Zootopia: Secrets And Deception

Chapter 27. Awakening

Nick and Judy hadn't slept all night in the hospital, their eyes were red from exhaustion, but Judys' were from the tears that she cried. They were all patched up and sitting right outside of a room where the doctors were performing surgery on Charlie, Nick could see it on all their faces, they knew that there was a very, very slim chance of Charlie pulling through this. But he had lost too much blood, and had no pulse in the helicopter. The round they removed from the back of his armor was just like the kind that went illegal a few years ago, it had teeth that could rip completely through a Kevlar vest and the one wearing it, but Charlie's armor is made from a titanium alloy and steel, and underneath was some Kevlar and gel for shock protection. But the rebar, and the slug that he was shot in the side with had cracked his armor just enough, so it was like glass to the sniper round and shattered it. Suddenly, the pulse ox that was on Charlie went from a steady heartbeat, to haywire in an instant! The doctors brought in a defibrillator and began to count.
"One, two, three, clear!" And they could see the shock go through his body, but it did nothing. Both Judy and Nick could hear almost everything they were saying. "Charging! One, two, three, clear!" Another shock went through, no affect. Then pulse ox dropped all readings, and the doctors had to do CPR on him.
"C'mon, Charlie.....don't do this to us?" Nick whispered to himself, but Judy heard him as more tears began to fall down her face, following the paths of the old ones.
"Don't leave us, please?" Judy said over her tears, and Nicks' eyes began to water as he watched.
"28, 29, 30!" then the doctor tried to put air in his lungs, but no response, so they tried again.

Meanwhile at the ZPD, Bogo was working off the clock and so was the other officers.
"Does anyone know where that chopper went? I need to know where it landed. Jeremiah has put two of my officers in the hospital and their partner, and he needs to be brought in." Bogo paged over the intercom as he walked around each cubicle.
"Sir, I think I got something!" Fangmeyer said loudly to get his attention.
"What do you have?" Bogo asked as he walked over and looked at his monitor.
"One of the traffic cam's caught a chopper landing in the storage and warehouse area." Fangmeyer stated as he pointed out on the monitor.
"I'm going to make some calls, and see if any of those storage units or warehouses are owned by a Jeremiah." Bogo said as he walked up the stairs to his office, and dialed the number. Minutes later he came back out with a vest on and ordered Delgato, Higgins, Anderson, Johnson, Grizzoli, and Rhinowitz as well as four swat teams to get their gear and drive down to a very large warehouse in the shipyards, owned and paid all on time under the initials of a J.H. they were going to raid that building for the very criminal that has put chaos into this city!

In the warehouse, Jeremiah had his men unloading weapons and ammunition from crates that were lined up against one side of the wall, while the other wall had cages stacked on top of each other three high, and ten deep. Two of the cages that sat apart from the others, had two very important people that the ZPD have been looking for. One of them held Gazelle, while the other held James, the one that saved her life from one of those bullets that had teeth, and could go through Kevlar. While the other mammals were savage but were sedated, they weren't sedated nor savage because Jeremiah had plans for them, even though James didn't look good. He had been shot with a slug to the side, and he looked weak.
"How soon are you ready to move out?" Jeremiah asked as he slithered past everyone, with Black right next to him.
"As soon as you want us too. We can place ten of these cages in different parts of the city in just under three minutes." Black stated as two of his men opened one of the bay doors, and a large dark car drove in, and parked right next to the helicopter they used as their escape.
"Not good enough. I need it to be cut in half by the time we are ready to leave, and ready to initiate when you hear the explosions!" Jeremiah said as he made his way to the car.
"We didn't train for anything like this before, but I'll pass the orders along." Black said as the driver got out and walked over to the passenger door near the back of the car.
"Are you sure bringing her here was a good idea?" Black then asked as he crossed his arms.
"Where could she go? There is no other place for her, and I'm not letting her out of my sight. Not when that agency is looking for her and make a slave of her once again." Jeremiah replied as the car door opened, and Myriam got out and ran over to him, and hugged him.
"It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe with me, now." Jeremiah said softly as he gently rested his head on the back of hers.
"Be ready to move out in two hours!" Black hollered loud enough for everyone to hear in that warehouse.
"Okay, sweetheart. I have a favor to ask from you?" Jeremiah asked as they stopped hugging, and he looked into her eyes.
"I need you to go back into the car, and wait for me there. Can you do that for me?" He asked in a gentle tone. She stood there for a while, then looked back at him and nodded.
"Thank you, now go get in there and wait for me." He added as she ran back to the car, got in, and shut the door.
"Why do you even care for her, Jeremiah? She's nothing but a stray you found on the streets." Black stated as he walked over to him. Suddenly, Jeremiah grabbed Black and wrapped his body around him, and used the end of his tail to choke him around his neck! Black saw rage and aggression in his eyes, never has Jeremiah been this angry before, and that stunned him! Then he leaned in and whispered.
"Say that again, and your armor will be your tomb! I'll crush you like a soda can, and spill your blood all over the floor! You may not care much for Myriam, but I would give her the whole world if I could. Do I make myself clear?" Jeremiah said darkly, as the flames in his eyes burned brighter with each sentence. Black almost couldn't speak, but managed to choke up a word.
"Y-yes....*cough*.....yes sir." Black said as he struggled to get a breath of air. Jeremiah starred at him for a moment, then released his grip and slithered a few feet away. Black got to his hands and knees, and began to cough and catch his breath. Then stood to his feet, and walked towards the weapons and ammo. Just then, the doors to the warehouse were ripped off, a swat team and twenty officers with guns raised, and storming in!
"ZPD, drop your weapons and put your paws up!" They ordered as they came in. Some of his men tried to escape out the back, but those doors had been chained, and two other swat teams stood behind those doors and waited for anyone trying to escape. Then they looked over at Jeremiah to see what he wanted them to do. He just stood there, glaring at the police, but began to raise his tail in the air, and some of his men began to slowly set down their weapons. Suddenly, one of them raised one of them back in the air, and fired a round at the police! Making them turn and drop him, but some others got the same idea and began to shoot at the ZPD, and a firefight broke out in that warehouse until.....
"Hold your fire!" It was chief Bogo over the megaphone. Bodies of dead and dying criminals mixed with some ZPD officers and swat personnel, lay around the floor. Jeremiah felt some pain in the lower part of his body, and saw that he had been hit with two bullets, but they were in an area that wasn't to worry about. He looked over at Black, who was laying up against some crates, holding his gun like it was a last stand for him.
"I need ambulances at my location....." He heard Bogo say into his coms. "And I need one for a child!" When Jeremiah heard this, he turned and looked behind him at the car, but the door was open and she stood outside a few feet away from it, holding her stomach! She looked up at him and moved her hands away, revealing her bloody hands! A bullet had hit her, and she was bleeding out!
"Myriam!" He screamed as he quickly slithered to her, and caught her with his body as she began to fall backwards. He watched in horror as her breathing began to grow heavy, and slow. "I'm so sorry, Myriam! Why didn't you stay in the car?" He asked her as tears began to flow down his scarred face. She reached up, and touched his face as if to wipe his tears away. And with tears in her eyes.....
"D-daddy....." she said with the most soft and beautiful voice Jeremiah has ever heard. Not once has she even spoken to him, nor has he ever heard her speak or make a sound. He thought she couldn't speak, and was just shocked and stunned at what he heard, before her hand fell from his face, her body went limp, he felt her last breath escape from her lips, and her collar unlock and fall from her neck.
"No. No! Myriam! Look at me sweetheart, stay with me! Stay with me! I've lost everything else, I can't lose you too, Myriam!" He shouted as tears flowed down his face, holding the body of the one thing he cherished most with his, now stained in her blood. Just then two collars were placed around his chest and lower back, but these had needles that are meant for more dangerous predators, and once activated would send these in through the skin and make it almost impossible to remove. Jeremiah screamed in pain once these pierced him and the ZPD pulled him away, knocking her body off and onto the floor. "Myriam!" He shouted as he struggled in his restraints. The ambulances pulled up and medical personnel got out, and went to each body that were laying on the ground, including Myriam. "Myriam!" He shouted again, before the ZPD tazed him for struggling, making him fall to the ground and began to pass out. His eyes began to close as they arrested everyone else, including Black who surrendered, and was disarmed on the spot. But his eyes were fixed on one thing in that room. "Myriam....." He whispered before passing out, and getting put in the back of a criminal transfer unit.

In the hospital, Nick got a call on his cell phone.
".....*sniff*.....H-hello?" He asked as he wiped his tears away.
"Officer Wilde....." It was chief Bogo! "We caught Jeremiah, Black, and a lot of his men, and were able to find the rest of the missing mammals as well as Gazelle and her abductor/protector alive." Bogo explained over the phone.
"That's.....uh.....great. *sniff*" Came the reply. "I'll tell Judy." Nick added.
"Wilde, how is the patient?" Bogo asked with concern for Charlie, but knew something was off with Nick. There was a long pause to his question, like he didn't want to answer.
"Charlies....uh.....*sniff*.....he's...he's dead...." Nick finally choked out, followed by more tears and crying.
"Wilde.....I'm so sorry....." Bogo replied as he sat down in his chair. He could hear both Nick and Judy crying in the background, but couldn't help a couple of tears himself for hearing their pain, and hung up so he could give them some privacy.

In the hospitals morgue transfer area, both Nick and Judy stood in front of a table that Charlie lay upon. He had a white sheet covering his body except his face, he was so pale, so void of life, and the loss of his was unbearable to them. They just stood there, looking at this once great wolf that protected them, now empty of his life and soul.
"Judy....." Nick said suddenly through his tears. She just stood there, but picked up her head and turned it so she could listen, even though her ears had drooped completely.
"They.....*sniff*.....they need to take him." He said as he wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. Judy nodded slowly, before reaching over and putting the rest of the sheet over his face, and followed Nick out of the room.

That night, Judy couldn't stay in the hospital, even though they tried to make her, she couldn't knowing that Charlie lay only a few floors down from her. The car ride back was excruciating for both of them. Not a word was spoken as Nick drove, nor song that played on the radio. And the worst part was that tomorrow, before they are put on desk duty or sent home for some rest, they have to question Jeremiah, who stated that he would only speak to either, or both of them. Black had escaped custody and had almost killed two officers in the process. And that night, no moon shone in the sky and the stars were veiled in darkness, almost like the world and all of time had stopped to mourn the loss of a cities protector.