Dawn Bellwether. A name that has become know in Zootopia. A name that entered in history as the ewe who tried to tear apart the dazzling city of Zootopia with the use of a plot to raise suspicion and fear of the predator population. An ewe that was brought down by the combined efforts of a prey and a predator, putting an end to the reign of terror that the sheep tried to build with the use of hatred and fear. A name that many have learned to scorn at during the past two years.
However, there are things about this name that are still not in the scope of common knowledge. For example, the fact that Dawn Bellwether is a mage.
The nature of ex-mayor Bellwether as a mage was reveal by a source that chose to remain anonymous. Dawn Bellwether, of the Bellwether clan, a clan of sheep alchemists. Dawn Bellwether, unlike the other mages, has chosen to pursue a career in politics, getting involved in the affairs of non-mages, and this led her to become the vice-mayor of ex-mayor Leodore Lionheart, and later on to assume the position of mayor with the help of her plot.
According to the source, Dawn Bellwether is a specialist in alchemy, like the rest of her clan; however, her skills also include healing magecraft, the capacity to hypnotize, and knowledges in harmful magecraft known as witchcraft, which includes the knowledge to cast curses.
Due to her notoriety, and the fact that she was a public figure to the non-mage community, the Association would have found it too troublesome to come with a way to take her from under the custody of the non-mage authorities, and have opted for leaving Bellwether under the care of the non-mages. That after sending an agent to visit her and warm her that she was, therefore, forbidden from using her magecraft in any way, under the consequence of aggravating her charges within the authorities of the Association.
This daring arrangement was maintain in work for two years. During this time, Bellwether was keep under the watch of an agent of the Association, a red fox named Krystin Mieczyslaw, who came under the guise of being a therapist that would care for her. However, the arrangement finally failed during the beginning of this month, when Dawn Bellwether, apparently after being provoked by a wolf inmate, used her magecraft to cast a curse into the predator, causing the canine to need intense medical care.
After such event, the City Hall, under the new agreements of cooperation recently made with the Mage's Association, has contacted its headquarters, and asked for their help in such matter. As an answer, the Association has decided to take custody of Dawn Bellwether, to remove her from Boarwood Correctional Center so they could give to her a sentence befitting of a mage.
For such mission, they have dispatched two enforcers, the equivalent of the World of Magecraft to the police force. These two enforcers have been confirm to also be foxes, Marceli Mieczyslaw and his niece Emilia. These two foxes have been subsequently confirm as related to Krystin Mieczyslaw, being his uncle and cousin, respectively. These three foxes are all members of the Mieczyslaw clan, a family of mages native to Pawland who are specialized in the use of rune magecraft.
The two enforcers are present in the city for the transportation of Dawn Bellwether out of Boarwood and of the country, as they will be taking her back to the headquarters of the Association, apparently to have her properly sentenced and prosecuted according to their terms. For that, they have requested the support of the ZPD, who will be working in tandem with the mage agents in order to move the criminal sheep.
It is currently unclear if the City Hall or the ZPD had previous knowledge of the fact that Dawn Bellwether was a mage.
**********************
Bogo finished reading the last paragraph of that journal, which had that story as its headline, complete with a picture of Bellwether. He then placed the newspaper over the podium, and looked around, at all of the officers who were in there. All of them were serious and silent, as they both looked expectantly at the buffalo, who seemed to be waiting for something, before he removed his glasses from his face and sighed.
"Well…" He finally spoke, "the one who wrote it seems to have a way with words." He said, and started to walk from side to side, under the gaze of the other mammals that were in there. His officers all had their eyes on him, as they continued to wait for what they knew would come. Meanwhile, Marceli and Emilia Mieczyslaw both stood in the background, with the black tod with his arms crossed and a serious face, while the vixen was a bit more relaxed (actually, she was chewing some gum). Even Jackalson was there, and the jackal was typing on his computer, apparently focusing into something that he seemed to consider important.
"They certainly choose the nice words to speak about this story." Bogo said, and he stopped, "However… I still want to know… HOW THEY HEARD OF THIS STORY!" He suddenly shouted, making nearly everyone jump back, even the ones who were already expecting for this onslaught.
The buffalo stopped, and took a deep breath before he continued, although he was still very mad.
"This was supposed to be something that would be conducted in secrecy." The buffalo said, and most of the mammals in the room were still afraid of the tirade that was soon coming. "It was supposed to be something that would be done under the covers, and now there are some newspapers and news websites that are putting it into their headlines! The city hall is all the way up my tail because of that!" The buffalo said, turning to all of his officers who were in the room.
"They are asking me if any of my officers talked to the press about this." Bogo said, "Well, I can't really blame then, since this started yesterday, after the ZPD was informed of the situation."
No one said a thing, for they all knew Bogo wasn't done yet.
"Now, I want to believe that all of my officers are trustworthy and that they are smart enough to know when not to talk." The Chief said, as he looked across all of his officers, and he did noticed that Fanghanel was looking to the side. However, he continued:
"And I would hate to think that I was wrong about this, and that some of you might not know when to stop talking, or are callous enough to go to the press, either for some money or for whatever other reason it was."
It was truth. Everyone in there didn't wanted to believe that a good officer would have gone to the press and talked about something that was supposed to be a secret. They didn't liked to think that someone in there could have gone and talked to the press. However, some in there should have some kind of suspicion. McChill, for instance, had his eyes on Nick Wilde…
"But let me tell you… if this information was leaked by someone on the ZPD, this mammal can consider their sorry tail fired!" The Chief nearly roared, and this made even some of the biggest mammals in there flinch. It was are seeing their boss so angry, and they knew that it was something. Some of them were even hoping for something to calm the Chief down.
As if in an answer to their prayers:
"It weren't them."
It was Marceli Mieczyslaw who had speak, and this caused all eyes to turn to him, including Bogo's. The Chief, actually, had a raised eyebrow as he looked at the black fox, who looked up at him and he seemed serious, but very calm.
"You can relax, Bogo." The fox said again, "It was not any of your officers who leaked the information. I'm sure of that."
"You are?" Emilia asked him, as she clearly seemed a bit surprised. "I mean, it happened in the day we told them all." She spoke, not noticing the many glares that now were on her.
"Yes, that is truth." Marceli said, looking at his niece, but he was talking loud enough for everyone to hear. "However, with base on what I just heard from that newspaper, I can tell for sure that the information didn't came from the ZPD."
"Really?" Eliot Fanghanel asked, "Why?"
All eyes turned to him, but only for a brief moment, before the black tod was speaking once again:
"The news, according to Bogo's reading." The fox said, having once more all eyes on himself. "Spoke pretty much all that we told you. However, it also told that the Mieczyslaw clan is specialized in rune magecraft."
"And we are." Emilia said, and Marceli soon spoke.
"Yes… but we haven't told the ZPD that."
Emilia blinked, as she realized that he was right.
"When we arrived at the ZPD yesterday morning, we told them of Dawn Bellwether's skills and of our mission regarding her." He spoke, calmly walking from side to side under the gaze of the many cops, "But we have not told them about our own abilities. What means, they had no way of knowing that we were specialists in runes, and as such, the information could not have come from them."
There was a silence as everyone took this new information. However, soon Emilia was saying:
"Wait! We told two of them!" She spoke, and then pointed at Nick and Judy, "We told the bunny and fox that yesterday, when they came to show us the evidence of what happened to them."
Many eyes now had turned to both Nick and Judy, who stared at the vixen.
"Yes, we did." Marceli was quick to intervene. "But it was minutes before Jackalson found the first news about this online." He spoke, while the jackal he spoke of continued to work on his computer. "Also, according to Jackalson, the new was published around two hours before he found it. Before Officers Hopps and Wilde came to see us. Before you have told them that we were specialized in runes." The fox said, and concluded:
"So, they were not the responsible for the information leaking."
Judy sighed in relief. Nick was a bit calmer, but he too felt a bit relieved, although he had the feeling that he could still feel McChill's eyes over his head…
"This information was not leaked by anyone of the ZPD." The fox said, and this caused everyone to look at him, with many of the cops now felling glad for knowing that the information had not come from them. Both because it meant they could still trust their brothers in blue, and because it meant there was no danger of Chief Bogo starting to fire officers at random.
"Well, that is good to know." Bogo said, satisfied for knowing that none of his officers leaked the information to the press. "But, this also leaves the question: who leaked the information?"
"It is truth." Emilia said, "Of course, the clans knew of our mission, but I don't think any of them would have gone to the newspapers. The only other ones who knew were the City Hall and the ZPD."
"Yes, you are right." Marceli said once more, looking at his niece. "For we told the City Hall of the facts when we came to Zootopia a few days ago, during a meeting with many influent mammals. Also, you must remember that, in the same meeting, some of them asked questions, not only about the case or Bellwether, but also about ourselves."
"Oh, yeah, I remember that." The vixen said, smiling, "One of them even asked if we thought we could handle Bellwether. I told the guy that we sure could, because the Mieczyslaw clan are the world's greatest specialists in rune magecraft and…" She was saying, but she stopped suddenly.
"Ohhhhhhh…"
"Yeah… oh…" The black tod said.
"Are you saying that the information was leaked by someone of the City Hall?" Bogo asked, looking at the fox.
"Either by them or by someone who was also there. You'd be surprised on how many mammals are influent enough to be on a reunion of the City Hall." The fox said to him, "Actually, I even have a certain suspicion…"
"GOT IT!" Jackalson suddenly cried out, causing everyone to be a little startled and to look at him. The canine then, as if noticing how sudden his outburst was, had now the good grace of looking embarrassed.
The jackal cleared his throat, and he said:
"I-I think I've found something."
All eyes were on him, and it was once more obvious that it made the canine uncomfortable. Still, the canine was able to gather himself and start explaining:
"So… yesterday, I started to make some research after I found the news online, and I was able to confirm that it was indeed the first one to have been posted, before all the others did." He said, and he soon was tapping on his computer. "So, I was able to hack into the information of the news website, and I found out the name of the reporter that was responsible for that story. Once I did, I was able to hack into his email…"
"Hacking into the company?" Someone asked. "Hacking into the email? Do you even have a warrant for that?"
There was a silence in the room, before the jackal continued:
"Anyway, I was able to find that, among his email, there was one from someone who seemed not to be among his contacts." He said, tapping a few more buttons. "This email was filled with information regarding the mission and Bellwether, including a copy of her file and a copy of the security vide of Boarwood. It also included details that we have not really shared with the ZPD."
"But that we shared with the City Hall." Marceli said.
"Now, I was able to track the email, and I think I might have found out just from where it came."
"Well, this makes things easier, right?" Emilia asked, but Jackalson shook his head.
"It came from a computer in a Cyber Café. The kind of place where anyone can go and pay to use the computers. Not sure if we could get anything from that."
"We can go in there and ask who has used that specific computer." Marceli said, "I'm pretty sure that a place like that must have security cameras."
"That's a good idea." Judy said, "If we found out who used that specific computer on the specific day and time that the email was sent, then we can easily find out the responsible for the leak."
"Jackalson, where is this place?" Marceli asked, and the jackal looked at his computer.
"Savannah Central… Number 11990... Herd Street, between Cowlevard and Clawstone… The place's name is…"
**********************
"… Cyber Beans." Nick said as he looked at the place where Bogo had dispatched both of them to take a look. The place looked pretty much what you would expect from a Café, with big glass windows, and a big outdoor outside with the place's name, and with a cartoony design of a bunch of coffee beans that looked like they had been made with a cheap computer program and had cartoony faces of some mammals on them. Some would think it was funny, but Nick was among the ones who thought that the beans looked overly happy to something that would soon be toasted and crunched to become coffee…
"Let's go, Nick." Judy said, and soon she and Nick were entering the place.
The inside was actually pretty nice, with a counter showing off some snacks that could be bought in the place, both sweet and savory, and they even offered some beverages, including coffee. There was even a cake that both of the cops had to admit that looked quite appealing. There were elegant tables in the corner, and some mammals were actually there, eating and chatting, some of them even having breakfast, either by themselves or with some friends. The main subject of their attention, however, were the many of computers that were spread all over the room, all of them looking like they were ready to be used, and some of them actually being used by some mammals, who looked like they were checking their email or giving a look at their MuzzleBook accounts.
The first thing that Nick and Judy did was try to talk to the staff. They had the day and time when the email had been sent, and they were able to ask someone if they remember who was the one that had used that specific computer during that time.
However, that proved to be quite difficult.
"Look, I don't really remember the face of everyone who comes in here." The gazelle counter, whose nametag read "Larry", said to the two cops.
"Are you sure?" Judy asked, "This mammal must have come yesterday during somewhere between 10:00 and 10:30. He used the computer number three." She said, gesturing at the computers, which each one had a number on top of them.
"Do you know how much patrons we have a day?" The gazelle said, "How many guys come here every day to use the computers? To check their mails? To use MuzzleBook? To play Herd of Heroes? We don't really keep track of everyone."
"Okay, but don't you have a register? Don't they have to present their identities to use the computers?" Judy tried, and this time it was Nick who answered:
"This is not the kind of thing that requires you to show an identity, Carrots." He said to her, causing the bunny to look at him, "Anyone can come and use these things, as long as they pay."
The fox then looked at the gazelle, who looked like he was confirming it. This made the fox sign.
"Well, I guess we will have to do it the hard way… Let's close this place and investigate."
"What!?" The gazelle said suddenly.
"Yeah, we need to figure out how did it, and this will involve a lot of investigation." Nick said, and now both the gazelle and the bunny were looking at him. The later with a raised eyebrow, and the former with an expression that was almost of dread.
"So, during the meantime, we will have to close the place, to be sure that no one is going to interfere with our investigation. You can afford to be closed for a few days, can't you?"
The gazelle looked at the smug smile of the fox for a while, and he was stuttering.
"W-w-wait… Y-you said between ten and ten-thirty, right?" The gazelle said, "Now that I think of it… I think that there was a guy who came here yesterday and asked to use one of our computers for something."
Judy looked at him, and so did Nick.
"Well, you remembered that rather quickly, didn't you?" The fox asked.
"I-I didn't really thought about it before, but now it is coming back." The gazelle said, "He was a panther, he was wearing some nice suit, and he said that he needed to use one of our computers for an urgent job that his boss gave him."
"An urgent job, huh?" Judy said, "Think you could describe this panther?"
"I don't know, it was really fast, and I didn't took a good look at him, but he had black fur." The gazelle said, "Oh! And also…" He said, and turned to the counter. He looked to be fumbling among the things in there, before he turned back at the two cops, and presenting a card to them.
"He left this."
Judy was the one who took the card, which was rather big for her hands, but she was still able to hold it, although almost as if it was a letter. However, it was actually a business card, and both Judy and Nick could look in it.
KHAN INDUSTRIES
**********************
There was a number of important business industries that were based in Zootopia. Among them there were the Blue Wolf Capital Brothers, which had recently been revealed to have a mage as their CEO, and also some subsidiaries of the Pearl Paradigms, which had recently been revealed to be a branch of the organization known as Technocracy. Another one that was rather famous were the Khan Industries.
The Khan Industries were a multi-national corporation based on Zootopia, and said to be one of the greatest and most influent ones in the world. That business card was surely of the Khan Industries, as it was the kind that was usually given to others by the employees of the industry. The card, along with the footage that they were able to recover from the security cameras, helped them to identify the black panther that had used the computer in that specific time.
He looked rather scared as he was brought in, and he was soon brought for questioning. Nick and Judy both questioned the guy, but he insisted that he knew nothing about an email, and that he only used the computer to send an important file that his boss told him that was urgent. However, Judy and Nick were not buying any of that.
"You were using the computer from which the email came." The bunny said to him. "An email that contained not only detailed information and a copy of the dossier that the Mage's Association had of Dawn Bellwether, but also a video footage of the event that happened in Boarwood."
"I don't know any of that, okay?" He said to the bunny, "Besides, you can barely read anything in that dossier, the way it was censored."
"Oh, so you don't know any of that, but you know that the dossier is censored?" Nick asked to the panther, who suddenly realized that he had betrayed himself.
"We already know that you were involved in this, and you might as well just tell us everything." The bunny said. The panther looked very intently at her, his expression serious. He leaned forward, and he said:
"If I do that, my life is over."
The way he spoke made Judy look at him with a raised eyebrow, but before she or Nick could make any comment on the matter, suddenly the door opened. In came a very well-dressed zebra, in an expensive looking suit, and he soon was speaking to both of the cops in the room.
"My name is Kyle Zebran, and I'm here representing the interests of the Khan Industries." He said quickly, moving to the side of the panther. "And, as in this moment, I request you two to immediately stop asking my client any questions. This interrogation was not conducted without the presence of a lawyer."
Judy and Nick were a bit surprised, but Nick was able to hide it better, maybe that was why he was able to answer faster to the sudden appearance of the zebra lawyer.
"Well, he didn't requested one."
Judy also had recovered, and she was looking at the zebra.
"Mr. Zebran, your client is suspicious of having leaked sensitive information in regarding an ongoing business between representatives of the Mage's Association and the ZPD." She said, looking between the zebra and the panther.
"Do you have evidence of his supposed involvement in this?" The zebra asked, retaining a professional stance as he looked at the bunny, and Judy was quick to answer:
"It was discovered that an email containing detailed information was sent to a reporter from a news website, and that this email came from a specific computer in a the Cyber Café 'Cyber Beans', during a specific time of the day yesterday." Judy said, "We talked to the staff and watched the footages, and we confirmed the presence of your client in the place during the specific time, using the specific computer."
Judy said that rather proudly, as if she knew that it was something that could not be refuted. Nick, however, knew better, and he was already waiting for it to come…
"I see..." The zebra said, looking at the bunny, "And, how was the email recovered from the account of the said reporter?"
Judy blinked, and looked at the zebra.
"Yes, because emails have their privacy protected by the Fourth Amendment. They are covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and by the Patriotic Act. You said that the email was sent yesterday, right?" The zebra said, and it was soon clear that he was going to have the full control of the situation. "Well, according to the law, during the first 180 days after being received, emails are protected communication, and they cannot be accessed without the consent of the receiver or sender. Did you had any of these?"
Judy didn't answered, and she only continued to look at the zebra, who still continued:
"Well, since my client obviously didn't presented you the email that he sent, I must assume that the reporter who received the email must have come and presented it to you themselves. Otherwise, you would have no grounds to invade the privacy of the email, even less to track it." He said, and looked very intently at the bunny, and at the fox too, "Also, if he didn't presented himself to you, this makes me wonder how you knew that he was the ones who received the email, to begin with."
None of them said a thing. Judy wanted, but was stopped by Nick, who poked her with his leg. The two could do nothing but stared at the zebra, who knew that he had made a point, and was now continuing with his work.
The zebra looked at both of them, and he did had a smirk on his face that seemed triumphant, as he finally said:
"So, as the ZPD seems not to have legal evidence against my client, I'll have to ask you to liberate him right now."
Nick and Judy knew that they had no choice in the matter, and soon, the panther was walking away, with the zebra lawyer coming right after. But not before he gave one last look at the bunny and fox as he walked down the hallway, and out of their paws.
**********************
"I still can't believe this!" Judy said, as she and Nick stood into a chair inside of Bogo's office. The chief had asked them both to come, and now they were in there, along with the Chief himself, the enforcers, and Jackalson.
"We practically had everything on him, and that lawyer just came and invalidated all that we had!" The bunny said, exasperated.
"Well, that is kind of what lawyers do." Nick said casually, as he stood in the chair by her side. On the other chair were the enforcers, with Marceli focused on the same machine that he used to talk to the Association in the previous day, and Emilia was just standing by his side, chewing some gum. Jackalson was by their side, standing obediently.
"Well, not really a surprise there." Bogo said, "After all, there was violation of procedure when obtaining the evidence." He spoke, and he looked at the jackal, whose ears flattened against his skull, and the canine even let out a little whimper as he felt the gaze of the buffalo over himself.
"Well, we did what we could." Marceli said, looking at the machine that was laying in front of him, as he sat on the big chair with his legs crossed. Emilia was by his side, standing up. "Anyway, by now it is pretty clear who is the responsible for the leaking of the information."
"The panther?" Judy asked him, and the fox soon said:
"He was just following orders. The one who told him to leak the information was the one responsible for it."
"And, that would be..?" Bogo said, and the fox looked up.
"His boss." He said simply, "Shere Khan."
"Oh, yeah!" Emilia said, as if she was suddenly remembering something. "The guy was at the meeting of the City Hall! And he made a lot of questions about Bellwether and about how we intended to deal with her once he was under our custody."
"And, if you remember correctly, he was also quite upset for knowing that the ewe was going to leave jail to come with us." He spoke, and this caused others to look at him.
"What? Why?" Judy asked, and this caused the animals to look at her.
"You haven't very much followed the news during the time of the Night Howler Conspiracy, have you, Hopps?" The chief asked the bunny, who just looked confused at him, it was Nick who put himself to explain:
"Carrots, during the time of the Night Howler scare, ever since… the press conference." Nick said carefully, knowing that even now, two years later, Judy still felt terrible about having said all of these things on live television. "Well, during that time, until the time Bellwether was put behind bars, a lot of business that were owned by predators have suffered."
"And I'm not only talking about restaurants, washhouses and newspaper stands. I'm talking about important businesses that started to lose contracts and clients, all because mammals were starting to become afraid that the mammals who owned them could be ticking time bombs that would go savage at any moment."
Judy looked at Nick as he explained that. During this, the bunny was perfectly able to picture the amount of difficulty that some mammals must have gone through. All because of the stupid and thoughtless words that she spoke.
"Well, one of these businesses were the Khan Industries." Nick concluded the thought, not wanting Judy to dwell too much on a past that caused her to become depressed every time that she thought about it. "Famous for their many subsidiaries, for being the bosses in what it came to naval and aeronautical shipping and manufacturing, for their work in merchandising, and for the raw production of a wide myriad of products, which includes Fox Repellent and other products of the Fox-Away line."
"It was a hard time for any predator." Bogo said, "Even those who were wealthier were feeling the difficulties. I even hear that some, at the time, almost compared it to a type of crisis that was hitting the predators. Like the one that happened in the roaring twenties."
"Yeah, it was surely a hard time to be a predator in this city." Marceli Mieczyslaw concluded, and he was once more looking at the machine that he brought.
And all because of what I said… Judy said. Yes, it was easy for her to rationalize, and recognize that the situation had all been Bellwether's doing. However, she could never shake away the feeling that it were her words that acted as a trigger for all of her plot to start truly working. It were her words that caused the mammals to associate the fact that predators were turning savage to their biology. It were her words that served as an excuse to groups asking for segregation and for the hate groups that sprouted among prey. Her words were what caused Nick to be furious at her…
"Anyway, this was a moment that was surely hard for the Khan Industries." Nick continued, noticing how Judy was becoming, and wanting to keep her away from this. "And, of course, to their CEO, Shere Khan."
"The Khan Industries truly went through a hard time during the time of the Night Howler Conspiracy." Jackalson said. The canine had opened his computer and apparently he did a few researches while the other animals were talking.
"Two years ago, they had a great deal of other industries calling off their contracts and ending their business with them, apparently in response to the fear that Shere Khan could become the next predator to turn savage." The jackal said, as he read from online, "They said that, if such a thing happened, it could cause the values of their stocks to drop suddenly, as the industry would be left without a clear leadership. Also, it seemed that a few were afraid that such a thing could happen during a meeting, and eighty percent of the industries that make business with them are composed, directed and/or owned by prey species. I guess that they were really nervous with the possibility of the tiger going savage on them."
"They surely were." Emilia said, "That guy was being super nice and polite, and even then I thought that he was frightening. I don't want to imagine if he was on all fours, snarling and roaring and wanting to eat me alive."
Nick could actually nod at this.
It was truth that Shere Khan had a reputation as a ruthless tycoon. That, not to mention all of the rumors that went about him in the streets, speaking a lot of his "business" and how he conducted them. Many agreed that Shere Khan was one of the most vicious mammals of Zootopia, almost as much as Mr. Big, maybe even worse. Nick had always heard that he was the type of mammal that he should avoid.
"The business of Khan Industries has suffered a significant fall." Jackalson continued, "They lost a lot of opportunities and contracts, and this reflected on the value of their stocks. Some say that, if the Night Howler scare had not ended with the arrest of Dawn Bellwether, the problems of the company could have continued. Some even said that the whole company could have gone bankrupt."
"A company that has been evaluated on 3.7 billion zollars just the year before." Nick said, "That is no small thing."
"Khan could have lost everything." Marceli said, "He won't admit it, but there was a very real chance that he could have lost everything because of Dawn Bellwether and her plot."
"Bet he was happy for seeing her in jail." Emilia said, "And she was also lucky for being in jail, where the tiger could not put his claws on her."
"Khan seemed pretty dissatisfied that we intended to take her out of the prison in secret." Marceli said, "I remember that he said something about 'criminals like that not deserving privacy'." He spoke, looking around the mammals in the room, "That was, of course, before some of his colleagues remembering him that this was not only about Bellwether and her privacy. It was about the Mage's Association and the relations between mages and non-mages. This was enough to make him calm down and agree with the idea… Or so we thought."
"Guess he wants it to be a show." Emilia said, "He wants everyone to see the evil mage being taken away by the mage cops, so they will know that she will not escape from what she did."
"Sounds about right." Marceli agreed, "Not to mention that it could be something that would benefit him."
"Benefit him?" Bogo asked, becoming quite interested by what the black fox just said.
"Shere Khan is planning on running for mayor." Marceli said, "That according to some of the sources I talked with this morning." The mage said, "I guess that having a criminal mage being taken away from his city before he does might actually help him with it. He could try to turn it into some kind of good PR for himself."
"That is some theory you got." The cape buffalo said, "Of course, if you were to say that aloud in public you would face some problem. Shere Khan is a big name in Zootopia. His family has been here since the foundation of the city, and he is one of the richest mammals around, not to mention that he has a lot of political connections, including with the City Hall. He is also famous for donation for beneficent causes, and he also has an entire advocacy firm that works exclusively for him. If you were to make an accusation like that, you would need irrefutable evidence. Legal irrefutable evidence." Bogo said, and he looked at the fox, who looked back at him with a serious expression.
"Well, good thing I'm not making any accusation, right?" The fox said, "Although, the fact that you have not dismissed what I said tells me that you at least doesn't think of it as nonsense."
Bogo said nothing, but his expression made it clear that he at least partially agreed with the fox. Or at least didn't thought that he was wrong.
"But… if Shere Khan actually leaked the information to make a circus out of it, or to have some form of political gain, this is a felony!" Judy said to them, causing all of the mammals in there to turn their eyes at her. "This is reckless and irresponsible behavior that could have serious repercussions. He will have to answer for that if he really did it."
"Yeah, right." Emilia said, and this caused the eyes to turn to her. "Guys like that never pay for what they did, unless you can actually pin them with something that they truly can't deny."
"I have to agree with her, Carrots." Nick said, and Judy looked in between then.
"But… he cannot do something like this and simply walk away! It is against the law!" The bunny said, sounding really exasperated.
"You are still young, Officer Hopps." Marceli said, "You are still going to learn many things. One of them is that, when money and political influence get involved, sometimes loopholes tend to appear in the laws."
Judy looked at him, and she was about to say something, when she felt Nick putting a paw in his shoulder, causing her to look at him.
"Carrots, I gotta give Mieczyslaw some reason in this." The red fox said to her, "Guys like Khan often think that they are above the law. They think that their money and power can get them out of anything, and they are usually right."
"Yes… it is hard to prosecute individuals like Khan." Bogo admitted. "We had a few cases against him that seemed solid at first, but that ended up falling through."
"I know the feeling." Marceli said, and he continued to look at the machine, and Judy couldn't help but look at him.
Bogo and Mieczyslaw both sounded as if they truly knew what they were talking about. As if they had actually gone through the same thing.
Judy was inclined to believe that, once they both had far more experience in this kind of thing than she had. Also, Nick had a lot more of experience in living in the real world, and so, he certainly was to be listen in these cases. If all of them were saying that there was nothing to be done in this situation, then they were probably right.
Judy had matured since the time she first joined the ZPD, however, her was still as strong as ever. To think that some mammal could be above the law was something that didn't bode well with her beliefs, and that made her really frustrated.
Suddenly, a sound filled the room, as the machine that had, up until now, been forgotten on the chair, started to work on its own, as if it was typing all by itself.
Marceli soon was leaning forward, looking at the machine as it typed by itself, and the other mammals looked at him.
The machine was producing a message, and the fox was reading it as it came, with Emilia by his side, leaning over to see the message as well.
"So… what is the HQ saying now?" Nick asked, his tune was playful. The black fox continued to look at the message that was coming up, before he spoke:
"Well… they are quite upset that there was such a leaking of information, and that what was supposed to be a secret mission now has become public knowledge." The black tod informed, and the vixen by his side said:
"Yeah, they are not happy that it seems to be happening all the time now." The vixen said, as it seemed that she was readying the same thing that he uncle was.
The thing continued to type, and the black fox continued to read from it.
"They are also telling us to keep focus on the mission and try to proceed as planned." He said, as he looked at the red runes that appeared in the scroll. "The fact that the information leaked is a serious matter, but we must proceed with the plan as it was intended."
"In other words, we just suck it up and do it." Emilia concluded, looking around and smiling. The other mammals all looked at her, and Marceli sighed as he got up.
"Well, I guess this settles it." The black fox said, "We will proceed as it was planned."
"What about the whole lot of animals out there that now know that Bellwether is a mage and that you guys will be transporting her out of the city?"
"It is unfortunate, and it might even prove to be troublesome at some point." Marceli said, "But, this does not change the fact that we have a job, and that we must focus on it."
The cops all nodded. It made sense to think that they would have to focus on the job that they were given, and that the unpredicted factors were something that they would have to deal with. Police work also had unpredicted factors now and then, and one of the challenges in any line of job was to be able to deal with the unexpected.
"You will have the ZPD's full support on everything." The buffalo said, and the fox nodded back at him. Nick and Judy also spoke that they were ready to give their full support on whatever the two mages could need. The enforcers could do nothing more than to show their gratitude towards the ZPD for the help.
"Yeah, I guess that everything will go fine, even though the mission is no longer a secret." Emilia said, looking around the mammals in the room. "Who knows? Maybe this even makes this mission become a bit more interesting…"
**********************
Far from Precinct 1, and far from the center of the city, into a certain are of the city, a single building stood, and it looked fine. It was not a luxurious place to where someone rich would go and sign in for a little vacation time. However, it was far from being a decadent place, as it had its own type of charm. This was the kind of place where a tourist would like to stay, and where certain mammals were right now.
The mammals who were the main focus or our interest, however, were on the top floor of the building, which was surely the more luxurious one, with nice furniture and a lot of space, once the whole floor was basically the apartment. One could even compare it to a penthouse. It surely looked like it costed a lot of money, and it certainly was the type of place where a regular tenant would not stay.
It had been rented for a while, and the panther who rented it even payed an extra as not to have anyone entering the room without his consent. He was given both the keys to the room, to ensure that no one else would go inside during his stay, and he gladly accepted.
He had to take both keys and make sure others wouldn't go inside, for he didn't wanted to have any problem explaining to anyone what were the many things that now filled the big apartment. Among other things, there were what seemed pieces of limbs and other body parts made of stone in the corners, as well as many diagrams that had been glued to the walls. It almost seemed like some kind of workshop.
The responsible for this, the panther who rented the apartment, was now talking to someone else who had come without warning. The mammal now stood in front of the big panther, as he had arms crossed and an unamused expression.
"Well, this surely did not developed as expected." The mammal said, after hearing what the panther had just told him. "You just had to get the package in exchange for the payment and bring it back… how come you actually managed to lose it?"
"Want me to repeat myself?" The panther said, and the other mammal sighed.
"No, there is no need." The mammal said, looking at the panther, who was taller than himself by almost three feet. Many would be intimidated by this, however, this mammal was not the kind who got intimidate over someone's size. "You were very keen when explaining the story behind your complete failure in your mission."
"It was not my fault!" The panther said in defense, his teeth baring from behind his curled lips. The smaller mammal, however, remained completely unfazed, and he actually looked at the big feline with a certain disdain.
"Oh, really?" The mammal said to him, "So… being careless enough to be followed and nearly blackmailed by two mundanes was not your fault?" He asked, and the anther was quick to defend himself:
"I didn't saw them coming! Besides, I had it under control!" He said, but the animal ignored him, and he asked:
"Failing to notice the approach of two mundane police officers who saw everything and that could possible bring unwanted attention to us and to our business was not your fault?"
"They approached hidden! I was focused on the other two and-"
"And also!" The other mammal said, cutting the panther in the middle of his own defense. "Stopping all you were doing in the moment you saw Nicholas Wilde…" He spoke, and the face of the panther hardened at that name. "And focusing all of your attention into trying to end his life, giving his reinforcements enough time to arrive at the place and try to apprehend you, was not your fault?"
"I could not simply turn my back on that fox!" The panther said, "Not after-"
"Not only that!" The mammal cut him yet once more. "But you also have become careless enough to abandon the package, the package that we worked so hard into tracking and that we had to resort to a freelancer to bring to us, as soon as the situation became too difficult to you."
The two mammals shared a long look; each one seemed as if he was daring the other to look away, even for a second.
"Are you really saying that none of that, from being followed like an amateur, to running away with your tail between your legs like a coward, none of it was your fault?" The other mammal said, and the panther glared daggers at him.
"You mission was simple." The smaller mammal said as he looked at the panther, seemingly unfazed by all the hatred in the big feline's eyes. "To recover the package in return for the payment in gold. It was very straight forward, and very easy, so much that we trusted it to you."
The panther growled at him, but the smaller animal ignored it, and he simply continued:
"However, it all went up in smoke, with you not only losing two of your own golems, but also losing our precious package." He said, looking at the panther, "And all of that because you got distracted by Nicholas Wilde."
"Don't speak with this patronizing way, Tasman." The panther said, "Don't speak to me as if I had got distracted with something stupid."
"And didn't you?" Asked Tasman, as he looked up at the panther, as if challenging him to say something back.
The panther looked at him in silence for a few moments, before he spoke:
"That fox… ruined everything." He said and his voice was practically dripping with resentment. The other mammal rolled his eyes at this.
"Everything was alright. Everything was fine before he came, and then…"
"Then he came and everything went down the flush." Tasman finished, "I know, I heard this story already. All of us in the MTC heard the story of how Nicholas Wilde ruined your life. Give us a break, okay?"
The way that Tasman spoke made it seem that the panther had already repeated this story a few times already, what wasn't too far from the truth.
"Also, it is not like the fox planned to ruin your life." The mammal said to the panther. "After all, he was just a kit back then."
"So was I!" The panther screamed, and the rage was evident in his voice, as well as the resentment. The other mammal, however, was still completely unfazed by all of that anger.
"Look, I know that you have your reasons to hate that fox, but this does not justify letting your friends of the MTC down." Tasman spoke, looking intently at the panther, who said nothing in return.
"The package is extremely valuable to us, and we were counting on you to bring it. However, it seems that you have failed spectacularly." The mammal said, and the panther growled.
"It is not a big deal."
"There are enforcers here in Zootopia." The other mammal said, "In case you have not been following the news."
"They are here for Dawn Bellwether."
"Do you think that will prevent them from being interested into the package?" Tasman asked him, "Especially after they realize what it is and what we could do with it?"
No answer.
The panther seemed to know well what Tasman was talking about, and the smaller mammal sighed, slowly shaking his head. "I cannot say the amount of problem that this could pose. Not only because of the enforcers, but because they would surely report back to the Association. Not only that, but there is a possibility that they might inform to the clans that we are in their land. This would be very bad for all of us… for you in particular… Mr. Wilde."
The panther looked at him, saying nothing, but glaring at the smaller mammal. It was not as murderous as the previous glares, but it had just as much power, as it held a type of determination in it that would make many a little weak on their knees as they saw that a mammal was capable of being so serious over something.
"I'll recover it." The panther said it.
"Oh, that's what we expect." The smaller mammal said, walking to a nearby chair, picking up the hat that he had left in there when he walked in, and placed it on his head. "The package is really important to us, and so, you must recover it by any means necessary, do you hear it, Wilde?"
The panther looked back at him, and sighed.
"Yes, I do…" He spoke, and the smaller mammal, seemingly satisfied with it, nodded and turned in direction to the door, not bothering to wait for the bigger mammal, as he simply opened the door and walked outside. Before leaving for good, he looked over his shoulder, looking at the panther one last time, and he said:
"We put a lot of trust on you with this, Mr. Wilde. I hope you don't make us regret it…"
The panther looked at the smaller mammal, as he now walked out the door to leave. Meanwhile, the panther bared his fangs and walked to the door.
For a moment, it could seem that he was about to go after the smaller mammal named Tasman, but he simply reached for the door and slammed it hard.
Tasman surely heard it, but he continued to walk without giving it too much attention. Meanwhile, the panther growled on the other side of the door. The big feline punched the wall, leaving a hole in it, done by his fist.
"Dammit, Tasman…" The panther said, and he walked into his apartment.
"He is not wrong, you know?"
The sudden voice caused the panther to jump to attention, looking at all sides to find out the source of the unknown voice.
"Who is there!?" The panther said, looking around, "Show yourself!" He demanded, and the answer was a chuckle.
"So many years, and you still behave just like you did back on the day." The voice said, and it sounded as if he was really having fun on this. "Some things don't change, and I'd say that you are one of them, Pete."
The panther growled.
"No one calls me 'Pete'!" He nearly roared, as he looked around the apartment, his eyes scanning it in search for the intruder who was the owner of that voice.
"Show yourself to me! Now!" He said, raising his paws. As if on cue, the pieces of stone limbs and body parts started to move on their own, and some of them actually combined, forming mammals made of stone. Two of them looked like big felines, while three looked like small canines, somewhat similar to foxes.
The panther looked around, his golems ready to act on command, as the feline continued to scam the place.
"Show yourself to me or my golems will look for you! And you don't want to know what they will do in the moment they find you!" He said, and the voice soon was coming as an answer.
"No need to be so aggressive."
The panther now could find out the direction the voice was coming from, and he turned around to meet the one who was talking with him. He saw a fox. This fox stood on 3'11'' feet tall, with a very slender built. The fox had dark fur, with a deep shade of grey on most of himself, with black on the top of his head, on his ears, on the sides of his face, on the tip of his tail, and on the knuckles of his fingers, as well as on his feet. His eyes were yellow, and his eyes looked like the ones of a feral fox, with vertical pupils. The fox was dressed with elegant clothing, which one would expect in a social meeting, with dark pants and a dark coat with golden buttons. He also had a pair of round glasses of thin trimming on his face, and he looked very intently at the panther, as he had a smirk on his muzzle.
"Who the hell are…" The panther started, but he stopped as he was able to take a good look at that fox, and he recognized him.
"Y-you!?" He said, seeming shocked, while the fox continued to smile at him. "B-but how? You were…"
"Gone?" The fox said, sounding very calm as he spoke that. "This was what you heard, right?" he said. "Oh, Peter… you should already know that you should not believe all that you hear."
The panther looked at the fox in shock for a few more moments, before his expression morphed to an intense one, as he and his golems all went into fighting stance.
"How are you alive?" The panther asked him, "What are you doing here? Did the clan sent you?"
"Oh, come on now." The fox said to the panther. "You used to be a little bit happier when you met me."
"Answer the darn question!"
The fox looked at him, and chuckled. The old bastard chuckled! The panther bared his fangs at him a bit more.
"Okay… I'm alive due to a lot of factors that worked in my favor. For now, let's just say that now I work with a new group." He spoke, as the panther continued to look at him," And relax, the clan didn't sent me. I don't answer to them anymore."
The panther was still on guard, looking at that fox as if he was expecting him to attack at any moment.
"Why are you here?" The panther asked.
"What, an old tod like myself cannot visit his own nephew?" The fox asked, and the panther snarled at him.
"I'm not your nephew…" He spoke, looking at the dark fox with murder on his eyes. "I'm not a member of your clan anymore, I never truly were. All of you made it pretty clear to me."
The fox looked at him, and he sighed.
"Yeah, I can't blame you for thinking like that." The fox said, walking to him, causing the panther and his golems to tense up. All of them looked ready to pounce at the fox and tear him to shreds at the slightest hint of aggression. "After all, the family was really not nice with you."
"You haven't answered my question." The panther insisted. "If you are not in here in orders from the clan, then why are you here?"
The fox smiled as he looked at the panther. "I've came to offer you help."
The panther looked at him with mistrust.
"Help with what?"
"With recovering the 'package'." The fox said, "I mean, the MTC will be really mad at you if you don't get it back, right?" The fox said, and the panther snarled I need.
"I don't need your help!" He said, rather aggressively, and the fox looked at him with a smirk on his face.
"Really?" The fox asked, "Is that because you already have a plan?" He asked, "Or is it because you still hold a grudge against me?" He walked to the panther, who still snarled at him as he got closer. "Or is it ego? Is it your pride that prevents you from accepting the help from your uncle Cornelius?"
"You are not my uncle!" The panther roared at him, his claws unsheathing as he looked at the fox. The fox, however, in place of being scared, merely looked at him.
"Really?" The fox said, "So, you are no longer Peter Wilde?"
The panther said nothing in return, as he merely looked at the fox. His silence made the fox chuckle.
"Yeah, you were shunned away by the clan a long time ago, but you still kept the name of the family. The name that you received from the one who you one day called… 'mother'…"
The panther looked like he was ready to maul the fox, along with all of his golems.
"So, if you really don't want my help, you can do whatever you want to me now." The fox finally said, looking at him. "Let you be the one to truly end the life of Cornelius Wilde. And good luck coming up with a plan to recover your package before the enforcers take it away forever."
There was a big silence in the room, while Cornelius Wilde stood in there with his arms open, waiting for the decision of the panther.
Meanwhile, the panther looked at the fox, and he looked as if he was debating with himself.
Could he be debating on how to kill the fox?
After a long minute of thinking, the panther rose his paw at the golems, who all stood down, but only slightly. Then he walked to the fox, who still stood in place, as the panther walked to him.
The big feline walked to him, and he leaned over, to look the fox in his yellow eyes.
"What kind of help you would be offering me?" The panther asked, cautious.
"A plan." The fox said, "A plan that, if well executed, might help you get your package, and perhaps even more."
They just looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, before the panther asked:
"What kind of plan?"
The fox chuckled once more at this.
"I knew that you would be interested." The fox said, "After all, you are a Wilde. Well, you might not have the blood of the Wilde clan, but you certainly are a Wilde. At least, that was how you presented yourself to everyone during the last thirty years."
"What kind of plan, Uncle Cornelius?" The panther asked once more, leaving it clear that he was not in the mood for amenities, but he did referred to the fox as his uncle, just as he used to so many years ago. The fox merely nodded.
"It will demand some resources." The dark fox said to the panther. "And we will need some help that will not be cheap."
"I have resorts." The panther said to him, "I made sure to bring a lot with me when I came back to Zootopia."
"Of course you did." The fox said to him, "Also, I must warm you. The plan is… a bit radical. But, hey! The guy said, 'by any means necessary', didn't he?"
The panther looked at him, and he did not looked amused.
"Keep it in mind that might even help you to find Nicholas Wilde again." The fox said quickly, "And even have him right where you want him."
The panther seemed to be considering it, and after a while, he said:
"Tell me more."
The fox smiled back at the panther.
"You might want to sit back and start taking notes, boy." The dark fox said with a smirk, "Because this plan is a dozy."
Some things are just not meant to remain a secret...
So, in this chapter I took appropriation of another element of the Disney universe, and it was Shere Khan, from the Jungle Book. More specifically, the Shere Khan that was presented in the anthropomorphic spin-off called "Tale Spin", who is the CEO of the Khan Industries.
