"My mission is to rescue, my dream is that one day I won't have to." - Anonymous
The wind howled across the night sky, it's destination unclear, but determination steadfast.
That's how Nick Wilde felt right about now.
Dangling roughly two hundred feet in the air above the Zootopian skyline, gripped in the claws of Vladzotz Fangpyre as he carried Nick toward his near certain doom.
Nick knew not where they were headed, but from the lucid motives of the bat he grappled with, reasoned that they were nearing their destination.
From his perspective high above the ground, the fox could clearly see nearly the entirety of the city: Each district displayed prominently and stretched for miles in their respective biomes. The bat flapped past a tall apartment building, gliding past an open window and balcony near the top, where a pair of deer were enjoying their evening with twin glasses of wine. As the bat flew past them, Nick saw the horrified expressions of the deer's faces when they caught sight of him dangling in the creature's claws.
The fox waved at the two of them with a forced smile, and an expression that said something along the lines of; Yup, we do this every day here in Zootopia!
As soon as the two airborne mammals reared around the skyscraper and got out of the deer's field of view, Nick's expression sank back into a despairing sulk. He happened to notice that Vladzotz was reducing their altitude and bringing them closer to the ground once again. The fox didn't see anything particularly unique about this new location, but from Vladzotz's maniacally delighted grin, he assumed that they must have finally reached the aforementioned place where their new ride was waiting.
Soon enough, the both of them had touched down and were at ground level once more.
Literally in Nick's case.
As Vlad landed he slammed Nick's body into the ground, an aching grunt escaping from between the fox's clenched teeth; one which caused the bat to smile smugly.
"Are you gonna do that every time we land, Flappy-Bat?" Nick coughed indigently.
"Don't fret, Nicholas. There will be no more flying from here on out... We'll be driving back to the mansion for the remainder of the journey." The bat responded jovially.
The fox sighed heavily, the exhaling breath escaping his body faster than usual due to Vlad's added weight, given the fact that the bat still had him pinned to the ground. Now that they had landed (not very safely or steadily), Nick took the time to scan his new environment, which appeared to be an old abandoned parking lot. Unlike the last one, which had multiple stories lain with concrete floors and levels, this parking lot was small and flat: A filthy backwater to some unpopular business or restaurant.
Garbage was strewn about everywhere, but thankfully Vlad didn't shove Nick's face into that nearby flattened grasshopper Bugga-Burger: That would have been disgusting.
Nick turned his head and looked about, searching for any sign of the bat's esteemed and aforementioned ride. Nick personally hoped that it was a luxurious limousine, as Vladzotz himself seemed to be on the wealthy side: He figured that Flappy-bat owed him that much at least, considering the fact that he was likely planning on killing him.
After a few tense and silent minutes had past, the only sound being the crinkling of the garbage foils as the wind whirled through the parking lot, Nick saw a light slowly approach and grow in size and intensity as it reared the corner to his left, entering the parking lot and driving up to the two mammals before parking, it's wheels emitting a steaming Tssscchh as it came to a rigid halt.
It was one of those large transit-buses, the kind the city used to cart civilians around the downtown area and beyond as they went about their day. It was a helpful service as it was; allowing mammals without the use of their own vehicles to reach their destinations faster and more efficiently. Although the system itself had good intentions, the chaotic mess that was mid-morning rush-hour rendered the transit system about as fast as walking. Now, the only mammals who really used the transit system were the sloths, whose lethargic demeanor made the system work quite well for them.
The bus itself was sleek and long, outfitted to carry many mammals within it. Nick figured it would have worked well enough, as he'd rather have a seat to himself instead of squeezing arm-to-wing next to Vladzotz in some other car. The fox doubted very many cars would even fit Vladzotz, as his wings were simply too spacious and his claws were too large.
Nick may have been lenient with the choice of transport, but as the bus reeled to a stop, the fox noticed Vladzotz's face don a look of bewilderment, which soon morphed into a frightening facade of frustration.
Vlad did not look pleased.
As the doors smoothly slid open, Nick at last lay eyes on the driver... and nearly threw up.
Sitting in the driver's seat was his old 'friend' Sprock the raccoon. Nick writhed beneath Vladzotz's claws in anger, growling at the sight of his old enemy. When the doors first opened, the coon had had his head facing the window in front of him. But when the doors finally clicked into place, the raccoon slowly turned his head to the bat and fox, laughing as if he just heard some sort of joke. However, when Sprock's line of sight rested on Vlad's horrid look of anger, the coon's own expression melted faster than you could say oh crap.
"What... Is... THIS?! Vladzotz roared, causing fox and coon alike to cringe in apprehension at the sudden volume increase.
Sprock jumped in his seat, startled by his boss's words. His lips curled in a frown laced with fear, and his eyes were wide with terror.
"Uh, ah..." Sprock stammered. "I-I got the ride that you wanted, boss... Right?" He asked timidly.
Judging by the bat's bared fangs, and body shaking with anger; Nick reasoned that this was not the ride he had wanted.
"I," Vladzotz huffed, breathing heavily. "Specifically said," The bat grit his jaw, hissing through clamped teeth. "For you to bring," He began to raise his voice. "THE LIMOUSINE!"
Vladzotz yelled furiously, beads of saliva flinging from his maw as he nearly screamed that last statement. Sprock scrunched up in the driver's seat, wincing at the bat's enraged words. He then unbuckled his seat-belt and and removed himself from the seat, stepping down to the start of the hallway in the depths of the bus.
"I-I'm sorry, sir! All the limos we had were occupied, and on some other missions and whatnot." The coon laughed nervously. "We's had to find us a new ride!"
Vladzotz sighed. "Where did you even get this pathetic automobile?" He inquired, clearly irritated.
Sprock pulled a pistol out from one of the pockets on his blood-red trench-coat. "We's had to stick up the transit station... Got ourselves dis here bus."
He then reached over out of the bat and fox's line of sight, grabbing something from one of the seats. Much to Nick's surprise, he dragged a portly pig to where they could see him.
"We, uh... Also got the bus-driver here. We couldn't just throw him out when we took the bus, cuz he mighta spilled on us, and we'd a' never even made it here."
"Well, what use is he to us now that we've got our ride back to the Nocturnal-District?" Vladzotz inquired hastily, visibly getting antsy.
Sprock coughed loudly and cleared his throat before replying.
"Well, ya see boss-bat, I figured that dis here lil' piggy-" He pressed the tip of his pistol into the pig's neck. "-Could drive us there instead of me cartin' us back."
The pig nodded his head and gulped, raising his head slightly as Sprock's pistol drove itself against his jugular vein.
"Besides," The raccoon continued. "He knows more about the roads here on the surface than I do... He was the one who drove us from the terminal in the first place, but I took over soon as we got closer here, so he wouldn't drive off anywhere else."
Vladzotz glanced momentarily at the pig and back to Sprock, as if trying to decide who he should kill first for being so bothersome and annoying.
Heaving a great sigh, the bat then pulled Nick to his feet and shoved him toward the door, where he tripped on the first step and face-planted into the bus's floor.
"Fine. Let's just get out of here before we make a scene." The bat looked behind him suspiciously before turning his attention back to Sprock.
Nick coughed audibly to get the bat's attention.
"You already made a scene, Flappy-Bat." He muttered disapprovingly before earning a kick to the head from Sprock.
"Now don't you be talkin' mess to the boss's face, ya hear, Nicky-boy?!" The coon shouted.
Vladzotz stifled a laugh before picking his way across Nick's writhing body and climbing onto the bus. His deep voice spoke aloud grimly;
"I don't mind a little attitude. Besides, he doesn't have that much time left, anyways. Let him have his fun."
And with that, the bat laughed darkly and hauled the fox to his feet, pushing him into the confines of the bus before the door slid shut for the last time.
As he tripped over his own feet trudging through the bus's hall, he took the time to look around at what awaited him within.
He recalled Sprock specifically using the word we when he had referred to stealing the bus, so Nick figured that there must have been at least one more mammal on board.
He was right, for when his eyes finished scanning the inside of the bus, he counted at least two more mammals, not counting Sprock, Vladzotz, and the pig bus-driver.
Sitting in the darkest corner in the farthest seat back in the bus, Russ the badger was resting in his chair, smoking a large and smelly cigar.
Since Nick had only seen the back of the badger in pictures, and the claws on his paw when the badger had choked the fox from behind, Nick realized that this was, in fact, the first time he had actually laid eyes on the big guy.
His black fur was smooth and silky, surprisingly well-kept in comparison to the few badgers Nick had met in person before. A thick streak of white fur ran straight down the middle of his face; a stark contrast to the likes of his majority dark-colored fur. His deep and dark colored blood-red suit was trimmed with thin lines of black, and the cigar in his mouth emitted a hazy smog from it's tip, which clouded around the badger as he reclined in his seat, hands folded behind his head.
Sitting about mid-way down the length of the bus, there was a muscular mole, who was busy cleaning an assault-rifle. He was dressed more or less the same way as Russ, with blood-colored clothing and adornments. Nick made himself a mental note to not mess with that guy.
Soon enough, the fox had reached near the back of the bus, finding himself a seat about half-way between the mole and Russ. He didn't want to get on that mole's bad side, and he also didn't want to be inhaling Russ's cigar fumes, so he found himself a middle ground and made himself comfortable.
Unfortunately, Sprock waltzed over and planted himself in the row across from Nick, no doubt to keep an eye on him as the bus made it's way to the Nocturnal-District. Sprock grinned a toothy smile as he flopped down in his seat, soon pulling out a hip flash and taking a deep drink from it before slipping it away back into one of his pockets. He then winked, and reached into another pocket, pulling out Nick's old pair of sun-glasses, which he promptly placed upon his muzzle and donned one hell of a smug look.
"You asked for it." Was all that Nick had bothered to say before he lunged over and socked the coon in the face, both knocking the shades off of his nose and sending his head slamming into the wall of the bus.
Nick figured he'd earned it: He figured that he was going to die soon anyways, so he might as well go out with his favorite pair of shades.
As the coon clutched his paws to his face and cursed, the fox reached down and plucked his shades off of the ground, slipping them into his own pocket before hurriedly walking away and seating himself closer to the front of the bus. Now, he sat about half-way between the grumpy-looking mole, who was still cleaning his gun, and Vladzotz, who stood menacingly at the front, hovering over the driver as he directed the bus. Nick watched as Sprock picked himself up and paced to the front of the bus, mumbling.
The fox assumed that Vladzotz had heard him tussle with the raccoon, as the bat happened to have outstanding hearing capabilities; But surprisingly, Vladzotz kept his focus trained on the large window ahead of him, staring out and into the distance as he spoke quietly with the bus-driver. Nick couldn't make out what they were speaking of, but he could tell that Vlad was clearly anxious. His large wings were spread out across the width of the hallway, the claws on each of his wings clutching the head of a seat, gripping it tightly as the bus made it's way down the sloping and narrow roads of the small mountain they were ascending.
Nick recalled back to his second journey to the Nocturnal-District, where he and Judy had driven all the way to the aforementioned district in search of Russ. The fox turned around and stole a glance at the large badger, who was still sitting quietly in the back of the bus. Nick also caught sight of Sprock, who was leaning over the top of the seat in front of him, glaring daggers at Nick. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and Nick turned his head in time to see the muscular mole make his way down the hallway to the front of the bus. His rifle, which was now shiny and clean, was slung across his shoulder. Guns were rare in Zootopia, but clearly the mob had special privileges to work with.
The mole shuffled over to Vladzotz, and tapped on his shoulder. The bat turned his head around and stared down at the mole with a single eye.
"What is it, Lester?" Vlad asked bitterly.
"Sir, I just wanted to explain something to you real quick." The mole cleared his throat audibly.
He had a scratchy and crackling voice, and had probably been a smoker at one point in his life: Or maybe his voice was just like that naturally. Either way, Nick didn't judge.
Lester's voice recaptured the fox's attention once more.
"My jammer has been picking up some activity from a few miles out south-west: Cops, sir. They might be on our tails."
At the notion of possible rescue, Nick's ears perked up in anticipation. He felt his heart beating faster in his chest. Perhaps Judy was intending on saving him!
Vladzotz's deep and raspy voiced hissed angrily.
"What?" He let loose a guttural growl of frustration before gritting his teeth and glaring out the window, staring at nothing in particular. He continued;
"Their helicopters won't be able to follow us underground, and we all know that none of those officers have ever bothered learning the routes of the Nocturnal-District... If we get there before they reach us, we'll be able to slip away! We need to get back to the manor, now!"
The mole nodded approvingly.
"You're right sir. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can get down to business, eh?" He said as he turned around and eyed Nick, smiling as he met eyes with the fox.
Vladzotz just hissed deeply and nodded.
"Don't lecture me, Lester! I know what I'm doing!"
"Of course you do sir, and I'm sure you'll get us back unscathed, as always." The mole then turned around and paced back to his seat, winking at Nick as he passed by.
The bat turned toward the bus driver.
"Faster!" He growled loudly.
The pig nervously teetered the wheel to the left, driving the bus down the the sloping road. He gulped before replying to the bat.
"I can't! If we go any faster, we could swerve off the edge on a turn! The roads leading to the Nocturnal-District through the mountains are too narrow and dangerous!" He stammered.
Vladzotz growled menacingly at the pig, clenching his claws against the heads of the seats that he held in his grip.
"Fine. Then I'll do it." He declared broodingly, almost disappointingly. "Open the door!" The bat demanded.
The pig whimpered and quickly reached over to one of the buttons on his dashboard, pressing it with one of his shaking hooves. The door slid open seconds later, the rushing mountain winds howling through the opening in the bus as it drove down the road.
"Get out!" The bat shouted.
"Now?!" The pig asked timidly.
"Now." Vladzotz hissed, his voice dangerously low.
The bus-driver unbuckled his seat-belt and stood up. Vladzotz positioned himself into the driver's seat and manned the wheel himself. He then looked over to the portly bus-driver, who stood right next to him. Bearing his teeth, the bat administered a kick to the pig's back, who tumbled out of the open bus door and onto the pavement of the road, all while the bus was still driving at nearly thirty miles per hour. Vladzotz then lightly tapped the same button that the pig had pressed earlier, and shut the door with a smooth click. With his fangs bared maniacally, and his eyes burning with maddened determination and rage; Vlad floored the gas pedal, effectively causing the bus to lurch backward at the sudden acceleration, and sped down the road at an accelerated fifty miles per hour, heading straight towards the entrance to the gloomy Nocturnal-District.
Hey Everyone!
Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!
I apologize if it's not as long as some of you would like, but for this chapter, I wanted to specifically hone in on the perspective of Nick and Vladzotz as they continued their journey back to the Nocturnal-District. Judy got her time in the spotlight in the last chapter, and Nick got his in this one!
The coming chapter however, will be one of both perspectives, and even a little bit of a certain Flappy-Bat friend of ours! :D
I can't wait to show you guys what I got coming, and I hope you're all as excited as I am for the coming finale of the Vladzotz Arc!
I intend on making the next chapter longer than this one, at the very least. One way or another, I assure you that it will be coming soon!
But for now, let's focus on and enjoy this chapter: What did you all think of it? Do you like how I brought back Sprock and Russ? What do you think of Vladzotz's actions involving the bus driver? Feel free to answer these lovely questions in a review or PM! All are greatly appreciated, of course.
'Till next time...
Peace!