A Chance Encounter
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Just like the other nights before, Catnap wasn't able to sleep for long periods of time. Just wake up, sleep, wake up, sleep, wake up, sleep, wake up, get up. Of course tonight is no different, and now it was time to get up and get to work. Getting up bright and early at five-in-the-morning, was now becoming a normalcy, to Catnap's disdain. But on goes his routine, getting up and taking a hot shower, policemen have to look presentable at all times after all. Next was drying and brushing the loose fur, and putting on the uniform. A dark blue dress uniform, matching police hat, and what looks like a flak jacket or vest, but it's actually just a bulletproof vest. All of which may look like it's ceremonial only, is actually quite flexible and movable, with it being pretty bullet, shrapnel, and stab resistant as well. And finally his sidearm, a custom built Sawyer Arms. Tailored to Catnap and with a fingerprint detector.
Catnap sees in the corner of his eye that thirty minutes have passed in his heads-up-display, and decides to go to work, even though it would mean that it was still dark when he gets there. But before he leaves, you can't forget about breakfast, of course. Opening his cupboard, he grabs his prescription for sleeping pills that are obviously not working, and a non descript brown paper bag. It wasn't drugs, but an experimental all day sustenance and nutrition gum that was. And a container of some stimulants but that was for dessert. Taking the gum and dipping it in some of the white powder and putting it in his mouth to chew it up a bit, is enough of a boost that Catnap could finally open his eyes.
Going out of his coffin of a house, he goes into his garage and opens the automatic garage doors. Revealing the two vehicles inside, which is a sports motorcycle and a sports car. Primitive and vintage by the standards of Technofur City, but Catnap was able to pay quite the premium to get them outfitted with the latest necessities for his job and to hold up with today's standards. Not bothering to grab a helmet, he decides on the car. Catnap drives towards the only police station in Technofur City and parks inside of the parking garage. Going inside the actual precinct, and checking in with his key card. Unsurprised to see that he is the only one that is currently here. Except for the robot critter guards who are here twenty-four-seven.
It was now six o' clock. Sharp. the rest of his brigade finally showed up. The Nightmare Critters, nicknamed by the multitude of criminals that they put away. The only one of note is Detective Baba Chops, since she works on her own and is a nepotism baby, there's nothing wrong with her, she just didn't work for her spot. Everyone else, being Poe Allen, Allister Gator, Rabie Baby, Simon Smoke, Maggie Mako, Icky Licky, and Touille Mouse, works under Catnap who is the lieutenant officer, who works under the chief. Chief Proto Amalgam, who is the father of Baba. That's where the nepotism came from. Catnap and everyone else sat down in the debriefing room to get their current cases. That's when Chief Proto walked in. A large, tall, hulking black sheep, with even larger, all metal, prosthetic hands. Who knew that someone that large could father someone who looks so petite.
"Lieutenant Moonlight. You and your team are to patrol the streets as usual, keeping an eye on any civilians who are suspected of being affiliated with Poppy's revolution." Chief Proto said to Catnap, at the same time, the police database flashed in his field-of-view, and multiple critters and humans who are suspected and are rumoured to be part of the revolution. One group of people caught Catnap's eye. A group of critters that are working under Poppy. The Smiling Critters, cleverly named by Baba. It's suspected members are Dogday Daylight, a cocker spaniel, Hoppy Hopscotch, a green bunny, Kickin Chicken, a yellow Chicken, Bobby Bearhug, a red bear, Bubba Bubbaphant, a light blue elephant, Craftycorn Hoove, a white unicorn, and Picky Piggy, a bovine. Apparently these guys are the ones who are doing most of the leg work.
"Detective Chops. You are to follow up on the on-going case of the missing persons case. Dismissed." Chief Proto promptly said before leaving, to which the rest of the brigade also left and went to do their respective jobs. Catnap went with their standard teams, where everyone went into pairs, Catnap partnered up with Poe, Rabie with Simon, Allister with Icky, And Touille with Maggie. A couple hours go by without any surprises nor sightings of any suspected affiliated civilians. The only nice thing was the many fans that came up to the officers to take pictures and to get autographs. Of course, all of that changed when Catnap and Poe went inside of a diner to get some lunch. Catnap was about to enter when he was stopped by someone familiar. Dogday Daylight. Who was right in front of him.
"Oh, sorry. Please excuse me." Dogday said as he walked past Catnap. No time for lunch, as Catnap pulled Poe back to their service car. Poe tried to resist, since he was hungry, but Catnap just tossed him one of his gum, which shut him up immediately because he got to try new and innovative stuff.
"That's Dogday, the leader of the Smiling Critters. We're gonna follow him." Catnap said as he watched Dogday get inside of the passenger seat of a parked car, and then drive off, which Catnap followed. It took about three hours of slow and agonizing following and stalking, but they were eventually lead to an abandoned train station that used to lead outside of Technofur City. To the outside world. But the tunnel was long since collapsed, and no one came come through from either side.
"Get the entire fucking brigade here, we might've just found the base of the revolution." Catnap said as he left the car, with Poe getting on the police radio to call for backup. Catnap saw as Dogday and Kickin left the car and started to walk towards a side entrance of the tunnel. Catnap slowly followed them inside and scanned the premises with his cyber-eye scanner while following the two. The windy and maze-like tunnels proved no struggle for Catnap as he followed the two deeper and deeper into the tunnels, he was only worried that no radio signals could go through these thick and dense walls. Suddenly, the shape of the tunnels changed slightly, he could see a room filled with critter silhouettes in the distance and even a few human ones.
Catnap stayed at a corner while Dogday and Kickin turned and went inside of the room. Catnap saw as the silhouettes talked for a moment, before they walked forward, leaving one critter which Catnap assumed to be Dogday, and were slowly coming towards Catnap. Catnap wasn't worried however, for as they turned the corner, Catnap was immediately there and knocked the entire group to the ground with some good old fashioned CQC. He recognized all of the critters that he subdued were the Smiling Critters, and a few humans that wasn't in the Police Database. Catnap then quickly ran forward and subdued Dogday. Well that was easier than expected. Was Catnap's famous last words.
"Lieutenant Catnap Moonlight, in the fur." A female voice said coming from Dogday's pocket said out loud as Catnap was putting handcuffs on him. Catnap quickly frisked Dogday and grabbed the radio.
"Oooh, touch me more, cop." Dogday mockingly said to Catnap which earned him a smack on the back of the head. Dogday yelped out in pain from the impact.
"Quiet, you. Who is this?" Catnap said into the radio. The radio was a bit staticky, which made sense considering the location which they are currently in.
"Leader of Poppy's revolution, Poppy herself." The voice said. Catnap thought that there was something else that he wasn't getting, there was no way that arresting the Smiling Critters was this easy.
"Well I just arrested your top agent, and his little group of friends. What are you gonna do about it?" Catnap mockingly said into the radio, then laughter came out of it.
"You didn't see the bombs?" Poppy asked as Catnap quickly scanned with his cyber-eye, and wouldn't you know it, the room that they were in was rigged to explode with quite a lot of plastic explosives.
"You're gonna blow us all up? Immediately went with a kamikaze strategy when you were facing me, huh?" Catnap said as he saw the humans and the other critters quickly get up. The humans immediately tan away while the other critters were worried about Dogday.
"Go! Leave me! Continue the revolution!" Dogday shouted out as the bombs were nearing their detonation. The other critters ran away with tears flowing down their faces as Dogday also started to cry, thinking that this is his last moments on earth, which is a foolish thought because Catnap is here.
"Don't you worry your little head, I'll keep you safe." Catnap said right before the bombs went off. Catnap could easily survive the bombs, but with the way Dogday or the other critters were acting, he probably wouldn't. So he decided to use one of his special augmentations, one that would create a pseudo bubble shield which would make him and the area around him invulnerable, but he could only use this ability every once in a while. So he felt under his wrist fur for a drawstring and quickly pulled it, getting a small antenna pop out from his shoulder and activating the bubble shield as Catnap holds Dogday close. The bomb's explosion busted through the top of the tunnel and the shockwave and sound are deafening to the Nightmare Critters who just arrived and the Smiling Critters who just left. Both groups think that no one could have survived that.