Starfall: Chapter 16: Predator or Prey?
Drying his hair with a towel, Mark whistles upon seeing the open space in front of him. “From the outside I wouldn’t have guessed that you had a full track course and gym in the building.”
Humphing loudly, Bogo glances over from leaning against the wall near the Men’s locker room exit. “We’re underground, Used to be a warehouse for part of the fallout shelter system put in place after the great war, which ended up not being needed.”
Nodding, Mark looks around. ‘The outside walls of the room have a full four lane track course other than some storage and seating areas next to the entrances. Inside the oval, they’ve fit both a full set of gym equipment, and boxing ring?’
Turning to look at Bogo, his attention’s drawn to the general entrance as Stallhoof and Lambdon enter. Only for them to sit down on one of the few bleachers pulled out of the wall.
“We’ll have your evaluation in the ring there Mr. Mercer.” Standing back up, Bogo points to the boxing ring. Only to snort out of habit as Mark doesn’t instantly head over there. ‘Going to have to learn some patience after I retire, not every mammal will appreciate me expecting them to instantly comply like my officers.’
Shrugging, Mark walks over to the ring. “So, are you going to be my opponent for this evaluation Chief Bogo?” Before leaning forward and tying up the loose pants legs. ‘Is this the best set of clothing they could find?’
Standing back up, Mark does the same to the ends of the sleeves of the shirt he’s wearing.
Bogo opens his mouth, only to shut it as the door to the women’s locker room opens from Delgato and Judy exiting.
“No, we will be your opponents Mr. Mercer.” Grinning with a bit of excitement, she hops around the lioness, as she makes a bee-line to nearby racks for claw and teeth covers along with head-gear for the both of them. Otherwise, they’re in identical athletic crop top’s and shorts with the zpd logo printed on them.
Quirking a brow, Mark looks them over. ‘Delgato may be close enough to my weight and size scale to be a good opponent, but Judy? Yea I know she knocked out a Rhino in the film but that was just for movie laughs… Then again she did do it here, if what I saw on their internet is anything to go by.’ He’s about to open his mouth, only for Bogo to speak up.
“Mr. Mercer you’re looking at the number one.” Bogo nods to Judy. “And the number two.” He nods to Delgato. “Rated paw to paw trained officers in Precinct One. We’ll have Ms. Delgato go first and work our way up from there. Do keep in mind this is an evaluation, and purposefully throwing the fight to get a lower rating can be considered a crime.”
Nodding once to Bogo, Mark watches Delgato climb into the ring with all the grace a lioness has, before adjusting her claw covers, and sticking a large boxer style teeth guard into her mouth.
“Let me guess.” Grabbing the ropes on the side of the ring and climbing up, he sizes Delgato up. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t wear a shirt.’ Letting go, he unties the sleeves, before shedding the shirt and tossing it aside.
“For the same reason you want to have the mammal registered in the first place. An easy list to go down when you have a crime with a suspect who may have said skills, rather than actual police work.”
Mark takes his position on the opposite side of Delgato and in contrast to her stretching, then taking an aggressive stance, he loosens himself up only to just stand there.
‘Lions are ambush predators. While they can chase prey, that’s not their forte. She’ll lean against this like her non-sentient counterparts back home considering she doesn’t know what she’s up against. So she’ll come rushing at me and try to finish this quick knowing she’s on the clock endurance wise even if she doesn’t know endurance is the human specialty.’
Snorting once, Bogo approaches the ring. “You can always decline and decide you’d rather face charges for what you did rather than take the governor's pardon.”
‘I have a feeling this is another cultural thing of his. Maybe because they lack any sort of claws, horns, or even hoofs. Not to mention his teeth are pitiful despite having predator like canines and incisors.’
Keeping his head still, Mark watches Delgato. “No, I’ll play by your rules. Just don’t expect for me to vote for anyone who want to keep them this way when I get a chance too.”
“Fair enough.” Bogo nods. “Alright, since we have no gear that would fit your mouth to protect your teeth, and you don’t need claw-guards. The only thing off the table is Delgato doing head strikes. Otherwise, all moves are fair game. Remember this is supposed to be an accurate test of your skills. So, no aiming to maim or injure, first pinned to the mat loses.”
Bogo pauses for a moment to look at the both of them. “Begin.”
Laying her ears back, Delgato launches herself forward. ‘I should try to end this quick, I think I have the skill advantage as I doubt he knows the standard training here. Just have to be careful of his longer reach with those arms.’
Half-way between her and him, Delgato feints to the left, then a few feet in front of Mark, shifts right. One had-paw aiming to grab the elbow of the arm on Mark’s right side, while the other aims to deliver an upward open paw strike to his belly to knock the air out of his lungs.
‘Why isn’t he mov…’ The moment Delgato’s leading arm’s within Mark’s reach, he reacts, seizing Delgato’s wrist with one hand. Then shifting his stance and allowing him to deflect her strike with the other. Following this up, Mark uses her momentum and twists himself around Delgato while holding onto her wrist. Twisting her arm behind her back in the process.
Shifting his feet to put his stance inside hers, Mark then trips Delgato, sending her belly first onto the mat with her arm pinned behind her back and the other one in no easy position to grab him. Sitting up, Mark keeps her wrist in his grasp while using his foot to pin her other arm in place on the mat.
Laying her ears back, Judy frowns as Delgato snorts once loudly before ceasing her resistance to Mark’s grip. Mark relents and slips off her back, before helping Delgato to her feet.
“I hate to be pedantic Ms. Delgato, but, half a conflict in martial arts is a mental game. I knew, you knew nothing about me, or what to expect. I guessed, and guessed right you’d fall back to the same tactics of your non-sentient counterparts back on my earth use. You’d go on the offensive because lions are ambush predators, they want to catch their prey quick. The rest is just physics.”
Letting out a feline sigh and lowering her ears at this, Delgato looks over to Judy and Bogo like they’d say anything different. ‘Dammit, he’s right. I should’ve been more cautious and not just assume and rush in.’
Putting her ears back up, Judy turns to Bogo. “Yea he’s above Delgato’s skill level, even slick lasts longer against me than Delgato did here. So, I guess it’s my turn now.” Popping in her teeth guard and donning her padded helmet, Judy jumps into the ring, only needing to grab the top rope as Mark uses his hands to dust off his borrowed pants.
Looking over at the exiting lioness, Mark smiles sympathetically. ‘I know that look even though I’ve never seen it on a lion’s muzzle before.’
“Hey, Ms. Delgato!” Mark pauses for her to look over at him. “On the plus side a gut check move like you were aiming for is a good strategy, as long as your opponent doesn’t see it coming.”
Stopping mid climb on her way out of the ring, Delgato raises her ears a little and looks back. “I’ll keep that in mind Mr. Mercer.” Exiting the ring, Delgato stops by Bogo before heading for the locker room, her tail still low, nearly touching the floor.
Turning his attention back to Judy who’s stretching and limbering up while watching him closely, Mark now returns the favor as he limbers up a bit. ‘Taking out a rhino or not, she’s already examining me and figuring out a plan, if her gaze is any indication. So yea I can believe she’s better trained than Delgato.’
‘No tough and leathery hide, no claws, his teeth are pitiful even by rabbit standards. Yet he has longer limbs than any mammal I’ve seen so far compared to their torso, and reflexes to move them to make him a reasonable threat.’ Folding her ears back against her head, Judy takes a guarded stance.
‘Yet, if I can hit the inner part of those long limbs, behind his knee-caps, inner elbows, I may be able to force him to the mat.’Flexing her fingers, she glances at Bogo while Mark keeps a relaxed stance like before.
Returning the gaze for a moment, Bogo looks over to the Lambdon, who’s taking more notes with his phone in one hand, and Stallhoof who’s watching with his hoof-fingers tapping a knee. Bogo returns his attention back to Mark and Judy.
“Begin!”
Judy leaps forward like a rocket.
Mark meanwhile keeps his breath steady, visually tracking Judy’s approach. ‘Leveraging her size and speed. Only thing she can do, a single hit by anyone bigger than her and it’s game over.’ Shifting his stance and guarding his left leg, he shifts his weight to the right one. He flexes his right hand.
‘She’ll go for the inner knee…’
Judy mentally smirks, pivoting from aiming for Mark’s left knee to his right the instant her foot touches the mat ‘just’ in front of Mark. ‘Delgato feinted her move too early. Giving him ample time to react.’ Catapulting forward and closing the remaining distance, Judy’s a second ahead of Mark’s right hand coming down to pin her.
‘I won’t make that mistake. Down to the mat you go.’ Curling her fingers at the first knuckle to avoid using her claw’s, she jabs Mark’s right inner knee with strength and precision. Leaping away a moment later and sliding to a stop, Judy tenses her leg muscles for another leap.
The blow buckles Mark’s right knee. ‘Damn, she’s good.’ Landing on the mat with his right knee first, he uses the hand he was aiming to pin Judy with to steady himself.
‘Yet there’s only one thing she’ll do now, considering my back and right side are wide open now.’
The moment Mark hears Judy launch herself at him he rolls onto his back, watching as Judy leaps over him, aiming for where his right arm was. ‘Please let this not hurt you too badly.’
Shifting his weight, he plants his hands on the mat, curls his legs up to his chest, then thrusts both his legs straight up at her.
While unable to change her trajectory much mid-air, Judy twists her torso, barely moving out of the way of Mark’s kick. ‘More flexible than I thought.’ Rolling into her landing, Judy quickly scrambles to her feet, watching Mark flip himself from his back and up onto his feet.
The instant Mark’s feet touch the mat, he closes the distance between him and Judy. ‘If I play defensive, she’ll chip me down. My right knee’s sore despite the fact she has the strength of a child. A few more hits there and I won’t be able to hold my weight on it, giving her an easy win. Offensive it is.’
Pinning her ears back, Judy digs her foot-claws into the mat for purchase as she has to dodge to the side to avoid an open palm strike, then the other direction from a follow-up blow. ‘There’s a lot of muscle on those long limbs, but they’re not straining as much as they were when he was on the mat.’
Narrowing her eyes, she grinds her teeth against the mouth guard just a bit as she deflects and spins into another one of Mark’s blows, though not from how the grazing hit stings.
‘He’s holding back! He’s been told not TO. Grr, does he think I’m weak because of my species and size?’ Judy strikes claws first into the inner elbow of the arm she just deflected, hard, but due to her size, not enough to puncture Mark’s skin though.
Only to find herself muzzle down on the mat a moment later with Mark’s hand on the back of her head.
Grabbing the side of the ring to climb up. “That’s enough!” Bogo bellows out, Mark lets go of Judy and takes a couple steps back.
Flexing his arm, he glances at his right inner elbow. ‘She didn’t puncture it, damn though if her blow didn’t hurt. Why did she leave herself wide open after having such a good defense before?’
Standing up and brushing herself off, Judy looks up at Bogo as he approaches.
“Even before you decided to use your claws when it wasn’t required, it was obvious Mr. Mercer is at least at the same skill level you are Officer Hopps. Care to explain to me why you escalated it?” Crossing his arm’s Bogo stares down at Judy.
Laying her ears against her head, Judy sighs before removing her mouth-guard. “Since Mr. Mercer doesn’t have any fur, I noticed that he wasn’t putting as much effort into his blows compared to how he used his arms and legs earlier to get up. I thought he was holding back due to my size and species sir.”
‘Sigh, she’s still having this issue.’ Bogo glances at Stallhoof and Lambdon from the corner of his vision as they approach the ring the latter with a cellphone now at his ear.
‘Can’t reprimand her for this, not in front of my bosses who’re continuing lionheart’s Inclusion push.’
Snorting, he lowers his arms. “A lapse in judgment that I hope you won’t repeat Officer Hopps?”
Standing straighter, Judy nods. “Yes chief!” ‘I’m still going to ask Mr. Mercer if he was…’
Walking up to the water buffalo and rabbit, Mark rubs his inner elbow, to hide the growing bruise, and stretches his neck a bit. The small cracks from this echo in Mark’s ears. “Don’t be too hard on her Chief Bogo. Hasn’t been the first time I’ve had to deal with an opponent who lets their emotions get the better of them in a spar session.”
“Indeed.” Stallhoof climbs into the ring, approaching the group. “I think I’ve seen enough here, if you’re willing to sign off on his permit Chief Bogo, I’ll sign off on his pardon. Then we’ll go see the media, okay?”
“Fine.” Looking down to Judy. “Officer Hopps, you’re dismissed. You should probably go back to your desk and make sure Officer Wilde is doing his paperwork.”
Chuckling, Judy shakes her head. “Yea, Slick is probably goofing off.” Raising her ears back up, she climbs down off the mat and heads for the locker room. ‘I hope Delgato is taking her loss well. She’s worked hard to be number two.’
Glancing back at the mat, Mark, and the others. ‘Yea I’m also going to have to find out where he’ll be staying, so I can find out for sure.’
Turning his attention back to Mark after watching Judy enter the women’s locker room, Bogo sighs. “You should go get cleaned up some more.”
“And let’s find something nicer for him to wear Chief Bogo. Not something out of the donation or confiscation bin.” Stallhoof then looks over to Lambdon.
Pocketing his phone, Lambdon looks back at Stallhoof, then to Bogo. “While you were doing the exam I notified the city council and had them call the media for an important speech in front of the precinct. A speech that governor Stallhoof, you Chief Bogo, and I will give. So yes, lets not have a Hopps moment and have our new resident alien look like some homeless bum.”
Sighing with an involuntary eye twitch, Bogo nods. “I think I can dig up a spare, unadorned dress uniform, which ‘may’ fit him with a couple quick alterations. I’m not looking forward to the thousand and one questions about him wearing it though.”
Shrugging before climbing out of the ring. “I guess the media’s the same no matter the universe. Still, I would appreciate it more than these threadbare yet clean clothes.”
-
Half an hour later, Lobby of precinct one.
-
“They’re not out on the front steps yet and the camera flashes are already like someone aimed a strobe light at a disco ball.” Smirking, Nick over at Judy, as they stand on a chair pushed up against the railing on the second floor walkway.
She shakes her head. “Was it any better for us? Mr. Finally put his tail in gear and finishing his paperwork without me prodding you to do so.”
Lowering his ears and tail, Nick sighs. “I was hoping to leverage that to get off early to check in on mom. She’s regained feeling and movement, but the hospital wants to keep her under observation for a few days due to her age, because of the unknown mechanism of Mr. Mercer’s taser.”
“Yea, no chance of that.” Judy winces as the flashes and noise kicks up another couple of notches as Bogo, Mayor Lambdon, Governor Stallhoof. Along with the Human, Mr. Mercer approach the front of the precinct.
“I’ll bet you my lunch they’re reporters at every exit to the building, which isn’t behind a security gate. Even then they’ll be a few trying to climb over.”
Chuckling, Nick shakes his head. “No way I’m taking ‘that’ bet carrots.”
“Shh, they’re starting.” Judy gently elbows Nick before she leans against the railing along with him.
Nick gently taps his paw-pads on the railing. ‘Yea glossing over what he did to not get any mammals angry Mr. Mercer’s being pardoned. Both the mayor and the governor patting themselves on their backs about how, Zootopia, and Camilfornia were the best place for him to end up.’
He stops taping his finger.
“Judy, did I just hear that right?” Nick looks over to her.
Looking back, Judy shrugs. “Maybe they mean in specific circumstances? I mean, I don’t think it’s right for us to arrest a mammal just for stealing food like he said, still, that amount is rather high.”
‘Something about his proposal stinks, I mean I know all politicians are dirty to a degree. Yet this, this feels like some kind of hustle. Or set up for one.’ Folding his ears back slightly, Nick leans forward and rests his elbows on the railing.
“You’d have to steal an awful lot of food to hit eight hundred zbucks carrots. I mean it’s hard enough to get charges to stick since Stallhoof appointed the recent D.A. For example, the Yena-twins in holding. This is feels like hanging an open season sign for petty criminals to me.”
Glaring at Nick, Judy hmphs. “I thought you of all mammals would be a bit more sympathetic to fellow predators Nick. I seriously doubt this will allow shoplifters like them to get away scott free. That’s if they even did it.”
Lowering his ears and letting his tail droop, Nick sighs. “Carrots, Judy, I am, it’s just they were caught red pawed even without video evidence, for the third time in just over a month. Each time they’re not charged by the D.A. and we have to let them go.”
Grumbling, Judy lowers her ears. “Sorry, I’m just, annoyed at hearing the same thing from others in the locker-room. Guilty or not, if there’s not enough evidence to foster a reasonable amount of guilt, then there isn’t, and the D.A. is just doing what they’re supposed to in that respect.”
Raising them back up, she smiles at Nick. “How about we ask if we can at least phone your mother after their done with this? It’s at least something to do till the feeding frenzy out there decides to leave.”
Moving his ears and tail back to their relaxed position, Nick nods, before turning to look out at the sea of reporters as the frenzy turns up a notch.
“Wait, did he just answer that question how I thought he did?”
Wincing, Judy nods. “Yea, he said Omnivore. If he read our history, like he claimed to have, he would’ve known that term has some serious baggage attached to it. I mean what those scientists did in the great war just over a century ago is in just about every text-book in every school and online. No matter how noble the cause they thought it was, it was a hellish thing to do to those mammals.”
Nick lets go of the railing. “Looks like that put an end to the question and answer session of the speech. Let’s get back to our desks, I doubt buffalo butt would like to see us up here.” Climbing down first, he helps Judy off the chair.
- -
“I would, for the love of Taurus, like to know what it is with anyone related to those two and failing their first press conference.” Rubbing his forehead and muzzle, Bogo looks down at Mr. Mercer. Who seems to be just a fraction of a size too small for the medal-less police dress uniform he’s wearing.
Stallhoof adjusts his tie. “Well, it could’ve gone better. Still, it was a matter of if, not when a misstep like this was bound to happen.”
‘Still, an omnivore, if he was a herbivore it would be a bit difficult to use him. A predator would’ve been better though.’
“I said I looked through your history, not memorized every single bit of it. Still, that’s what Humans are. We can eat meat and plants, and generally need at least some of both to keep minimally healthy.” Mark shrugs, looking between the three.
“Actually I think this might be a good thing.” Lambdon catches up with them. “You answered a question they would’ve hounded you for anyway, and the answer will keep them busy for a bit as they chew it over. Which should help keep the media distracted while we set up everything else for you.”
Following Bogo to one of the windowless conference rooms, Mark quirks a brow at Lambdon. “What else do you plan on doing?”
Holding the door open for the three of them, Bogo flicks an ear. “Did you honestly think we’d just throw you back onto the street? You have no identification, no place to stay, and no income. If you’re going to be staying here for the long term, which I get the impression you are, you’ll need all of that.”
Stallhoof enters first, followed by Lambdon, then Mark. Bogo closes the door behind them.
Mark Shrugs. “I figured that would come later, from what I’ve seen the government here is like the government back home in one regard, it’s slow.” Taking a seat on one side of the room’s only conference table, opposite of the other three he places his hands in his lap.
“Slow it may be.” Stallhoof opens his attaché case he left in here, taking out paperwork and a tablet. “We actually have nothing else to do right now.”
‘Right, the media outside…’ Mark watches as lambdon takes out his phone while Bogo picks up the paperwork Stallhoof removed from his attaché case.
Opening the folder, Bogo places a few pages of forms in front of Mark. “So unless you want to try to get through the horde of reporters, onlookers, and any mammal who wants to be a part of history, Mr. Mercer, you have some paperwork to fill out.” Sliding a pen next to the paperwork a moment later, he gives him a professional smile.
“Well, you do have a point.” Picking it up, Mark gets to work.
- Later that day. -
Nick reaches up to knock on Bogo’s office door, only for it to open before he can touch it. “Hey Wolfard.” Smiling at the Timber-Wolf as he holds the door open, then waving hello to a casually dressed Fangmeyer, who’s leaning against a wall. “Hello stripes.”
Wolfard gives a slight smile and nods to Nick in return while Fangmeyer gives a polite wave in return.
Entering, he moves to the side to allow Judy in before helping her take their normal seat in front of Bogo. Wolfard closes the office door before standing next to Fangmeyer.
Looking up at the Water buffalo, Nick smirks. “So what’s up Chief?”
Looking between his four best officers, Bogo lets out a grumbling sigh. “Considering the highly unusual situation right now, the department and I, have an unusual request of the four of you. This is completely voluntary and will be temporary, but, either you officer Wilde, and Hopps. ‘Or’ Officer Wolfard and Officer Fangmeyer will have to take in Mark Mercer. I don’t trust any of the other officers to do this. Nor would it be fair to expose their family's to him or the possible media frenzy he caused.” Holding up his hoof-hand, Bogo continues.
“Only until the city can arrange the procurement of a suitable residence for him, and he gets suitable income for it.”
Making eye contact with the four of them. ‘Or he makes a fortune selling his story to the movie companies, whichever comes first…’
Fangmeyer looks to Wolfard, then back to Bogo. “Where is this human now? Shouldn’t he have a choice in this since it’s about where he’ll be staying?” Her tail tip flicks. ‘The way the chief worded it, if Hopps and Wilde refuse, we’ll have to take him in. This isn’t a ‘can you do this’ but ‘you will do this’ kinda volunteer thing.’
“Clawhouser is helping him go through the donation and unclaimed property storage for a weeks worth of suitable clothes and other basics as going out and buying the stuff will cause too much of a ruckus right now.” Placing his hoof-hands on his desk, he settles a bit more in his chair.
‘I’ll be surprised if either of them agree, it’s an extremely unusual request. Especially for Wilde considering the circumstances.’
Wolfard glances back to Fangmeyer. ‘This must be like a punch to the gut for Nick.’ Keeping his ears forward, he looks back at Bogo.
“Why not set him up in a safe house instead?”
“And you would have to keep him there like a prisoner, otherwise the media will find the place, and we could no longer use it.” Returning Wolfard’s gaze, Bogo shakes his head.
Judy glances over to Nick who has his normal, don’t let them see they get to you, mask on. ‘While I don’t want to hoist this burden onto Liz and Wolfard. I’m sure Nick would love to say hell no considering Mr. Mercer hurt his mother and tried to rob her.’
Reflexively clenching and releasing one of his hand-paws under the cover of his other, Nick smiles back at Judy. ‘Mom’s alright, dad, sis, and I are happy at that. Yet, Mom isn’t as angry as she was before seeing the press conference, which does and doesn’t surprise me. Still, I would so love to throw Mr. Mercer out onto his tail-less ass, but, that’s what the old me would’ve done. Well, right after conning him out of the remainder of his belongings.’
Letting his mask slip a bit, Nick slightly tilts his ears back as turns his attention back to Bogo.
“Officer Hopps and I will take him in Chief.”
Judy, Fangmeyer, Wolfard and Bogo all stare at Nick. Bogo, and Fangmeyer with their muzzles agape.
Sighing, Nick looks at each of them. “Yes I’m still angry at what Mr. Mercer did, but, if I am being honest here. Had this happened before I met Officer Hopps, you’d probably find him naked in the middle of tundra town. Now though, I wouldn’t be able to look at Judy, or my parent’s if I refused to help him. Yes he hurt my mother, but even she’s mostly forgiven him after this morning’s press conference.”
Flashing a genuine smile to the wide-eyed smiling bunny next to him, Nick turns his attention back to Bogo, who’s having a hard time hiding how shocked he is off his face.
Composing himself, Bogo looks at the four of them as Fangmeyer closes her mouth. “Well, I guess it’s decided. I’ll try to push for some extra compensation to offset any costs and inconveniences incurred because of this.” He pauses and looks at the clock, before returning his gaze to the four of them.
“Mr. Mercer should be at the front desk already if not shortly. Dismissed.”
Nick helps the still stunned Bunny off the chair as Wolfard holds the office door open for Fangmeyer and the both of them.
“Slick… Nick. Why? You didn’t have to do this.” Regaining her composure Judy looks over at Nick as she keeps pace with him down the walkway, as the Timber-Wolf and Tigeress follow them.
“That’s what I would like to know too?” Now out of sight of Bogo, Fangmeyer moves just a bit closer to Wolfard.
Looking around for anyone else in view as they head for the elevators, Nick sighs.
“Because I want to be a better mammal. Judy showed me it was possible, and my talk with my mother earlier today made me realize that if I hold onto my anger at Mr. Mercer. It would prove I haven’t changed at all. The old me held grudges, and kept score, that was how you survived on the streets. It was how you could tell if someone could be an ally or an enemy, Finnick was the closest thing I had to a friend, and we even kept score on each other. If it wasn’t for the fact that we built a kinship over the years, my score would’ve run so low by becoming a cop, he would never talk to me again.”
Wolfard tilts an ear as they come up to the elevator landing for the floor. Watching Nick hop up and hit the down button for the elevator.
“You’re still angry at him though right? I mean, I would be. Forgiving and forgetting are two different things. Like how Hopps here hasn’t forgotten how you conned her when you first met.”
“Yea he’s still repaying that twenty Zbucks he conned from me one cent at a time in various ways.” Judy laughs playfully a couple of times, though she does touch Nick’s shoulder with a concerned smile.
Shaking her head with a small smile, Fangmeyer glances around for a moment, before drawing Wolfard into a momentary side hug. “Wilde, you and Wolfy here are better mammals than I am. I’d just punch him in that weird flat face of his and walk away.”
Reaching over to take Judy’s hand-paw as the elevator arrives, Nick genuinely smiles again. “That’s a debt I’ll gladly pay, and yea, I do feel anger towards him as I won’t forget what he did. He could’ve gone after any other mammal than my mother, still. I can’t say I wouldn’t do similar if I was in a situation he was in. Though as I said, if I don’t forgive him, I wouldn’t be the better mammal I claim to be now.”
Nick and Judy let Wolfard and Fangmeyer enter first before they do. Once the elevator door’s close, Judy jumps and smacks the button for the first floor. Only to turn and look at Nick.
“So you would rob people using that weird ray gun taser thing like he did?”
Looking back at her, he lasts only a moment before bursting out laughing. “I mean come on Carrots. It’s an honest to Karma ray-gun! It also looks like the ones in the original fur trek! That alone may be worth being stuck on an alien world.”
Judy tilts one of her ears as Wolfard joins in on the laughter, along with his tail wagging. “By Luna you didn’t know how hard it was to keep a professional face in that interrogation room. Being muzzle to, well, muzzle-less face to an honest to Luna alien!” Only to momentarily look to his bemused tigress and momentarily lost looking bunny.
“Except I’d have to disagree with you there Wilde, those things on the original fur trek didn’t use solid beams, that weapon of his would be closer to Fur Trek the next generation. His suit though reminds me of the stuff from Paw Wars. I’d love to get one for myself and dye it white for the next time I go to a sci-fi convention.”
“ ‘May’ be worth being stranded on an alien planet?” Judy stares at Nick, half lowering one of her ears. The look of her face is more amusement than the tone of her voice may imply.
Giving a halfhearted grin as Nick calms down, though his tail doesn’t, he lightly nods to judy. “Yea, because then I wouldn’t get to see you again. I mean as neat as it would be to own a ray-gun like that, I’d still choose you.” Only to wince as Judy lightly hits his arm, returning the grin.
“Nice save Slick.” Continuing to happily grin as the elevator door opens.
Ever the gentle-mammal, Nick lets Judy exit first before he does, followed by Wolfard and Fangmeyer. “Guess this is where we part ways for now. See you tomorrow Wolfard.” Nodding to the Timber Wolf. “And Stripes.” Nodding to Fangmeyer.
Rolling her eyes, Fangmeyer takes Wolfard’s arm in hers. “You know I ‘almost’ regret ‘taking’ time off and allowing you two to have that case, almost.”
“What, a bit jealous about being in the spotlight Stripes?” Stopping in his tracks, Nick smirks at Fangmeyer.
Letting out a laugh, she shakes her head. “Hell no! I saw the crap you and Hopps went through last time over bellwether. Enjoy another round due to arresting an honest to Goddess alien.”
Gently taking Nick’s arm, Judy smiles up at Fangmeyer. “Still, thank you. You didn’t have to do it just for me.”
Folding her ears to hide the blush Fangmeyer waves her free arm back and forth dismissively out of embarrassment. “You’re my friend Judy, think nothing of it.” Gently pulling Wolfard’s arm closer while leading him to the staff parking lot.
“See you two tomorrow, and have fun with the alien.”
Judy leans in a bit closer to Nick once the Timber Wolf and Tigeress are out of earshot. “You do have the reservations you promised to give them in thanks for that, right Slick?”
Nodding once, Nick puts up no resistance as Judy leads him in the direction of the front lobby, then to the reception desk.
-
“Yea, first thing I’m going to get, is better clothes than these, once I have money again.” Glancing at the shirt and pants he’s wearing, well-worn may be more than an apt description of them.
“Still better than nothing though Mr. Mercer.” Clawhauser takes his seat, only for his ears to swivel in the direction of Nick and Judy.
Swiveling to face them, he waves hello. “Hey you two, good timing, just got back from helping our resident alien with his new wardrobe.”
The Fox and Bunny both wince at the same time, folding their ears back as Mark faces them.
Putting the duffle bags full of clothes and other items down, he straightens his shirt and pants. “Hello again Officer Wilde and Officer Hopps. I think I can tell by your ears that it’s as bad as I thought it looks.”
Forcing his ears up, Nick plasters his trademark smile on his muzzle. “Well, if we were just going to drop you back off on the street, you’d blend right in fashion wise with the rest of the homeless mammals.”
‘Most likely that’s where we got the outfit from.’
Glaring at her fox for a moment, Judy too moves her ears back up. “Well, at least it fits better than the spare dress uniform they stuck you in for the press-conference. You looked like a kit in their parent’s clothing.”
Raising a brow, Mark looks back at the still smiling Nick, then to Judy again. “I take it you’re here for something other than confirming how atrocious my outfit is?”
“Yup!” Popping the ‘p’ as she grins at him. “Rather than dump you on the streets, or at a police safe house, my fox volunteered some space at our place for you to stay until you can secure one on your own.”
Mark stares at Nick, who widens his grin. ‘I hurt his mother, and he’s willing to help me out? Here I thought he would want nothing to do with me.’
Coughing politely, Clawhouser taps the clock on the reception desk’s counter-top. “As entertaining as this is to watch, I still have some time left before the night shift receptionist and head dispatcher relieves me. Not to mention you may want to leave before said shift show up, If you want to get home at a reasonable time and not want to cause another scene.”
“Right, good idea spots.” Nick nods to Clawhouser, before looking back at Mark, who picks up the two duffle bags without a word.
“We’re going to have to take the cruiser, I doubt it would be a good idea to take our newest resident celebrity onto the public transit system.”
Judy opens her mouth only to have Nick to playfully close it with a finger. “It’s also my turn to drive carrots. You drove it when we went out on patrol yesterday.” Not waiting for her response, as he heads for the hallway leading to the parking garage.
Following, Mark watches Judy jog to catch up to Nick. “If we want to get him out of the public eye faster, then I’ll need to drive Slick.”
“And if we want to get home in one piece, I’ll have to drive.” Grinning playfully at Judy, Nick turns, taking a side corridor before walking up to the vehicle checkout station.
Keeping pace with them, Mark watches Judy climb the smaller mammal access stairs, pick up a normal sized clipboard, and fills out the checkout sheet with a normal sized pen.
“You drive like my Grandmother though Slick.”
Putting the pen down, Judy moves to grab the key from the peg-board. Only to stop, seeing as Nick already has it in his hands as he jingles them in front of her.
“I drive perfectly within the limits, you drive like it’s a race.” looking at her with a mischievous glint. “I have to wonder who taught you how to drive carrots. You do know there are other pedals than the gas pedal right?”
“You do know you can just take the subway back if you think my driving is so bad, Slick.” Mock pouting in response, Judy adds just a pinch of mock anger in her tone of voice.
“Oh, I think you’d miss me too much to do that.” Pocketing the key’s Nick approaches the exit to the garage, and pauses. Instead of opening the inner small mammal door. He jumps, grabs the handle for the medium mammal door, holding the handle as he lands before pushing the door open.
“I would also get home before you.” Judy passes by Nick a moment later.
‘I feel like a third wheel here…’ Nodding in thanks to Nick for holding the door, Mark follows Judy as Nick jogs to get ahead of her.
“I could also lock you out.” Glancing back at Mark, seeing him effortlessly keep pace with Nick and her, she quickens her stride to be next to Nick.
Nick smirks over at her. “You won’t, you’ll miss my winter fluff covered tail.” leading the group to his and Judy’s modified cruiser, Nick unlocks it with the key-fob before turning to face Mark and pointing to the rear seats.
“You can set those two duffle bags next to you, there’s no room in the trunk.”
He walks up to the driver’s side door as Judy opens the rear passenger side door for Mark, and moves out of the way before he tosses the duffle bags on the far end of the rear seat before getting in.
“This isn’t anymore comfortable without the handcuffs than with them you know.” Buckling up as Judy closes the door, he leans back against the hard seat.
Climbing up onto the driver’s seat, Nick buckles in as well, before reaching over and helping Judy regardless of the fact she doesn’t need it.
Judy looks up at the rearview mirror, so she can see Mark. “You wouldn’t fit up here anyway for obvious reasons Mr. Mercer.” Then turns to Nick. “I’ll manage without that fluffy soft tail of yours.” Though the tint of color on the inside of her ears says otherwise to Nick as he grins back at her in response.
Looking between the two, he watches how someone as small as Nick can start a vehicle this size. “So, where do you two actually live? I have to assume it’s larger than the apartment you had in Grand Pangolin Heights Judy.”
Slowly Nick backs the cruiser up out of its parking spot before following the signs to the exit.
‘Serendipity, I can already hear the ruckus outside the gate.’ Pinning her ears back, Judy spares a glance at the parking garage gate they’re slowly approaching before looking back at Mark.
“I am so glad the media found out about that place ‘after’ I left. We’re going to a gated complex on the edge of the Rainforest district and the Medowlands.”
Looking between the front seats, Mark watches and winces as the exit gate for the parking garage slide open, along with all sorts of mammals with cameras pressing in until some other officer’s push them back off the street.
“I can see why. If you got even half of this kind of attention for what you did with bellwether I can imagine how much the other residents would’ve hated you for this.”
Mammals large and small hold up camera’s either by hand-paw or selfie stick, Mark has to cover his eyes at the sheer amount of flashes going off.
“By Karma…” Nick mutters as he dons his shades, even then he still has to use a hand-paw to help keep himself from being blinded, Judy just completely cover’s her eyes. Honking the horn signals the officer’s outside to their distress and in a few minutes everything’s calmed down enough Nick can drive safely onto the main thoroughfare proper.
Rubbing her eyes, Judy moves in her seat to actually look back at Mark. “Okay, it was ‘never’ this bad for us. I feel sorry for you Mr. Mercer.”
‘Now I know why celebrities are always staunch advocates for privacy.’ Rubbing his own eyes and blinking a few times. ‘I’m going to be seeing stars for a while.’ Mark waves his other hand dismissively.
“Call me Mark since for the moment we’ll be living together.”
“Alright Mark.” Moving to sit in her seat properly as they come to a stop for the traffic light heading onto the highway.
“So, Pinky, want us to stop by your cache site on the way to our home?”
Judy shuts her mouth as Nick speaks up at the same moment.
“Pinky?” Mark moves forward a little, looking at Nick. “All I had, was what I had on me.”
Grinning as he glances up at Mark. “Bullshit, and Pinky’s what I’m going to call you from now on, since you have all that pink skin exposed rather than a healthy coat of fur.” He taps a finger on the comically small steering wheel in Mark’s eyes.
“Even the least competent thief has a place they go to, to hide out, to keep things. Normally we’d ask where this is after the initial interrogation, but, well as you know this hasn’t been a typical case, now has it? So where is it? I mean I can make a reasonable guess. You hit a lot of people in happy town and the Rainforest district. You never used any form of public transport, so you moved on foot only. Considering you lack fur and it’s been winter for the last couple of months. I’d wager it’s somewhere in the Rainforest district as they keep temperatures there pretty mild year round.”
Sitting back down in the uncomfortable rear seat Mark taps a finger against his thigh before laying his hand on his lap. “Alright, lets assume I did have one. What would you do? Take it from me? No matter if it was only the stuff I had on me and could grab out of the escape pod?”
“That is something I would like to know. Where did you crash? If it was in the city, then someone would’ve reported it.” Judy joins in while Nick concentrates on navigating the evening traffic.
Not to mention ignoring the occasional flashes of light as mammals in the other cars notice, then take pictures of them.
Scratching the back of his head, Mark chuckles. “Lets just say Judy, you may want to have your family dredge up one of the artificial lakes on your family farm. Especially if they’re used for drinking water.”
Ears perking up, Judy turns in her seat again to face Mark. “Wait, hold on. You’re saying you crash-landed into Reservoir Six!? No wonder Mom and Pop had to shut off the pumps from it after they couldn’t find a filter to remove the odd taste and smell.”
She pauses for a moment, only for her eyes to go wide. “Wait a cotton picking minute… You said you crashed six months ago. The sentencing hearing for Bellwether was six months ago, so Nick and I went to my family farm to hide out from the media.”
“If that’s the name of the lake, then yes. What’s causing the issue is most likely the propellant residue from the pod’s maneuvering thrusters.” Looking over to Nick, whom Mark swears he thought he saw an ear twitch, he looks back at Judy.
“Come to think of it, what convinced me I was here, rather than landing in some weird farm sized for kids, was seeing you and Nick on the back of that old family truck of yours.”
Feeling the car change lanes, Mark glances out the window at the scenery of the Rainforest District.
Coming to a stop on the off-ramp, Nick looks back at Mark via the rear-view mirror as Judy pulls out her phone. ‘Hmm, I did see a shooting star that night while Judy was resting against me.’
“Well Pinky, it entirely depends on what you stored there. We’ll return any stolen items to their owners if we can for instance.”
Judy fires off a quick text to her parents to dredge said reservoir, and how they ‘almost’ ran into Mark back then. “Oh! Don’t forget, if you have another one of those Plasma-Stunner things, we’d have to take it from you. For everyone’s safety due to the gun ban at the city and state level.”
Looking forward, Mark taps his finger a few times on his knee. “Well all I took was money, so I could pay for some food. As for anything else, then the answer is no. I’ll get it at my own time without you knowing.”
Nick turns the vehicle onto a side street leading to their gated town-home complex, only to fold his ears back. Quickly pulling off that road to use one of the side entrances via a two lane driveway he grumbles.
“Someone in one of the cars we passed must’ve put two and two together and tipped off a few people, the main entrance is swarming with media. We’re going to have to use the side entrance.”
“Cheese and crackers, I just got the standard ‘social media blackout’ response from the home sms server Slick. So they’ll get the message, whenever they decide to turn the cell system back on.” Judy sighs. “Serendipity, it’s the Bellwether stuff all over again.”
Looking out the side window, Mark winces as a portion of the mass of media, and assorted mammals start chasing them. “Sorry?”
Pocketing her phone, Judy smiles at Mark via the rearview mirror. “Not your fault, this was bound to happen even if you did the smart thing and asked for help from us rather than stealing. Speaking of which, I take it by your answer, you actually do have another one of those Plasma-Stunners. Slick did say you were lying about a few things in your interrogation the other day.”
Mark braces himself as best he can while Nick guns the cruiser. So they can get in through the automatic gate and have time for it to close before the crowd chasing them catches up.
“Well, one thing I do know is the United States of Aniamaila’s constitution is virtually identical to the one in the country I was born in. The United States of America, minus the new amendments added in the late Twenty Thirties. So in which case I plead the sixth on that, which is the same as the Fifth one back home.”
Slowing the vehicle back down as the gate closes, Nick guides the cruiser to their registered parking spot. “Thank Karma for that gate system, and for your cousin’s parent’s transferring their town-home lease to us Judy.”
Parking the police cruiser, he turns to look at Mark. “Well I expected as much for you to have more than one of them. Except, from the way you acted when shown photo’s of what you were arrested with that’s not the only thing you’re lying about or not telling us Pinky.”
Unbuckling his seatbelt, Mark smiles. “Again, I plead the sixth.” Sitting there, he waits for the two of them to exit the cruiser as the passenger door has no internal handle.
Judy opens the rear passenger side door for Mark to get out. ‘Though to be fair, it’s only for their protection. Even if they’ve had two FTL flights, they’re still a decade away, at least, from having even the prototype of a portable kinetic shield.’
Once out, Mark reaches back into the vehicle and pulls out the two duffle bags.
“Home sweet home.” Nick uses the key-fob to lock the cruiser once Mark closes the door. “I’ll go around and lower those blinds again. Sigh, here I got used to actually having windows I could look out of for once.”
Smirking a bit, Judy leads the way up to the front door, with Nick right behind and Mark bringing up the rear, walking slowly to not move faster than his hosts.
“Says the fox who found a windowless basement apartment for us to live in for six months in until we got this place.”
Opening the front door, Judy lets the two of them pass before closing it.
Mark looks around surprised once inside. ‘Huh, kinda expected their place to have low ceilings and tiny furniture like that movie that just turned about a hundred years old.’
Returning the smirk, Nick reaches up and drops the key-fob onto a small table a little shorter than he is. “You do remember, I got it for cheap because the land-lord owed me a few favors.”
Opening the closet door that’s more normal sized than Mark expects for the two who live here, Judy hangs her vest on a coat-rack set at her and Nick’s height inside. “I seem to recall the ceiling was mostly Pipe-work with the walls being bare brick Slick.”
She then closes it and looks at Nick and Mark with a slight smirk on her muzzle when looking at the vulpine.
“And we never suffered from lack of space to hang things!” Nick smirks back before walking off to close each and every automatic blind over their windows.
Placing the duffle bags next to the door Judy just closed, he looks down at her curiously. “Do you two always act like this, or are you doing it for my sake?”
Letting her ears relax, Judy chuckles. “A little of column A and a little of column B. Anyway, I’ll show you around as slick makes sure no one can take photos of the inside of this place, again.”
--
‘I’m surprised they had a couch, let alone one large enough I could sleep on… I mean sure they had a lot of furniture their size. Especially upstairs. Besides that, most of it seems to be catered to wolves and other mammals my size. Just with stairs and step stools built in to allow smaller mammals like them access.’
Shifting to lay on his back, Mark glances up at the ceiling, then to the duffle bags he moved to be next to the couch.
‘They should be asleep by now.’
Reaching down, he opens the closer of the two bags, sticks his hand in and fishes out the tablet. One flick of the wrist later, the tablet unrolls, followed by the screen stiffening.
Laying it on his belly, Mark taps the file-browser app, navigating to one of the photo’s he’s viewed the most.
The photo of him as a kid, his older brother and younger sister next to him, smiling. His parents behind him, also smiling, and the family’s pack of Bio-Morphs behind them working on the field.
‘I wonder how they’re doing. Steven and Angela should’ve at least gotten ‘something’ from the company after I was most likely declared dead. I did write them in as next of kin. Still, that was idiotic of me to skip Mom and Dad’s funeral… Now I wish I didn’t. I’ll never be able to say goodbye to them now.’
Judy flips on a lamp. “A Compute-Module my fluffy tail. Nick was right, you were lying to us.”
Bolting upright in surprise, Mark tries to hide the tablet under the blanket they gave him, only for Judy to hop up onto the couch and pull the thick fabric back.
“Oh…” She lets go of the blanket in sudden regret. Mark scoops up the tablet and in one quick motion, rolls it back up into the cylinder.
They stare at each other for a moment, before Judy sits down, adjusting her night gown in the process while lowering her ears with a sigh.
Laying it on his lap, Mark looks over to Judy. “I did it for a good reason. This tablet, while nothing special to a resource runner back in my universe. Heck, on the better ships, it’s standard equipment. Is the most powerful computer on the planet right now, barring any secret multi warehouse spanning government super computers.”
“And the photo?” Judy looks up at him.
Opening it back up, once the screen stiffens again, it displays the same photo. “My home, My family, and the farm I grew up on.”
He points to himself, Steven, Angela, his parents, but not the Bio-Morphs in the background.
Judy though uses a claw tip to point at one nearest to the family. “That’s a wolf, I think, but I’ve never seen one looks like a cross between your species, and one.”
Closing the photo application, he sets the tablet to the side away from Judy, Which doesn’t go unnoticed from her. “That’s….”
He Sighs. “Going to be a long explanation, before that, I want you to know that even though I grew up with them being treated like how I’ll explain they are. I came to disagree with it being done, which led to a falling out with my parents. Also, I would like to know why you’re down here, I thought you were asleep?”
Her ears lay flat back while she too lets out a sigh. “My reasoning seems silly now upon seeing that photo. I just wanted to know why you held back on your evaluation today, that’s all. Sorry to surprise you, I guess you just didn’t hear me come down the stairs.”
“Hearing isn’t a human’s strong suit.” Looking back over to her.
“Short answer is, sort of. Long answer, skill wise I didn’t hold back on you. Strength wise, I did, only out of training. I wanted to survive, so I sought those who would train me how to kill, and, I have killed before. A good master will train you how to flip a proverbial switch without thinking about it, when it’s on, the moves you do, your attacks and counters you perform, have the intent to kill behind them. When you know your life is not on the line, the switch is off. Those types of masters refuse to train anyone who can’t do that.”
Judy flexes her hand-paws a few times as she looks down at them. ‘Great, now I feel terrible! Here I thought he was patronizing me, it never crossed my carrot picking mind that he was trained in that manner. How we’re ‘trained’ not to be lethal to suspects unless they try to be lethal to us.’
“Alright. Mark, I apologize for striking you claws first when I shouldn’t have.” Judy holds out a hand-Paw, and Mark gently shakes it.
“Now, mind explaining what species they are? Considering you said only humans were intelligent on your earth.”
Taking a breath, Mark lets it out slow. “Well it all started in the early to mid Twenty-Twenties back on my Earth…”
---------------------------------------------
End notes:
Who would've thought that Nick and Judy have differing political views. *dodges torches and pitchforks of the general nick/judy shippers* Also, yes it's drawn from real life. Not to mention I don't envy Mark's position in explaining Bio-Morphs to Judy and Nick, not to mention his view that they're technically human(made from humans, can interbreed with but not as easily as human on human.)
Yes, there is a bit of 'hfy' in this chapter. Even though i like furry, i can't ignore their advantages. endurance and planning ahead a bit more.
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