FSE

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The call went out at 10:04 p.m. Up until then it had been a rather pleasant, balmy winter night's patrol. Being nocturnal by nature, Nick Wilde thoroughly enjoyed working the night shift. His partner... not so much.

"You sure you don't want to 10-7 for a cup of coffee, Carrots. I wouldn't want you putting the cruiser in a ditch with all your yawning."

"I'm good," his bunny partner replied. "It's only fair I get use to night shifts the way you had to work days. Besides, coffee on an empty stomach gives me gas."

"Then maybe you should toss in a donut, help you soak up the brew."

Judy gave her partner a sideways glance. "I am not going down that road. You've seen Clawhauser. The Chief's got him doing laps at the academy for an hour every day. Says he needs to drop 20 pounds by the end of June or he won't pass his physical."

"Spots is running laps?"

"No, he's doing aerobic-walking. He hasn't been able to run since taking that gunshot to the knee seven years ago, but he can still walk pretty fast."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "I always wondered why he gained so much weight. Fat cheetahs aren't a common sight."

"He's kind of sensitive about the knee thing, so whatever you do, don't make it part of your satirical repertoire. Otherwise, I'll have to sic Francine on you."

"Noted," the fox replied with a sideways grin.

" All units in vicinity Frontage Road and South 18th Street, Sahara District; 2-11 in progress. Respond code 3."

Nick grabbed the radio mike. "This is 1-Adam 7, responding. ETA..."

"3 minutes," responded Judy, instantly alert as she punched the police cruiser into high gear and hit the lights and siren.

"3 minutes."

" Copy, 1-Adam 7. Go to TAC 3."

"Tac 3," the fox replied. He cranked the radio dial over two clicks. "1-Adam 7 on Tac 3."

" Copy, Adam 7. You will be first on scene. Secure the intersection but do not approach the train until Incident Command and back-up are in place."

"I.C. can you confirm... did you say train?"

" Affirmative... 2-11 in progress on Metro Line Red."

"1-Adam 7 roger." Nick looked over at Judy. "Talk about old school. I think this is my first train robbery ever."

"That will mean hostages," Judy replied. "SWAT is probably already enroute."

As the police cruiser approached the scene, the bunny cut the siren but kept the red and blues flashing. She stopped in the middle of the intersection, the headlights aimed diagonally across it. Both car doors were flung open, windows down and the officers crouched behind them. Fortunately, this particular model of cruiser came with a platform that unfolded at the base of the doors. They allowed Nick and Judy to use the armored doors as cover without exposing themselves by dropping to the ground.

Reaching across the dash, the fox clicked on the overhead spotlights, illuminating the motionless and darkened train. The grey-furred rabbit couldn't help but notice how much it resembled the one that had originally brought her to Zootopia three years earlier. The signal arms for the crossing were down and the red warning lights silently flashed, but for some reason the bells were not working.

"I don't see any movement," Nick observed. "You don't suppose it's empty?"

"Then why rob it?" Judy replied. "You don't hold up an empty train, unless you're a complete amateur."

"Hope not. Amateurs tend to panic first and think second. That's when people get hurt."

Moments later, two more police cruisers pulled up, both on the opposite side of the train. They too hit their overhead spotlights. A voice called over the radio. " 2-Adam 1 and 1-Adam 16 on scene with 1-Adam 7. All's quiet so far. No sign of movement."

"Fangmeyer and Wolfard," whispered Nick. "At least we're not alone out here. I don't know who's in the other cruiser though."

"Probably McGruff and VanHorne from Precinct 2. This would be their normal patrol area."

" All units this is 1-Charles 1. ETA two minutes to scene. All units hold in place. SWAT is enroute."

"And, of course, Buffalo Butt. Doesn't that guy ever take time off?" asked the fox.

"NICK... that's not nice," Judy chided.

"You know... Clawhauser once told me the sofa in his office converts to a bed. That way he can be available twenty-four seven. The Chief seriously needs some kind of family life. He's wound way too tight."

"I doubt that bed story is true," the rabbit scoffed.

"Don't tell me you actually doubt the word of... the CLAW?"

"Focus, fox! Focus. We've got a train, possibly full of potential hostages, and a robbery in progress. Add to that, we can't see squat inside. Any ideas?"

"None worth mentioning, Carrots. I'm afraid...." Nick suddenly stopped talking as he saw Judy's ears stick straight up. Her head pivoted, looking for a source of the strange flapping sound. Almost at the same instant the fox thought he could see some kind of movement in the night sky as an indistinct, shadowy form lit upon the top of the train and vanished a moment later.

"What the hell?"

" 1-Adam 16 to all units. Did anyone else just see that?"

"What exactly did you see Fangmeyer?" asked Nick.

" A shadow, like some kind of large bird. It looked like it swooped out of the sky and landed on the train."

"I saw something, but I wouldn't call it a bird," the fox replied.

" 1-Charles 1 to all responding units. What do you see? Report."

" 1-Adam 16. I'm not sure, but it looked like something boarding the train from above."

" Copy... I'm 30 seconds out. Hold positions."

"Is he serious?" asked Nick looking at his partner. Less than a second later the air was rent by several screams, some angry, some confused and at least one piercing shriek that sounded like a wounded doe. The screams were abruptly punctuated by the sounds of shots. One, then three, then five. All accompanied by a repeating, discordant sound that one might almost describe as being musical.

A figure suddenly crashed through a side window. It was a rather large bear holding an Uzi. He slammed to the ground and lay still as his weapon bounced several feet away and flopped onto its side.

"I hope that's one of the bad guys," muttered Judy to no one in particular.

Emergency doors to the two rear cars slammed open and a flood of mammals began pouring out. Judy and Nick broke cover, waving frantically to the passengers as they guided them away from the train and towards an area of relative safety. Nick kept his weapon aimed towards the scene of action in a desperate attempt to cover his partner. On the other side of the train McGruff also broke position, waving everyone away from the train.

The sounds of fighting continued, though the gunshots quickly vanished. There was a continuous repetition of discordant music throughout until every sound was drowned out by Chief Bogo's siren.

The police cruiser executed a perfect tactical skid, sliding up right next to Nick and Judy's vehicle. The driver's side door slammed open and a huge cape buffalo leapt from it, killing the siren even as his hooves hit the pavement.

The wail abruptly vanished, though in the distance at least half-a-dozen other sirens could be heard approaching. At almost the same moment that was one last crashing sound and the noise on the train abruptly ceased. The only sound remaining was the confused babble of passengers who continued to exit the train and the approaching sirens.

"What in blazes is going on here?" Bogo looked over at the two officers. "Hopps! Wilde! Report!"

"Don't know what to say," admitted Nick. "I thought I saw some kind of shadow board the train, then all hell broke loose."

The buffalo turned towards the rabbit. Judy just shook her head.

"I didn't see anything, but I thought I heard some kind of flapping,"

Bogo scowled, and grabbed the microphone from his patrol car. He thumbed the PA switch and brought it up to his mouth. " VanHorne, McGruff, Hopps... assist the civilians away from the train. Keep them from wandering off or into harm's way. Wilde, Wolfard, Fangmeyer... eyes on the train. Don't let anyone who you even think looks suspicious disembark."

The number of civilians dwindled from a flood to a trickle. The last one off was the conductor, a tall, white-furred equine with a black mane and tail. He gestured towards the front of the train and held up six fingers before joining the other civilians. Bogo nodded.

As per instructions, the officers all held their positions until reinforcements arrived. Seven other police vehicles, the swat van, a fire truck, paramedic unit and three ambulances quickly pulled up on scene. As soon as they were ready, SWAT made an entry into the rear of the train, moving forward with other officers covering the outside. It only took them about three minutes to clear the train.

When they finished, the SWAT leader signaled to Bogo and he entered the train himself, accompanied by Hopps, Wilde and Fangmeyer. Counting the bear lying unconscious outside, there were a total of six perps, all large mammals, all equally unconscious.

"Looks like they were in one hell of a fight," Fangmeyer observed as she and the others helped cuff the suspects. "They'll be feeling this in the morning."

"The question is, who's responsible for all this?" Bogo asked.

Wilde shook his head. "I not sure, but it looks like they left a calling card." The fox reached down and pulled the remains of a stringed instrument out from under a seat. It was splintered, shot full of holes and smashed open along one side.

"Looks like an old school acoustic guitar," observed Judy.

Nick nodded. "A rather expensive one at that." He brought it up to his nose and sniffed. "Smells like cedar and rosewood... and something else."

"What else?" asked the chief, bending over to examine what Wilde had found.

"Something... an equine I think."

"Chief..." the SWAT commander reported, "Alpha team's just finished sweeping the engineers cab. They found the crew... alive and unharmed."

Bogo nodded. "How many?"

"Two.... Engineer and conductor, both zebras, the latter without any clothes."

The cape buffalo jerked upright and thumbed his walkie-talkie. "McGruff, VanHorne, Wolfard... Search through the civilians... Find me an equine dressed like a train conductor."

There was a very long moment of silence, then Wolfard responded. "Sorry Chief, there's no equine out here."

It took Bogo almost five minutes to stop cussing, the sound of which carried out into the balmy night of Sahara Square.

To Be Continued...