Ch.1 - Late Night Rendezvous
Annoyed
*sigh* “Where is that fluff ball? I’ve been waiting for almost an hour”
Yes. I’m very annoyed. That’s should be the word to sum up what I’m feeling right now. Waiting in the outskirts of this god forsaking forest filled with savage animals for my shifty partner at BLOODY ONE IN THE MORNING. I don’t know why I got paired with her for this undercover assignment. Though I guess if I had any choice in this, I wouldn’t even have taking this assignment. But here I am, sitting on a tree trunk and looking around my surroundings, keeping my eyes open for her while also looking out for timberwolves and cockatrices. The only comfort I have at this point is the full moon lighting the area and remembering to bring my service taser.
“Doesn’t she have any sense of punctuality. I swear, if she gives me “fashionably late” again I’ll - “
“MEEEOOOOW!!!!”
“AAAHHHH!!!!”
Alerted, I jump up from the scare now hanging onto a branch 10 feet above me with my taser at the ready for whatever got the jump on me. But, the only thing I see is a white cat rolling on the ground laughing her tail off.
“NOT FUNNY!!!”
*snicker* “I thought so. Come on, lighten up Angel Baby”
I give the area from my height a quick sweep to see if anyone was around to hear us. Seeing nothing to worry us, I let go of the branch and land on the ground to confront the annoying snowball, the urge to shoot her still there. I can probably write it off as accidental discharge, maybe.
“You’re late! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? We were to meet at midnight. And my assigned name is Angel Bunny. At least remember that, Opal.”
“Yeah Yeah, whatever”
And there she goes, brushing me off again. Seriously, out of all the officers available, why her.
“What are you even doing here if you’re not going to take this seriously. We’re on the job. Act professional!”
“Listen carrot stick. First off, I had just as much of a choice as you did with this assignment. And secondly, at least you can be yourself for a little bit around that panicky pegasus. Rarity has me being all prim and proper 24/7. And then, takes me to Fluttershy when I show even a little attitude. I mean look this.”
She turns around and shows off her tail to me coming uncomfortable too close for my taste.
“I…um…I see nothing “I lie, keeping my head turned. “And could you get up and walk normally sense it’s just us.” I mean, really. What girl just shoves their tail into a guy’s face like that.
… at least she smells good.
“I know, right? It’s just a few specks of dirt. But she treats it like the world’s going to end” she continues and, to my relief, faces me again standing on her hind legs.
“Maybe it’s because you swipe at everything. I’ve seen those claws of yours at work. You can cut someone’s throat with those.”
“Hump…Nothing wrong with a little roughhousing” she counters as she begins to lick her paws and attempt to mat down her fur. “I swear, if she keeps up this bath a day regiment, I’m gonna start clinging to everything.”
I rub my head trying to get rid of the growing headache as well as to keep myself occupied from her grooming. It’s been over a year since we began our assignment and I’ve gotten use to a little nudity, but she doesn’t have to make a show of it. And I know she knows it judging by the smirk she’s giving me.
“Again I ask; why did you sign up to be an officer at all.”
“Eh…I have my reasons. Mainly, I was bored”
“You were…uh…” I stop there. My headache was growing and it was late. I just wanted to see my pillow and basket right now.
“Opal…”
“Yeeeessss” she replies with that wide grin of hers.
“…report…please”
“Heh. Nothing much. Things seemed to have died down a bit since that librarian got stoned last week. I did manage to catch that cute little play Sweetie and her friends did yesterday. Laughed all the way through. They definitely earned that comedy award. What about you? Still overworking yourself?”
“Hey. I get my rest. Usually when I have to play the…uh…cute…little bunny for Fluttershy.”
“HA. Cute? Last I heard, you were so not living up to your namesake, Angel.”
“Yeah well, I can’t stand the whole meekness thing she has going on. It’s tough love. Seriously, she can stand up to manticores and dragons for pete sake. But anyway, I found the cockatrice and subdued it to get some data off of it, so it’s in the log book now. Then I found that zebra’s dwelling and camped around to get info on the antidote and ingredients for petrification.”
“So nothing much…again.”
“I wouldn’t call it nothing. This is good data to turn in.”
“But it’s nothing related to the elements or evil magical creatures or pretty much anything that we were sent here to do.”
“But…the dragons a-and the hydras…”
“interesting, but they’re just simple minded savages.”
*sigh*” Cheese and crackers, you’re right. We haven’t had anything decent to report since the elements were uncovered”
“Right…soooo, do we, ya know, call it quits. No point in keeping an eye on this place if the elements only did that one thing by neutralizing that other thing we were supposed to keep an eye on.”
“No. We remain undercover and report our findings until we are called back. That’s. Our. Job.”
She flops down on the ground and starts whining.
“Boo. I wanna go back. I miss shopping, my credit cards, my phone…m-m-my ice cream…mew”
Yep. Time to call it a night when she starts up like this.
“Look. You’re not he only one that wants to go back. I miss my computers.”
“Tech junky”
“Shut it. I’ll be sure to send in a detailed postscript with the report to request calling us back to the department. Until then, you’re the prim and proper kitty cat and I’ll be the jerk bunny. That’s our role.”
“Alright fine. But next playdate, make sure to bring me some catnip from Fluttershy’s storage. I might need it again” she asks as she gets up and dusts herself off.
“Opal. You’re an officer of the LPS. Recreational drugs are off-limits.”
Come on. Why do I have to explain this to her? Whatever happened to background checks.
“Hey. It’s not like I haven’t tried the stuff already. And besides, we’re undercover. I should be allowed my liberties. Especially if I have to deal with the gator. He creeps me out. Pleaseeeeee”
“…Alright. For the sake of appearances, I’ll get you some”
“Yay. Thanks so much” she cheers as she latches onto me and pulls me into a hug. At any other point I wouldn’t have minded, but right now…
“Um…Opal…contact…nakedness. L-Let go please”
“Aww. Is the poor bunny embarrassed? Let me squeeze tighter to make it all better”
“OPAL! OFF! NOW!”
“Oh alright.”
She lets go of me and I take a moment to calm down and stop my face from burning.
“You’re so easy to mess with. Anyway, if there’s nothing else you need from me, it’s way past my naptime. Later.”
And off she goes leaving me to myself. Annoying cat, but she does have a point about us being here. The undercover assignment was for the discovery of the fabled elements and gathering intel on the the vicious Nightmare Moon. Both have been done, so why are the higher ups keeping us here?
*Crunch*
And perhaps I should think on that back at the cottage and away from the crazy forest. Hopefully they honor our request to end the assignment and return to Zootopia. I’m gonna go crazy if I have to go without my music and games for another month.
Two years earlier
*sigh* Well…this is looking up…I guess
It’s almost seven in the morning and I’m standing here in the rainforest district at ground level looking towards the station which I’m now assigned to. The station itself is kind of small, at least fourth the size of Zootopia’s precinct one. I step forward under the awing to escape the rain keeping my arms in front to avoid hitting anything while my eyes adjust to the dark. Being at such a low level in the district makes it so the sunlight barely reaches here. And every step makes me cringe as my foot sink in the mud and mushy leaves.
This place was just made to be hidden, but with things I’ve heard about this precinct, it’s not that surprising.
I straighten out my uniform and prepare to enter the building, eager to get inside and away from the humid air. But as my hand reaches the door, it suddenly slams open crashing into the wall. If I hadn’t moved at the last second, I would have been a bunny pancake. I bring my hand to my face and steady my breathing. Being sent to this location was already stressing me enough. I did need anything else trying to ruin my day.
I look up to see a white cat storm out the building and from what I can see is looking like she is trying to dressed to impress. She has on a sleeveless black dress with gold bracelets on her wrists and a pearl neckless. She’d looked stunning if not for the heavy scowl on her face looking like she’s ready to tear someone’s throat out.
“Hump. The nerve of that yippy bitch. I almost had him and she just walks in and… just…” *hisss*
She turns to a small palm tree next to her and with a swipe of her claw, cuts it in half at the trunk.
“I don’t see why it has to be this one. Other than the city center, it shouldn’t matter which one we need to- “
“Um…excuse me.”
She whips her head around at me in surprise finally noticing my presents.
“You should really watch where you’re going. Maybe I can be of some assistance.”
As amusing as it was to listen to her enraged ranting, I was eager to get inside and receive my reports, but it didn’t feel right just leaving her like this, in front of a station no less.
She comes close and looks at me in silence like she’s studying me. She just stands there looking at me and it’s starting to freak me out. My hand starts griping the taser on my waist after seeing what she just did to that tree. After almost a minute passes I try to ask again, but before I can she finally speaks up.
“Let me guess. Newbie right?”
“Uh… “
Suddenly I start to feel very small as she looks down at me with judging eyes and that wide grin.
“Hmmm…yes. Its’s all over you. A little bunny out to prove himself. Looking to make his name the next big thing. How close am I, Fluffy?”
“Um…you’re not wrong, I guess”, I reply rubbing the back of my head. The fidgeting quickly leaves though as I realize what she just called me.
“And it’s Officer Springs. Not Fluffy.”
“Whatever carrot stick.”
Now I was getting mad. I was ready to tell her off, but before I had the chance she looks out into the forest and whistles. Not two seconds later does a jeep come roaring out of the bushes and stops just in front of us blinding me with its headlights.
“So much for trying to be helpful.”
“Heh Heh. Sorry cutie. Tell you what. Put some years under that belt then maybe you’ll be useful to me. But until then, as much as I would like to keep messing with you, I have somewhere to be.”
A large female white lynx exits the driver side and walks over to the cat unfolding an umbrella over her head.
“Have you concluded your business here Ms. Snow?”
“Yes I have. We’re heading home now.”
They both walk to the car where the driver opens the door and Ms. Snow jumps inside. Once the door is closed the driver walks to the other side and gets in. As the jeep revs up the window comes down on the passenger side with the cat leaning out of it.
“Ta ta carrot stick. And good luck. How knows? May be you’ll be the next Judy Hopps.” *giggles*
The jeep then drives off through the bushes leaving the area once more dark and quiet, the only sound being the rain as it hits the ground.
I can only stand there in silence as I try process everything that just happened, torn between shocked and pissed. Seriously, I wanted to rant out at the forest not caring whether anyone could hear me or not. But that would mean standing out in this weather in my now soaked uniform longer than I wished.
So much for a good first day
Still holding a grudge, I proceed to head inside, praying the rest of the day goes a lot better than this.
As I walk through the doors, I find myself standing in a brightly lit long hallway, where the temperature is much cooler than outside. It’s most likely to counter the humidity outside, but so far all it doing was turning me into an ice cube.
*Achoo* “Oh great. Now I can add ‘catch a cold’ on my list of crappy things today. At least things can’t- “
“STOP!!!”
I jump back and try to locate where the shout came from only to trip over my own feet and land on my tail while covering my ears to stop ringing.
“Close one. You almost jinxed yourself buddy.”
I look up and see something pink hanging from one of the ceiling lamps.
“Hey. You’re the newbie we were waiting for aren’t ya.”
As I try to get a good view of who was speaking to me, it then falls to the floor and lands right in front of me giving me a close up view of two light blue eyes.
“…Yes. Maybe I am. Do you mind?”, I say as I push her away so I can stand up.
Now that we’re both level with each other, I can properly identify her as a pink monkey with lighter pink hair done up in pigtails and dressed in a uniform similar to mine.
“Nice to meet ya. I’m Minka Mark. Welcome to the L.P.S.”
“L.P.S.?”
“Littlest Patrol Squadron”
“Oh. Well…my name’s Jack Springs. I’m supposed to report in today.”
“Okay…Springs…”
“Yeah, that’s it…what?”
“Oh nothing”
She just trails off into silence as we stare at each other, a thoughtful look on her face. After nearly half a minute I start to get concerned and a little peeved.
“Is it cause you’re a bunny?”
“What?!?!”
“You know. Cause springs make you hop around.”
“…”
“Or maybe we can call you Drippy cause you’re all wet.”
“…”
“…heh…should I stop?”
“Please”, I say laced with venom, desperately trying not to drop kick my new co-worker into the wall.
“Sorry”, she says with a big grin on her face. “Looked like you were having a crappy day. A friend of mine is very good with jokes and she cheers everyone up on a rough day. Don’t worry. I promise the next one will be loads better.”
“Or…you know…you can just leave the jokes to her”, I retort still fuming.
“Anyway, you can fix yourself up over there”, she says as she points her tail towards the left side of the hall where a door is located with a sign that says ‘Men’ on top.
Without a word, I enter the washroom and the first thing I notice is how everything is built for small animals, which is a relief after having to use those oversized toilets back at the academy. But what caught my eye was a platform in the corner with a large fan under it. I remember seeing something similar to it once in the main district use by people coming from largely aquatic areas to dry off. Eager to give it a try, I step on the platform and press the button on the wall. In seconds, the fan begins spinning under me and warm air shoots up from under me, drying me off not completely, but enough that I’m not dripping everywhere I walk.
After a few more minutes of straighten myself up, I exit the room in a bit better mood and find Minka waiting for me with some pencil and paper on hand.
“What’s with the pencil and paper?”
“Oh. Nothing much. Just drawing a bit while waiting for you to finish up. I usually get called in to be a sketch artist when needed, so I like keeping my skills up. All set?”
“Yes ma’am. I’m ready to receive my report.”
“Aww. No need to be all uptight. We’re co-workers. You can save the formalities for the boys upstairs in the main precinct.”
“Okay Minka”
She begins to lead me through the halls with me following close behind so as not to lose her. The further along we go, the place begins to feel a bit bigger than it seemed from the outside. It gets to the point that I might as well strike a conversation not knowing how much further our destination is as well as try to get a better feel of the station.
“So what is it that I’m expected to do here?”
“Hmm. Good question. Don’t know what Russell got planned for you yet.”
“Russell?”
“He’s the chief here. It’s where we’re going to get your report for today. As for what it’s going to be, it could be anything. Weren’t you given any news as to what kind of station this is?”
“I heard that this place was for officers that were classified as jack of all trades.”
“Kind of. We’re mostly an undercover group, so I guess it pays to be good at a few other things than patrol and arrest. But as you said, we do a little of everything here. Undercover, patrol, forensics, even some medical work. Today I got tasked with meeting the newbie and showing you the ropes.”
“From the ceiling?”
“Heh…sorry about that. We had a visitor before you walked in. Don’t know the whole story, but she cause quite a bit of noise. Zoe, our lieutenant, wanted me to keep my eye on her when she left. I really thought the fur was gonna fly between those two before Russell broke it up.”
“Yeah. I think I ran into her”, I reply. The memory of running into that cat making me agitated again. “Is it always that eventful here?”
“Don’t think so. Then again, I’m usually out doing my job more than hanging around here. In case you haven’t noticed, this place is pretty small. So let’s go get you report and be on our way, k?”
Small? Sure it didn’t have the spacious lobby some of the other stations had, but it didn’t feel too bad for people our size. I didn’t have too much time to ponder on it though as she picks up the pace and begins muttering something about space monkeys.
After another minute of walking, we reach a door with a sign reading ‘Chief Ferguson’ on it.
“We’re here. Russell’s inside. He’ll give you your tasks for today. It shouldn’t be too much for your first day. I’ll be waiting outside once you’re done.”
Before I could say a word to her, she zips down the hall and out of site, leaving me alone in the empty hallway. I take a deep breath and steady myself, not knowing what kind of person my C.O. is, then knock on the door and wait for a response.
“Enter”
I enter through the door and close it behind me leaving me in a small room with some pictures and plaques hanging on the walls with carpet flooring. The only furniture in the room is a long desk with a chair currently occupied by what looks like a brown porcupine looking down with a bored expression some papers on the table.
“Hedgehog”
“Huh?”
“I know you were thinking porcupine. You wouldn’t be the first one. There’s a difference.”
“Okay…sir” *ahem* “Jack Springs reporting for duty”
He gets up and walks around the table to greet me.
“Nice to meet you. Chief Ferguson of the L.P.S. Russell is fine though. It’s good to have a new member. As you can see, we’re still trying to raise our number of available officers. Sort of a rough start for the new precinct.”
“I’ve noticed”, thinking back to what Minka told me about this place. “How many of us are we talking about.”
“With you in our ranks, it would make nine”
Only nine?! That’s less than half the amount of people at the other precincts. New or not, how does anyone get anything done here?
“Yeah. Like I said, rough start. But with the Mammal Inclusion Initiative being taking seriously now, things might start looking up soon. For now, it’s just us so let’s get you started on your tasks for today.”
As Russell returns to his desk and starts shifting through some papers, some of the enthusiasm I had on my way to the rainforest district returns as I start thinking about all the things I could be assigned to do. I wasn’t going to be the token bunny selling fruits and vegetables at the market or the small mammal doing small sidekick jobs for others. I’ll actually be out there taking charge.
“Parking duty”
“…parking duty…”
“…yeah…main district”
“…”
“…”
“ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! I can do more than just handing out tickets!”
“Yeah I know. I read your record. Relax. Right now, we have some of the others taking on the undercover work and on-call shifts. Just focus on getting the feel of things with Minka for now.”
“But…”
“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll have you pounding the streets on your own in no time. Just follow Minka’s instructions and things should go smoothly. Good Luck”
*sigh* “Thank you, sir”
I exit the room and let out a deep breath. So things weren’t going to be all glamorous as I thought. Walking the streets, making arrests, my name in the papers, none of that. But, as I think about my duties for today and that embarrassing orange vest I have to wear, I also take Russell words to heart. Today’s just the first day of many more as an officer of the ZPD.
Tomorrow’s another day.
…
Now I just need to find the exit.