The Time Traveler's Guide to Zootopia

Chapter 35: A New Hustle

The Chief's eyes shot wide in disbelief.

So did mine.

Everyone else in the room stared agape at the fox. Did he really suggest that I join the ZPD? None of us could believe it.

After gagging on water, the helmet's interior was now completely soaked. My face couldn't be wiped dry lest everyone would see. Regardless, all eyes were more focused on the fox.

"What?" he shrugged, showing that he wasn't joking. "We might as well."

"Are you out of your mind, Wilde?" the buffalo irritably grunted. "Why on Earth would we do that?"

"Well, here's the thing, Chief." the fox stood up from his chair. "As much of an Astro-Nut our friend here is, he woke up bright and early, leaped from a three-story window, ran into a raging 5 + alarm fire, and saved over a dozen little kiddos - oh, and two firefighters. Isn't that right?"

The buffalo sighed. "Yes, but-"

"And let's not forget that he thwarted those same razor-bums who happened to be priority number one on last week's roll call assignments," the fox continued. "Do you remember that? Yeah, we almost lost track of them, and lookie what happened. He unwittingly took care of them. I don't know about you Chief but I'd say it's a no-brainer. Let him join."

He huffed. "That is absolutely preposterous! I will not allow it!"

"I'm with the Chief on that one." I agreed.

"Finally, at least some trace of common sense." the buffalo gave me an approving, yet dubious, glance for the first time. He then turned to the rabbit. "Hopps, what do you make of all this?"

All eyes were on her.

Judy placed a paw under her chin and thought for a minute. "Sir, as much as I understand your concerns, my partner might not be as crazy as he sounds."

The buffalo and I looked at her incredulously.

She continued. "After all, Cherry has demonstrated bravery - which is one of the three core fundamentals upheld by the ZPD."

"And what about integrity and trust?" the buffalo grunted. "Clearly, he hasn't demonstrated any of those."

"We'll work on that," the fox remarked. "We all have to start somewhere, don't we?. And besides, that's what the police academy's for."

Academy? I questioned. Clearly, this fox has lost his marbles and Judy was following suit. There was no way this would work. Even the Chief could see that.

As the three animals went back and forth, I could only sit there and shake my head. Everything was moving too fast and it all seemed so absurd. It'd be like working in a zoo governed by animals who tell you what to do and how to do it. Perhaps it'd work in a world like Narnia but Zootopia would be a different story.

The buffalo slammed the case file in exasperation. "Wilde, Hopps, we're not having this conversation."

Nick stood up from his chair. "Why not Chief? How else do you plan on keeping our interdimensional friend here in check? Obviously, traditional confinement doesn't work for him."

"My partner's got a point, sir." the bunny stood up alongside the fox. "Even if Cherry served his three months, we still need to come up with a better long-term solution for him."

The Cheif folded his arms. "And that is?"

"He needs an opportunity to contribute to society" she explained. "Something to keep him busy and productive while he's in Zootopia."