Chapter 2: Mr. Big's request
-Told by Nick-
The drive to Tundra Town was quiet, I wasn't really in the mood to talk and I could tell that Carrots knew something was up. She was silently reading a magazine, occasionally glancing up at me with her big, bright eyes and her nose twitching with concern. So I broke the silence to make her quit killing me with concern.
"What'cha reading there, Carrots?"
"Hmm? Oh I'm reading about a tribe of red foxes in Russia."
"You're reading about red foxes? You wanna know more about me, is that it? How cute."
She slammed her book closed. "N-no of course not, and don't call me cute! It just so happens that these Russian red foxes are not run of the mill."
"Neither am I, Fluff."
"I know you're not Nick, I'm not talking about character or ability, I'm talking about genetics. Many of them are showing some interesting genetic variation."
"You mean they're sprouting wings or something?"
"No, I mean that some of the red foxes aren't red at all. Some of them are brown, or black, some are even all white. There are some with stubby ears, long ears, droopy ears, It's all really interesting."
"What I find interesting is how in the world any red fox would want to live that far north. It's cold up there all the time. I don't even like Tundra Town all that much."
She looked up at me, her frown flipped upside down. She playfully hit me which, between you and me, was deceptively strong.
"Didn't you used to come up here all the time for your pawpsickle operation?"
"That was business, my dear bunny. I had to come up here. You'd never find me up here for pleasure. I don't so much like the freezing cold."
"Oh Nick, where in Zootopia do you like? Savannah Square is too hot, Tundra Town is too cold, the Rainforest District is too wet."
"I like downtown, that's my kind of place."
"I thought foxes were supposed to be able to adapt to most environments?"
"I adapt just fine, thank you! I just know where I'm most comfortable."
she laughed. "If you say so." She looked out of the frosted window. We were getting close to Mr. Big's estate.
I turned up the street and we approached the front gate. I rolled down my window and saw that they had just installed a new intercom.
"Look at that, Carrots! They put in an intercom…watch this." Ihit the button on the intercom. There was a brief moment of silence.
"What do you want?" said the rather irritated voice coming from the intercom.
"Yeah, I'll have the number five special with a large Claw-co-cola and my friend here would like the widdle bunny kids meal with a small carrot juice."
"Ugh, it's the fox…" said the voice on the intercom.
"Is that you, Raymond? Don't sound too excited to see me, you might just pass out."
"Why are you here Wilde?" asked Raymond.
"We need to speak to your boss real quick, so if you could just buzz us on in that would be great."
"The boss got nothin' to say to you, Wilde."
A high-pitched squeaky voice came on the intercom "Wait, Nicky's here? Is Juuudy with him?"
"This don't concern you, Fru Fru." said Raymond.
"Oh shut up and move. Juuudy, are you there with Nicky?" Her voice rang loudly in my ear.
Carrots unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped onto my lap a little too hard.
"Watch where you're leaping, Carrots! Geez."
"Oops, sorry." she said. She immediately directed her attention back onto the intercom. "Hey Fru Fru, what's up?"
Fru Fru squealed with delight. "Oooh I'm good Juuudy, I'm just trying to get your goddaughter to try these adorable leopard-print jeggings I got for her. Oh my gosh, when I saw they had them for babies I about died. Well not literally, there was no giant donut this time." she giggled uncontrollably.
"I really wish someone would drop a giant donut on my head right about now…" I muttered.
Carrots elbowed my side.
"Oof, what?" I said.
"Hush. Anyway, Fru Fru. Nick and I came to see your father to ask him a few questions. But I also had to come to see my goddaughter. Could you let us in?"
"Sure thing, doll. Hey Ray, let them in."
"I should probably ask the boss first-"
There was a crunching sound. "Ouch, did you just bite me?"
"Let them in, Or I'll bite harder!"
There was another moment of silence, then we were buzzed in and the gate opened.
Carrots hopped back to her seat "Okay, let's go."
"Woah woah woah there, officer Fluff. I'm not moving this car until you buckle your seat belt, don't wanna break your goody-two-shoes routine do ya?"
"Is that sarcasm? Don't make me tase you."
"I don't hear that seatbelt clicking."
She grunted and put her seatbelt on. I rolled up my window and drove up the driveway to Mr. Big's manor. I parked and we got out.
Carrots turned around and got a disgusted look on her face. "Wow, your parking job is awful." she folded her arms and gave me a judgmental glare.
"Eh, it's good enough. Now let's get this over with." I walked up the steps to his house, and something cold and wet hit me in the back of the head. I turned around and Carrots was right behind me, throwing snowballs at me. One hit me right in the face.
I wiped my face off "What are we, six?"
"Just getting in some target practice." she threw another one at me and it missed.
"First off, you still throw like a bunny." I said as I picked up a wad of snow and made a giant snowball.
"Wait, I call timeout!" she said.
"There's no time out, this means war Carrots!" I said as I chucked the snowball at her. It hit her in the face, right on target.
She wiped her face off.
"Hey Santa Paws, what're you doing here? It's not even Christmas." I said as I snapped a picture of her. I showed it to her, she missed a spot on her face and it looked like a beard. I couldn't keep in the laughter any longer. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just your face was so funny I couldn't help but la-" she tackled me and we both fell off of the porch and landed in a huge pile of snow.
Hopps was on top of me, she grabbed a huge wad of snow and dumped it on my head. "Do you give up?"
I shook the snow off. "Never!" I gently pushed her off of me and I piled the snow onto her.
"Do you give up, Carrots?" I dug through the snow to get her out, but I couldn't find her. "Carrots?" I dug deeper. "Carrots?" I began to panic. "Hopps, where are you?"
"Right here." she said as she lunged out of the snow. We rolled down the hill and hit a pine tree.
"I got ya, you got out foxed by a bunny!" she exclaimed.
"Oh it's on now." I said.
We both heard a rumble coming from above us. We looked up and to our terror every bit of snow that was on the pine tree came crashing down on us.
We both shot up from the pile of snow, shivering. We looked at each other and started laughing.
"I guess we'll call this a draw for now." she said.
"But I was just about to get you good, rabbit."
"How about a temporary truce?" she stuck out her hand for a handshake. "We are on the job, after all."
"Fine, temporary truce. But I'll get my revenge, Carrots." I shook her hand.
She looked at me with a devilish smile. "Woops, had my fingers crossed." She pushed me back down into the snow and ran up towards the house.
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…" I said as I gathered as much snow as I could and ran after her. She made it to the front porch of the manor and stopped.
"Aha, now I got you!" I said as I threw the snow at her. She ducked and it all hit Raymond as he opened the front door.
"Oops. Sorry, Raymond."
"The boss will see you now." he said, obviously annoyed.
"Great." I said as I looked at my bunny nemesis. She was grinning ear to ear.
As we walked in, I took the little bit of snow I had left over and poured it down her back.
She hopped all over the foyer trying to get the snow out of her uniform. "Cold, cold that's cold!"
"That'll teach you to mess with me, Carrots." I said, feeling victorious.
"You sly fox." she said as she was about to come in for an attack. She was stopped by Raymond who cleared his throat to get our attention.
"The boss is in the meeting room."
The two of us followed him quietly, trying not to laugh. We walked through the door and saw Mr. Big on the desk table along with Fru Fru and little baby Judy.
Mr. Big sat up in his chair. "Judy, my child. How are you?" he said in that annoying squeaky voice we all know and love.
He held out his arms and Carrots leaned in, and he kissed her cheeks.
"I'm good Mr. Big, how are you?"
"Oh I can't complain, I have my daughter and my granddaughter to keep me company."
"Yeah, we're staying here while my little maggot muffin is off on business." said Fru Fru.
Is that really a pet name? Ew, talk about gross. I thought to myself.
Mr. Big looked over at me. "Oh, I see you brought the fox."
"Nice to see you, Mr. Big sir. How are you holding up?"
"I'd be better if I didn't remember that my poor Grandmama was buried in that skunk-butt rug every time I look at that ugly mug of yours."
"Sorry about that..." I said for the five-thousandth time. I mean come on, it's not like grammy knows the rug was made out of a skunk's butt.
"Me too, Nicky, me too. Anyway, what brings you all the way up here?"
Carrots hopped up on the table. "Well, you may want to sit down sir. We need to discuss something serious."
"I am sitting." he said.
"Right then. Anyway, have you heard about the rash of jewelry store thefts in the area?"
"Yes, I have."
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Child, do you think that I had something to do with it?" asked Mr. Big.
"Juuudy, Daddy and the guys have all turned their lives around. They're all nothin but do-gooders." insisted Fru Fru.
"Don't worry, we don't think that you guys had anything to do with it. Nick and I defended your honor when the chief suspected you."
Mr. Big looked over at me. "You defended me, Nicky?"
"Yes, of course I did. I may not be your favorite person but I know you've changed, and I hate it when people wrongfully profile someone because of what animal they are and what they did in the past when they've clearly changed."
He raised his bushy little eyebrow at me. "I guess you're not as much of a spineless jerk after all. Thank you for defending me and my boys Nicky, and you too Judy."
I clenched my jaw. "Any time…worm breath." I whispered.
"What was that, fox?" he said.
"N-nothing sir."
He scratched his head. "So what made your chief think that I had anything to do with these burglaries? I'll let you know I own half of the jewelry stores that were hit."
"Well, many of the witnesses said that they saw two polar bears in a white limo at each of the crime scenes."
"Well none of my boys would ever stoop so low as to steal, especially from me. I pride myself in having a loyal crew. I'll tell ya, I think this is a frame job."
Carrots' ears perked up. "What makes you think that, sir?"
"It just so happens that one of my limousines was stolen about a week ago, and someone has tampered with the GPS system so we can't track it. And I have a pretty good idea who it is."
"Who?" she asked.
"I've recently gotten threats from the Nocturne Knights, they've been angry at me for taking the highroad and helping the coppers."
"What!?" I yelled, my ears immediately started to twitch. "The Nocturne Knights, are you sure?"
Hopps was confused. "Who are the Nocturne Knights?"
"They're only the single most dangerous gang in all of Zootopia-"
"Excuse me?" said Mr. Big.
"…now that you're no longer living a life of crime, obviously."
"So they threatened you? Where are they now, sir?" Carrots sounded much more excited than she should have been.
Mr. Big lowered his head. "Oh child, I can't let you go against the likes of them. They have absolutely no respect for life, they would tear you and the fox apart."
"Mr. Big, I promise you that Nick and I are more than capable, and we will bring this gang to justice."
"Carrots, I don't think just the two of us will cut it this time."
"Wilde has a point. This is not just some street gang. They are a highly organized group, with three vicious Underbosses and a secretive and extremely feared leader."
"If they're so bad, why haven't I heard of them? I've never heard anyone at the ZPD talk about them."
I turned her around and looked her in the eyes. "Hopps, listen to me. These guys are big time, but they're only known among certain groups."
"What do you mean?" she asked, her intrigue turned into worry.
"It's the predators, child." said Mr. Big. "Not all predators, only those who have ever done business on the Nocturnal Strip."
"The what?"
"The Nocturnal Strip. It's a part of Zootopia that lies underground. Most of it looks like a ritzy and extravagant strip of casinos, clubs and theaters. But in truth it is full of corruption and treachery. No cop will go down there, the Nocturne Knights run the entire strip."
She looked at me, her nose was twitching again. "How do you know about this, Nick?"
I took a deep breath, I really never wanted to tell her about my past indiscretions. "I may have done a few…business transactions down there before. It's a part of my life I'm really not proud of, Carrots. I don't like talking about it. But trust me, the Nocturnal Strip is not a place for a rabbit, especially not one that's a cop."
"Well we have to do something. Mr. Big, sir. Please tell us what you know."
Mr. Big sighed. "If you're sure about this. I have an informant who lives down on the strip. He used to be the forth Underboss of the Nocturne Knights, but had a change of heart when they betrayed him. After one of my boys saved him from being iced by the gang, he became one of my most trusted friends. He's a wolf named Shadow, he told me that there is a performer at the Arendelle Casino that has some information about them that may ruin the whole gang. She wants out of the Nocturnal Strip scene for good. She's an arctic fox that goes by the name of Aurora Foxtrot."
"Aurora Foxtrot? As in Madame Shade Foxtrot's granddaughter?" said Carrots.
"One and the same."
"What is the granddaughter of one of Zootopia's wealthiest women doing down there?" I asked.
"Shadow told me that the gang is forcing her to perform at the casino. They are threatening her grandmother. That poor woman is blind and frail, and they are using her to manipulate her granddaughter. It's despicable."
Judy tapped her foot on the desk. "Nick and I will take care of it. We'll take Aurora into protective custody. You can trust us, sir. Right Nick?"
"Sure thing. But seriously, We're gonna need the entire force for something like this."
"No, Fox. That would be a bad idea. As soon as they get wind of a police crackdown they will get rid of every trace of evidence, including the young Ms. Foxtrot. I know them, they're good at being bad."
Carrots looked at me. "What are we going to do, Nick?"
I thought for a moment. "We could…go undercover."
"How? You and I are too well known in Zootopia to go undercover. We'll be too easily recognized."
"Not down there. Most of them don't even go topside, and those that do certainly don't pay attention to the news unless it has to do with them. The only ones who would recognize us are the higher-ups, and they're never out and about. And we'll be disguised. We'll be in and out without being seen. It'll be perfect."
"But you said it's no place for a rabbit."
I grinned at her. "It can be if you're with a dashing high-roller fox."
She frowned, and one ear flopped over her face. "What?"
"Yeah, I'll be a high-stakes gambling fox and you can be my good luck charm."
She folded her arms. "Did you just make a lucky rabbit's foot joke? Not funny, Nick."
"No, you're my good luck charm, Carrots. I feel like I'm the luckiest fox alive when I'm with you."
Fru Fru put her paw on her mouth "Aww, that's so sweet."
"And also a load of garbage." said Hopps. "But I'll do it."
"The Nocturne Knights need put down. Take care of them and clear my name. But promise me you'll be careful." said Mr. Big.
"You got it, sir. We've got to go now."
"Wait Juuudy." Said Fru Fru.
"What is it?"
"Won't you at least say bye bye to your goddaughter?"
She smiled and bent down and gently kissed the tiny little shrew.
"Bye, little Judy. I'll so you soon. Let's go Nick." said Carrots, her demeanor changed from scared to that confident rabbit I know and love.
I began to follow her out.
"Wait, Nicky!" Fru Fru yelled.
I turned around. "Yeah?"
"Were you serious about Juuudy being your lucky charm?"
I smiled and looked at the door to make sure she wasn't there. "Yes, she is my lucky charm. I'm one lucky fox to have her as a partner, and a friend."
"Aww, look at Nicky blushing daddy!"
I quickly looked away from them. "I am not, it's the lighting in here."
"Take good care of her, Nicky. She's a special girl." said Mr. Big.
"I will, sir. That's a promise." I said.
I walked outside, she was already in the car. She honked for me to get it. It looked like she was driving this time. I walked over to the passenger's side and got in.
"Ready to go, Nick? We've got a big day tomorrow."
"Yeah, let's get outta here." I said as I slinked back into the seat.
"Put your seat belt on." she insisted.
"Yeah, yeah. Goody-two-shoes." I slipped the seat belt on and looked over at her. I sighed and thought to myself: I really am a lucky fox.