Nick and Judy stared. So did Wolf. Six perked ears. Five wide eyes.

Sly beamed down at them. He was resplendent in the same outfit they had last seen him in – the same dark blue shirt and hat, the same extraneous domino mask, the same cane ending in a gleaming gold crescent. "Did I catch you by surprise? Can't blame you. I'm basically a living shadow."

"I... you...!" Wolf glanced around, his eye wild. None of his wolves stood. "You took down everyone?!"

"I mean, not everyone," said the raccoon. "A couple got away. Literally, a couple. I stumbled on them making out, and they seemed nice, so I let them leave."

Nick glared. His fatigue made it sharper. "But you managed to incapacitate, what, a dozen wolves? Silently subdue that many trained mammals, larger than you are, without help?"

Sly shrugged. "The trick is to do it one at a time."

Wolf stared.

He stared at his team, scattered and beaten. Tallying them. All disabled or gone.

He craned his neck and stared at Sly.

He turned and stared at Nick and Judy. Almost as though looking for help.

He stared at his team again, but nothing changed.

He stared at Nick and Judy and his team and Sly and his team and Judy and Nick.

He opened his mouth to speak.

Then he ran.

"Hey!" Judy was quick to follow. "Get back here!"

Sly leapt from his perch, sprinting across another container's roof. "I've got him, Judy, don't worry!"

Nick bit back a protest. Clutching his pistol, he doubled back.

Wolf glanced over his shoulder, seeing Judy was gaining – and drew a gun. It wasn't a shock pistol. He whirled around and planted his feet, and Judy froze. "I won't repeat myself, Hopps – back off, or–"

Sly's cane swung down, hooking the pistol and yanking it away in one smooth motion. Above Wolf, Sly caught the gun. He let the magazine slide out, smiling widely. "Oh, did I interrupt? Feel free to repeat yourself."

Wolf growled, knowing the thief was out of reach. He turned back to Judy an instant before she opened fire. Her shock pistol spurted small gouts of electricity. Moving with surprising speed, Wolf dodged under them, then went to savagely kick her. She slipped back, but Wolf's boot knocked her pistol away–

and Sly's cane came back down and gently hooked Wolf's heel.

Wolf stared. He tried to disentangle himself, but Sly matched his movements, his force, keeping him unbalanced. He shot Judy a smirk. She returned it.

Coiling all her power into her legs, she shot up like a silver bullet and headbutted Wolf straight in the nose.

Wolf fell flat on his back. Sly dropped to ground level and gave Judy a crisp high-five.

"Boom!" She grinned up at him. "Thanks for the assist."

"My pleasure. That was an amazing move you just pulled!"

"Oh, that?" said Judy breezily. "Just a little something I've been working on. Good for canine perps. When it's skull against nose, skull wins." She smirked. "Little hard to aim, though, so thanks for holding him still."

"Any time. Looks like we still make a good team."

"Yeah, looks like it..." She tilted her head. "So what brings you back to Zootopia?"

"So-"

Snarling, Wolf leapt to his feet. He drew the knife he (still) kept in his boot and lunged for Sly.

Sly slid out of the way without turning. Shifting momentum, Wolf stabbed at Judy. Judy stepped back, letting the knife pass her, and grabbed Wolf's wrist. Sly caught her eye and they shared a nod and when Judy pulled Wolf forward Sly slammed the cane into his legs.

Wolf hit the floor face first.

Judy confiscated the knife, turning back to Sly. He took a breath.

"So-"

Wolf tackled him with a roar.

Pinned to the floor by the steel grip of a furious predator, Sly rolled his eyes. "Dude. Come on."

Judy braced herself. Her pistol was too far, so she ran in and threw her weight against O'Donnell's shoulder. It was like shoving steel. Keeping one hand on Sly's throat, he used the other to grab Judy. Crushing both.

Sly had enough time to choke "This – seems – familiar," before a bolt of electricity caught Wolf in the eye.

Sly and Judy looked up, seeing Nick relentlessly advancing. He sank shot after shot into Wolf's face, alternating between the two weak spots of his nose and his eye. Every shot landed.

Wolf released his grip, then deflated. "Agh... heck."

"Stay down, O'Donnell," said Nick. "You're embarrassing yourself."

"Wow!" said Sly, getting to his feet. "Impressive accuracy, Nick."

"You better believe it!" chirped Judy. "He's one of the precinct's best marksmammals! Broke a few records back at the academy."

"Ohhh yeah," said Sly vaguely. "I remember Carmelita saying that fox vision is crazy good. They can see magnets, or something." He turned to Nick. "Where were you, anyway?"

"Covering the exits," he said darkly. "That's my job. So's this."

He produced handcuffs and bound Wolf's hands.

"Wolf O'Donnell. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to consult with an attorney and to have that attorney present during questioning. If you are indigent, an attorney will be provided to you at no cost."

Wolf glared. "This isn't over, fox."

"Sure."

Nick straightened. Sly was grinning at him. "Nice work!" He raised a hand. "High-five? For morale?"

"Yeah! Totally!" sang Nick, beaming back. Sly moved to meet Nick's hand and Nick smoothly grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm and handcuffed him.

"Really?" Sly made no attempt to struggle as Nick cuffed his hands behind his back. "I mean, sure, you got me. Very impressive. But I thought we were past this."

"Why? Why would we possibly be past this?"

Judy's ears wilted. "Nick..."

He pushed Sly's cane into her hands, then turned back to the raccoon. "Sly Cooper. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent–"

"I mean," said Sly, "I heard it just there. Doesn't it carry over? Shouldn't you get, like, a sixty second window? Legally?"

Nick bit back a growl. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say–"

"Nick, wait," said Judy. "Shouldn't we talk about this?"

"C'mon, Hopps!" Nick's ear flicked. "You know if I get interrupted I need to start over. You are–"

"So can't I just keep interrupting you all day?" asked Sly innocently.

"–under arrest. You have the right to remain. Silent. Anything–"

"How is that fair?!" demanded Wolf from the floor. "I didn't get a chance to interrupt mine."

"–you say can be used ag–"

"Nah, that's not valid," said Sly.

"...against you in–"

"The suspect doesn't, like, magically undo the arrest if they interrupt."

"In court. You have–"

"I knew that already, actually."

"–the right to consult with an–"

"I was a cop too, once," said Sly with a distant smile.

Nick suppressed a sigh. "An attorney, and to have–"

"So I know that, for this jurisdiction, the exact rule is that only other cops interrupting requires a do-over."

"–that attorney present during questioning." Nick took a breath. So close. "If–"

"That's enough, Nick," said Judy.

Nick vibrated with frustration, the cuffs rattling in his grasp. "Fine. Fine! Legally he doesn't need to hear that until we interrogate him. Let's just get him to Bogo."

Judy sighed. "We all know that if we honestly tried to arrest him, he'd just break out again."

"You're right," said Nick. "Better dishonestly arrest him. Let's zap him until he passes out and work out Step Two from there."

"Yikes," said Sly. "I'm glad you finally cracked a joke, but that's a little grim for opening material."

"Keep pushing me, Cooper. We'll see how grim things get."

"Uh, Nick?" said Judy. "Let's maybe give the pack a once-over. Make sure everyone's okay."

Nick didn't reply immediately, glaring at Sly. "...Yeah. Good call."

They returned to the middle of the warehouse. Judy led Wolf, who was stewing in silence. Nick steered Sly, who was not.

"Yeah, always smart to doublecheck that stuff. But don't worry. You know me, I'm not a murderer. Doesn't gel with my Gentleman Thief vibes. Just roughed them up a little, that's all. Made sure they weren't a threat." He smiled. "You're welcome."

Judy checked the wolves – she was more mobile, bouncing between containers to get to the higher positions. Sly's cane was too tall for her, but it proved surprisingly helpful, especially when she almost fell over. Nick watched their two prisoners, one claw tapping against his shock pistol. Waiting for a reason.

Sly draped himself Wolf's chair, hands behind his back, leaving Wolf on the dusty floor. The thief's hazel eyes sparkled as he met Nick's gaze. The silence stretched until Judy broke it.

"Sly. Why are you here?"

Nick sighed. "Yeah. Let's get this over with. Since it's officially off the record, go ahead and taunt us with it – what are you here to steal?"

"Nothing!" he said. "...Except your time."

Nick felt indescribably tired. "What."

"Me and the guys, we're on vacation! Just a break from the humdrum daily grind of being master thieves. Long overdue, honestly."

"Uh huh," said Nick flatly. "Assuming you aren't lying – and you clearly are–"

"Rude."

"–hadn't you promised Carmelita you were about to go straight?" Nick's glare could cut steel. "Last I heard, you haven't contacted her once since last year's heist."

Sly's smile wavered. "You... keep up with her, huh?"

"Someone has to."

Judy, still in Stopping Perps mode, had to actively restrain herself from complimenting Nick on his sick burn.

"So, to clarify," Nick continued, "how exactly does taking a 'vacation' factor into making things right with her?"

Sly's eyes followed a speck of dust. "Well, since you ask, this is part of the schedule. We've been hard at work on that stuff. Now we need to take a break."

"Mmh."

Judy checked the last wolf, satisfied none were in medical danger. She had to admit, Sly had finesse. He knew how to apply just enough force to get results, but no more. Shame that subtlety seemed to elude him elsewhere.

She dropped to ground level, padding up to her partner. "Well, that explains why you're here in Zootopia. But why are you here? In this warehouse?"

"To find you two! I mean, who else would I be looking for?"

"Anyone," said Nick. "Anyone else. We're cops."

"Exactly!" said Sly, which was not the correct response. "I know you've got work to do. But while you're on the clock, I can help! Just like this!" He jerked his head toward Wolf. "I got you this idiot, didn't I?"

"I can hear every single thing you're saying," drawled Wolf, but mostly to empty air. He didn't expect a reply.

None came. "I'm a huge asset, believe me. I'd be happy to help out wherever I can. And then! Once you're done with work, you can return the favour by showing me around! I wanna see all the sights this time. Sahara Square, the Meadowlands, Outback Island... not the Canal District, though. Not my scene."

"And you expect us to just play along?" Nick's claw had started peeling paint from his pistol. "Bring you for drinks, maybe drop you at the airport on your way out...?"

Sly put on his friendliest grin. "That'd be great! But mostly, I was just hoping that while I'm here, I could crash at your place?"

Judy cringed. "We'd – we'd like that! But, um... how to say this–"

"No," said Nick.

"We only have a couch anyway."

"Which we aren't giving you."

"And we're pretty tired in the evenings..."

"From dealing with idiot thieves."

"I speak for both of us when I say–"

"Go to jail. Forever."

"Heh! Don't worry, it's cool," said Sly, raising both hands. "I don't want to crowd you."

They stared. "The handcuffs," said Judy lamely.

"Oh, these?" Sly gently tossed the cuffs back to Nick. "Not great locks. You should know better than to use standard-issue equipment on me, pal. I'm not a standard-issue guy."

"I hate you," said Nick, "so much."

Before Sly could reply, all four noticed a sound – incoming sirens. Backup had finally arrived.

"Ah, I suppose that's my cue." Sly stood on the chair and gave a graceful bow. "We'll catch up properly some other time." He gestured to Judy. "My cane, please?"

She tossed it over, to Nick's utter horror. "Why did you do that?!"

Judy shrugged. "It's the least we can do."

"No! The least we can do is hold on to his weapon! You're approaching this with the absolute wrong definition of 'the least we can do'!"

Sly laughed richly. "Oh, I missed you two... Judy. Nick. Always a pleasure."

With that, he leapt up, hooking his cane onto a container. They watched him effortlessly scale the environment, as though backflipping over a fifteen foot drop was as natural as breathing.

He went to leave through a rooftop window. "Sly!" Judy called. He paused, looking down. "Be careful out there, okay?"

Sly smiled. Not a smirk; genuinely warm. "Thanks, Judy. You too."

He vanished.

Judy sighed. "Do you think he's upset?"

"I hope so," said Nick. Judy shot him a look.

Moments later, the doors slammed open and officers poured in. Mostly the partners' colleagues from the bullpen, street-level officers, but one figure loomed over all others.

"Chief Bogo!" Nick stood a little straighter. "Nice of you to join us, sir."

"Just stretching my legs."

Despite his workload, and the mountain of paperwork it carried, Bogo often joined his officers on the ground. He led from the front.

He looking around, mentally counting the wolves. "I take it the tip we received was an ambush?"

"Yessir," said Judy.

"An ambush which you... dealt with. Yourselves."

"Yes, sir," said Nick.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Bogo's face. "This seems outlandish even for you two."

Judy saluted. "Nothing we couldn't–!"

"Sly Cooper!" barked Wolf. "These two morons are good friends with Sly Cooper, the thief!"

Judy froze, ears tall. Nick stayed more sanguine. "Y'know, you still have the right to remain silent–"

"Oh no, I'm fine." Wolf bared his teeth in a vicious grin. "I'd love a court stenographer to read this out loud, let the judge and jury and who the heck else know how Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are close personal friends with Sly Cooper, and he came in and helped them arrest me and then asked to sleep on their couch."

Bogo's nostrils flared. He stared Wolf down. "...Is that right?"

"You think I could make this up? I don't have the imagination for something that dumb, pal."

Bogo's gaze travelled to Nick and Judy with the slow lethality of an iceberg. He said nothing for a moment. The air was heavy.

Then he nodded to Wolford and Fangmeyer, restraining a nearby wolf.

"I trust you have adequate help to process everyone here?"

"Y-yessir," said Judy, in her well-practiced Please Don't Fire Me voice. "We've got it."

"Good."

With that, Bogo strode away.

"Once you're done here – report to my office. I'd like a word."

"Yes, sir!" called Nick. Once Bogo disappeared, he turned slowly to Wolf. He resisted the urge to elbow him – police brutality, technically. "Thanks. For that."

Wolf smiled. "You're welcome."

Sly often escaped the police. Usually it was more fun.

The ZPD soon had the warehouse surrounded. All exits were covered, ensuring the capture of O'Donnell's entire pack.

As Sly slipped through the window, leapt off the roof, neatly grabbed a drainpipe on the next building over, and climbed out of sight before Officer McHorn glanced vaguely in his direction, he wondered about the two wolves he found manning the cameras. He had given them plenty of time to escape, so they were probably clear of the dragnet. He hoped so.

He hopped from roof to roof for a while, basking in the fading orange light. The sunset was much easier to appreciate from up here. But it was quiet here, too.

Once the sirens were behind him, he looked for a place to stop. A skyscraper called to him – bold white slopes curving upwards, framing an impressive decorative waterfall. It was the tallest building in an otherwise uncongested area, directly overlooking a small park.

Sly only noticed the bright orange letters reading CITY HALL after he had decided to climb it. It was about time politicians had given something to him. The little guy.

The smooth exterior was a challenge to climb. That was what drew him. But before long, he was perched atop the long antenna jutting from the building's roof. The slow metallic creak under his feet was soothing.

The city sprawled below him. Squatting comfortably on the spire's tip, he looked around. Right next door was the Natural History Museum. He smiled, fondly recalling the exact window he had entered through during his last visit. Across the park was ZPD headquarters, with a constant stream of blue ants spiralling around it. Sly reached into the pouch on his leg and took out his Binocucom to savour the details.

"Wow... I can see all of Little Rodentia from up here."

Neither the wind nor the antenna laughed at his very funny joke.

Sly sighed. His Binocucom was one of a matching set – personalized in dark blue, of course – which could communicate wirelessly with its two brothers. But not any more. Not over this distance.

The pointedly silent audiovisual feed under the scope was starting to unnerve him. He lowered the Binocucom, then put it away.

He took out his burner phone.

Sly knew what he had been told. He knew the risks. But he defied risks every day. And with no-one to talk to...

Two options. Easy choice. He made the call.

He had just enough time to doubt his decision before the phone clicked. The voice on the other end was loud and strong, choked with an unstable enthusiasm.

"Sly! Hi! It's great to hear from you!" A sudden shift. "Is everything okay? Are you in trouble?!"

Sly suppressed his urge to chuckle. He knew the concern was very real. "I'm fine, Murray. Don't worry."

"Oh." A pause. "Then... why are you calling? Are you as bored as I am?"

"You're bored? I thought you were at some crazy wrestling... buffet... foodfight... thing."

"Yeah, but these guys are all chumps. I'm the only one here who knows how to weaponize ketchup. And I'm not sure they properly screened everybody for allergies, which frankly is just..." Murray's focus snapped back. "Anyway, don't dodge the question! What's up? Why did you break the No Calling rule?"

"Nothing major." Sly's eyes followed a far-off train as it disappeared into the climate wall, swallowed by the sprawling concrete. "I found Nick and Judy, but they don't want to hang out."

"Oh." Murray's voice was soft. "You okay?"

"'Course I am. I'm always okay. A little disappointed, sure, but it's no big deal. This way, I'm free to enjoy the city at my own pace! I'll shack up at a hotel, maybe that huge tree casino I've heard so much about."

"Well, alright..." Murray wasn't one to accept failure. That usually meant reacting to any brutal injury by punching the other guy even harder, but outside of fights, the same attitude manifested in more constructive ways. "Did they say why?"

"I can guess why, pal. I'm a threat to their careers – their lives as normal people. They can't be seen with me, and they don't want the hassle." Sly shrugged into empty wind. "Nick was especially hostile. Looked exhausted, too, which didn't help..."

"Gotcha. And Judy?"

"Judy was more open to it. But she didn't object when Nick shot me down."

"Yeah," said Murray. "My read on the situation is that Judy thinks you're cool. Which makes sense! Because you are cool! But Nick can't see past the potential danger you pose to them. Which makes sense! Because you are dangerous!"

"Sounds about right..." murmured Sly. "I just... I thought we were closer than we are, that's all. After Judy was so friendly last year, I figured our relationship was less weird than where I am with Carmelita." He curled up a little tighter. "Guess not."

"Awwh... hang in there, Sly. I'd hug you if I wasn't so darn... far away..."

There was a tremor in Murray's voice. Sly saw an opportunity to move the conversation away from his own problems. "You okay out there?"

"I miss you guys! A lot! Being alone like this is so weird and bad!"

"I know, pal. I know. But try to relax. Enjoy the... ketchup. We'll be together again before you know it, big guy."

"Yeah," mumbled Murray. "Okay."

Sly sensed something in his tone. "...Something wrong?"

"It's nothing. Forget it."

Sly's voice was gentle. "What is it?"

There was a crackle over the line Murray sighed. "It's just... she used to call me 'big guy', too."

Hovering behind him, unseen, the Black Phantasm observed.

It knew. It was aware of Sly Cooper's presence. He had been present from the start.

He was the end.

The Phantasm felt no confidence, no certainty, no satisfaction. There was nothing to feel. But the plan was in motion. It was time to begin.

It was time for Nick Wilde to commit a murder.