Author's Note:
I have had a few people who were very concerned that I was taking a step back away from adventure period with my storytelling and I apologize if I have given the impression that I intended to post this as a fluff-fic only. I did put the "adventure" tag in there for a reason. There is the expectation that some of that will certainly be in there. The problem that came up that I agreed was an issue was HOW the story was being told, not that the story itself was all wrong. I'm not throwing the whole story out, I am telling it differently. This will become more obvious in this chapter I think. Fluff-seekers, it's not going away, adventure-seekers, it's still coming. As I said before… I have a story to tell. I'm still gonna tell it..
If you are just joining Guardian Blue for the first time you will want to check out Season 1 first, and I would highly recommend Thanks for the Fox before that as well so everything makes sense. ^^
I do not own Disney, the characters, the story, or more than 5 pair of underwear. I am a minimalist. Why should I pack my apartment with a bunch of stuff I don't really need? How many pairs of shoes should I have, anyway? I have enough. What was I talking about? Oh yeah, this story is written for fun, not profit. Enjoy!
Also! A HUGE shout-out to J. N. Squire for assisting with editing for Season 2! Valiantly he shields you from typos that abound in the wilds of my raw text, swashbuckling his way through mangled sentence structure like the undergrowth on the path to a Mayan temple.
Guardian Blue: Season Two
Episode 9: Assignment
Judy looked at herself in the mirror. It felt like a lifetime ago, but there she was, staring back at her. Judith Laverne Hopps, Officer of the ZPD. She was dressed in full uniform, healthy and ready for duty again. A quick soft-pawed polish of her badge and she turned around to see Nick, who was carefully adjusting his tie. He smiled back at Judy brightly.
"Don't you look eager?" He grinned at the mirror as well, eyes down, not looking at himself. He was proudly gazing at his bunny, and Judy knew it. He reached down and stroked one of her ears, then turned. "At least you got all the dye out of your fur. I've still got it under my arms. I think that gross canal water changed it somehow." They had gotten out of the water with the help of the cheetah, Gregg. He made good on his promise and, despite Judy telling him he didn't have to, he got them both t-shirts to help them dry. They also had a bundle of paper towels provided by one of the mammals running a booth nearby.
Afterward, to help dry themselves fully, they played a few of the carnival games and saw the sights around the park. They even took Greg along with them since his friends had all bailed on him. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the dangerous death-defying bunny was actually sweet and polite. He was even more surprised to find out that Jack was not a cosplayer, but 'actually legitimately really Jack Savage'. He even got a picture with the initially reluctant buck, on Judy's insistence that it was okay. She and Nick forgave the cheetah.
They didn't stay much later just because Judy and Nick were both really worn out from a very long day that started far too early. Morning did indeed come early, but found Judy and Nick revitalized after a good night's sleep. The fox picked up his apartment keys and let Judy out the door ahead of him. He then locked up and the pair headed down to catch the bus.
Things felt pretty normal again, all things considered. They would walk together into the bullpen the way they had for months before the incident. It should all feel normal, but Judy was still a little off balance from things being so different for a while. Nick didn't seem as out of place, contentedly looking at used vehicles on his phone as the bus rumbled along. About 45 minutes later, they exited the bus in front of the ZPD Precinct One Headquarters.
The red fox addressed Clawhauser as they walked into the lobby. "Hey, Big guy! Woah… You look like you've slimmed down a bit." Nick usually didn't dole out unsolicited compliments, but Judy actually had to agree.
Clawhauser replied in his usual over-the-top happy manner. "I am! Down a whole uniform size! The chief promised something 'worth it' if I make him order new uniforms three times," the portly cheetah said.
"What's he gonna give you?" Nick asked.
"I don't know!" Clawhauser said excitedly. "Maybe back stage passes again… Something like that would make me slim down to wear a giraffe's tube sock!" While normally Judy might have found it strange that Bogo would take so much direct interest in Clawhauser taking care of himself and minding his health, what Dr. Carlisle had told them about Ben had made things snap into focus with intense clarity. Benjamin Clawhauser had to make a very hard choice for the ZPD, and how he was as Judy knew him was likely the result. It also likely explained Bogo's attitude toward the big cat. Clawhauser seemed to daydream just a moment about his offered reward, and then glanced back down to the smiling pair of smaller officers. "How you two holding up?" he asked.
Nick responded, "Physically great, but it's gonna take a few days to shake off all the cobwebs, I think. I suspect we aren't gonna see a regular patrol for a little bit, since they are still inviting Judy to the talk show circuit. I'll even take the records department if it gets me away from day time television."
Judy crossed her arms in front of her. "… aaaand I've refused all of them. I'm not an attention hog. And you can always turn off Bearaldo, Nick."
Clawhauser leaned over the desk, his long spotted tail flicking about. "Well, get going! You don't want to be late for roll call your first official day back!"
Nick saluted Clawhauser and chimed, "Ten-four! Our notoriety won't get us out of parking duty." He took Judy's paw and headed for the bullpen. Judy made it a good twenty meters before her mind snapped back to where they were and she pulled her paw back, ears heating.
"Cheese and crackers, that's habit-forming." She hissed.
"Sorry, Carrots, I didn't even think." Nick whispered, looking back at the cheetah to see if he saw that. Judy looked back as well. The tip of the cheetah's tail was nearly a blur of frantic twitching. Oh yeah, he saw. Well, they didn't have to explain it. It was just a moment. They would need to be more careful when in uniform, however.
Nick said softly, "I'm gonna go get us some coffee in the breakroom. It won't take but a second." He had perhaps decided that wandering off in separate directions was warranted to dispel whatever the cheetah was thinking. Judy nodded at that. Coffee was definitely an offer she'd not turn down.
The response to her entering the bullpen was normal. Friendly greetings, a massive fist bump from McHorn, the usual. She'd been back, mostly handling paperwork for a few weeks now. When Nick finally entered with their coffee, a few genuine cheers went out. The fox smiled in appreciation and put a huge ceramic mug of coffee on the podium for Bogo, which Judy found to be a charming change for the fox. He then brought the pair of cups in their holder to the table where they always sat. Nick took his chair with Judy as usual. It felt somehow different this time. It was always their chair during the briefings. They always took the same one because they were small and they were a team, a single unit to be addressed in these meetings. But now it felt like there was the expectation that, in uniform, this might be too close. The limits they had to self-impose now would take some getting used to. Still, for the moment, they remained where they were.
Bogo entered a few minutes later and received his usual barking, howling, fist-pounding racket of greeting. Judy and Nick joined in despite being completely drowned out by the larger mammals. He cleared his throat and tapped his files on his podium. Bogo noticed the coffee and glanced about, a little bit of surprise obvious in his expression.
"Thank you." He said bluntly, and sipped. "I will begin with the bad news." There was a collective silence. "Our long, pleasant break from Officer Wilde is now over. Watch for gag-gifts, make sure your lockers have no wires leading to them before you open them, and check before you sit down." There was a roar of laughter at the good-natured ribbing from Bogo. Nick smiled smugly. He had made a name for himself in a pretty short time. "The first item on the docket requires a little… altering of plans, I fear." The large buffalo looked back to Judy and Nick. "Has your doctor cleared you for travel, Wilde?"
Nick widened his eyes a little at that, folding his ear back. "Yes sir. I've got a clean bill of health, with a recommendation that I avoid taking any big falls." Judy was not sure why that was being asked, but a sudden sensation of dread shot through her. He didn't ask if she was clear for travel. Was he sending Nick somewhere without her? Could she even protest it when the chief knew they were a couple? The moment it became a hindrance to their work, they could be reassigned. She had to be far more careful how directly she advocated for her partner. It had to be professional and it was going to be hard. She knew that.
Bogo put his glasses on, causing the knot to tighten in Judy's stomach a little more. He resumed, "As you are likely aware, I have the added consideration of your… notoriety in the news recently to stand as a possible impediment to your effectiveness on the streets, particularly in regards to Officer Hopps. I spent much of last week trying to consider assignments which would not generate undue hassle back to me. Something where I felt you two could stay out of trouble for just a little while." Judy felt bad about the fact that she knew it had been a hassle to Bogo, but the buffalo had forgiven her. He'd said so. Still, she feared this inconvenience to her boss would be plenty enough to provide a temporary reassignment to remove some of the pressure the media might be causing him.
"We don't exactly go looking for it, sir." Nick offered in his defense. A light chuckle went through the ranks.
"Stand down, Wilde." Bogo commanded, taking another drink of coffee. "If I thought you deliberately caused such matters, you'd have my discipline, not my consideration." Judy found that to be blunt but fair. "But… as fortune would have it, I have been offered a solution, at least for a couple of days. And, it's something I feel you both will handle with the utmost care." The bunny had to restrain a squeak of happiness. They were both doing this, whatever it was. It was not just Nick. She scolded herself quietly for being so emotional about it. There were almost certainly going to be times where they were apart. Still, the idea terrified her, so perhaps she was not as far along in her recovery from the incident as she'd hoped.
Nick asked, "Does this have anything to do with the assignment we just completed, Sir?" Judy found that her fox was being considerably more polite than she was used to seeing. He rarely called his boss 'Sir' and often openly prodded or teased him in the bullpen on a typical day. The bunny wondered if this was a change because of the incident, or if there was something else to it. She liked seeing Nick so respectful.
Bogo seemed to catch that, and arched a brow before replying in his usual deep tone. "On point as usual, Wilde. You and Officer Hopps handled that admirably, by the way. Pawlander was impressed. Don't expect a transfer off the streets just yet though. I'm not done with you." Another chuckle wrapped around the room. "As stated, yes, the assignments are related. I need a couple of unimposing officers to escort the remains of a recent foreign murder victim back to his home in The Interior." Judy's heart sank as the memories of the previous day flitted through her mind.
They were being asked to take Ukweli's body home. It was a very important task, the bunny agreed, but she was certain that it had a lot more to do with just getting them away from the unwanted attention they were still getting in Zootopia. Bogo didn't hide it at all. This was an opportunity that allowed him not to use officers from his active roster for a possibly multi-day assignment. Judy looked up at her partner who nodded, eyes closed. He was taking the assignment seriously and was not protesting it at all. It was a somber thing, and Judy suspected Nick really did take it seriously.
"Will we be meeting with his family directly?" Judy asked, suddenly dreading that a bit. She had delivered bad news before, but it seemed like it was likely to be a bit worse given how violently Ukweli died.
Bogo took his glasses off and put them away before taking another longer sip of coffee. He seemed to hesitate, before saying, "I will discuss the assignment in a little more detail after the morning briefing, so please stay after the meeting." He then proceeded to pass out the other morning orders. Judy was surprised to hear that there had been an uptick in thefts and robberies as it appeared a new gang was moving in to take over the vacuum left behind by the Alabaster Paw. The new group was less experienced and certainly less organized, so Bogo felt like good attentive police work might be able to stunt the growth of that endeavor. As such, a few of the assignments were related to that. The bunny wished she were getting to help on those cases, but did not offer her opinion.
As he finished delivering the assignments, he took a long last drink of his coffee, seeming relaxed and grateful for it. Chief Bogo then jerked suddenly, eyes wide, and then ejected a huge mouthful of coffee in a violent tan spray nearly all the way to the front table where Nick and Judy were sitting. The officers in the bullpen all looked stunned as the chief slowly turned the mug around. As all the officers stared into the large white cup, the cup stared back. Large googly eyes had been glued to the bottom of it so that they had been revealed as Bogo took the last big drink. Everyone stared silently with eyes more round than those in the bottom of the cup.
Bogo wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist and glared at a very calm, smug-looking Nick. "Do I even need to ask who is responsible for this?" he growled.
"It's great to be back, Chief," Nick crooned. No one made a sound. Judy cupped her muzzle in her paws, stunned that the fox managed to prank Bogo so hard only minutes into his first day back. He was only in the breakroom for a few minutes to get coffee. A fox 'getting' was such a serious matter! The bullpen remained silent for a tiny bit longer before a high pitched whine was heard from the back corner of the room. Judy turned back, seeing literal tears in the eyes of Higgins, their hippo Senior Officer. The sound was coming from him, and reminded her of a radiator with a crack in it. As everyone turned to look at him he lost it and burst into a loud fit of laughter.
"Parking duty." Bogo commanded bluntly.
"Damnit, Wilde!" Higgins bellowed through his laughter. The unspoken rule. No one was allowed to laugh at Officer Wilde's pranks. They were allowed to laugh at Higgins getting parking duty however, and they all did.
Finally, the uproar dying down, the morning briefing was dismissed and Nick and Judy were left alone with Bogo. Judy hoped that the chief was not really mad about the coffee which the fox had dutifully cleaned up as everyone was heading out. He seemed to know without being asked that it would be required of him. There was a pause from Bogo as he seemed to be organizing some of the documents that were left over from the briefing, perhaps making the reporting for him easier later on. She knew that for every page of reports Nick and Judy were responsible for, Bogo did three. That was a well-known ratio and she did not envy him that.
Nick was the one who broke the silence as he hopped back up in the seat beside Judy. "…Will we continue investigating the case in The Interior, Sir?" Judy's attention snapped back over to Bogo. She hadn't considered that. It was most certainly out of their jurisdiction, but that murder was possibly related to a murder that was definitely in ZPDs jurisdiction.
Bogo sighed, putting his glasses right back on. Nick sucked a breath in through his teeth. After a long pause, the chief stated grumpily, "Every law-enforcing bone in my body screams investigate the hell out of this, Wilde." Bogo stated solidly.
"But?" Judy asked.
"The Council of Unified Interior Affairs intervened hours after the discovery of Ukweli. We were not even allowed to perform an autopsy. There was an immediate order for cremation and anything he had with him was transferred as property of the CUI, including the weapon."
Judy looked back with obvious horror, stammering, "Wh-what? Are you serious? Why? Are they trying to cover this up?" She looked up at her partner who was obviously just as shocked.
Bogo tapped his papers on the podium in obvious irritation. "If I had to guess, I would say that this was political. The elections are in a month and Swinton is not polling well. There is worry about a shakeup in the ranks of the CUI if there is public perception of a murderer from The Interior freely committing such a level of brutality inside the city. They have support from Swinton, but not interim mayor Bearington. As such, they want it buried."
"Where's the justice for Ukweli, then? What about Lupin? Can they really do that?" she asked.
Bogo answered more slowly. "They aren't preventing us from investigating Lupin, actually. I may have forgotten to mention that Ukweli's death was understood to be linked to that investigation. So, while you are there, in a… careful manner… find out what you can about Lupin's dealings there, if any." Nick's ears went back, eyes wide. He opened his muzzle to say something, but nothing came out.
Judy looked back to the chief and asked in a tone of exasperation, "An unofficial investigation, sir?"
The chief replied in a hushed tone, "You have until the return flight from The Interior on Wednesday to learn what you can about why the professor might have been killed. You are to avoid any direct questioning or investigation of the lycaon victim, however."
Nick took a deep breath and responded in a measured tone, "I can understand your reasoning for wanting Officer Hopps and I to take on that last assignment. Literally no one else wanted to do that and it put us outside the public eye. But this really seems like the kind of thing you'd trust to Pawlander."
Bogo looked down and tapped his files again and then laid them on the podium. He moved over to the table that Judy and Nick sat in front of. In a low tone, still hushed, the chief spoke. "… Officer Wilde's iconic pranks aside, how can either of you honestly think at this point that I don't have full confidence in your abilities as officers? I don't expect the same from you as I would of Pawlander, this is true. I actually expect more, and I expect I will be satisfied with the results." Judy didn't even look to see how stunned her partner had to be at that, she focused entirely on keeping a relaxed expression herself. She had not expected that level of praise. It made her chest hurt. Bogo added, "A hundred and fifty bucks per-diem and you are still under the arrangement of your investigation at the Oasis. See MR Director Minque to get your plane tickets. You will need to get moving and pack quickly. Your plane leaves at 12:30."
"Yes sir." Judy answered quickly, her heart actually speeding up. She had worried that her choices only weeks before might have limited her chances in the ZPD, but this was proving very quickly to have been an unnecessary concern. "Is there anything else we will need?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. I have secured the help of a translator. You will find that is a necessity given where you will be going. It's a pretty obscure location. You will meet up at the airport." With that, Bogo turned and left the bullpen.
Judy stared dead ahead at the map at the head of the room. It did not include The Interior where they would be going. That felt significant somehow. She looked back at her partner. Nick was pinching the bridge of his muzzle at the corners of his eyes. Judy's heart lurched. The compliment had genuinely shaken the fox.
"You okay?" she asked. Nick inhaled deeply, moving his paws back down and looking up a moment. He then gazed back back at Judy.
"This is still new to me, Fluff. It's something I'm… glad to be having to get used to." He took a deep breath and sighed, before looking back to the bunny with a smirk. "You ready to dive back into the unknown craziness of the world with a fox?" His mask of confidence was held in place of what Judy knew to be a very excited vulpine.
Judy laughed and tapped Nick's nose fondly. "I'd never jump into the crazy without one."
Nick passed a ten and a twenty to the badger who drove the Zuber car they had taken. The pair took their small bags out of the trunk. One, which Nick rolled behind him, contained their clothing and necessary personal effects. The other, slung over Judy's shoulder, was a carry-on which included a mirror-polished canister that looked something like a large silver thermos. That held all that remained of Ukweli. Judy rejected the very idea of putting him under the plane with the other luggage. The airport actually losing him would be an unrecoverable disaster.
The pair took the shuttle-cart that zipped back and forth around the massive Zootopia airport. Even for a large mammal, the distances between terminals was lengthy. Judy and Nick would have been walking for quite a while. Their terminal was also at the very end of the airport's long North branch. Judy leaned against Nick as it was necessary to kind of wedge onto the back of the cart. She again tensed up about the image this portrayed because they were in uniform. It was hard to remember not to be so close, but they would have pushed together in this case regardless simply due to the lack of room. It felt odd having to reconsider things that might not have even registered to Judy before she and Nick became a couple.
They had kept their uniforms on because the first part of this trip was definitely going to be in official capacity for the ZPD. Once that part was over, they would likely don civilian clothes and try to find out what they could about the unfortunate Professor Lupin. They hopped off at Terminal 26a, which was where the cart turned around to head back. There were a few mammals milling about around the area - some sitting, others standing. Folks were coming and going and standing about.
Judy looked around and murmured, "I guess we just wait where we can be seen. I'm sure our translator will know it's us. We kinda stand out."
"I don't know, Carrots. You can be hard to see." Nick moved his tail in front of her face, dabbing it lightly against her muzzle like it was a powderpuff. Judy blew into it and swatted it away.
"Quit it! We're still in uniform, Nick!" she laughed. That tail was her weakness and he knew it. Nick grinned back warmly. He was clearly happy to harass the bunny a little even in uniform. This was really not so different than they had been before they started dating, though. He crossed his arms and leaned against one of the large pillars to allow him to keep an eye on the seating area. The fox looked down at his partner with a relaxed and pleasant expression.
"I hope we don't have to stick too close to this translator mammal. I will go nuts if I have to be the perfect professional mammal for half the week, day and night. I have a hard enough time on my own – no way can I resist mischief around you." His tone made it clear he was being complimentary, and Judy elbowed him playfully.
She then looked out the large bay of windows and saw the rather small jet being loaded with luggage, including their own. There were not a lot of folks going out as far as The Interior, so a full sized jet wasn't used. This one held perhaps fifty passengers. It would be enough. Judy felt a pang of worry, though. She hadn't considered it much really, but she'd never been on a plane before. She wasn't sure how flying felt. Would it be scary? Her brother Charlie had flown, and he said it was easy. Had Nick ever been on one?
She was about to ask that, but was interrupted by a bright but loud voice from not far away, "It can only be officers Hopps and Wilde." Judy looked to the side and saw a huge rhino in a navy blue suit. Nick was actually a little startled by his appearance, as the doe felt him flinch a little against her side. The reason was not that he was just a large mammal; he was just really imposing. His suit was immaculate, crisp and perfectly sized for him. It was obviously extremely expensive. His horn was as long as McHorn's was, but instead of being bare, it was sheathed in what looked like polished silver, gleaming brightly with a jade emblem that looked like a family crest near the bottom.
"Good afternoon." Judy said kindly as she pushed the surprise under the surface. "Are you the translator the ZPD said we'd be working with?"
"No, that wouldn't be me, I'm afraid," he answered casually, "I'm Gaudby Pembe. I'm in charge of a conglomeration of mines out in Matumaini. I come to Zootopia to do business frequently enough, and I think you two have been in the news in some fashion every time I've been here. I must say, it's… fascinating to meet you. Are you meeting someone here? This… translator you speak of?"
"Yes and no." Judy replied, "We are heading to The Interior. We have a quick task there, and then we are heading back." The bunny was immediately nervous about sharing much concerning their purpose with anyone who might get too curious, and this rhino seemed like the curious type. He simply smiled at that.
"It's a pity you won't be staying very long. There are some incredible sights in The Interior. Even touring some of the mines themselves can be breathtaking. We've gone through great lengths to preserve the natural splendor of the lands we hold for our industry. The result is no loss of the natural beauty, while creating unparalleled access to the region. I do hope you find some free time to see it. I will even extend a discount for the tour if you decide to take me up on it - you need only ask."
Judy nodded courteously to that and said, "Thank you, Mr. Pembe. That's very generous. Officer Wilde and I will be travelling a bit North of Matumaini before having to head right back, so we will not get to see the sights much. We do appreciate the offer, though."
The rhino grinned kindly again, bowing to Judy. "I understand, certainly. I also wish to say you are far more… soft spoken than I expected from the media's version of you."
Nick spoke before Judy could reply. "To the media, Officer Hopps is something that they can sell. She's unique. So very unique." Judy hoped that Pembe couldn't hear the extra layer of adulation in her partner's voice as he said that, looking right at her. Nick then looked back at the rhino. "But in the end, she and I are just public servants… pretty new ones at that. So that's why we are being ushered out here to tend to some small busy work. Low mammals on the totem pole as it were," he laughed. Judy worried Nick might tell too much, but he thankfully stopped at that point in his explanation.
"Well, given your presence in the news, I think you two will be lieutenants in no time." Pembe said confidently. I'm going to pick up some post cards for my nieces. I do hope your visit to The Interior is pleasant and unhurried." Pembe gave a bright grin again and strode off casually. Two hyenas in matching suits got up to walk with him. He apparently was important enough to have his own entourage.
"I hope everyone in The Interior is as nice as that guy," Judy said contentedly. "Still, I feel bad that I have to keep dismissing the media version of me. Seems almost easier to just kick everyone I meet across the room and live up to it," she added with a shrug.
Nick laughed and shook his head. "You punt 'em, then your mom punts them back. You can make a sport out of it!"
Judy groaned loudly. "Oh God, don't remind me!" She still could not believe what her mother did. And what was worse, she could not even reveal to her that she knew. Her mother would be distressed that her own daughter didn't tell her who she was.
"Oh no." Nick hissed under his breath, shaking the bunny from her thoughts. Judy looked up. He appeared suddenly filled with anguish and horrified regret. "No. No, no, no…"
"What? What, Nick? Did you forget something? We can't go back now. It's too close to time to board!" Judy was afraid that whatever Nick was upset about had to be serious.
"No, not that, Carrots… That!" Nick tilted his head, pointing his muzzle ahead. Judy snapped her attention in that direction.
Approaching on foot were two figures that were pretty unmistakable, even at a distance.
"No. Oh no." Judy responded in the same deep tone.
"He's one of the only ones…" Nick started.
Judy finished in a surrendering sigh, "… in all of Zootopia who knows the language."
Jack and Skye walked side by side rather confidently, the vixen toting the larger wheeled bag behind her. She was dressed in an outfit that screamed stereotypical 'explorer'. It was a khaki button up shirt and shorts. Jack wore what honestly looked like a light blue version of one of Nick's awful Pawaiian shirts. They were casually chatting as they walked up to the terminal.
Nick sighed under his breath. "Look at it this way: at least we don't have to pretend we aren't dating around them."
"There is that." Judy nodded, before shaking her head in slow disbelief. "Maybe this won't be so bad."
Jack stopped in front of Nick, grinning. He said in a confident tone, "I bet you thought you were going to have to solve this mess all by yourself, but you've got me now! Your good fortune does not end!" It was hard for Judy to honestly tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
The officers both looked at one another and stated flatly and simultaneously, "I resign."
Skye burst into laughter, leaning down and hugging Judy. The bunny gave the vixen a good squeeze. She looked back to them and said earnestly, "Listen carefully, both of you… I advise saying nothing about anything work related unless we know we are alone. Our time is short and support from the ZPD is limited. No one can even know we are investigating anything. Can you work with that?" Judy looked at them intently.
"That especially goes for double-oh-stripes there." Nick elaborated unnecessarily.
Jack's eyes grew wider. "Oh. Wait…" he whispered. "Seriously? Like… actual under the radar, stealth justice kind of stuff?" Skye looked at Nick wide-eyed as well. Judy shrugged at her fox as the striped buck's expression quickly shifted to something like spiritual elation. He finally spoke again in a hushed tone. "Hell yes. Damned right I'm up for it. Are you kidding? This is gonna be like living out one of my movies…"
Skye gasped at that. "This sounds positively adventurous. I'm definitely in." The vixen's tail flitted about wildly with excitement.
Judy gritted her teeth, exchanging a worried glance with her partner.
It was not going to be as bad as she thought. It was likely to be far, far worse.
Nick stated flatly, utterly dazed, "Bogo finally got me back."
Jack laughed.
