They would make first contact with their targets on a large gala hosted on the "Hidden Garden", the charity event was just an excuse for the rich and powerful to mingle with the high ranks of the criminal element without much scrutiny, since the mafia runs the city all big business needs to go through it first. They had memorized their cover stories to the detail by now, after several days of studying and training.

Since their primary goal was to seduce the mobsters both the ZIA and the KGB agents were dressed to impress, the hare wore a smart dark grey suit with a blue silk shirt underneath while the vixen wore a red velvet dress with a large slit in one of the sides and a deep cleavage. Their good looks would be an asset but it would only get them half way, seduction was actually much more complex than just looking good and throwing yourself at the intended target, if you play it too easy they might suspect but if you play too hard they might just lose interest.

Jack was fixing the last details looking at the mirror while he noticed Skye sauntering pass him on their large and luxurious hotel room. She had needed some TLC after her rescue, since the previous mission had done some pretty extensive damage; Jack had spent a considerable time nursing her wounds after they arrived to Zootopia. She was a little evasive at first but after a few weeks together they realized they got along quite well, he even dared to think of her as a friend.

Now none of that previous damage was visible anymore as her pristine fur shone in the Savannah dusk light, she walked with a confident gait as her sultry red dress swayed with every step; he shook his head knowing that Wilde didn't stand a chance against her.

As he gave a small chuckle agent frost asked –"What's so funny?"-

-"I was just thinking that this is the closest I ever got, as an intelligence agent, to be in a "James Boar" kinda mission. I mean think about it, we're wearing fancy clothing in a five star hotel, then we're gonna ride in a luxury car to a posh party and seduce evil mobsters! You gotta admit it's pretty awesome compared to what our job usually entails. I don't know about you but I spend most of my mission in military gear staring for hours at monitors, or dodging all kinds of enemy fire while covered in grit and filth."- Jack said with the cutest smile on his face and his fluffy small tail shook with excitement. Skye couldn't help to giggle at the adorable sight; the hare must have read her thoughts because his smile turned into an annoyed frown.

-"I don't know Savage, those movies were mostly cold war propaganda. If this were a James Boar movie I as a Siberian would be the villain, after mating with you because that's what he always does, I would later betray you and then I'll try to kill you in the least practical way imaginable. In the meantime I would have to give you a large monolog detailing my plans and motivation with a bad accent."- The vixen said absent minded while brushing her silky long tail.

-"The night is still young"- He told her with a sly wink, it was his default mode to flirt with every female even remotely close to him.

-"You have strange kinks, my little fuzzball. Are you actually asking me to give you a long speech while directing a deadly laser to cut you in half, starting at your crotch?"- She smiled at him, a naughty curb on her lips. Actually this was one of the best missions she had been given too, she was supposed to flirt with a handsome (though with twisted sexual appetites) fox, while working with a friendly and easy going rabbit that she actually liked to spend time with. Skye never knew what friendship was but she guessed her interactions with Savage came pretty close.

-"I was thinking more about you shooting bullets out of your boobs while I'm suspended above a pool of sharks, but if you want to try the minimalistic approach I'm okay with it"- He quipped while offering his arm to her, both heading to the Astod Martin parked in the lower level of the hotel.

…..

Once inside the party they had no trouble finding their targets, both agents weren't surprised to find the mobsters had several security guards scattered around the place passing as guests, but they were impressed to know the guards were in fact very professional and effective. The moment Jack and Skye begun to follow the Wildes with their eyes four wolves, a cheetah and a bunny doe were on to them, aware of their suspicious behavior.

-"Stay on the sides Savage, let me make the first move."- Skye told the hare through the intercom hidden deep into their ear canals, and he gave her an imperceptible nod as a response, he had to agree. Unlike him she could make an aggressive approach, apparently vixens are the ones supposed to take the lead during the vulpine's mating customs while rabbits usually go for a friendlier and gentler way.

Music played in the dance hall, the gorgeous vixen merely sauntered to the fox and asked him for a dance while his wife stood right beside him, shocked out of her wits. The fox eagerly took the vixen's paw and both were soon swaying to the music, Jack saw the violet eyed doe blush in anger and thump her feet on the marble floor, this would be easier than he thought.

Now it was his turn to make the move, playing the suave charmer doesn't always work, females don't drop like flies for every smooth talker like the movies make you think. Every girl has a different type, some like the shy sweet guys, some like the tough confident ones, and the best way to figure which one is right is to play neutral and respectful until you can read her personality.

-"Hello ma'am"- He said walking next to her and giving the beautiful doe a firm pawshake –"My name is Alexander Longear, it is very nice to meet you"-

-"Judith Hopps"- She shook his paw back, more focused on her husband's antics on the dance floor than on the buck next to her –"Everyone calls me Judy"-

He begun to read her posture and mannerisms, the theory that she was Wilde's captive seems to be wrong because Judy looked legitimately jealous of the tod now dancing with Skye, and she certainly didn't act like a damaged slave. She was probably a legitimate boss just like her husband, given the way the other mobsters looked at her, all of them showing genuine respect.

-"I was wondering if we could discuss some business, perhaps in private?"- He asked shyly with a soft voice, a strong female might react poorly to an overconfident male, especially when angry. The timid approach might be more useful now.

-"There is a more secluded table in the back, I hope you don't mind if one of my associates joins us"- Her flat tone made it clear that was an order not a request, turning around Jack noticed a large timber wolf with an imposing expression right next to him.

-"O- of c-ourse not"- The hare faked a stutter, he wasn't actually expecting to have a one on one with Hopps so early on the game, so that was fine, in this case he was in it for the long run. He knew that getting to Judy would take some time but judging by the way those foxes moved on the dance floor, he could bet three months of his salary that Skye would be having a private romp with Nicholas by the end of the night. That would be even better for his mission; he could be the shoulder to cry on when Judy's husband cheats on her. And who knows, maybe Skye doesn't need to kill him, maybe they can just lay back and let the scorned bunny do the dirty work for them.

They sat on the secluded table, Lobato between them like a threatening chaperone.

Jack thought it would be best to get to the point and not delay the issue further, the more time passed the angrier the doe would be –"I'm into the high class real estate business, and I want to make a very large architecture development in the middle of the Savannah district. Unfortunately the best location for it is occupied by a small flower store. Now I am more than willing to pay its owner a very fair price for the property so I can tear it down and build my condo, but before I made the offer my associates found out that the owner actually works for your family, so I thought it would be best to speak to you first"-

-"If you are talking about Mr. Otterton's flower shop I'm afraid I can't help you there, Emmit is a good friend of the family and he has only managed to open his store a few months ago. We could never ask him to leave and I'm sure he would not give it up, no matter how much money you are willing to pay. Not everything can be solved by throwing money at it Mr. Longear, that poor otter has been dreaming about that flower shop for years, it would break his heart to lose his store just after getting it"- Judy told him in a polite way but not even bothering to hide the coldness below her voice, she was clearly ready to finish their conversation so Jack redoubled on his cover story.

He hated pulling the "cute sensitive rabbit" act but he couldn't argue that it was pretty effective sometimes, even on other lagomorphs. His eyes went wider and bigger with a hint of moisture in them that made them shine, his tiny nose twitched ever so slightly. He prayed Skye didn't saw him like this or he would never hear the end of it. -"Maybe we can reach a compromise, instead of just buying his property I could negotiate and exchange for one of the apartments on the ground floor, that way he could keep his business in the same spot. I'm pretty sure that a flower shop right at the base of a fancy tower would do good for his sales"-

Judy looked at him with a hint of admiration and empathy, her paw rested on her chest, her ears drooped and she had an equally adorable expression on her face –"Would you be willing to do that?"-

-"Sure you have my word"- He said finally relaxing, she was beginning to take the bait.

-"That's good Mr. Longear, because our family gives a big significance to a mammal's word"- She smiled, easily dropping her previous adorable expression, but he didn't lose the subtle menace in her eyes. He had to admit she was smart, direct and a little dangerous, just his type.

-"If you don't mind, I would like to order a bottle of champagne to celebrate our new business deal."- He said already signaling the waiter, within minutes a crisp bottle of Don Pawrignon was on their table. They managed to have a pleasant chat about non consequential things in spite of him being a spy posing as a mogul and she being a mobster, both of them actually managed to have fun and even Lobato joined their conversation after a while. Jack noticed that the wolf held a deep respect for the doe and she had given him a kind treatment as well, that was not good for his plans, this mafia seems to be held together by true camaraderie which means the agency might have a tough time bringing it down.

He still kept things professional, not even bothering to flirt until Skye worked her allure on the red fox, but there was no harm in being friendly and as charming as possible, it did help matters that she was actually a down to earth doe and easy going. He was somehow sure than under different circumstances they might have dated for real.

In the meantime Nick was sliding on the dance floor with one of the most gorgeous vixens he ever met; the fellow vulpine shared the same grace in her movements than him, since it was common on their race to be elegant on their ways.

Arctic foxes are smaller than red ones; while she was taller than his wife he still had several more inches in height than her, her white fur seemed too soft to be real and her light blue eyes held a stunning contrast with the dark skin that framed them along with her black nose. His left paw rested comfortably on her lower waist, the right one holding her at shoulder length, their muzzles at a hairs width from touching.

To any other mammal they seemed to be flirting, even love struck, but their coquettish behavior had more to do with the way foxes usually acted than real attraction.

It didn't matter how gracious they were to each other and how sly their one liners sounded, to canides in general real emotions are broadcasted by smell, and he was clearly mated. She could smell in his pheromones that he wasn't really interested in her, and by the way he kept stealing glances at the dark corner where his wife was talking to agent Savage, he was clearly turning more territorial as time passed.

Skye dared to take a look to see what was making Wilde so angry and she noticed the adorable couple having an obviously pleasant time, they did nothing even remotely indecorous but there was a clear chemistry between them. This mission would not work out, she was supposed to steal the fox's attention so the handsome hare could make a more cautious move towards his own target, but instead their strategy is only stirring the mobster's jealousy and even when Jack hadn't made anything overtly flirtatious yet the red fox was about to pounce over the rabbit.

-"I see your wife is getting along with my business partner"- Skye purred, giving up on stealing the fox's heart and instead just trying to stop Nicholas to tear the hare apart.

-"A bit too much for my liking"- He growled

-"That is unfair Mr. Wilde, they are only talking. Isn't it one of your own guards right with them?"- She hoped to defuse the situation before it escalated out of control. She could see his pupils dilating and his fur standing on edge

-"Sometimes I think there is something wrong with the love me and Judy have, after all thousands of years ago my kind used to hunt them down and gobble them up. While today civilization has removed that necessity from us we still have an inner instinct when it comes to those fluffs, but now instead of eating them we crave to hunt them down and posses them, our need to kill was replaced with our desire to mate. So when another mammal comes close to our prays and even thinks for a second that they can take it away from us we kinda want to do some hunting like the good old days."-

His voice went from feral to melancholic in a blink of an eye. -"Be careful Miss Storm, assuming that's your real name, once you go down the rabbit hole jealousy will be only one of your many problems. But if you ask me, I believe it's still worth it"- His shoulder tensed and his eyes turned dangerous as malice floods them

-"I don't know what you're talking about"- The vixen said appalled

-"I smell him on you sweetheart, and the spike in your fear whenever I talk about chomping down that little rabbit, until I can clean the extra cotton from my fangs with a toothpick."- Nick knew those two were up to something, he thought that the best way to seize her up was to threat the hare and analyze her reactions.

-"That is ridiculous! I am not a sexual deviant like you I do not date outside my species!"- She didn't even bother to keep her cover anymore, it was useless anyway. How dare he imply such a preposterous thing?

-"Then you won't mind when I make my comrades go old school on your love bun and tear his lucky feet from his legs, using just their claws"- Nick whispered into her flickering white ear, while he was actually jealous he exaggerated on his aggressiveness to see how the vixen would react, he was just playing with her.

Now it was the vixen's turn to growl –"leave my rabbit alone"- She did realize she used the word mine when talking about a fellow agent of a completely different species, but now wasn't the time to ponder on those issues, later on she would freak out about her own epiphany. At that moment every fiber in her being wanted to protect Jack from that horrible fox.

-"Let's make a deal snowflake, get YOUR bunny away from MY bunny before I turn him into tonight's special on the restaurant's menu"- Nick was rewarded by his strategy and managed to get sensible information about the suspicious vixen, that rabbit could be used as a pawn against her.

Before Skye could show Nick not to mess with a protective vixen loud shots of gunfire flooded the room. Three black bears and a raccoon barged right into the hall carrying large weapons and shooting every mammal they laid eyes on. Bodies begun to pile up within minutes, both foxes quickly scrambled out of the way before they too were killed.

Unaware of the vulpines confrontation both lagomorphs were laughing at Lobato's jokes, that guy could be a great comedian sometimes, the champagne did wonders with relaxing all of them.

The crackle of gunfire interrupted the pleasant conversation as several bullets collided mere inches from them, Lobato the faithful bodyguard threw himself in front of Judy, saving her life and getting shot several times for his troubles.

-"Damian are you okay?"- The panicked doe asked to the groaning wolf

-"I have a Kevlar vest below my suit ma'am, as you both ordered"- The wolf whispered through the pain of his cracked ribs, because of his bosses caution he was still alive but the pain of being impacted by several pieces of led was too much to bear, plus the impacts left him with many internal injuries. Eventually he lost consciousness.

-"Miss Hopps, I doubt you're carrying a Kevlar vest of you own under your cocktail dress"- Jack said looking at her lovely green silk dress while tipping the large table they were dining on to help them get a bit more cover. –"I'll take you to a safer place, please stay behind me"- He said removing the large gun from the wolf's holster, it was too heavy for a rabbit to operate comfortably but he would have to make do. If only he could have brought one of his guns with him, but he couldn't risk getting his cover blown.

-"I'm not leaving my comrade behind!"- The ferocious bunny growled

Taking a deep breath the agent tried to reason with the doe, without her cooperation they would never get out of this place alive, he could still hear a cacophony of gunshots not far from their location. –"He is wounded but alive, and while serious I'm pretty sure his injuries are not life threatening. Judging by the way those bullets hit I believe you are their target, if we don't move now more bullets will come this way and all three of us will die"-

With and angry frown Judy thought about his reasons and gave him a grim nod –"Lead the way"-

-"Where is the nearest exit?"- He asked careful not to raise his voice too much

-"To the left, a few feet away. If the attackers are smart they might cover the emergency exits but I know a hidden trapdoor, it's right below that red carpet over there"- her paw trembled as she pointed in the carpet's direction but her voice remained steady.

Peering over the edge of the table Jack saw a black bear aiming a machine gun in their direction, the rabbit had trouble understanding what he saw. He could swear he saw the guard mobsters close to him firing several rounds at his large frame, he actually saw the bullets leave holes on the bear's flesh while blood poured from them but the maniac didn't seem to be fazed by that in the slightest, it's like he were actually immune to the shots.

-"The supreme state of Happytown sends its kindest regards Motherfuckers!"- The bear laughed like a maniac while swinging the machine gun from one side to the other, making sure to leave bullet holes all over the salon and killing as many mammals as possible, civilians and criminals alike. Behind him a raccoon climbed over the bear's back and sat on his shoulders, he was swinging a round object over his head and then dropped it right in the middle of the now blood soaked ballroom floor.

Jack ducked at first fearing it might be a bomb, but when it didn't go off he peered over the edge of the turned table for a better look, it wasn't a bomb it was the severed head of an elk.

-"Kristoff!"- Judy sighed after recognizing its face. It shouldn't have been a surprise, he made a poor management of the nocturnal district and Happytown was the most dangerous slum located in there, if trouble ever came up it would always be from that neighborhood.

When the bear looked away for a quick ammo reload the agent took his chance and dragged Judy towards the rug, she quickly opened the trap door and led him below, the whole led right into the VIP room of the Down low.

Judy quickly made a plan in her head. As soon as she got out of there she would gather all her troops and strike the restaurant. The doe had to fight the urge to go to the club alone with guns blazing to save her fox, but those guys up there were crazy and she dared to think that if they killed him already… someone had to remain alive to seek vengeance. The mere prospect of losing her husband to those psychos filled her with so much hatred she practically felt her once kind hart turn into cold stone.

Jack grunted in frustration, less than two hours into his mission his cover was blown, Judy was not an idiot and she knew no real estate mogul had the weapons training he expressed during the massacre.

The agent tried to contact his partner through the intercom to see if she was alright, but all he heard was static. Dread was gnawing at his mind with every passing second, he kept repeating her name over and over, then he heard the distant ruffle of grunting and a few seconds after the angry sound of a screaming male fox –"Where is my wife?! You were with her when the shots started!"-

Flinching from the loud screaming poured right into his sensitive ears, the hare removed the ear piece and put it next to Judy –"I'm here Nick, are you all right?"- The doe's voice cracked from the raw emotion, she was crying from relief.

As soon as she spoke he bluntly removed the devise from her paw and then put it back on –"I have kept her safe mister Wilde, but I must now ask what has happened to my partner?"-

-"I'm fine Savage, I managed to drag Mr. Wilde outside the club, where are you?"- Skye's voice sounded annoyed but nothing seemed to be wrong with her

-"According to the large sign above us we're in a place called "The down low"-

…..

Once Jack and Judy got outside, a large army of the Savannah mob was already storming inside the restaurant, the agent couldn't even locate his partner before he was captured and apprehended by three large wolves. Judy commanded her comrades –"Keep an eye on him and the vixen, but don't be too rough on them just yet, they did help us back there"-

He was unceremoniously thrown into a large limo, Skye was already inside waiting for him, a beaver and a bunny buck kept their guns trained on the duo the whole time. Even with the car windows rolled up Jack's sensitive hearing caught Wilde's angry rant not far from there.

-"Those fuckers were on Russian roulette, but instead of getting poisoned like Porkton they got the high they wanted and turned almost savage. It took fifteen of our comrades to bring the four of them down and they already looked like Swiss cheese by then, but they still kept firing!"-

-"What do we do now Nick?"- Judy asked still with a quivering voice, out of the corner of his eye Jack saw she was holding her husband tight while his tail curled around her petite form.

-"The nocturnal district has been taken over by these nutjobs, they attacked us because we were in their turf, now we have to act and claim this territory as well or we'll be seen as weak"- The fox doesn't seem happy at the plan he just proposed.

-"Can't we ask for Kevin or Raymond for help? If we take over the nocturnal they'll think we're after the leadership of the family"- Her voice was soft and soothing, as if she was trying to calm her husband down before he did something he might regret.

-"Sorry carrots, they stormed this place because they knew we would be here, that's a direct affront to us. If we don't act now both our comrades and the other turfs will try to bring us down, we'll be the weakest link, and you know what happens to those"- He sounds more rational now but still determined.

-"Yeah I know, their heads end up tossed in the middle of a restaurant"- She responded dryly

Jack heard her voice turn strong and stern as she commanded her orders –"Sam! Get the second wave over here so they can handle the police, make sure they don't break our truce. In the meantime see that the surviving civilians are hospitalized and our comrades are taken to Cliffside"-

Then the fox growled his own orders –"Garraza! Until Lobato is healed you take his place. I want the nocturnals who sympathized with us armed and ready, we are tearing down Happytown to the fucking ground!"-