Halfway there. For those concerned, this story will have 19 chapters, with a post-mortem at the end.

Disclaimer: Zootopia, et al is owned by Disney. Sonic, et al is owned by Sega.

"Let's see. Name is Jack Savage...j, a, c, k...ok. He's back in the system now, along with a note to Records about his presumed death by Gemfield exposure, which didn't exist," Clawhauser said, looking far too cheery to be talking about such a depressing topic.

Nick and Judy dropped off Skye at her shop, only pausing to note that it seemed far too dusty to be a place where she still worked often. What she was doing was a question they wanted to ask, but would probably not get anything but more questions, so they left it alone with a mental note to discuss it with her later. Afterwards, they brought Jack into the ZPD, still cuffed, and let Clawhauser take it from there. They turned to start walking back to their still-shared cubicle.

"So Carrots, what's our next step? I'm thinking-" Nick started, only to get interrupted by Judy.

He continued anyways, and their voices overlapped each other near perfectly, "Go down to the lab techs with Miles' program, then sit around the bank and see if we can't catch anyone shifty looking."

"Yep, sounds about right," Nick said, smirking as Judy glared her displeasure, even while smiling broadly.

"Hopps, Wilde, my office," a voice called out suddenly as Chief Bogo walked past them briskly. They stared at him for a while, watching him walk quickly out of sight, before sighing in unison and heading down into his office. It wasn't that they didn't like their Chief, although Nick wasn't too fond of him but Judy often said he was the best boss ever, but their methods didn't often agree with the head officer. What this meant is that they had to go see him more than any other paired officer in the precinct, bar none. In the first three months.

They had since learned that it was something that was going to happen, and it was unlikely they were ever going to be fired for it. If they were, they'd probably have it happen during the morning meeting, because Bogo didn't particularly cut anybody any kind of slack. Except Clawhauser, for some reason. As they moved closer to the office, they realized the door was still open. Ordinarily, not a big deal, but in most meetings the Chief closed it previously in order to maintain privacy. Either this wasn't about a case so no worries about privacy, or everyone already knew everything about it so no worries about privacy.

"You called us, Chief?" Judy asked upon walking in. There at his desk sat the water buffalo, glasses staring over his computer at them. On the other side of the desk sat a grey wolf, who neither Judy nor Nick had ever met in real life but knew previously. The white tips of his fur only clued them in further. Mayor Reich.

"Excellent! Ms. Hopps and Mr. Wilde, how very nice to meet you. I am Adam Reich, the current Mayor for Zootopia. How are the both of you doing?" the mayor asked politely from his spot next to the Chief's desk. He was only about the size of the desk, a little more than half Bogo's size, but he seemed to emit a kind of charisma that made Judy and Nick both want to like him.

This put them on guard very quickly.

"Hopps, Wilde, get in and shut the door. Our guest has a few questions regarding this 'Underground'," Bogo explained. He turned the computer's screen over to them, and they could see their own large list of emails that they had sent. Even a few replies of Miles' -why was he sending them to Bogo too?- were there as well.

"Yes sir." Judy and Nick intoned as they walked over and jumped onto the squishy seats. They each dropped a few inches as their bodies sank into the plush cushioning.

"Yes, sorry for the pleasantries going away. What exactly is this 'Underground'?" Reich asked, heading to the point immediately. Bogo let out a quick groan, having explained it several times already. "Yes, I know that I know already, but I want to know what their version is seeing as how they went through it!"

"It's a community built underneath Zootopia to host Chaotics," Judy said. Reich nodded, before sending a questioning glance at her words.

"Chaotics?" he asked shortly afterwards, as if he had to think about it a second.

"Beings who are reliant on Chaos energy. That's what they call themselves, Chaotics."

"And these Chaotics, they're not simply Chaos-Touched?" the wolf asked. Judy and Nick shook their head.

"I see. And what do they want? Did you find out?"

"Sir, I think they're just like you or me. They just want to live out their lives in peace," Judy said.

"That's all well and good Hopps, but the fact remains they built a massive cavern underneath the entire city of Zootopia. That takes resources. If they could do that, what's to say they won't hurt us?" Bogo said.

"They did get some permits for it, I remember seeing the paperwork not long ago. Not as much as what they obviously did, if the pictures are true, but there is some legality to it. No, what I'm worried about is the sudden influx of mammals with no control," Reich stated, flipping through a manila folder. He showed a few papers to Bogo, who simply nodded.

"Sir, with all due respect, we have Bunnyburrow. I think we can handle a few thousand mammals," Judy said, smirking inwardly at the mention of her home. She made a mental note to go home sometime, it had been a while since she last saw her family. Nick snorted softly.

Reich paused for a second, "True. If Zootopia can handle the Bunnyburrows I think we can handle anything. Right, so how do we get down there?"

"Elevator. The entire cavern is held up by massive pillars which go from floor to ceiling. Most of the ones we saw had massive railing which could go up or down, so I think most of those are the elevators. We know of at least two, one in Jack Savage's place and another in the Rainforest bank," Nick cut in.

"And finally the elusive Mr. Wilde talks. Elevators hm? Fascinating. Well, grateful as I am for that information, I need to ask a favor from the both of you. I'm going to be sending a diplomatic party in a few days, and they're going to have to need to know how to get down there. Could you show them?" Reich asked.

"They will, yes. Go back to work Mayor, I'll let you know of any further developments. It's five," Bogo interrupted suddenly. Reich startled before looking down to his watch.

"Oh shoot! Thank you Chief for reminding me! Pleasure meeting you all!" he yelled as he ran out the door. As he passed her, Judy noticed suddenly that her Gemfield sense had gone off again, but the wolf vanished before she could say anything.

Bogo turned to the other two, still sitting down and still slowly sinking into the cushions. "Now then. For you two. Give me a summary on what you found down there, take the day off tomorrow for the reports. I expect all details."

Nick turned to Judy, mentally giving her the floor. She sighed. She should've expected that. "After we got into the Underground, we found a sasquatch named Bill. Or at least, he called himself a sasquatch. He apparently knew Savage, who tried to escape. I shot him with a tranquilizer to prevent him from getting away.

"Afterwards, Bill led us to one of their leaders, who they refer to as a 'Nine'. Ray Kalk. We asked him a lot of those same questions, and that's how he answered them. He called himself a kitsune."

"Stop. Kitsune? Wilde, wasn't that word in your report about the Robotnik incident a few months ago?" Bogo asked suddenly. Nick nodded. He remembered it. It had come out of the blue, from Chief Bogo's own mouth, despite him not saying anything at all. Until now, the word had never come up again. "I see. Continue, Hopps."

"He pushed Nick and Skye-"

"Skye? The arctic fox from the Robotnik incident? What was she doing with you?" Bogo cut in again.

"Yes. She came with us because..." Judy paused for a moment, looking over to Nick for some help.

"She was with us because she was around, and got dragged into the mess because she wanted to talk for a bit. She came into Savage's place shortly after we did, and we all got on the same elevator heading down," Nick finished. Judy shot him a relieved glance. She never liked lying to the Chief, which was good because apparently, according to Nick, she had no poker face. Nick, on the other paw, could lie with the best of them. Best of all, he was one of the few that could lie without lying. Or as he called it, 'The art of telling half the truth'.

"I see. Looks like you two have a simple day tomorrow instead of no day. I want to talk to this Skye, and it's obvious she trusts you two. Bring her in for an informal questioning. I also want her to help you two write the Underground reports. Three point of views is better than two. Continue, Hopps."

"He put Nick and Skye into an illusion of something. Nick?" Judy said, looking over at her partner.

"Right. When we first got there, it looked like a giant church, complete with stained glass windows, the works. Inside there was a nine pointed star, with a nine tailed fox in each point."

"A nine tailed fox? Describe them, Wilde."

"Each one was a copy of the other. They stood there, wearing black cloaks but fanning out their tails to show them off. They spoke in unison, and it wasn't until I realized that what was effecting one was effecting them all did I think they were the same being. When I called them out on it, everything shifted to the inside of an office, kind of like this one."

"An illusion."

"That's what he called it."

"And you Hopps? What did you see?"

"I only saw the office, with Kalk sitting at the desk. He told me that he was impressed with me, as I managed to pierce his illusion without realizing it. He asked me to wait as he brought Nick and Skye out of it," Judy explained.

"And then just questions?" At their nod he continued, "Go down to the lab techs to check if you've picked up any viruses or something that they may have that we don't. Any other immediate important information?"

"Gemfield comes from them," Nick pointed out.

"...That would count, yes. Never mind then, if they deal Gemfield up here then we don't have to worry. Go home you two, get some sleep, and get Skye in here in the morning," Bogo said, turning back to his computer.

As the two exited the room, they both heard him mumble under his breath, "It's like I'm in a bad fantasy novel..." Nick turned to Judy, who nodded that she heard it too. They held their chuckling in until after they got to their cubicle to get ready to leave.

Judy wasn't too shocked by the light rain that coated the streets. She had seen it coming that morning, and from the weather report in the middle of the day. To her it just seemed like the day stretched on for much longer than it should have, which is why she was kind of glad for the free shower.

Rain in Zootopia wasn't rare, but it was slightly uncommon. There was a need to keep the climate controlled areas a certain way, but every once in a while the Zootopians just let it rain. Some parts of Sahara Square were known for flooding, and Tundra Town had tons of ice. Massive storms, like this was one probably going to become, were fortunately much rarer. There was little the mammals could do about it besides keep the heat into the desert and keep the cold in the tundra.

Many Zootopians also didn't care much for the rain, in any one way or another. Some liked it and didn't mind wandering around without an umbrella, and others hated it. Judy was part of the former, as she was used to a large amount of rain and storming from her home, whereas Nick...wasn't. He always claimed the rain made him smell weird (Judy could attest to that easily enough.)

Her fur was just starting to get past the damp point when she wandered in to her apartment complex. All of the apartments were in a single building with a central hallway, which meant that she got out of the rain just a bit sooner, although she was slightly dripping onto the carpet.

She unlocked her door, pausing for a moment to listen to the telltale 'crack' of the lock and to see if her neighbors were around. If they weren't, that was good, as it meant a quiet night for her. If they were, well, she bought earplugs for exactly that reason.

What she wasn't expecting though was to see a Chaos-Touched purple chameleon meditating next to her bed. "What are you doing here?" Judy asked wildly. The lock was in place, and there weren't any scuff marks on the doorknob that she saw. How did Espio get in here?

"Waiting for you. Good, you're here. I have explored much of Zootopia, both the above ground and Underground, and understand that soon you will need to fight. Do you know how to defend yourself?" Espio asked, standing upright easily. It was always a shock to Judy how tall the Chaos-Touched really were. She had met Cream's mother, Vanilla, only once, and was surprised to find the rabbit was only barely shorter than Chief Bogo!

"You're breaking and entering Espio. Don't add assault to that list," Judy warned, steadily coming closer. The chameleon looked at her out of one of his eyes, a smile warming up to his face.

"Oh, are you trying to arrest me? Come then, Judith Hopps. Let's see if your hand to hand is up to par," Espio said mockingly, not even attempting to get into a ready position.

Judy grabbed her phone and took a step back, attempting to dial nine one one. Suddenly pain erupted from her hand as it opened to drop the phone onto the ground with a loud clack. A small metal star, dulled on the edges, seemed to bounce off her skin.

"No cutting the Gordian Knot yet Judith. First, you must be prepared," Espio said, smile dropping off as his face became serious. Judy only had a moment to prepare as suddenly the chameleon charged at her, suddenly flaring to a bright red. Her lessons back at the Police Academy suddenly came back to her, and her mind whirred at two hundred thoughts per second. First, she had to measure Espio up. He was thin, but tall. Strikes at the legs would be the easiest way to incapacitate him.

She saw his first...slap?...easily, and tried to grab his hand as it passed by, only to suddenly be on her back at the center of her room. He tripped her...within the same time frame as she could even attempt to grab his arm.

"Not bad for a first attempt. Your analytical skills are exactly as Tails said. But not good enough yet," Espio said monotone, as if simply stating facts. Judy growled and hopped up, only to suddenly be face first to the ground as she charged forward.

Espio sighed. "Well...it seems that we'll be doing this for a while. Rule number one; always be aware of your surroundings. Including the carpet."

"I don't have any carpet!" Judy said, getting up and shaking out her head. It was obvious to her now that Espio simply thought of this as 'training', regardless of the fact that she neither wanted nor signed up for this at all.

"Exactly my point," Espio said, pointing down to the wood-colored carpet that the chameleon had put on the floor.

Judy wasn't sure how much time had passed. She got back from the precinct, found Espio in her apartment, who then went forward and antagonized and mocked her for at least an hour or two, encouraging her to try and hit him. Each time she failed, although by the end of the first hour she could at least get close, and by the end of the second she realized what Espio was talking about.

As a police officer, she was required to know how to take someone down without having to resort to a tranquilizer. The guns just made it easier. It had been about a year and a half since she had to truly fight hand to hand, and it wasn't that her skills had rusted away. She just never had to truly fight against a superior opponent. She always fought on equal or lesser grounds, she never once had to try and take down a black belt or someone that actually knew what they were doing. Espio was certain of the fact that she would have to in the near future, and rather than leaving her wanting then, decided he would train her now.

As the chameleon disappeared, leaving an almost cheshire grin just hanging in the air before that too disappeared, Judy could only say "I hope I'm not the only one that has to deal with this. I'll report him tomorrow..." as she fell onto her bed, sleeping immediately.

"Carrots? You in?" Nick's voice cut in to Judy's sleep-addled mind. She woke up quickly after that, realizing that she was late to meet Nick, and she was still wearing the same clothes she came in from last night. She bolted up as Nick unlocked the door and let himself in, dressed immaculately in his uniform. "You alright Carrots? You're usually-" he paused to take in Judy's current bedraggled look. He blinked. "Are those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday? Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine! Come on, let's go make the world a better place!" she said, feigning optimism as she attempted to take a step, only to trip on the carpet.

"You know what, Fluff? I'll drive today. Take it easy," Nick said, lifting up the small grey bunny easily. "And when did you get a carpet?" he asked.

Judy turned her head into his fur and growled out, "Don't. Ask."

Naturally, Nick didn't ask, but his worry slowly turned something more akin to sarcasm. "Have fun last night then?" he asked, grinning as he waited for the sleep-drunk rabbit to get it. They were walking down the stairs and he already had the perfect terrible plan to embarrass her.

"What? No, it was...Nick."

"I'm just asking. Must've tuckered you out plenty."

"Nick..."

"Just saying. I mean, I know I've said in the past that you need to relax but I didn't mean-"

"Nick! I didn't have sex last night!" Judy yelled as she was exiting the apartment complex. Many of the other patrons froze to stare at her, with what looked like an old goat going 'You should try it sometime!', causing the young bunny to blush profusely. "Nick..." she mumbled.

"Yes, Carrots?"

"I'm going to get you back. Just you wait."

"I wait with baited breath."

From: Judy Hopps
To: Miles Prower
Subject: Espio

Hi Miles,

Is there a way you can call Espio off? He seems to have gotten it into his head that something bad is going to happen so he has to 'train' us. He snuck into my apartment somehow, where he proceeded to give me a beat down unlike any.

Also as soon as I get to the precinct I'm calling him in for breaking and entering and assault.

Sincerely, Judy Hopps

From: Vector the Crocodile
To: Judy Hopps
BCC: Adrian Bogo
Subject: Re: Re: Espio

Hiya Judy,

Good question. Unfortunately, Espio is the kind of ninja (read: nerd) who prefers to do his own thing all the time. Next time you see him, which will probably be tonight, tell him Vector says to stop torturing the poor little bunny girl. Also, make sure to tell that to him exactly like that, because otherwise he won't listen.

Also go for it. Maybe some time in the slammer will make him tone it down a bit.

Thanks,
Vector

From: Miles Prower
To: Vector the Crocodile
Subject: Re: Espio

Hey Vector, could you do something about Espio? Seems he's annoying/attacking a friend of mine under the guise of mentoring. He isn't going to listen to me unless I annoy him, and seeing as how I owe him for help with the Chaos Theory I can't do it. Besides, consider this one less favor owed for the amount of times you've needed my help.

Thanks!

Not everything is always serious all the time. Unfortunately I have a habit of not being able to juggle that.

Until Next Time, with hopefully less worldbuilding and boredom!