The Fire Triangle, A Zootopia Fanfiction -- Part One: Fuel - 76

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 9 –Fire And Mirrors

(Continued...Pt. 3)

Judy's two companions didn't need to ask where they were going; the Agave Avenue Metro station was only a short drive from the Beach Promenade, whereas the eastbound Blue Line train would have to get there by way of a meandering course with several other stops along the way—and they still had a small head-start on the kid.

All during the drive, Nick and Swinton remained busy, dispatching Delgato to the Oasis Hotel Station, sending Grizzoli back to the Beach Promenade to keep an eye on the locker-room (and transferring the camera-feed to the Sahara Square Precinct,) and, most importantly, alerting the three officers on the train that the suspect might have made them, and to be ready to move in case he tried to bolt.

Nick made that last call through gritted teeth, knowing full well that it wouldn't be long before that chittering cyber-jerk Lieutenant Tufts got wind of it. For once, he hoped he was wrong. In fact there was something about the Peak-Street spur, something he knew but couldn't quite wrap his head around.

He was still mulling the problem when Judy pulled up to the curb outside of the Agave Avenue Metro Station, (well ahead of Conor and the three officers on the train with him.)

Peak Street...Peak Street...

Nick studied the map again. The Peak Street spur ran almost entirely through downtown...except for one short section where it passed through the Rainforest District, making a single stop at the Fruit Valley Station.

"Fruit Valley...there's something there...Come on Slick, you're the fox who's supposed to know this city like the back of your paw. What is it that you're missing? THINK!"

"Swinton, let me see that laptop for a minute?"

She passed it over without comment; Nick called up Zoogle maps and entered Fruit Valley Metro Station. The location quickly appeared, but nothing registered at first; nothing familiar, except...what was that thin, straight line, heading away towards the southwest? He zoomed in more closely...and saw it; not what he was looking for, but something else, the thing he'd been trying to remember. Holy...

But that line, what was that diagonal line? He clicked on the 'Satellite' icon...and there it was at last.

"Ohhh, yes!" Nick could feel his tail beginning to move in an S-pattern. He forced it to stop. There was still one thing...one piece that still didn't fit. Why had Conor taken the Blue Line train instead of...?

He switched back to the 'Map' view and typed in another location.

This time he saw it as soon as he pressed 'enter.' Dangit, how could he have forgotten something so basic? Now, finally, everything made sense.

Nick spun around in his chair, facing forward.

"Carrots, Swinton...listen to me; Conor's not getting off here. I think I know where he's going and why he's taking the Blue Line train.

He immediately had the full attention of both of his companions.

"Go on," Judy prompted, "and...?"

"And," the red fox had to force himself to say it, "I was wrong, ladies. The kid doesn't know we're on to him, I made a mistake."

That was an even bigger admission than the one he'd made earlier and it should have been good for another razzing...except this time he was speaking with a note of urgency in his voice.

"All right Nick," Judy asked him, half skeptical and half intrigued, "where's he going?"

The red fox pointed at the laptop screen.

"Fruit Valley Metro Station, he'll get off there."

Judy's ears went back against her scalp.

"Nick, would you please not talk in riddles...!"

"The Peace Rock Guitar Co-Op!" he interrupted, "Remember what Conor told us? He works there as an apprentice...and it's less than two blocks away from the Fruit Valley Metro Station."

"Then why is he taking the Blue-Line train instead of the Red Line?" It was Claire Swinton—and Nick could have kissed her for asking.

"Because guess what's practically right next door to the Baobab Station, the one where he switched trains? The Zootopia Academy for the Performing Arts."

Swinton's ears and eyebrows both shot upwards.

"Huh, what the heck has that got to do with...?"

"That's where Conor goes to school," Judy explained quickly...although she still wasn't satisfied with her partner's conjecture. "Fine Nick, but how does explain why he's using the Blue Line train to get to the Guitar Co-op."

"Because that's the route he knows, Carrots," Nick's voice was as solemn as a closing sermon, "He's probably taken the Metro from ZAPA to the Peace Rock Guitar Co-Op a thousand times by now," He looked straight into her eyes, "That's what us foxes do, Carrots, we always stick to the familiar pathways," he flashed a small grimace, "that is, unless we think we're being pursued; that's how I know I was wrong earlier. If Conor thought he was being followed, he'd NEVER take this route."

Judy was just about convinced...but only just about.

"Fine Nick, but you're forgetting something; the Phantom...what about him? There's no way he'd have his courier make that second drop in a place where he's KNOWN."

"He isn't," he partner responded immediately, "Think Judy...what else is right near the Fruit Valley Metro Station. Come on Carrots, you know this, you've been there—think!"

She began to bristle again, "I don't..." and then face-pawlmed herself. "Of COURSE, the Rainforest District Skytram Station; that's his next stop."

"And there's only about a million places in that district to set up another dead-drop." Nick's tail was swishing again, "the kid could even use the skytram for the exchange point. There's no way to board a car once it leaves a station...and it's the easiest thing in the world to make sure no one else gets on with you when you board; those tram-cars stop barely for a second at each station before they start moving again. Conor gets on with the case at Fruit Valley, and gets off again at the next stop, leaving it behind in the car—and then someone else grabs it at the stop after that,"

"Or he could simply pitch it over the side at a prearranged location," Judy swiftly caught the thread, "That would explain why the Phantom's insisting on using an armored case to carry the money." (The thing they'd seen the young fox slipping into his backpack had looked like it could stop a 20mm cannon shell.)

"But not until after dark, I bet." Claire Swinton offered, she too had been persuaded.

"Well, whatever he's planning, I know what we have to do next." Judy fired up the ignition once again, and once more they were on their way.

Ten frenzied minutes followed as new orders and alerts were issued, followed by ten more minutes fraught with tension...if they were wrong, if Conor changed trains at the Agave or Olive Street stations, Chief Bogo would have their heads and Albert Tufts would have field day.

It didn't happen; the young fox stayed right where he was through both stops, only then did the three animals in the ComSurv van breathe a collective sigh of relief.

That relief was good for about another seven and a half minutes. Judy had just turned northbound onto Trip Street when Wolford's frantic voice came over the radio.

"Command, Command...do you copy? We have a situation, over..."

Nick wanted to answer him but let Swinton handle it instead. "We copy Wolford, why aren't you using text, over?" It was a superfluous question and the wolf ignored it. (He was in the other car where the kid couldn't hear him.)

"Command, they just made an announcement over the PA, something about a fire up ahead and smoke in the tunnel; they're taking all the passengers off the train at Flock Street Station. Did you copy that? All passengers have to exit the train at Flock Street Station..."

Even as the grey wolf spoke, a pair of texts confirming his message appeared on the ZPD laptop screen. Nick almost pounded the wall of the van again but them stopped himself.

"Judy, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"They're stopping the train at Flock Street Station—structure fire; all passengers have to exit."

Judy slammed her fist on the steering wheel.

"Dangit! Swinton, hit the lights and siren; hold tight everyone, I'm turning this tub around."

The van whooped and flashed into life and spun a hard-U, nearly rising up on two wheels as it wheeled around, racing back in the direction it had come.

Judy swallowed hard knowing she had just blown their cover. Any moron could see now that this was actually a police vehicle.

But there'd been no choice...somehow they HAD to get to Flock Street before Conor left the station. Not only would there be the crowd from the train to contend with but a fire meant throngs of looky-loos in the street; the kid could lose the officers trailing him without even knowing they were there.

'The hardest suspect to tail is someone who doesn't know where he's going.' Judy remembered the old axiom from her Police Academy days, particularly apt right now.

Lights and sirens notwithstanding, she didn't think they'd make it. Twice, they got stopped at a police barricade, (the downside of driving a vehicle masquerading as Department of Water and Power van.)

The first time, Judy wasn't waved through until she showed her badge. At the second checkpoint, fortunately, the officer on duty recognized her at once.

UN-fortunately, it was Francine Trunkaby.

"Where you going, lover-girl? Aren't you supposed to be tailing a...?

Judy leaned out through the window and pointed at the station up ahead, barely visible in the haze and distance.

"He's on that train!"

"Oops, go ahead." The cow elephant hurriedly waved them through. She seemed to think it made everything all right, but Judy Hopps thought otherwise; she'd be having a few words with this self-important pachyderm later.

'Lover girl'...even after the Chief's lecture...

When they finally made it to Flock Street Station, things weren't as bad as Judy had feared; they were worse...a lot worse. They weren't able to get within 20 yards of the river of animals pouring out of the entrance, thanks to the milling crowds, and the officers trying to keep them under control. Sweet cheez n' crackers didn't any of these folks have JOBS?

"It's Saturday remember, dumb bunny?" Judy's inner voice reminded her, making her want to plant her pawlm in the middle of her face.

"Looks just like a migration, doesn't it?" Claire Swinton observed wryly, in a poor attempt at lightening the mood. As if anything could accomplish THAT; how the heck were they supposed to recognize their suspect in this sea of mammals? It made the Beach Promenade Station look like an abandoned roller-rink.

That was when Howell came on the air with some even more cheery news.

"What, how could you lose the scent?" Judy was almost shouting into her headset—death, taxes, and yes things CAN get worse.

"Don't blame me, it's all this ding-dang smoke in the air," the red-wolf came back defensively.

"Easy Carrots, it's not his fault," Nick's nose was tilted slightly upwards, "Smell's like a thousand piles of burning rags out there."

"'Fraid so," Claire Swinton concurred, ruefully, (pigs also had a keen sense of smell.) "That kid could be hitching a ride on our bumper and I wouldn't know he's there."

"Wonderful!" Judy threw up her paws. Conor couldn't have come up with a better scenario for ditching his pursuers if he'd planned this.

There was one last barricade to cross and then hallelujah, a space just ahead marked 'Police Vehicles Only', miraculously unoccupied. Judy eased the van into it and killed the engine, hurriedly slapping a 'Police Vehicle –ZPD' placard onto the dashboard.

"Swinton, notify Precinct-1 of our situation; Nick and I are going in."

The pig-cop turned and stared at her.

"What? But the suspect knows you guys."

"If we can't smell him, he can't smell us." Nick Wilde pointed out as he stood up, "That's one small thing in our favor."

"But he knows you by sight, too." Swinton remind the fox. "If he sees you first..."

"...he'll just think we're here to do crowd control, like all the other cops." Judy countered with a sardonic note in her voice. That was point number two in their favor. "He may duck us, but he won't try to run, (I hope!")

She opened the door of the van and slid out...and was immediately greeted by an angry squeak from below.

"Hey, watch here you're putting that flatfoot, bunny-cop," A pair of indignant gerbils had their car parked less than an inch away from where she was standing.

Judy was in no mood; she laid her paws on her hips. "Sir, do you have authorization to be on this side of the police barricades?"

The two rodents answered her by clearing out, fast.

And that was when point number three came along, straight out of nowhere like bolt from the blue.

"Hey kid, what do you think you're doing? You can't go through... Hey you, come back here!"

Judy grabbed Nick by the arm.

"That's McHorn; come on."

She turned and bolted in the direction of the sound, not bothering to check to see if the fox was with her; she knew he'd be there—because HE what had happened, just as surely as she did.

Snatching up her paw-held, Judy spoke breathlessly as she ran, "This is Hopps all units converge on my 20, I'm..." She looked over her shoulder at Nick.

"Drove Street, Southside," The red fox shouted through a cupped paw, "between Lek and Rift."

"Drove between Lek and Rift, south side, you get that? Command out."

They found the ZPD rhino standing in front of a wooden barrier, peering down an alleyway while speaking into his radio. "...told him to stop, but I don't think he heard me, already out of my sight, over... I know, right?... shoulda had someone posted here like twenty minutes ago..."

"McHorn!"

He spun around, wide-eyed. "What the...? Hopps? Wilde? What are you doing...?"

Judy pointed up the alleyway.

"The animal that just went past here; silver fox kid, about 14 years old...backpack and bicycle?"

"Yeah, that's him." Mc Horn reeled back slightly, "But what are you doing here? Ain't you s'posed to be tracking a...?" All at once, he realized and aimed a finger down the alleyway as well, "Wait a minute; that was HIM?"

"Yep," Judy answered, thumping her foot, and glancing sideways at her partner, "Looks like you were right the first time, Nick."

She didn't say what he was right about, not in front of McHorn...and anyway, she didn't need to; there could be only one possible reason for Conor Lewis to have taken such a reckless gamble.

That was why when the other members of the team arrived she had no choice but to clue them in.

"I don't know how or when the suspect made us, but that's the only reason he'd have for trying to sneak through a fire-zone," she said.

She nodded at Nick, and the fox took over.

"I know this neighborhood and it's almost like a maze back there," he said, waving a paw at alley the entrance, "Soon as we hit the first junction we'll need to split up and have each group take a different direction." He swallowed hard. "If you spot the suspect forget about trying to follow him, that's over; take him down."

"And I only hope it's not ME who catches him," the red fox added strictly for his own benefit, "because if it is, I don't know if I can control myself. Aggggh, grrrrrr how could he have done it?"

For the first time in many years, Nick was beginning to understand how Robyn must have felt, when she'd found out he'd been lying to her.

And that made him angrier than ever.

"Back up's on the way." The voice of Swinton sounded in his earpiece, breaking the spell, at least for the moment.

"Shouldn't we have respirators?" Kii Catano' s tail was clocking on the ground again.

"No time," Judy informed her, "and anyway, that kid doesn't have one either. Okay everyone, let's hit it."

She hopped over the barrier, beckoning for the others to follow.

One thing became apparent almost immediately; when Nick Wilde had given them the lay of the land, he'd been understating the situation. This place wasn't a maze it was a stinking labyrinth. Every ten yards or so the alley either made a sharp turn to the left or right, or else it split into two separate branches.

"How the heck does the Zootopia Department of Sanitation ever manage to make trash pick-ups back here?" Officer Catano asked rhetorically. Nobody seemed to know.

At each new branch, one or another of the officers was forced to detach themselves from the main group in order to check it out. First Howell departed, then Catano, and then Wolford until ultimately, Nick and Judy found themselves alone in the tangle of alleyways.

"No doubt about it now Nick, the kid's onto us, all right." Judy paused for a moment to check her phone's GPS. Dang this place, it was almost tailor made for losing a tail. "How the heck did he...?"

"I don't think it was him, I think it was the Phantom," Nick's reply came as a soft, pensive growl. "We can worry about that later, Carrots." He paused for a second and then added, "But I wonder about something; just how is that McHorn and Francine Trunkaby knew what we were up to when we bumped into them?"

Judy wondered about that too but like her partner had just said, now was not the time. She holstered the phone and pointed in the two o'clock direction. "Okay, the fire's over that way about 300 yards, we're safe enough...for now."

That was the good news; the bad news was two minutes later they walked right into another junction.

"You want the left side or the right?" Nick asked her; it was a toss-up; neither one went in the direction of the fire.

"I'll take the left," Judy answered him, and headed off that direction with no further comment.

It was decision she quickly came to question if not regret; the smoke was thicker here, hanging above the alleyway like a bad mood, turning the windows of the surrounding buildings invisible, and reducing the fire escapes to black, spidery skeletons. It was almost like walking through a fogbound forest—except fog didn't make your eyes itch and your sinuses want to shut down. That was what really made her think she shouldn't have offered to go left. If this smoke was a pain for her, it would be that much worse for Conor, with his foxy sense of smell, (and also Nick, but never mind about him right now.)

With every step she took, Judy became that much more certain that the young fox couldn't have come this way. Nonetheless, she kept her ears up and on full alert; if she got within thirty yards of the kid the advantage would be hers. This smoke might nullify a fox or a wolf's sense of smell, but it would do nothing to dull a rabbit's sense of hearing.

Twice she had to stop when calls came in on her radio. The first was from Kii Catano, saying she thought she'd spotted the suspect; (she hadn't, false alarm.) The second was from Clawhauser, informing her that the backup she'd requested had arrived and that more officers would be joining her and Nick shortly.

"We're also trying to cordon off all the alleyway exits in that block; so far we've got about half of them covered."

Judy should have been elated; good old Bogo, he'd come through in the pinch.

But only half the exits; that wasn't nearly enough, and even then there were only about a zillion other ways out of here. One store with an unlocked rear door and some inattentive employees; that'd be all the young silver fox would need...or else he could climb up one of the fire escapes slip in through a window, and then scoot down the stairs and out the other side.

She acknowledged the plus-sized cheetah's message and pressed onwards.

About ten yards further on, Judy became aware of the sound of running water.

Running water? She felt her nose twitching, and not from the smoke

"Must be runoff from the fire-hoses, I'm closer than I thought."

She moved forward cautiously. Coming around the next bend, she found herself facing a small courtyard, with more alleyways branching off in four different directions.

"NOW which way?" she wondered...and then dropped hastily into a crouch, "Whoa!"

Barely visible through the veil of smoke was the outline of a bicycle and a figure standing beside it, almost completely obscured...

...except for those two, sharply pointed ears; there was no mistaking them—or to which species they belonged.

Judy reached for her radio, and then thought better of it; she'd get one chance and one chance only. If she missed, Conor would have his choice of a smorgasbord of possible escape routes.

She could not risk having him hear her and so she switched to her cell phone, thumbing out a rapid message to Nick.

'Think I C spect. Use GPA 2 lcat my n 20 ntfy others Jdy.'

There was no answer, and then she saw the words flashing on the screen, 'No Service...No Service....No Service.' She would have to try and take the kid alone.

She stowed the cell and began to move cautiously. Conor appeared to be almost frozen in place; it was hard to tell in all this drifting smoke. He seemed to be either trying to make up his mind or get his bearings. One thing Judy could see was that he appeared to be facing north, and so she began to make her approach from an oblique angle, trying to get behind him on the south side, mentally willing the young silver fox to take no notice of her.

"That's it kid, just look the other way...and keep those ears facing away from me."

If they turned in her direction, Judy knew she would have to move now. Closer, just a liiiitle bit closer...just...a...little...

Her next step landed with a splash; not a particularly loud one, but in the quiet of the courtyard, it sounded as if someone had dropped a depth-charge. She grimaced and tried not to groan. The water; she'd forgotten all about that blankety-blank runoff water!

She tensed and prepared to bolt forward...

Only...Conor made no move to get away from her—or any move at all; even his ears remained exactly where they were.

Judy stood up and allowed herself a groan. Oh sweet cheez n' crackers, how could she have...?

"DUMB bunny!"

Sloshing her way in the direction of the figure, it took her only three steps to confirm what she already knew; she'd been stalking an advertisement standee! Yes, a bicycle was part of it, but the fox-ears she thought she'd seen had actually been the points of a star.

And with her luck, Nick or one of the other officers would show up at any second...oh, peachy!

Slapping her paw over her face; Judy felt as if she could face-pawlm herself to death...

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Flock Street, outside of Tux-On Tuxedo Shop, 13;03 ZST

The pronghorn antelope held his mike in a near-crushing grip, voice booming over the speakers on the fire-truck behind him.

"All units, all units...pull back, we're losing the roof. All units PULL BACK!"

At once, the crowd of firefighters began to move away from the burning building, the animals on the hoses struggling to keep them trained on the blaze.

Captain George Grassley, ZFD lowered the mike and shook his head. By the time he and his crews had arrived here, there'd been no chance of saving Tux-On Tuxedo Shop, but they'd still had a shot at preserving some of the neighboring establishments.

No such luck now; when that roof went, it would take everything else along with it.

It didn't happen all at once; the first section of rooftop to give way created a hole no bigger than a pie-plate. But then as the flames shot up through the opening, they drew a rush of superhot air in their wake.

And the hole began to widen, first to the size of trash-can lid, then a throw-rug, and then a hot-tub.

And then the roof of the building gave way altogether.

Freed at last from the confines of the enclosure, the superheated air burst upwards in a roiling incandescent cloud, shooting skywards to a height of over 300 feet...and creating an instant vacuum in the weakened structure below.

Nature always abhors a vacuum, and so new air rushed in to fill the space—at hurricane velocity. At once the row of storefronts imploded, leaving insufficient support for the floors above, which immediately (and conversely) collapsed outwards.

As the far right corner of the building fell, it took down a power-pole, which toppled sideways into the street, creating an odd, reverse-domino effect; the wires and cables attached to the crosspiece pulled taut against the next pole, the one just inside the alley adjoining the building. For half a moment, the second pole seemed to hold, and then with a splintering crack, it too gave way; not few seconds later, the process was repeated with a third pole, further up the alley.

The fourth pole in the series was made of stronger stuff. It held fast when the wires pulled tight; they were unable bring it down, and so instead they popped free from their mountings. There was a blinding arc, a shower of sparks—and then the wires were drifting earthward in a lazy crescent—straight towards the bunny cop standing ankle-deep in a stream of running water just below.

If Judy had been facing the other way, if she hadn't had her paw slapped over her face, if her ears hadn't been momentarily distracted by the crashing sounds somewhere off to the left, she might have been able to move before it was too late. Instead by the time she turned around, by the time she saw the wires, by the time her brain managed to process what was happening, the cables and all they were carrying were less than two feet above the water. She would never make it now; she could only hope...

Something slammed into her like freight train from out of left field, lifting her up and sideways. For perhaps two seconds Judy felt nothing beneath her feet, and then she came down hard in a rolling, chaotic tumble, turning over and over and over again, hot air rushing out of her lungs, an explosion of starlight inside her head as it banged against the pavement.

The last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was a sun-bright flash and a sound like the world's largest paper bag popping.

And then all was still and darkness.

"Judy? Judy!"

Judy heard before she saw; someone was calling her name from far away. No, wait, it was close, very close. She needed to open her eyes...wait, they were already open...no, no they weren't. Come on rabbit, get it together.

"Judy, come on." the voice was pleading now.

She shook her head and blinked...and the world began to stitch itself back into reality.

The first thing she saw was the water, about five, maybe ten feet away, topped off by a cloud of hissing steam. She saw the lights in the windows around her had all gone dark. Had they been like that before, or...?

"Dangit, focus, bunny...FOCUS. There's somebody on top of you..."

Judy rolled hallway over and looked upwards—and found that she was gazing upwards into the eyes of a fox, not green but burning amber.

It was Conor; she'd caught up with him after all.

"Oh thank goodness, you okay?" he asked...and then before she could answer, he was hauled roughly up and backwards, and she heard another fox's angry snarl.

"Get off her, you little...!"

Judy sat up quickly...

...just in time to hear Conor let out a terrified fox-scream and watch him sink his teeth into Nick Wilde's forearm.

Nick screamed too, and dropped the younger fox. Judy leaped up and prepared to grab the kid before...

But Conor didn't even try to make a run for it; he only stood there, staring upwards at the older fox, shaking all over with a horrified look on his face.

"Oh Jeez Nick...I-I didn't...I..."

Before he could say any more a new voice spoke, it sounded like belonged to either Wolford or Grizzoli, No, wait, Grizzoli wasn't here; it was Wolford, but what was he shouting 'Trees!' for?

And then she heard another voice; this one she recognized immediately, it was Kii Catano.

"Dispatch, dispatch...we have an injured officer...Code 10-91e."

Judy blinked again and saw that the grey wolf and cheetah weren't the only other officers present. Howell was there too, and so was Swinton; both with trank-dart guns trained on the suspect. And now she could hear more footsteps, approaching rapidly.

Conor apparently heard them too. Without being told, he dropped to his knees letting himself fall face-first to the pavement as if preparing to perform a set of push-ups. He held like that for perhaps three seconds and then let himself fall the rest of the way, putting paws behind his back.

At once Officer Catano was there, administering the cuffs and reciting the standard litany.

"Conor Lewis, you're under arrest, for accessory to usury and assaulting a police officer. You have the right to remain silent..."

The young fox did just that, laying completely still and making no noise whatsoever. When the cheetah cop asked him if he understood his rights he only nodded and said, "Yes."

"He's been here before," Judy realized with a start, "this isn't the first time he's been arrested." She was waking up rapidly now.

She turned away, unable to look, and found herself looking at Nick.

He was in the midst of being assisted by two other animals, Howell and a mule deer in a paramedic's uniform. Judy could see him grimacing and clutching his arm; something dark was oozing between his fingers.

That snapped her out of it the rest of the way and she hurried to be with her partner.

Behind her, Catano was on the radio again.

"Dispatch, be advised...the suspect is in custody..."