Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's note: I didn't write for 2 years. I have finally broken out of the longest writer's block I had ever experienced. Nick and Judy just so happen to be my latest victims.
The Zootopia Police Department gym is bustling at five in the morning, filled with upbeat music, effort and smell of sweat. Amongst the crowd is a new and unlikely face; a fox, his hair red, highlighted with black tips, and his eyes – green and deadpan. Thinking back, he could still remember the moment when he made up his mind and submitted the job application to the HR personnel, and the moment in conclusion to the job interview when Chief Bogo reached out over the desk to firmly shake his hand– he knew he landed the position.
And all along, he knew Judy was standing by. She was there across the hallway from the HR room when he handed the application, and she was there outside the boardroom where the interviews were being held. He was nervous before stepping in but he kept a cool demeanor, and Judy fussing over his tie wasn't helping.
"Nick, I asked you to shave even a little bit. I mean, I like you with a bit of scruff, but you need to look presentable. And this tie does not match your eye colour. It's orange, for the love of cheese and…" she mumbled in a hushed tone.
Nick smiled and leaned over her, placing his paws on the tie and slowly pulling it out of Judy's grasp.
"Sweetheart, at this rate you're going to end up shredding my tie, and possibly strangling me." He flattened his tie against his chest after pulling the rest of it only to let it dangle between them. Judy backed away and her gaze climbed up from his chest to lips.
"Good luck. This is it, Nick. If you never try, you'll never know," she said cheerfully.
Still hunched over her, Nick looked sideways before dropping his voice to a whisper. "I have an idea. How about a quick, good luck kiss before I sell myself to the federal government, huh?"
Judy's features softened as she reached out to Nick, her right paw finding his chin. After what seemed like forever, her lips curled into a lopsided smirk, and she playfully pushed Nick's face away.
"Maybe later, fox," she said as a sheep administrator appeared behind them.
"Nicholas Wilde? You may see Chief Bogo now."
Nick entered the boardroom, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, realizing that his sleepy childhood dreams of being a fox scout may as well have been building up to this occasion, and that his life may never be the same again.
His trailing thoughts linger a bit longer over Judy, surprising himself sometimes that he is daydreaming about her, out of all mammals. Prior to her, no one was able to pique his interest. He only cared about perfecting his con jobs and making money. But lately, he's been thinking about her. About the way he finds her nose twitches adorable. And when she smiles really wide, he can almost see a dimple form on her left cheek.
He blinks a couple of times at the high ceiling above him in the gym, the sparkles transitioning back into light fixtures, and the blasting music of Fur Fighters returning to his ears. He breathes heavily as he repositions himself more comfortably on the bench, laying on his back.
With his paws planted firmly on the floor, Nick un-racks the bar with straight arms and lowers it to his mid-chest. Grimacing, he presses it back up until he has locked his elbows, slightly shaking while sweat borders his forehead. He's been increasing the bar weight bit by bit on a daily basis, and in turn, it earns him muscles that were not there before. Not bad for someone who's two months into employment with the ZPD.
In the opposite wing of the training grounds, specifically the 200-yard shooting range, Judy empties the shell of her gloc-17 onto a cheetah suspect cardboard target. Her accuracy has improved, but she still missed some easy shots by inches.
She returns the weapon to the counter and removes her earmuffs, then makes her way to the locker room. She dresses up in her dark blue uniform - placing the duty belt on her hips, ensuring her weapon is locked and loaded, clipping the radio communication device over her right shoulder, and pinning the badge over her chest.
It's now six-thirty in the morning as she weaves through the busy floor of the police department. As usual, Clawhauser greets her by offering some type of baked good when she passes by the main reception. She stops to look up at a television screen hanging a good distance from Clawhauser's desk, the headline catching her attention.
ZNN has been reporting an anomaly moving about in a recently discovered region in Tundratown, in the much deeper north. The penguin archaeologists who were responsible for uncovering a high wall of ice lining the foot of the biggest frozen mountain in the animal kingdom have since disappeared. The Mammalian Investigative Unit of ZPD relied on delayed and blurry video feeds from the archaeologists showing what looks like a really big, four-legged animal emerging from a hole in the thinning ice wall. And this animal was naked and walking on all fours.
"Amazing, I'll give it that," a voice startles Judy. Nick is looking up at the screen as well, gingerly sipping coffee from his coffee cup. There's a pair of sunshades sitting atop his head, his hair still a bit wet from the shower after exercising. "What makes it alarming is that it hasn't been classified yet."
The news report goes on to show reactions and commentaries from different mammals, ranging from civilians to animals in power. An exchange follows during a live coverage in front of the Nature Summit Building in the Rainforest District.
"This is a result of climate change. When are we going to wake up and realize that the kingdom may just one day crumble to nothing? This land is where we live, and there's only one, we should take care of it!" an elephant protester says. Behind him is an angry crowd, holding up signs whilst growing in number.
"Climate change is not real. It's a propaganda made up by pandas in Tundratown so they could take money out of suckers like you," a gorilla businessman says, infuriating the crowd even more.
"The north is melting and now someone is hundreds and thousands of years late to the evolution party. I would hate to be that guy," Nick continues, glancing at Judy. "He's in for a rude awakening."
Judy sighs before lowering her gaze from the screen. "The MIU hasn't requested for any assistance from the police unit. They're sending some of their agents up there without much information, let alone defense," Judy crosses her arms in front of her. "It could turn ugly."
Nick's eyebrows furrow and he shoots a sidelong look down at Judy. "It sounds like you really want to be assigned to north Tundratown these days, Carrots. We've had this discussion before."
"I'm just thinking, you know, we should be ready for anything."
"I won't let you volunteer yourself to go up there. We don't even know what that thing is!" Nick is now standing in front of her, blocking her view of the television screen.
Judy manages to maintain her tone despite a growing irritation. "And since when did you become my chief?"
"I heard the word chief. My ears are burning," Chief Bogo pushes his way between Nick and Judy and places his hooves on their shoulders. "My two favourite newest recruits…for now. I'm sorry to interrupt such a tender moment between you two, but I'm going to have to kick your butts over to the bullpen, now!"
Nick takes in another sip of coffee. "Ah yes. I love the sound of dire urgency at six thirty in the morning. An excellent start to the day, right chief?"
The chief leaves in haste, followed by a python reporter who somehow managed to squeeze through security. The chief ignores the blabbing reporter as if by routine, and turns around right before swinging the bullpen doors open.
"Daylight's burning, officers," Chief Bogo shouts at Nick and Judy.
Judy almost hops as she turns towards Nick. "What if he is assigning us to Tundratown? What if we're getting the unclassified loose mammal case?!" Judy exclaims, nudging Nick in the arm.
Nick responds with a sigh and throws the empty cup into the garbage before both disappear into the bullpen, his other paw on the small of Judy's back.
It turns out there were no new tasks to be appointed regarding the loose mammal case at all. Not even a search for the missing penguin archaeologists. Nick and Judy find themselves on a side street in the outskirts of the city bordering the Sahara Square, near the Canyonlands. The police department received a tip from an anonymous caller describing himself as a 'former gang member of Hyenanos'. Hyenanos are one of the many gang circles residing in the desert undergrounds, and hold the reputation for being the most violent.
The caller gave the ZPD a certain location and time, and merely disclosed that if the police follow the narrow road that rips through the middle of barren desert until they hit the train tracks, they will find a five billion dollar secret.
Judy is walking aimlessly outside of the police cruiser, looking over the files. Nick is getting impatient inside the vehicle, and occupies himself by plugging in the target location coordinates on the GPS installed on the dashboard. He reaches for the shades sitting on his head and plays with the frame leg, rubbing it along his lower lip.
Judy finally hops in, nose still buried in the folder.
"This doesn't make sense. The call was vague and cryptic. What exactly are we supposed to expose here?"
"It's an hour and a half drive to the desert. We have an hour and half to review the backstory," Nick replies as he puts his shades on and careens his way through the busy streets heading towards the border into Sahara Square.
"Nick, I feel like we're diving snout-first into this. How do we even know the informant is reliable? What if there's really nothing there while an incident ends up transpiring in the city, or in Tundratown?"
"The chief himself screened this case before handing it to us. He also assembled a team as our backup just in case. We're just ahead of them by a couple of miles. Don't worry, ok?" Nick glances sideways at Judy and gives her a warm smile.
The high sun casts shadows on his face, making his fur almost transparent at the tips. It occurs to her altogether how handsome her partner is, and that he has come a long way from where he left off as a con artist. She smiles back at him.
"Come on Carrots, let's get those pages flipping."
They're almost there.
Judy is looking out the window in silence, starting to get bored of the same desert stretch. Nick is belting out to a song by Fleetwood Yak when he suddenly slams the break - noticing something about the dusty road below them – and alas, the train tracks. He turns off the engine and jumps out of the cruiser, focused on the set of tire marks that split into two – one heading east and the other heading west. Judy looks on ahead of them and takes note of the sprawling growth of Mormon tea bushes, which were taller than usual. Joshua trees tower over the other desert plants, and dead thickets roll and accumulate, covered in dust and sand.
"It's eerily quiet here," Judy whispers as she lowers herself to the ground and plucks her gun from the holster.
"Yes, try not to make a sound. This kind of quiet enables our noise to travel really fast, and I don't want any welcoming crew right now."
Nick realizes one set of tire marks stop at just about the beginning of the line of tea bushes, and the other one was the same, just far on the other side.
"There are two vehicles beyond this train track and beyond these bushes. I suggest we split and approach from both sides," Judy says as they walk over the tracks and pause two metres from the bushes.
Nick grabs Judy's arm to stop her from treading further. She turns and sees him sniffing around like a maniac.
"I'm picking up a couple of familiar scents. I've dealt with them before," he lets her go as a look of panic washes over his expression. "These mammals are no good."
"You've dealt…? Who are they coming from?"
"The Hyenanos is one of them. The other smells like the Quixotes," Nick is scrambling for his telecom and blurts out an inaudible order through the device. He draws his gun as Judy turns on her heels to head to the opposite direction, following the second set of tire marks. Nick swallows a lump down his throat before he pushes his way through the tea bush and appears on the other side, his eyes quick to spot Judy emerge many feet away from him as well.
The air turns heavier, and so does the silence.
The two tiptoe deeper into the magical woods, surveying the area. More dead thickets greet them at their feet. Nick finally stops walking and lets his eyes drag along the wide distance between him and Judy, and finally locks eyes with her. She is now also facing him while standing still, her mouth agape, fixated by something looming behind Nick.
"Hey Judy?" his voice crackles, coming from her telecom.
"Yes Nick," she buzzes back.
"Do you mind digging a rabbit hole for the two of us, for cover?"
Judy nods slightly, cringing at the fact that they had walked into a set-up.
"Freeze! ZPD!" Nick yells as he turns around and points the gun at the shadow closing in on him from behind. The gang leader of Hyenanos, Rodrigo, is pacing back and forth, aiming a gun back at him. Across from Judy's side, the head of Quixotes, Don Marco, is aiming a gun at her.
Rodrigo has a look of disgust towards the Quixotes. "Who called the cops? This wasn't part of the plan," he shouted from across. A bunch of his hyena gang members step out from hiding, making intimidating noises.
"What do you take me for, Rodrigo, an idiot?" Don Marco replies, itching to pull the trigger. "Why would I want to do that when all I wanted today was to get paid for the goods by our employer?" The rest of the coyotes spill out behind him as well, loaded with guns.
"No, no no, you lie, Don Marco. How dare you rat me out to the feds," the hyena leader says in a raspy voice. "Now you all gotta go."
"After you, old friend."
Judy could feel her heart beating out of her chest and her arms are starting to cramp from holding up the gun for too long. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of her cheek. Nick is quick to scan his surroundings, gauging trees and thick bushes. He draws a sharp intake of breath.
A gunshot is fired from the Hyenanos first, quickly followed by a second. The Quixotes respond with three shots. Nick's quick reflex lifts him off the ground as he leaps and veers to the left, rolling into a cluster of Joshua trees, while Judy easily springs high and above the whizzing bullets and veers to the right, landing in the tea bushes.
Both catch their breaths as they peek through their hiding places to assess the situation in front of them, confirming some gang members are now sprawled unconscious on the ground. The two gangs keep exchanging multiple shots at each other.
Judy jumps out of the bushes and plops into another one, carefully aiming her gun at a specific target. She shoots one coyote in the arm, making him howl and drop his weapon. She moves on to the next unsuspecting coyote and shoots him in the wrist. Decreasing in numbers, the injured coyotes slowly retreat into the back.
Nick is using a tree as a shield as he shoots at the hyenas from a distance. In between shots, he spots a black Cadillac parked behind a patch of tall grass. Suddenly, he feels a hard push from behind, shoving him unawares into the sand. He blinks out sand particles in his eyes and watches his gun tumble far away from him. He groans and painfully turns his body over so he is now laying on his back instead of his stomach. He commands his elbows to prop him up while he glares at Rodrigo.
"A conniving fox working for the police department. Now I've seen everything," the leader of the hyena gang stalks him, and all Nick could see was the glint from the gun's barrel pointing at him.
"I know, right? I'm telling you, the benefits and pension are top notch," Nick is starting to feel the sting from all the scratches he has accumulated.
He curls himself into a ball and with his paws planted on the ground; he stretches out and lunges upwards at Rodrigo. Rodrigo hits the ground and Nick pins the astonished gang leader below him, determined to take the gun from Rodrigo's hand. In the corner of his eye, he sees a hyena on the attack towards him, so he places his paw over the gun that he still hasn't snatched away from Rodrigo, tilts it in an angle and pulls the trigger.
The hyena is taken down, shot in the leg and writhing in pain.
Nick returns his attention to Rodrigo who is now trying to shrug him off his chest. He makes a ball out of his fist and punches Rodrigo square in the left jaw, a spritz of blood flying in the air, and to ensure he is knocked out, he then strikes him across the right.
He drags Rodrigo by the collar of his shirt to the parked Cadillac and fishes out his handcuffs. He locks Rodrigo's wrist in the cuff on one end and attaches the other end to the door handle of the car.
He reunites with his gun and picks it up along the way as he strides to the middle of the battle field, his thoughts realigning to Judy. The shooting has ceased but there is one problem.
Don Marco is standing still, facing away from Nick. Nick's heart skips a beat when he realizes Judy is nowhere to be found.
Raising his gun at Don Marco, his hands tremble in fear and contained rage. "It's over, I have 10-unit backup coming for your ass."
Don Marco does not respond right away. Instead he starts to chuckle.
"That's too bad. I was just starting to get to know your cute little girlfriend here a little better."
He turns around and is holding Judy by the neck. She has both her paws on his, trying to break free. There's an open gash on her forehead and she is desperately gasping for air. Her head is shaking back and forth and she's mouthing something to Nick.
"You let her go," Nick calmly gives an order, his eyes reduced to a slit.
"You're nothing but a fox. You don't scare me," Don Marco says before breaking into laughter.
Nick moves two steps closer, cautious in calculating with his feet, and more cautious in calculating his accuracy.
"I'm going to count to three…"
"Give it up fox. Don't move or your bunny is dead."
"One."
Don Marco reaches for his back pocket to pull out a pistol and waves it around carelessly. He somehow must find humour in the situation because he starts to laugh again.
"Two." Nick takes two more steps.
"I told ya not to move!" Don Marco's face twists into anger in a split second, lifts his pistol and shoves it into Judy's left ear.
Judy closes her eyes.
Nick slightly dips his head as a single bullet is dislodged from his gun. The sound is particularly louder, echoing throughout the emptiness of the desert. He holds his position in tact until he feels his muscles soften, his eyes strained from refusing to blink. Disturbed sand particles create a coarse fog between them, reducing visibility.
On the other side, Don Marco starts to loosen his grip over Judy's neck, and gradually he falls, turning into an unconscious pile on the ground. Nick shot him in the shoulder, and he was ready to shoot again if he wasn't subdued enough.
Judy lands on her knees, coughing wildly, her eyes haven't peeled off of Nick's who has now lowered his arms to his sides. Nick notices Judy is wildly distressed, frantically trying to stand up, albeit unsuccessfully.
"Three," a voice materializes from behind Nick, making him swivel around. Rodrigo, whose one hand is still cuffed to the Cadillac, flashes him a smile before he gets trigger happy with a different handgun he must've secretly stashed in his expensive suit, sending two rapid bullets flying into Nick.
Judy's head is spinning and she doesn't even recognize the scream that is coming from her. Before Nick falters and hits the ground, the Emergency Response Team charges their way through the bushes and finally neutralizes the head of the Hyenanos for good.