Judy shook her head in exasperation. "Oh Nick, you silly fox. What are you talking about?" she questioned as she stepped towards the box. "What's in that box that could possibly be so-"
"Oh".
She was not expecting that.
An airy, spacious room. Gleaming white surfaces, with a pattern of circular indents fixed to the walls; these appeared to be lit from behind, giving an eerie quality. On the far side of the room a large square panel was present at eye-level, with a single door to the right. In the very centre stood an hexagonal console, a monitor attached to each of the six individual panels, and covered in buttons and switches of all sizes; none of them were even labelled. Rising up from the middle of the console was a squat glass-encased column, housing an unusual crystalline lattice structure, which reflected the doe's gobsmacked expression; she could finally see where her partner was coming from. "I - it's bigger on the inside!" she stuttered breathlessly. It was so much to absorb.
"Yes yes, they all say that!" Sighed the Doctor; he sauntered into the room, followed by a still slack-jawed Nick. "Right, I suppose we should get the basics out the way." He began as the lion crossed to the console and flicked a switch; the pair of heavy interior double doors swung shut with an electronic burble. He placed his hands in his pockets and inhaled: "This is known as a TARDIS. That's T-A-R-D-I-S. Short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It can take you to any planet in the known universe, and to any point in that planet's existence!" He scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly, "And not terribly reliable either."
"Huh, that figures." commented Nick, staring dumbstruck at the confusing mass of buttons on the TARDIS console. How the hell could he work anything that confusing? Pull yourself together, Wilde.
The Doctor frowned, his tail swishing irritably back and forth as if trying to swat away the remark. "I shall ignore that comment for now." he grumbled; the Time Lord pulled out his handheld device and began furiously keying at the buttons on the console, which each responded to with their own unusual noise. The door on the far side of the room swung open, as a figure stepped through:
"Hey Doc, what's going on?" A tall, strikingly beautiful gazelle in her early twenties entered the room. A small wisp of dark hair fell between her chocolate brown eyes, giving her face an alluring, picturesque quality. She wore a pair of pink cargo shorts and belt, with a matching Lycra top which clung tightly to her upper body, accentuating her curves. "Who are these guys?"
"As I have told you many times before," the Doctor stated resignedly, "kindly refrain from addressing me as Doc!" He flicked his tail, looking up from the console, "Officers Hopps and Wilde, allow me to introduce my travelling companion, Miss Perpugiliam Brown." The gazelle smiled warmly at them both.
"Pleased to meet you, erm, Miss Brown," Judy greeted the fellow doe. "or would you prefer Perpugiliam?" she added with hesitation.
"Oh don't worry, my friends just call me Peri!" She reassured the struggling rabbit officer.
"Then I hope we all get along just fine..." drawled Nick, somewhat distracted by the leggy new arrival.
"Hey Nick!" He was brought back to his senses by another sharp rap on the shoulder from his police cohort: "Her eyes are up there you know!" she added forcefully, a note of jealousy perhaps creeping into her voice. Quickly, and somewhat red-faced, she turned to Peri "I must apologise for the conduct of my fellow officer, he is behaving totally unprofessionally!" Always a stickler for the rules, Hopps.
"No it's fine, really," Peri assured the flustered rabbit, "it must be difficult for him to take it all in".
"Hmm, you could say that..." the fox agreed, thus receiving a menacing glare from Judy. It really was too easy to get a reaction from that bunny.
"You know, I do hate to interrupt this extremely interesting conversation, but there are slightly more pressing issues to attend to!" chided the Doctor, just as a shrill beep emanated from the console; a series of numbers flashed up on the monitor in front of the alien. "Found it!" He boasted in a triumphant tone.
"You got what you've been looking for?" asked Peri, joining the Doctor at the console.
"Yes, the TARDIS has triangulated the source of the signals and picked out the space time coordinates for us." His tail stood erect: "We'll have to be quick, while the trace is still strong-"
"Wait!" Peri interrupted hurriedly, "What about these two?" she demanded, indicating the two ZPD officers.
"Yes, before you go running off anywhere, I think we should all head down to HQ and take your full statements." said Judy, foot thumping in nervous agitation.
"But we can't possibly do any of that!" The Doctor countered, "The TARDIS could lose the signal at any moment!" He groaned with realisation. "Well, I suppose that means you'll both have to come with us." The lion informed them, totally serious and without any hint of joviality. "But I must warn you both, it's likely to be incredibly dangerous!" Before either of them had a chance to object, the Doctor flipped a bank of switches; the central column began emitting a series of flickering red and white light, as it rose and fell rhythmically. "Off we go!" He proclaimed, an almost manic glint in his eye.
The two officers swallowed, hard.
A strange wheezing, groaning sound filled the garage as the blue Police Box known only as the TARDIS faded into nothing; within seconds, quiet and empty nothingness filled its hollow confines once again.
"So Peri, um, would you be an alien as well?" Asked Judy bashfully, a little of her Bunnyburrow country accent slipping in.
"Me?" Peri giggled slightly in reply, "Nah, Zootopia born an' raised. Studying Botany now, or at least whenever I get time to." The gazelle shrugged her shoulders. "Guess being a high school valedictorian can only get you so far!" she stated. Clearly, modesty was not one of her strong suits in life.
Not that this bothered the bunny in the slightest: "Hey, I was valedictorian at the ZPD Academy! Guess that makes two champions!" With that, the two females descended into laughter. Nick could only look on in bewilderment. What was wrong with scraping second place? He was a good deal older than most of the others after all.
"So then Doctor," Nick began playfully, "what exactly do you two do in this box of yours?" He winked suggestively.
The Doctor tutted: "Argue, mainly."
The tiger edged his way along the tunnel, firearm clutched at his side; the cold steel cut through his tunic and bit deep into his fur. The mammal examined his map closely, despite the near pitch-black environment hampering his vision. Desperately lost for hours now, he made yet another turn, struggling to find his way back. He'd been away for far too long already; the consequences of being caught were too horrifying to even think about. Where were the others? How had he gotten so hopelessly lost so quickly? He cursed mildly under his breath in frustration, his words frosting in the cool air.
A narrow shaft of light was thrown across the wall; a looming, ominous shadow silhouetted against it. The tiger looked on in horror, knowing exactly what was to come, and turned to run. The petrified mammal pelted back down a succession of tunnels, darkness greedily swallowing everything around him; no planned route or studying the map this time. Just instinct, driven by pure and blind terror.
His foot snagged on a rock in his haste; the tiger fell to the floor, the mammal's face connecting hard with the filthy and mud-strewn ground. As he attempted to haul himself to his feet, scrabbling for his gun, the tiger caught a horrifying glimpse of his pursuer; arm raised, ready to deal the fatal blow. The tiger let off a volley of shots; no effect whatsoever. He whimpered in terror:
"No, please! No! HEEEEELP!"
A sickening scream. Silence once more.
"Are your folks not worried about you traveling around like this?" The fox asked Peri tentatively, laying on his species' natural charm.
Peri sighed, her jolly tone suddenly fading, voice wavering a little: "Well, my Mom and Dad were killed in a traffic accident when I was a kit. Barely even knew them." She wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. "Then my stepdad, Howard, took me in. Until the Doctor showed up that is." The gazelle added, nodding at her friend; he promptly crossed over to join the conversation. "He probably wouldn't approve anyway, me a vulnerable young prey, travelling around with a predator!" The Doctor coughed roughly behind her upon hearing the remark. "Well, someone who looks like one anyway." The Doctor placed an arm around Peri's shoulder in consolation; the two officers looked on in silence, saddened to see that prejudice still dogged their society.
"We're sorry to hear about that Peri." Judy replied in a soft tone, "Really, we are." Peri nodded, and in turn pulled the bunny into a tight hug.
Nick's mask slipped a little: inside, he almost broke down.
A chime of approval from the TARDIS interrupted the somber proceedings. "It seems we've arrived." Announced the Doctor matter-of-factly. He pressed a series of buttons, and the square panel set into the wall slid back, revealing a screen. Near pitch-blackness, with a poor level of light barely stretching a few feet. Pale grey mists swirled in various formations, like waves crashing against the sand.
The lion fixed his eyes on one of the console's monitors: "Readings all seem fine. Stable atmosphere, regular gravity, plenty of oxygen." He frowned. "Though I have a feeling the mammalian predilection for fur coats could prove rather apposite!"
"And in English that means?" Nick responded, mask falling back into place, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"It's cold." Peri cut in, regaining her composure and activating the door controls, "Very cold!" She led the way out of the TARDIS.
"Headstrong young mammal." The Doctor commented, his steely blue eyes glistening a little: "I always worry she'll go rushing off straight into trouble." He brushed the thought to one side, not really wanting to think about it. "Still, I suppose I'll have to go after her." The lion sighed, readying his electronic device. "You two can wait in here if you like," he told them, his tone serious, "I couldn't bear it if anything should happen to you."
"Psht, c'mon Doctor!" Judy replied nonchalantly, "We can't exactly see much from in here can we? And besides, if this is the only chance I get to see another planet I'm not gonna miss it for the world!" The enthusiastic rabbit headed towards the open doors to follow Peri; the doe received a worried glance from her partner.
"Are you sure about this Carrots?" Nick mumbled, "I mean, we have no way of telling if any of this is even real!"
"I beg your pardon?" The Doctor butted in his face fuming with indignation. "And what exactly does that mean!"
"Well," the tod began, desperately attempting to rationalise the situation, "this could just be some fancy magic trick!" Yes it was a little unlikely, but then so was the idea of a teleporting box. "And these two could just be a couple of needy fans, who let their imaginations run away with them!" he concluded. The Doctor could barely conceal his outrage; Judy just giggled.
"My dear Officer Wilde, you can't dismiss something simply because you do not understand it!" The lion lectured the mammal.
"Hey Nick," Judy soothed, a single grey paw clutching the russet tones of his arm. He knew he may have gone a little too far. "it's okay; if it is just a game then we'll be be back in the garage. But if it's true..." She led him gently out of the room.
Well, there goes that theory, Nick thought to himself.
A blast of cool air struck the two officers as they emerged into what looked like a tunnel, with a series of smaller passages branching off in all directions. A thin layer of mist clung to cracks and crevices along the walls.
"Great, another rotten gloomy tunnel!" Peri whined, her voice bouncing off the walls and echoing down the cavernous spaces. Why did they always wind up in one of these?
"Yeah, not to mention the stink in this place!" Nick added brusquely, the stale odour offending his acute nose.
"Not the most appealing location, I'll admit," the Doctor conceded "but then again appearances can be deceptive, as we have discussed!" He turned to address the two officers: "Now, the TARDIS has put us down here, therefore the source of these signals can't be far away. Peri and I will have a look around to see what we can find." He began to swing around, but snapped back suddenly, "You two stay here, and don't wander off!" He lectured, his voice puncturing the misty silence. "Come along Peri!" He boomed, as the gazelle shrugged her shoulders at Nick and Judy, seeming apologetic. She hurried off after her loudly dressed friend, quickly receding from view.
"Wait a minute!" The bunny called out after them, "What exactly are you two looking for?" Nope. Gone already. "Ah, great!"
"Don't worry about it Carrots," soothed Nick, deciding it was his turn to do the comforting, "they should be alright, if they do this as much as they seem to."
"So," Judy stated, hand on hip "you admit you were wrong?"
The tod hung his head in shame, his ears flattening, "I guess so."
"It's ok you silly fox." She said, completely turning the situation around, "We all make mistakes now and again." The doe smiled, showing her buck teeth: "Even you!"
Nick chuckled in response. She always seemed to know just what to say to brighten up his day; even in a filthy dark tunnel such as this one. "Gee, I guess flattery will get you everywhere Hoppss." The fox joked. "Thanks Judy." He replied sincerely, "What would I do without you?"
The doe hummed with affection. "Dunno. Anyways, let's have a look round ourselves shall we?" she asked her partner, a conspiratorial glint in her eye; the thrill of actually being on another world, free from everyday life, seemed to let her adventurous side run loose. "I mean, not just another city, another planet!" She exclaimed, amethyst eyes wide with excitement. Could there be aliens here? With three heads and seven legs? Her mind filled itself with wild images of extraterrestrial life.
"I'm not so sure Carrots." Nick cautioned; perhaps his life hustling on the streets had taught him to be suspicous of everything. "After all, the Doc did tell us to wait here, right?"
"Oh come on Slick, where's your spirit of adventure?" Judy chided, her lengthy ears already tuning themselves in the direction of one particular passage. "Now, I wonder what's down here?" The bunny asked herself as she slipped behind the TARDIS.
"Hey hey Carrots, wait up!" Nick stumbled hurriedly, rounding the corner of the Police Box.
Too late. She was already invisible through the wall of mist. The fox exhaled uneasily, the steam from his breath visible in the bitter air. "Carrots! Hopps! Judy?" He yelled out in vain; the only voice to call back was his own in a ghostly echo. Great, all alone with only my own voice in stereo for company. The combination of his missing bunny partner and his isolation gnawed away at the tod's nerves, and made him feel distinctly uneasy; "Now where could she have got to?" Nick muttered; this was where he missed Judy's impeccable rabbit hearing.
"NICK!" A piercing cry, terrified and panic-stricken. An icy shiver ran down the fox's spine:
"JUDY!"
A/N: Hello everyone! I apologise if these first couple of chapters appear realtively short in terms of word count, but I just wanted to get the "nuts and bolts" exposition out of the way, if you will; rest assured, from the next chapter onwards the main thrust of the plot will start to kick into gear.
Incidentally, thank you all so much for your views/reviews/faves/follows, etc. I appreciate each one massively, and I genuinely mean that.
Until next time!