Chapter 1 – Free:
Author's Note:
So… uh… this is my first collaboration piece. Yeah… I know, shocking, right? I'm usually the person to do everything myself. No beta, no help… no nothing… and yet, when All Hail King Scar came to me, asking to write something with him/her, I conceded. And… well, here it is. So, to start, I would like to give a huge shout out (and my deepest thanks) for helping write this story… if you all enjoy Lion King, check out his/her profile. The stories there are pretty good!
So, a bit about the story to start. I don't know if you got this from the summary, but the premise for the story is that convicted criminals are given a choice between taking prison time… or taking a "collar deal," where they are given a "contractor" and are forced to work without pay until their sentence is up. They are forced to wear a shock collar and their contractor is given the ability to shock them (duh). Some contractors are pretty fair, only shocking their "slaves" if they become aggressive… but others are ruthless, shocking them for the smallest of things, some even just to watch them writhe. Society doesn't give a shit… the collared are criminals and "deserve" it. Few even realize what's going on, even when collared criminals are being treated like slaves… some even sold like livestock between contractors on black markets. The bar to be convicted of a crime is low, and collar deals are particularly tough, even low-level offences can see years with a collar, depending on the harshness of the judge.
Nick and Judy are cops… they're the ones sending these animals to a fate worse than death. And… for the longest time, Judy had no idea how bad it really was… and Nick has learned that there was nothing he could do. But… as they pull into a diner for dinner, after a particularly grueling case, their eyes are opened to the world around them. Please… enjoy.
XXX
Judy sat back in her chair, the late hour beginning to take its toll. She and Nick had just finished up another case, a violent drug bust, and they were both exhausted from the frantic events that had taken place that afternoon. The diner they were in was deserted except for them, but the sign had flashed OPEN, so they had chosen it in lazy hurry.
"Well this isn't the nicest place," Nick grumbled.
"But it was the closest place," Judy replied, letting her ears flop behind her head. "Just be glad we didn't have to stay on the roads with the traffic jam."
"Whatever you say. Honestly... a traffic jam this late at night?" Nick sighed, leaning back in the booth. Although the back of the booth was made from soft felt, the seat itself was made from wood, and not clean wood either. It was impossible to get comfortable on.
"Oh, who knows? Car accident, probably," she mumbled, crossing her arms. She looked around and grumbled for a moment, not in the best of moods. "Geez, I thought they said this place was open. No one seems to be here." She cleared her throat, "Hello!" she shouted.
A few seconds passed, when a hyena burst out of the kitchen, looking around frantically. When she saw Nick and Judy she gulped audibly and rushed over to them. "Sorry I'm late!" she exclaimed, looking extremely anxious. "Uh, what will you be ge-getting today?"
Nick raised an eyebrow as he watched her twitch in place. She didn't seem to be carrying a notepad... he wondered if she could be able to remember their orders. Though, he supposed, there were only two of them. "You go first, hun," Nick gave Judy a sly grin as he pulled the menu up to his face, wondering if she would throw something at him. She hated it when he did that. It didn't help that he also had no clue what to get.
Judy cast him the evil eye for a moment, then turned back to the hyena, who was wearing a standard waitress uniform and skirt. Her eyes were wide for... some reason. Was she... afraid? And what from? She cleared her throat, "Yes. Thank you. Now I'll be getting the..." she glanced back down at the menu. "Taco salad. And water." Then she gestured at Nick.
She vaguely heard him mutter a profanity, but he answered nonetheless, "Chicken salad for me... and coke." The hyena nodded rapidly and practically ran back into the kitchen. "What's her deal?" he asked, gesturing towards the kitchen.
Judy cocked her eyebrow. "Who knows? But you know... did you see what was around her neck?" she asked.
Nick narrowed his eyes, "Yeah. Collar." He unconsciously rubbed his neck, but made no further comments towards the device.
"I wonder what she did," she sighed, leaning back in the booth.
"Who cares," Nick grumbled, shifting on the hard wood again. "Not like we can do anything about it."
"Comfortable?" she snickered, although she herself was not much better off.
"Yeah, laugh it up fluff-butt," Nick growled, putting one leg underneath him in hopes of finding some comfort.
"Dumb fox," she said, grinning at her partner. The two lapsed into silence, staring at the grimy table in front of them. The minutes passed them by as they waited for their food. They did not have high hopes for its quality, but they didn't care. They were just hungry, and would accept anything that wouldn't kill them.
The hyena eventually returned, carrying two large dishes, each with the ordered sides, meals, and drinks. She walked toward them carefully, the plates wobbling in her paws. She set them down in accordance to who ordered what, taking Judy's drink and setting it next to the bowl. But when she grabbed ahold of Nick's drink, her arm suddenly twitched and she lost her hold on the coke. The beverage crashed onto the table, splashing all over Nick as the hyena let out a gasp of horror.
Nick shifted again in his seat, now uncomfortable and wet. "Well that's just great," he growled. He reached for a few napkins, but he knew that they wouldn't be much help.
"I'm sorry!" the hyena exclaimed, her eyes wide and terrified. "I'm sorry! Uh..." she fumbled around in her pockets, taking out several napkins and handing them to Nick with a shaking paw.
"Yeah, yeah," Nick said, taking the extra napkins, and wiping his pants and shirt. He eventually gave up trying to completely dry himself off, setting the wet napkins aside for disposal later.
The hyena stood by them, her eyes still wide and breathing heavily. Judy frowned, what the hell was she doing? She just sort of... stared at them, expression horrified. As if she had accidentally murdered a group of schoolchildren.
"Uh... are you all right?" Nick asked, noticing the hyena's fear. He looked down at his food, pleased to see it wasn't wet. At least he still had that.
"Uh… I'm all right!" she replied, shaking herself back to reality. "I'm all right... I'm all right... uh... s-sorry for the inconvenience sir!" she stuttered.
"Just bring me another coke," he sighed. She nodded rapidly and rushed back into the kitchen. Judy sent him a snarky grin. "What?" he hissed.
"You're all wet," she snickered, casting him an amused look.
"Ha, ha, look at the wet fox," he said, "I thought maybe I'd get a bit of sympathy, but I clearly forgot how cruel you are." He held his hand over his head in dramatic display.
"Now, there's no need to cry," Judy grinned, as she handed him some more napkins. "I thought you wouldn't let people get to you."
"Wanting sympathy is different than letting people get to you. It shows that you're not an emotionless sociopath," he grinned, "Or are you?" He waved the napkins away, he would just deal with being wet. They would eat and leave, where he could change into something dryer.
"Gee, I don't know Nick. Am I?" she asked, grinning slyly right back at him. At that moment, the waitress returned, holding Nick's new coke. She set it down with greater care this time.
"There you g-go sir," she said, her expression somehow… empty. Not of emotion, but it seemed to be… sad. Well, not quite sad. Judy figured it was more... hopeless. Somehow.
"Are you?" Nick said, completely ignoring the waitress. Judy made a motion with her head, nodding towards the hyena. Nick, noticing what she was insinuating, turned to the waitress and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome sir." She replied, her voice much calmer. "En-... enjoy your meal."
The two of them watched as she walked back towards the kitchen. Nick noticed that she was limping slightly in her step, though he couldn't think of why. He dug into his salad nonetheless. "There's something wrong with that hyena," Judy muttered, as she glanced over at the kitchen.
"Probably," Nick mumbled, doing his best to seem impassive.
"Yeah... oh well," she said, turning back to her salad. At that moment, a lion walked into the diner from the kitchen. He made his way over to the two of them, smile etched onto his face.
"I am so sorry about our waitress, she's the only one that works this late, and she can be a bit of a klutz," the lion smiled kindly. But there was something else… Nick didn't bother looking, but Judy could see it in the lion's eyes. An emotion she couldn't quite identify.
"No worries, the food wasn't ruined," Nick sighed. It didn't really matter to him. If he had bothered to look, he would've realized what was wrong immediately.
"Worries indeed," the lion responded. "I can assure you she has been sufficiently punished, if that helps at all, sir."
Judy raised her ears in alarm. "Sufficiently punished? How so sir?" she asked. She saw the lion grin, and realized too late what he meant. The hyena was collared… it should've been obvious what the lion meant by punishment.
"Shenzi!" the lion called out loudly. Nick and Judy flinched from his harsh tone, but watched as the hyena waitress came slinking out of the kitchen and came to stand reluctantly beside her master. "See that collar around her neck?" the lion smirked, pointing at the device.
The hyena stood there with her eyes wide, breathing heavily. Judy frowned, what was going to happen? "Yes, I do" she said carefully. She had a sinking feeling she knew what was coming next.
"Well it's a shock collar, ma'am, and it delivers quite a nasty shock too whenever I press this button," the lion explained, holding out a little remote with two buttons on it. One was a deep red color and nearly twice the size of the second, white button. "When she screws up or upsets the patrons, this always comes in handy." He handed the remote to Nick and asked, "Do you wanna press the button? She did spill all over you."
Nick bristled at the offer, refusing to take the remote from the lion, and hissed, "No thanks. I said I was fine. No worries."
The lion shrugged, "Suit yourself." He pulled the remote back and hit the red button. The hyena let out a blood curling scream, immediately spasming and falling to the floor with a dull thud. The shock was only a single burst, but she didn't get up. Judy had to stop herself from gasping in horror at the sight of the hyena when she went down. And she didn't get up, she lied there with her knees drawn up to her chest, sobbing from the pain.
"There, that'll teach you to spill a customer's drink," the lion sighed. "I'm sorry again for the inconvenience, sir. It won't happen again." Nick ground his teeth together and nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off the sobbing hyena. The lion walked away from the duo, leaving his employee, or slave, Nick thought to himself, on the ground. Judy noticed Nick's paws curling into fists.
Judy didn't know what to do, there was a hyena who seemed to be extremely hurt right in front of her... but that lion had been fully within his rights. She wasn't supposed to interfere with collared criminals and the jobs they performed. She looked over at Nick. "Is something wrong?" she asked, looking down at his paws.
Nick took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Nothing. I'm... I'm fine." He still couldn't take his eyes off the hyena. Judy didn't need to know… she didn't need to know.
Judy's conscience couldn't take it anymore. "Ma'am? Are you all right?" she asked, hopping down from the booth next to the hyena. The hyena didn't respond, and only kept sobbing, drawing her knees all the way to her chest with her arms.
"Don't talk to her," Nick hissed. Judy turned to glare at him, but could only see concern etched in his face. "They don't like it when you try and comfort them... you'll only make it worse for her if the manager catches you."
"The lion's not around," she argued, swiveling her ears. "And look at her! She's broken down, she just needs a few words of comfort." She gestured towards the weeping hyena, who only rocked back and forth when she was pointed to.
"I wish it was just that simple," Nick sighed and went back to his food. If she wanted to comfort the hyena, then she could face the consequences when the lion found out.
Judy grumbled, she couldn't believe him! Why was he refusing to help someone who so clearly needed it? "Ma'am? Can you hear me?" Judy asked softly. The hyena let out another sob, but looked up at Judy with tears in her eyes nonetheless.
"Judy..." Nick said, his tone sending a clear warning not to interfere. But it was too late. He spotted the lion walking out of the kitchen again, eyes widening when he caught sight of Judy on the floor, trying to help the hyena.
The hyena looked over at the lion, and let out a cry of fear, instantly curling up into a tight little ball. "Oh... sir," Judy tried her hardest not to spit, only managing to take out some of the bite from her tone. She stood and dusted her uniform off and made eye contact with the lion.
"Ma'am," the lion started, but stopped. He had never experienced anything like this before. Most were willing to just watch a convicted criminal writhe in pain, he had never seen someone try and comfort the hyena. So he could only assume the hyena forced it upon his paying patron. "I must warn you to stay away from her. She is dangerous and I wasn't here, she could've hurt you." He pulled the remote out of his pocket again, pressing the red button as he did.
The waitress shut her eyes and screamed, her paws spasming as the shock rocketed through her body. Judy jumped away, horrified that the lion could so callously inflict pain. "Sir!" the hyena sobbed, remaining on the floor. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make a mistake!" she cried out.
Judy looked back at Nick, searching for some guidance, but was only met by a cold stare. "I told you so. There's nothing we can do for her," he growled. He took a sip of his coke just as the electricity stopped coursing through the hyena, halting her spasms.
"Sir... please..." the waitress sobbed as the lion picked her up and carried her back to the kitchen, his paw on the button.
"What's wrong with you Nick?!" Judy demanded the moment the door shut. It didn't make any sense… why was he being so cold about this?
"How much time ya got, Fluff?" Nick all but whispered, glaring at the door the lion and hyena had disappeared through.
"Just tell me what's wrong," she pleaded, glancing at the closed door. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard another scream. She let her ears down, just in case.
Nick growled lowly, his ears flattening against his head. "How familiar are you with my work prior to the police force?" he sighed after a short pause. He had promised that he would never reveal this, but it was Judy. Judy... it wasn't like she was going to tell everyone. My secret is safe with her, he thought to himself as he awaited her response.
"Oh..." Judy sat down, caught by surprise. "Uh... not at... all, actually." She rubbed the back of her neck embarrassed.
"Let's just say I wasn't the most savory of characters," Nick admitted. "But that changed after the collar."
Judy raised her eyebrow. "Collar?!" she asked, shocked. She had no idea that he had ever worn one. He never mentioned it, not even once during all their time together.
"Yeah, collar," Nick admitted. He watched as worry filled her eyes, but he remained as impassive as possible. "Petty thievery, lucky they didn't catch me doing something worse, otherwise I would've had to have worn it for longer than the week that I did."
"You had... a collar? Nick... why didn't you tell me?" Judy asked, her mouth agape.
"Because it's not a time I like to remember fondly," he growled in return. "It was, without a question, the most degrading, hellish, nightmare week I have ever experienced. And I had a contractor just like that lion, one who was a bit trigger happy. Always had his grubby little paw on that button, waiting for a reason to zap me."
"Nick... I'm... I'm sorry, I don't know what to say..." she stuttered, blown away by this revelation from her most trusted friend. She had never had an experience like that before, it wasn't like she could relate to him at all.
"Say nothing, please. It hurts enough knowing that you know about it," he looked down at his nearly empty bowl. "There wasn't anything you could've done. And there isn't anything you can do now for her."
Judy looked down at her lap. "You want to help that hyena, don't you?" she whispered, "Even more than me."
"I know what it's like, Judy," Nick admitted. "I know what it's like to look up at the sky with hope, only to see others walk right by you, not a care in the world. I know what it's like to have hundreds of volts sent through your neck for the smallest things... I know what it's like to suffer as she does. And I want to help, I want to help her, I really do... but the reality is that I, and you, can do nothing. So it's best to pretend this never happened and leave."
Judy scowled, "Nick, you know that isn't true." How could he just give up on another living being? When he himself would've so desperately wanted someone to help him… why would he not offer help now?
"Then what can we do?" Nick snarled. "She's a criminal who chose this life. Society isn't going to take pity on her!"
Judy leaned back, why the hell was he so upset? "Nick, we're cops! It's our duty to help those who need it. And right now, I can tell you that hyena, unless she committed one hell of a crime, doesn't deserve what she's getting. And we both want to help her… where there's a will, there's a way!" she claimed, with indignation at Nick's outburst.
"All right then! Let's just bring the wrath of society down upon our shoulders! Or maybe watch as Zootopia crumbles to ruins as every collared criminal who "doesn't deserve it" is set free," Nick replied sarcastically. "We're cops, we're supposed to protect and serve "society" and criminals, especially collared ones, are no longer a part of society."
"Fine then! How about we determine that ourselves!" Judy shouted, angry at Nick for his... his... his stubbornness! "We'll ask her what she did!"
"Do you really think a criminal would want to talk about their crimes? You know, the reason she's suffering?" Nick asked.
"There's only one way to find out," Judy sighed, hopping out of her seat and grabbing Nick's paw, leading him to the kitchen.
"Bad idea, bad idea," Nick mumbled as he was dragged along towards the kitchen. They halted before entering, trying to see if the lion manager was still around. Judy peeked inside carefully, and saw the lion enter another room off from the kitchen, and lock it. Probably his office. Now was their chance! They entered the kitchen and immediately saw the hyena standing next to a counter with her head down next to the sink, sobbing quietly.
"Well? Go ahead," Nick said, pushing Judy forward. She gave him a glare, but he only shrugged, "I'm still against this entire idea."
"Ma'am?" Judy said softly, walking over to stand next to the sobbing hyena with her head on the counter. She looked up, then down at Judy. She let out a little gasp.
"Oh... hi," she managed, frown set heavily on her face. Nick walked over next to Judy, towering over her almost protectively. After all, the lion did say that the hyena was dangerous. But he doubted he could stand against a six foot tall hyena. Even if she was sobbing like a child who had scraped her knee.
"What do you guys want?" she asked, her voice mangled by her sniffling. "Do you want to... to... to shock me? You can if... if... if you want," she managed to stutter out, as she tried to, ineffectually, wipe away her tears.
"I'm pretty sure we'd need the remote to do that," Nick said sarcastically, earning a slap on his arm from Judy. She glared at him, but he only shrugged in response.
"No... you can just... you can just tap a button on my collar... here," she explained, pointing to the black box that administered the shocks. "But… but what do you want? I... I... I-I can help you," she said, sniffling with her legs shaking.
"Wow... now that's pathetic, she's really got us going, doesn't she, Carrots?" Nick sighed. No sane collared mammal would point out that their collar had a manual shock button. His collar never had that feature. Must be new, he grumbled to himself.
"What do you need?" the hyena asked, swallowing audibly. Nick's eyes widened slightly when he realized that she truly believed that they just wanted to shock her.
Judy grimaced when she came to the same realization. "We would just like to talk to you," she replied.
Nick rolled his eyes and leaned against one of the stainless-steel counters. If push came to shove, he could likely at least get to that little black button in time to save Judy. Though the hyena seemed more afraid of him than he was of her. "About... about what?" she asked, stuttering as her voice was mangled with fear.
"Well ma'am... we would just like to know how you got... your collar," Judy said. The waitresses' eyes widened, and she frowned sadly.
"I... I was accused of stealing," she admitted.
"Stealing?" Nick asked, crossing his arms, and standing up straight again. "What did you steal?"
"Nothing," she replied quietly. "I didn't steal anything." She looked down at her paws, tears still leaking from her eyes.
"Right, and I'm not a fox. You're already wearing the collar, why bother hiding the truth?" Nick sighed.
"No!" the hyena sobbed, shaking her head fearfully. "I didn't steal anything!"
"Fine then, let's say we believe you," Nick said. "You didn't steal anything... then why are you wearing the collar?"
"Somebody said I stole something... and no one believed me when I said I didn't! I was only thirteen years old, why would I steal anything?" she asked, tears running down her cheeks.
"Thirteen!" Nick all but shouted. "How old are you now?"
"Twenty-three," she said, whimpering at Nick's tone. Judy's mouth opened, agape in horror as she realized what the hyena had said. Thirteen years old?
"That means... ten years, oh my god," Nick said, his own maw dropping open. He had stolen something too... but he only had to wear the collar for a week. "What were you accused of stealing?" Ten years? That's something they would attach to murder, not theft!
"I think somebody said it was a wallet. A wallet that had something important in it. Nobody told me what it was," she whimpered as she leaned back against the counter and slid down to the floor, hugging her knees.
"Oh shit..." Nick mumbled. He had done something objectively worse than that. Still… ten years! "Goddamn it, Judy... you had to know, didn't you?" Now he was feeling guilty for not caring earlier. There had to be something he could do…
Judy sighed. How had this hyena fallen so incredibly low? She had still practically been a child when she was collared! "How much longer do you..." she swallowed. "Have on your sentence?"
"Fifteen more years. I'm almost halfway," she whimpered. That was even worse. Twenty-five years for stealing a wallet? It made no sense… not even if the wallet was the damn Pope's would it have been worth twenty-five years!
Nick rubbed his chin thoughtfully, ears still flat against his head as he sighed, "Judy..." He could not just sit idly by while this animal was treated so unfairly. But…
"What is it?" Judy asked as Shenzi looked down at her waist and set her head on her knees.
Nick swallowed hard, "You were right... this is unfair. Twenty-five years for theft? That's unheard of! We have to do something." He bent down so that he was on the hyena's level, "Tell me... what has he done to you? How bad is it?"
The hyena looked up at Nick, her lip quivering. "He has a system," she said softly, frowning. "Every time I make a mistake... I get shocked. He makes me sleep here, on the floor. It's cheaper that way. I'm not allowed to take food from the kitchen… I get the leftovers... but only after they've been thrown out, then I get to root through the trashcan once we close. And... he does something else... something... else..." the waitress stuttered, even more tears streaming from her eyes.
"What... what did he do?" Nick growled. He had experienced the poor living conditions, the abuse, the rifling through garbage from his time under the collar... but if he was right about what he thought she was trying to say... she had it even worse than him. And for ten years, the thought kept echoing in his mind.
Shenzi lifted her skirt up just a little bit, to show her thighs. And her thighs had claw marks, all over her leg and going up to her rump. "That's... where he grabs on... if you know what I mean," she cried out, going back to hugging her knees.
Nick let a sharp hiss exit his muzzle, "Fuck..." Judy watched as Nick's demeanor changed rapidly from compassion to anger and back again. He was unsure whether to be sorry for the hyena's condition, angry at the mammal who did this to her, or worried for the hyena's future. "We have to do something, Judy." She knew he was being serious... he only ever called her by her real name when he was being serious.
"Well... we've got to do something," she whispered. "There has to be a way to transfer contracts."
"I may have lied earlier, Judy," Nick admitted. "There is something we can do." They were still wearing their uniforms, badges evident on their chests. Nick took his badge off and drew his gun, cocking it. The only thing they could do.
Judy looked at Nick, horrified at what he was suggesting. "Nick…" she said softly, but paused when she saw the serious expression on his face. It was the only way. She looked at Shenzi, still crying, and gave a loud sigh, taking out her own gun.
"There are only two ways to exchange contracts. If the current holder gives it up willingly, or if he/she is dead," Nick explained, standing. "I doubt this shitty place has cameras, and we haven't paid yet so it isn't like anyone will know we were here."
"He's a monster. I don't think I have a problem with it," Judy said, scowling. "Let's just hope he has no family." Not that it would really matter… any family this piece of shit had probably wasn't much better than he was.
"Take your badge off, Judy," Nick sighed as he walked over to the door. "What we're about to do is highly illegal... even if it is the right thing to do. After this, Shenzi, was it?" The hyena nodded in confirmation, "You need to run. It doesn't matter where."
"Wait," Judy said, stopping. She removed her badge, but still gave Nick a hard look. She wanted to be absolutely sure he was thinking this through clearly. They could not afford to make a mistake. "If we kill her boss... where does she go? She'll just get caught, all collars have trackers! And she'll be accused of killing the lion! We can't just... set her free, that won't work!"
"No, that's the point," Nick said. "We… need her to get pinned with this. They'll tack on a few more years to her time, ten, maybe more... but then we take her as contractors. It's the best outcome, Judy."
"Oh..." she realized what he was getting at. "That works. But for a quick trial, I think we need to fix the crime scene." Killing someone in cold blood, tampering with evidence, pinning a crime on someone else… none of these things were what good cops did. But she couldn't look at the hyena's pathetic display any longer… something had to be done.
"Maybe she would benefit from desecrating the corpse," Nick suggested. "Think you'd be willing to maul him a bit? After he's dead, I mean."
"We'll see," Judy grumbled, as she opened the kitchen door. She wasn't sure how it would help… they would still find the bullets.
"I was talking to the hyena," Nick mumbled as he followed her. "Go for the kill shot, the fewer bullets we pump into him, the better."
The door to the office was locked, but Nick had already thought of how to get through the door. Quickly and quietly, he picked the lock with practice ease. Sometimes it paid to have a criminal background. They entered the office quietly, guns drawn and aimed at the lion, who was fast asleep in his chair. He did not react to the intrusion, just grunting in his sleep.
"Perfect," Judy muttered. She marched up to him, and put a gun to his throat. He did not react to the cold polymer of the gun being placed against his fur. She hesitated before pulling the trigger, suddenly unsure of herself. All her police training came back to her… she wasn't supposed to do this. But she thought of how the hyena had cried. How her tears leaked from those yellow eyes… how she described what the lion had done to her. And she pulled the trigger.
"Well that was convenient," Nick mumbled as blood and brain matter splattered across the desk. He smirked when Judy gagged slightly as she was covered in the gore, while he was untouched. He hesitated for a moment before pumping another shot into the lion's skull. "I'm sorry... I couldn't resist."
"I suppose not," she said, glancing at her chest, which had been covered in blood. "Take care of the hyena, I'm going to the bathroom," she ordered, hurrying out of the room and towards the restroom.
Nick nodded to himself and walked back into the kitchen to see Shenzi still curled up against the counter. "Hey," he called for her, causing her to look up.
"What... what were those bangs?" she asked, fear spreading across her features. She had sat there against the counter as the patrons walked into her master's office… then there were bangs… she was so confused.
"Uh..." Nick said, thankful that Judy hadn't come in all bloody. That might of been worse. "Your contractor... he's dead."
The hyena breathed in and out for a few moments, staring at Nick, seemingly in disbelief. "Ahadi?" she asked. "He's... dead?"
Nick nodded slowly, "Listen, I need you to do something for me. But if you don't think you can do it, that's fine." He had some experience dealing with traumatized victims, thanks to his time on the force, and he could only guess how badly the hyena might be damaged. Both physically and mentally.
"What is it?" she asked, her lip quivering.
"I know this might be difficult for you to understand, but we need you to... uh, maul your contractor," he explained. He wished there was a better way to put it, but this wasn't exactly a topic that he could state tactfully.
"Maul him? But... I'll get shocked!" she said, her breathing increasing. "I always get shocked when I make a mistake!"
Nick raised an eyebrow, "He's dead. He can't shock you anymore."
"But I always get shocked when I make a mistake!" she cried out, tearing up again. Nick sighed to himself… he wasn't going to make any progress like this. She was so damaged that she couldn't even comprehend the fact that the lion had to be alive to shock her. So, he tried to switch gears.
"Then what if I told you that you wouldn't be making a mistake?" Nick suggested. "Your contractor was a very, very bad lion... and anything that you do to him is well deserved. And definitely not a mistake."
"But... I..." Shenzi was panting, she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she sobbed. Nick sighed and helped her up, leading her by the paw to the office.
"Just release all your anger and hatred on him. Do whatever it is that you feel you must do," Nick recommended when she hesitated in front of the dead body.
Shenzi stared at the corpse of her master, her tears falling onto her skirt. She... she didn't know what to do! The lion... what if this was an act! What if he was going to shock her? What was he going to do to her? Every time Shenzi didn't do what he wanted, she got hurt...a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot! Oh... what was she supposed to do?
The fox... the fox was nice. The fox didn't hurt her, he didn't want to hurt her. She didn't want to get hurt... getting hurt made things hurt. The lion made her hurt, and she didn't want to hurt. "Uh…" she stuttered, as she leaned down in front of the body. Sobbing loudly, she cut the lion's head, digging her claws in. She dragged her claws downwards, tearing into his skin, ripping his shirt, and bloodying his chest.
She bit into him, taking out large chunks of his flesh, randomly around his body. "It's okay, he can't hurt you," Nick said, his voice as soothing as he could possibly make it. "He can't hurt you ever again."
Shenzi finished her work, standing, and sobbing next to the body. She turned to the fox, completely confused. "What... what now?" she squeaked.
"Run," was his simple suggestion. Shenzi looked at him, utterly perplexed, so he continued. "They'll find you, yes, and you need to surrender to them immediately. We'll take care of the rest." Shenzi looked at the fox and the lion, crying as she did. With a loud sob, she ran out of the kitchen, out of the restaurant, and made a run for it.
Nick let out a loud sigh and waited for Judy to get back to him. He wondered briefly if they should remove the head of the lion, where the bullets had gone it, that way the true cause of death couldn't be identified. He shrugged to himself, there was a good chance he would have to do that.
Judy came back not moments later, carrying her police uniform, parts of it still red. She was wearing just her white undershirt and her underwear. "So it turns out blood is real sticky," she moaned.
Nick couldn't help but smirk at her state of dress. She had been lucky not to get too much blood in her fur, but he could see splashes of red across her face and ears. "You can just take a shower when we get home… and you're going to have to trash that uniform," he said.
"Whatever," she sighed, silently agreeing with him. The uniform was ruined, blood was not easy to get out. "Anyways… where's the hyena?"
"Gone," Nick answered. "And we should be too... after we take his head."
"Yech. You can do that, I'm going to get the car started," she stated as she turned and left the building.
"Wait..." Nick called out, but it was too late, she was gone. "I'm going to need some help... shit," he sighed to himself. How was he going to remove the lion's head by himself? He exited the room and walked into the kitchen, fumbling around until he found what he was looking for. A very large meat cleaver. Sighing, he took the cleaver into the lion's office and with one strong swing, cleaved through the lion's neck and spine, severing his head from his body.
Taking deep breaths, he grabbed the head, ignoring the fact that he was now covered in blood, and walked towards the car. He paused by the register to grab a plastic doggy bag, to which he stuffed the head in. Now that it was no longer dripping, he exited the establishment and climbed into the cruiser. He handed Judy her badge back and clipped his onto his chest, tossing the head into the back seat... as if the entire incident had never happened.
"Nick... you've got more blood on you than I do, and I shot an animal. I take it you aren't very careful," Judy smirked, doing her best to inject the situation with morbid humor.
"Have you ever cut an animal's head off with a meat cleaver?!" Nick asked. "No, you haven't. So, shut up and drive. Perhaps we can take a shower together when we get home," he winked at her. Judy only rolled her eyes, and turned back to the task at hand, driving the two of them back to their shared apartment.
XXX
So, there you have it! It's… a bit gritty, perhaps, and whether or not Nick and Judy did the right thing may not be immediately apparent. Hopefully you can still see the two different writing styles at play here… I tried not to change too much of All Hail King Scar's style when I was editing, as my own style is a bit… overbearing. Yeah, All Hail King Scar and I are both big fans of both Lion King and Zootopia, so neither of us could resist including a few Lion King characters. Yes… uh, so as of this moment, the story is rated 'T.' I'm not sure if the story is going to remain that way, at the very least, there might be a bump in the rating in a few chapters… but, again, we haven't decided yet. So… please, stay tuned until next time!
