Someone special in Zootopia

69.- Serve and protect

The morning hadn't felt right for Vol. He barely slept and his appearance showed it: His eyes were slightly red, half-closed, and his mouth was drooping, though that was due to the situation he was in. His phone wasn't receiving any notifications, neither from Lone nor Ryan, even though he was hoping Gloria would contact him on the kangaroo's number. He hadn't heard from the ZPD or even from the internet; everything was the same for him.
He was in the kitchen, in front of the counter, but he didn't move, just sighed deeply.

"I don't know what I'm expecting, of course, she wasn't going to tell me where he is; she just wants to make me suffer..." The fox said to himself. While the videos had hurt, the uncertainty was much worse. He kept thinking about it, but all it did was cause more pain to his soul, not being able to see Ryan, not knowing if they were in Zootopia or if they had managed to escape... It was all a heavy weight on his mind. "I want to rescue you, but... where do I even begin?"

A short while later, Judy appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Vol? Are you okay?"

Upon hearing her, the fox turned around, trying to put on his best face. "Yes, don't worry, I'm fine."

The attempt failed, as it didn't convince the bunny. "You're half asleep and standing completely still, you weren't even trying to make breakfast." She sighed, feeling sorry for him. "Ryan, right?" The fox nodded slowly and looked down. "I understand, I'm worried too. All I can say is... try to be strong. What she wants, after all, is to see you suffer."

Vol raised his head to look at his friend. "I can't help it. Just thinking about what Gloria is capable of doing to him..." A chill ran down his spine.

"It's normal, you don't have to force yourself to feel better. Just think things through calmly with the case, you might find something we haven't been able to." Judy put on her best smile, at least that way, it gave the blue fox a good feeling.

"I... can't promise I'll keep a cool head..." He stroked his arm, glanced to the side for a moment, but then looked back at Judy. "But I'm not going to stop trying to rescue him, no matter what I have to do."

The bunny felt that was the best she could get out of her partner and smiled slightly. After the conversation, Judy decided to help prepare everything for the morning. She felt she should keep Vol company, since if he was left alone in his current state, he might overthink things, and the bunny knew that well and wouldn't let him or her fox suffer if she could prevent it.

After thoroughly preparing for the day, Vol, Nick, and Judy sat waiting for Bogo's assignments. Despite the burning kidnapping case, their situation didn't change much, since they weren't detectives. As police officers, they had to serve and protect the other mammals as well. Even so, they had enough strength to help search for Gloria Clinton and Ryan, in addition to helping Zootopia.
Bogo entered through the door, and the previously lively atmosphere was replaced by an unnatural silence, perhaps due to fear of the assignment, or because the kidnapping had cast a somewhat somber mood. Some of them had interacted with the kangaroo, and that connection made what had happened all the more painful.

Seeing the silence, the buffalo said nothing and stood at the lectern with the folder he always carried for assigning tasks. "Although our priority is catching Gloria Clinton, we have to take care of the city, so there are some matters we need to address." He put on his glasses and opened the folder. "Higgins and Trumpet, you'll be patrolling the Sahara District, paying particular attention to the possibility of spotting the criminal and the kidnapped child. McHorn and Andersen, same assignment, but in the Rainforest District. Wilde, Hopps, Jimenez... you'll be assisting Fangmeyer, Delgato, Krumpanski, and Francine with surveillance for a micro-event. The organizers will assign you wherever they need your services. Wolfard and Snarlov, to Tundra District for surveillance, stay alert..." He continued giving assignments to the rest, but Vol had a slightly uneasy feeling.