"As entertaining as it would be, murder isn't the solution fluff." Nick calmed his partner while teasing her at the same time.
Judy was in a state of disbelief at the sight of Sly's calling card replacing the stack of paperwork she had slaved over for hours the night before. Her complaints and muffled death threats aimed towards the raccoon had woken up Nick, who nearly fell out of the bed in a confused fit due to the commotion. This kind of behavior was unusual for Judy, but considering how late she stayed up writing the report, it made sense the exhausted rabbit would be a little cranky.
"I know," Judy replied, taking a breath and beginning to relax, "but he is really getting on my nerves."
"Well can you blame him?" Nick sat up from where he lay on Judy's bed, "He's an international criminal and we are a couple of cops trying to report him to an Interpol task force led by a potentially unstable vixen."
"It's not just the report. He broke in here while we were both asleep, it…it creeps me out a little."
A brief silence fell upon the small apartment as both occupants let that last thought linger. Neither wanted to say anything, but they each knew what the other was thinking. Sly's actions continued to complicate an already problematic case. He was unpredictable, almost irrational, and it was taking a toll on the two officers who were caught up in it all.
"I'll start rewriting the report." Judy sighed, turning away from the fox across from her, who looked to be deep in thought.
"Don't bother," Nick let out quietly, catching his partner's attention as he stood up with a yawn and a stretch, "I think it's time we had a chat with Mr. Cooper."
"Oh no, don't say it Nick. I know what you're thinking and this has never ended well."
A smirk slowly formed on his face while Judy hopelessly pleaded.
"C'mon carrots, I know a guy…technically a girl, but still."
"Ugh, do you have any idea how many near death experiences have begun with you saying 'I know a guy'?"
"Are they dangerous? Potentially. But I'm pretty sure you're always the one running directly into the danger shouting 'woot-woot!'."
"Yeah! There's no stopping the rabbit pain train!" The voice of Judy's neighbor cheered on through the wall of her tiny room.
"Shut up man! Let the cops solve their case!" Another voice followed, berating the first.
"Fine. Lead the way." Judy conceded, unable to deal with Nick and her neighbors at the same time, especially in the state she was in.
Holding his grin and sneaking in a wink, Nick adjusted his tie and stepped out the door. Judy quickly gathered her things and followed, all the while her neighbors argued on in the background. The two exited the building and came out onto the relatively quiet Sunday morning streets of Zootopia. Today was their day off, so the officers dressed in civilian clothing. Nick, with his 'meh' attitude towards fashion wore the same outfit he always did, Hawaiian shirt and tie combo with loose fitting pants. Judy, having no mental ability to care at the moment, payed as little attention to her clothing as he did, wearing a simple blue flannel over a gray t-shirt with jeans. They were quite the pair walking down the road, but there were stranger sights to behold in the craziness of the city.
"So, what eccentric personality are we visiting today?" Judy inquired as they lazily strolled through downtown, finally beginning to wake up as the sun pierced its way over the horizon.
"Honey's an old friend. She's one of those folks that's just always there for you." Nick replied.
"Old friend to you means literally anyone you've ever met."
"That's only somewhat true. No, Finnick and I used to run a hustle with her back when we were starting out. Now, I may know everyone around here, but Honey, she knows where they are."
"You're telling me some random friend of yours just so happens to know where a gang of international criminals are hiding."
"Maybe. See, she runs a con artist's paradise, it's a sort of hotel for those who want to lay low, keep away from the public eye for a while."
"Yet another place the ZPD should probably know about?"
"Yeah, there are a lot of those."
"I've noticed. You think they are staying at her place?"
"It's possible, but so many small time outlaws, hustlers, and other questionable figures come in and out of there daily that some kind of information about them has to have been passed around."
"Alright," Judy was slightly optimistic about this lead. Nick spoke of his friend honestly, no hint of deception or uncertainty in his voice this time around. "So where is this place?"
"Ah, that's the best part." The fox replied with a grin.
Judy pestered her partner for the location as the two continued on for a ways, getting just outside the main stretch of downtown. A multitude of apartments, shops, and restaurants lined the smaller side streets they traversed. She looked curiously at every one they passed once Nick slowed his pace a bit. Any one of those structures could be a simple façade, hiding dozens of mammals who might well be on Zootopia's most wanted list. As exciting as the prospect was, Judy knew the location would have to remain hidden. Nick trusted her, he was showing the rabbit this place because he knew she respected the unspoken 'code of the con' as he called it. She had caught on to these little rules by watching Nick deal with all the shady characters they encountered out on the beat. One of the most prevalent was the obvious 'you don't rat me out, I won't rat you out' the level of trust they all had in each other was incredible. Judy's reminiscing was halted when she noticed Nick come to stop in the middle of an empty street.
"We're here." He stated.
Compared to other parts of the city, the road they were on wasn't too bad. Most of the buildings seemed alright, not too much graffiti, only a few boarded up windows. The one they were standing directly out front of a moderately sized building housing a rundown convenience store on the lower level with four floors of rooms on top of that. The cracked sign hanging above the entrance was faded beyond recognition, at this point it was no more than a white and blue smudge against the bricks. Judy took a step towards the convincingly disguised entrance of the store.
"Where are you going?" Nick's voice stopped her. She turned around to see him walking in the opposite direction, crossing to the other side of the street. Judy quickly ran to catch up with him, looking confused as they reached the sidewalk.
"I thought it was… Where is it actually?"
"I told you, that's the best part." A smug grin presented itself on the fox as he approached an old subway entrance. The way down to the station was gated off, but a gentle tug slid the metal fencing open, granting access to the stairs. Judy stepped towards the now open stairwell, but Nick's arm stopped her as he looked the rabbit dead in the eye.
"Listen, down there, don't mention that we're cops, okay? It wouldn't end well."
Judy nodded, noting how much stress her partner put on the warning. Nick lowered his arm and proceeded downwards. Walking to the bottom, the two were greeted by an old, rusted out metal door. The fox pulled open the squeaky door, causing a small bell next to in to ring as they entered.
The initial room, where the ticket booth of the subway was, had been closed off. The dimly lit, musky, and damp area seemed to be the final deterrent for anyone who went exploring a bit too far. Nick stepped over to the ticket booth and knocked on the glass.
"Hey Honey, I'd like a room for two please." He called out in a friendlier version of his standard sly tone.
After a moment, some rustling was heard coming from the booth.
"Hang on," A raspy voice called back anxiously among the sounds of various items crashing to the floor. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
"Honey's not the most organized." Nick said to Judy as they waited.
"Alrighty! How long you need?" The same voice called back as a large honey badger came into view in the booth, wearing a solid green tank top and camouflage pants surrounded by a stuffed tool belt.
"Depends, what's the rate for a conniving fox?"
"Nick!" The badger lit up as she recognized him, "Wait right there!"
She bolted out of the booth and around through the same crashing noises as before. A second later she burst though the only other door in the room.
"Nick Wilde!" She exclaimed, running up and giving the fox a huge hug, nearly suffocating the poor creature. Judy let out a good laugh, seeing the face he made as a result of the embrace.
"Hi Honey." Nick replied with what little air his lungs cold squeeze out.
Honey released him after a moment, letting Nick regain his composure before losing it again as the badger gave him a powerful pat on the back.
"My goodness, I haven't seen you in-oh…gosh, it's gotta be a few years now… Well how ya doin' Tricky-Nicky?!"
"I've been good Hon, a lot has happened since those days, but the catching up will have to wait. Right now we need your help."
"I figured you were here for a reason" Honey let out a brief sigh then a laugh before noticing Judy standing a few feet away, still smirking from the scene that just played out before her. The badger looked sternly back at Nick. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time? Another mafia? Angry lemmings? Is it the cops again, 'cause you know I can deal with the fuzz."
"Funny story actually," Nick hesitated, chuckling awkwardly as he tried to find the right way to explain the situation to his friend, "you see, we were hoping you could help us find a particular group of out-of-towners."
"Ahhh, seeking instead of hiding eh? That's a new one for you. Alright c'mon inside, out here's no place to get talking."
Honey led the group to the door, throwing it open to reveal what once was a subway station, completely transformed into something incredible. Just as Nick said, a hidden paradise, a secret hotel living just under the streets of the city. The two story platform was scattered with lighting fixtures of all shapes and sizes, spreading a strange hue across the yellowed walls of the rotting subway. Graffiti covered the majority of exposed surface adding to the peculiar atmosphere of the sprawling station. A dozen or so mammals were moving about, some coming up and down the stairs to the lower level, a few set up at rickety folding tables strew about in no discernable order, but most appeared to be moving about the tracks themselves off to the left. The two rows of abandoned subway tracks were lined with a surplus of train cars, all connected in a chain that extended deep into the darkened tunnels beyond. Every individual car acted as a hotel room for members of Zootopia's underworld. It wasn't pretty, but it served its purpose well.
Judy took in the sights as the group strolled over to Honey's office just around the corner. They entered the relatively small room, full of papers, file cabinets, toolboxes, and miscellaneous parts and pieces all over. The walls were scattered with plywood boards and a few buckets on the floor collected water leaking from the missing tiles in the ceiling. A small metal desk rested against the one wall that wasn't falling apart.
"So what's the story?" The badger spoke as she jumped onto the desk, using it as a seat.
"It's a bit of a personal issue," Nick responded, "Carrots over there had a slight misunderstanding with them and we need to get the situation sorted out."
"Never thought I'd see you working with a bunny, but then again you've always been full of surprises. Tell me about these friends of yours."
"They're not really friends per say, but it was a group of three, pretty much impossible to miss. A rather tall raccoon, real smooth talker, a big pink hippo, not too bright, and a turtle in a wheelchair, not something you see every day."
"Oh I remember that turtle! We don't get too many reptiles around here, but I've seen stranger. The whole group of 'em were pretty unforgettable though."
"You met them?"
"Oh yeah, they showed up a few days ago, didn't say why they were here, payed cash up front, haven't seen them since, real quiet that group is."
"Are you telling me they're still here?"
"Not in house, no, they requested one of the private locations."
"Great, where are they?" Nick asked cheerily, both he and Judy were excited at the news.
"Hold on there Nick." Honey slowed the excitement, "You know I can't let you go find them, it's against policy."
"Yeah, but this is important, I wouldn't have asked you otherwise,"
"Sorry, but rules are rules, even for a slick fox."
"You know me Hon, never been one for rules."
Honey overlooked Nick's insistence, instead focusing on the rabbit standing just behind him. Judy gave her a pleading look, which seemed to soften the badger as her sternness faded away.
"This is about you, isn't it." Honey said to Judy.
"Kind of." She responded quietly as her partner took a step back, allowing everyone to see each other better.
"Listen, I don't know you, but I know Nick, and the only person he's ever helped is himself. If he went through this much trouble to help you, then it's got to be something special. Now I don't ask questions, I don't care to know what it is you are up to, I make my business out of not knowing yours. But- you are asking me to breech the security of one of my clients… Give me the full story and I might just 'misplace' my log book."
Judy looked to Nick, surprised at Honey's change of stance. The fox gave her a slow nod, giving her permission to explain everything. He knew that she could handle this one. Taking a breath and reaching into her pocket, Judy gave an apologetic look to the badger.
"Hi, so, I'm Officer Judy Hopps," She said as she showed her badge to Honey who had a mixture of confusion and betrayal on her face as she glanced over to Nick, "and that's my partner, Officer Wilde."
At this, Nick put on a grin and produced his own badge.
"I didn't know how to tell you…" The fox said.
A brief, tense pause was followed by bellowing laughter as the badger leapt off the desk and embraced Nick yet again.
"HA! Wow! Who woulda thought? I knew you were destined for big things Nicky."
Judy watched as a huge, sincere smile of relief filled his face.
"Thanks, not everyone's been so accepting."
"Are you kidding? I'm proud of you. And I can't wait to hear the rest of this, knowing you it's got to be good!"
Honey leaned against her desk as Nick and Judy began explaining the series of events that brought them to her. She was laughing and smiling all the way through, constantly prodding Nick, who would either snap back a witty quip or simply roll his eyes and leave it at that. The badger seemed concerned when Nick described Judy's injury, both of them could tell that made up her mind right there. After a few more minutes of sharing stories and anecdotes about the past, Honey walked over to Judy.
"You're sure you are only going to talk to them?" The badger questioned.
"That's the plan." Judy replied honestly.
"We just want this whole thing sorted out." Nick jumped in as well. "If we can figure it out so no one gets in trouble and they don't go to jail, then everyone's happy."
Honey nodded, turning around and opening the top drawer of her desk. She pulled out a large, battered book and a small note card. Flipping thought the book, she stopped on a page near the back and scribbled down some information onto the card. The badger then put everything back away, locking the drawer after it shut. Facing the two partners again, she held out the card, but yanked it back as Nick reached for it.
"Listen, this is a one time deal, mostly because I like you Judy, so don't expect to get this kind of help again. But I am open to go get dinner sometime, or we could just hang out here if you want to stop by whenever."
"Thanks Honey." Judy said, taking a step forward and grabbing the card before Nick had a chance.
"Catch ya later Hon." Nick smiled as the two turned to make their exit.
"Take care guys! Don't go causing trouble Nick!" Honey called after them as they headed back to the surface, continuing to offer her advice as they went out of earshot, "Watch out for cops… wait never mind that, well I mean you should still watch for them, other cops I mean, not each other. But look out for each other. Just don't die!"
"I'll tell ya Nick," Judy gave her partner a look as they stood back on the sidewalk, the badger's rough voice still partially audible through the cement below them, "you know some real interesting individuals."
"Honey's a special kind of mammal, great friend though." The fox replied with an honest grin.
"You know, now I need to hear all about the good old days, 'Tricky-Nicky'."
"Oh no carrots, don't you start with that."
"C'mon, it's such a good one, I can't believe I never thought of it before."
"I have made a terrible mistake… Note to self, you are not meeting anyone else I know."
"But wasn't that so much fun-"
"Just tell me where we're going."
"Fine," Judy slowed down her torment of the fox, it wasn't a good idea to egg him on this early in the morning. She looked at the note card Honey had given them, attempting to decipher the scribbles imprinted on it, "This just says 'The Bridge'."
"Alright," Nick perked up at the sound of the location, "looks like we're headed to Sahara Square."
That's right, I'm not dead! Time for some explaining, I was actually on a family vacation last week (it was wonderful, thanks for asking). I thought I'd have this chapter ready before I left but it didn't happen, mostly because I was watching some of the special features on the Zootopia Blu Ray and saw a character that I found really interesting and decided to include in this chapter at the last minute. Now I know I alluded to the big team-up last time, but this chapter just got too long to include it. I'm going to work overtime to get the next one out super quick. I'd like to thank you all for your patience, there are far too many stories that get abandoned and it's sad to see them go unfinished, I apologize if I scared any of you with my absence. Thank you all so much for reading and look forward to some good stuff next chapter.