Judy peered out onto the empty road before her and Nick, the black cruiser they drove quietly humming as it went along. "The tech team said he was in this area, right?" the rabbit asked, glancing to her partner as he slowly tore his eyes from the phone in his paw.

"Yeah, they're still trying to find him from that alley." Nick replied, letting his gaze fall to the small screen again.

"I'm surprised they found him so easily, though. Thought all evidence of him was being wiped?" Judy thought aloud.

"Maybe he's not our masked friend. Or maybe they're covering his tracks only when he's a vigilante," Nick suggested. Judy nodded in agreement as they rounded a corner. "But what I don't get is why he's in a construction area. Most of these streets are shut down to put up new apartments."

"Maybe he's scoping out the area for something specific?" Judy said, only a bit hopefully.

"Like what? Think he's going to steal a crane?" Nick snickered.

"That's not what I meant," Judy started, letting her words trail off as she saw an ocelot walking along the sidewalk opposite them, dressed in the bright clothing of a construction worker. A large yellow duffel bag was slung over their shoulder, the matching hardhat tilting back against their ears as they stared intently at a phone. The rabbit officer frowned slightly, looking along the streets for any other workers, head tilting when she found none. "Nick, there was no actual construction scheduled for today, right?" she asked.

Nick nodded, not taking his eyes from the phone as he brought his coffee cup up to his lips. "Shouldn't be, why?"

Judy reached over and tapped his shoulder, pointing to the ocelot. Nick gave a curious grunt. "Huh... Maybe they didn't get the memo," he said. Judy rolled her eyes. "Why does it matter, though?" Nick asked.

"Why would there be a construction worker here when there isn't supposed to be construction?" Judy said, stopping the cruiser. Nick looked over to her. "Like I said, didn't get the memo," he suggested. "Or they're a new worker who forgot that there's no construction when rain is in the forecast. Overeager to get started on that job. Those are my best bets."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Judy said, stepping on the gas.

"Oh hey, they found him," Nick said. Judy glanced at him expectantly, the reynard's thumb flying over the screen a few times as he checked the locations given. "He's around the corner and down the street. So, how're we going to do this? You just going to get out and talk to him, or what?"

Judy tilted her head slightly, debating what would be best. "I don't think we should take the cruiser up to him. And we shouldn't leave it unattended, like last time. So which of us is going to go talk to him?" She slowed the large vehicle down to a stop, looking over at her partner. The uniformed fox set the phone down and turned to her.

"Well, one of us is faster on foot, already has a notepad and recorder pen, caught a hustler, solved fourteen missing mammal cases in forty-eight hours, was-"

"Okay, okay!" Judy huffed and rolled her eyes. "If you didn't want to go talk to him, you just had to say so. Just in case, be ready to pick me up and chase after him, if he runs." Nick nodded as his partner slipped from the driver side and onto the pavement, taking his spot at the wheel after some adjusting of the seat.

"Alright, don't take too long, Fluff. I think I can hear a couple of bagels calling our names," Nick said, causing Judy to roll her eyes and snicker as she began walking around the corner.

Neither of them saw the ocelot disappear inside a buiding marked for no entry, tossing aside the hardhat and construction vest as a cheetah and wolf held the door open for them.

~ óÓÒò ~

The ocelot cast her faded green gaze around the dimly lit room with distaste, scowling. "You guys chose one of the worst apartments for this job," she said, voice heavily tinged with a foreign accent neither of her partners could place – just like the others. The wolf lit up a cigarette, the brief flash of his lighter showing a pale scar over one of his amber eyes. The cheetah scratched behind his head, his golden eyes darting outside nervously.

"Look, Es, we din't pick this place. It just so happens to overlook the fox," he said, moving to the stairs.

The lobby of the apartment was empty, lacking even a desk or chairs, but it was more set up than the majority of the rest of the building. The closer one went to the top, the less complete it seemed: doors would be missing, some walls were gone, and nearly no sort of wiring or plumbing was set up for the upper floors. The trio moved on in silence, until they reached their stop on the eighth floor.

"So, we're goin' just shoot the fox an' leave him for dead?" The cheetah asked. The wolf grunted an affirmative.

"Da. I would prefer to gut him myself, the ublyudok, but the boss wants it clean and fast."

The ocelot grumbled and made way to one of the rooms with no doors, smiling a bit as she noticed a tarp spread along the ground, a window cracked, and a chair pulled up for her. "Good to see you tarados did something before I got here," she commented.

"Cm'on, Es, you know we aren't that lazy!" the cheetah whined.

"Corrección: I know he is not that lazy," she corrected him, pointing to the wolf. In the brighter light of the room, she could see him wearing a dull brown trench coat, collar pushed up high and belt tied around his waist. He wore an olive green turtle neck and tan slacks, a deep green beret sitting between his ears. He was a stark contrast to the cheetah, who wore baggy pants barely held up with a belt, a dirty tank top for some little known rap group she didn't care to think of, and a bandana pulled tied around his neck, a baseball cap sitting at an angle over one of his ears.

"Ustedes dos son un desastre," she muttered, setting down the duffel bag onto the tarp. The cheetah peered out the window, eyes squinted against the fading sunlight, fluffy gray storm clouds beginning to take over the skies. "English, please?" he requested.

"It means we are a mess, Max." The cheetah turned to the wolf to see him taking a drag from his cigarette, nodding to the ocelot as she drew out a box from the duffel bag, clearing away basic construction equipment. Hammers, crowbars, screwdrivers, and other items clattered down as the black metal box was withdrawn, a satisfying pop sounding as she opened it. Max grinned as she began to take out multiple pieces to a long scoped rifle, beginning to connect them together with practiced speed. A chrome barrel was slid into place as the folding stock was brought out, before a silencer was attached to the end of the weapon.

"Oh, tha's a pretty one," he said, the wolf nodding with satisfaction as Es went over to the window.

The wolf walked over to join them and stared out the window, a scowl forming on his muzzle as his free paw traveled up to the scar over his eye.

"You goin' to put one in his head?" Max asked. "Or are we gonna make him suffer a bit, bleed 'im out?"

"The boss wants it done fast, yes?" Es said, lifting up the rifle as she peered down the scope.

"Doesn't mean we can't have fun," Max countered. The wolf walked over and gripped the larger feline's shoulder. "He wouldn't even let me do this. Wants it clean. Fast." The wolf pointed out the window, to the fox. "But I want to see him suffer... Es, let him bleed. I will take the heat later."

Es gave a dark grin as she held up a paw, her fingers curling around the sleek metal casing of the bullet placed into it by the wolf. She slowly slid it into the chamber, loading the weapon. Bullets, and guns in general, were reserved for important members of business, as well as high-ranking officers. In the underground though, they were treasured and revered for their general rarity, though with the rise of crime they had begun to resurface on the black market. This didn't make it any easier to find the actual ammunition, though. The majority was guarded like gold or diamonds, and what little could be smuggled from the police and SWAT teams was high in price.

"This bullet," the wolf said, his voice low and somewhat threatening, "cost me one hundred dollars. If you miss, it's not only the boss you'll need to worry about."

"Didn't you get three, Lesn- Ow!" Max asked, letting out a pained grunt as the wolf smacked the back of his head. Es rolled her eyes, leveling the scope with the fox's center as he walked down the street, hood pulled over his head and backpack over his shoulder. She took a moment to drink in his appearance, a small ritual of sorts that she always had. Commit the image just before she pulled the trigger to memory. Every detail – the time, the place, what they wore, even the direction of the wind. She would later write it down, so as to not forget, the small book locked away in her home, in a hidden safe only she and their boss knew the code to.

Their target wore a charcoal hoodie, his black and red backpack lightly jostling with each step he took. His red and black tail swayed lazily as he walked, the unique boots on his feet kicking up bits of dust as he walked, paws in pocket. She began depressing the trigger, when Max leaned down. "Hey, Es, wait! Look, there's a cop comin'!" he said.

Es pulled away from the scope, peering down the street to see a uniformed rabbit turn the corner and walk towards the fox. Once the two drew close, she stopped him and they began a small conversation. The ocelot hissed in frustration, lowering her weapon.

"Es. What if we frame him?" the wolf asked. Her dull green eyes widened slightly as she considered how they could do this.

"Shoot the cop, hope it seems like a random stab wound?" Max suggested.

"It's our best bet," the wolf said. "The boss gets his way, the ZPD loses someone, and the fox gets tossed in jail. Three things at once."

Es nodded. "This better work. If it doesn't, I'm blaming you two." She brought the weapon up again, leaning down to peer through the scope. Both of them were walking down the street now, backs to them. She steadied herself, centering the sight on the rabbit officer's back, before slowly pulling on the trigger.

~ óÓÒò ~

"Dust, are you sure it's a good idea to be going through this area?"

"Relax, Frost. It's fine. I'll be fine."

"Relax? There's construction everywhere and Phraxus has been hunting you down. I can't cover your tracks as you move around the city. Hell, you're surrounded by vantage points for a sniper or something."

"Relax. King is on standby. You're connected to most of the cameras, yeah?"

"Always. But- Oh. Hey, we've got a cruiser in the area."

"What's it marked as?"

"Uh... 217. Hopps and Wilde."

"Great... They're trying to track down the vigilante."

"Yeah, you."

"Quiet. You know better."

"Yeah, yeah. Hang on, looks like Hopps is getting out. I think you guys are going to run into one another."

"I'm swapping to music, then. Try to keep an eye out for anything."

"I always do."

~ óÓÒò ~

Judy rounded the street corner with a small smile at seeing exactly who they were after heading her way. Aiden was walking down the street, dressed similarly to when they had first met, though his hoodie and backpack were now different. Instead of a red pull-over hoodie, he now wore a charcoal hoodie with a design she'd not seen before. The zipper was off-center, instead sitting between his center chest and his right side, a small flap hanging from the inner lining of the coat. A similar flap of fabric hung off the left side of his hood, flopping slightly with each step he took, the gleam of a zipper barely showing beneath it. His backpack was visibly different from his previous one, this one being a black and red one rather than the navy blue.

He looked over to Judy with surprise at seeing her round the corner, pulling his phone out and pressing a few buttons on it as they neared on another. When she paused for him and gave a small wave, he smiled and plucked out on of his earbuds. "Officer Hopps," he said, tone friendly. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hello, Aiden," Judy said, matching his tone while keeping a professional air around her. "Do you have a minute? There's been some robberies in the area and I'd like to know if you know anything about them."

His eyes widened slightly, though it seemed to be more of interest than surprise. "Robberies around here? I won't lie, I don't normally hang around here, but I'd love to try and help." Judy nodded, taking out her pen and notepad. "The first thing I need to ask, where were you two nights ago, around six in the evening?" she started.

"Six? I was headed home from the store. Went to get some drinks for a small get-together."

Judy jot down the information. "Which store was this?"

"The gas station off of Flurry Street." She wrote this down as well.

"The stores robbed around here were pharmaceutical, three hit in the past week. Know anything about them?"

"Three? I only heard rumors of one, and it was just a plain daylight robbery." The reynard's head tilted. Judy shook her head. "Three in the past week, none of them so plain," she replied. The fox scratched his chin a bit.

"Aw, crap. Guess the reporters have been slacking, eh?" he chuckled. "Like I said, I only heard of the one, and if what you just said is true, I was told something different from what happened." Judy nodded yet again, but sighed silently, feeling like she was making no progress with these lies. Instead, she tried a different tactic: she tilted her head a bit. "Is that a new backpack?" she asked.

Aiden looked surprised, looking at the straps around his shoulders. "Oh, yeah. My last one got soda spilled all over it, so I had to grab a new one. Hoodie, too," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Never get on the train if you have soda in your pack, not a good idea." She nodded, shaking her head a bit.

"No one watches where they put their feet?" she inquired.

The fox nodded. "Get pushed around a bit and accidentally pushed into a wall, then boom, soda everywhere. Freakin' mess, that was," he said, looking down. Then, he shook his head. "Ah, but I digress! The robberies, I'm afraid I don't know all that much aside from what I've already said." He held up his paws with slight disappointment, shaking his head. "I wish I knew more, but, I'm still job hunting," he said. This got Judy to laugh once.

"Struggling to find a job here? But nearly everyone is hiring!" she said. Aiden chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, but nothing's been interesting to me. I might just try to apply for some low-level job at Brightwater Industries, they always need someone good with computers."

Judy nodded in a friendly manner. "I wish you luck with that, then."

Aiden nodded. "Thank you, Officer Hopps. Not many would give me even that," he said. "I do hope I can run into you when you're off duty some day, I'd love to have a talk with you about what it's like on the force."

Judy smiled. "I'm sure we'll meet up again someday." She looked up at the sky, sighing softly at the dark clouds covering the warm sun. "I think I'd best let you get home, then. It looks like it wants to rain." Aiden looked up and nodded with a sigh of his own.

"Sure seems that way," he said, slowly beginning to walk back down the street. Judy waited for him to pass before turning herself, eventually matching his pace. She looked over at him, noting how he kept his distance, and his free paw on the respective backpack strap. His indigo eyes seemed glazed over for a moment.

"You alright?" Judy asked, pocketing her pen and notepad.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Just thinking," he said, the bright light returning to him as he looked down at her. "What was robbed from the pharmacy, if not just money?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I can't quite tell you that yet," Judy lied. In truth, she had lied about the robberies – no store within a three mile radius of the area had been robbed in months. She paused as Aiden frowned, turning to look behind the two, a concerned expression forming along his muzzle. He was scanning the area behind them, and the intensity and sudden change of energy around him gave Judy pause. She took a step back. "Aiden?" she asked, only to be met with his silence, and distant winds of the coming storm. A few small raindrops began to fall. One landed on Judy's ear, making her recoil from the sudden cold. Another landed on Aiden's nose, but he hardly flinched.

"Aiden, what-" She started, cut off as he turned to her, wide eyed as he moved behind her, one arm hooking around her. Judy heard the fox give a pained grunt as her feet left the ground, feeling herself be spun around before they hit the sidewalk. Aiden had one arm along her chest, pressing her against the wall as he did the same to himself, ears flattened against his head as he tore out the other earbud. Rain was coming down now, in good amounts.

"Son of a mother fu-" he muttered, silencing himself as Judy pushed against his arm.

"Aiden, what the hell?!" She yelled. He brought a finger up to his lips, giving her a stern look.

"Hopps, I can explain," he said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse now. "But I need you to trust me right now, okay?"

"Trust you? Why?" she hissed.

"Because if you don't, there's a high chance we're both going to get our brains splattered all over the pavement," he said. Judy glared at him, but kept her mouth shut. She was weighing her options here, to trust the fox about their lives being in danger, or to ignore him and continue back to the cruiser. Maybe Aiden is crazy? She thought. He had removed his arm, and was currently taking off his backpack, setting it on the ground between them. There were two holes in it, one on the back and another on the side.

The fox beside her ran his paw over his side, wincing and drawing in a sharp breath. Judy leaned to his side and saw the fabric of his hoodie and shirt were torn, a small bit of blood showing on them, with a trickle of it visible beyond the cuts. The rabbit gasped, covering her mouth with a paw.

"It's not bad. Just grazed me," Aiden said, poking his head out from behind their cover – a small set of stairs leading to the front doors of the building beside them. Near where they had been walking a moment ago was a part of the ground that had been dug up and tossed cement aside.

Aiden unzipped his backpack and began digging around inside. "They didn't hit anything in here. Do you have a cruiser nearby?" he asked, his free paw removing his hood. Judy nodded. "Is it bulletproof?" he asked, receiving another nod. "Please tell me Nick is in it," he said.

"Of course, he's on standby," Judy said. Aiden nodded.

"He knows the street we're on, right?"

"Of course!" Judy said.

"Have him come and get you," he said. "I can create a diversion for you guys to get away." He drew his paw from the pack, zipping it up and setting the item down. It was a green cylinder, not much bigger than a soda can, but with a pin at the top. Judy recognized it from her time in the academy, a type of non-lethal grenade. The words "M18 Smoke" gleamed in faded white paint on the side.

"Where the hell did you get this?" Judy asked, examining the grenade as Aiden slid his pack back on. "These are-"

"In a legal gray area, like most things I own."

Judy set it down, leaning against the brickwork as her paw traveled to her carrot pen. "Like what?"

Aiden looked down at her with a hardened gaze. She could almost see the mask and hood over him. "I'll explain everything after this, Hopps. But right now, what I own isn't important."

"It's pretty important," Judy argued.

"Dammit, Hopps!" Aiden hissed. "Just call Nick so you can get out of here!"

Judy shook her head. "You're coming with us," she said.

Aiden stared at her in disbelief. "You cannot be serious right now," he said. Judy gave him an unflinching stare that screamed her fixed position on the matter. He groaned. "Fine. But one condition: You cannot arrest me today. I told you, I'll turn myself in after everything has come to a close."

Judy nodded, straining to keep her smirk off her face as she drew her paw away from the pen. She grabbed her phone instead, opting to call her partner rather than use the radio. She counted the rings until he picked up, not even giving him time to greet her before she spoke.

"Nick, where are you?"

A brief pause met her. "Around the corner, where you said to be, why?"

"I need you to pull around when I tell you to. Someone fired at us and we need to get out of here."

"Fired at you? Like what, with a tranquilizer?"

"No, Nick. A bullet."

Silence met her, and she could tell Nick was changing positions and starting the car. "Tell me when," he said.

Judy looked at Aiden, who was glancing behind them. She cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to her. "When do I have him pull around?" she asked.

"Soon as I throw the grenade," he said, picking up the object.

"Right about... Now," she said, watching the fox beside her pull the pin and toss the green canister into the street. Two seconds later, their cruiser turned the corner, speeding to them and coming to a sceeching halt as it spun around. Nick reached over and threw the passenger side door open from inside, Judy and Aiden getting up and racing for the door. Judy leaped inside first, turning to help Aiden clamber in, all three of them wincing as the sound of metal hitting metal came from just outside. "Drive!" Judy yelled, almost being thrown back in the seat as Nick stepped on the gas, the vehicle jolting forward with enough force to make the door slam shut. She and Aiden examined it briefly, finding a good sized dent in the door, the two having narrowly avoided a second shot.

"What the hell happened?" Nick said, eyes wide as he steered the cruiser along. Aiden clutched his side and took a deep breath.

"Officer Hopps?" he said, warranting a look imbued with frustration and curiosity. "Thank you," he stated, not turning to meet eyes with her.

Judy opened her mouth to respond with some scathing comment, but shut her mouth as Nick grunted, jerking the car to the side a bit to avoid a car door opening ahead of them. The remainder of the drive was in silence, until Nick pulled the cruiser into an alley and parked the vehicle, killing the engine. Aiden didn't move, clearly anticipating a thorough questioning from the officers, however unconventional it seemed.

The three sat in silence for nearly a minute, before Nick opened his mouth to speak. The generic ringing of a phone interrupted him, and Aiden slowly pulled out a small phone from his pocket. Judy looked at the screen, reading the caller ID. The name "Frost" was visible, with the image of a snowflake set as the image.

"Put it on speaker." Judy demanded. Aiden pursed his lips, but gave a shallow nod, accepting the call and immediately pressing the speaker button. More silence, until he spoke, his voice hoarse, matching the vigilante's. Judy looked at Nick, both nodding as they waited.

"Yes?"

"You are absolutely insane, you know that? Where the hell are you?" A stern male voice broke through the speaker, laced with concern. Aiden kept quiet, taking a breath as he looked up a bit.

"With Officers Hopps and Wilde."

"... Where?"

"In their cruiser."

Silence, followed by a heavy sigh. "You're a goddamn fool at times, you know that?.. Explain this to me later. I need to get back to work." And with that, the call was ended. Nick raised an eyebrow, he and Judy looking at the other fox for an explanation.

"So, Aiden Wick. What's going on?" Judy said, paws on her hips.

"Let's start simple. In private, don't call me that – it was my father's name. Just call me Dust."

~ óÓÒò ~

"What do you mean you missed?!" the brown wolf shouted at the ocelot, Max taking a frightened step back.

"I mean I missed the shot, dammit!" Es hissed back, ears flattened against her head as her eyes went ablaze with anger. "The mierda tried blocking the shot. Pretty sure it hit him, but now they're cowering behind some stairs. Give me another bullet."

The wolf growled as he reached into one of his coat pockets, producing a second rifle round, slowly passing it off to the sniper. "If you miss again..."

"Cálmese," she hissed, swiping the bullet and loading it into the gun. "I won't miss. They have nowhere to run. We can kill them both." She centered the sight on the stairs where the fox and officer had hidden, waiting patiently. Every member in the room held their breath as they waited. The seconds ticked away, and Es could feel her finger twitching against the trigger. A few raindrops pelted the window before her, making her flinch at the sudden sound.

A small green canister was thrown into the street, and the ocelot fought the instinct to shoot it. Instead, she waited, letting out a small curse as black smoke began filling into the street. She watched a police cruiser tear around the street corner and spin around, the passenger side door opening up. Her vision obscured, she waited until she saw a flicker of gray through the smoke, pulling the trigger with hopes of hitting either target. The cruiser tore away almost immediately after, turning the corner and disappearing from view. She lowered the gun and sat back in her chair.

"Did ya get one of 'em?" Max asked after a moment, clearly hesitant.

"We'll have to wait to find out," she said. "The bastard threw a smoke grenade and a cruiser picked them up. Perra suerte..."

The wolf growled behind her, drawing her attention to him. He was turning away, walking to the door. "I will call the boss. Tell him of our... Unfortunate events. Clean up."

Max sighed and muttered something inaudible as the wolf left, Es getting up and beginning to disassemble the rifle. "I hate that wolf," she said, Max giving a grunt to signal his sympathies as he began to roll up the tarp.

"You an' me both, Es."