The Tower

The car arrived to the biggest building in Zootopia. Downtown Center. It was the most recognizable place of Zootopia since it could be seen from miles. It was massive. A business building that also has many news channels within it. The most known being ZNN, which was the place they were going to. After finally getting to the building with only a "minor" inconvenience they both gave a sigh of relief. It wasn't over yet, but the end was near.

"Are you sure the friend that's supposed to help us is still alive." Nick said curiously.

"Yes, I talked to him over the phone. He's my boyfriend. He works as a cameraman for ZNN and knows a lot about technology. He can help us." she explained.

Nick never knew about her boyfriend. It came as a surprise to him. She never said anything about him.

"A boyfriend? Since when did you get a boyfriend?" Nick expressed, to which she replied.

"From 2 weeks ago. I wanted to develop my relationship with him so I could tell you guys. I'm the kind of girl that gets skeptical when entering a relationship. Some males can be total jerks and I wanted to be sure if he was good."

"And is he good?" Nick said, desiring to know more.

"Yeah he is. He's sweet and kind. I was gonna arrange a double date so you and Judy could meet him. I was planning it for today…" her eyes fell another time. She felt horrible for Nick. She couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. Judy's departure will surely change him. She just doesn't know how exactly.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm happy your boyfriend is still alive. Come on, do all females I meet have to be so darn emotional?" Nick joked. She just smiled. His way of coping with distress was something else. Nick was a strong mammal. She knew about his past, and the fact that he could still hold a smile after everything he has been through is admirable.

"You'll be the end of me, Wilde," she remarked with a grin. "Now let's go. The elevator might not be working and we'll have to go through many floors to reach ZNN." her grin disappeared and she turned serious.

"Wait, what floor is ZNN at?" Nick asked as he took another look at the massive building.

"Floor 87. It's a long way up." she said, making Nick gulp in expectancy of what was waiting for him. She began running towards the entrance and Nick had no time to think about the amount of stairs he'll have to climb. He prayed for the elevator to work.

Only way to go is Up

The elevator wasn't working. He should've known. His luck wasn't going very well today. It seemed like this day was all torture for Nick.

The inside was a mess. Papers on the floor, tables flipped, broken windows. The mammals inside were surely desperate to get out. The plane got dangerously close to impacting the building so it made sense. He couldn't imagine the fear the animals in the higher floors were feeling.

It was time to go up the stairs. They needed to go to floor 87 as fast as they could. They were skipping 2 to 3 steps at a time in order to reach their objective faster. At floor 17 they were already getting exhausted. They kept on going. Kii's shoulder was hurting and Nick could sense that. The blood was running off her bandage and it got to her bright yellow fur and traveled through her armpit. Nick looked at her and became worried.

"Hey, Kii. You okay? Kii?" She took a while to answer, which made Nick call her name a third time. She answered:

"I'm fine, Nick. We really need to get to floor 87 and we can't do it if you don't trust me. I won't bleed out. The wound is too small for that to happen. It just hurts like hell." she claimed, annoyed at Nick's worry. She really shouldn't be that harsh on him. She knows what's going through his head. He doesn't wanna see anyone else die.

"Okay, sorry. I just care for you. You meant a lot to Judy and I don't want you hurt. At least not more than you are right now." Nick said, although he wasn't mad or anything. He understood her feelings. More than anyone could. He just cared for a friend and he definitely wasn't ready to see two people he cares deeply about die. Who knows if Finnick is even still alive?

"Sorry I snapped at you, Nick. It won't happen again. Let's just end this shit already. I wanna take a bath." she smirked, which made Nick smirk. They continued on their journey to the top.

86

They were completely fatigued but needed to reach the floor fast. It was the hardest workout Nick had done in a while and it was clearly taking a toll on him. He didn't want to stop. Kii had a hurt shoulder but she didn't complain about the pain, nor would he.

They were already on floor 85 and it was like entering an amusement park. They were so happy and relieved. Just one more floor and they would finally reach their objective. Kii stopped, which puzzled Nick. She hadn't stopped one time during the whole way up. What was she doing?

"Wait, I hear noises on the other floor." She whispered

"Is that really a bad thing? I'm stoked for seeing more people." he said enthusiastically, careful not to increase the volume of his voice.

"No, Nick. It's bad. Marvin, my boyfriend, told me everyone had left except for them. They were brave and stayed there to try and calm things down. So far they haven't quite managed that. Most of the team left in there knows little to nothing about cameras, radios, or speaking in front of cameras. Marvin knows technology and such but he has stage fright. That's why I need you there." Kii explained quietly.

"Makes sense. But wouldn't one of them at least come down here for something?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess I better call him to make sure." she proceeded to make the call. Her phone kept beeping for some seconds until he took the call.

"Marvin? Hi honey. Did someone by any chance happen to be on floor 86?" Nick couldn't quite hear what he was saying but he seemed distressed. Kii was also showing a surprised face as if some new info had been given to her.

"And you didn't call me to tell me? Do you realize how dangerous that is? How could you forget?" she was only whispering but Nick could sense her anger. Marvin was in trouble. He had seen her angry before, and it wasn't pretty. Despite her annoyance she managed to end the call in a wholesome and humble way while putting up a smile. He was now eager to know what was going on.

"There are vandals up there. Marvin doesn't know how many are there but they seemed dangerous. He thinks some of them are armed." she said, quietly again now that she knows the full extent of the situation. Nick sighed.

"Just when I thought our luck was gonna go better," he pouted. "Is there any way we can somehow surround them?" he asked.

"Unfortunately not. We need to get through the hallway that leads to floor 87. No secondary entries and no elevator. We're cops, Nick. We'll manage if we work together. You with me?" she said while closing her paw for a fist bump. There was no turning back so he complied.

They had to be smart on this. Kii was hurt and Nick was tired. They both had their guns loaded and out of their holster. Safes off. If they saw them they had to act fast. Nick could smell them but couldn't quite know their species. The tiredness of the day had weakened him and couldn't smell properly. He will have to rely on his sight.

Kii wasn't great for smelling, but she did have great vision and could run very fast like most cheetahs. She saw Clawhauser and she doubts he could be as fast as her. Not to be mean or anything, but he wasn't a good example for her species. Marvin himself wasn't actually a cheetah, he was a raccoon. She didn't know why she hadn't told Nick, since he himself was in a relationship with a bunny…. and then she caught on to herself. She didn't tell him because she felt shameful. She feels like telling her about her boyfriend that is a raccoon will only make him feel worse. She doesn't think that will actually happen but it was just her instinct. She couldn't speak for herself at that time.

She knows Nick would be happy, but it's best for him to see it rather than her spilling it on his face. She feels that's the right thing.

They could see the offices already. It was all much more vandalized than in the first floor, which was surprising. They didn't see any evildoers yet. If they kept going they would reach the open hallway that had a great view of Zootopia through the window. A fall from that height could kill you instantaneously.

"These fucking doors won't give in!" a voice said at the end of the hallway to the right. Nick made sure there wasn't anybody to the left and gave Kii a sign to move. There was a nearby table they could use for hiding.

"Those fucking cowards. This door won't hold for the rest of your lives!" another voice spoke. It seemed younger. Nick and Judy moved quickly to the table so they don't get spotted and to take a closer look at the animals.

It was a tiger, a hyena and a wolf. They seemed pissed. It didn't look like a random vandalism. They were trying to hurt the mammals that were being protected by that door. It was their only way in, and the doors were blocked from the other side. Kii wouldn't let those hoodlums do anything to Marvin. She feared the only way this would go is by fighting. They both had their guns, so it should be fairly easy, until she realized one of them had an M16. It was the tiger. In a group of mammals, there's always a brute. She didn't see any guns on the others but that didn't take away the possibility that they might.

"Nick, we're gonna have to fight" she said, resigned. "We can't avoid them. If we don't do something fast they'll destroy that door. It looks like they're saving the big gun as the last resource." she pulled out her gun and her safe was off.

"Woah woah woah wait a second," he whispered as much as his voice could take him. "We don't know if those 2 other guys have guns too. We have to design a tactic plan. We can't just rush it."

He was right. They had to kill them, or somehow paralyze them with no way of them getting up again for a long time. In the hallway office there were 4 tables. They were on the right table in the last row. They could get a better shot from the left. But what would they be shooting at? She saw the fire extinguisher on the floor and her brain went jackpot.

"We're gonna dispose of the tiger's gun." she said.

"And how are we gonna do that?" Nick questioned.

"Fire extinguisher" she pointed at the red cylinder that was dropped on the floor. "I'm gonna shoot at it and we'll run quick to take his gun. After that, if they try to hurt us, we'll be ready to take them out." she explained her plan.

"Hmm, it sounds good, but we'll have to do it fast. I think it's better to get closer." she nodded at his statement. As far as they know, the fire extinguisher must've already been used, which would explain why it's on the floor, but if by any chance there was some carbon dioxide left there, it would distract them enough for them to do everything they need to do.

Risking a shot from that length would be foolish and that mistake could cost them their lives. They had to get closer. Nick was eyeing the other table and was thinking of a smooth way to transition between them without making a sound. The vandals were all looking at the door but one of them did a quick peek every now and then. It seemed random. Nick tried pinpointing the exact time the wolf looked back, and when he got it all figured out, he acted.

He told Kii to follow him as fast as she could. He ran for the door in a limited speed and quickly ducked under it. He looked back and Kii was already in there with him. She was faster than him in the best of circumstances, but her shoulder pain prevented her from using her full potential.

The Extinguisher was now very close. If they missed the shot from there, they would call themselves a disgrace to the police force. Kii prepared to shoot at it when Nick stopped her.

"Hey, are you sure you can do this? Your shoulder hurts and the recoil from the gun might damage the wound more. Why don't you let me do it?" he said, worried. She understood and she gave Nick the reason this time.

"Fine, but you better make the shot." she whispered. Nick smiled.

"I always do." he said cockily.

He got ready to take the shot. The mad mammals were still too focused on the door. He aimed, careful not to mess it up. He could die, and he wasn't gonna do that yet. He had to live. He will see her come back. Because she will. It can't just end like that. He won't allow it. She has made the impossible. A simple apocalypse like this won't hold her. Wherever she is, she must be fighting to come back.

Kii was wondering why he didn't take the shot yet. He saw his face. He was crying. Judy must be on his mind she thought. Nick closed his eyes for a some seconds, opened them again and took the shot. His heart completely racing.

The sudden loud sound and the impact in the cylinder scared them and a cloud of smoke was already developing. The mammals started coughing and it was time to go get their guns. Nick went for the tiger's gun and Kii had a better idea. She punched both of the smaller mammals in the face as she was covering her mouth from the Carbon Dioxide overexposure. Nick got the gun and both the hyena and the wolf were unconscious. He coughed because of the chemical. He didn't cover his face but did get out of it fast.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you, whoever did that!" the tiger said as he was covering his whole face from the chemical. The cloud disappeared and they were now on their own. Nick was pointing directly at him and if the tiger did any sudden movement towards him he would be gunned down. He had no patience right now. The tiger stopped covering his face and looked at Nick and Kii.

"Oh. Look at who we got here. The Fox cop and the Cheetah. I remember you guys," the tiger said with a smirk. "Although the fox is more famous, heh." he mocked the Cheetah. She didn't care.

"You can shut your mouth right now," Nick said. "I have the gun, so you better do what I say unless you want a bullet straight to your head." Nick's seriousness made Kii surprised, even the tiger had a surprised face, although he hid it very well.

"Hey, I see what's wrong in here. There's something missing. You're missing your bunny partner, aren't you?" Kii wasn't liking this. Nick was in no state of being mocked about Judy. He could snap at any second.

"Nick, don't listen to him, give me the gun." she said. Nick was gritting his teeth and she could tell he was angry.

"I take it she died," he said. "I'm very sorry, she looked cute. Everyone wanted to bang her, I'm telling you." Nick got even more and more furious.

"I'm gonna blow your fucking brains out if you don't shut up!" Kii could see the tension. His disgusting comments angered her too, but it wasn't time to be violent or someone would die, and it would be one of them.

"Everyone wanted to ram into her like a train directly into a tunnel. Too bad she's dead…. Or is she?" Nick got surprised at this statement. He got curious.

"What do you mean by that? You're saying she's not dead?" he said.

"I never said anything like that." the tiger said, still smirking.

"I'm gonna get what you know out of you. For now you're under arrest." Nick said, provoking a reaction in the tiger.

"Oh no you won't." as he said this he approached Nick very fast. He couldn't react in time and the gun was taken from him again. Kii reacted and tried to stop him from getting it, receiving a hit with it in her face, sending her some meters away.

"Kii!" the tiger punched Nick in the stomach and took him by the neck. Kii was unconscious. Nick had no way of getting out of his grasp, and he wasn't trying to choke him either. He was going straight for the building glass window He shot at it lots of times until it finally broke into a thousand pieces. Nick caught on what the tiger was going to do. He hated heights.

He put him out the window while only grabbing his neck. Nick was scared for his life. The fall would be painful.

"I can hear your heartbeat from here, hahahaha," he mocked Nick. "You fucking cops, always ruining everything. Any last words before I take you to hell?" if Nick was to die, he needed to know something.

"If you know, answer me. Who did all this?" Nick said. The tiger was surprised.

"Who the fuck made so many people disappear?" Nick said frantically.

"Oh I'm gonna tell you alright. You'll be dead anyways. The person who did it was-" a shot was heard and Nick could clearly see it. The tiger's head had been completely blown off. Blood splattered all in his face and body. It was disgusting. The paw that was holding his neck let go of him but with a sudden movement he grabbed himself on to the edge so he wouldn't fall to his death. An unknown paw that looked like a Raccoon's helped him up.

"Thank God. A second later and you would've been dead." a chubby raccoon showed himself. Nick was shaken by the commotion. He had almost died by getting thrown off a building. He was also mad. The tiger couldn't finish his sentence and he still didn't know who made this mess. The raccoon also finished off the 2 unconscious bodies from the other mammals by putting a bullet to each of their heads.

The raccoon noticed Kii on the floor and he instantly forgot about Nick's safety. He ran to her very hurriedly. "Honey!" he said, confusing Nick, until he realized. The cheetah had her secrets and he was just recently knowing all of them.

Marvin kept trying to wake her up with no results. Nick stopped kneeling and went their direction. He too cared for his partner's safety. It seemed like Marvin didn't know anything about checking someone's pulse. He got close to her and he went to stop his hand.

"Hey, relax, I'm his friend. I'll just check on her pulse to see if she's alright." Marvin was still way too skeptical. He didn't blame him. He would've been the same with Judy. Kii's heart was fortunately still beating. She only needed some rest.

"Marvin, she needs some rest." he said, surprising the the raccoon.

"How did you know my name?" the raccoon said.

"Common sense. She told me it was her boyfriend's name, so I just went from there." Nick explained with a smug smile, making Marvin blush.

"It was also kinda obvious by the way you called her 'Honey'. Very sweet, I must say."

"Well, thank you. I'm sorry if I'm weirded out, but I haven't really told anybody about my relationship with her" Marvin expressed.

"It's okay, I get it. Let's put her somewhere safe." as Nick said this he took the cheetah with both his arms and started carrying her towards the entrance to Floor 87 along with her boyfriend.

To Be Continued