Nick spent his entire childhood observing other animals. Their facial expressions, body language and even their voice were all things that Nick used to determine how someone felt before they really got to know each other, but there was something strange about Jack. Nick couldn't quite put his paw on it, but he knew something was off.
It was something about the way he carried himself. Jack was confident, strong and dedicated, just as Nick would have expected from such a glorified animal, but he could tell that Jack didn't feel right about where or who he was. There was a piece of Jack that just didn't fit his confidence or certainty, but Nick didn't know exactly what it was.
Nick took a glance at Jack, who was sitting beside him in the driver seat. Back straight, ears on end, scanning from left to right, and then right to left. Jack acted like a robot, as if the spy training had built him into some kind of a super bunny. His narrow eyes eagerly searched for a signal to jump their expected suspect.
"You seem dead set about catching this guy." Nick noted aloud. "You should relax a bit. Take a nap and let me keep watch for a bit."
"No, thank you." Jack replied. "Working in unfavorable conditions has become a habit of mine."
"Okay," Nick shrugged off Jack's response without a second thought and turned to look out the window. "If you insist."
The night was ugly. Chief Bogo had set them up at the city's loading docks, where their suspect was expected to make their entrance into the city. Because of their near proximity to the water, fog had rolled in and caused the docks to seem far more eerie than usual. Simply looking outside sent chills up Nick's spine.
The sight of the docks wasn't something Nick enjoyed, so he decided to shift his attention to something more relaxing.
He turned and took a peek at Judy, who was curled up in a ball, sleeping away in the back seat. Seeing Judy put Nick at ease, and for a few wonderful seconds, he forgot about all of his troubles. But just as all good things come to an end, so did Nick's peace.
"We are working, Wilde." Jack interrupted coldly. "You should be focused on the mission."
Nick almost lost his mind right at that moment.
Nick thought he had gotten used to others working harder than him, Judy being his prime example. She always rode his back, telling him how he should focus and work harder. Now he needed to deal with Jack too?
The worst part about Jack was his attitude. He had no sense of humour, no traces of happiness and no interactions with society. Putting up with Judy was tough at times, but anyone could tell that she was caring and loving. Jack on the other hand, didn't seem to have a trace of a soul.
Jack shouldn't be here. He thought bitterly.
However, Nick knew that anger wasn't the solution, so he calmed himself down and stuck with his moto. Never let them see that they get to you, he repeated to himself in hard times.
"Tell me what you see." Nick finally said.
"Hmm?"
"You heard me. What do you see?" Nick repeated.
Now Jack focused even harder to try to see what wasn't there. "Nothing." He replied at last.
"My point exactly. Nothin' to see and no one to catch." Nick said with a sigh as he kicked his legs up onto the dash. "You know what you problem is? You're too uptight."
"So?" The bunny replied, "It's what gets the job done." He reasoned. "Maybe you should take the job a little more seriously, Nicholas. It wouldn't hurt you to show a little initiation."
"Well then what would be the fun in that?" Nick laughed.
Jack stared at the fox in surprise. How can he be an officer? He asked himself. He can't take anything seriously.
"Work isn't supposed to be fun." Jack told the fox.
"All I'm saying is that we don't get payed for working." Nick answered. "We get paid for getting the job done. So why would anyone work harder than they need to? Just chill out a bit."
"Hmph," He smirked. "An agent of my caliber cannot simply chill out."
Nick raised an eyebrow as though Jack's statement was stupidly obvious. "I can tell."
Jack slowly turned to Nick. "Is it really obvious?"
Nick nodded before continuing. "You're fidgety, tense, always looking for someone to catch or something to solve. Usually that isn't bad, but you've lived your entire life like that and it has made it impossible for you to relax."
"That's why I'm here." Jack said. "I want to learn how to relax."
"I don't think that's the entire truth."
"Officer Wilde, are you calling me a liar?"
"That's not what I said. I just think there's something more to you. Something you're not letting on."
"Well, perhaps you shouldn't assume things that aren't true."
"Jack, I've lived my entire life analyzing, examining and manipulating animals to the point where I know more about them then they do." Nick said calmly, trying to keep his anger to himself. "It's a skill that has kept me alive. So if you have a dirty little secret that you're trying to cover up, know that I will find it."
An unsettling silence fell over the car before Jack spoke up."So what's your conclusion, detective Wilde?" Jack asked tauntingly. "What's my secret?"
"You aren't really here to start a new life." Nick said. "It's a cover up."
Jack let out a small laugh. "What makes you think that?"
"You're famous, everyone knows you. Especially your enemies. If you wanted to live a normal life, you probably should have done a better job at getting rid of your past. But here you are. With your same name, same line of work, same attitude and you moved to the largest city on the planet. You couldn't have made it any easier to track you. Someone who really wants to start a new life would have done a better job at covering their tracks."
Jack let out a deep sigh, obviously fed up with Nick's attitude. "You're a joke of a cop, Wilde." Jack said disappointingly.
"Well, I guess that makes two of us."
"Judy." Nick whispered as he shook her awake. "Judy. Get up."
The bunny groaned a bit before sitting herself up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"What time is it?" She asked softly.
"Three thirty."
Judy let out a long yawn before stretching herself out.
"Is there a reason you woke me up?" Judy asked. "Do you see our target?"
"Yep, he should be getting into that SUV." Nick replied as he pointed out into the fog.
Jack let out a small laugh, as of Nick didn't know what he was talking about.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" The fox asked angrily.
"You bet." Jack said with a growing grin on his face.
Jack opened their target's file. In the folder was an image of a beautifully stunning bunny. Smooth grey fur, piercing emerald eyes, charismatic smile. She seemed to be so full of life. But Jack knew better. He didn't let her joyful outside convince him that she was anything but a criminal. Jack began to read.
"Well first off, our suspect is a she, not a he." The bunny said while giving Nick a cheesy smile of success. "Looks like someone didn't do their homework."
"Read the file, Fluff." Nick ordered.
"If you insist. Her name is Kayla Helm, twenty five year old rabbit from Tundra Town. She had a tough life, homeless until a few years ago when she married a wealthy crime boss. He dealt with most illegal trades in the city until he died of 'unusual causes'. Being his next of kin, Kayla took over the business and has since grown to be one of the largest international trade bosses ever. Now she deals with illegal distribution of firearms, drugs and even slaves."
"So to recap, she killed her husband and sells bad stuff too bad animals."
"Yes, Wilde." Jack said annoyed. "Thank you for minimizing my implication in this case."
"Sorry to break it to ya, but there isn't anything to minimize."
"Nick, quit it." Judy spoke up before leaning over to the front of the car and speaking into the dispatch radio. "This is officer Hopps. We've spotted the suspect. How should we proceed?"
Not long after, Clawhauser's voice came though the machine. "Engage the suspect, Hopps." He answered.
"You heard the cheetah," Judy said as she jumped out of their squad car. "Lets go catch us a criminal."
