Sylas! Nick had been looking forward to the sound of a door being broken down followed by the pawfalls and hoofbeats of the members of the police force. Instead he got Sylas, here on his own, seemingly turned against them. "Barny Stiles, been a little while hasn't it?"
The rabbit laughed. "You got a new coat I see. It suits you."
Sylas looked at said trench coat, pulling at it with a paw. "It's quite useful, plenty of pockets. Apparently it looks good too."
Stiles sighed as he thrust his paws into the pockets of his robe. "Care to explain for our guests here?"
Sylas shrugged as he walked over and stood beside the rabbit, looking over at the stunned pair on the couch. "Zootopia is a big mess. It takes and gives randomly. A simple chance meeting can ruin your life, or improve it drastically." Judy and Nick shared a quick glance at that before looking back to the two.
Judy thought back to how many times she had been saved by luck. If she hadn't had Bellwether to bail her out after the incident with Mrs Otterton she'd have been fired from the ZPD and sent home. If she hadn't saved Fru Fru from the giant donut back in Little Rodentia she'd be dead, frozen beneath the ground of Tundratown. If she hadn't met Nick, well, her life would be a whole lot different. Sylas had one thing right she supposed.
"Zootopia needs someone better than a big softie like Lionheart or it'll never change. It needs a strong leader, one who's willing to take risks for the greater good, and bring us forward. I plan on having that leader be me," Sylas continued smirking.
Nick tilted his head at the two. "Why are you even telling us all this? You can't possibly plan on letting us just waltz out with this information." Judy frowned at him but he had a point, they knew too much already.
Sylas chuckled quietly as he turned to face the pair fully. "I'm telling you because I'm giving you two a chance. If you would simply pledge loyalty to your new mayor, you can expect a great deal more than an officer's salary, as well as some other benefits. A new house, promotions, you name it."
Judy and Nick looked at each other, surprise on their faces. "How do you know you won't trick us?" asked Nick.
Sylas simply laughed. "I'm a wolf. It's in my nature to look out for members of the pack. Besides, I believe you two could be useful pieces in the upcoming game; much akin to a well-played rook or knight. It would be terrible to waste such pieces with stupid moves when they have so much potential."
Judy then suddenly shouted out, making Sylas pull his head back in surprise. "You're…You're killing innocent citizens! How many have to die before you realize what you're doing?!"
Sylas sighed. "No game of chess may be won without losing a single piece on the board. Sacrifices must be made on both sides to achieve victory," he said, sullenly. Nick tilted his head a little; did Sylas actually feel bad about all this? "Sometimes good animals must die for great animals to thrive. I've spent a long time figuring that out. The real question is, will you be able to see the necessity of it all? To see beyond the present and into the future?"
Judy was still looking for excuses, arguments to throw at him, and she was grasping at straws now. "Why the night howler serum? What purpose could that possibly serve?"
Sylas sighed once again and sat back down in an armchair to the left of the two officers. "Its reintroduction was three-fold. The first is because it's effective; it forces an opponent to play carefully and not walk into a trap. The second is because it causes little to no structural damage, allowing us to work without the fear of knocking a building down. The third is, because it helps prevent suffering in those we unfortunately have to sacrifice."
Judy was about to interrupt again but Sylas immediately noticed and held up a paw. "Let me explain. The serum as you know affects the mind of the individual as well as adapts their physical body to fit. Many cannot see through the haze, the bloodlust, the pure instinct to compete and survive; it'd take an individual with incredible self-control to not succumb to it. The truth of the matter is, it feels good. To fight and kill and win, ignoring your own injuries and pain to survive. Nothing ignites true power within an animal than a foe's life force matting their fur, staining their claws. Even as evolved as we are we cannot deny that feeling, that rush of adrenaline; it comes from all forms of competition. And a fight to the death, is the ultimate contest."
Sylas grinned at his own words before continuing. "They feel next to no pain, only an urge to fight to their last, even the prey. Nothing fights harder than a cornered animal, an honourable way to go if you ask me. They spend their last few moments trying their hardest to bring down the creature that wronged them. As little as it may seem to you, do you not find that at least a little comforting?"
Judy paused and sighed. Besides the cruelty of it all, she could not find another argument besides the childish, 'killing is bad'. She looked to Nick for guidance who was simply sitting there with a straight face. Sylas saw he had them thinking and chuckled. "Am I finally getting through?"
Judy had no response, as did Nick. After all, it was going to be accept or die. Were they willing to die for what they believed was truly right? Or, would they be willing to get their paws dirty, and live a little longer for the 'greater good'? "Could you give us a minute?" asked Nick.
Sylas looked to Stiles who nodded. "Alright, I can give you some time to consider your options. Oh, and don't think about running. I'll make sure you both endure a living hell otherwise. You have five minutes." With that the pair walked out through a side door and Judy could hear them walking off into the distance, chatting away quietly.
"Why'd you do that?" Judy asked curiously.
"Because I don't like talking in front of them, what do you think?"
Judy looked disgusted. "What do I think? What do you think I think? I think it's insane!"
Nick tilted his head. "You do realize if we don't accept we're going to get imprisoned or worse? I don't want to die so I'm saying yes, and before you say anything Carrots, I don't like it either."
Judy was about to retort before sighing. "I rather like living too. I've still done so little, I don't want to die here."
Nick nodded. "That's right. We're young, healthy and quite good looking if I do say so myself," he said slicking back his ears with a smirk that made Judy giggle. "We can get through this. We'll come out laughing, you hear me?" Nick sighed. "Y'know, his plan besides the coup sounds okay. Lionheart hasn't been the same since he did all that time. He's been way more skittish, I can only imagine what he's like now."
Judy didn't like it but it was true. She wasn't that into politics but she knew that Lionheart wasn't doing a good job of running things nowadays. And all the candidates to replace him seemed worse in a way. Sylas was strong, courageous, able to motivate. He was already a proven leader, and it wasn't unbecoming for someone like him to take over in a situation like this. "Do you think he'll kill Lionheart?"
Nick shrugged. "Why don't you ask him yourself when he comes back? I personally think it's a possibility, he already has willing troops, and with a mind like his, an attack on city hall might be the next step."
Judy nodded. They sat quiet for a moment before Judy heard what she assumed to be their captors coming back. She was right, and they came in through the same door they left, Sylas however seemed to be carrying a tray, with some glasses and a bottle on it. He laid it down on the coffee table in the center of the room before turning to them as he poured a golden yellow liquid into each of the glasses. "Have you reached a consensus?"
Nick and Judy nodded. "We'll work for you," Judy said with a blank face. "Loyally, until this is all over."
Sylas grinned. "I had a good feeling about you two from the start; you really are a smart pair. I really hoped that you would accept. It would have been such a waste to spill more blood, especially when it's so precious. Perhaps you'll join me in a toast before we discuss how we'll operate?" he said offering the pair some of the crystal tumblers containing the drink. Nick happily took his while Judy was a little more cautious, she wasn't too keen on drinks but she didn't mind them.
Sylas and Stiles took theirs and happily raised them. "To a long and fruitful partnership. To the future!"
"The future!"
They drank and smiled weakly at each other. However Judy and Nick felt a little funny. Perhaps it was just a really strong drink; no, drinks didn't feel like this, Nick and Judy could feel their consciousness slipping away. They fell back onto the couch, struggling to keep their eyes open as Sylas leaned down. "Double cross me, and I'll see to it that it's not just you who suffers…" With that they passed out completely.
The next morning Nick and Judy awoke back home, perfectly unharmed and untouched physically. However, their deal with the devil weighed heavily on their minds because of it. Granted, they could have woken up in far worse places had they said no. They could have woken up in a tiny prison cell, hell they could have not woken up at all. But here they were, safe and sound in Nick's house. In his room. In the same bed. Nick woke up first and was a little surprised at this revelation but he smiled and crawled out of the bed carefully, not wanting to wake the sleeping Judy. He'd have to make the bed later but that was no big deal.
It was then as the morning haze that was clouding his thoughts lifted, he realized he wasn't wearing anything. Upon this discovery he quickly looked over at Judy, who was thankfully still fast asleep. He opened up his closet and found that his police uniform as well as Judy's had been freshly laundered and hung up, not a crease to be found. He shrugged it off and found himself an outfit he liked and took it through to the bathroom. He usually liked to keep his outfits hanging up as he showered, the steam helped iron them out a little.
He had a quick shower, and soon found himself sitting on the living room couch with a big omelette on a plate in his grasp. He had always enjoyed eggs, and they were an excellent source of protein for a predator like him. Granted there were many alternatives in this day and age but none were as appealing and simple to cook as eggs.
He flicked on the TV and set it to ZNN as he usually did in the mornings. What he didn't realize was that it was already 9:48. If Bogo hadn't ordered he and Judy to work with Sylas they'd be getting their ears blown apart right now. But, considering the circumstances of the entire arrangement Nick believed he would be able to enjoy his breakfast and wait for the news at ten.
The whole arrangement was a little crazy when you tried to think about it. Bogo had ordered them to work with the SWAT division in light of the attacks under Colonel Sylas, but Sylas was the one behind the attacks and had caught them, so they were working for Sylas but not in the way Bogo probably intended and…Ugh, just thinking about it made his head hurt. Nick didn't like to do much work until he had some coffee; the drink pepped him up immensely and was something he fancied himself quite the connoisseur of. He knew different blends and had his opinion on what temperature was the perfect drinking temperature, which was 54 degrees centigrade, and anyone who said otherwise immediately lost some of his respect.
It wasn't long before the news started and a familiar sight met his eyes in Peter Moosebridge and his co-anchor. He had never quite learned her name, but the snow leopard was very good at her job and had an accent which Nick found made her impossible to look away from. "Welcome to the news at ten, our stories this morning…" As per usual the scene cut to various pictures and clips from the news stories they'd be reporting on.
"Last night a jewellery store downtown was robbed, the criminals were able to slip away without triggering the alarm, police are currently asking for leads." Nick waved a paw as he shovelled a big spoonful of omelette into his face. The ZPD had bigger problems than stolen necklaces, but he supposed they couldn't just ignore it.
"Survivors from the University attack are making good recoveries as the school is cleaned up. The Zootopia SWAT division estimate that the school will be able to return to standard use by the end of the month." Nick snickered as he heard that, he shook his head at the screen and awaited the next story summary.
"And lastly, protestors have taken to city hall in force, demanding that mayor Lionheart take action to help defend the city and keep the citizens safe. The mayor has not yet released a statement about the attack on the university, and has not been seen outside of city hall since. The ZPD has dispatched officers, who have set up a barricade in response. There have been no arrests yet, but as the crowd continues to grow ZPD officers are preparing for the worst." Nick raised an eyebrow. Sylas' plan was working, the citizens were confronting Lionheart. Knowing the lion he'd probably be writing his speech right now. Lionheart hated pressure and unrest, a bigger crowd of protestors and he might just fold like a red hot chocolate bar. After seeing the crowd he was for once thankful that the ZPD was just one park's distance from town hall.
Nick never watched the news in full unless there was something interesting on, so he just flicked off the TV and after washing his plate and cutlery went back into the bedroom where Judy was still sleeping. He assumed that whatever drug they had used was having a better effect on her smaller frame. He thought about waking her, but, she looked so peaceful and happy; she must have been having a good dream.
He sat down at his desk and paused for a moment before his eyes wandered to the lower drawer of the desk. He sighed as he shook his head and went back to the laptop, but somehow his paw had developed a will of its own, and very soon he found himself opening the beaten up photo album and looking at all the old pictures. He took out his phone and called a familiar number, he didn't know why he called it as often as he did, he always got the same response. One ring…Two rings…Three rings…
He flipped the page as the ringing turned to a voice, sweet and innocent. He knew it was just the answering machine but the voice still felt comforting.
"Hi! It's River here, I'm either out or busy right now so leave a message for me and I'll get back to you soon!"
There was a long beep and silence, as the machine took in Nick's recording. However, he said nothing. He just stared at the pictures as tears began to fall and stain the page. He remembered that bike ride, he had almost gotten some skinned palms while trying to take the picture but it was worth it. Then there was that time at that fancy restaurant, he had gotten something a little too spicy for his tastes, River couldn't stop giggling at his discomfort. With every picture he got more and more upset. He wept quietly, the phone picking up all of it.
Judy looked on, unsure of what to do. She had woken up and had seen Nick hunched over his desk, crying. He just sat there, a sharp intake of breath contrasting the quiet sobs every now and then as he held his head in his paws, staring at the desk.
Judy was in a little deep here, she had never seen Nick quite like this. He never cried, ever. He never showed his sensitive side, especially around her. He must have thought she was still out cold. There was no other explanation for his behaviour. Then she saw the album, instantly recognising it. Maybe she should just pretend to sleep, and try to forget this happened. Although, seeing Nick like this… "Are you okay Nick?"
The crying suddenly stopped and there were a few deep breaths as Nick rubbed at his eyes before turning to face Judy. "Hey, uh, morning Carrots; have a nice rest?"
Judy nodded but grimaced at Nick's face, she could see streaks where tears had run down his face, and his eyes were near bloodshot. He was hurting, but, Judy didn't know how softly she should tread here. This was ground she had not covered before; running across a potential minefield would not be a good idea. Judy decided she didn't need to cover this ground right now, so she decided to take the safer route instead. "Your bed is a little cushier than what I'm used to. For future reference I think I prefer the couch…" she said hopping out of bed and stretching.
Nick simply stared at Judy as she stretched in front of him; it seemed that she had not yet realized her predicament. "Uh, Carrots?"
Judy opened her eyes and stopped stretching as she looked at Nick who seemed to be covering his eyes. "What?"
Nick simply pointed a finger towards the ground. Judy blinked and looked down before covering herself with a pillow faster than a speeding bullet. "Ohmygosh, Nick, where are my clothes?! If this is your idea of a joke it's not funny!" she blurted out quickly as she turned a rather adorable shade of crimson.
Nick simply pointed to the closet. "If it's any consolation, I woke up the same way."
Judy still blushing and holding up the pillow moved towards the door. "Well, I'll just uh, go and use the shower. I expect something to eat when I get out for this!"
Nick who was still covering his eyes chuckled. "I didn't do it!" There was a loud slam as the bedroom door shut and Nick uncovered his eyes. He returned the album to its rightful place and hung up the phone which had been left recording the whole conversation. He didn't care, River never called back. However it made him think, he was an officer now, and he had access to things he didn't use to. Maybe there was a missing mammal file somewhere from a long time ago. He sat and thought about things for a moment before making a decision. He looked down at his yellow shirt before shrugging; he didn't need his uniform for this. He grabbed his keys and headed out.
Judy had always enjoyed long showers, and given the occasion she decided to have one. As scrubbed and cleaned she rolled her eyes at some of the brands. Granted she was a bunny of simple tastes, but Nick seemed to enjoy squeezing every penny out of his purchases. She only hoped the scent wasn't that lingering as it was making her nose twitch in ways she didn't like. She hopped out quite a long while later, and dried herself off. Thankfully Nick was smart enough to realize that towels needed a regular wash and there were plenty to use.
When she was finally sure that her fur wasn't dripping she looked at herself in the mirror. She sighed as she looked herself up and down before shrugging and going back outside slowly, clutching the pillow tightly against herself. "Nick? Are you there? I'm out now, no funny business okay?"
She got no response and eventually pushed her way into the bedroom again, however things seemed a bit different. Nick wasn't in here, but the bed had been made and upon it was laid several items. She saw her uniform, her usual breakfast order from Jitters', and a note from Nick.
It didn't inform her of much. Nick had simply said he was going out to do some work, and that he'd be back soon. She didn't have any other choices so she put on her uniform and out of spite, began to scarf down her meal on the bed.
Nick however was at the ZPD, tapping through his computer for anything available to him. He however was unable to find any record of the vixen he was looking for and figured he needed to go deeper. He found his way down to records and after asking for the file, was given an enormous box to look through. He frowned and searched through the missing mammal files. Many had been solved, others rather off-puttingly were not. Eventually he found the case file he was looking for; missing mammal, River Vulpecula. He opened it up and fanned out the contents, inside were reports from previous investigators, each turning up nothing. Each report said the same thing; that her last known sighting was in a car heading out of the city, and as such must have been running off to the country. There was no license plate to follow, the car's make and model were unknown and the edge of the city is where the ZPD's jurisdiction ends. Granted they may take cases outside sometimes, but they weren't about to chase a fox into the countryside for no good reason.
Nick stared at the reports with a sigh. Why had she run off? He shook his head, it didn't matter she was gone and that was that. However, as he was putting everything away, he caught side of her home address. Granted he already knew it, but the reminder gave him an idea. And soon enough he found himself outside River's humble abode. He had been here many times before, but that was in the past. He knew the house hadn't been resold, or the answering machine wouldn't be working. He assumed the door was locked, and after some digging around in some plant pots found the spare key. River had never given him a key, but she always kept her spare in the same place. He would always use it and put it back, River was always wondering how he was able to get in.
He turned the key in the lock and the bolt slid back with a dull click. He pushed open the door with some difficulty due to the enormous pile of mail blocking the door, and his face suddenly fell. The whole hallway and everything in it was caked in dust. In fact simply opening the door kicked up enough to make the fox cough. He walked in slowly, shutting the door behind him as he turned on the lights. Everything was exactly how he remembered it, except for the thick layer of dust and the loud beeping coming from the answering machine. He walked over and stared down at the machine before pressing play. "You have, six hundred and thirty-seven, new messages. Message one-"
Nick hit the stop button to cancel the playback as he sighed. She was almost certainly not here, and hadn't been in a while. He turned back to the door and took notice of the mail pile. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged before sitting down in the dust and going through the pile, sorting out what might be interesting versus what was probably a bill.
When it came down to the final few, Nick had accumulated a small pile of letters with return addresses ending in the same last name, family. Some of them were quite recent too.
Against his better judgement, he cracked one open and began reading.
"Dear big sis, happy birthday! Mom and dad told me not to bother you with a card. They said you were very busy. But I went and made one anyway! I hope-"
Nick put down the card and opened the next one.
"Dear River, I hope you're doing well. It's been a while since we've seen you, or heard from you actually. Could you please return our calls? I know it's not always ideal but we miss you, and we want to hear from y-"
The letter hit the floor, chucking up a minute amount of dust as it did so. Most of the letters were similar in design, but got considerably more panicked as he went down the pile, as they became more recent. The wording became more worried and they sounded like they were begging for a response. Eventually the letters just turned into what sounded more like answering machine messages than actual conversations.
She hadn't told anyone then. She'd just disappeared, for whatever reason. He shrugged, maybe it was some big crime thing, or maybe she was being blackmailed. He shrugged and tossed the latest letter to the ground. All it had contained was a simple 'Happy birthday' along with a very simple 'please come back'. He stood there for a moment, brushing the dust off himself before kicking the neat stack envelopes over with a loud shout. He immediately regretted it as he suddenly found himself unable to breathe for all the dust and decided to just lock up and leave it behind him.
He left the house and locked the door, leaving the key in its usual spot. He was thankful she lived on such a secluded street, as he shook himself vigorously and soon was completely devoid of the dust. He sighed as he sat down on the front steps, planning his next move. After checking the time, which seemed to be passing faster than usual as it was already almost two in the afternoon, he decided to simply return to his house and see how Judy was getting on.
She however was not all that please to see him. "Where the heck have you been!? And why do you look like an antique?"
Nick blinked and looked at his clothing a little closer. He had only shaken off the loose dust; some of it had worked into the fabric a little. "I had some detective work to do. No worries. Anything happen while I was gone?"
Judy sighed and decided to drop the subject. "Actually, yeah, Lionheart held a press conference. I taped it for you, but go change first."
Nick chuckled and nodded. He liked having Judy around. She was helping him in a way by telling him what to do, she was a little bossy about it but he didn't care. When he was all clean and dust free in his trademark green shirt he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, finding the recording and hitting play. After fast-forwarding some advertisements he eventually got to see the news where they were, of course, reporting on the press conference.
"And now for the conference itself." The scene cut to Mayor Lionheart who was standing behind a podium, which had adorned upon it microphones from all the news networks in town. Nick had to say, Lionheart looked a little worse for wear. But he still stood tall and proud as he usually did, and spoke with all the confidence a mayor should have. The press conference seemed to be taking place inside, which Nick found a little comforting. Nothing should be able to happen him to him inside of city hall.
"In light of the recent attacks, I ask all citizens to stay calm. I am assured by all branches of the ZPD that investigations are underway and are coming up with many leads. In the coming days you can expect to see an increase in police patrols, this is to assure the safety of the city during this time of crisis. Now, any questions?"
Naturally there was a cacophony of noise as every reporter in the crowd stuck up a paw or their equivalent of one, trying to get their question answered as fast as possible. Eventually Lionheart picked an individual and the Q&A began. "What can you tell us about the individuals behind the university attack?"
"All we know is that they're an unknown terrorist group primarily consisting of prey animals. The ZPD suspects that they are linked to former mayor Bellwether due to their methods." Nick raised an eyebrow; there was an obvious sneer at the name Bellwether. Clearly he was still a bit angry over the whole incident a year ago. He was just lucky he got his job back in Nick's personal opinion.
"Are we safe from further attacks?"
Mayor Lionheart shifted for a minute before replying. "No attack can ever be prevented one hundred percent, but now that we know this is happening we can take measures to prevent as much as we can."
"What do you have to say about the protestors?"
"Simply that all departments of the emergency services are working at maximum capacity, and we are doing all we can to keep the city safe. Stay calm, and in time this time of hardship will pass like any other."
"Have you considered a mandatory curfew?"
"It is currently under discussion. Rest assured, due to the size of Zootopia it is not a decision we are going to make lightly."
"Some are demanding you step down from office, what do you have to say about that?"
"I think right now we need to focus on our current situation. With no obvious candidates, an election at a time like this would simply be a waste of time as well as a target."
Nick had to admit, he was certainly keeping composed. I guess that was the mark of a good politician. Anytime Bogo held a press conference, all questions that put his status or the status of the ZPD in question were met with a stern look and a snort. Judy came through and sat down beside him as he continued to watch the Q&A. "What do you think?"
Nick sighed. "I think he's doing a good job, if they listen to him Sylas is gonna have a bit of a hard time."
Judy nodded. She was about to start talking when two dings grabbed their attention. They quickly pulled out their phones to see the texts that they had just received. "86 Pinecone Lane. 5:30PM. Don't be too late."
They looked up at each other and blinked. "Think it's Sylas?"
Judy rolled her eyes. "Of course it is, who else would it be?"
Nick shrugged. "Maybe it's some really odd marketing campaign. Maybe when we get down there we'll find a funfair," he said smirking.
Judy rolled her eyes. "Let's just get ready."
5:30 rolled around pretty quick and soon they found themselves knocking on the door of 86 Pinecone Lane. This street was out in the suburbs, just on the outskirts of Tundratown. They half expected to see Sylas when they opened the door, but instead they got a rather lithe wolf, his fur white as the snow that lay around them. He wore a red button up shirt with a fancy pattern, the collar sharp and pointed. Besides that he wore a simple pair of jeans and a pair of glasses, which sat comfortably perched upon his muzzle. He didn't look like much, but the duo had been ordered here for a reason. "Hopps and Wilde I take it?" When they nodded he simply led them inside. "Welcome to my humble little abode. It's not much, but hey, she keeps me warm." The wolf said with a smile.
Judy and Nick were led into the living room which was rather quaint. The wooden furniture looked ancient as did the decoration. There was a big painting of some snowy mountains above the hearth, in which a cozy little fire was lit. The duo were almost taken aback, they had expected a dark room with a single light and thugs who would keep them in check; not some cosy cottage on the edge of Tundratown with a well-mannered wolf to greet them.
"Would the two of you like some hot cocoa?" Judy had decided against drinking beverages given to her by strangers, but Nick happily accepted. The wolf went off and came back rather quickly with two steaming mugs of cocoa, each topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. Judy instantly regretted not taking the offer. "My name, is too long and silly to say so I normally go by the short and simple, Trev."
Nicholas chuckled a little. "Right? Tell me about it. Why waste breath when a simple 'Nick' is fine?"
Judy blinked. "What's wrong with Nicholas?"
Nick shrugged. "It's two syllables longer than it could be. I could use those to add, 'likes pies' instead of saying my full name."
Trev simply chuckled. "I get three extra syllables out of mine. But that's beside the point. You two are probably wondering what you're doing here." They simply nodded and Trev continued. "Well, Sylas didn't have time to see you himself so you get me. He thought I'd be a 'welcome change of pace'," he said rolling his eyes as he made the air quotes. "Normally he does things like this himself or gets one of the soldiers to do it."
Nick chuckled but Judy simply tilted her head. "So, why are we here?"
The wolf held up a paw as he sipped his drink, before getting up and retrieving something from the next room. "I'm supposed to brief you on your assignment, which is to distract the ZPD so they'll be a little slower to respond to what Sylas has planned."
"Which is?" Nick asked as he wiped some whipped cream from his muzzle.
Trev simply shrugged. "I don't know; I'm just a comms guy mainly. He likes to keep things on a 'need to know' basis usually. Makes pinning thing on him a lot harder. Now, the plan is as follows," he continued, opening the folder he had retrieved from the other room. "While on patrol, you two will go out in pursuit of a 'suspicious vehicle'. This vehicle however does not exist, and you will drive to the edge of the city before getting out and alerting the ZPD of a, oh for crying out loud just read it."
He slid the file down the table towards them and went back to his cocoa. Nick chuckled, he liked this guy. Trev seemed pretty cool, even if he was working for Sylas. "Why are you working for Sylas? What'd he offer you?"
Trev simply shrugged. "To be honest he didn't offer much," he said pushing his glasses up. "Maybe it's just my job, he went around recruiting and anyone who said no seemed to be transferred pretty quickly. Luckily he got to me last, and well, I like my current place so I agreed."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You're not bothered by the methods at all?"
Trev sat up in his chair and sighed. "To be honest, it has come to mind, I just try not to think about it. But at this point I don't think I'm gonna be allowed to just walk out."
Judy who had been reading the file perked up a bit. "So you don't want a part of this either? Does Sylas know?"
Trev shrugged. "If he did I doubt I'd be the one speaking to you. To answer your first question though, I think I'd prefer a quieter job. But what am I gonna do? What are you gonna do to stop him?"
Judy and Nick looked at each other. "We need evidence, enough to prevent him from becoming mayor and hopefully arrest him," said Judy as she thought aloud.
"Sylas is a tricky guy, he likes setting things up so only he can see the bigger picture. Your assignment for example, it just tells you what to do. It doesn't tell you what that accomplishes in the long run. Almost all of them are the same. That folder itself isn't enough to work with," Trev explained.
Nick sighed. "We'd need hard evidence. A voice clip or, or a recording. Something we can nail him to the wall with."
Trev shrugged as he sipped his drink. "Or you could kill him."
Nick and Judy both looked over to him with slightly disgusted faces, to which he just blinked. "What? It's not like he's immortal or anything."
Judy tilted her head. "Did you maybe forget the part where, I don't know, killing is illegal? What if we got caught?"
Trev put down his mug and leaned forward. "Personally, I think it's the best option outside of letting him do what he likes. He's an old wolf, lived his life."
Judy sighed. "We'll go with our current plan for the time being. Let's just, just go along with this stupid plan and maybe we can find something to pin him with."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "You know, this is going to be the foundation for another attack. Are you sure?"
Judy grumbled. "We don't exactly have a choice."
Trev nodded. "We can't show our hand when all we've got is a high card. Let's just sit and wait a while, see what cards fate deals us. It might not be pretty but it might be just what we need."
Nick simply smiled, he was glad they had a new ally they could work with. And he seemed like a pretty cool guy, his hot cocoa was certainly nothing to shrug off. Judy on the other paw was still suspicious, but she'd trust him for now.
"So, partners?" Nick said, holding up his mug towards the wolf.
There was a loud clink followed by a laugh as some cocoa splattered on the table. "Partners."
And there you have it, Act 2 complete. This one was a bit of a doozy to write, there was so much I wanted to put in and it eventually just became a big mess of words. I've been building up a lot for Act 3 and I'm pretty sure you're going to like what I have planned. Now, this chapter is particularly long. I'm going to be a little slower with my writing due to my schoolwork and exams which are in May. I actually have my first one on May 9th. So I will apologize in advance for how infrequent these chapters will be. I'll try to keep them weekly at the very most. I'm actually planning on doing a lot of writing tomorrow in honour of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, so that's that.
Anyhoo, I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support of the story and I'd like to share with you some good news. While this story may be reaching its last legs, I already have pages of new ideas for Zootopia fiction. Rest assured I'll explore as many of them as I can, so stick around!
Anyways, it's 11:14PM as I write this and it's been a twenty hour day for me of schoolwork and chores and exercise. I don't want to keep you waiting so I'll forgo the full spell and grammar check tonight. I'll probably make edits in the morning when I have coffee in my system. I hope you've enjoyed Act 2 of Blazing Darkness, look out for Act 3 next week.