10 Dirty Laundry
Nine-thirty AM was the earliest the Taskforce could head out. They wanted to go last night but late night drinks and the fight meant their vengeance would have to wait. Waiting the next morning was even harder, but the Anti-feral Taskforce couldn't head out any sooner since they had to wait for their long guns to be delivered to the station. However, now they were locked and loaded, packed in a T.U.S.K APC, armored for a riot and ready for battle.
The air in the vehicle was tense, that kind of tension it had shortly before a massive storm. Many of the officers wondered if this is how soldiers felt before battle. Anger, joy, and fear all rolled in a tight ball. While her troops sat on the benches, Judy stood shouting over the sound of the engine so everyone could hear the carefully thought out plan she came up with last night. She didn't sleep much, but she felt energized, ready to go ready to fight, just like her fox.
"After Paul breaks the door down Nick will lead the main group in," Judy yelled, her voice easily pierce the wall of noise.
"Hey! Why is Nick going first," Leo asked almost offended.
"Cause, I can take a punch," Nick answered with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Leo, you're second you get to watch Nick's butt." The bunny said with a smirk.
"I thought that was your job," Dominic asked with a chuckle.
"Yes" Judy rolled her eyes they weren't talking about a combat situation now, "and I love doing it, but I'm giving Leo, the job because he's good at it."
"I'm married." the Lion protested with a grim face, pretending he didn't like this joke.
"Really good at it." the Bunny said and a small laugh rolled through the vehicle. Levity was a gift in such moments. It kept the Officers together and prevented them from getting overwhelmed by the myriad of emotions floating through their minds in these tough times.
They needed to stay cool to get their vengeance.
After the mirth died down Judy got back to the assignments on the raid of Anarchy's den. In just a couple minutes Judy would have her victory. Almost as soon as the bunny finished her talk the driver, a warthog Judy hadn't met before, called out, "On the street Ma'am! Popping the lid in 30 seconds!"
Tires squealed, and the hydraulic backdoor hissed as it shot open, stopping only inches from the ground making a ramp for the occupants booted paws to thunder down. The cops were in sync and ready.
As planed Paul, the elephant slammed the door open. Nick was through it like a bolt of lighting Leo and the rest barely a moment later. Judy was in the middle of the group darting between their legs, everything was in slow motion for her. She didn't pay it any mind there was no time too.
Except there was.
Just like the last time the Anti-feral taskforce found their den, The Named were gone. It was almost frightening. Like the previous den, this one was made up of four apartments and used the stairwell as a conman area of sorts. However, it didn't look like the ferals had time to do anything more than bring in some mattresses and a couch from god knows where. It was apparent that they left in even more of a hurry this time, most probably straight from bed judging by the clothes on the floor and state of the sheets.
"Sweet cheese and crackers not again," Judy growled as the officers started to search around the den. There was no sign or clue where the ferals went. Peter did find what seemed to be a shrine to the fallen members of the pack. Pictures of almost a dozen mammals were pinned to a wall with a few decorative candles around them. Jacklyn's skull helmet sat on the table with the burning candles.
While Judy was examining the branch saw used to pin up the picture of Ripper the stout that attacked her not long ago, an angry howl erupted from downstairs followed by the crash of glass. Judy and her officers raced downstairs, their weapons ready.
"What is it?!" The Sergeant yelled into her squad radio. She raced into the first apartment on the ground floor where Nick had been.
Sonya, the pig, shook her head and said, "Nick was sniffing around those pictures then got really angry and jumped through the window." It was almost comical when Judy saw that the shattered window had a vague fox-sized shape complete with tail. The metal grate over the window had been forced out of the brick. Thin dust clouds wafted from the screws now free to the winds.
A feeling of dread fell over the force. Had their ace in the hole gone savage, did they just lost a second friend in two days? But more important, how would Judy take it? Would they lose her too? The tension among the police forces was almost visible, and everyone was anxious about what would happen next.
Judy, however, kept her head. Quickly, she ordered a few of her faster officers to see if they could find Nick. She needed time to think, and she needed it now. It could have been the two nighthowler cigarettes he had smoked before the operation, but he had done that before why now though. This wasn't like Todd, the savage always just wanted to be close to her, so why did he run away. It definitely wasn't the other two. It had to be something else.
"You said he was looking at these pictures?" Judy asked, and Sonya nodded. The bunny pulled a paw stool over and jumped up on it. Her nose wiggled as she looked through the photos. A few of the pictures were of the ferals that took over the place, the rest were of the extended family of the unfortunate occupant. Judy hoped the zebra foals didn't just lose a grandmother or worse.
One photo caught the bunny's eye, it sent a shock of anger and fear through her body. She grabbed her mic, "Everyone back to the truck. Now!" Judy raced back to the front door holding the picture in her clenched paw. It was of a young fox kit of 8, or maybe 9 in a brand new ranger scout uniform and his mother hugging him from behind.
It was three blocks to Isara Nicole Wilde's apartment, Nicholas Wilde's mother but the mood in the APC was very different now. No one dared to joke much less speck, there was no mirth, just anger... and something else, that Judy hated almost as much as being without her fox.
Fear.
Would that psycho bobcat go after their families? The Named were known to have kids, would they use their kids against her officers' children? What about their wives and husbands, fathers and mothers? Judy could only guess how Nick felt right now.
The drive to their destination was hell. Judy half expected to see Nick hit by a car along the way. Thankfully she didn't, and for the most part, the cars on the road respected the sizeable armored vehicle with the flashing blue lights.
What a difference three blocks could make. While the neighborhood Nick's mother lived in wasn't the best it was far from the crime slums they had just left. Kids could play in the park and mammal could walk down the street without getting mugged. Least during the day.
The building was nice, red brick with white mortar. It had been refurbished since Nick had moved out, yet it was still the same building he grew up in. Being a single mother like Isara it was tough to keep the apartment and raise her son, but through the strength of will and determination, she did it. She couldn't keep Nick from a less reputable life till Judy came along, but she kept him fed, in school and made sure he felt loved.
She would need that same strength now.
The only sign that anything was wrong was Nick, and what a sign he was. Along his run, the fox had torn off his boots and helmet even left his rifle somewhere along the way. As the APC pulled up, the cops could hear the fox's monstrous barks and snarls and the screech of metal as he tore the steel grating door apart with his jaws.
By the time task force officers were out of the APC, Nick had ripped several chunks of the door out and was working on the fame as Judy called out to him. She and the others were keeping their distance just in case the worst had happened.
The fox pulled most of the left side of the off. He could work on the real door now. Judy called his name once again, and he looked at her, she could see he was angry but in control.
Until they heard their foe.
"Oh hey, offa-sors. Hows et go-en" Anthony called down from the second-floor window. He sounded drunk, and his eyes were dark with sadness. The smile, Anthony had on his face, was the fakest Nick ever saw, "Sawry, duh door mammal can't come to dah door right now, hez a little headless at tah mommant."
The cops took aim but hesitated, they could kill the cat but who else was in the room. This was a family apartment building, after all. Nick grew up here so what if other kids were in there too. Bullets don't care who you are.
Nick fired anyway. Not that he didn't care about hitting civilians but because he wouldn't miss. Or so the fox thought in his moment of rage Nick forgot how fast Anthony was. He ducked out of the way of the Fox cop's three-round then popped up out of the window returning fire from his revolver as he kicked off the frame.
Judy watched as the bobcat rocketed to the sidewalk unloading his six-shooter, then something caught her eye that chilled her to the bone. Nick took the rounds like light punches, he didn't even feel them. The rest of the cops were still hesitant to fire, the deadly weapons in their paws were too new they didn't know what they could do. They aimed but never fired as Anthony ducked under a swipe of Nick's paw, the fox's claws cut through the pavement as the cat hoped away.
In a heartbeat Judy was staring down the barrel of Anthony's pistol as he said, "Ah die she dies."
"Wrong," Nick replied putting his pistol to the back of the cat's head, "your out now drop it."
"Nick, stand down," Judy ordered as she dropped the magazine from her pistol and pop the chambered round from the slide. Her eyes never left Anthony's smirking face as she put her paws up and dropped her weapon on the ground.
Everyone wondered why their sergeant would give up like that. Then they saw it. Standing in the window on the second floor was a terrified red vixen in her late forties early fifties. Ram the feral rhino held her in his tight grip, he could and would end her at any moment.
This was not good.
"So what do you want," Judy asked with her paws up. Nick lowered his own weapon when he saw how the tables had turned. The fox was barely able to control himself, his paws trembled with rage. His claws were digging into his own palm pads and the ground under him.
Anarchy spun his weapon around his pointer finger then holstered it. He smiled falsely at the cops as he said, "Ah'm just here tah discuss terms."
"Of what?" Nick said, almost growling at the bobcat.
"Nick, try to stay calm," Judy said, only barely in control of her own emotions. Anthony was so close she could almost bite him, but that was not the way this game was won. Judy knew it, and so she said, "Go on Anarchy."
"oh just," The bobcat said and began stepping around Nick. Anthony wanted to avoid having Nick behind him, "This little war. It's between you and me." He pointed at himself then Judy.
"Your best mammal versus mine," Anthony said and pointed at Nick with his thumb then the Rhino in the window.
"Your boys and girls against mah boys and girls." Anthony gestured at the group of cops and at the building.
"Then why'd you come after my Mom," Nick snarled, beside him, Todd scraped the ground with his paws ready to pounce. Slick was popping his knuckles, and Robin was letting loose a string of curses that would put a sailor to shame. Nick just hoped that was all in his head.
"Its an example," Anarchy answered as calmly as he could, "you used the family of one of my pack as bait, I'm simply doing the same." both Nick and Judy growled low. The alpha feral responded with a contempt-filled glare, "It wouldn't be hard for meh ta do the same again, with..." he turned his gaze to Peter, "with your kitten," he looked at Leo towering over most of the group, "and ah've been to your house partner."
When he looked back at Judy she felt the need to leap forward and tear his face off, she wouldn't do it of course, but she liked the idea.
"Besides the Hopps family farm would not be hard to fin-." The cat smiled and shrugged "They conveniently put their address of the farm on every package." Judy felt her anger boiling, her claws burned with a fire only blood could quench but then the cat said something interesting, "And ah already know where the special agent is."
Judy glared at the bobcat giving no outward reaction to Anarchy's words. She just nodded and growled, "Just us."
Anthony smiled, "Okay, Y'all wait ten minutes then you can come in." he turned and started for the door until Nick grabbed his arm. The bobcat looked from the fox's paw to his face an eyebrow raised.
"You harm one hair on her head." Nick growled low, "and there won't be a hole deep enough for you to hide in."
Anarchy pulled his arm free and continued on to the door, "Your momma's safe Wilde."
"Not just her," Nick replied.
The short-tailed cat froze as he was about to knock on the door. For a moment he shuddered, then turned his tear-filled gaze at Nick. The fox knew that the bobcat would do anything vengeance. Tears dripped from Anarchy's furry chin as he said, "Your bunny killed mine, and Ah'll do the same to yours."
A murmur of growls rolled through the group of officers, none louder then Nick's, "For someone so fucking broke up about, you didn't waste any time making fine meal out of her."
The bobcat hit the door hard, it was unlocked and showed some of his ferals when the door swung open. Anarchy stepped in and said without turning back, "Not even the worms will have what is mine."
The wait was the worst part. Just stared at the door hoping they wouldn't walk into a trap or maybe even something worse. The Anti-feral Task Force blocked the entrance from returning residents and curious civilians. Although the questions were mostly ignored, there was no real way to answer them anyway. The cops saw Ram walk away from the window with Isara, Nick barked at the sight, but Judy's soothing paw on his back kept him still.
Finally after what felt like hours the ten minutes had past and the Anti-feral task force could break down the door. A single blow from Paul was enough. Like the last time, Nick was first followed by Leo and the rest of the team. The fox only had his pistol it's all he would need. However he was also barely in control. Thankfully, Leo had the presence of the mind too keep a tight grip on Nick's shoulder, instead of merely keeping a light paw in the lead mammal's back. It help keep the fox thinking of the officers behind him as much as the mammals in front of him. Every breath from Nick's muzzle was a growl but that was all the control Todd had. Nick was in the driver's seat.
Each and every room was cleared on the first floor. Like Anarchy said the coyote at the front desk was missing his head but thankful he was the only body found. Most of the residents though terrified out of their minds were fine. A few had a couple bruises from trying to fight against what they thought was a gang robbery. One old bunny grandmother didn't even know anything had happened. Other then she had just been telling stories to a group of kids that just moved into the building.
When Nick and Judy breached his mother's apartment, they found her safe and sound sitting at her kitchen table. Scared, with a bruised wrist and tear stains on her cheeks but she was otherwise fine. The vixen sat trembling at her kitchen table. Three cigarette butts lay smoking in the ashtray and a fourth between her fingers. The bad habit was calming her down.
"Mom?" Nick said almost kit like as he ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug before she finished standing up. He picked Isara up as easily as he would his tiny girlfriend. Judy shooed the rest of her officers out of the apartment after they finished checking it. Nick nuzzled his mother's neck before he continued, "I'm so sorry you got caught up in this mess."
Isara had tears in her eyes as her tough single mother exterior cracked and fell away. Like her son, she hid most of her emotions, but right now she let it all show. Starting death in the face like she had just done was a shocking experience after all. Judy tried not to watch but couldn't help it and soon found herself caught up in the hug.
Finally, the tears had dried mostly after being soaked up by Nick's Kevlar armor, "I'm fine, Nick, really." Isara said putting on a familiar smile, "Your momma's been through worse" if it wasn't for knowing what had happened both Nick and Judy would have believed her. Just like when Judy first met the older vixen, she could see where Nick had learned the tricks of his trade. If a few things had been different for her, Isara Wilde might have run the city from the underground.
The mother fox sat back in her chair crossed her legs and fixed her long skirt then pick up the cigarette she had been smoking. The nicotine along with knowing it really was over let Isara calm then rest of the way down, till Judy started to ask questions, "Ma'am can you tell us what happened"
"Judy, please." Isara said, "you can call me Mom."
The bunny cop was about to protest, she was on the job after all. However, the farm-raised bunny wilted under the motherly gaze and said, "Okay...Mom, can you tell us what happened?" Nick meanwhile just smiled, it was nice to see, that someone could really put the alpha bunny in her place.
"No much really." Isara said shuttering at the thought, "That cat and his thugs busted down the door grabbed me and then well. Just waited." She took a drag of her cigarette, "The most they did was to hold me in front of the window." She motioned to said window.
"Okay," Judy replied rubbing her chin.
"Maybe he did just want to make it just between us," Nick suggested.
"Then why did he mention Jack." Judy thought aloud, "he's never been on TV or in the field."
"Oh," Isara said pulling herself into the conversation again, "That Anarchy guy, told me to tell you, 'don't trust him' but he didn't say who. Could it be this, Jack, your talking about?"
Judy and Nick kept their suspicions between themselves, there shouldn't be doubt among the troops. The bunny and fox quietly discussed their thoughts in Isara's apartment. The motherly vixen kept herself occupied by making some snacks for the cops. Some of the officers returned to the abandoned den of the Named. They were surprised when they found that the supplies the feral had left were gone, other than a pile of dirty clothes.
It was becoming routine now for the Task-force too secure a den abandoned by The Named, Look for the few clues that might be there, ask around for leads from mammals that didn't want to talk. It was even harder to get mammals to speak with the officers looking more like stormtroopers then cops.
As the day went on Nick retraced his steps and retrieved his rifle, the fox thankfully had thought to have left it on a roof that wasn't easily accessible. The same couldn't be said for his steel-toed boots and gas-masked helmet, or at least that's the story Nick went with. In truth, he just didn't feel like looking for them.
The day dragged on, and what made it even worse was that Judy had to split up her task-force. She didn't like them being out of her site, but there were more packs to track then just The Named. There wasn't much of anything too watch and thankfully the only attack they was mostly off camera. A homeless moose was tracked down by some ferals that the task force had been ignoring. There was no point in trying to get there to try and save the poor mammal, even if it wasn't a recording, the attack only took a few seconds, in a dead end alley so there was no hope for the mammal to have escaped. However, Judy and Nick did head over to the location both to investigate the area and finalize their plans for the information they had gathered that day.
Judy paused for a moment in the car while Nick sniffed at the wind. A short tap at the window to tell his partner, that it was safe. The bunny hopped out in full riot gear save for the boots, although she wished she had taken a look before she stepped into a puddle of foul-smelling back alley mud, "Anyway. We're telling the chief."
"Yeah?" Nick asked. He saw the riot armor Kit version of himself standing behind his partner watching for danger, "Five will get you twenty, Bogo said something about strangling the rat bastard."
"He's a hare." Judy said as she checked the printout of the attack, "but you're on." Slick the imaginary young con Fox tossing fake dollar bills in celebration. Judy nodded too an offshoot of the alley and walked on with Nick behind her, "But if you think he'll do that to Jack, what do you think he'll do to Anthony if he gets his hooves on him?"
Nick smiled, "Don't know, but I don't think it will be half as bad as what you'll do to him."
A shiver of some multi-layered emotion ran through the bunny as she thought about tarring the bobcat apart. She shook the sinister thoughts away and simply said, "Yeah." Judy and Nick stood in a short spillway that held the only thing in this homeless camp the normal mammals of Zootopia saw. A single dumpster. This side of the building didn't even have windows and those that lived here their used another dumpster so it was only the garbage truck driver that ever saw it.
The pair quickly found the drag marks they were looking for and the blood. Strangely, it wasn't as much as the partners would have thought. To figure it out Nick decided to scale the building while Judy made her way over to the small hobo village. The fox had little trouble getting to the roof, in fact far less trouble then Judy had to get one of the vagabonds to talk. The first she spoke to was a jittery billy goat who bleated and screamed, "They found me. I don't know how but they found me. Run for it, Marty." The dirty white furred goat shoved an empty chips bag on his head saying, "You won't read my thoughts storm trooper of the puppet government and keep your Black helicopters away from my airspace." as he scurried into one of the many tents set about the area.
"Sorry, Officer," a Hippo said as he stirred a cup of soup, "You'll not find that many coherent conversations around here." he sighed, "Barry and I try to keep some order, but I can't find him."
"Is Barry a moose?" Judy asked carefully.
"Yeah! Have you seen him?"
"Oh." Judy looked from the Hippo to the mammals scattered around, many looked frightened by the cop. Police seldom mean good things to them, "I'm not here to run any of you out of here. I just need to know if anyone saw anything last night."
"I was off getting some supplies from the mission on 9th." the Hippo replied.
"I saw something." A Raccoon said climbing out of a trash can.
"Yes?"
The gray-furred hobo wiped his face and said, "It wasn't last night, but several nights ago I say a magic yote fighting with a black dragon." Judy's excitement faltered as the raccoon continue, "... Had cut the beasts head clean off with a burnan green axe."
"No, no!" A Red Panda yelled as he pulled himself out of the same trash can," That was a year ago, and the coyote didn't kill the dragon. The dragon hooked the yote up with a cute skunk girl." despite living in a trash can with a Raccoon the Randa was still fluffy, "...and it was a year ago."
"Yer sure?" The raccoon asked, to which the panda nodded the puffball on his stocking cap bouncing adorably.
"That's not what I'm-" Judy tried to explain.
A wolf with a bottle of whiskey interrupted the officer, "I saw something strange once..." he stared at one of the many bunnies he saw or at least tried too with his whiskey-addled mind making the world spin, "it was a great cookie shaped like a panda ah red one!"
"Henry that was just me in a costume I found once," the panda said, shaking his head.
"Don't you go correcting me." The wolf apparently named Henry said pointing at the bottle in his paw, "I know what I saw. I even tasted it, and it was sweet." he glared at the container accusingly.
The panda shivered as the Raccoon said, "If you want ta talk about sweet we should talk about that little wolf that ran off with that black fox."
"Paw and paw against the world, they should write a story about the two." the Panda said with a starry eyes.
"Those boys were adorable, but I don't think this is what the officer wants to hear." the Hippo said. He looked down at Judy and apologized to her again.
The sad and angry bunny was about to inform the hippo of his friend when she felt someone behind her, far too close for comfort. She wiped around paw on the handle of her pistol as she said, "Excuse me that's too close."
"Oh sorry." a bunny near Judy's age said, "I was just looking for your wings," he said dreamily.
"Her angel wings?" Nick asked with a smile as he approached.
"No," said the bunny as he walked past, "her fly wings."
The bunny and the fox exchanged glances assuring each other what they had heard was said, "Let's get out of here." they said as one.
It was a sad truth but to help all these mammals would bankrupt the city. Depressing thoughts asides the pair returned to the station. It was late, and the entire Anti-feral task force had put in a full shift. So at the behest of their Sergeant, the officers finished up their day's work and began heading home.
Nick and Judy, however, had something to do. With nothing of importance to add to the case file the pair just headed to Bogo's office. He was still there for many reasons least of which was that he was texted by a trusted officer to do so.
The buffalo looked up from his computer as Judy entered his office with Nick, "What is this about, Officer Hopps?"
"Where's, Jack?" the bunny asked while Nick stayed at the door listening to both outside the door and in.
"Around." Bogo answered, "Why."
"We think he's a rat," Nick commented.
Chief Bogo looked confused as Judy clarified, "No, no he's a hare." The bunny glared at her partner then turned back to her chief, "We suspect that he's working with, Anthony, somehow."
"What?" Bogo exclaimed his anger rising. He was trying to stay quiet because this could be a serious matter.
"We can't prove anything yet, but stuff just seems too add up." Judy explained talking as much with her paws as her voice, "Anthony always seem to know where we are, what we were doing, at the concert Jack told us there was an attack at the front. Setting us up for that ambush." an angry shiver ran through the bunny at the mention of the incident.
"Could have been a coincidence and Anthony could have surveillance. As for the concert Jack might have just overreacted." Bogo said playing devil's advocate more to get all the facts straight rather than to protect the agent. The bastard could be responsible for the death of several officers and the wounding of dozens of others.
"What about our secret contact?"
"The honey badger?" Bogo asked.
"Yeah." Judy replied, "other then myself and Nick only Jack knew we went too her."
Bogo rubbed his snout and grumbled, "that could have been gang-related, Hopps." he looked up at Judy and said, "but if your right I'm going to ring his neck." the bunny could feel Nick grinning at the door, "I'll handle this. Getting phone taps and everything to plug this leak." Nick paused and thought for a moment, "If you want to follow him sometime, do it. Just don't get caught."
"He'll never know we're there," Nick replied while Judy agreed with a salute.
Bogo pulled out his personal cell and dialed his wife, he would be a little later than he thought. Nick and Judy, however, were planning on heading home as they clocked out which they headed off to do, "oh hey officer, Hopps." they heard Jack call as they walked down the stairs.
"Hello, Agent Savage," Judy said hiding her suspension well, Nick growled like always. The hare bounced the stairs to join the pair at the hallway leading to the locker room and time clock, "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing." Jack replied, "you left your lucky charm on your desk and I kind of borrowed it." the hare pulled a carrot shaped pen from his pocket.
"Its okay thank you," Judy replied. She took the pen and slipping it into her pocket.
The hare sighed and popped his neck, "Rough couple of days, huh?" Both Nick and Judy nodded in agreement, "Don't worry it should all get better soon. Anyway, I'm going to head out, you two have a nice night." the hare waved as the pair said their goodbyes.
The partners' eyes met, and they both knew their plans had changed. The pair walked out to the front of the station as casual as usual. They were a couple of hustlers, Jack knew nothing of their intentions as they passed him on the sidewalk. The hare was waiting for a ride he had called while Nick and Judy appeared to head to a train station.
They rounded the corner like always only this time once out of sight Nick dropped to all fours and slipped his head between Judy's legs. The fox gave his partner a moment to seat herself on his upper back before he jumped clear up to a second story window. Judy looked down at the stunned civilians below. She held onto Nick's fur with one paw and held a finger to her lips in a classic shush motion. The mammals seemed to understand as the fox cop jumped up another two stories, then another two to the roof.
The pair were just in time to watch Jack getting into a black sedan, thankful Judy could read the plate from half a block away so they could track it later if they needed to. Nick kept his eyes on the car too as he jumped from building to building. For a moment, Nick even considered jumping from lamppost to lamppost. Anthony did the same thing and if he could do it, why not the red fox? However with his partner on his back he decided against it.
Judy held on the whole time, riding her partner like a dolphin rider at a waterpark. Only if she fell off it wouldn't be water she would land on. Thankfully the whole long trip, that took till after sundown, the bunny held firm. They waited in the dark center of a billboard as Jack was left off at a random warehouse.
Judy stood and watched the Hare walk inside, "What is he doing?"
"Could be meeting with his boss." Nick offered, "doesn't he have a handler or something?"
"Maybe," Judy replied taking a few steps back. Nick watched as the determined bunny dropped into a four-pawed sprint. She leaped from the billboard to the warehouse with ease. Her padless paws made a muffled thump as she landed on the roof but found no purchase on the slick slanted metal.
Judy cursed as she started to slide down the roof, till her claws found traction in the metal. Must be digging into the protective coating. Nick landed next to her with a similar tump, "You okay, Fluff?"
"Yeah." Judy replied, "Come on, Slick." the bunny silently scurried up to a skylight and slipped into the warehouse, Nick safely on her tail.
Inside the well-used warehouse everything was dark, and filled with neat stacks of wooden crates. Dusty air tickled the bunny's nose as she climbed down to the floor. Her purple eyes almost glowed as she scanned the area her paw on her pistol's handle. She could see no threats, thankfully.
The bunny's nose wiggle with anxious energy as she made their way deeper into the warehouse. Judy wasn't frightened, she could feel Nick behind her. She didn't need him to be safe, but it was nice to know her mate was close. However, even if Judy was alone here in the darkness, she could take on anything. No one was a match for Judith Laverne Hopps, the ZPD's star cop. She was the best, she was invincible.
Without a sound, the pair darted from shadow to shadow. Their sight piercing the darkness with ease. The partners could see the ebb and flow of the dust in the ever moving air. Judy never questioned it, she was too focused to care about the change.
As a silent shadow, the pair froze covered by Inky blackness. Up ahead in the sole light of a yellow lamp outside the offices they saw agent Jack Savage leaning against the wall. He was alone and hadn't seen them. Without a sound only a pat to Nick's leg from the Sergeant, the partners move behind some boxes to hide and watch through the small space between the pallets.
Jack knew nothing of the cops watching him. he only seemed slightly agitated by having to wait for someone in such a dusty place. He wiggled his nose from time to time and even sniffled but never made a sound. Finally the hare's ears shot up angled toward the only sound made in last ten minutes, claws scraping along the box.
"You alone?" Jack asked.
"As you ordered, Sir." Anthony 'Anarchy' Catson sneered before snapping a salute.
"Cut that shit out," Jack growled, his eyes pinched to small slits as he watched the bobcat.
Before Anthony could speak the sound of paws on concrete turned his head. He ducked under a deadly swipe of Nick's claws before throwing his shoulder into the fox's stomach hard enough to stagger him back. The bobcat glared at Jack who shouted a single command, "Handle him!"
The pair of ferals pounced one another and rolled away into the darkness. Sounding like monsters, they battle with tooth and claw. Nick's extra armor gave him a good advantage, but Anarchy was vicious and tore off parts when he could. However Nick made him pay, the cat was bleeding bad already.
The fight took them across the warehouse. A throw from Nick separated the combatants for a moment. They stood face to face with each other, out of breath and hurting from the fight. Panting hard as they tried to stare each other down. Blood dripped from the fox in places where his armor had been forcefully removed, but Anarchy was in worse shape. With only his light body armor and neoprene to protect him from Nick who had stopped holding back, Anthony was bit up. His left arm even hung limply from pain and wet with blood pouring from a torn bite.
"Neither of you is getting away from this," Nick said drawing his pistol.
"Probably," Anthony replied, lifting both his paws in surrender, "but don't you want to know why I let that ass control me?"
"No" Nick growled approaching cautiously. He had no more interest in talking. Anthony should pay, and he should do it now.
"Well, you call him Agent," Anthony chuckled, "Ah call him brother." Nick's eyes flew wide.
Judy was in danger. Nick could feel it.
Jack never got a chance to draw his weapon when Nick attacked. The hare froze when Judy ordered him too. The bunny cop approached with her gun raised and a finger on the trigger. Her other paw was down by her side with the carrot pen hidden ready to record everything.
"Alright," Jack said pulling his paw from his coat cautiously, "you got me."
"Good, now le-" the moment Judy pushed the record button on her own lightning shot through her body. Her words caught in her throat as the boobytrapped pen discharged its considerable amount of power into Judy's body. It was nothing like when she was tased during training. Judy couldn't explain how much it hurt. She swore lightning was crossing over her twitching body and her insides were being lit on fire. Her paw squeezed the pistol, but she couldn't fire with the safety on. The pain was unbearable, but she couldn't scream.
Blankness finally came.
Jack watched the bunny finally fall over thin trails of smoke wafting from her body. He didn't smile as he approached, there would be no joy in this.
"This whole affair with the ferals is just business. I personally wouldn't want to test them on this city, but we got to see if they could be used against our enemies." the hare confessed to the body as he kicked away Judy's pistol out of habit.
Even someone like Jack who had lived countless lies needed to get things off his chest sometimes, "But this thing between you and me...This was personal. Even if you didn't know it but I couldn't let my sister go unavenged you know. Don't worry Anthony wi-"
Jack froze as Judy took a slow stuttered breath and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at Jack weakly the fire of hate burned bright in her eyes, "That trap should have killed you." Jack commented casually pulling a small pistol from his jacket, "No matter your not my first." the Agent said as he screwed a silencer to his weapon. He leaned over the helpless bunny and put the weapon to Judy's forehead, "I'm not heartless you know. I loved my sister, I was trying to get her out of that life but then you went and shot her in the head. So maybe this is more fitting."
Judy was not helpless.
Before Jack even finished his breath from speaking Judy's arm snapped up and stabbed the end of the pen between the bones of Jack's wrist. Nearly dislocating the hare's paw and pushing his weapon away.
"What!" Jack growled through clenched teeth. He stumbled back dropping his blood cover pistol as his paw shook with pain. She must have hit a nerve cluster or something.
Judy stood still smoking slightly, an animalistic snarl on her muzzle more fitting for a fox or a bobcat. Realization washed over Jack like a horrible wave. Judy had been living with a feral who smoked, she kissed him, slept with him, she spent all her time near him. It was no wonder.
Judy was going feral too.
The angry bunny's paw cracked the false pen as she showed that she wasn't completely gone,
"Paws on your head now!" Judy spoke every word with a determination to not do the many terrible things in her head right now.
Even though she was unarmed Jack couldn't hope to win a fight the bunny, with or without his right paw.
Jack never got too speck. Another feral pounced him. Judy had second paw exposure, meaning she wouldn't be entirely lost. Nick, or in this case Todd, could. The hare never stood a chance.
"Nick!" Judy yelled stumbling as she tried to walk, she had survived the trap, but she needed more time to recover. By the time she got through to Nick, it was too late. Humpty Dumpty had been left in fewer pieces.
Nickelous Wilde shuttered stepping back from his work. He panted as blood dripped from his muzzle his green eyes glowed as he looked back at Judy when she called his name again. She reached for him wanting to say it was alright.
It couldn't be alright, he was a monster.
Nick turned and ran, jumping on boxes before leaping through a window, "Nick, wait." Judy called. Her aching body was too slow to respond in time. Her joints hurt like never before. She only took a single step before stopping. She had stepped in a crimson puddle, the hot liquid chilled her to the bone, "Oh please. God, don't let me lose him now."
But it wasn't god who heard the bunny's prayer. Anthony came out of the shadows like a monster and grab the bunny by the neck and slammed her into the box behind her. Judy's embers of soreness burst into a raging inferno of pain. Shock took her again but not as silently as the last time,
"Nick," escaped Judy's lips,
Even though she was in mortal danger, her thoughts were still on her lost partner.
Nick ran for god knows how long, over buildings and through alleys he avoided everyone he could. Finally, somewhere downtown the fox stumbled down into an alley. He panted and leaned on a rough brick wall. He ran a paw through the sticky fur on his head and shuttered.
His eyes were wide with fright as he stared at the red stain on his paw. His ears shot up as if he just now heard sound of the crowd ever present crowd on the street just a dozen yards away. Nick was just barely calm enough to think now. He looked at his paw again shaking as he remembered what he did. He couldn't go walking around soaked in blood, he had to clean it off but it would never truly come off.
Thankfully Nick found a working water hose just a few steps away. As the crimson stain washed from his fur, Nick felt his stomach charm, his mouth watered but not from hunger. He felt weak. His shaking paws dropped the running hose as he doubled over and braced his paws on his knees. Finally, with a loud retch, Nick fell to all fours in the puddle. His stomach clenched painfully as it expelled its contents.
Nick panted after throwing up for over a minute. He gagged and scraped his tongue on his teeth trying to get rid of the taste. He sat against the alley wall. Good thing, his all-weather gear was waterproof the puddle was growing with the hose still running.
With his nose to the stars, Nick groaned as he slowly recovered. The fresh night air relaxed him, as his mind cleared he realized he had to know something. The fox grimaced as he looked at the puddle of foamy bile. He swallowed his disgust as he leaned over it and using his powerful night vision to search for the answer.
Thankful he found it. Amongst the mostly digested snacks he had throughout the day, there was no meat. Specks of blood but no torn flesh.
He wasn't a monster after all.
A slow smile spread across his face that turned into a chuckled and then a laugh, "I didn't swallow." Nick laughed in relief, he had killed Jack but didn't eat him. Slick and Robin laugh too but none harder the Todd. They had proved they were better than their rival. Too the half crazed fox that was good enough.
Nick finished his little back alley bath. He was going to catch hell maybe even get fired or worse, but he was happy with what he had learned. The fox pulled his phone out and trotted out on to Main street. With a glance he knew where he was, the central train station was just three buildings to his left. The station was just three blocks away.
The street was too loud for the wet fox to use his voice commands so he speed dueled Judy so he went about taping in the command. Everything was going to be Okay. Until the giant welcome to Zootopia video screen along with every other display in the city burst with static and reformed itself into the face of a wombat. His nose wiggled under his glasses as his eyes almost glowed with power, it was the feral glow. He fiddled with the camera mumbling something to himself. Seemingly satisfied he nodded and turned to say, "Hey, Boss, it's ready."
"Just a second, Cams, I'm almost done," Anthony said in a chipper tone. The wombat stepped to the side revealing Anything shirtless bobcat bandaged from his fight with Nick earlier.
But no one looked at him.
All eyes were focused on Judy. She was paw-cuffed with her arms above her head, a short chain attached her to a heavy-duty nail in the wall. Her legs were tied with a small rope to a similar nail in the floor. Her armor had been removed leaving her in her neoprene uniform. Which the bobcat was taking great joy in cutting with his claws so that the bunny's fur stuck through.
Judy was trying her best to stay calm but with angry ferals all around her. Climbing the walls and taunting her. Slinky the otter even nipped at her ears with a snicker. Veronica, the snow leopard, snickered saying something about how the tables had been turned. The bunny responded with a deep growl that sent the non-alpha ferals scurrying away. Judy hid how she liked that even the biggest coward run away from her, even if only for the briefest of moments.
Anarchy never stopped his work. Running a claw up from Judy's upper thigh to the end of one of the four cuts across her belly. The neoprene spread revealing an embarrassing amount of the officer's underwear. The bobcat snorted and said, "Black lace, nice." he chuckled and looked up at Judy's angry face, "Always thought ya were more of a granny panty girl."
Judy's ears were bright red on the inside, and her cheeks were hot, "Sorry a psycho been keeping me from doing the laundry, so I had to wear my date night panties to work." the bunny's snarl was her only weapon, and she would use it till the end.
"Well speaking of dirty laundry." Anarchy said as he turned to the camera, Jewel the black wolf gave him a large folder you would never tell she had a shattered just a week ago, "Let's get to the real reason we're here." the bobcat took a seat in front of the camera as his pack left him, after some encouragement from their leader. Judy watched them leave sadly. She noted that other than those that were confirmed dead the pack was at full strength and just as feral. Jack's doing no doubt.
"Well, Zootopia, I got some good news and some bad." Anthony said pulling over a chair to sit in front of the camera, "The good news is you can trust your government, the bad is that you can't trust everyone that works for it."
As Anthony explained that he was just a sad, helpless but deadly pawn in the plan of the big bad faceless government agency, Nick ran as fast as his tireless feral legs would carry him. He was on the phone the whole time, calling everyone on the task force. He was a blur of motion as he dashed across streets, up and over buildings, through crowds and under cars all the way to the station. The fox caught bits here and there of Anthony's broadcast. It seems that Jack, who Anarchy never named only calling him his 'brother in law' was ordered to test if a feral pack like The Named was able to destabilize an enemy state.
It didn't matter all that much to Nick and the other officers. They only cared that their leader was in danger. When Nick finally made it to the station, by jumping from a building across the street. He landed in the parking lot in front Peter Fangmeyer's truck as the white wolf hoped out. Peter watched as Nick rolled too all fours and ran toward the building.
"Nick," Peter yelled as he gave chase, "what happened."
"Don't know." the Fox replied as they rushed past the front desk.
"How did he..." Peter asked again but couldn't finish his sentence.
"I don't know! Okay?" Nick growled at the locker room door before throwing it open, "I wasn't there," he walked inside past the other Anti-feral taskforce members.
"That's not like you, Nick, where were you?" Peter asked confused as he followed.
"Another time." Leo cut in, "Get Jack we need him to."
"Jack's dead," Nick grumbled in front of his locker. He stared at it as the officers asked how "you saw the broadcast. That's jack Anarchy is talking about. He was using us. Carrots and I just figured it out early today. We followed him. Jack went after Judy, and I killed him." he turned and held up his paws ready to be cuffed, but he couldn't face his friends, "I tore him apart….. if it helps I didn't eat him."
"Lock and load boss," Leo said like Nick hadn't just admitted to a murder.
The Fox looked up at his fellow officers, they were a little frightened. I showed in their eyes but they finished putting on their riot armor, "We all bleed blue." Mario, the tiger, said, "He betrayed us tried to kill the Sergeant, but you got him first."
Nick blinked confused and said, "Thanks guys I won't let it happened again." he tore open his locker, he saw the Carrot pen sitting there, but he needed the rifle stored below. The station didn't have a place for it so they made do. He grabbed the weapon and some extra ammunition. He turned and came face to face with Petter, Nick kept his head and ears low.
The white wolf stared at the fox for a long, tense moment before saying, "If some rat bastard went after my girlfriend I would kill the guy too." Nick smiled and slapped Peter on the shoulder. The wolf did the same.
Nick joined the other members in the HQ asking if they had anything. They told him techs were working on it but it would take time to untangle the knot of a electric trail. The fox looked at the screen showing Anthony as the bobcat finished by saying, "See I'm not that bad of a guy." he chuckled, "but still, don't cross me. Or well." he looked at Judy, "You'll if you stick around you'll find out."
Nick growled as the bobcat stood, "I got to piss, and I need Cams to switch this to whatever online thing he got set up." the bobcat trotted out of the bedroom.
Judy watched him leave. Then did the best she could to look out a window on the far side of the room, "Nick I know you are watching this, it looks like residential Savannah Central. I'm on the second story, and I can see much of anything else." She relaxed and hung from the chain, "Hurry if you can but …." her voice caught in her throat as her terror broke her for a moment. The bunny looked up fear in her teary eyes, "If you can't make it just know I love you. And...and its okay, I'm not mad or anything. You…." she couldn't find the words, "It's just... its okay. I know you'll get him."
A nervous chuckle escaped Judy's mouth as she hung her head her ears covering her face and the tears. She looked at the floor as she said, "Who could have known, that the great Judy Hopps would be beaten by her own pair of..." she paused and looked up at the restraints she was in, "...paw-cuffs." They were one size fits all metal cuffs. The design was good but it was a lie, and Judy knew it.
Nick touched the screen and whispered, "Hang in there, Judy, I'm coming." his phone beeped as he got a text from a number he didn't know, but he knew who it was anyway. It was an address. "Thank you, Honey." the fox turned to his team and called "Load up! I know where we have to go." the Anti-feral task force didn't need to be told twice.
Anthony returned with the wombat named Cams. The subordinate feral was saying, "Boss, I told you, you just end the broadcast and click Start Stream."
"I don't care Cams you do it," Anthony said motioning dismissively to the camera and the laptop it was hooked up too. The wombat sighed and did as told, he knew better than to give his alpha to much lip. Especially with the Jackalope gone. While Cams dealt with the laptop Anarchy dept with Slinky. The otter had scurried into the room to nip at Judy again.
The bobcat cursed as he yanked the otter off the wall and balled the limber beast up and rolled him down the hall like a bowling ball. The otter yelled back about how he was sorry. With his work done Cams made a swift exit as well.
Judy glared at her rival growling low, in her state it was a pointless gesture. The bobcat for his part just laughed the mirthless laugh of someone in pain and barely coping. The feline grinned like a devil as he approached the chained bunny.
Thinking fast Judy said, "Wait, wait!" the bunny's twisted and turned her paws in the cuffs trying to find the widest part discretely, "You're just going to get right to it, I've always been partial to foreplay." like Nick told her before, it's easier to hustle someone when you don't lie.
Anthony snickered as he looked up at Judy's paws, "You ain't getting out of them, I was a cop too, remember? I know how to cuff a mammal your size." he smiled at her, "But okay, I'll treat you to some foreplay. What you want paws" he unsheathed his claws audibly, "tongue" he licked his lips.
"Just a little bit of talking," Judy said, despite her possible demise there was something she had to know. Plus if she kept him talking long enough, she might get out of this.
"Lip service" Anthony growled in distaste, "I guess." he jumped back and casually landed on the head of the bed then fixed the pillows so that he was comfortable, "So, Officer Hopps, what would you like to talk about." the bobcat smirked at his captive.
"Jaklyn"
Anthony's smile vanished, and he growled slightly, but he didn't attack. The bobcat rolled over and pulled a paw-rolled cigarette from the drawer. He lit one before he looked at the bunny and blew out the thick white smoke. Judy knew it wasn't tobacco in that thing so it wouldn't keep him calm for long. Anarchy motioned for Judy to speak, "What you want to know? How she tasted?" his voice could barely not be described as a snarl.
"No, no." Judy said shaking her head, "That's for you to know." the bunny worried she might not get her answer now, "The kit."
"Kittens," Anthony replied in a cold voice.
Judy blinked confused as she was corrected, "Oh, were they yours?" the bunny asked plainly.
The cat's glaring eyes through the smoke were all the answer Judy needed, but Anarchy continued, "They would have been perfect little things." he looked down at his paws remembering what he didn't want to, "Long ears, a bobtail, fangs the best if both of us."
Judy had one simple question, "How?"
The bobcat looked at her, again his face giving him the answer, "This thing you demonize." Anthony stood on the bed and approached holding his howler joint ups, "It can make a hare as tough as a rhino, an otter as strong as an elephant." he hoped down from the bed and glared at the captive cop, "it can make a crippled bobcat the invincible terror of a city. Turn meek prey into mighty predators."
Judy pressed herself to the wall as Anarchy reached for her, "It could have even given you, what you wanted." the cat had a joyless smirk on his face, he knew this would give him no relief. Not that he cared, "If you weren't about to die."
The bunny had one chance and took it. With a yelp of pain, Judy dislocated her right thumb and pulled her paw free of the cuffs. She yanked the handcuffs free of the looped chain and slashed her left paw across Anthony's face almost catching his eye with her claws.
With a yowl, the bobcat stepped back giving Judy another moment to bite through the rope around her ankles in a single snap of her jaws. Judy jumped out of Anthony's reach and forced her sore thumb back into place. The whole paw twitched almost as fast as her nose as she squared off with Anthony. Judy would have to do everything perfectly in this fight to survive.
Her enemy growled, "You'll never get out of here alive." Anthony fainted a lunge for Judy. The bunny fell for it and ducked only to be kicked hard in her unarmored chest. She slammed into a chest of drawers and slumped down to her rump trying to catch her breath.
Another taunt caught in Anthony's throat as red and blue lights appear outside. The bobcat turned to yell for his pack to run but something orange and blue burst through the window.
Nick rolled up to his paw, rifle trained on Anthony nearly a foot away, he didn't fire. The cop had to know where his partner was first. Judy hopped up beside him. In the moment Nick took a glance at her, Anthony ducked under the fox's weapon and toward Nick roaring for his pack to scramble. Nick tried to slam the butt of his rifle into the cat's face but only caught Anarchy's bloodied cheek it was enough to give Judy a chance to grab Nick's pistol and fire. The oversized handle, and the speed of the cat made it that she only hit the drywall.
With a snarl, Anthony knew he needed to get out of this fight. He jumped out the same window Nick entered and then back in through another to help his pack escape. The sergeant and her partner raced to the bedroom door. They opened it in time to see Anarchy slamming open a hallway door. All three started to take aim, but the cat was faster and fired at Nick and Judy with the revolver he had retrieved.
Like lightning, the fox ducked took the first round in the back plate for the armorless bunny as they fell back into the room so the bobcat couldn't get a shot.
The firefight underneath took only a matter of seconds and left two more of The Named dead. The ferals were armed too but not ready for a fight and just made a fighting retreat. Three of the Anti-feral task force were left in critical condition. However, Dominic, Sonya, and Bill would make a full recovery down the line. Their armor and comrades kept them alive.
However, the pack got away, without supplies and even clothes but they could manage without that stuff. But capturing or killing the rest of the pack wasn't the objective of the cops assault. It was too get their Sergeant back, which they did.
After everything was said and done Judy sat in the back of an ambulance wrapped in a blanket. She felt cold coming down from her adrenaline high.
Nick approached and sat beside her, he was about to report to her when she just simply leaned her head on him. It wasn't the time for work, she wasn't a cop at this moment. She was Judy Hopps, a bunny who had been moments from death just a short time ago and so scared she almost died from shock. Nick Wilde the fox that loved her more than anything else in the world wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders as she started to cry letting out the emotion trapped inside her. Nick held her protectively as he watched for threats and chased away the curious with a glare. Even a feral had their limits, and Judy was well past hers.
Tomorrow the work would start all over again, and she would be ready, but for now, she just wanted to be left alone with her boyfriend.
(thanks AnsemD for the help with editing and proof reading)