The Fire Triangle -- Part II, Oxidizer

The Fire Triangle: Book II - Chapter 10

Quietly acquiescing to the command of her inner voice, Judy hit the air-brakes on her train of thought. And then slumping down in her seat, she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her ears drooping over her shoulders. She would have thought it quite appropriate had she known how much she looked like the weary warrior in the famous sculpture, End of the Trail.

That was when her cell buzzed. She didn't need to look at the screen to know who was calling.

"Hopps, come on up."

If negotiating the stairs leading to the precinct's front entrance had felt like a steep climb, the ascent up the concourse to Bogo's office was like scaling the face of a vertical glacier. With every step she took, Judy's feet seemed to acquire an extra six pounds of weight.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of putting one foot in front of the other, she found herself standing at the door to Chief Bogo's office.

But now it was her paws that failed her, refusing to rise upwards and knock; for a number of long seconds she remained like that, frozen in place.

And then her ears shot backwards, her mouth set hard, and she reached up and rapped briskly on the door. "The HECK with this; whatever's going to happen, bring it on, (help!)"

"Come." Bogo's contra-bass voice was as flat as a slab of concrete.

Judy swallowed, gritted her teeth and stepped in through the doorway.

Entering the office, she was unsurprised, if not reassured, to find that The Chief had been joined by Lt. Saw—except this time the sun bear was seated beside his desk rather than in front of it.

It was another 'not good' sign.

"Sit down, Officer Hopps," Bogo nodded at the chair in front of his desk; 'Officer' Hopps, still another bad portent.

One thing you had to say for the Chief of the ZPD; he had never been one to waste either words or time. No sooner had Judy taken her seat, than he thrust out a hoof across the desktop.

"Right Hopps, let's have your badge."

"S-Sir?" She felt her eyes go wide and heard a mantra unspooling in the back of her head, "I-will-not-cry, I-will-not-cry, I-will-not-cry, I-will-not-cry..." But at the same time, what the...? Wasn't she even going to get a HEARING? Or...was she being suspended, pending a...?

Bogo snapped his fingers and his hoof shot out even further.

"I've no time for shilly-shally, Hopps; BADGE!"

"Yes sir." She sniffed, and reached up to unpin it from her tunic. At once, a thousand memories flooded through her. She remembered the first time Bogo had demanded her badge, that night in the Rainforest District when Mr. Manchas had turned savage on her and Nick. She would have given it up then, if it hadn't been for her former...if it hadn't been for Nick. Then there was the time shortly afterwards, when she'd surrendered it of her own choice. She had gotten it back after her reinstatement, and then how many times since then had 'it' happened? Some idiot would start to call her a dumb bunny...only to pull up short, when they realized that THIS bunny was also a cop. Ohhh, she'd been so proud to wear her badge these last two years. "I will NOT cry!"

Standing up her chair, she rose on her tiptoes, laying the badge on the desktop, and sliding it in Bogo's direction with a pair of fingers. He took it without ceremony and slipped it into a desk drawer.

Watching him, Judy tried to find some appropriate words, but none would come. Dangit, she had to say something; she couldn't just meekly let this moment happen without...hang on, what the...?