AN: So this is my first try at writing fanfiction, but I just had to throw my hat into the ring after seeing all the amazing stories coming from such an open canvas. For some reason I felt like "going big or going home" and expanding on a part of the universe that hasn't been touched too much. With that said, I would love some constructional feedback. Tell me what I'm doing wrong and tell me what I'm doing right as well, because I want this story to be as awesome as possible.
Also, if anyone has any parts of reptilian culture/universe evolution you would like for me to try and research and explain (bullshit my way through) then just let me know and I'll do my best.
Judy and Nick were currently sitting in their shared seat in the bullpen, waiting for Chief Bogo to arrive and give the day's briefing. Judy was her usual energetic self, ready for the day with ears raised and her can-do attitude on full throttle. Nick on the other paw was still struggling to reach lucidity with a steady stream of caffeine. A nocturnal predator dating and living with a diurnal prey certainly had its drawbacks in his case, but they were heavily outweighed by the benefits if you asked him. The big one being he no longer had to hide his affection for Judy from the world and could wrap his tail around her whenever he wanted.
When they had first started being open about their relationship, it had earned them a string of jokes and congratulations from their coworkers, a chew-out from Bogo making sure they understood the job came first, and a bit of the reward pot for the stations bet pool on them dating from Clawhauser. Nick had cut him a deal so that he would time their announcement in exchange for some of the profits. Judy tried to scold Nick for it but couldn't stay mad because as he put, it was a "perfectly legal hustle".
The rumbling of hooves and paws along with the roars and howls signaled that Sgt. Higgins was calling the room to attention and Chief Bogo was approaching the podium. Normally the display was already a sign of strong comradery and devotion. Today however, there was more energy in the air and the room did not immediately calm at the Chief's behest. The reason being that today was a special occasion for the city. An ambassador from Saurrex was visiting to meet with the mayor and the city council to improve relations and discuss the possibility of immigration between the two nations being opened and trade deals being formed.
The ambassador and his entourage would also be touring the city in public to dissuade the thoughts of the "Barbaric Lizards" that were already forming among radical and political groups and to show that they were perfectly normal and approachable. A vast majority of the predators were welcoming since it would be hypocritical to be prejudice after the Nighthowler Case. But there were still several prey that had their reservations about whether reptiles could really become a part of Zootopia or not. Which is why all of the precincts were on high alert and suspending minor investigations and cases until further notice. Another part of the diplomatic visit would be that the ambassador would receive a full tour of Precinct One and how it functions to answer the reptilian nation's questions about Zootopia's police force being able to protect their citizens from harm if they were to immigrate.
Judy and Nick were both excited to receive their assignment and know what part they would play in the fiasco. Judy because she had never met a reptile and only knew about them from the ghost stories she heard growing up, and Nick because he would get to play reptile tour guide for Judy and tell her about the animals they are going to see. Seeing her being awestruck was just too adorable for him to resist after all.
Once the room had reached a reasonable level of quiet after a few angry glares from Bogo, he performs his personal ceremony of looking over his officers and making sure they are all healthy of both body and mind. He may not be a wolf or even a predator, but he understands that his officers not only see him as their boss, but also as their leader and a friend. They all trust each other with their lives and have formed bonds forged in the worst fires that the city has offered. So when he hears a wolf describe pack hierarchy, he sees himself as his officers alpha. Therefore, it his duty to not only lead them but to also look after them all and make sure that they are safe from harm and are happy. Any threat to that health or happiness would have to face his unchained wrath.
Looking them all over, everyone seems perfectly fine and eager due to the special occasion. He sees his fox officer moving his lips, probably to deliver a joke that apparently earns some laughter from the other officers and even a smirk from Officer Hopps that she hides behind her paw. It always makes him internally sigh to see how much the fox corrupts his best officer, but also internally smile to see how much they make each other better mammals. They are indeed perfect for one another. Not that he would ever let them know he believed that of course. He has a reputation to uphold.
"Can it Wilde!" he bellows to regain control of the room. With the ceremony taken care of, he moves on to giving out the day's assignments.
"Wolford, Fangmeyer, Rhinowitz, and Grizzoli I want at City Hall with the officers from the other precincts making sure that the crowds that are forming play nice with each other. Protests are acceptable, but I do not want any riots breaking out and mammals getting hurt. Make sure you stop by the armory on your way out for riot gear incase the situation gets dangerous. Delgato, Penningtion, McHorn, and Howlington I want to escort the diplomatic convoy from Unity Bridge until they arrive hear at Precinct One. Since the Saurrex Embassy is still under construction, they will be coming hear first to personally be given the information as to where they will be staying in the city to prevent any chance of it being intercepted. Have your paws on your radio at all times and call in the second something goes wrong. Jackson and Trumpet I want to handle a string of serial jewel robberies in Sahara Square. Cut their newfound career short. Hopps and Wilde, meet me in my office afterwards for your briefing. Everyone else standard patrols. Dismissed!
With that, mammals began filing out of the bullpen and heading to the motor pool to get into position for the day ahead. They all were excited for such a rare occasion, but there was also tension and professional alertness displayed across their faces today. If the Nighthowler Protests were any sign of what to expect, the situation can get ugly quickly and the entire city will be on the verge of chaos with the right catalyst. As Judy and Nick head toward Chief Bogo's office, they chat about what he is discreetly assigning them.
"What do you think the Chief is giving us to do?" questions Judy "Do you think he's giving us a classified assignment while the ambassador is in the city?"
Nick gives a half-energy chuckle to Judy's eagerness to be given something important to do. "I doubt it fluff. My guess is that he's shoving us in the dullest and quietest part of the city so we don't accidently cause any trouble again. We do have a habit of stumbling on big cases and being a magnet for trouble." he says, which gets an adorable huff from Judy.
"It's not my fault that those bears we happened to try and pull over for speeding were heading to a gang meeting and lead us straight to their base of operations after they tried to lose us in a chase. Or the noise complaint from that elderly moose that lead to several smuggler stings."
"I'm not saying that it is, but you have to admit we have a knack for finding trouble by chance."
Once they finally reach Chief Bogo's office door, Nick raps his knuckles on the door to let him know that they have arrived. After a couple seconds, they hear Chief Bogo bellow "Enter".
As Nick pushes the door open, he makes sure to get his usual smartass comment in. "Hey Buffalo Butt, you giving us meter maid duty so we stay out of- "His snark is cut short as he notices there are two other mammals in the room. On the other side of the desk from them there is a gray rabbit buck with black horizontal stripes along his face and ears standing next to a beautiful artic vixen, both wearing paw tailored suits, matching rings, and smug grins. Judy and Nick freeze for a second as they take in the scene before Nick puts his hustler face back on.
"Stripes! It's been awhile since you showed yourself, and you remembered to bring your better half. I see you haven't driven her away with the super spy act yet." he continues to snark, which earns him an elbow jab to the side from Judy. Instead of responding with his own quip, Jack Savage turns to address Chief Bogo.
"Buffalo Butt huh? I haven't heard anyone call you that yet Adonis. I'll have to keep that one in mind the next time we go out for drinks." This earns a mischievous giggle from Skye and a heavy sigh from the chief as he rubs his temple.
"Hi Judy, hi Nick!" greets Skye "Sorry we haven't met up with you sooner, but we were extremely busy after the honeymoon. Apparently the bad guys weren't willing to take a break for us and we had to catch up on work. Thanks for the coffee maker by the way. It's been super helpful with the late work nights and with Jack being a morning mammal."
Remembering about the wedding and her best friends getting married a couple of months ago brings a smile to Judy's face. "No problem, me and Nick have that same one and it works wonders for our different sleep cycles. It was his idea though to get one for you guys!"
"Nick and I" corrects Nick with his hustler grin "me and Nick is grammatically incorrect Carrots."
"Oh my god don't tell me you're one of those mammals! I might have to rethink dating you."
"Enough" shouts Chief Bogo "There are important matters to discuss and we don't have time for your friendly banter." That gets the other four mammal's attention and they fall back into professional mode.
"So what assignment did you want to give us that needed to be discussed in your office instead of the bullpen Chief?" asks Judy being the ever curious one.
The chief seems to breath in and brace himself for the next conversation, which puts Nick on edge. "This assignment has to do with the visiting ambassador. I want the both of you along with agent Savage and agent Winter-" he says before being cut off by Skye.
"Also agent Savage now." she corrects with a loving smile towards Jack. Jack for his part tries to remain straight faced and looking ahead. Unfortunately he can't help the slight blush under his fur from showing.
"Right…" the chief says blankly "along with agent Savage and agent Savage, you will be by the ambassador and his entourage's side for most of their visit. Together you two are my best officers. Hopps you've proven time and time again that your stature is not a measure of your skill and commitment to the badge. That combined with Wilde's mammal skills, calming any situation that arises and making some friends gives us an opportunity to show that the police department is willing to extend the olive branch to the reptilian nation. I hate to give you credit for being good at something Wilde, but I will not refuse to use your experience to our advantage." At this Nick can't help but smirk at the chief's expense for having to admit he is talented. But then a question pops into his mind that puts him back on alert.
"Okay but then why did we need to have this conversation in your office instead of the bullpen, and why do Jack and Skye need to be there if I'm just going to be sweet talking some reptiles and convincing specists to back off?" he prods, worried that he's probably not going to like the answer.
The chief once again sighs and leans back into his chair before continuing the conversation. "Hopps it won't mean anything to you. But it might mean something to your partner." With that he looks directly into Nick's eyes "Does the name Dragon mean anything to you?"
Before he can respond, Judy speaks up. "Hey I know what a dragon is! Big, breaths fire, likes shiny stuff, kidnaps princesses, can use magic depending on what book series they're from. I mean… I don't read any of that stuff!" Judy nervously says, losing the bravado she had just a moment ago and retreats.
"Not what is a dragon Hopps, but who is Dragon." clarifies Chief Bogo. And with that, Nick's body immediately floods with fear in its purest sense. So much so that even the prey in the room with their less sensitive systems notice how he suddenly reeks of it. The chief, Jack, and Skye seem to understand why. But Judy is taken aback by seeing her partner, who normally wears a perfect hustler mask, become absolutely terrified of just a name. She is even more surprised to see him take an instinctual step towards her, rapping himself around her as if to protect her from some unseen foe.
Nick starts to yell at the chief, his words laced with the same fear he is displaying. "No way Chief! If he's targeting the ambassador, then there is no chance in Hell that I am letting Judy anywhere near him. I don't even want Jack and Skye near him on the chance they get caught in the crossfire! You either need to send him back home or call in the damn military if you want him protected!" At this point Nick is snarling from whatever has spooked him and Judy isn't happy with any of it.
"Officer Wilde calm down, you are jumping to conclusions." commands Chief Bogo, silently cursing himself for not explaining it better. "Listen both of you. What I am about to tell you does not leave this room. I did not want you privy to this information, but I felt that you would be in more danger not knowing. Am I understood?"
Judy nods while Nick simply shows his agreement by ceasing to growl. The chief then takes that as his cue to continue. "The ambassador is not being targeted by the individual known as Dragon, because he is Dragon." the chief says, speaking each word slowly so that the meaning gets through Wilde's thick skull. It seems to have the desired affect because the fox goes from a defensive posture to pure befuddlement.
Judy is the one to break the silence after she gets tired of being left out of the loop. "Okay can someone explain to me what's going on and why my partner is freaking out? Otherwise I'm going to start interrogating one of you. And I'm going to be the bad cop." she huffs.
Jack is the one to volunteer, not wanting to face the doe's wrath once again. "I can fill in the blanks for you." he explains as he pulls out his phone and shows Judy an image of a rather large reptile the size of a tiger in tactical gear and armed to the teeth, which themselves appear to be very dangerous and capable of killing. "This individual's old code name was 'Dragon' due to his species being one of the komodo dragons. A breed of reptile that earned its name because when they were first found on a chain of isolated islands by explorers, they were believed to have been the descendants of the monsters from old legends due to their stature and appearance." Taking a second to make sure both Judy and Nick were still following, he continues.
"This particular komodo dragon, Lendys Sunda being his real name, was the leader of a small group of mercenaries known as 'The Tyrants'. Each one of those mercenaries on their own was a force to be reckoned with, and together they were a nightmare for their targets. But Lendys himself was an entirely different story. The rest of them put together, they were as dangerous as their leader. He has a very long list of confirmed kills in the agency's databases, as well as many more goons, bodyguards, and guns-for-hire. And those are the ones we know about. There are most likely dozens more to his body count that we are not aware of. We don't know why he was such an effective killer. All we know is that he was one of the best. Him and his team fell off the of the face of the Earth about a decade ago, and did not resurface until we heard from an ambassador who happens to have the same name and be the same species. We are uncertain if his intentions with this diplomatic mission are honest. He seems to be a genuine ambassador, and a professional hitanimal has little to gain by showing his face and pretending to be a national representative. The publicity makes it much harder for them to remain obscure after all." explains Jack. He then takes another second to drink in their reactions to his explanation of this animal's past. What he is telling them is extremely classified and valuable intel. He himself barely has the clearance to have access to it. Hopps is attentive and in investigation mode, while Wilde is still on guard and in protective mode. Whatever they may be thinking, their interest is peaked and now they seem to want to know more.
Jack once again continues to speak, "Hopps I need you to understand something. I know you can be extremely determined and willing to tackle any challenge placed in front of you. But more than anything else, do not try to confront him in any way. I tried to once a long time, and it nearly cost me my life. The only reason I am standing here is because I was not his target and I had simply got in his way. He decided to spare me and simply walked away like I was nothing."
As he warns her, he lifts his shirt and suit to expose his right side and show an old scar as wide as his paw running from right below his ribs diagonally to his left hip. Judy can't help but gasp at such a grievous wound. It was fully healed, but that did not help lessen how brutal it looked and how the greyish white tissue was slightly pushed into his body. She'd seen similar scars caused by predator claws in her few years as a police officer. But it is completely different to see a close friend maimed in such a manner.
He then straightens his suit and continues to speak. "He could have gutted me right then and there. He just needed to swipe at me an inch farther. But he purposely held back and spared me. He is the only animal to ever have beaten me that easily, and he did it without breaking a sweat. Although now that I think about it reptiles can't sweat. But my point is you should do your best not to make an enemy out of him unless you have to. We have no reason to believe that this is a ruse and that he cannot be trusted. You can even ask him yourself how he ended up as an ambassador. I'm a little curious myself to be honest. Any questions?"
The room once again falls into silence. Both Jack and Skye seem nonchalant with the matter, but in reality they are just as tense about the matter as Nick. Ever being the pragmatist, Jack is already calculating their survival chances and options in the case that Lendys turns on them. He does not like how few options they would have. Skye is nervous because of how this is affecting Jack. He has always had a plan B through H and has always been a few moves ahead of everyone else. But this time he seems like a cornered mammal who is doing its best just to stay alive. She had never met this animal personally, but he's apparently dangerous enough to make the best agent she knows nervous.
As for Chief Bogo, his main concern is currently and will always be his officer's safety. He wouldn't put it past his two best officers to somehow befriend the most dangerous killer on the entire damn planet. They're already best friends with two veteran special agents, are minor celebrities in Zootopia, and Hopps is the godmother to the grandchild of Silvano Big. He still gets migraines because of that last one. Why not add a bunch of assassins to their list of friends in high places? On the other hoof if this reptile sets his sights on them, then they're as good as dead. Being helpless to protect any of his officers always puts him in a sour mood, so he does not ask this of them lightly. But this is a major opportunity and he won't pass it up simply because he's being an overprotective bull who is scared to see his officers hurt.
Nick is currently at war with himself. During his years as a conmammal, he heard several rumors and whispers from various thugs and bodyguards about a reptile that was the boogey mammal to them. They told ghost stories about a monster bigger than an elephant that showed no mercy, as silent as a stalking jaguar, and that was completely unaffected by bullets. "Stay alert on your patrol and be loyal to your employer, or Dragon will come for you and punish you." they would say in bars and shady corners of the city. It would almost seem childish if a lot of them didn't end up dead and riddled with bullets without any of their rivals claiming credit. Most of it was probably cow dung, but there is always a grain of truth to tall tales. And if even a speck of those rumors is true about this animal, then he wants Judy nowhere near him. On the other paw he is a police officer now and it is his duty to protect the city. Backing down from this would not only disappoint Judy but also betray the badge he's so proud of. This is an opportunity to use his silver tongue to be a force of good. He doesn't want to back down just because he's scared of this reptile that he's never met before.
He looks over to Judy to try and guess what she is thinking. What he finds is her brilliant violet eyes alight with pure determination. Sighing at realizing his fate has already been sealed, he turns to give a response to the room.
"Can we pull out of this assignment if it gets too hot for us? I want to play this one by ear until I can get a read on these guys."
The chief is the one to answer him, "If you have a valid reason for believing this is a ploy and that the ambassador is an enemy, then you have my permission to walk away. But I want you to make that call carefully. If you pull the trigger and you are wrong, it would humiliate the ambassador that the duo who solved the Nighthowler Case believed that he was an enemy. Both the media and politicians would eat him alive. Do you understand the assignment I am giving you?" he says, putting all the weight he can muster behind those final words. Judy has a moment of guilt, remembering her utter train wreck of a press conference after the missing mammals were found. She already hurt Nick badly back then. She wasn't going to hurt another innocent animal like that again. Both Judy and Nick look into each other's eyes, and nod in affirmation a moment later. Judy then turns to the chief and gives their answer.
"Consider it done chief."
The chief sighs for what must be the umpteenth time. This time it is out of relief, as it feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Now for the easy part of the conversation. "In that case I want you to get your squad car ready. The ambassador should be arriving here about an hour from now. I want you ready with the Savages out front ready to greet them. You will give them this file" he says as he slides over a tan file with a few papers enclosed "which tells them where they will be staying for their visit. You will then escort them to city hall where the ambassador will greet the mayor and give an introductory speech to a gathered crowd. From then on it will be the usual parade of political pawshakes for a few days until it is time for their tour of the city and Precinct One. Be at their side whenever you can, answer any questions they have, charm them, and disarm any situations that arise."
"So… when you say whenever we can, does that include when they're in the restroom?" Nick says, trying to lighten the mood with a bad joke. No one laughs or groans at it though.
"Nick darling, if we can tell that you are nervous because you're telling jokes, then he definitely will be able to tell as well. Just be genuine and kind. Honesty goes a long way with these types of animals." comments Skye, trying to comfort the visibly shaken tod.
"Right, be honest with the deadly hit animal that I am terrified of him…"
She chuckles at that, always enjoying seeing Nick out of his element. "That's the spirit."