A crack of gunfire rang out behind Nick Wilde, snapping him out of a mild daydream.
He quickly regained his stature, poised and ready, and lifted his weapon.
It was midday on a hot Friday and he had spent the morning shift doing regular patrols with his partner, Judy Hopps, around Downtown Zootopia. With a smoking gun in his paws, another coffee beside him, along with several mags, he felt the shooting range was the place to be. His vest was very clean, as were the ear muffs resting comfortably on his head. He had grown to be very particular with his work clothing.
He clicked the safety and set the gun on the counter, checked his new smartphone for any texts, then took a sip of his drink. "Nothing from Judy," he remarked snidely, loading a new mag; no one else could hear him mumbling to himself over the arbitrary sound of gunfire. "Where is she, anyway? She knows very well I have appointments to keep."
Nick was, of course, being sarcastic. He had all the time in the world, especially now that Zootopia was, for the most part, quiet and peaceful. They had made barely ten arrests in the last month, though they had no known quotas to fill. He found solace in his time with Judy. But, as the weeks went by, he began to hatch a plan, a plan that he had divulged to no one.
His phone buzzed, and he quickly snapped it up, lifting one of his ear muffs. "Tony!" he exclaimed, putting the phone to his ear. "Yeah. Mhm. Yeah, yeah I know it's loud here, but tell me, whadaya think?" He set the gun down and peered around the corners of his stall, everyone still focused on their targets. "Really? Yeah, I know it's been years, but you're the only one I trust with this. How about you let me come tool around on it, for old times sake, check the tuning, give you a show?" He let the dog speak, uncertainty crept into his sentences.
"After midnight? That's it? That's the only time?
...
Because you've known me forever, that's why.
...
Fine, fine. I'll be there tonight, at 12:01. Sharp! See ya!"
Nick took a deep breath, and he rested the phone down on the counter. He checked around again, still no one listening, then picked up his gun and resumed what he was doing. He smiled, pleased with himself.
Nearly ten minutes passed before he felt a familiar paw pat his back, just below his vest. It was Judy, taking her place in the slightly shorter stall next to his. Nick occupied the particular one adjacent for just that reason. It was almost as if their stalls were made to fit together.
"Carrots!" he chirped, trying to suppress a smile. "Long time, no see."
"Sorry, Nick!" was how she breathlessly responded; she appeared to have some difficulty lugging around her gun case. "You know, distractions and all." Judy plopped the case on the counter with an ungraceful thud and opened it, revealing a shiny weapon and her other equipment. She was already wearing her thick vest.
"Ha," Nick started mocking her as she put on some tinted goggles. "Miss 'I've Got the World on a String' is distracted? I think not, rather impossible."
"I'm serious, Nick," she said playfully. "You know I came here as fast as I could." She prepared her gun expertly, no flashy movements necessary, and quickly fired off six rounds downrange before he could even respond.
"So what did they do with him?" Nick asked, loading another mag.
"Hmm ... let's see," she mulled, rolling her eyes. "Court date is set for Monday. You're appearing for that, by the way."
"Nope," Nick retorted, still smiling.
"Yep," Judy fired back, flashing him the same smile.
"Ok, fine," he sighed. "Then you owe me dinner, and it better be fancy, and I swear if it's another vegan place—"
"Um ... actually, Nick," she cut him off, setting her gun down; she caught the fox off guard, along with his full attention. "We need to talk about something."
The fox stopped everything, and slowly removed his eyewear and muffs, feeling a pit open up in his stomach. He ignored the sounds of gunfire around them. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't good news?"
"I don't know yet," was all she managed.
