In a cold room, outside whose window the weather was overcast, a telephone rang.
It was the puma’s phone ringing.
She answered the call immediately.
“Yes,” she said, then, after listening to something, continued, “as you command.” As soon as she started speaking on the phone, she quickly stood up on her paws, and in her voice there was no trace of the pain and tears that had raged within her five minutes earlier.
“I’m just handing the documents over to the police chief,” Maina said in a calm, cold tone.
During the conversation, she kept pacing right and left.
Her right paw was hidden behind her back, along her waist, as if she were supporting it, “as you say.
I assure you, this won’t be a problem.” Bogo leaned back in his chair and watched her.
And knowing her for so many years, he still couldn’t stop being amazed at her changeability.
That was what he feared most in her.
She could be sobbing, grief-stricken, as she was five minutes ago, and then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she was calm or cheerful.
But what she truly felt, you could never know.
And now, thinking about this, he tried to look into her eyes.
Again trying to read her.
Sitting in the soft chair, Bogo caught himself thinking about her again.
Because of the clouds that had gathered so thickly and heavily over Zootopia, it had become overcast.
The wind began to pick up outside.
Most likely, a downpour would soon break.
Bogo turned on the lights.
The light illuminated the chief’s office, dispelling the encroaching semi-darkness.
By that time, Maina had finished her conversation and, putting the phone in her jacket pocket, stood opposite him and said loudly and clearly, looking at Bogo: “Fourteenth, please come in.” A moment later, a large tiger dressed in an expensive black suit, carrying a briefcase in his paw, entered Bogo’s office.
He quickly walked up to Maina and, opening the briefcase right in front of her, presented its contents.
Maina, gathering documents, looked carefully inside.
Finally finished, she nodded her head.
Noticing this gesture, the tiger also quickly left, taking the briefcase with him.
“Here are the documents,” Maina said calmly, placing them on Bogo’s desk.
“This is the decision of the city hall administration and the Mayor’s permission for the crocodile Harry Drago to be transferred from your department to the ‘Utes’ maximum-security prison.
There is also the decision of the SOOP meeting and personally from Chief Alan regarding the transfer of the Harry Drago case to the leadership of our department.
You must also provide us, within twenty-four hours, with all available evidence and intelligence regarding this case, from both your officers and officers from other agencies, if you have any.” She finished speaking, standing authoritatively by his desk.
Bogo cast a glance at the documents lying on his desk.
They bore the beautiful seals of Zootopia’s high structures.
He didn’t even need to flip through them; he knew exactly what was written in them.
“I will provide the evidence and statements from my officers,” he began just as dryly, “but as for the Lemur Bank — deal with that yourselves.
I hear they have strong lawyers, and they say they even have patrons at the top.” “We’ll handle it,” Maina replied.
“They’re not as scary as you make them out to be here.” Bogo smiled slightly sarcastically and said: “As you say.
What about Harry?
How are we going to transport him?” “In an hour, an armored truck for transporting dangerous prisoners from ‘Utes’ prison will arrive here,” Maina replied; she had already thought everything through in advance.
“As soon as the documents are settled, Harry will be put in shackles, placed in the truck, and sent straight to ‘Utes’.” “Protection?” “In addition to the guards from ‘Utes’ prison itself, there will also be an escort jeep with my animals.” “And mine,” Bogo added insistently.
“As you wish,” Maina didn’t object, “then that’s another car from you.
Who’s going?” “Good animals will go,” the police chief replied.
“They won’t let us down.” He didn’t tell her the names, because he had long since stopped trusting her.
He only knew that his main concern was the complete isolation of the criminal Harry Drago from the inhabitants of this metropolis.
And if Harry planned an escape, Bogo had to do everything to prevent it.
“Fine,” Maina nodded in response.
“The mayor called, I’m going to him.
The dispatch is on you.” Maina quickly turned and left his room, leaving an unfinished, cold cup of coffee on the desk.
Bogo exhaled calmly and evenly.
He coughed almost imperceptibly.
“Finally,” Bogo said sincerely.
“Yes, it’s been a tough day today.” On Judy’s right side walked a wolf.
She looked up at him from below.
He was calm and imperturbable.
It was Keks.
He was looking straight ahead, as if searching for someone in the soulless white corridor.
Judy felt cold and awkward in this place.
Not that the corridor was scary and shrouded in semi-darkness.
Quite the opposite.
Gray concrete walls, a metallic gray ceiling, on which were abundantly placed light sources in the form of large, round, and completely nondescript lamps.
It wasn’t ominous, more dreary, and despite its short length, it seemed huge and endless to Judy.
She turned to the left.
On her left side walked another wolf.
She could hear him breathing calmly.
It was Zerni.
He, like his colleague, carried a rifle over his shoulder.
But unlike Keks, Zerni noticed Judy’s anxious look.
“Or even smelled it,” she thought involuntarily, and a shiver ran down her spine.
He didn’t say anything, just glanced briefly at her.
She directed her gaze forward again.
Ahead, by the door, stood Paddy — huge and powerful lion.
He was looking at them, his massive paws folded across his chest.
His yellow eyes, full of a calm, predatory confidence, studied Judy from head to toe.
She felt like a small mouse under his gaze.
“Everything is ready,” Paddy said in a deep, rumbling voice.
“He’s waiting for you.” Judy nodded, trying to hide her nervousness.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward, towards the door behind which the most dangerous criminal in Zootopia was waiting for her.
Her two escorting wolves behind her, and she herself, continued to approach him at a brisk pace.
And for the entire time they walked, Judy was plagued by doubts and secret fears.
She knew perfectly well that she had nothing to fear, that she was in complete safety.
But something inside her kept growing.
Was it fear?
No.
After all, back then in the Lemur Bank lobby, she had felt no fear at all before the crocodile.
So why was Judy now trying with all her might to pull herself together?
So as not to show that she was trembling all over.
Looking at Keks and Zerni, she couldn’t help but envy them — how could they stay so calm?
No, that wasn’t even it.
How did they manage to overcome it and inspire fear themselves?
Maybe the whole truth lay in nature.
And on a genetic level, predators were less prone to fear.
How tired she was of constantly telling herself these words, like a creed, her whole life.
You are strong.
You will manage.
Sometimes it felt to her like an endless war.
Judy is afraid, she overcomes the fear and defeats it.
And that’s it!
Fear is vanquished.
Victory, finally victory, she told herself hundreds and hundreds of times.
A happy ending.
But no — that fear kept returning to her, again and again.
Wounded, beaten, practically destroyed, but still fear.
Like a beast of prey, it constantly stalked her.
It knew it was weak and couldn’t defeat her.
But it still prowled menacingly nearby, constantly reminding her of its presence.
Not letting her catch her breath.
It knew, and Judy knew it too, that she only had to show one moment of weakness, and it would pounce on her.
It would feast on her until it had completely consumed her.
And how much longer could she resist it?
That which she couldn’t overcome on an instinctive level?
Judy pondered this as she held back the trembling in her knees.
She couldn’t afford to show weakness, but she also couldn’t stay wound up tight as a bowstring forever.
There was only one thing left — to keep moving forward, no matter what, despite the pain throughout her body, despite the fact that the enemy was immortal, she would keep moving forward, because she didn’t know how to stop.
With such thoughts, Judy and the wolves escorting her approached Paddy.
“I don’t know what he wants,” the lion began, “but he’s insisting on seeing you.
I’ll go with you.
Just in case.” “No need,” Judy answered boldly, “I’m not afraid of him.” “It’s not about fear,” Paddy started to argue, “it’s about your safety.” “I think without you, alone with me, he’ll be more talkative,” Judy remarked, continuing to insist on her way.
And again she was going against common sense, and against her own fear.
For her, walking into the room to Harry together with Paddy would be the same as admitting her fear.
That she was afraid of Harry.
“So be it,” Paddy agreed reluctantly, “I’ll be behind the glass in the next room recording your conversation.
Keks and Zerni will stay by the door.
If you feel the situation is getting out of control — say the code word ‘red.'” “And we’ll burst in in an instant,” Zerni added.
“And don’t be afraid of anything,” Keks said, preparing his weapon.
Judy nodded in agreement.
Paddy disappeared behind his door.
And Judy, under the wolves’ watchful gazes, boldly opened the door and walked into the room to the one who, a few hours ago, had wanted to crush her like a worm.
In the small room, bound all over his body, sat Harry.
As soon as the brave rabbit closed the door behind her, he fixed a piercing gaze on her.
Judy involuntarily hesitated before the door.
But not making herself or Harry wait, she walked with a slow step to the empty chair that stood opposite the table behind which Harry sat.
She nimbly jumped onto it and now stood literally half a meter from the crocodile.
Only the table lay between them.
All this time Harry watched her intently.
He followed her with his gaze, cold but not hostile.
And now, looking at her almost point-blank, from above, he smiled slightly.
“What did you want?” Judy began coldly and judiciously, herself a little surprised at her own voice and tone.
“Oh, drop that haughty tone,” Harry rasped, “it doesn’t suit you.” Judy wanted to object sternly, but then she looked at all the chains that bound Harry.
“You wanted to see me,” she said softly, but still confidently.
“Yes,” Harry replied, “and thank you for coming.” “Why did you want to see me?” “I wanted to look into your eyes one last time,” Harry answered and, as far as the chains allowed, moved a little closer.
“Well then, look,” Judy said.
She nimbly jumped onto the table, ending up almost right up against the huge maw of the crocodile, bound with straps.
Keks and Zerni had already readied their rifles, prepared to burst into the room at any second.
“What are you doing?” Paddy whispered quietly behind the glass.
Harry looked at her with his green eyes.
He could smell her.
He saw her before him literally ten centimeters away.
Judy also looked into his eyes, boldly and with her chest slightly puffed out.
She could see, through the tight bandages that firmly clamped his jaws, leaving only a few centimeters for him to speak, dried blood showing through.
His head was covered in bruises and scars.
“Closer,” Harry said quietly, looking into Judy’s violet eyes.
Keks grabbed the door handle to open it faster.
They were on alert, and if anything happened, they would have burst in faster than a dart.
Judy’s small paw slowly rose.
In the hidden room behind the glass, under the quiet hum of the equipment needed for recording video and sound, Paddy, his mouth slightly open, whispered: “Don’t you dare!” Judy’s gray paw rose right in front of her muzzle.
With her eyes open and unblinking, she looked at Harry.
Judy extended her paw forward, right toward Harry’s snout.
The crocodile watched her carefully.
One more moment — and Judy’s fluffy paw touched the nose of the huge monster.
Pressing her paw pad against his skin, she felt only cold and fear.