The Fire Triangle -- Part II, Oxidizer

The Fire Triangle: Book II - Chapter 45

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

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Part Two:

Oxidizer

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Chapter 8: Everything You Know is Wrong
(Part 2...Cont'd)

Bay Ridge, Barklyn, Zoo York City, 15:35, EST

They drove in silence down 3rd avenue, with neither one offering the other so much as even the briefest glance. Nick spent most of his time gazing out the window while Pepe Guerrero's eyes remained fixed on the road ahead. The whole time his expression remained as cool as a Limber Ice Pop-offering no hint whatsoever as to what lay ahead at the end of their journey. Not to say that it would have been all that easy to fathom what was on their minds anyway. It was a bright afternoon in Zoo York City and both of them had on their sunglasses; aviators for the fox, wraparounds for the kinkajou.

At the intersection of Shore and 4th they were supposed to double back North again. That they did...except instead of taking the Belt Parkway-which would have led them to the Hugh L Catty tunnel and Mammalhattan-they swung a U-turn directly onto 4th avenue, heading back in the direction from which they'd come.

At 97th Street, Guerrero turned right, and then swung a hard left into the parking lot of St. Patrick's Academy. Being as it was the middle of summer, the lot was largely empty-completely empty, as a matter of fact, except for a dirty-white high-cube van, marked only by a swirl of graffiti. The sight of it reminded Nick of all the 'unsanctioned artwork' currently adorning much of Zootopia.

It was nearly enough to provoke a shudder. The great Zootopia Graffiti Plague had been bad enough before he'd left for Zoo York; who knew what his city looked like now, in the wake of that pair of riots?

He shook it off and pointed towards the panel truck, "There it is," he said, the first words he'd spoken since they left the Wicked Mink.

At the back of the van, he rapped twice on the roll-up door with the flat of his paw. Pausing for a second, he rapped twice more, paused again, and then knocked three more times.

At once, the door rose upwards, revealing a smiling Martin Pennanti.

Smiling that is...until he happened to glance over the red fox's shoulder, at which point his expression became almost apoplectic.

"Pepe, what the heck do you think you're doing? You were supposed to drop Nick off in front of the CHURCH, not back here for crying out loud!"

"Eh, sorry Jefe," the kinkajou shrugged, looking not at all repentant for his actions, "But after alla that back there at The Mink, I just hadda see if it worked out or not, ju know what I mean?"

Penannti jumped down from the van, looking even more vexed

"Yeah, yeah, it's working great. Now beat it before someone sees us. I need you...not another ex-cop that nobody wants to talk to."