"Listen up! New assignments!"
New assignments! Judy couldn't help but grin and hop in her seat. Nick, who was sat beside her, could only smirk and roll his eyes.
Chief Bogo, as always, was on his podium in the briefing room. He continued shortly. "With the missing persons case solved and everything relatively quiet, we can focus our attention on the little things, such as home burglary, peace disturbance reports, stolen vehicles, shifty characters seen waltzing about, and general paperwork."
"Home burglary is considered 'small time'? I wonder what's normal for you guys," Nick piped up with a snide remark, as always. The Chief snorted at him.
"What isn't normal is for an officer to have zero completed reports to their name."
Was that a dis? Nick chuckled internally. It was of similar calibre to a dad joke.
"Right. Wilde and Hopps, you're covering the Five Dollar Central Bank. Fangmeyer, Wolford - Fishtown Market in Tundratown. Francine, McHorn - Rainforest District immigration centre. Survey and report. Anything major happens you call in backup. Remember, these are areas designated only for patrol - you get a call from dispatch asking for your assistance, you assist."
"Sir? Chief Bogo?"
With a sigh, the Chief gestured for Hopps to continue. "What about Sahara Square? The gold depository is in the heart of the district, right? Why aren't we patrolling the surrounding area?"
"Because, Hopps, the place where they've hidden the gold has its own trained response team. Two officers from the ZPD would make not a hair of difference." Judy did not like the vague answer, but decided to let it go. The Chief continued. "Now, I need to make this perfectly clear to all of you - do not interfere with the employees of whatever establishment you're assigned to on the off chance you spook a mastermind criminal. Does everyone understand?"
A collective 'yes, sir,' shook the room. The Chief straightened and betrayed a smile.
"Good. That's all for now. Begin duty."
Some shuffling and squeaky chairs later, the room was empty. It was a bit of a surprise to the Chief when Judy didn't run up to him with a hundred questions about the task at hand. Maybe, Bogo thought, that her love for the force was waning.
Far from it, he thought to himself.
Outside the ZPD, Nick and Judy had boarded their police cruiser. The fox had brought along some chips with him, too, from one of the vending machines Clawhauser insisted they had installed. Hopps slid the key into the ignition and fired up the engine, revving a few times before crawling away from the allocated parking space.
"Do you feel like it's going to be exciting today?" Nick perked up, munching on the chips. Judy always hated when he ate with his mouth open, but often ignored it.
She didn't tear her eyes off the road. "Nick, it doesn't matter if it's exciting or boring. Our job is to protect the people, no matter what. Unless we're dead, of course," she chuckled at herself.
"I know, I know - just voicing my thoughts... wouldn't mind something that isn't just... park the car and wait for something to happen."
"Don't you think we've had enough adventure for a while? My week has been going fantastic - meaning no giant conspiracy to take over the universe or something like that. I'd like that week to extend into a year," Judy sighed through her nose as she made a sharp turn, flicking the indicator stalk.
"Guess you have a point," Nick shrugged. Internally, he wished for something exciting to happen. He though that joining the police force was going to be a big package of action.
Nick couldn't help but wonder what Finnick was up to now... probably still hustling for meagre dollars in an alleyway.
To think Nick was a crook only more than a month ago. He snickered at the mere thought. Judy gave him a sideways glance.
Did he choke on those chips?
The police cruiser stopped at a red light, the Five Dollar Central Bank just in sight. Judy glanced at the dashboard clock, which indicated 7:15 AM. They had a long day ahead of them, but Judy loved long days. The sun above wasn't glaring at them as yesterday, so it would be bearable, even for Nick.
Passing the intersection, the cruiser slowly ground to a halt in front of the bank on a designated parking area. She killed the engine and peered at the building. It was sort of impressive with the thick marble supports and glistening white walls.
There weren't that many customers around, though. Was it a new bank? Judy did see something in the papers about a new bank being opened up for business a good week ago.
"What? It's a bank, Carrots," Nick pointed out with a confused gesture. With the way her eyes were squinted, it's like she was looking through the walls. "You won't spot someone breaking into the vault from here."
"I know that. Hmm..." Judy rubbed her chin in thought. She hadn't been assigned on a task like this before. Should she patrol with the cruiser? Get inside and ask employees of suspicious activity? No, Chief Bogo ordered not to interfere.
Nick was all too much familiar with that face. He knew Judy was thinking of leaving the car. "Hey, how about we just sit here and wait for something to happen? It's better than wasting energy and actually instigate something," Nick suggested. It was a good suggestion, but the active rabbit didn't want to just sit and do nothing.
"Alright, but only for a few minutes! Then we take a walk around the bank," Judy struck a deal with stern eyes. She knew Nick hadn't gotten enough sleep, judging from the purple under his eyes.
"Fine by me," Nick shrugged, finishing off his pack of chips. Internally, he was grateful for a few minutes of peace.
Oh, how rude of him. He forgot to share his chips. He turned his head to Judy and smiled apologetically. "I doubt rabbits like potato chips."
Judy turned to him, too, surprised by his toothy smile. "It's preference, Nick. Not a race thing. They're too salty for my individual taste," Judy huffed. He was at it with the race things again.
"More for me later on," Nick grinned. Judy groaned and looked the other way.
Minutes passed in silence. Many onlookers stared at the cruiser before wandering off. Judy quickly found out that police weren't revered for anything. Not a single wave from anyone - not a single smile. Even the children weren't as friendly as expected. Didn't she, like, save the city or something?
Judy took out a bottle of water from a cup holder near the dashboard and took a few gulps. Unsurprisingly, Nick had fallen asleep with his mouth agape, snoring. She reset the bottle and glanced out the window again.
Judy wouldn't have noticed anything if it weren't for the ears.
From afar, it seemed like a regular citizen - regular meaning they wore a featureless grey shirt and khaki shorts. It was a male, judging by posture, walk cycle and body shape. But the ears... the huge ears.
It was a rabbit.
He was huge.
The rabbit was standing at around six feet plus, outmatching even some predators walking by. For sakes, he looked like a predator himself. Sure, he was given some glances as he passed by, but no one else was glued to him like Judy.
She was jealous! Furious, even! She wasn't one to act like a spoiled child, but this? This was...
Considering that the chances of a rabbit being this big was one in a billion, she sighed and calmed herself down. It was just one rabbit, that's all. Only one.
The large rabbit entered the bank without even sparing a glance towards the police cruiser sat right in front. The tinted glass and the sun's glare made it hard to see inside the bank, so Judy lost track of him pretty fast.
Well, that was that. An involuntary sigh escaped her mouth as she slouched back in her seat. Judy wasn't one to fuss over her size compared to other animals, but this...
She decided to let it go and find inner peace. This was a reminder that not everyone was the same.
Nick's pager that was strapped to his belt beeped and buzzed. This was new. Dispatch wouldn't usually call officers directly. They'd call on the cruiser radio, and if there was no answer, then they'd call the individual officer.
"Nick, wake up! Nick!" Judy nudged him awake - well, more than nudged; she almost punched him.
He snored awake, eyes wide, mouth even more agape. "What - what?" Judy pointed at the blinking pager. "What's this?" Nick quickly answered the pager. He didn't see the caller's name on the screen. He wiped some drool off his mouth before talking. "Uh, hello?"
"Officer Nick, this is dispatch. Report in."
Nick and Judy exchanged glances. That wasn't Clawhauser. A much more professional sounding guy was on the other end - not that Clawhauser wasn't professional in any way.
"Er, everything's fine? We're parked at the bank, just like we're supposed to be. No sign of suspicious activity," Nick's confusion quickly turned into correct etiquette.
"Mhm, yep... let me check in on that."
A few seconds pass. Nick was dumbfounded.
"Alright, everything seems clear. Sorry about that. You know how it is. Out."
And end of call.
"Okay, well, that was... new?" the fox chuckled and reattached his issued pager. "Should we ask Clawhauser or Chief Bogo about this? I don't like getting calls from people I don't know," Nick threw Judy one of his signature smirks and slowly melted back into the cushy seat.
Judy was reluctant. "They probably hired someone new to check up on officers and take calls. I mean, Clawhauser is more than capable of doing his job, but he's only one cheetah."
"Maybe it's best if we mention this to the Chief? Imagine if someone's hacking into our comms and gathering info for a grand master plan?" Nick suggested, seriousness etching his every facial feature.
They eyed each other for a split second before breaking into a fit of chuckling. Yeah, no way that was going to happen.
That was eventful.
Or rather not eventful at all.
Judy returned to her rented room, tired and disappointed. She locked her door and began to undress and slip into some comfortable boxers and a vest, both white. She could use a shower, but was too tired for that. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a week.
Eugh, not in a week.
Just as she was about to lay in bed, her phone buzzed.
Parents.
With a groan, Judy sat herself on the chair and strained a smile with wide eyes at the still picture of her parents before answering. Only her mother was seen on the video feed.
"Heeey! Mom!"
"Judy! Oh gosh, how are you? I thought you were going to come back here after figuring out what was happening with those flowers you talked about. Er, Nighthollers, was it? Looks like you decided to stay in Zootopia after all. A shame, really. But we can't take decisions for you anymore, right? You're all grown up!"
Judy showed a sincere smile. "Yes, you're right, mom. I'm a big girl now," Judy couldn't help but giggle at that. "Don't worry, I'll come visit whenever I can! Oh, and I'm fine, too. Nick's got by back! Where's dad, by the way?"
"Oh, Stu's out back, fixing the fence since one of the kids broke it. He didn't know I was calling you because it's so late. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're doing okay. The house is a lot emptier without you, you know?" Bonnie chuckled. Judy couldn't help but imitate.
"Oh, speaking of little rabbits, you wouldn't guess who I saw today," Judy grinned, quite excited to tell her mom about the giant rabbit of a monster she saw!
"You're right, I wouldn't be able to! So tell me, who did you see today?"
"Okay, soooo - me and Nick were parked near a bank, and who do I see? A rabbit!"
"A rabbit?" Bonnie did not seem surprised or very impressed.
"Not just any rabbit," Judy continued before her mom could butt in. "He was tall, mom. Like, predator size, at least six feet!"
"Are you sure it was a rabbit honey? You could've mistaken him for a wolf or something else. Bunnies like us aren't usually six feet tall," Bonnie smiled sincerely, but Judy knew what she saw. "Anyway, it was nice talking to you, dear. Sorry for ringing you at such a time. You take care now, you hear? Don't get yourself into trouble."
She knew she should've recorded him! Gosh darn it!
Judy screamed internally.
"I won't, I promise. Bye mom!" Judy waved, so did Bonnie.
The call disconnected. Judy slumped on the desk and sighed. She waited for her rude neighbours to comment, but everything was eerily still and silent.
That is until her phone vibrated. It scared the living carrots out of her. She found herself clutching her chest, heart rate going through the roof.
Judy looked down at her phone and saw that she had a text. Was it from Nick? Oh how she hoped it was from Nick.
'hey hon, so sorry to bother you again. you mentioned nick? who is he?
That wasn't Nick. Nope. Judy slumped and typed out a response back to her mom. "Nick... is my... partner."
Another vibration. More texts?
'judy you never told me! why keep it a secret until now? oh my little girl really has grown up'
"Huh? What... Oh, oh no!" with a quickened breath, Judy moved her fingers as fast as possible for another reply. "No no, he is my cop partner! I work with him!"
'oh, ok! sorry baby. goodnight now, dont forget to pay rent!"
Okay, that was one disaster avoided. Judy set her alarm for early morning and quickly hopped into bed, snuggling deep into her sheets, blanket and pillow.
She hoped tomorrow would be a more exciting day.
Nick was right after all - a bit of action wouldn't hurt.
Back at it again with the cruiser.
It wasn't a cruiser, Judy had found out, but an interceptor. That's why they were able to catch up to Flash in his sports car. It intercepts, it does not cruise. It has a sports car engine.
Judy had gotten herself a small cup of coffee to wake her up. Now the brown cup sitting in the cup holder will serve her as a reminder of a broken oath of never taking coffee.
"What's got you feeling down, Carrots?" Nick poked in, noticing her mood. "Ever since the bank you've gotten this sulky look stuck to your face."
"Oh, I do?" Judy laughed nervously. "Just focusing on the job, you know? Gotta be on the lookout for potential perps! Always!" she motioned with her hands in an ecstatic manner.
Nick snickered. "If you say so."
Stopping at quite the traffic jam at an intersection, Judy decided to take another sip of her coffee. Just as the lid reached her mouth, a seemingly normal car whizzed by.
No, it didn't whizz by, it roared by. Nick immediately blared the siren, but Judy was busy wiping hot coffee away from her uniform and the steering wheel.
"What are you doing? They're going to get away! Drive!" Nick almost yelled as he violently shook her shoulder.
"Right, right!" Judy carefully veered out of the traffic lane and began pursuit of the speeding vehicle. It was fast, and the driver knew what he or she was doing.
Pedestrians fled as the vehicle swerved, slowed and sped up again between turns. There was no chance of catching the license plates at these speeds. The way the suspension gave, how they applied the handbrake to drift... this was no regular citizen. The vehicle was modified.
"Dispatch, this is Officer Nick Wilde - me and Officer Judy Hopps are in hot pursuit of a speeding vehicle, er," Nick heisted, squinting his eyes. "...northbound of the Five Dollar Central Bank. I repeat, we have a ten fifty five North of the Five Dollar Central Bank. Vehicle is a grey sedan. How copy?"
"I hear you, Nicky! We've got a chopper nearby who can help. Also roadblocks. Keep trailing him! Over!"
Typical Clawhauser.
Judy wasn't a master of high speed pursuit in urban areas. She had way too many close calls with innocent vehicles and lamp posts. Still, the police car had a racer engine, so they were able to sort of catch up with the sedan. It looked like a medium sized car, painted grey. But a medium sized car should not be that loud and fast.
"This is the ZPD, stop your vehicle now!"
Nick's voice sounded through the loudspeaker atop the police car roof. It sounded different, like it wasn't even Nick at all. Nick would never growl like that.
The car did not stop.
"You are finished, do you hear me?! Finished! Stop your car and get out with your hands up!"
The car did not stop. Quite frankly, it sped up. The sound of rotor blades could be heard, but the police chopper was nowhere to be seen.
"Stop the car before you hurt - or worse, kill someone! Do it for your own good!"
Judy gasped, Nick's eyes popped open - an old wolf lady was crossing the street on a red light, but the suspect kept speeding. They were going to kill her!
But to their surprise, the vehicle squealed to a halt, and so did they. Nick and Judy jumped out of their car and ran towards the suspect, but they started burning rubber in place, tossing smoke at them.
"S-Stop!" Judy coughed and gasped for air, but she couldn't even hear herself over the loud engine and tire torture. Nick grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the barrage of toxic smoke. Once the light turned red and the old lady crossed, the suspect let go of the brake.
Both of the officers' jaws dropped when the front of the vehicle lifted itself off the ground due to sheer rear wheel drive power. It dropped down on the road again, bouncing on its wheels before shooting off like a bullet.
Judy wasn't sure they could catch them. She was being toyed with.
Nonetheless, the officers boarded their interceptor and tried. They followed the thick tire tracks and plumes of smoke, which led them onto the freeway. They could see the suspect's car up in the distance.
The chopper came into view above, as well as a road blockade a few thousand yards in front. There were three SUVs parked, as well as an armoured truck. At least ten officers were behind the SUVs, all tough looking rhinos. Civilian vehicles seemed to disappear from the scene in an instant.
"Judy, stop. Stop, Judy!" Nick grabbed her shoulder. Judy eased down onto the break. The suspect stopped as well, a good distance away from the roadblock and Judy's interceptor. It was like a Wild West standoff.
"Open the door, and come out of the vehicle slowly with your hands behind your head and then get down on the ground. No sudden moves or you'll be in a world of hurt!"
Judy's eyes popped. Wow, Nick was wild. She gave him a curious glance before they disembarked and quickly approached the suspect's car. The chopper overhead shone a light on the scene, even though it was broad daylight.
The door of the suspect's car slowly pivoted open and the crazy driver stepped into view.
Judy's eyes were seeing, but her mind wasn't perceiving.
It was that big rabbit from the bank. The same one. Judy shook her head and jogged over to him. Nick followed along.
"On the ground, now!" Nick figuratively growled. The giant prey didn't even face them as he laid on the asphalt stomach down and put his hands behind his head. Nick quickly apprehended him with steely cuffs.
Judy managed to collect herself and pat him down for any illegal substances or objects. She found nothing in the pockets of his khaki shorts.
"Where's your driving license? The glove box?" Judy sternly questioned.
No response. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Fine, be that way. You're under arrest, sir. You have the right to remain silent and not answer any questions. Anything you say may be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future."
Three rhino police officers came over quite calmly despite the situation. "We'll take it from here," he squinted at Nick's name tag sewn to his uniform. "You do know what to do from here, don't you?"
Nick put his hands on his hips and nodded. "Absolutely."
He had absolutely no idea.
The rhino snorted. "Let's hope so."
Two of the rhinos hauled the suspect up and began to escort him towards the armoured truck. Nick nodded at the remaining officer and turned to Judy.
"That was a job well done, Carrots," he smirked smugly and pointed at her. "Although you need to work on your driving a little bit more. You almost killed us." Nick boarded the suspect's car, not even bothering to check to glove box for any ID.
"W-Wait... shouldn't we take in the criminal? I mean, it's our arrest, not theirs!" Judy protested. She wasn't sure this was supposed to happen.
Nick disregarded her comment and did a careful U-turn to cross over to the other lane. "See you back at the bank, Carrots!" Nick exclaimed loudly, waving his hand at her from the open window. With traffic slowly resuming, Judy lost him in the sea of cars.
She noticed that the roadblock had already pulled out and was out of sight, along with the police chopper. What a coincidence that the rabbit she saw at the bank would also be a criminal the day after.
Judy did, however, just carry out her second arrest. She thought she'd be jumping for joy and glee, but no - here she was, in the middle of the freeway, blocking traffic. She was supposed to put the bunny in her car and take him over to the ZPD for processing...
An angry yell from a citizen reminded Judy that she was blocking the lane.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm going now!"
Judy quickly hopped into her car, stopped the blaring siren and speedily drove off.
She hoped Nick remembered where the police impound was.
Nick, on the other hand, felt badass. Hopping into a criminal's car, elbow hanging out, wind in his face? He was the law, and he could do anything.
Yeah, he was badass.
"Almost forgot!" Nick announced to no himself. He took his shades that were hanging from his breast pocket with an index and a thumb, deployed them with a flick of his wrist and donned them on. He shot himself a pearly white toothy grin in one of the rear view mirrors for effect.
Now he was a double badass.
Also handsome.
Back at the bank, Judy had been waiting for two hours sharp. Her little heart was wrenched with worry for the fox. The impound was only a twenty minute drive from the freeway.
By chance, Judy glanced at the rear view mirror and saw herself. She leaned in - more like strained her neck up and saw... running eyeliner? She ran her fingers over her cheek and sure enough, she had smudged black everywhere.
With a strained laugh, she wiped it off with the top of her wrist, blessed that she never put on too much. A sigh later, she decided to call Nick on his mobile. She browsed through her recent calls and found the familiar name. Putting the phone up to her ear, she waited.
"Hi-"
"Nick! Where are-"
"By the looks of it I'm pretty busy right now, so why don't you leave a message? I'll get around to calling you back. Eventually."
Call disconnected.
Judy moved the phone away from her ear and stared down at the 'call disconnected' screen before it returned to her wallpaper. She had to ask herself why she was worrying so much about him. Nick was an adult, after all - and a police officer with the entire ZPD at his back.
The bank was all quiet, except for some dude who parked his car in the middle of the road without his hazards. Judy had to issue him a fine and bear a nasty attitude. The day ended way too quickly for her taste. Nick still hadn't reported in.
If he was here, she'd suggest they go on a little break and have some donuts with coffee. But he wasn't here. Judy was all alone in the car, sniffling.
She couldn't take it anymore. She had to find out where he was. She jerked the ignition hard and pushed the accelerator down hard. The vehicle lurched and the tires screamed, surprising her. Maybe she should calm down a little bit.
On her way to the ZPD, Judy noticed that most of the daytime officers were already leaving on foot or by their own personal cars. If Judy hurried up, she might be able to catch up to Clawhauser.
The police car skidded to a halt in front of the ZPD. Thinking of how many infractions she had just committed, the small bunny began to haul butt up to the reception desk - and just in time, too; Clawhauser was packing up when he saw a frantic Judy Hopps running towards him.
"Judy? What's gotten you in such a hurry? Isn't your shift over?" the cheetah greeted her with mixed emotions. He pushed aside an empty donut box that was blocking the bunny's view.
"It's Nick, he was supposed to take a car to the impound, but that was this morning! He hasn't called me - has he reported in?" Judy was practically hopping in place. Clawhauser would've found the rapidly falling and rising chest of the bunny adorable if it weren't for the situation at hand.
"Goodness, no! He hasn't called me either! Oh, let me beep him now, see where he is!" the chubby cheetah quickly went for the microphone on his desk, adjusting knobs. He pressed down the big red transmit button and spoke into the microphone. "Officer Nick Wilde, this is dispatch. What is your current location?"
He laid off the relay button, waiting for a response.
Silence.
"Officer Nicholas Wilde, this is dispatch. Come in, over."
No hint of Nick. It's as if his radio was turned off.
Clawhauser pondered with a hum, tapping his chin. "Maybe-" he heard the doors of the ZPD slam shut. Judy was gone.
Clawhauser was going to go to the Chief about this. A missing officer? The implications! He stopped packing his belongings and hurried off.
Judy wasn't really sure what to do. She sat in the interceptor, clutching her head. With no idea of where Nick lived, her only lead was the impound.
"The impound! Of course! Am I going brain dead?"
Ignition, siren, and Judy was off. She's never heard the engine roar this much before, not even during the chase this morning. Civilian vehicles parted and gave way, but she was clearly going over the speed limit. She had probable cause for this, so no worries.
Applying the hand brake, she took a sharp corner, practically drifting, before accelerating as fast as possible and evening out. People, cars and buildings alike whizzed by in a blurry mess of lights and shapes.
At last, the rusty fence wall of the car pound finally came into view as the car slowed. Judy needed to go into the office and ask - fast. She parked at a random place and turned on the hazards before approaching the impound. Well, running to it, more like.
Two wolf officers with coffee were standing beside a blue featureless door that probably lead into the pound office proper. On her way there, the grey sedan was spotted, parked perfectly with its rear facing the red brick wall.
"Whoa, hey, slow down there. You want to enter the office, you gotta show some ID first, alright?" one of the wolf officers stopped Judy before she ran into them.
"Oh, right," the bunny smiled sheepishly before producing out her police ID and holding it up for them. The officer read it over and shrugged. "Good enough?" she tilted her head.
"I guess so. I mean, I thought you were just some random bum wearing a police costume. Go on in," he stepped aside. Judy gave him a stern stare but made her way in.
The interior was stuffy. Judy had to loosen her collar if she didn't want to suffocate. The pound office was a relatively small room, with a window, a desk, a camera in one corner and a fat TV screen in the other corner. Behind the desk sat a tired white wolf dressed in a hazard vest.
Three wolves?
Judy had no time to mess about. She ran up to the desk and waved. "Excuse me! Excuse me, sir! I'm Officer Hopps. My partner, Nick Wilde, confiscated a vehicle this morning?"
"Huh? Who's there?"
Oh, not this again. Judy sighed and hopped, waving even more. "Down here!"
The wolf propped himself on the desk and looked down at the hopping bunny. "Oh, hi. What can I help you with?"
"My partner, Nick Wilde, delivered a vehicle here. The suspect was speeding and instigated a pursuit. But..." she rubbed her arm. "That was this morning, at around nine. Nick is a fox, first of his species to be recruited by the ZPD. You couldn't have missed him."
"What, he hasn't called in or something? That's pretty irresponsible of a police officer. Unless..." the wolf looked up, as if losing himself in thought. Judy leaned in. This was going to be juicy.
"Unless...?" she prodded.
"Unless he was kidnapped."
Okay, that was going a bit too far. Judy didn't want to even contemplate the possibility.
"No, no, he couldn't have been. That's... that's stupid!"
Cursing like that, Judy felt a little weight fly off her chest. It was refreshing. The wolf sat back down, a bit surprised at her outburst. "Alright. Maybe not. Let me check my ledger."
"Please do," the bunny crossed her arms impatiently. "Quickly."
The wolf browsed through a thick logbook, tracing names and license plates with a nail. "Nick... Nicky Nick. Is the car medium sized sedan with a V8 engine?" he looked at Judy, who shrugged. "Yep, he made the drop alright. But that was at two in the afternoon. Guess he took it for a joyride?"
"Okay, fine, he made a late delivery. But where did he go? Nick, I mean," Judy was growing impatient by the second. She was about to climb the freaking walls. Her bunny foot was tapping at a thousand TPM.
"Where he went? I don't know that, Officer Hopps. Should I check the cameras?" he pointed at the TV. Judy looked at him in disbelief. Is he screwing with her?
"Yes, please! Do that! I just want to know where my partner wandered off!" this wolf was infuriating! He was so slow! Like a sloth! A sloth was faster than him, even! The wolf thought her foot tapping would shatter the tiles.
"Alright, calm down," the wolf, who was not an actual police officer, Judy figured out, grabbed the remote and began rewinding the video that was playing on the TV. Judy stared on intently, looking for Nick thoroughly. At last, when the timestamp indicated two fifteen, the recording slowed to normal speeds.
The sedan came into view with Nick at the wheel. The gates of the impound opened for him and he parked. Exiting the vehicle, he went into the office and returned pretty quickly. Judy strained to burn the memory of where he went into her mind.
Nick wandered onto the sidewalks and stood around for a while, hands in pockets. Surprisingly, he turned towards the camera and took off his shades. Judy grinned involuntarily. Just seeing him brought her so much peace.
He put the shades back on and walked off, entering a fish shop around a bend.
That's all she needed. The camera could not follow him farther than that.
She burst out of the office, startling the officers outside. Traffic or no traffic, she ran towards that fish shop. It was open.
She skid to a halt in front of the shop door, adjusting her stab vest and taking a deep breath before entering.
Except she bumped her little nose pretty hard on the metalwork, causing her to let out a high pitched yelp of pain. She rubbed her nose to soothe it, but tears came involuntarily.
Of course the shop was closed. Of course. Why would it be open this late? She rattled the door's handle just in case it was stuck or something.
Nope, still closed.
Without wasting a single second more, she ran around the back and found the rear entrance of the shop. The door, however, had no handle. Great. Just what she needed.
It didn't stop Judy from banging on the door, however. Tapping, knocking, kicking, yelling, she tried everything! But as expected, no one came.
Her blood boiled. Judy ground her teeth and stomped the ground in pure frustration, but the nauseating pain that came after served as reminder that she just picked a fight with concrete. Clutching her foot, hopping away, her back hit the wall and she immediately slid down to the ground.
Judy felt oncoming tears, but these weren't from the pain in her nose. The bunny brought her legs into herself and clutched her head out of desperation.
"Maybe..." Judy muttered to herself as she slid out her phone out of her pocket and browsed her most recent calls. Nick was at the top of the list, where she called him at eleven in the morning sharp. With a sigh and a runny nose, she called yet again.
Ringing.
"Pick up, pick up!"
Nick picked up.
Judy felt like exploding.
"Carrots? Hello?"
"Nick!"
She might have screamed.
"Holy cannoli, what's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me? You were the one who disappeared without telling anyone! Why did you just up and leave like that?"
Maybe throwing accusations at him after crying about losing him wasn't a good idea, but Judy couldn't help herself! This was partly Nick's fault.
"You're acting like you're my mother or something. You sound distraught. Let me see you."
She was going to see him! Judy pulled the phone away from her ear and mashed the little camera icon on the screen. The screen blackened before Nick's face loaded in as well as her own on the bottom right corner in a smaller box.
Nick looked... tired. There was a blue ambient light somewhere off to his left, illuminating the side of his face and the dark wallpaper behind him. Neon? She also heard a pretty laid back electric beat playing off to his left.
But way he had his head tilted, along with the droopy eyelids, no shirt on, droopy ears, frown, ambient light, music... he almost looked sexy.
Oh no, Judy couldn't think about her friend like that! He's her friend! She shook those thoughts away from her head and smiled down at Nick.
"Quit the act, Carrots. Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I was just..." Judy stopped. Nick perked an eyebrow. "Worried about you."
Nick sighed and plopped down on his pillow, holding his phone above. Some of Judy's previous thoughts returned. "And why would you be worrying about me? I was actually thinking that you secretly hate me for stealing some of your glory. You'd be glad to see me dead."
Nick was smirking. That was sarcasm. Judy sighed. She was absolutely happy that he was okay and still himself.
"Yeah, I guess I had an out of proportion reaction today. I mean, when you dropped off the car at the impound, I thought you'd return... but you didn't. I called you on your mobile, nothing. Then I went to Clawhauser and asked him if he's seen you. He hadn't," as Judy was explaining what conspired today, she made her way back to the police interceptor, looking left and right for cars while at it. Her bottom had gotten cold from sitting on the concrete.
"Mhh, my battery died this morning. It drains really quickly. But Clawhauser..."
Judy climbed inside the police car, shut the door and flicked on the cabin light by a switch on the roof. Nick's droopy eyes popped wide. Now that there was adequate light, he could see the more important details of her face. "What have you been weeping about, Carrots? Something happen?"
Nick knew exactly why. Judy simply laughed. This time it was a genuine laugh. "Like I said - disproportionate reaction. If you hadn't picked up now I probably would've done something really stupid, like go to the Chief about this."
Nick sat up from his bed and slicked the fuzz atop his head back with a palm. "Chief Bogo? Judy, I was allowed to go home early on behalf of the Chief. As soon as I delivered the vehicle, I got a call from dispatch - it wasn't Clawhauser, but someone else, maybe the guy from before. They said they'd inform you, too," Nick pondered in thought. Judy's tongue was stuck in her throat. "Now your reaction seems that little bit more reasonable."
"Hold on," Judy swallowed. "Clawhauser knew nothing about you being released early. He's supposed to know everything! Nick, I think... I think someone's messing with us."
Judging from the fox's now growing terrified expression, he thought so too. "I think... that joke we made about someone breaking into our comms?" Judy gasped, covering her mouth. "Yeah. I think it just turned real."
"Nick, we need to tell Chief Bogo about this! And fast! Like, right now fast!"
"Hold on, wait! We can't!" Nick was seen shooting up from his bed and running to somewhere. He fiddled with something out of view before returning to the bed. Did he just lock his door? That sent a shiver up Judy's spine.
"What? Why not?" Wait, Judy stopped herself... if whoever was messing with them had access to police radio communications, which had special encryption, what else could they have access to?
"You thinking what I'm thinking, Carrots?" Nick asked quite exasperatedly.
"Yeah..." Judy looked up at her rear view mirrors. "Smartphones... dangerous."
"Dangerous," Nick repeated and nodded. "Microwave. In seven hours. Bye, Carrots!"
Call disconnected.
Judy sighed and slumped against her seat. She still wanted to talk to Nick, and badly! She felt like tossing the phone out of the window and driving off somewhere, but that would be irresponsible and childish.
Judy figured out Nick's riddle about the microwave in seven hours instantly. They would see each other at the ZPD staff room/cafeteria and discuss what happened. But in seven hours? What time was it now?
Eleven twelve.
Judy's forehead and the steering wheel made good friends tonight.
Shutting off the cabin light as well as the hazards, Judy started up the engine and drove away from the impound. She really went out of her way to find Nick, but all it took was a phone call. Sighing, she thanked herself for not calling a SWAT team to his house.
Now to return the interceptor to the ZPD...
The walk home from the ZPD was terrible! Judy was freezing her ears off. The police uniform offered no protection against the bitter nip of the air, and who knew there were basically no night buses?
Upon returning to her shanty little apartment, she made sure the door was locked and that the blinds on the window were up before fully undressing and dumping her uniform on the chair, underwear following. Being alone allowed for that.
She snatched a bath robe from her drawer and retreated into the bathroom for a much deserved shower.
Tomorrow was certainly going to be interesting.
Judy was going to be late for the meeting with Nick.
She had time to brush her teeth, grab a quick bite of whatever was in the fridge and apply some mascara and eyeliner before she had to run out of the building. A brisk jog to the train station was the best form of travel.
Within minutes the bunny had reached the ZDP. She glanced at her parked interceptor before ascending the stairs up into the lobby. Clawhauser was already waving to her. She reluctantly approached him.
"Looks like you found Nick!" the cheetah exclaimed. Judy nodded. "What's the matter, Judy? You don't seem that upbeat about it. Isn't Nicky your partner and friend?"
"Oh, no, I love that fox to death, it's just that... er, how do you say it?" she scratched her neck in thought. Clawhauser blinked, smiling. "It was a weird night yesterday, if I were to put it simply. Nick and I are supposed to meet pretty soon and talk about it."
"Hmm... oh! You mean - oh! I'm so sorry! I won't keep you then, go meet Nicky! I'm glad everything turned out okay!" Clawhauser waved at her yet again as she made her way deeper in.
Judy waved back, feeling uneasy. "Thanks, Clawhauser! You're the best!"
"Oh, stop it you!" the chubby cheetah giggled. The compliment made him feel all giddy!
Judy was now in the cafeteria, which was bustling with activity. With the numerous rhinos, elephants, tigers and anything else bigger than a bunny walking about, catching a glimpse of Nick was near impossible.
That's why they had phones.
Judy slipped her phone out of her pocket and tapped out a quick message to Nick, reciting as she did so. "Where... are... you? I'm at... the cafeteria."
The phone vibrated in her hands. Nick had sent back a message.
'far wall, corner table to your right'
Okay, good enough. Judy put her phone away and squeezed through the crowd of police officers until she reached the end of the cafeteria. Whipping her head around, she saw Nick sitting at the aforementioned corner table.
Breathing in and out to calm herself, Judy casually approached and sat down opposite the fox. He was eating something green out of a white ceramic bowl with a fork, seeming quite immersed in his food. Wait, were those tomatoes?
He was eating salad?
"Going green, Nicky?" Judy grinned.
"Mm," Nick swallowed his mouthful and nodded, though he disliked that nickname. "Trying to keep the sweets and meat to a minimum. Don't want to end up like the rhinos, if you know what I'm saying."
Judy chuckled at his remark. Nick offered her some of the salad, but she waved her hand. "Thanks, but I'm on a specific diet. Salads have to be made in a very special way."
No they didn't. Judy simply didn't want to take Nick's breakfast away.
Nick perked an eyebrow, smirking. "Picky."
Judy looked around for a clock and found one attached to the wall above the ladies who were serving the food. Seven in the morning. They had time.
"Soooo," Judy began. Nick wiped his mouth with a tissue and pushed the bowl aside. He crossed his hands on the table and looked Judy straight in the eyes. Or one eye. She wasn't sure what eye he was looking into. "That thing that happened yesterday."
"Yeah. The thing," Nick repeated, eyelids low. There wasn't a hint of happiness on his face. "Someone messed with me, Judy. Someone somehow found and decrypted the frequency of my radio," Nick seemed a bit peed off, but he kept his voice low.
"Any leads on who could have done that? And why?" Judy leaned in... did she brush her teeth? Did her breath stink? Maybe she should lean back a bit, or- agh, not important!
"Could be two possibilities. One," he pointed a finger up. "To be frank, I have many enemies. I admit to that. But most of them are lowlifes and lack the technical prowess to pull something like this off. Two; could be someone we don't know - someone no one knows. Diverting an officer from his duties might seem like a waste of effort, but it could all fit into a grand master plan."
"A grand master plan? Like what? Huge robbery?" Judy felt her nose twitch. Robbery.
Nick shrugged. "I don't know. I can't know, how could I? Organised crime is rare, but organised , planned white collar crime?"
Judy tapped her chin and scrunched her face. "We should go to the Chief."
Nick didn't like the suggestion. He sighed and tapped the table. "What if he's on it?"
"What?" Judy almost gasped. "Chief Bogo? No, no way. Impossible! Has to be!" Judy had forgotten her tone. A few officers glanced her way. She sighed.
"Right now we're completely in the dark. Everyone here could be involved. Right now we can only trust each other and no one else. Do you understand? Do you trust me?" Nick's lids were wide open now. That look from below was sort of intimidating, too.
"Of course I do, yes! Always," she grinned. Nick only offered a smirk.
He leaned away from Judy and turned around to look at the clock. It was almost time for their shift to begin. "Well, partner," he faced Judy once more. "Ready to save the day? Or, perhaps, the world?"
Judy couldn't help but grin.
"Always ready."