Disclaimer: Zootopia stories, characters, settings, and properties belong to the Walt Disney Co. This story is written under Fair Use Copyright laws.
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The Fire Triangle—A Zootopia Fanfiction
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Part One:
Fuel
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Chapter 8—Where There's Smoke...
(Continued...Pt. 7)
"All right, then...are we all in agreement?"
No one spoke, but everyone nodded. After looking them over for what seemed like half a century, Chief Bogo nodded back; there could be no mistaking anyone's opinion here. "Very well then , I'm giving the order; the operation is...yes, what is it Wilde?"
Nick lowered his paw and took a deep breath—slowly, so that the others wouldn't notice his apprehension—and then stood up. He hadn't changed his mind, but 'yes' wasn't necessarily an unqualified yes. Looking around the room, he felt like a fly under a magnifying glass; every eye was watching him closely, (especially those belonging to a certain bunny cop. She was looking at him as if he'd just let out a belch in the midst of a moment of silence.)
Welllll, let her stare at him that way if it suited her; what he had to say right now was much too important to put aside for later—never mind if it spoiled a dramatic moment.
"Chief, before we go any further, I want to return to something I talked about last time we were here; whoever it is that picks up the money from the dead-drop, it won't be The Phantom. The courier probably won't be even know who they're really working for, much less his real name, or how to find him."
"And..." Chief Bogo prompted, one eyebrow higher than the other.
Nick sucked at his lower lip for a second. The Big Chief wasn't going to like this, none of them would; but sorry Jack, facts is facts, (as he used to say to Finnick back in the day.)
He took another breath and plunged ahead.
"And...that means even if we nail that courier red-pawed, it'll probably be just another dead end—or worse. The minute that mule gets busted, the Phantom's going to know we're on to him; don't think for a minute he won't be watching or that he isn't prepared for just such an emergency. We've all seen how thorough he is—and how good he is at covering his tracks."
A chorus of groans and grumbles followed and then a chittering voice sneered upwards from the top of Bogo's desk. "So, what do you want us to do fox, just let him walk?"
Nick ignored the dig; Lieutenant Albert Tufts had been out of sorts ever since his arrival here; probably as a result of the tongue lashing Bogo had given him for not answering his pages the previous evening. (Not exactly a big secret, every cop in the precinct had heard him ...all the way down to the officers working the records room, in the basement, by the boiler.)
Choosing his words carefully, the red fox pressed onward.
"So, what I'm proposing is this, instead of busting the Phantom's courier, we tail him to his next drop—like I said. I'm sure he has one—and then we grab whoever makes THAT pick-up; there's the animal that might be able to lead us to the Phantom, with a little luck, it might even be The Phantom himself."
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The Fire Triangle, A Zootopia Fanfiction -- Part One
Mystery / ThrillerIt's been two years since Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps broke the Savage Predator conspiracy. Now a brilliant and effective team, they're only a few steps away from making the detective bureau and growing closer with every passing day. But even as thei...
