Chapter 12
Nick woke to a familiar sound that morning. His phone had several messages from an unknown number, saying to 'come back to the hideout, where I normally am.' Normally, he would have waited until he was done his shift, but he didn't have work anymore. So he texted 'why, is something wrong?' and got into a shower.
Standing there, letting the water run down his fur, this gave Nick time to collect himself before confronting whatever it is that giggles wanted. He knew that it would have to be something related to the search for Judy, so he prepared himself. He had just finished scrubbing his fur when he heard his phone go off again, so he got out of the shower. Checking his phone, his heart started to race. He had never gotten dressed faster in his life, grabbing his things and heading to the hideout, he planned on getting there in the next ten minutes.
'We found her'
Three simple words and Nick was the happiest mammal alive. Racing down the street, lane splitting, tailgating, he was going breakneck speed when he pulled into the parking lot. He threw his helmet on the bike, and sprinted inside, ignoring the guard that was fast asleep on his post.
"You had better not be lying." Nick stated as he walked inside. Giggles was alone, nobody tending to her, and she was pacing back and forth.
"Well, I didn't exactly rescue her, though I found a place where I'm pretty sure she might be held." She turned on her phone and showed nick a map. "I sent a few of my men to check out this area, and haven't heard back from them in a couple of days. Last night, I sent out another crew to look for them, same thing. Communications always ends whenever they reach this barn," she explained, circling a spot on the map.
"So you think that whoever took Judy, and Judy herself is there. Got it, send me the picture, and I'll be there as soon as I can be." Nick started to head out of the room, when Giggles grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Nicky boy, please be careful. I wasn't lying when I said my best men were on it."
Nick shrugged her off; nothing could change his mind or actions. If there was a chance that Judy was there, and he had a shot at getting her back, then he was going all out.
Judy hadn't slept at all that night, sick with worry; she had been trapped in her own mind, and also partially scarred from last night's "Show." She knew that Nick was already looking for her; she just didn't know when he would get here. The rope binding her right paw was almost cut through, but she held back. She had to escape when Nick was getting here: If she escaped too early, she would get lost wherever she was, and probably wouldn't be able to find Nick in time. If she escaped too late, Nick would be shot with that formula that Jack made. So she waited.
Nick, on the other hand, couldn't wait at all. He had already gone to the ZPD and arranged for a SWAT hit on the barn that they had talked about. Nick himself would be the spearhead of this operation, so he was getting some range time with the gun that he would be using. It had a little more kick than what he was used to, but it also had a lot more ammunition in the magazine, and had more stopping power than his sidearm.
"Whoever took you Judy, I'll make them pay." Nick thought as he squeezed off another couple of rounds. He was hitting the target every time, so he decided to finish off the magazine and be done for today. The strike was at seven tonight, and he needed to write a few documents before organising this.
After writing the documents and tucking them away in his file, he decided to go make a visit to some of his old friends before he headed out. He still had a few hours, so he visited to Mr. Big, and went to go find the truck that Finnick was driving. Mr. Big gave him a few wise words of encouragement, and his prayers during his operation, and Finnick simply said "Don't die for this bunny" Before driving off again.
Thirty minutes before they were all going to arrive at the barn, Nick briefed all the mammals included. Telling them about how this mission had high risk and that there was a lot at stake. He didn't need to say any names, but everyone knew that when he said "hostage" that he was talking about Judy.
"Alright, I think I've lectured you for long enough. You have fifteen minutes to load up, and then we are wheels down. Let's get this thing done." Nick stomped out of the bull pen, filled with a new motivation. He had animals backing him up, animals that wanted to rescue Judy as much as he did, though none had the connection.
"Quite the speech giver, aren't you Wilde?" Benjamin said, peering over the divider into Nick's cubicle.
"I just want her back Ben. I've lost so much already, I don't need to lose her too." Nick said quietly, so that only Ben could hear.
"Listen, Nick, I know how much she means to you, but you have to promise me something: that if shit hits the fan tonight, you won't do anything stupid." Nick stood up, ears straight up, tail starting to bush up.
"Like what Ben?" Nick was nose to nose with Clawhouser now, and he was furious.
Clawhouser knew that Nick wasn't going to like what he said, but he had to try and talk some sense into him. "Like losing your life to save hers," he said, waiting for the storm to come.
"Admit it; you would do the same thing! When you meet that mammal, the one you look at and say 'she's the one' you would do anything for her."
"I know Nick, but what good is it if you rescue her, but end up dead? What good is it to her if are you dead?!" Benjamin yells, slaming his drink down on the desk, "So God dammit Nick, don't die out there."
Nick picks his pistol up off the desk, ignoring the spilled drink, "We are five minutes away, let's head down to the cars. Also, quit your worrying: everyone will be fine."
They drove in silence, and everyone got there fine. Walking up to the door, Nick took the lead, pushing it open slowly and quietly.
"Alright Alpha team, move in, nice and slowly now." Nick said quietly over the radio. He didn't want to mess this up, not with her life at stake. As soon as the last man was through the door, it slammed shut. Lights came on, and they saw that it was an empty white room with a single door, which opened cleanly and quietly, leading to a set of stairs leading downward.
On the way down, Nick did a routine check: "Alpha team, report."
"Alpha one"
"Alpha two"
"Alpha three"
"..."
"Where is Alpha four?" Nick said as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Just then, the door behind them slammed shut, and more lights came on. They were in a hallway, going perpendicular to the way they just came.
"Oh, is this thing on?" A new voice came on over the radio channel. "Hello members of the ZPD. I am the one who owns the complex that you are currently searching. Don't worry, your friend is fine, he will wake up in the morning in one of the squad cars outside."
"What do you want?" Nick said over the radio, growing more and more angry, his voice starting to shudder.
"Not much really, Nick old friend. Just you, I have already proved that I can take the members of your team with ease. So, I'll give you a choice: send the other members of your team back upstairs to wait in their cars, or I will take them all, one by one, and put them there myself." Nick punched the wall, his padded gloves taking most of the force, but the pain helped him to think.
"Alright, you get what you want. I will continue to walk these halls until I find you and arrest your ass, the rest of my team," Nick looked at them sternly, "will head back upstairs, if you would be so kind as to open the door for them."
Nobody said a word, for he was the officer in charge of this operation, they had to listen to what he said. They all went back upstairs when the voice came onto the radio again.
"Good choice. Now, head to your left, walk three doors down, then take a right."
Nick did as he was told, walking into a brightly lit room, with two television screens. On one of them, was Judy, bound and gagged, and on the other was Fangmyer, who was Alpha four in this operation, also bound and gagged.
"Another choice for you to make. You recognise both of these people. One of them, your lover, the other, your friend: You know both of these mammals, and now you must pick one to save." Nick looked at both of these screens. A figure walked on to both of them, both of them had their faces covered and both of them were holding guns.
"Clock is ticking, Nick. Pick one, or they both die." Nick started pacing around the room, a timer appearing on both screens counting down from thirty seconds. Trying the radio, it didn't work, somehow, he had blocked out the communication.
'Dammit, this psycho is good at what he does.' Nick thought, timer counting down past ten.
"Fuck you! Judy! I pick Judy!" Nick shouted, the timer nearly over.
"Very well then, you save your lover, the one you came here to get." The screen with Judy on it disappeared, replaced with two screens of Fangmyer. The other mammal holding the gun cocked it back, and shot him in the side of his head, blowing out the other side.
"You damn psycho, you're going to rot in prison, I hope you know that." Nick said as a door behind the televisions opened, and led Nick down a long, dimly lit hallway. At the end of this hallway however, he saw a room with a small, long eared mammal tied to a chair. Nick started to sprint down the hallway, everything else becoming a blur, until he got to her.
"Judy. I'm here, you're going to be ok," Nick sobbed, tears of joy running down his face, "I'm going to get you out of here."
"Nick?" Judy mumbled, Nick untying her wrists first.
"Nick, behind you!"
Not noticing that there was a door right before the end of the hallway, out stepped Jack, holding a gun that looked strangely familiar to the one that Bellwether used. Judy grabbed Nicks gun from its holster, and took a shot at Jack at the same time that Jack took a shot at Nick. They both hit.
"AAARGH!" Nick shouted as he collapsed to the floor, Jack stumbling down the hallway, and out of sight.
"Oh my god, Nick!" Judy shouts as Nick writhes on the floor, screaming in agony.
Judy unties her ankles and drops to her knees beside Nick. Grabbing her face, and looking her dead in the eyes, Nick holds on to what part of himself he can.
"Judy, I'm sorry." He manages to get out, kissing Judy before letting go, and passing out cold.
"Nick, don't you die on me. Nick!" Judy screams before throwing one of his arms around her shoulder and dragging him outside. As soon as she got outside, two of the larger mammals took Nick from her, threw him in the back of one of the cruisers, and took off. Clawhouser wrapped a towel around Judy, and quickly followed suit.
Jack was wounded, limping to his getaway car, with his most trusted partner waiting to drive away.
"I don't see why you had to kill the other one." she said, driving off into the sunset. Leaving town was their first priority, Jack was fixing his own wounds in the passenger seat.
"I wouldn't expect you to, but it was important to me that he made the move to kill one of the closest mammals in his life." Jack said quietly, vowing that one day he would come back, and that he would kill that fox. The fox that was the only thing standing in his way from the thing he wants most in life, Judy.
O-M-Goodness! What just happened? Will Nick ever recover from this? Will Judy see the love of her life on his own two paws again? Will Jack really return? So many questions, in so little time. Although i have an answer to all of them, and this may come as a bit of a shock to some of you.
This is the last full chapter.
This story i have just written, i planned it out to end here. There's nothing left for me to write. I do have an epilogue planned, but that is going to be a short wrap up, just so that you see how everything ends.
For those of you hoping that this would be a slow burn and eventually get some smut out of it (Lunar Silver) I am sorry to disspoint, but it will be in another story, maybe a one shot, keep your eyes open ;)
Until then, I am sorry, and i hoped you enjoyed my first fanfiction.
Zach