A/N: I immediately wrote this one right after last chapter was posted. It is time for the truth. And here's some recaps of what happened all this time just in case if you forget.
Disclaimer: Disney owns Zootopia and its characters. There, I said it.
Recaps: Nick and Judy finally moved in. Everyone in the ZPD had the same case about the Robin Hood. Judy met the Robin Hood who she thought was Nick but was actually Nick's old friend, Max, who told them that Robin Hood is actually the name of their crew. Nick and Judy afterwards were suspected for meeting with the Robin Hood and were wanted but thanks to Max, they escaped to a place called Los Horserus. Max's old comrades were murdered by Voxroy, and ex-member of Robin Hood, on the night that they planned to meet but then police appeared and they were forced to go up north to Sheepiyou County where they afterwards suspected that Voxroy maybe a police officer after a threat at the Living Pelts, a bar run by a friend of Max. At first they thought it was Officer Darren Wile but it was actually, Jake McGold.
Nick opened his eyes slowly and finds himself surrounded by walls. He quickly stood up and shouted. "Judy! Judy!" There was a faint sound to his right and he turned to it. "Judy?"
"Nick?" Judy's voice finally broke through. However, unlike Nick, Judy was tied up around her body and there were more spaces around her. About four times bigger than the one Nick was in.
"Thank god…" he said, relieved. "Where are we?"
"I don't know…"
"You…" said a voice through the speaker. "Are in MY dormant."
Nick and Judy looked up to find McGold, smirking at them.
"Why are you doing this?!" Judy shouted.
McGold shook his head and put on the utility muzzle. "Does this remind you of anything?" he said in that demonic-voice.
Judy's ears dropped. She remembered now. Jake McGold… Is Voxroy… The one that murdered Max's comrades and shot Cheryl.
The jackal took off his muzzle. "Always hated wearing that thing…" he said. "Almost as if Frankie told us to know our place."
"Why did you do it then?" Nick finally spoke up, frowning at him. "Revenge?"
"Oh ho, no. More like… Punishing them. For betraying our crew."
"YOU betrayed them." Judy argued.
"NO!" McGold said with all his might. "I was loyal. I had a purpose in that group. But ever since everyone went their separate ways, I was still dealing with snob-nose commanders and chiefs in every police station that I have covered for us! And because of that, I still have to deal with these cases and yet the police officers still couldn't leave me alone about it."
"And you're okay with your friends dying?" Nick shouted.
"Friends…?" McGold looked away. "They aren't my friends… Not anymore… Especially not Max." The jackal walked into a room and speak through the microphone. "You see," he said. "I've heard about how you two solved the Bellweather case. Whoopdie doo. But that was because she was a prey. Now imagine if a predator was the one planning all that. But… On second thought…"
McGold pushed a button and purple gas started coming out of the vents on Nick's side. He coughed a lot which made Judy banged the wall on her end.
"Nick?! What happened?!"
Nick put himself in a fetus position as he inhaled the gas reluctantly and soon… His pupils dilated. He got on all four and started growling, showing off his fangs and went totally berserk.
"Nick?! NICK?!" Judy called out. She turned towards McGold. "What did you do to him?!"
"Why not I show you instead?" McGold said, laughing. He pushed another button which raised up the walls between her and Nick. "You might wanna back up, little bunny."
Her face turning into total shocked when she saw it… Nick's clothes slowly ripped apart biting off anything he can find. He turned to Judy's direction and growled, crawling his way to her. She took a few steps back and ran.
The situation was more different this time. There was literally nothing in the room they were in. Only walls and lights. They were in a hole but there was literally no escape. The walls around them were about 16 feet high and there was nothing to slow down Nick or hide anywhere. And what's more, she was tied up.
Judy would kicked him whenever he came close to her. This was no longer the Nick she knew. He has totally turned into a savage animal.
"Nick…" she said, crying as she watched him crawl towards her, growling.
Nick plunged himself towards her as she closed her eyes before she could meet her end. But then a strong force quickly pushed him aside.
She opened an eye to find Max in front of her.
"Max!" she said. Max quickly untied her, setting her free. He quickly turned back towards Nick.
"Come on, Nick," he said, looking at his savage friend. "Snap out of it. This is the bunny you love that you're trying to eat here."
Nick launched himself towards Max and bit his neck. Max gritted his teeth in pain and pushed him aside. He held on to his bleeding neck. His paws begin to shake again as he saw the blood in his paws. He hit himself a couple times to get himself together only to be pinned down by Nick who was trying to bite his throat out.
Max quickly pushed him away again and gasped for air. He looked up at Nick slowly. He has finally made up his mind.
"Long ears…" he said to Judy. "Back away as far as you can…"
Max took off his gloves hesitantly and tossed them on the ground getting on all four. His fur begin to stand up with his pupil dilated almost looking like a cold-blooded predator.
Judy was trembling in fear. She was seeing two foxes, growling at each other, giving each other the coldest and most merciless looks. Nick ran towards Max and jumped towards him only to get his wrists bitten.
Max afterwards begin clawing him in the back but Nick was resisting. He turned around quickly and bit the same place where he bit Max's neck. Max cried in pain. He then gripped Nick's body and tossed him to the wall with ease, putting Nick almost out cold.
Unlike Nick, Max was aware of what he was doing. He looked at Nick trying to get back and catched his breath for a while. But without warning, Nick sprinted towards Max, biting his arm, tearing his fur savagely.
"Nick!" Judy called crying. "Stop this! Please!"
Nick froze and his body shook. Max noticed this. "He's… Still fighting back…" Max thought. He knew Nick was still alive in there. He quickly took this opportunity and grabbed Nick by the neck, slowly strangling him. Nick was flailing, struggling to be released and still biting on Max's arm.
Max then quickly popped a plastic bubble in front of Nick's nose. Nick, after breathing in the scent, fainted.
Max put him down slowly and let him rest while he catches his breath.
Judy slowly makes her way towards the two. She looked at Max worriedly. She's seen what Night Howlers could do to predators but this… This was something new. She finally saw Max went full-on predator. And he was even scarier than the infected predators. But she was also so surprised at how quick his personality changed whe she saw his pupils were back to normal and his fur at ease.
Max looked at her back, still gasping for air. He then turned to his paws. Bloody… His paws were shaking again and he gritted his teeth in fear.
"I'm not afraid of you…" Judy said softly.
Max looked up at her. The two stared at each other for a while and he nodded in thanks. "Thank you…" he said. He turned back to Nick who was now breathing normally. "He should be okay now… That was the antidote that Frankie had spared…"
An applaud was heard coming towards them and they looked up. McGold, smirking at them. "Well done…" he said. "I really am impressed…"
Max stood up slowly and got in front of the two. He didn't want to get anyone else involved anymore. Especially those who were important to him.
"Enough," he said, facing McGold, or as he knew him as, Voxroy. The two stared at each other for a while. This was the first time they have met face-to-face without the muzzles and masks on. "I heard everything…"
"Oh?" The corrupt cop raised an eyebrow.
"WE betrayed you? We never had. We all just wanted to go our separate ways. And we started the crew for a reason. It was to give anyone who actually needed our help."
McGold laughed. "Do you think I cared about that? I only DID it because I was the leader of the group. Frankie made me in charge of the plans, the weapons, the info, EVERYTHING! I didn't care about any of you! I only joined you… Because I felt I was in control. But when Frankie decided to call it off…"
"You know your mistakes! You even killed a police officer's innocent wife who literally has nothing to do with any of our cases…"
McGold laughed. "You mean Wile's wife? That idiot would buy anything. Because of this I took advantage to cover us even more. He took this so personally, it was perfect for me to know his every motive."
"And that was the reason why Frankie called the crew off. From the start, we swore not to get any innocent mammals involved. When he got word out that a police officer's wife was killed by one of us, we have already polluted Robin Hood's name. And now I know who was responsible for her murder too… All because you thought you had the power to do so."
"Frankie made me leader of the crew, yes. But what about the one that calls the shot? It's always him. It's the same thing at every police station I go! I'm in control in a team, yet someone who is higher than me gets to tell me what I can and cannot do?! No… I'm not playing that game anymore. After I'm done with you… I'm starting up my own Robin Hood crew." He brought out a disc and showed it to Max. "This… This is where Frankie gets info from all of us. There were still elligible members. I could always use them."
Nick groaned in pain, slowly opening his eyes and the first thing he saw was Judy. She smiled and hugged him. "Oh Nick…" she said, relieved.
Max turned back at them and smiled. "Those Night Howlers…" he said turning back to the jackal. "Instead of shooting them, you made gas out of them."
"Exactly." He smirked.
"No wonder there weren't any evidence on Scope… But it still doesn't explain why the other officers weren't infected."
"That's because, the two officers interrogating him were preys… I modified the Night Howlers to only affect predators. Not just turned them into savages. But to turn them even more savage than before. But it seems YOU don't even need it to become a monster."
Max really wanted to hit him but breathed out, trying to calm himself. "I'm no monster…" he said.
"Oh yea…? What about 10 years ago then…?"
Max's eyes widened. "What…?"
McGold chuckled. "You really don't remember me, do you? Maybe this will help." McGold lifted his fur on his neck a little to revealed bite and claw marks.
Max remembered now… This jackal… Was one of the bullies… "Brad Jackalson…" he said finally remembered. "So it's you…"
"That's right. You see, 3 years ago, when I finally knew who… 'Ghost' is, I remembered clearly now. What you did to me and my friends… Scarred me for life. I became a police officer to begin with so I can find you. But… The job bit me in the tail and I hated being told to do everything. However… I was lucky enough to be chosen as a member of the Robin Hood. At first, I wanted to do it. It was fun too. Reminded me of how much control I was in among my friends. But what a total coincidence… The fox I was looking for… Was actually right by me, all this time. You know… I could have punched you if I knew who you were. But… Frankie told us not to show our faces. This is why I hate it, when others make the decision for me."
"Brad… I'm sorry for what I did… I didn't mean to…"
"SHUT IT, FOX!" The whole room got quiet. "YOU ARE A PREDATOR! YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE IN CONTROL OF A PREY! But instead… You protected one… In a way… You betrayed your kind…"
"I did not! Zootopia has been in peace for thousands of years. Preys and predators CAN live in harmony!" He showed Nick and Judy. "These two… They are proof that any species can even love each other."
The jackal, now known as Brad, lowered his ears. "Love…?" He clenched his paws tight into a fist. "I will never acknowledge this…" And soon after, he punched Max in the face.
"Max!" Judy called.
Max quickly got up. "Get Nick out of here. Go!"
Judy nodded and dragged Nick out of where the jackal came.
The two predators were now alone in the hole, face-to-face.
The first to strike was Brad when he punched Max. Max spitted out a bit trying to resist the pain.
"You don't understand, Max!" Brad said. "Preys are afraid of us! The proof was with the Bellweather case! A prey, afraid of predators and wants to control over them. But that was a mistake… It's us, the predators, who should be in control!"
"You're wrong!" Max slowly stood back up, looking back at Brad. "I was an orphan… I was adopted by two wolves… They treated me as if I was really their son… They weren't even mad that I was the reason we were forced to move out of Zootopia… Ever since then, I believed that not just predators of all species… But preys as well CAN live in harmony… That's why… I…"
Brad looked at him angrily as breathes heavily. "I don't wanna hear anymore of this nonsense…" he said. He kneed Max in the gut and elbowed his spine, putting him down.
Max began coughing, trying to breathe as he desperately tries to get up.
But Brad stomped on his back, keeping him down. "Then tell me what happened to that rabbit?" he said.
Max froze.
"What was her name again…? Sophie? Was she afraid of you?" Brad bent lower towards Max. "Did she saw how savage you were when you fought us? Did she run away?" He smirked. "Did she cry?"
"SHUT UP!" Max in an instant uppercut Brad so hard that the jackal was literally off of the ground for a few seconds with an almost broke jaw. Max afterwards got on top of him, going all animal, about to claw him.
"That's it…" said the jackal, smirking. "Be what you are. Finish what you started." Brad wasn't even fighting back. He wanted it to happen.
Max breathed some more and instead of clawing his throat, he tried to give the lightest punch possible but just enough to hurt him and not break his jaw.
"No…" Max said walking away from, retrieving his gloves from before. "I'm more than what I am..." he continued. "Because I have a soul."
Brad pulled out a gun with a Night Howler loaded inside. "Then… I'm afraid I have no choice…" he said pointing the gun at Max without him realizing.
But right before he could pull the trigger, he was zapped and fell to the ground, dropping the gun. Max turned around to find Judy, who was holding a tazer with Nick standing behind, grinned at him and gave him a peace sign.
"Guys!" Max called walking towards them. "Where'd you get the tazer?"
Someone walked up behind them. It was the coyote cop that beat Max up just now. "I heard everything… " he said walking towards his ex-partner. "I wanna kill you right now but…" He cuffed the jackal tight. "I'm more than just a predator. I'm a cop."
Max smiled and nodded. He slowly lost his balance.
He was still bleeding from his neck from Nick's bite just now. He then blacked out and his body dropped down with a thud.
A/N: There you go! Final chapter is being written now! Expect the final chapter next week! Because I'm sure you'll love it. It'll be short but I'm confident you'll all enjoy the final chapter.