Indeed, it was a fox.
He was a slender animal covered in red fur with a cream underbelly up to his muzzle. He had dark auburn fur on his feet, his hands, the tips of his ears, and the tip of his tail. The fox's eyes were forest green, and his nose was dark purple.
I felt like I had seen him before, albeit the younger version of him from Bunnyburrow.
On his body, he wore a dark blue police uniform with a black tie, a badge, a ZPD patch, a standard utility belt, and aviator shades, resembling the ones from Top Gun, resting on his chest pocket.
The other two officers behind him were giant rhinos also in blue police uniforms and black utility belts, except they had black-plated body armor and a stoic-like personality; hence, the shadow silhouettes they cast earlier.
Only two rhinos and one fox. Not a threat.
The rhinos positioned themselves sideways, one leg forward, their horns directed at me as if they were waiting to charge. Even with years of combat training, I doubted my ability to dodge an incoming rhino tackle simply because I'd never done it before. Even though the rhinos towered 1.5 feet over me, they remained cautious, treating me as an equal threat as I slowly turned around to face them.
I looked back down at the red fox in front of me who kept his tranquilizer gun in the paw, ready and aimed at my chest. Despite my towering stature, he didn't seem to care. What surprised me the most wasn't necessarily his size but rather the overconfidence he seemed to possess. Instead of quivering with fright and retreating back like most creatures, he became curious and took another step forward.
Did this fox really think he could take me in? The rhinos should've led the charge, preparing the arrest, but the red-furred creature took the initiative. I couldn't help but shake my head in both confusion and admiration at him.
"Well, well. I don't think we've met," the fox curiously observed me up and down. "That's funny because I know everybody."
I scoffed at his small size. How could a small, cunning animal like himself even be considered a police officer? It made no sense.
"And I also know that you're not from anywhere around here." he stated the obvious.
"No shit." I said.
"I see," he replied nonchalantly, crossing his arms as he returned a long, suspicious gaze. "Well, it looks like I'm gonna have to take you in, buddy," and pulled out a pair of cuffs from his utility belt. "Put your paws up. You're under arrest for committing aggravated assault against this young tiger here"
"He's a criminal," I declared, sternly pointing at the striped, injured feline being escorted into the police car by one of the rhino officers.
"Criminal or not, that's not how we treat our fellow mammals." the fox said, shaking his head. "Nope. Not in Zootopia. That's not what the ZPD's all about."
"Why?" I questioned. "He got what he deserved."
With the tranquilizer pistol still aimed at me, the fox gave a sly gaze, seemingly unafraid of what I could do to him.
"Careful, Wilde," the rhino warned, shooting me a suspicious glance as it moved towards the tiger. I've never seen any kind of suspect like him before."
The fox simply looked me over and casually shrugged. "At ease McHorn, I got this."
With one paw keeping the tranquilizer pistol pointed at me, he used the other paw to reach for the radio on his utility belt. "Wilde to Dispatch, we've found both suspects from precinct 2, over."
"Copy that. Dispatch to Wilde, out," the static voice said.
He switched off the radio and then transitioned both paws back onto his pistol. "Alright, on your knees, buddy.
I cocked my head to the side.
He smirked. "You heard me, pal. On your knees. Slowly."
"By what authority?" I challenged.
He found my question amusing. "On behalf of the ZPD and by the laws of the city of Zootopia in which I safeguard, I hereby place you under arrest."
Instinctively, I responded, "And in the name of the Intergalactic Stratocracy, I exhort you to withdraw."
I nearly deployed my nano pistol...until I remembered that my military organization no longer existed We once had tremendous power, influence, and authority throughout the cosmos... but not anymore.
Obviously, the fox had no clue and chortled, "What's that supposed to mean?"
I only stared at the ground, remembering once again that my old world didn't exist.
He paused for a brief moment before he came back to focus. "Hmm, that's what I thought." He smiled. Now, on your knees, slowly."
"Why?" I asked.
"Oh, well, let's see... " he replied in a condescending tone. "We've received multiple eye witness reports of damage to private property, violence, and public disturbance from a mammal sighted to be a tall white mammal with a brown blankie tied around his neck so..." he paused with a small chuckle. "...it looks like you're one of our prime suspects."
It's not a blankie. I clenched my fist in annoyance.
"Watch out! He's dangerous! I SAW it!" the cuffed tiger called out as one of the rhino officers escorted him to the police cruiser. The other carried the stolen briefcase.
I glared at the striped cat for all the trouble he's caused me today.
"...and you possessed some kind of dangerous weapon" the fox grinned, lifting his eyebrow. "Sound about right?"
I shook my head. "I don't take your meaning, fox."
"Well, it means you'll have some explaining to do at the station." he folded his arms. "If that's how it's gonna be."
"Is that so?"
"That's right," he smirked. "See the badge? You're under ZPD custody now."
"I did your job and stopped the tiger," I defended. "It's called a citizen's arrest."
"Right, by threatening to harm a fellow mammal? " he asked rhetorically, placing his paws on his hips. "That's not something this city stands for."
"He's not my fellow animal."
"All the more reason to take you in," the fox justified.
"Officer Wilde." the rhino officer called from the cruiser.
"What is it, bighorn?" the young fox asked, maintaining his focus on me with half-lidded eyes. I looked over to see the rhino officer carrying some kind of electronic tablet.
"I pulled the traffic cam footage for this area and the tiger's claim is accurate. Our odd-looking suspect here was indeed armed and... threatened the tiger multiple times. Though... I don't know with...what exactly... I've never seen anything like it before. Almost looks like an advanced tranquilizer..." he squinted, "...but I can't really tell."
"Well, what do you know?" the fox commented. "Gotta love those jam cams, right?"
I never considered this city to have a decent enough surveillance system, for it never crossed my mind. Rookie move on my part.
"Hmm. And I will betcha you don't have a police permit either, hmm? Assuming what you possessed was a non-citizen-issued tranquilizer? Darn it. It's a bummer." the fox crossed his arms.
In my universe, I lawfully operated beyond the jurisdiction of foreign interplanetary governments, so a permit was only a rubbish piece of parchment in my eyes. These animals wouldn't get it.
"I say we search him." the rhino suggested, noticing my suspicious stance.
"Care to do the honors, McHorn?"
He shook his head. "Go right ahead." he gestured to the fox.
"All over it," the fox replied, putting his pistol away and approaching me. Let's see what kind of hidden contraptions you have up your sleeve."
"Stop," I warned, taking a step back.
The fox heeded me not and resumed palpating my sides to check for any weapon. With condensable nanotech particles, little did he know, he'd never find anything. What a fool.
"Hmm, no sleeves, that's for sure. No long fur, no soft skin, just... wow, isn't this interesting?" the fox observed. "Hmm, I see you have a tail, at least, which doesn't really explain what you are." He pulled on it a couple of times and shook it, but nothing fell out. So, what are you exactly? Some kind of rare species?"
I said nothing.
As if he were a TSA agent, he still thought I had a hidden weapon somewhere. His ignorance was getting on my nerves, for he started treating me like some kind of eccentric sculpture. He walked laps around my body, observed, and felt for a weapon, but he couldn't find anything. He tapped my boots, knee, chest, and forearm, but there was nothing.
"I gotta say, you're one strange-looking animal," he noted. "Believe it or not, I've seen my fair share... but you definitely make the list of top five."
"Charmed," I grumbled.
He made another lap around me, the rhino shined a flashlight on me for a better view, and the fox grabbed the edge of my cloak.
"Nice cape, by the way," the fox commented. Hmm. So, you forgot to hang the towel dry after your morning shower? Quite a fashion statement, I must say."
"Very funny," I objected, pulling the cloak away.
"Well," he thought, "I don't see any weapons on him. No tranquilizers, no darts, no potato gun, nada."
"In that case... good day, officer." I waved, preparing to march away.
However, the fox stepped in front and held up his paw. "Woah there, big guy. Not so fast."
"What now?"
He splayed his paws. "You really think a sly fox like me is dumb enough to just let you prance off?"
I nodded. "Yes."
He laughed. "Sorry buddy, I'm taking you in. You're too good of an opportunity to pass up."
I shot him a glare. "I'm not coming with you."
He continued standing in the way and mused. "Y'know, a naive crook like you should've done a better job at hiding evidence."
"I don't have time for this," I argued, making my way past the fox and heading out of the alley. Not surprisingly, the two rhino officers stood in front of me, blocking my exit.
"Stand aside," I ordered.
But the horned animal gave an aggressive snort instead. He stood tall and glared. "Paws behind your back!"
"No." I defied.
"Final warning!"
I shoved the rhino aside, causing him to trip and drop his weapon. The other rhino rushed in and pinned me against the wall, but I punched him in the snout.
The fox whipped out his police taser, leaped onto my back, and started jabbing my neck with electric currents. It didn't work. He tried again, but nothing happened. The armor absorbed all the energy.
I reached back to grab the fox. But the rhino officers restrained both my arms. I headbutted one of them across the face, intending to do the same with the other.
Out of nowhere, I felt a sharp zapping pain rush throughout my entire upper body. It caused me to cringe, tighten, wince, and plop down hard on my knees.
"Argh!" I yelped, trying to regain a sudden loss of energy. I attempted to stand up straight but my arms were completely limp and unable to move properly. As I turned my head about to see what exactly came to pass, I heard a metallic clicking sound that locked my gauntlets together.
"Whoa there, not so fast!" the fox quipped at me from behind, holding the electric taser in his paw. He apparently placed me in cuffs.
But how the hell did manage to tase me? I actually felt an electric sting on the surface of my skin. He must've found a tiny gap in the armor by sheer luck. The chances of doing that were one in a thousand. Were the nanoparticles malfunctioning and not forming a proper seal? According to my HUD, the crash landing might've caused an uneven distribution of nanoparticles throughout the suit, causing some places to be thinner than others.
But why now of all times? Such events were supposed to be rare, even with previous generation military suits such as this one. No matter, I would have to investigate later
The fox proudly stood atop my cuffed forearms. "Boy, you're quite the stubborn mammal, aren't you?"
"How did he get tased multiple times without dropping?" the rhino questioned, rubbing his sore jaw. "These tasers run up to 70,000 volts."
"I don't know," the fox shrugged. "He may be tough, but we got him now."
Who did this fox think he was?
I tried to break free from the handcuffs but my energy levels were literally zapped away, I felt embarrassingly powerless, dizzy, plus, the rhino already started pushing me towards the police cruiser with his ample hoof. As much as I wanted to fight back, I reluctantly gave in, not wanting to cause any more trouble than I already had.
"McHorn to Dispatch, both suspects are now in custody." the rhino radioed in.
"10-4, copy that."
The fox jumped from my back, walked alongside us, and examined me from head to toe. "Can't wait to tell Chief who I caught today," he smirked.
The strapping rhino officer snorted and rolled his eyes at the fox, seemingly annoyed as I was.
"Well, you helped... a little." the fox added.
Seriously though, I couldn't get over how cocky he was. Every instance that he touched me felt like an insult and boy that smirk, oh, that stupid little smirk he had, I wanted to grab him by the pointy ear and wipe that stupid smirk off his face. Out of all the animals they could've hired, why on Earth would they ever hire a mischievous fox?
Yes, I suppose he got me - by pulling a cheap move - but my focus at the time was on the rhino and not him. Had it been the fox, I would've easily swept him over to the side like a blade of grass. However, that's not what happened so I had to accept the fact that I was indeed outwitted by a sly fox. Yep, that's right, a silly little fox. Thank goodness my colleagues wouldn't get any word of this; although, the more I thought about it, the more I started to miss them.
After further escorting from both mammal officers and a 'Miranda Rights' recital from the horned pachyderm which I zoned out on, we finally made it over to where they've been wanting to place me. The police car was a large, somewhat blocky vehicle painted black, with a white zigzag on the side and a white top. The top of the roof was just a hair below the top height of my helmet and was definitely larger than most vehicles I've come across on this planet. Additionally, the vehicle seemed to be armored due to its thick appearance in various sites. It had a set of emergency lights affixed to the roof that was currently activated to shine between red and blue. The designation 'Z-240' could be seen on the side toward the front along with 'POLICE' on the same side toward the back.
Unlike the police vehicles found in my world, this one had old school wheels and tires with thick rubber treading. It didn't hover, it didn't fly, rather, it simply drove flat on the ground as a means of simple land transport. Now, it wasn't quite as fancy as the Lamborghini police cars found in Dubai on Earth-77, nor the Police Dropships from New Mombasa, but I could definitely admit that it was up there with Jay's Zooyota Packrunner. In short, I greatly admired the cruiser and wished to admire it some more but I still felt a bit fuzzy from the taser.
The rhino stood directly behind me and the fox casually opened the back seat door. I let out a sigh as I caught glimpse of the tiger suspect sitting in the back, all cuffed up, and staring at me in the eyes. Did I really have to sit next to him? What a joke. Either way, the fox kindly, albeit, mockingly held the door open and gestured with his paw for me to enter.
"Hey stripes," the fox called out with a grin. "I brought you some company."
The tiger and I both looked at each other with utter contempt but we had no choice as the rhino officer gradually guided me to sit in the same back seat.
"Careful, big guy," the fox pestered as I ducked under the door frame. "You'd lose your head if it weren't attached to your neck."
"You talk too much." I glared as I sat myself down, trying to rest from the tazed effects.
"Hey, what can I say?" the fox officer shrugged. "It makes the shift go by faster."
Despite the high-quality synthetic leather seats, having a fluffy tail and hands behind my back didn't amount to a comfortable position. Plus, the tiger unwillingly sat beside me which made it all the more awkward. I should've been the one standing outside the cruiser and he should've been the only one inside of it. Feeling moderately defeated, I slumped myself forward, stared at the ground, then the passenger door closed.
The two officers sat in the front seats, the rhino as the passenger and the fox as the driver... wait, what? Time out. Was a fox really going to drive this thing? Goodness, he'd better not crash us. Last time I came across a fox in my world, all I saw was roadkill and I'd hate for all of us to follow that same fate.
The back seat cabin was like most police transports back at home. It felt small, cramped, and had a metal cage barrier; however, the seat wasn't a hard plastic and there weren't any mounted shotguns above the center console or any holograms. In fact, I only saw traditional radio equipment, a coffee cupholder, a GPS navigator screen, a couple of extra tranquilizer darts of various sizes, and no real firearms whatsoever.
Aside from tasers, did this society not have any real weapons? Just mild tranquilizer guns? To be honest, it felt too hard to believe. I came from a war-plagued world in which we were a heavily armed society that had lethal weapons strategically stored in every imaginable place to dispatch any form of opposition. Walls, under the bed, ceiling, drawers, cupboards, desks, prosthetic arms, military suits, crates, trench coats, and skulls were some of the most common places to store munitions. Surgically implemented optic lasers were among the most painful, disturbing, and yet powerful methods to dispose of threats but only a few could survive such an ungodly operation.
But this society, this Zootopian society, had none of those things. They accepted who they were, worked with what they had, and didn't attempt to evolve faster than they could run. No one was enhanced, no one was modified, and no one was artificially born. Everyone here had their naturally given organic body structure without all the gizmos and upgrades that would've made them into expendable militarized assets.
For example, the fox officer driving the car - while I didn't like him one bit - he admittedly had natural powers and abilities that we humans couldn't achieve without the aid of technology. His keen sense of smell and night vision was already given to him by mother nature which allowed him to keep that brilliant orange fur whereas a human with equivalent abilities would appear like a furless lab rat. Evidently, cybernetic modifications didn't care about looks unless one wished to pay triple the market price in an attempt to preserve the natural-born looks. Even then, without a strong guarantee, it was preferable to simply cover up the bodily imperfections with a military nano-suit. With our toxic air and unpredictable state of affairs, it became imperative to wear our armored body suits at all times which got to a point that they defined who we were and how we were destined to look.
As we were driving, I tiredly looked out the window to see organic Zootopian lifeforms walking the streets. They had soft fur, much like this world's friendly atmosphere, but I had hard armor, much like my world's hostile atmosphere. I gazed upon my reflection in the car window, pondering my armored appearance, and thinking back to times of war where we all stood together as one divisive unit on the frontline. We all wore the same uniform, we were all human, but we weren't on the same team.
In Zootopia everyone looked different, came from different species, and yet -- for the most part -- they were all on the same team. The rhino and the fox sat together in the cruiser, chatted about their favorite donut shop, and I saw a hippo and lion officer patrolling the entrance to the city hall just outside the cruiser window. All four of them waved to each other, cracked jokes, smiled, and carried on with their duty. Clearly, even in times of peace, they were one united police force.
In contrast, humans in my world almost never engaged in friendly conversations with each other because we were too focused on predicting when the world was going to end. Once in a while, we'd work together, albeit begrudgingly, but it all felt like every man for himself at the end of the day.
Here in Zootopia, they weren't at war with each other as Humanity once was. They were just a tranquil society that had, at best, tranquilizer guns to keep it that way if necessary. Shoot to kill was our way of eliminating threats but shoot to tranquilize was their way of controlling threats, as far as I could tell.
Surely they experienced crime here and there but nothing that would ever threaten their entire planet or their way of life. True, the Nighthowler crisis was an event that nearly tore this Zootopian society apart but it would never compare to the destructive events that took place on Earth-77. Why? Because in my universe, all these animals were dead. All of them were forever gone and never to come back again. Thus, the strongest and worst of humanity was left in charge of the dying planet and they stood above the valley of skulls.
But this world, the world of Zootopia, all these animals were alive. All of them were here to stay and they were the ones in control now. They were in charge. This was their planet, their world, their home, and their future.
At least, until I showed up on their doorstep. Would I be a big danger to them? While I had no inherently strong intention of causing harm, I felt doubtful in my ability to do so. After all, the fox officer easily managed to taze me to my knees; thus, proving my inability to carry out a typical 'alien invasion' that involves a demonstration of technological force.
I should've known what to do in that kind of situation but I failed miserably. Never had I been trained on fending off foxes but that never would've been an appropriate topic when the Seraphim was a more credible threat at the time. Either way, I let my guard down and my years of being a data scientist took a toll on me since I no longer operated as a full-time soldier.
For the next few minutes, the police cruiser hummed its way through the streets of Zootopia and, while a city bus would've been more preferable, at least the ride felt smooth and had scenic views along the way. The red furry officer took some street corners a bit roughly, merged into the fast lane multiple times out of swift impulse, briefly activated the sirens to amuse the youth on the streets, and revved up the large diesel engine at most stop signs.
The ride was in fact enjoyable, even if Mr. Starfox here had our lives in his paws. Apparently, the city had waterfalls coming out of skyscrapers, cafe balconies hanging over the busy streets, and plenty of brands that were both familiar and alien to me. We passed a large stone-cut building with a parlor at the bottom named Jumbeaux's Café with wide glass windows, an overly tall glass doorway with an ornate crimson design, and sizeable pillars in the shape of elephant legs. Next, we passed a brand new Snarlbucks Coffee joint that had just opened its doors and already had a long line of animals waiting to get a sip of some overpriced coffee. Some things never do change.
Later, after turning a corner and entering Baobab Ave, I quietly chuckled upon the sight of fat lemmings trying on tight leggings and posing like they were well-paid models. The circular corner store had the name Lululemmings posted on the outside in bright glowing letters but it wasn't a joke and it was a legit business. Seriously though? How impressive to find a city that caters to every animal's needs, big and small.
Speaking of which, over on the left, I beheld a brown spotted vehicle with a height exceeding that of the police cruiser we were in. The wheels were ridiculously small, the entire frame of the car resembled that of an ugly smart car, except that It was vertically stretched upward to accommodate the five tall giraffes sticking their long necks out the upper window just below the roof. On the side door, there was a logo that read, ZUBER - Migration at your fingertips.
It must be a giant pain for a giraffe to go anywhere in this town. As much as I liked being tall, I'd much rather stay as a human, even if that meant being part of a stiff-necked species. Those poor giraffes must've gone through hell during physical therapy if any of them got involved in bodily injury below the head. Whether or not their suffering was just as bad as the women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe from Earth-77, I knew not.
At the end of the day, those giraffes appeared to be happy, drinking their coffee, and enjoying their life on the road. Even so, my neck still cringed at the thought of them hitting a traffic light, an overpass, or a street sign.
Also, leaning forward with my gauntlets and furry tail sandwiched between my back and the car seat didn't help at all with neck comfort. I felt stuck and unable to get into a comfortable position so I tried my best to turn the upper torso. Hopefully, this would relieve pressure from the tail and handcuffs propping against my spine.
Yet, the discomfort continued so I decided to muster all my leftover strength to break apart the handcuffs. After three tense pulls, the metallic manacles popped apart and my hands were now free. However, the thick metal rings surrounding my wrists were still intact but I chose to keep them attached. I didn't think I'd get this far but I somehow did it and I saw the tiger suspect take notice.
His eyes widened in surprise and I knew that he was going to tattle-tale on me. Preparing for the worst, I simply placed my palms under my head to sustain it and to take off the neck pressure that I was currently experiencing. It sure felt satisfying to actually rest my heavy head on something but it'd all soon be ruined by the tiger who had a habit of raising alarms.
Here we go, I thought. Now everyone's going to freak out that I freed myself from the restraints but I didn't get the reaction that I was expecting. No, not one bit.
Instead, the fox and the rhino officer hadn't noticed anything suspicious and the tiger suspect alongside me didn't utter a single word. Instead, he inspected me in wonder, leaned in closer, then asked in a soft whisper, "What...What are you, exactly?"
I answered him not but I did appreciate his suddenly suppressed demeanor that'd allow me to relax for once. Thus, I did exactly that; I relaxed, placing my head into my palms, and allowing the car hum to gradually place me in a power nap.
While resting my eyes, a few things came to mind. The tiger still owed me an ice-cold drink for my troubles but his time in jail, or rather, our time in jail, would only bear forth water and scraps of bread. In that case, what were jails like in this world? Did they have laser gratings or metal gratings? Were they comfortable? Were the walls reinforced with steel, cement, or perhaps tungsten bricks? Who knows. I'm sure I could handle it so we'd have to wait and see.
But Judy? What about Judy? Boy, I nearly forgot about her. Did she already catch the hyena? I'm pretty sure she did but I hoped that she was doing okay. Knowing that she took down a fully grown bear at the plaza, I worried not about her chances.
So much had happened today that I couldn't keep up with all of it. New city, talking animals, a foxy cop, a striped crook, and riding in a police car were only a few of the many things that I could name off before my head started to throb.
Wherever we were going - Arkham Asylum, Alcatraz, Azkaban, or any other prison that started with the letter 'A', I had no idea.
Hopefully, Judy and her bunny partner Nick - if I remembered his name correctly - could bail me out of whichever place this crafty fox officer was taking me. Otherwise, if push became shove, then I'd do whatever it takes to avoid confinement because a human incarcerated by talking animals was too ironic for me to handle.