The Fire Triangle -- Part II, Oxidizer

The Fire Triangle: Book II - Chapter 24

His buoyant mood had vanished at once when the first one pulled into the station. Stepping on board, Nick had instantly been filled with an urge to step right back off again. Compared to the Metro trains back in Zootopia...Ahhh, not to put too fine a point on it, this thing was a rolling landfill, food wrappers, drink bottles and discarded whatnot strewn everywhere. Half the seats were occupied by larger animals, laid out under blankets and snoring like ripsaws. It had almost been enough to make him reverse course and call a Zuber—almost, but not quite. Technically, he had already gone that way twice since his arrival; the ride from the airport, and when he'd used that cab to get rid of the cops who'd been following him. Chief Bogo would not be pleased if he made it a three-fer—and besides, he'd already paid his train-fare.

And so, mentally holding his nose, Nick had found an empty seat and hunkered down for what he'd hoped would be a short excursion.

So it had been, although it had hardly been uneventful. Along the way, he'd been witness to a screaming match between a gerenuk and her impala girlfriend—which had ended abruptly when the sleepers they'd awakened had risen up and summarily ejected them at the next station. The two had then proceeded to run alongside the departing train, throwing whatever objects they could lay their hooves on at the windows.

Returning to his makeshift bed, one of the animals they'd disturbed—a sloth bear, missing half his fur—had paused in front of Nick to make a request for spare change. His conduct in this matter had been not unlike that of a drill sergeant, 'requesting' that a new recruit 'drop and give him twenty.' Luckily, a quick flash of a police badge had been all that was needed to send the ursine panhandler shambling on his way...though not without making a few comments under his breath regarding the hygienic habits of foxes in general.

Arriving at his destination, Nick had once again been pleasantly surprised. Talk about familiar surroundings, the foyer in One Police Plaza was almost a carbon copy of the Precinct-1 lobby; wide-open spaces and a circular reception desk.

Presenting his bona-fides to the elephant behind the counter, he had been instructed to take a seat in one of the chairs along the wall. Settling in for what he'd assumed would be a nice, lonnnng wait, he'd instead found himself surrounded on both sides by an elk and a bongo—who had then proceeded to haul him roughly to his feet.

The next thing he'd known, his legs were off the floor and kicking helplessly in the air...as the ZYPD cops marched him in the direction of the front entrance.

At first, he'd been almost amused, "Holy Foxtrot, I expected to be slow-walked, not given the bum's rush!"

But then they'd turned in the direction of the hallway, rather than the exit—and if this place was really that similar to his home precinct, it meant he was on his way to a holding cell.

No, no...that couldn't be right.

"Hey, what's going on," he'd asked, only to be curtly informed that imfursonating a police officer, even an out-of-town cop, was a serious offense in Zoo York City. In other words, he was about to be cuffed and read his rights. Nick's first reaction had been an extreme sense of relief that his mother couldn't see him now; ("I TOLD you so!") The second had been to raise a serious stink, which had resulted in a gathering crowd of ZYPD cops and the business-end of a Taser pointing straight at his ribcage.

That only prompted him to struggle even harder...and at first it seemed to be having the desired effect. The pair of officers released him and set him down again.

But only so that the bongo could get out of the line of fire; and now he heard the elk begin to recite the familiar litany.

"Taze...taze..."