Disclaimer : This is a follow up to Tales of a Post Movie Zootopia Part 1. I highly suggest your read it before getting into this story.

Contrary to the precedent part, this one will be less heavy in fluff, and more... Well you will see.

I want to thank again the readers and reviewers of Part 1, and wish you to enjoy the reading.

Chapter 1 : And the World Went Dark

Friday the 18th of January 2019

The loud and deep voice of the buffalo broke the relative silence of the bullpen.
"Assignments : Officers Blackfur, Wolford, Snarlov, Rhinowitz, Hopps, Wilde, patrol duty. Fangmeyer, Clawfith, Swat support, report to Tundratown's precinct in thirty."The agents left their seat one after the other, but as the bunny and fox were leaving, the chief halted them. "Wilde, Hopps, I want to see you in my office before heading out."

They looked at eachother, Being called in the chief's office was usually a bad omen.

The buffalo was writing and sorting papers on his desk when the two friends knocked.

"Get in."

They went and hopped on the chair, facing their boss.

"So." He began "how are you two doing ?"

It took them by surprise, this type of question was unusual for him.

"Good I guess ?" answered the fox, unsure.

"You guess ? I'm giving you a week of vacation followed by a week of calm parking duty and you 'guess' you're okay ? I'm asking if your were able to sort out everything that was on your mind, every pending business." They could see the creeping of a smile under the buffalo's stern question. He glanced at both mammals but he was mainly adressing Nick.

"Oh, that. Yeah, everything's good and taken care of. I didn't know your cared." Nick's tone was taunting.

"I don't. The city doesn't deserve less than your one hundred percent." He watched them with an inquisitive eye. The creeping smile was still there. "Is there anything I need to know ?"

What kind of question is this ? Does he know ?

"Nope, everything's good. Nothing unusual to report." Nick's mask of confidence was on.

Appart from your bunny and fox officers being together.

"Then dismissed."

...

They were driving around keeping an eye on the civilians when Nick spoke.

"You think the chief's onto us ?"

"Maybe, I don't know. Ben tells me that there is nothing going in the precinct that he doesn't end up knowing about."

"So we can be sure he will end up in on the matter. How do you think he'll react ?"

"As long as it doesn't affect our actions on the field, he won't care." she answered imitating the buffalo's tone making them both chuckle.

They had stopped to a bug-burga drive-through when a voice called on the radio.

"Precinct one to all units near Downtown East-Mall center, we have reports of a 10-71, with 211 in a jewellery in said mall. Sending exact coordinates to your GPS. Investigate and apprehend the culprits."

The voice of Wolford was heard in the radio.

"Patrol 1123, Wolford speaking. We heard the gunshots, we're closing in on the destination but may need other officers for crowd control."
Judy grabbed the radio.

"Patrol 1825, Hopps speaking. We're two minutes away, back-up on its way."

"Patrol 1258, Snarlov speaking, We're 8 minutes away, shoud we assist too ?"

"Positive 1258" answered the cheetah "be safe and good luck."

The sirens began screaming. Nick sent his car at full speed down the street, civilian's car pulling over to let him through. His car skidded in the first corner, as he used both pedal and handbrake to control the trajectory. Judy had never been in a car driven like this before, it reminded her that there was a lot about the fox she didn't know. They pulled over next to the first police car, parked in front of the mall. Civilian's were running away from the scene which was a good thing but kept the officer from seeing what was happenning. They jumped out and heard gunshots again.

"Here's patrol 1825, 1123, what's your status ?"

"Here's 1123, The culprits are hauled up in the jewellery. No hostages but with the store configuration, we can't enter without being shot at. We'll need a SWAT team."

"10-4" came the voice of clawhauser in both their radio. "Sending a call for a SWAT team, 1123 stay put and try to negotiate their surrender. 1825 you stay on crowd control."

Just as the cheetah stopped talking, Nick and Judy heard a loud screeching sound, made a by a vehicle close to their own car. They glanced at it believing that patrol 1258 had arrived but it was a huge black van with tinted glass, its rear doors flying open as it stopped.

The SWAT this quick ?

A pair of mammal climbed down. Or more accurately stumbled down, as if someone had pushed them out. A grizzly bear and a sheep. They looked like hobos, their gazes were empty and in their paws, the two officers recognized automatic weapons. The Grizzli's rifle was so big than only one bullet would be enough to rip out any of the two officers limb.

What the hell ?

They both took their paws to their gun, the other paw in a halting gesture.

"ZPD, put down your weapon and put you hands behind your head !"

The scene slowed down. Nick saw the barrel of the mammal facing him and her partner rising, their eyes and ears twitching and paws slightly shaking. Slowly, the grizzly bared his teeth, snarling, and the sheep bleated an aggressive cry.

The van began moving again, leaving the scene. None of the two officers had had the time to take out their gun. The most logical course of action would be to take shelter behind cover, but they'd have to jump the car's hood which would have them lose some precious split seconds.

Judy's eyes were wide open, she had already started moving, lunging at Nick to take him out of the bullet's way. Her paws caught his collar, and a second later, her powerful legs had sent them flying above the car hood while a rain of bullet ripped the concrete and punched holes in the cruiser's door.

Screams of panick filled the air and the civilians began fleeing from the scene.

He could feel the flail of bullet pierce the air around them as they started to fall on the other side. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh and saw drops of blood flying in his field of vision.

They crashed on the other side of the car, behind cover. The pain in his thigh was awfully present, but he didn't care, immediately tending to his mate that had crashed on the floor next to him.

Her eyes were wide open, pointed to the sky, she seemed okay but something was off. She was shaken by a first spasm of pain.
He took a step back and the vision almost made him go insane. Were had been her left leg was now a blood dripping stump.

"No !"

Her paw reached his arm, squeezing it.

"Nick" her voice was nothing but pain and fear. Nick was frozen in place, unable to make a move. She immediately took out her belt, using it as a tourniquet to contain the flow of blood that was escaping her body.

"Nick, help me."

Her voice took him back from the haze his mind had fell into.

He tightened it as hard ad his muscles permitted. The bunny let escape a loud gasp of pain. Nick was frantic.

"I know, Judy I know. You're alright !" He couldn't put on the reassuring mask he was trying to muster. Every protective instinct he had were in full alert. "You're going to be alright I promise." Tears had begun to drip from his eyes, as he saw her eyes slowly close. He slapped her.

"No ! Don't you dare die on me. Don't you dare ! I can't lose you !"

Bullets were still flying around the cop car, digging gash in the hull and the curb. Cement and metal part were flying around but he couldn't see them.

"I'll just n-nap for a b-bit."

"You stay awake. Stay awake ten seconds more."

Ignoring the pain in his leg, he opened the door and quickly found the first-aid kit.

Please be there, please be there.

He took out a large siringe and went back to his mate.

"You listen to me Judy, you better stay awake or I swear on my father's grave I'll stick this in your heart and wake you back up." He said with a broken joking smile. But he wasn't joking. He didn't know if the bunny's heart would be able to take it, but he wouldn't hesitate.

She gave him the most painful smile he had ever seen.

"I'm cold Nick."

He secured the tourniquet again, the blood had almost stopped dripping. He took out his police coat and wrapped her in it. "Stay still, and stay awake." He took out his own radio. "Here's 1825, 11-99 send back up and an ambulance. Automatic weapons. Two culprits with automatic weapons. Officer Hopps has been shot. I repeat, officer Hopps had been shot. We need and ambulance right fucking now !"

"Precinct One speaking. I'm calling for an ambulance. Hold on ten minutes more."

"We don't have ten fucking minutes !"

"Here's 1258, we're four minutes away. Hang on 1825."
Nick looked under the car. The attackers had moved and were walking around it, the sheep ahead of the bear. Nick couldn't leave Judy here but couldn't move her either. They didn't have four minutes.

Fuck ! Fuck !

"Put down your weapons !" he screamed taking out his gun. He felt a movement, Judy had taken out her own gun and was trying to aim it in the direction of the two coming mammals with shaking arms.

"G-go behind cover."

His protective instinct washed his mind. And there was something else. Something dangerous. Something he instantly hated.

He took the weapon from her paws. "I have a plan." he said, winking at her.

Okay. It's like training. Shoot the center of mass.

"Here's 1258. Two minutes."

"We don't have two minutes." Nick's voice was calm, firm, and devoid of any emotion.

The plan was slowly taking form in his mind. It was more a gamble than a plan, but that was all he had. He checked Judy a last time, she was looking at him, and he could see her struggling to stay conscious. He took a gun in each paw, putting his left perpendiculary under his right to ensure stability. He would use each weapon after the other, saving the time of one reloading process.

The fox moved away from Judy, trying to minimize the risk of her getting shot in the firefight that was about to ensue. He planted one of his knees in the ground, just as the sheep emerged from behind the police cruiser.

The officer shot two time, right in the center of the sheep's chest, sending him stumble backward and dropping his gun. One down, one to go.
His mind was cold, calculating, in a place he hated it to be.

He saw the grizzly emerge in turn, beginning to aim at him. The two first bullets hit the bear right in the chest, but it was only six millimetter ammo, only a flesh wound to the huge mammal. Slightly taken aback by the pain, he had to take time to aim a second time, leaving time for Nick to raise his own weapon and emptying the remaining 6 bullets in direction of the bear's face.

Just as the bullet hit him, the attacker began firing, the pain and recoil throwing off his aim, buying Nick enough time to switch gun and fire again. The vulpine felt a sharp pain in his ribs but barely flinched, emptying the second gun again in the bear's face. He saw fur ripping, teeth flying and heard the nauseating sound of flesh bursted appart by metal, between the screams of the gunshots.

The bear let escape the rifle, screaming while taking his face in his paws, Nick could see one of his bullet had caught him in the eye, turning it into a pool of blood. The ursine staggered for a few second before slumping to the ground with a loud thump.

The fox let go of the two guns and tried to run to his bunny, but the pain in his ribs and leg was too intense and he fell.

Fuck ! Think, think Nick !

He had to get to her. He couldn't leave her hurt and alone. She was looking at him, despair in her eyes, shivering in cold and fear. He took out a syringe from a clip of his tranq-gun, and used it too drip some of the tranquilizer on his wounds. There was only a gash on his thigh, luckily the bullet had only grazed him. The ribs had suffered more, at least two were broken but the bullet had bounced off on them, partly thanks to the bulletproof vest. As he sprayed the liquid, he began crawling toward Judy, leaving traces of blood behind him.

The pain slowly receided, and he was able to reach her, putting her head in his lap.

"Everything's alright, we're alright. The fox caught the bad guys."

He hoped she had seen nothing of it, but she had stayed awake throughout the bullet exchange.

"You sure d-did." she gave him a small smile.

He heard the screeching of tires near the bullet-ridden cruiser.

Another van ?

The guns he had let escape when going back to his mate were out of his reach, he took out his tranq-gun and aimed in the direction from where the footsteps were coming.

"Civilian down" called a voice. "Guns, those were the culprits."

Nick put down the tranq-gun. He had recognized Snarlov's voice. The siren's he wasn't hearing suddenly came to the foreground.

"Guys we're here ! Judy ? Back-up's here, everything's alright."

"It's not alright. B-bad liar. You always call me J-Judy when it's not alright." Her voice was feeble, only a whisper.

The bear officer kneeled near Nick.

"Oh my god, Judy." He stared at her for few second. Blood was still dripping from her leg, but it was only a few drop. The vulpine had done a great job with the tourniquet. The ursine's eyes went back to the fox. "Nick, we must tend to your wounds."

"Not moving from here." The voice was firm, almost aggressive.

Snarlov stood back up and went to the first aid kit that Nick had spilled while looking for the adrenalin siringe. In the meantime, Rhinowitz was checking the attacker, taking away their weapon.

"Dead sheep. But the bear is still alive. How many bullet did you put in him Nick ?"

"I'd say at least fifteen. He wouldn't fall."

The realisation of what he had done slowly dawned on him. He had used lethal force against other mammals, and he didn't even hesitate. It was the strength of the bond. Would Judy not have been in danger, he was sure he wouldn't have been able to press the trigger. And he couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not.
The white bear went back to the fox with antiseptic and bandage.

"You may want to bite into something, and let go of her."

"Go ahead, I won't move."

The bear shrugged an ripped Nick's pant leg with a swiss-army-knife, putting antiseptic and tight bandage around it. As he had promised the fox didn't flinch.

"Okay, I'm impressed."

Nick took off his torn bullet-proof jacket and shirt. The bullet had been caught inside the jacket. Once again it was only a gash. A few centimetter to the right and Nick's thoracic cage would've bursted open. He let the bear do his task. No flinch either.

"Nick, what the fuck ?"

"I put tranquilizer on my wound to dampen the pain and be able to move."

Snarlov eyes shot open "You're completely crazy." he looked down at Judy, but he really didn't want to see her stump. "I don't think I should touch this." At same moment, Rhinowitz arrived, his coat in a bundle, dripping of blood.

"What's this Rhinowitz ?" asked Nick.

"It's Judy's-" he said pointing at the stump. Nick winced, he didn't want to think about it.

They heard ambulance sirens coming from down the street. The bunny was still conscious but she wasn't speaking. The fox felt her paw becoming gradually limp on his arm.

"Judy ?"

"I'm cold- I'm."

"Don't talk, the ambulance is here, keep your strengths."

"I mus- In cas- " she struggled to find his breathe, Nick fought back the rush of panic. "I l-love you." He squeazed her paw in a reassuring manner. "I love you too." He saw her eyelids slowly close.

"Judy ? Don't do this to me."

Her paw went limp in his.

"P-please, don't do this- No-!"

He shook her gently but she didn't react.

"No ! Wake up, please Judy. JUDY !"

He didn't feel the tears dripping from his eyes, nor the scream of despair that came out of his throat. Paws were restraining him as he fought back, while the paramedics put his mate on a stretcher. He tried to claw his way to the bunny, snarling, biting, but he wasn't strong enough, his wounds holding him back.

He felt a slight sting in his neck.

And the world went dark.