- June 30th, 9:30 am, Somewhere in Zootopia -

"Niki... Niki... Come on sleeping beauty, time to get up or we will be late". Addison and Niki slept together in a communal sleeping quarters, their work they do being of the up most secrecy and thus weren't allowed outside of the building. The two Jackals found it more comforting to sleep together given their work and social circumstances.

"Ugh just 5 more minutes..." Niki pleaded with his mate to no avail. The pair were already late for their duties but they were not strangers to avoiding punishment.

"Hey Addy... Do you really think we can escape this place?... I'm worried Master War will hunt us down and make an example of us..." Niki's biggest fear above all else was losing Addison because their boss decided he was no longer needed or displeased him.

"Nikola please, stop thinking like that, we will be just fine... and besides you remember what Death said, trust me we will be out of this city before you know it!" Addy comforted Niki as he nuzzled into the taller canine's chest fur.

Niki let out a sigh as he thought over their planned escape. "But how do you know everything will go right... I'm just scared... I love you"

"I love you too Niki... trust me, Death's plan will work... now, let's get going, the ghost is waiting"

After just 10 minutes the pair were out of bed and dressed, no time for food as they rushed to the room that was assigned to ghost. Niki knocked on the door to no response. A second attempt to alert the occupant was met with the door swinging open slowly to the surprise of the jackals.

"Uhhhh... hello?" Niki said in a timid voice as he slowly set foot into the room followed closely by Addy. "Um, Sir? We have been assigned to bring you to the meeting of the other horsemen, are you here? Hel-..." just as Addison made his intentions clear the rabbit fell from the ceiling with a pair of small, silenced pistols, pinned both of the jackals to the floor and planted the tips of the silencers to the backs of their heads.

The initial shock prevented either of the canines to yelp out or plead for their lives, all they could do was close their eyes, hold paws and wait for the gentle whisper of the suppressed pistols. However, this sound did not come. Instead the rabbit simple got up off of them, walked over to the bed and placed his pistols back in their holsters. Nikola was the first to look up and check what the situation was, surprised to see the lapin sitting on the bed staring at them with his dead blue eyes, waiting for instruction. The rabbit was wearing only a pair of black cargo pants and his signature white mask, as if the pair had interrupted him while he was getting changed.

"This rabbit is seriously creepy..." Addy whispered to himself as he raised himself from the floor and rushed over to assist Niki. "Sir we have been..." Addison tried again as he was cut off by the ghost raising his paw as if to tell him to be quiet.

Ghost raised himself from the bed and slipped on a black shirt from the duffle bag at his feet before making his way over to the pair. The rabbit brought out a small note pad and pen, scribbled something down and handed the pad to Addison.

"I heard you the first time" was what was written on the small bunny sized paper. Addy felt insulted by the manner in which the sentence was written. Ghost took the pad back and motioned his paw out the door as if to say lead the way.

"Yes sir" Niki answered as he took an enraged Addison by the paw and walked out of the small guest room. "Hun don't do anything stupid, let's just get on with it please"

Reluctantly Addy and his mate lead the way out of the room followed by the lethal lapin as he strapped on his twin pistol holster.

- 10:00am, Main Complex -

The main building the jackals were working out of was vast, a large warehouse with massive shipping containers spread everywhere and wooden containers opened and their contents neatly stacked beside them. This warehouse was the central hub for one of the biggest smuggling rings in not only Zootopia but the entire country. Everything from drugs, weapons, priceless antiques and even mammal trafficking, something that Master War was particularly fond of.

War was the stuff nightmares were made from. He is a well-built Rhino sporting a very robust suit of armour very reminiscent of a samurai armour, lightweight yet bullet proof. Much like Ghost, War also wore a Japanese hannya mask on the bottom half of his face but for more than one reason.

Mainly simply to hide his identity during his job as an assassin. This hulk of a mammal stood 14-foot-tall, much taller than others of his species. He was at the peak of his physical capabilities, which played perfectly into his preferred way of killing his target. War's method of assassination was two massive battle-axes, hand forged especially for him and damn near as indestructible as he was. War wasn't particularly intelligent but what he lacked in brains he made up for in combat prowess, easily able to best the vast majority of opponents even larger than himself.

Addison, Nikola and Ghost eventually found themselves at the base of a moderately sized office elevated on stilts, allowing the occupants a complete 360-degree view of the vast storage space.

"Sir, Master War is just up those stairs, he is expecting you" Niki said humbly, motioning towards the stairs ascending to the office.

As Ghost made his way past the two canines he slipped Niki a small note that simply said "Wait here". He climbed the stairs and entered the almost pitch-black room. All of the windows were shut out with blackout curtains, the lightbulbs removed... the perfect den for a master killer. The only furniture in the room was a filing cabinet in the far corner and a desk and chair in the centre. From this chair slowly rose a massive figure, barely visible in the darkness. Ghost was naturally apprehensive about the much taller mammal, his paw fixed on his pistol ready to drop whatever threat stood before him.

"So... you are the famous Ghost we have been hearing about. Your stories have been plastered all over the news lately, and nice shot in the train station, haven't seen a snap shot like that since my deployment. I bet you have many questions as to why we summoned you here, to put it short... you are the only candidate that could possibly take the place of our recently departed 4th member. We are the Four Horsemen, I myself am the embodiment of War. You will meet Famine and Pestilence when they arrive in the city and you... you... our Master has selected you as the replacement for Death...I think it's fitting, don't you?"

War moved from behind the desk to flick on a small lamp on the end of his desk, moving closer to the rabbit, revealing his armoured figure and kneeling down in front of him.

"I understand you are a mute yes? Unable to speak?" War muttered through his mask, the light helping Ghost to become accustomed to his surroundings. The first thing he noticed however was the War wore the mask because of a particularly nasty facial wound extending from his neck all the way up behind the mask and out of the top, ending just past his right eye. His horn was also missing, snapped right at the base. All Ghost could think was this must have been a very violent encounter.

Ghost caught onto what War was saying and nodded as to not seem rude. He took out his notepad and began to write some notes down.

"So, what do you think? We summoned you here to be a part of this team, you have shown your skills and you certainly have my approval, we can provide you with anything you need for your tasks.

Ghost tore off a single piece of paper from the notepad and handed it to the monstrous mammal, barely being able to hold it properly the Rhino read out loud "My only condition, I want the two Jackals that met me at the train"

"I don't particularly like sharing my toys... but I will make an exception this time... there is still some tasks for them to do for me but otherwise... do what you will with them" War seemed displeased having to give up 2 of his slaves but for the services of arguably the best sniper on the face of the planet... he obliged.

War turned back around to his desk, flicked off the lamp and sat back down in his chair in the pitch black of the room. "Welcome... Death"

Before Ghost left the office, he took one final look back at his new partner in crime, his cold blue eyes piercing the darkness as he met the shining amber eyes of the most sadistic and unforgiving killer he had ever met. Ghost opened the door, allowing his eyes to readjust fully to the brightly lit before he attempted the stairs down to his new assistants.

The rabbit began his decent down to the two Jackals who were patiently waiting for him at the base, afraid to move, following orders down to the letter after years of physical abuse and conditioning by the dozens of other Jackals under War's control.

Both Addy and Niki had worked their way up the ranks of Wars personal slaves to become 2 of his 10 assistants but despite this they still feared him. War was an individual that took great pleasure in disciplining his followers, in some cases even killing them to ensure the rest of his toys stayed in line. His greatest weapon was fear, the thought of the giant swinging his axe in anger kept most of the Jackals in line, the disobedient ones were quickly culled and replaced by new freshly kidnapped cubs from various countries. Each and every one of Wars followers were once trafficked cubs that he bought to be his work force. Addison and Niki were no exception.

Addison was abducted from his hometown in England when he was just 6 and Nikola when he was 4 from Germany. Both sold into slavery where they made their way to Zootopia in which they were snapped up real fast. War has a particular fondness for Jackals, being that they can be vicious when provoked, can infiltrate very easily and their canine loyalty an added bonus.

Addison had been working for War since he was just 10 years old, going on various infiltration assignments on behalf of the Rhino. Niki on the other paw has only had to endure the wrath of War for 6 years. He was 16 when War spotted him on the 'market', a little older than what he would usually go for but decided to recruit him anyway. For 6 years Addison had been protecting the younger canine, eventually developing feelings for each other and learning secrets about each other, one secret in particular that set Nikola apart from the rest of the other Jackals.

Ghost arrived at the bottom, greeted by 2 patiently waiting canines, tense, anticipating the rabbits next move. Ghost simply took out his notepad again and began to write once more. The pair glanced across at each other, sharing a nervous shrug before the lapin handed a small note over to Addison stating "You two will be working for me from now on, don't disappoint."

This moderately unsettling closure to a sentence put them in edge but dared not speak up. Ghost took one more look around the warehouse, gave the two lovers a paw gesture to 'follow' and began walking back to his accommodation in silence.

- 9:20 am, Howlett Temporary Apartment -

Much to Lucy's surprise... Alex didn't have a functioning alarm clock. The natural light of a new day trickled into the dimly lit bedroom, gently waking the slumbering kitten from a pleasant dream and with a content smile creeping upon her face her first thoughts were of her first day on the ZPD Taskforce... followed by... "OH SHIT..."

9:20 am... she slept in... everyone else will be up and ready to go... missed breakfast... how do i get out of this room and into mine... but all those thoughts faded into nothingness as the slender yet toned canine tightened his grip around the slim felines waist, dangerously close to her mid-section. This however didn't seem to phase her too much, instead deciding to nestle her way closer into him as he spooned her.

Alex briefly opened his eyes, somewhat awake but still very tired. "Morning kitten..." he whispered into her ear as he pulled his grip tighter, noticing the feline didn't resist at all.

There it was... the hot flush... the feeling of heat flooded her body the very moment she felt his breath on the base of her ear. "Good morning snowflake, we are late for work" she replied, trying to repress the urges she was experiencing. Failing miserably.

"May I ask... this is the second morning in a row I have woken up to find you cuddled into me" Alex asked as he felt a small paw take hold of his own and slowly started to tug on it.

"I couldn't sleep last night, it just... didn't feel right to me so i went to get some air... ran into Bixby who... kinda gave me the boot up the backside I deserved... this is me, following my heart for once so please... don't lead it astray" the kitten began to purr as she moved his paw upwards, under her tank top.

"Lucy what are yo-..." the coyote began as his nose kicked into overdrive, a scent that even he couldn't ignore for long. A scent that now made sense to him, to why the kitten was so brazen in her advances, why she didn't try to get out of bed but instead unbeknownst to her began to move Alex's paw to a very compromising location. The young Lynx had begun her first heat cycle of the season.

"Lucy stop... before you do something you regret" Alex whispered unto deaf ears as the feline continued to purr. Despite this exact exchange being what Alex dreamed of for months he couldn't bring himself to ruin their relationship this early on.

Lucy continued her playful exchange, noticing a distinct pressure nudging against her back. "I can tell your enjoying yourself, is that your phone or are you happy to see me?" she quipped as her other paw began to slowly move around to the solid object pressing against her lower back.

The larger coyote forcibly stopped his paw from ascending Lucy's chest. "Please... Stop..."

These words finally sunk in as Lucy snapped out of her lust filled confusion and apologised. "Alex... oh no... I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me..I..I..."

"Shhh, it's okay, believe me it took all I had to resist... but seriously tho, I do really like you but I don't feel comfortable with casual sex, it's just... not what I want, especially from you... your too important to ruin whatever it is we have... please. I know I said that I wouldn't push you to make a choice but... would you..uh... would you like to go get something to eat sometime?" the canine began to fell hot under the collar as he finally got to ask her out properly on his terms. His heart was in his mouth anticipating what Lucy's response would be. Planning his exit in the likely event she would say no. His mind racing with 'what if' questions. What if she rejects me totally and the team suffers. What if she quits the ZPD because of me. What if-
"I would love to..." Lucy spoke up, stunning Alex in the process. "But... I don't want you spending too much on me... no gifts... just some good food from your favourite burger cart, do we have an agreement?"

"I..uh...y-yes, hell yes" Alex pulled the kitten into his chest tight and nuzzled his chin on the top of her head. "I will not disappoint!"

"Shhhh... they might hear you" Lucy said playfully as she looked over towards the door. "Hey can I ask something..." she said as she slipped out if Alex's grip and hopped out of bed, standing beside the mattress and facing towards the canine in nothing but her underwear and a tank top. The lynx thankful that this time she wore a top, unlike yesterday morning. "Would you mind if I slept in here with you more often? I... I'm kinda scared of being alone in a strange place..."

Without even hesitating the cunning coyote looked the Lynx up and down and said "As long as I still get this stunning view"

Lucy caught onto this little quip and walked over to the window of the bedroom that was directly facing the bed. "This view?" she started as the blinds snapped up, unexpectedly showering the dimly lit room in sunshine. Poor coyote...

- 12 Blind Minutes Later -

"Quietly now..." Alex whispered as Lucy slipped through the barely open door of the bedroom and into the hallway. She leaned on the wall beside Alex's room to wait on him when she noticed something unsettling and halted.

Alex opened the door slightly wider, trying to prevent the door from creaking too badly then gently closed the door behind him, making as little noise as possible. He glanced over to Lucy to find her stuck in place, unable to move and staring into the kitchen area. "Lu? You okay?" he began as he too glanced over to the communal table in the centre of the room. All residents of the apartment gathered around it, toast in paws discussing a new case. All eyes upon the half-naked officers as they finally emerged from their slumbers.

Bixby was the first to break the silence and tension of the room. "Good to see you took my advice"
I suppose the only word that correctly describes how both Alex and Lucy were feeling right now would be 'Mortified'.

"Well... I'm just gonna crawl into my room and die...yep" Lucy said as she made a break for her own room before being stopped by Alex, who instead went back to his room, grabbed a large hoodie and slipped it over the moderately exposed Lynx.

Lucy looked up at the taller canine and smiled at him. This small gesture of stopping her from retreating like she always did and instead dressed her in his own clothes actually filled her with a feeling of confidence, something she wasn't expecting. The pair made their way across the living space towards the kitchen for some toast.

"So, what's the deal? We forget this and move on or gush over the newlyweds?" Jenson quipped from the other side of the large table.

"Oh, leave them be dear, i think its adorable!" Ru replied, shooting down Jay's joke immediately before anyone else could chime in.

"Well then, pull up a chair, we as a team have our first assignment. There was a bank robbery this morning, Sahara Square Central Bank, Bogo as asked us personally to look into it... and I aim to please. As he is famous for doing we have 48 hours to close the case, so I told him to make it 12" Jay gave a devilish smile, not to everyone's liking however.

"How do you plan to close this in just 12 hours?!" Bixby queried, not liking the sound of this wager.

"Simple, Lucy and I will follow up witness reports while you and Alex Investigate the bank, it'll be a fun little game indeed" Jay was dead set on turning this high-profile theft into a game of cat and mouse (no pun intended... well a little). "Oh, and Alex, I called in a favour in Zootopia's Police Academy, had your sensory test scores amended to what I believe they really represent. In doing this I've had your name added to the database for ZPD Officers that can track Criminals by scent. Means whatever you find on a crime scene can be used in court as tangible evidence. So, don't get a cold ya hear!"

"That's... incredible, thank you sir...er... Jay!" Alex proclaimed, the mention of his senses inadvertently caused him to smell the faint sting of gunpowder emanating from 3 boxes on the coffee table in the lounge. His curiosity getting the better of him. "Jay what's in those?"

"Oh yes, as per Bogo's orders, all Officers must carry a lethal firearm at all times, both on and off duty for their own protection." Jenson walked over to the 3 small wooden boxes, decorated in mahogany with brass embellishments. Upon each box was the full name and officer number of the 3 rookies, again etched in a highly polished bronze plate. "So i took it upon myself to collect a few items for you three, Bixby yours first"

Bix hopped over to his box, as excited as a kit on Christmas morning. Slowly he opened his box to reveal a nicely polished, chrome revolver with his name and number engraved along the barrel. "It's... It's... beautiful..." Bixby was stunned by the perfect condition of the gun, the vast majority of his mind focusing on all the small details while a piece of him wished he would never have to use it. Not for moral reasons, simply because he didn't want to ruin the finish.

"It's small, designed for a mammal your size but unfortunately that limits the calibre size to a .22 Super Hornet. It's a small projectile but it travels very fast.

Bix lifted the revolver out of the box very gently to reveal a leather holster and his Official ZPD badge strapped onto the belt. "This is incredible, how can I ever repay you!"

"Don't use it on me and we have a deal!" Jay joked as he slid the second box closer to the edge of the coffee table. "Lucille my dear, your turn"

Lucy didn't particularly like guns, preferring to use her own claws in a fight instead but looking at the splendour of Bixby's Super Hornet, she began to feel a little giddy. The lynx made her way over to the table and rolled the sleeves of the massive hoodie up above her elbows.

As the box was slowly unlocked and opened, Lucy found herself stunned, shocked that something so deadly would be so beautiful. The box opened to reveal a gloss black Sig Sauer P226 with a polished silver slide, again engraved with her name and officer number. "This is amazing... I don't know what to say but... wow"

"There's no need to say anything my dear, you need protection and that thing can bring down some hefty beasts if needed. Its chambered for 9x19 Parabellum, so it has some kick you may need to get used to... bit I feel the size and versatility suits you very well" Jay patted the purring kitten on the top of the head as he lifted it out for her followed by her badge and holster.

"Ahhh! this is so cool!" she proclaimed as she began to fit the belt onto herself before realising... "Aaaand still not wearing any pants..."

Jay let out a small laugh as he brought the 3rd and final box over to the edge. "Alexander, if you please"

"Let me guess, is it a Derringer or something?" Alex asked jokingly.

"Aww man that would have been an awesome gag... why didn't i think of that... dammit" Jay sat back up onto the sofa and let the young canine discover his service weapon on his own.

Alex unlocked the beautifully crafted box and pried open the lid. To his amazement it wasn't a comically small weapon but a Wartime Era Colt M1911. This gun wasn't perfectly finished in a high gloss coat, nor did it have his name engraved upon the slide. Instead it was worn, the paint has started to fade and the wooden grip began to lose its pristine colour. This gun was positively not from the ZPD Armoury. To Alex however this gun was special, he knew exactly where this gun came from...

"Chief Rockford asked me to give you this, said it was his during the war. It's a beautiful piece, maybe a little upkeep is required but altogether... it has a history..." Jay responded, unbeknownst to him Alex was nearly in tears at his Godfathers gesture. Alex had grown up around guns, learning to use them from a young age. This one in particular always caught his eye. It was the centre piece on the fireplace of Rockford's home back in West Woodlands. The coyote had used it a number of times with Rockford's permission and always wanted one of his own.

Alex set the gun very carefully on the table, retrieved his holster and badge and closed the box. "I swear... I will not let you down Uncle..." he said as tears began to run down his cheek.

Lucy seen the emotional look on his face and instinctively wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

This sudden affection caught Alex off guard. "Moving along quickly, aren't we?" he joked, playing on what she had said to him during the meeting yesterday.

"Oh Alex, don't make it weird" the lynx retorted as she wiped the tears from his cheek and kissed him once again, this time briefly on the lips. She leaned into his ear and gently whispered "I never did get what I wanted this morning..."

This small sentence caused the composed Coyote to crumble, his paws started to tremble and his exposed skin turned a bright red. "I uhh..."

"Just something for you to think about" Lucy smiled playfully as she made her way to her own room and locked the door behind her.