment, but she continued, “it is good to hear from you. I was minutes away from calling you myself. Thank you for taking that step for me.”

   “Of course, of course,” he said, his ears perking as he folded his paws behind his back. She also noted that he puffed his chest out more than was needed and kept a sharp-toothed grin on his muzzle. “It seems we have a new face on the streets. Two, actually.”

   She was already aware that he was an attractive male, even with the graying fur around his muzzle and ear tips, and a prime physical specimen. But just to please him and loosen his tongue, she took a moment to openly appreciate that physique as she raised one paw to her muzzle. Tracing her claw through the creamy fur under her muzzle lightly as she raised her eyes to him, she could see the interest written all over his face. All in all, the little dance she led between them was about as subtle as sending a tiger to assassinate a rabbit less than fifty yards from a courthouse.

   She was happy about neither.

   “Yes, so it would seem. The tiger was a bit of a surprise,” she said, giving a little shrug as she turned her attention away from him for a moment, golden eyes resting on a dark corner of the room in seeming contemplation before she turned her gaze back to him. “We have yet to identify him. I was wondering if you might be able to provide some insight?”

   “That is an interesting thing to wonder,” he said and for a moment she was almost certain that his intelligence was going to outpace his libido. Instead, his smile widened a bit as he relaxed his stance and leaned closer. As close as a space limited hologram could lean forward, anyway. “Maybe we can talk about it over dinner tonight. It has been far too long since I’ve had the pleasure of your company.”

   A delightedly feminine laugh escaped her as she pressed her open paw to her chest, dropping her lashed as she looked at him with feigned surprise and embarrassment. “Nathanial!” she fluttered, keeping her voice on the edge of a giggle as she stepped close to the projector herself. “You old scoundrel. I’m afraid I have too much work to do tonight for such pleasant distractions.”

   She waited until his face fell and his ears twitched to show his disappointment before she stepped away from the projector and headed towards her desk. She added just the right amount of sway to her tail as she paused, looking back over her shoulder at him. She was being about as subtle as he was, which she could have compared to a rhino stampeding through Little Rodentia. The sad part, she knew, was that he fully believed that they were playing a game of subtle innuendos.

   “I am free for lunch, tomorrow, however,” she said, flicking her tail around in a slow swing when she turned back to the screen. “We could meet for lunch. Your office?”

   “My office?” he replied, seeming surprised, confused, and pleased all at the same time.

   “Yes, of course,” she said, grinning at him playfully until his own muzzle parted to return the grin. “We can have a nice meal, talk some business. And see if your desk is still as sturdy as it was during our first meeting. Not necessarily in that order.”

   “I have a new desk,” he boasted proudly, almost causing her to roll her eyes. “Much bigger but just as… Sturdy.”

   “We will see, won’t we, Nathanial?” she said, raising one paw to wiggle her fingers at him in a cutely feminine farewell. “Until then.”

   He likely saw the fact that she cut the connection as cute and coy. A female simply teasing a male. In reality, she had been unable to keep the disgusted scowl from her slender muzzle for much longer. She stalked over to the edge of the clear dome around her, standing near the glass with one arm crossed over her chest and the other raised to rub finger pads over her closed lids. There was an ache forming behind her eyes, largely because of the stupidity of her own Council members.

   She opened them when she became more aware of the presence that was constant in her life. The shadow in the glass, blurred by the lights of the city, indistinct even to her eyes even if she knew the figure as well as she knew her own reflection.

   “Kill him.”

   Sometimes, she didn’t even recognize the coldness in her own voice.

“So, no lunch?”

   There was a cold humor in the masculine voice, mingled with dozens of emotional triggers that she couldn’t identify. She knew that it sent an entirely different sort of feeling crawling over her fur, but she pushed it back when she closed her eyes and allowed it to ease her. The voice continued without waiting for her to reply.

“Tonight?”

   “No,” she said, opening her eyes again and looking towards the military installation where the ZNM was housed. She couldn’t see it even from here but she knew that aside from The Tower itself, it was the most heavily defended place in the city. “He is expecting a guest for lunch and I would hate to disappoint him. In the middle of the day. In his own base of power. And make sure he knows why.”

“I will see you tomorrow night, then.”

   No questions. No doubts. No hesitation. No fear that she was wrong in the decision. It eased her, knowing that the this existed. Calmed her troubled mind as she turned and made her way back to her desk and more pressing matters. It wasn’t until she heard the doors to the private elevator close that she raised her eyes and stared at the closed doors for a moment.

   “Thank you,” she whispered and leaning deep into her chair, allowed her eyes to slip closed.