"O-M-Goodness! She's awake!" A boisterous voice exploded beside her. "Chief! Chief! Come here! She's finally awake!"
Judy's eyes flickered open, the glaring lights stinging her pupils with their harsh glare. She found herself yet again in a hospital bed, another IV puncturing her arm, slowly feeding her valuable fluids. Memory of her horrific experience in Mercy Hospital flooded back and she began to panic. Dread filled her soul as she sat up suddenly; thrashing her limbs trying to break free of the bed and rip the invasive tube from her limb.
Several spotted paws tried to ease her back down to the bed as a soothing voice bubbled, "Judy! Judy! Please settle down little bunny. You have nothing to fear from me. It's me, your buddy!"
She stopped her flailing, chest heaving, to look at the source of those words. She beheld a gaunt looking cheetah with sagging cheeks. He looked pencil thin but his condition did little to dampen his overall spirit. Her voice cracked as her mind pieced together the jigsaw puzzle that was her memory. "Clawhauser?"
"In the flesh!" He beamed. "I was so glad I found you! I had thought for sure something was holding Mai up and so I came looking for you."
Her thoughts still jumbled, she tried to make sense of what had happened earlier. "But…you attacked me. You chased me."
"Me? Attack you?" He brought his paws to his cheeks in sincere shock at the charge. "Judy, you should know me better than that! You're just too adorable to kill!" He practically squealed, supremely happy Judy was still alive. "I'm sorry if it seemed I was a bit violent, I only intended to herd you to where our hide-out was. You actually fell right on top of it honestly."
"It's good to see you again Judy." A deep voice echoed throughout the room. Stepping out of the gloom was a very hulking cape buffalo. He was wearing a black-knitted wife beater overlaid with a brown trench coat that flowed down past his waist over his jeans. He sported a genuine smile as he looked down at his most treasured employee, seemingly back from the dead.
"Chief Bogo…" She murmured happily, her head finally relaxing back onto the pillow.
"It's just Bogo now…at least until we can reclaim our city back and reinstate the ZPD." He grunted firmly, a look of determination on his face. "It's been so long that we had almost given up hope on you and decided to move ahead with our plans. Since you are back with us, it'd benefit the resistance more to have those still left in Zootopia see you at some point in the near future. It would do wonders for their morale."
"What happened here sir?" She asked, still retaining the formal titles used when the ZPD still existed.
Grunting loudly as he pulled a rolling chair over to the bedside before sitting his massive bulk onto its tiny frame. "A tyrannical coup. A species of bats were welcomed into Zootopia, having had their homeland reject them." Judy seemed to recall glimmers of this but her recollection was nothing but a hazy fog. She listened attentively to Bogo while Clawhauser idly picked his nails, waiting for the somber story to finish. "There were some transition issues and a lot of crime flooded through the city."
"Gazelle was one of the first to go!" Clawhauser wailed, the dam bursting and tears pouring out with wild abandon. A look of concern crossed Bogo's face as he placed a consoling hoof on Clawhauser. Their grief was shared since both were rabid fans of the sultry pop singer.
Bogo confirmed the horrid news, "It was by her shining example that we invited the bats in with open arms. It was unfortunate that they resorted to vampirism to survive. I had never heard of such beasts until the crime tickets came pouring in. You were embroiled in quite a lot of those cases Judy. You were the one that made that connection between the attacks and the new immigrants."
"I did?" Placing a paw on her chest, she berated herself for not remembering. What had happened to make her lose such a large chunk of her memories?
Bogo smiled warmly at the little rabbit before continuing, "You did. You were on the frontlines both trying to solve the cases and to help promote the rights of the new visitors."
"But then something happened…" Clawhauser began ominously.
Bogo growled out an objection to the cheetah's line of thought. It would do no good to remind Judy of that horrible event if, indeed, she had no memory of it. Better to just give her the bare minimum of facts to go on to keep her head in the game. Seeing the intense look on his chief's face, Clawhauser hushed immediately, suddenly finding great interest in his own spots.
"He's right." Bogo piggybacked, his eyes lingering a few moments more on the cheetah. "Your opinion of them changed drastically and you began to speak outright against them. You and Nick were an unstoppable force but by then it was already too late."
"They used some sort of toxin to control the predators…" Clawhauser began.
"It was a stronger version of that Night Howler serum you discovered." Bogo gestured to Judy. She remembered that case very well. "Animals that are struck with it never turn back. We've yet to find an antidote to this new strain and we've lost many friends to savagery."
"What about Mayor Lionheart? Didn't he do anything to stop this invasion?" Judy questioned; a look of worry on her face. Surely Leodore would have seen the issues of keeping the bats in the city and would have had them deported the first moment a negative report came in from the ZPD about them.
Clawhauser looked absolutely miserable, "We don't know when it happened but he was one of the first turned."
"He now resides in the old mayor office building in capital square but as a bodyguard to Rouge." Bogo finished portentously.
"Rouge?" Judy shifted. The name somehow did seem familiar to her.
"Rouge…the leader of the bats. She was the mastermind behind this whole takeover." Bogo pointed again at Judy. "You also were able to help establish that connection."
Judy looked around the room, trying to find a window that would give her a view to the outside world, "Where's Nick? I saw him when I woke up. He said he had been visiting me for five years."
Clauwhauser and Bogo shared a look. "His comm link went dead about four hours ago." Bogo explained. "Around the same time Mai found and brought you to us. He was only allowed to go visit you provided he continue to do the dirty work for Rouge. In return for his cooperation, he was promised never to be turned and given access to you once a week."
Clawhauser glanced at Bogo to ensure he had clearance to speak, "It was Mai's idea to use that agreement to smuggle items in to help free you should you ever awake. We waited five long years…"
"They used your relationship with him as a means of control but it looks like we ultimately profited from that arrangement now that you're here with us Judy!" Bogo leaned back satisfied with how the entire plan turned out.
"But Nick is…" Her voice trailed off. Of course they'd turn him savage now. He had deliberately defied Rouge by releasing her. It would have been more of a mercy to have him killed then become primal.
Bogo groaned, grimacing at the implications present there. "Nick understood the risks of the mission every time he came to call. He was far more concerned for you."
"There is one person who might know of a way to-" Clawhauser began, hope lingering at the edges of his voice.
A knock on the door interrupted them. It opened slightly to reveal two bunnies, one slightly taller than the other. The first was Mai, seemingly intact after their brutal encounter with one of the bats in the alley. She seemed little worse for wear and was sporting a huge grin on her muzzle. Beside her was a familiar face, almost like Judy was looking at herself in the mirror, except the nose was smaller and more rounded while the ears had a slide curve forward at the tips. The rabbit was wearing a rather bare, drab white t-shirt complimented by some free-flowing white slacks.
"Mom!" The smaller rabbit cried before bounded into the room and hopping onto the bed.
"Ahhh….that hurts!" Judy cried, spasms racking her body from the sudden weight pouncing on her.
"Oh! I'm sorry mom!" The hare leaped off and began apologizing profusely for not realizing that Judy was still recovering.
Bogo gave a knowing look to Clawhauser before getting up to leave, "We'll leave you three to talk. You probably have a lot to catch up on. We can fill you in on the rest later."
"Later Judy." Clawhauser waved enthusiastically. "It is so great to see you again. I even saved a donut for you…might be a bit stale but I figured you could need one after five years!"
"Thanks Ben, I might actually consider that." She smiled, raising her paw in a weak farewell.
"I see they found you okay." Mai expressed relief, slipping past the large buffalo and cheetah on their way out the door.
"You were amazing Mai." Judy complimented, allowing the little hare that was her daughter nuzzle in next to her on the sheets.
"Not as amazing as you Judy." Mai countered jauntily. "You literally woke up from a five year coma, in no condition to escape and yet you kept up with me and managed to meet Clawhauser safely. You got a fire in you."
"Of course she does!" The little rabbit retorted. "She's my mom!" The grey hare looked up at Judy with adoring eyes.
Mai sat down on the bed, rubbing a paw between the rabbit's ears, "We kept your memory alive for Nala all these years. She barely knew you before you were taken from us. I helped fill her head with stories of your great exploits and how much you cared for your family."
Nala tapped her paw quickly on Judy's chest in excitement, "Mai's even teaching me how to fight so one day I can be a cop like you!"
Mai looked rather embarrassed at being called out as her tutor. "Well, I figured you wouldn't be too mad at me for teaching the girl self-defense."
Wrapping a loving arm around the daughter she never knew she had until now, Judy rubbed her cheek through the little girl's fur. "Not at all Mai. I appreciate you taking care of my daughter for me." Her gaze wandered around the dank room taking in the dilapidated condition of the place. The wallpaper was peeling at the seams and a slightly moldy scent was lingering in the air. "Where's the rest of my children?" She remembered something about giving birth to multiple kits.
Mai's expression wilted at the question. "Judy…"
Judy looked from Mai to Nala. The little girl looked up at her with a few tears forming. "Don't you remember mommy? They all died. I'm the only one that survived."
"Hopps!" A boom echoed throughout the atrium foyer of the ZPD. Judy cringed as she slowly turned to look up at the third floor overhang to reveal a pair of curved horns topping the silhouetted form of Chief Bogo. He stabbed a finger in the air directing her to his room.
"Is this a trend with you two?" Nick quipped, hiding a knowing smirk.
"I'm starting to think so myself." Judy admitted, hearing the aggravated snort three floors up.
"You know it takes thirty days to break a bad habit." He joked.
"Don't see it happening anytime soon." She commented, sharing his mirth.
Seeing the retreating form of the Chief stomping off to his office, Nick straightened the tie on his uniform. "He's probably a bit irked about you butting in on that rape case."
"You think?" She jested, not the least bit concerned about the impending diatribe she would be receiving. "Besides it wasn't actually a rape. I believe it was an assault case."
"Well you better go on up there. He'll blow an artery if you don't respond in two seconds." Nick jibed, padding over to the front desk to greet Clawhauser, giving her one final wink.
Judy swept past the front desk where Officer Clawhauser was stuffing his face with another batch of sprinkled donuts from Frisky Kreme. She arched her nose a bit at the smacking of his lips with each delectable treat. As much as she loved the sociable cheetah, he was completely oblivious to good manners.
"Ask the chief if he wants a donut. I've been saving one for him!" He called out after her. She waved a hand in acknowledgement before proceeding to the elevator.
Riding up two levels, she poured over the multitude of responses she could start off with to help explain her reasoning why she chose to jump in on another officer's case while off duty. She didn't really have a good one since she was technically supposed to have been on a train bound for the Tri-Burrows that night. Seeing her name come up in the reports from Officer Pennington and Swinton was probably a bit of an unexpected shock to Chief Bogo.
His enormous presence could be palpably felt through the office door. His dark frame visible through the stain glass, his name emblazoned on front. With a deep breath, she turned the handle and walked in. She opened her mouth to speak but a firm grunt and a jabbed hoof finger pointing to the chair in front of him silenced any protest. She rapidly shut the door and hopped up onto the rather large seat that almost seemed to swallow her as she sat in it.
Bogo has his glasses on, perched daintily atop his ears, flattened out by the enormous horns extending outward above them. He was scanning through the reports, slowly sifting through the papers. The fan above them lazily swirled in a haphazard pattern, clearly in need of repair to stop its wobbly rotation. The clock ticked on the wall as time passed. Judy was curling the toes of her feet and mashing her fingers together in anticipation of what was to come. Bogo loved making her squirm even if he never admitted it.
"Officer Hopps," Bogo began calmly, "were you aware that there have been two more assault cases since you left?"
Finally able to speak, her ears shot up. "No, I did not sir."
He glanced at her over the rim of his glasses before looking back down at the report. "All of them are linked by two defining factors. One factor which you discovered, the bite marks."
"I'm really sorry Chief. I didn't mean to-" She began to explain her reasons for intruding on the case.
"Shut it Corporal!" He bellowed, whipping his glasses off. "The only reason I brought you in here was to give you the case you seem to so desperately want." He slammed the manila folder shut, causing the tube of pencils on his desk to rattle. "I appreciate the new evidence that was discovered that no one else caught-"
"I'm sorry, it won't…wait what?" She tried to assert herself.
"-but the fact remains you were off duty and were tasked to the rainforest district this month. You were outside your jurisdiction for this case! I could have you for insubordination…yet again!" He could see Judy opening her mouth to confute this fact. "However, because of your assistance in it, you just made my decision much easier. I have conferred with my deputy and we both have agreed that you and Officer Wilde will be leads on the case."
Judy's mouth dropped open. She had been assigned multitudes of accident, traffic violation and larceny cases but none so dire as assault and potentially murder. This was leagues beyond anything she had been tasked to investigate. Although she knew deep down he was keeping her on the back burner with low key assignments, she was just happy they were being utilized as the cops they were in the ZPD. As impressed as Bogo was with Hopps' performance in the Night Howler case, the fact remained she was still a rookie on the force and as such had to earn her way up the ladder the hard way.
"Sir, are you serious?" She stuttered, trying to get the words out. She could hardly believe her luck. She was expecting more of a tirade but instead got a huge job!
"Don't act so surprised Hopps." He flashed a rather unsettling grin. "You've done good work." He pointed a hoof at her. "But do not let it go to your head! I'm giving you a chance to prove your worth to Zootopia. Although I agree with Mayor Lionheart that we should continue with Bellwether's idea for making you the 'friendly' face of the ZPD for the entire city, that doesn't mean you can skimp on your duties-"
"I never skimped on anything…" Judy decried, putting her paws out in a confused manner.
"-just because you are the 'new' jewel of Zootopia." He finished, completely ignoring her protest. "You need to back up your name with hard work and dedication and I believe you can do just that with this case. But first," Bogo leaned over to grab a stack of papers on the ground beside him before slapping it on the desk, its sizeable heft rumbling the wooden frame. "You have a report due to me by close of business and this case file and eyewitness accounts to read before starting work."
Judy's ears drooped at the exhaustive pile of paperwork ahead of her. "Chief…I can't possibly carry all this." She hopelessly indicated the gigantic stack in front of her.
"Oh, not to worry Hopps, I have Officer Rhinowitz taking it to your office after this morning's briefing. You'll have plenty of time to situate yourself with the case then." Not even trying to hide his merriment, he put his glasses back on before resuming his inspection on a completely different folder. "One last topic I'd like to address with you Hopps." The tone in his voice had Judy perk an ear up in curiosity. "I'd like to discuss your partnership with Officer Wilde."
The ear immediately sagged once more. "Sir, I don't know what you're-"
"It is becoming very clear to everyone on the force of your affections for each other. Not helped in the least by Clawhauser shipping you two together." He finished with a groan.
"Shipping?" She arched her nose up in befuddlement, she had never heard the term before.
Bogo sighed, "It's a silly, little term that I haven't the time for. Regardless, we have reports of you two going in and out of each other's apartments and now having a joint vacation to your home town."
A wry smile crept onto Judy's face, "Sir, did you have Clawhauser spy on us?" As much of a violation this probably was, Chief Bogo could just as easily explain it away as having it be nothing more than a friendly 'check-up' on his employees. The mental health division allowed for such things to help curb potential problems with officers who got depressed or anxious about their job.
"What? No!" He waved a hoof in the air to terminate that line of talk. "Nevertheless, even without his assistance, I can see that you two are close. Granted, partners should be close to help, protect and mentor each other. In your case, with your valedictorian status from the academy, you were best qualified to rein in a newbie like Wilde and get him up to speed in record time. It worked out and it was a timely partnership."
Judy's eyes shot to the ceiling in exasperation, first her parents and now her boss. Would this torture never end? "Sir, how is this a problem?"
He leaned forward over the desk, clasping his hooves together. "I don't care about the fact he is a fox and you are a rabbit. I don't care about the fact he is a predator and you are a prey. I don't care if you two are romantically seeing each other." She uttered a strangled cry of objection but he kept talking. "What I care about is the unity and integrity of my force."
"What does that mean?" She wasn't sure if he was condoning a relationship with Nick or condemning it. Was there more to this partnership with him than she let on? Was she just denying this to even herself about her feelings? The conversation at the Burrows certainly didn't help her emotional dilemma. Just how then did she feel about Nick?
He fixed her with an intense glare, "Do not speak of this to anyone outside of this room," He pounded the desk with a single hoof finger, "but I like you Judy. You are a good cop, one of the best. You and Nick work well together and morale is high as a result of ZPD's success. I am reluctant to go and break that up. However, I do not want any potential relationship problems to surface at work and bring the force down. Keep it professional and off duty. You two do that and we'll get along swimmingly. Understood?"
"Yes sir…" She puffed out defeated. Were Nick and her an item now just by common consensus? Did anyone care how they felt or were they being pushed together by the mob that was on-the-job gossip? She would really need to have a stern talk with Clawhauser the first chance she got.
"You are dismissed Hopps. See you in the bullpen in five." He turned his focus back to the files on his desk, clearly done with the conversation.
Knowing it to be fruitless to argue with the Chief after dismissal, she slipped down off the big chair and headed out into the atrium. She could hear laughter from below. Nick and Clawhauser were having a grand old time swapping jokes and silly stories. Lowering her eyes in irritation, she rode the elevator down to ground level before bounding over to the information booth at the front. Nick managed to finagle a spare donut from Clawhauser and had already taken a few bites out of its speckled icing layer.
Nick took notice of her first, "So was he practicing his mood for the day by yelling at himself in the mirror?"
"No." She gazed over at Clawhauser to see him practically beaming over the counter at the two of them, his match-making glee fully evident in his toothy grin, complete with sprinkles. "Come on Nick, we got only a few minutes before we need to be in the bullpen."
"Everything alright Judy?" He could immediately see something was wrong. Her shoulders were slumped and her ears were down. As an afterthought, he turned back to Clawhauser, "Thanks for the donut!"
"Anytime!" He chimed back, resting his flabby cheeks onto his fists, watching the two of them walk off. "Those two are so adorable together!"
Nick may not have heard the soft whisper of delight but Judy did which only prompted her to increase her pace. Nick leaned over to offer her the donut, "Hungry? I made sure I left some of the icing for you."
"I'm not hungry." She intoned inertly.
"I gotta say Carrots, you are really hard to read right now. Usually you're like an open book." He meant the words in jest but it was not received as such.
"Let's just get in there for the briefing." She wagged a paw off ahead of them.
Nick was genuinely at a loss for words. He had a clever retort to say but decided it unwise to unleash it upon Judy at that present moment. Something Chief Bogo said must have really set her off somehow. Did she get chastised for intruding on an already established case? He wondered if her punishment would extend out to him by mere association.
They entered the room with the majority of their colleagues already seated, some having raucous arm wrestling matches while others trumpeted and howled at several hilarious tales from the job. Few gave much attention to the either of them, not because they were several heights below their eye level, but because having a small bunny and fox on their crew was no longer a novel concept. It was just an accepted aspect of life that Nick and Judy were part of the ZPD, fellow comrades in arms.
They ambled down the rows of tables to the front where a lone seat was reserved for the two of them just opposite the podium where Bogo usually delivered his briefings. They climbed up onto the rather large chair and sat comfortably together. Officer McHorn, a rather imposing looking rhinoceros whose plate armor completely covered his upper chest, hiding up the multitude of ribbon medals he had earned over the years, gently pushed the chair in so the two could be closer to the table.
Officer Wolford opened the door at the front of the room, standing at attention beside it before calling out, "Attention on deck!"
All officers straightened out in their seats, ensuring their entire body posture faced the front of the room. All began whooping in unison, pounding the tables with their fists. Even Nick had gotten into the daily ritual, despite not making near the magnitude of shockwaves his compadres were. He stopped suddenly when he noticed Judy was not chanting with the rest of them, she seemed lost in her own thoughts, staring down at a singular spot on the table.
He inclined over to whisper into her ear about it when Bogo rumbled through the door. "That's enough!" He roared. Everyone quieted down instantly; knowing smiles on their snouts and lips as they eagerly awaited their daily tasking. With little fanfare, Bogo stepped behind the podium and set the folders down in front of him. He made a point to catch the eye of each occupant in the room, lingering on Wolford as he retook his seat toward the back. "As we all are aware, they have been several attacks on Zootopia citizens with no firm evidence, eye witnesses and most of all, no suspects."
A low stirring rumbled throughout the room, Bogo cleared his throat to silence it before continuing. "As such, we only have two items on the docket but one takes priority, both related. First let us address the rabbit in the room." All eyes swiveled to Judy who suddenly became very self-conscious about her position.
Nick nudged her encouragingly but kept his eyes straight forward, "There is a fox here too sir."
"Shut it Wilde!" Bogo boomed. "You're involved in this too."
"I should hope so sir!" He said in mock sincerity, hands clasped calmly on the table.
A squeal was heard from the back from Officer Pennington, Bogo grunted loudly to kill the whispers in the room. "Knock it off! As some of you know, it was Officer Judy Hopps who discovered a link we had never considered before between the three recent assaults which were previously believed to be rape cases. Each victim was attacked in similar fashion and each was left with two puncture wounds on their necks. We do not yet know if there is anything connecting these three victims or if it is just random selection."
Bogo gesticulated to the seat housing both Judy and Nick, "I have assigned Officer Hopps and Wilde to be leads on this case." Several murmurs of approval were uttered throughout the throng. "Their primary role is to fulfill central intelligence. Each of the teams will be covering different districts and all information will flow back into Hopps and Wilde. They will be compiling all data and make the final call on suspect intervention and arrest."
It was Nick's turn to drop his mouth open in surprise. Just what in the world did Judy get them into? He had just been promoted to detective not too long ago, months after Judy had passed her tests and now they were in charge of a large case spanning the entire city of Zootopia! Noticing the lowered jaw of Nick hanging there, Judy pushed a finger up to close it as Nick took a noticeable gulp. This seemed to be far more responsibility than he was used to having.
"Don't look so amazed Wilde. This will be far easier than you think." Discounting any reaction from the fox, Bogo surveyed the team selections in front of him. "Pennington, Swinton and Higgins," Elephant, pig and hippo stood up and walked to the front of the room to grab their file. "report to the canal district and investigate a fourth attack there. McHorn, Grizzoli, Johnson," He raised another file for the rhino, bear and lion tromping up to the front. "you head to Sahara Square and go undercover. There has been a bomb threat at the casino there."
"Anderson, Snarlof, Wolford," He address the two polar bears and wolf, "to Tundra Town. There have been disputes among the citizens regarding the new immigrants. See that the situation gets resolved peaceably." He turned his attention to the last remaining elephant, sitting beside a lion and tiger. "Trunkaby, Delgato and Fangmeyer, you are headed to the Meadowlands. There has been yet another assault there." As the final few cops filed out of the pen, he faced the last remaining officer in the room besides Nick and Judy. "Officer Rhinowitz, secure the assault case files and put them on Judy's desk and establish a custom computer set up for her and Nick to work with."
"Yes sir!" The hefty rhino grumbled before stampeding loudly out the door.
"Congratulations Hopps." Bogo smiled. "It looks like you're finally working a big case again. Do us proud and don't muck it up." His cheery expression never left his face as he stuffed the remaining paperwork under his arm and plowed through the exit back into the hall.
"So I guess that's what this is all about." Nick mused, watching the receding form of Chief Bogo. "A little too much to take on maybe?"
Judy sniffed once, jolted out of her contemplations, "Nah, this is nothing actually."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Then what's bothering you Carrots? You've not been yourself ever since you left the Chief's office." A sly thought came to his mind. "Care to talk about it over dinner tonight?"
Her right foot was waving erratically with pent up energy, desperately wanting to smack something. "No…too formal for such a thing. How about lunch instead?" She offered, trying not to meet his eyes which were searching intently for her own.
His gaze remained on her withdrawn face a bit longer, "I can do that." He agreed.
The soft beeping of the heart monitor stimulated her senses, rousing her from her restful sleep. Judy was feeling a lot better than she had in a long while. Beside her bed was Nala, sleeping peacefully across her lap. Unraveling her arms from the blanket, she softly prodded her until she awoke from slumber herself. She blinked a few times before resting her eyes on Judy.
"Hey mom." She greeted lazily. "How you feeling?"
Judy puffed out her chest in an attempt to de-kink a few aches in her lower back before responding, "A lot better actually. Now I'm just really hungry."
Nala rose up to a sitting position and rolled the chair away to a small radio placed upon the corner table. "Hey Mai, you there? Over."
Static crackled before a response came back, "I'm here Nala, what's up? Over."
Nala regarded her mom warmly, the joy of being back with her evident in her tone. "Judy's awake and she's hungry. We got anything ready for her? Over."
"If I can wrangle something away from Clawhauser, I'm sure I can find something. Bring her down. Over." The radio clicked off as Mai most likely scurried off to snatch any remaining morsels Clawhauser had yet to devour.
As if on cue, a honey badger in a white lab coat promenaded in. Completely engrossed in her clipboard, she nearly bumped right into the bottom metal bars of the footboard. Jostled from her readings, she looked up to notice she was in the wrong room. She apologized quickly and turned to leave when Judy called her back, "Doctor?" She could only assume she was one given her garb. "Can you take this IV out of me? I feel well enough to head out and get something to eat."
The badger took one look at her and completely refused. "I'm afraid not! Unacceptable, you still need bedrest and plenty of fluids. We'll bring some food along-"
Nala cut off the doctor's rambling, "Dr. Madge, it'll be all right. I'll take care of her."
Madge gave a pointed look at Nala before sighing and waddling over to the device. With the finesse of a mountain goat, she slipped the catheter out before swiftly placing a fur repellant band-aid over the freshly oozing wound. That would make it a lot less painful to rip off later once it had outlived its usefulness. She flipped the switch horizontal to stop the flow and wrapped the cords up around the rolling IV hanger and pushed it to the corner of the room.
Dr. Madge joggled a claw at Judy, "No stressing your body now. You over exert yourself and I'll be forced to sedate and have you carried back to your bed for a week!"
The key word of sedation brought flashes of horrible imagery into Judy's mind. She swooned and had to let Nala hold her up for a few seconds. The badger looked at her uneasily, her hand wavering down by her waist where a tranquilizer gun stood ready in its sheathe. Judy had to wave the apprehensive doctor down, "It's fine. I'm okay. I just need to regain my balance, that's all."
With no adrenaline pumping through her veins, her muscles had little reason to cooperate with her this time. Madge denounced the whole affair with a flap of her tail before bumbling out of the room muttering to herself about patients who thought they knew everything. With an arm around her daughter's neck, Judy staggered out the door and down the seedy hallway. Lights were dim and the wallpaper a garish hue of magenta and brown.
"Don't worry about her. She's just a bit bitter is all." Nala commented, trying to make light of the situation.
"What is this place?" Judy inquired, peering into rooms with beds of all sizes and mirrors arranged at odd angles. Several rooms had disco balls and others had TVs lining the walls. A few had some odd looking objects hanging up on the walls complete with a few chains and collars.
Nala took one look before slanting her attention elsewhere. She seemed really hesitant to even describe the building. "This was…um…a place of pleasure."
"A what?" Judy's eyes bulged, recognizing various utensils of desire and assuming correctly the uses of others. "Why are we here?"
Nala was mute for a time before responding. They had just rounded the bend to the stairwell that would take them downstairs to the commons where the brothel foyer and ultimately the makeshift cafeteria was. "It was the closest, unsuspecting location to Savannah Central where Rouge makes her home. It is hidden. It is secluded between high rise buildings and the entrances to the alley don't draw too much attention to us using it as a base of operations. We mainly take the sewer entry just outside the front door as our primary means of getting around the city."
"You are very articulate for your age." Judy complimented.
Nala beamed at her mother. "Thank you. I had dad to teach me."
"Dad?" A perplexed look crossed Judy's face. What other bunny could have been her dad?
"You know, Nick?" Nala said sincerely.
A deep flush came to Judy's cheeks. Of course it was Nick. She scrunched her eyes tight, trying in vain to remember. It was infuriating to have her memories scattered and fractured that she couldn't remember everything straight. Was Nick married to her? How did they get Nala? So many questions flitted out of existence the moment they materialized. What other parts of her life was she missing?
She helped Nala push open the swinging stairwell door and they stepped into the sultry lobby with plush divans, ensconced lighting and bad taste in paisley carpeting. Multiple make-shift tables were lined up in the middle the room, furniture cleared out to the sides, where she could see several mammals glumly eating their midday meal. Detecting Clawhauser in the far corner savoring some bean stew, something she was sure wasn't the first choice he would have preferred on the menu, she motioned that they sit next to him.
Getting back on the previous topic, Judy noted, "I never knew these types of places existed in Zootopia."
Sweeping in from the left out of the shadows, Mai interjected herself into the conversation. "Most respectable citizens don't. You had no reason to come to these sorts of places. In fact, this was one of the more reputable establishments, with it being inside the central district of Zootopia. In the months following your coma, Nick found us this place to use both as a means for keeping tabs on Rouge and being close to Mercy Hospital where you were kept."
"Are you saying Nick is not respectable?" Judy laughed, remembering how much of a con artist Nick used to be before she offered him the position of being her partner on the police force. He always claimed he knew everyone in town.
Mai shared Judy's gaiety, "Not at all. He's one of the most courageous foxes I know. His past connections helped find this place though. Notwithstanding that, I am thankful for it."
"Hey there Judy!" Clawhauser radiated, appearing positively exuberant despite looking like he had missed a full year's worth of meals. His shirt and denim jeans looked two sizes too big on him.
"Hey buddy." She caroled back, allowing Nala and Mai to assist her in getting onto the bench opposite Clawhauser at the table. "What are you eating there?"
"Oh, this?" His expression was a bit less enthusiastic about it. "Just peaches and beans." At a cringe-worthy look from Judy, "Yeah, I know. It's not the best of meals but it has ample sugar in it. I can stomach this a bit better."
"I guess I'll have what you're having." She resigned herself to the inexorable fact that there wouldn't be many options for food around here.
"No problem Judy, I'll go grab a bowl for you. I had them reheat it just for you." Mai placed a loving hand on her shoulder before nodding and walking across the room to a side hall which most likely led to whatever they utilized as a kitchen in this place.
Nala placed herself beside her mom and scooted in close. Now that Judy was back with them again, she never wanted to let her go. Judy's situational awareness took in the entirety of the room, her old cop senses slowly coming back to her. There were a few animals that smiled at her when she looked at them across the scattered tables. A few even waved. She thought she recognized Rhinowitz and maybe Swinton but she wasn't sure from this distance and in this dim light.
Deducing correctly, Judy remarked, "I'm guessing you guys keep it rather dark in this place to avoid attracting unwanted attention?"
Clawhauser nodded, "It was Nick's idea. We also keep the blinds closed to avoid having them see into the building through the windows."
The more she heard about what Nick had done to secure ZPD's continued existence in this hellish landscape, the more she began to admire the fox who had become her husband seemingly overnight during her coma. She truly wished she could get those memories back, maybe in time she would.
"Nick really provided a lot to you guys." Judy stated with awe.
Clawhauser gave her a stupid grin, "You two were so cute together." After an irritated look from Judy, "Well you were! Then the cute part applies to him then." He recovered promptly. "He was so devoted to you that he'd always bring you a forget-me-not every week in the hospital. He'd come back each time always beaten up and more fur torn out of his beautiful coat."
"Benjamin…please stop." Nala began, not wanting to relive those painful memories of having to patch up her dad with ointments and bandages.
"It's okay Nala." Judy said, taking a ragged breath and placing a paw on her daughter's own. "I want to hear this."
Clawhauser looked between the two bunnies for a second before receiving another affirmative nod from Judy. He began hesitantly, "Well…he was so dedicated to you that as a price for visitation, he let them feed on him; them beating him up was just pure brutality on their part and not part of the deal. He'd come back limping and hurt but always with a smile on his face."
"Never let them see that they got to you…" Judy whispered. Her heart swelled with pride at her companion and all that he had accomplished right under the noses of the bats. And now his greatest achievement was her being free from their clutches. She wrapped an arm around her daughter as the tears began anew for Nala. A small movement from the tabletop behind Clawhauser caught her interest. "Who is that bunny?"
At the mention of his existence, the rather well dressed hare stood up from his vigil of watching them and paced over to their table. He was grey haired like Judy and Nala but had a few black stripes like a tiger, where the hair had grown in a different color, crossing the broad side of his cheeks and extending back behind his head as well as a few extra stripes at the tips of his ears. Sporting a rather ragged yet still moderately well-kept tuxedo, he convivially stretched out his hand across the table and shook Judy's confidently.
"Good to see you again Judy." He said cordially.
"I'm sorry…who are you?" Bewildered, she blinked trying to remember who this unknown bunny was before her. Her memories were still not returning all that quickly.
He frowned slightly but quickly recuperated, "My apologies. I shouldn't have expected you to remember me, given how little we worked together prior to your coma." He gave her hand another shake, winking at Nala as he did so. "The name is Savage. Jack Savage."
This chapter was unique in that I could take my time and really set up the new world that Judy has found herself in. It also gave me opportunity to present two characters, Bogo and Clawhauser, in two different lights based on the timeline of events in the story. If people didn't figure it out already, it was finally time to reveal that these 'monsters' are in actuality vampiric bats, something Zootopia has never had experience with before. It took several iterations until I finally landed on dialogue that gave 'just' enough information to satisfy the reader yet still kept enough mystery on how events played out that they'd want to read more. I also include a new rabbit, Nala, as Judy's sole surviving child, which further enhances the mystery behind Mai and her connection to Judy. A lot of this chapter foreshadows events in subsequent ones but the focus was on getting Judy's relationships established with characters such as Bogo and Clawhauser. As I wrote this chapter, I began to realize how Judy-centric this entire story is becoming - don't get me wrong, Nick will be involved a fair bit throughout the story but in the end, it is still Judy's story and now that I've realized that, I'll be writing better towards that goal. Also, hopefully some readers are intrigued by how I'll utilize the unused character of Jack Savage!
