The familiar screech of his alarm blaring woke Nick up from his slumber. He slowly reached over toward the clock, feeling around for the 'snooze' button. After the dreadful noise had ceased, he sluggishly sat up in his bed against the headboard. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock beside him. Five A.M. He groaned quietly and reluctantly departed the confines of the warm covers. To think after six months of this routine he would have been used to it by now, but old habits die hard. Not two steps away from the bed, Nick's arms shot up into the air and he stretched his back, hearing each crack the further he reached. He trudged out of his room and into the washroom across the hall.
He turned on the light, wincing at the sudden brightness. He reached under the vanity, feeling around for his toothbrush and toothpaste. He popped up from the vanity and was greeted by his reflection in the mirror. The fox he saw looked as if he had been hit by a bus and then hit again by the same bus reversing to see what it had hit. His fur was matted in all different directions, and the squint he was wearing indicated that there was only one place he wanted to be at that moment. Back in bed, asleep.
I guess I should take a shower. He thought.
Nick wet his toothbrush, applied a line of toothpaste, and began brushing. Once he was done, he walked over to the shower and turned it on, adjusting the temperature to his liking. He grabbed a towel from the nearby shelf and placed it on the vanity counter-top. He stripped out of his nightwear and entered the shower. The warm water poured through his fur and onto his skin, warming him up instantly. He picked up his bar of soap and began scrubbing himself all over. Nick enjoyed his shower time, maybe a little too much. So much, in fact, that he often lost track of time once he got in. Nick managed to snap himself out of whatever daze he was in and turned off the water. Upon stepping out, he was immediately greeted by the cold air of his flat. He shivered as he reached for his towel. He quickly dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist.
He walked back into his bedroom, turning the light on on the way in. Despite living alone, he closed the door behind him. He hung the damp towel on a hook on the door and walked over to his dresser, where his uniform was neatly folded. The uniform was a your typical detective garb, complete with pressed dress pants, white dress shirt, striped tie, and a blazer that matched the pants. After getting dressed, he glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Five-thirty A.M. Nick had to be at the HQ for six, since there was supposed to be a brief but important meeting with the Chief about his assignment.
I won't have time to make coffee, hopefully Judy'll get one for me. He thought.
Nick grabbed his beige overcoat and put it on, smoothing out the shoulders in the mirror. He grabbed his wallet, badge, and his bag, and headed toward the door. Before he stepped outside, he stopped. He headed back into the flat, searching for the larger bag he had packed a few days before. Bogo told him to pack a bag with as many clothes as he could. After his search turned up nothing, he slapped himself on the forehead. He'd remembered that he had already brought his bag over to the HQ yesterday, thanks to Finnick and his van.
He locked the door behind him, and put the his keyring back into his pocket. Since it was so early, it was still dark outside; the sun usually didn't rise until about seven. Nick lived in an a condominium complex just outside the Downtown Core, so he was able to walk to work. The walk usually took about twenty minutes, so he'd be at the HQ at around five-fifty. Nick pulled his phone and a pair of earbuds from his bag. He held on to the phone with one paw, and made a weak attempt to untangle the mess of cord with the other. With a defeated sigh, he placed the phone in one of his coat pockets, and began working at the bundle of knots with both paws now. A few minutes passed, and the earbuds were once again usable. He hooked them up to his phone and pressed the 'shuffle' button in his music player. He placed his phone, as well as his paws, in his pockets and walked down the sidewalk toward the Downtown Core.
Nick arrived at the HQ at the time he predicted he would. He walked up the concrete steps, toward the front doors of the facility. They opened automatically as he approached them, and he walked inside.
The HQ was a very different place early in the morning. It was a lot quieter, for one. The night shift officers were just getting off their shifts, and the daytime officers were due to begin arriving at any moment. Ben wasn't at his usual spot at the front desk, he wasn't due to be there until seven. But even still, his computer was on. This struck Nick as suspicious, and he began walking toward the reception desk. As he approached it, he saw a familiar figure sitting in the oversized office chair leaning back, paws on the desk. Nick inhaled softly, and cracked a smile. None other than his partner in crime, Judy, was the one in the chair. Nick placed his bag on the ground, and crossed his arms.
"It's just like you to be here before me, Carrots," he said. Judy playfully smiled back at Nick, returning to a proper sitting position.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. "Anyway, I got you a little something." Nick raised an eyebrow, and Judy revealed a drink tray containing two cups. "Surprise!" she said gleefully, taking one of the cups. She passed the tray containing the other cup to Nick, who took the remaining cup right away.
"My hero! Thanks a bunch, I really needed this," Nick said, taking a sip afterwards.
They stood in silence sipping at their drinks, waiting for their cue. Nick took another look around. It was one of the only times he'd been behind Ben's desk. Nick always thought that it would be one big disorganized mess, just like it was during the day. However, everything seemed to be put away neatly. Each item, from stacks of paper, to the smallest of paperclips, were in what looked like their proper place. On the floor near the massive computer tower, were two large duffel bags. One he recognized as his, while the other belonged to Judy. He recalled asking Ben if he and Judy could store their bags there, to which he replied in his usual bubbly tone, "Of course, Nick!"
"Are you excited, Nick?" Judy asked, breaking Nick's train of thought. Nick took another sip of his drink. He pondered his answer for a moment.
"As excited as I'll ever be," He replied. Judy stared at him and raised an eyebrow. She was not satisfied with his answer. Nick rolled his eyes.
"That's it? That's all you have to say? Come on, Nick! This is our first assignment out of town! We get to go to a new city and experience it! How is that not exciting? I've told you how much I love to travel, right?" Judy said, clasping her paws together. Nick sighed.
"You do realize what we're being sent there for, right? We're being sent there, essentially, to baby-sit a college kid and introduce him to the world of criminal investigation. Also, Borealis isn't as interesting as their tourism board makes it seem. For one, it's pitifully small compared to Zootopia, meaning there's less to do during recreational time, and the population is only about five million, less than half of what Zootopia has," Nick said, crossing his arms. Judy's eyes narrowed. She hopped up onto Ben's desk chair so she was at Nick's eye level.
"Nick, I'm certain Boralis isn't as bad as you say it is either. Also, I've never been there, and I'm interested in learning how mammals live over there. And as for the college kid, you agreed to this, Nick. It's not like you didn't have a choice beforehand," Judy countered. Nick raised his arms into a defensive position, taking a step away from the rabbit who was leaning toward him.
"Hey, I'm just saying it might not be all it's cracked up to be. Also, Borealis is the largest city in the region to not have Climate Control, meaning that the weather is literally unpredictable. It is situated in what is what was formerly known as 'The Boreal Forest.' The temperatures here range from unforgiving high-thirties, to multiple degrees below zero. It's currently mid-March, so the temperatures match those of Tundratown on a good day," Nick said.
"Quite the pessimist you are, Nick. Not to mention quite the geographer, " Judy said, smirking. Nick only stared back at Judy with a straight face.
"Yeah, I like to research a bit if I can before going somewhere," he replied, his expression turning into a smirk matching Judy's. At that moment, a loud, demanding voice could he heard coming from the second level. Nick and Judy looked up to find the source of the familiar sound. Chief Bogo stood, leaning against the railing, was staring down at the two.
"Hopps! Wilde! Quit your bickering and meet me in my office," he yelled before disappearing back into one of the rooms.
"I guess that's our cue," Judy said.
Nick shrugged his shoulders and the two started toward Bogo's office. They walked up a flight of stairs, and continued down the hallway to where the office was situated. Before arriving, Nick stopped to look down at the foyer down below. He saw some other officers enter the building, ready for their shifts. The large clock hanging on one of the walls read '6:00 A.M.' He left the railing to catch up with Judy, who was already standing in front of Bogo's door waiting for him. They both entered the office together. Once inside, Bogo was facing his computer, most likely working on some things for the department. Nick and Judy took their seats across from Bogo, who had turned to face them. He removed his glasses, and reached into one of the drawers. He produced two file-folders, one for each of them. He passed one to both Nick and Judy. Inside, there were a few papers.
"Alright, I called you two in here to give you a few extra details about your assignment before you leave. By now, you should know that you are going to Borealis to aid in a college co-op program in association with the Borealis Metropolitan Police and Fanshawe College," he began. Bogo took Nick's folder and opened it. He grabbed one of the sheets of paper.
"This first paper is the one you give to the receptionist at the BMP HQ. Once you do, you'll get to meet Chief Maxwell, the mammal in charge of things over there. You are to listen to his every word. Once you're done at the HQ, you'll get set up in your hotel room, then it's off to the campus to meet your student." Bogo pulled out another paper. It seemed to be an information packet.
"This paper is from the college. It has a little bit of information about the student in the program. His name is Blake, and he's an arctic fox. He lives on-campus in building C, room one-thirteen. You can read the rest of this over on the train ride there." He put the packet back into the folder. He pulled out the final piece of paper.
"This is a map of the city, marked with important locations," He said. Some of the places marked included the college campus, the police station, their hotel, and a few other places. Bogo continued. "Should you lose your cell phones, this map will come in handy." He replaced the final paper into the folder, and slid it across the desk back to Nick. He quickly looked inside the folder, and decided that he would take Bogo's advice, and look it over on the way there.
"That's pretty much all I wanted to tell you. Keep in mind that Borealis is does not have Climate Control, and since we're early in the month of March, expect chilly temperatures and some snowfall, so I advise you to bring a jacket with you." Nick looked over to Judy, a wide grin across his face. Judy rolled her eyes. "Your train leaves in half an hour. I've called a cab for you and it is waiting outside, so once you leave the office, grab your bags and leave. Dismissed!" Bogo said, adding emphasis on the last word.
Nick and Judy hopped out of the chairs left the room. They arrived back down in the foyer. They grabbed their bags, which were behind Ben's desk, and made for the exit. The air outside had warmed up a bit from when Nick had entered, and the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. Just like Bogo had said, a cab was waiting outside for them. Judy skipped over to it ahead of Nick and asked the driver to open the trunk. He obliged, and it popped open. Nick had arrived at the cab as Judy placed her bag in, and Nick did the same. They both entered the vehicle. The driver turned to face the two as they buckled up
"Where to?" he asked.
"Downtown Station, please!" Judy asked.
"No problem." the driver replied, shifting the vehicle into 'drive.'
The vehicle lurched forward, and they were off. The ride was only about ten minutes, and they thanked and said goodbye to the driver when they arrived at their destination. They fetched their bags from the trunk and Nick slapped the back of the car, signalling that they were done. The car sped off, as it most likely already had another client lined up. The two walked up the stairs toward the entrance of the station. The department had already taken care of ticket costs, so all they had to do was pick them up from the ticket booth. They entered through the large revolving doors and walked over to the ticket booth. The receptionist immediately recognized them and handed them their tickets. They both thanked her, and headed deeper into the station.
"Ticket says platform seventeen, which is...that way" Nick said, pointing toward a large overhead sign.
The sign read 'Platforms 10-19' and had an arrow pointing to the left. They both walked in the direction the sign was pointing. They walked past multiple platforms, each one heading to either a different District of the city, or to a completely different city, most of them were just small townships situated just outside the city limits. They eventually found Platform Seventeen and they took a seat on a bench facing the tracks. They didn't have to wait very long, since they got caught in the morning rush on their way there.
Not five minutes after taking their seat, Judy's ears perked up at the sound of steel against steel. She looked down the tracks and saw one of the city's easily recognizable bullet-trains pulling up to the platform. She slapped Nick on the shoulder, who had amazingly fallen asleep in such a short period of time. Nick jolted awake, confused at where he was for a moment. He looked around frantically before settling his gaze upon the massive steel beast. He calmed himself down, and grabbed his bag.
The train halted in front of the platform, and they watched as some mammals got off the train and head into the station. After they dissipated into the crowd, Nick and Judy headed toward one of the open doors. A conductor was waiting for them there and they presented their tickets. The conductor punched each one, and handed the slips back to them. Nick and Judy stowed their bags in the overhead storage space, and took their seats. Judy made sure to grab the window seat before Nick. Nick smiled and shook his head at the action, while Judy simply put on the most mocking smile she could.
"And off we go!" Judy exclaimed as the train pulled away from the platform. Nick tried his very best to look out the window. All he could see through Judy's head were the hundreds of buildings, streets and the mammals on them, passing by at high speed. Nick concluded that until they left city limits, there was nothing worth looking at. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
"How can you even try and sleep right now, Nick? This is so exciting!" Judy said, just above a whisper. Nick tried to keep his eyes shut, but the sun was now fully above the horizon, and every time they passed a building tall enough the sunlight would flicker in and out of his eyes, making it pretty much impossible to sleep.
"I don't know, Carrots, maybe I'm just not the morning mammal that you are," Nick replied. The coffee he had had earlier seemed to have done nothing for him. Judy shrugged, deciding to let the fox sleep.
"Fine, I'll wake you up when we're close then," she said.
Judy reached into the small backpack she had brought along with her larger bag and pulled out her little iPod. She set the music to shuffle and stared out the window.
Judy hummed the melody of the song as they train left the Downtown Core. The train trip was supposed to take about four hours. She'd be able to listen to her music, and Nick would be able to get some rest.
Hopefully he won't be as cranky once they get there. Judy thought.
This idea had been bouncing around my mind, and thought I'd make a quick note about it. A few months later, I remembered I had it. So yeah, that's about it. Leave a review, preferably with some constructive criticism. Thanks! -Prince
EDIT 04/26/18: I read through the chapter and fixed a few things, for example, punctuation and reducing the size of a few paragraphs. -Prince.