Chapter 20- Set In Motion

As the fox walked down the long, narrow corridor as he had countless times before, he took inventory of all possible exit strategies as per course of habit ingrained in his mind after all the years. There were none, of course: the hallway and the room he was about to enter were located in the middle of the building in which he was located, the only windows being in the room and he wasn't even there yet. The walls were reinforced and the windows in the room were bulletproof. In addition, he was located on exactly the 50th floor, so jumping out of a window was totally redundant.

The fox discarded this information as soon as he had it, as he did every time. When he reached the end of the hallway, two polar bear guards pulled the heavy oaken doors open for him, revealing a luxurious office. Ahead of him was a chair, turned facing the windows, overlooking the Zootopian skyline in the night. His employer, he knew, was seated in the chair and wouldn't face him. He never did, it was just his own quirk. Maybe too many gangster movies where the bosses did that-

"I've got a special job for you this time, Wilde," the fox's employer said gruffly, snapping him back to attention. "I don't know how you'll feel about it, but I'm giving it to you as a test." The animal shifted in his chair and took a glass from the desk without turning it around. He paused for a moment, then took a swig before continuing. "You see, Wilde, I've had my eye on you for some time now. After all, you've scaled our ranks faster than anyone I've ever seen, no doubt in part to that natural sense of cunning, eh?" Both animals chuckled, but the one in the chair soon grew serious again. "You're someone I trust, Wilde. Not many have that honor. As I'm sure you know, I'm not going to be around forever. So, let's cut to the chase."

The fox stiffened while his employer paused again for another drink. He had a feeling he wouldn't like what was going to be said next.

"There's been a pair of rookie detectives that have been getting very lucky in cracking cases lately. Maybe even a little too lucky. I've been having several conferences with some of my… associates, recently. They don't think these two are much of a threat, but that's how all great threats start, no? I alone have decided to take the iniative to deal with this threat before it becomes a problem." The employer raised his hand and snapped. One of the polar bears stepped forward and placed a file on the desk before the fox.

"So now, prove your loyalty to me, John. You've been a valuable asset to me for all these years, and if you can pull this last mark off… I think I'll have picked a fine successor to take over when I retire. The details are in the file… get it done. Dismissed."

The fox grabbed the file and turned out of the room, much more quickly than he had come in. His face was frozen in a stern look, but deep down he felt as if his entire being was liable to split apart. "Nick…" he whispered to himself as he glanced down at the folder in his hands. On the cover was a photo of his son in a police officer uniform.

Nick glanced at the number punched into his phone's dialer, then down at Halona in his arms, then back to his phone. His finger hovered above the call button, but he hesitated. He nearly closed out of the app entirely, but Halona stirred in his lap, bringing his focus back to her. He sighed, then pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear. He listened to the ringing as it rang for several seconds. Nick was afraid it would go to voicemail, but near the end of the dial period a small voice picked up. "Hello…?" Nick took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. "Hey mom…"

The fox on the other end of the phone paused. "Nick?"

"It's me."

Again, another pause. Then, finally, "Nick! It's been ages! You haven't called since you invited me to your graduation ceremony!"

Nick let out a sigh of relief as a wry smile formed on his lips. He wondered how she'd react to this next bit. "Mom, you, er… might wanna take a seat for this." Nick heard the sounds of shuffling around over the phone.

"Is something wrong, Nick?" his mother asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Actually, kinda the opposite. Really the opposite… where do I begin?"

"How about the most pressing thing first?" she suggested.

"Alright," he nodded. "I guess, first… I'm getting married." Nick heard her go quiet and was scared that he might have given his mom a stroke or something, but those fears were dashed when he heard her shriek on the other end.

"Yes! I knew it! It's that rabbit girl, isn't it?! I see you two in the news. It's her, isn't it?"

"Yeah mom, it's her. Her name's Judy, and… there's something else that's just as big."

"What could be bigger than you finally getting married?"

"Well, right now, I'm holding our daughter in my arms."

Again, the line went silent. Nick was expecting her to shout or cry or do something, but the first thing she said was, "how the hell'd you manage that with a bunny?"

"I dunno, mom," Nick laughed. "It was a miracle. Maybe proof of how the times are really changing."

"You… you aren't screwing with me right? I'll be pissed if you are."

Nick tried hard not to howl with laughter. "No mom, no, I'm really serious. I'll send you a picture of her."

"Well… I guess that makes me a grandma, doesn't it?" she sighed. "Damn, I feel old now."

"I don't think you'll ever act your age though," Nick playfully jabbed.

"Hey, I was a cool mom. You're lucky I don't, mister," she laughed back.

Nick smiled to himself. She really hadn't changed a bit. "Anyway," he continued, "we're still planning the wedding. I'll give you the details when it's all final, alright?"

"Alright, kiddo. And hey, congratulations. Took ya long enough."

Nick just grinned. "Thanks mom," he said as he hung up. After clicking his phone off, he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and gave Halona a comforting hug. "That went well…" he muttered. Taking his phone back out, he angled it around her for a moment until he found a shot he liked, then snapped a picture of the two of them and sent it over to his mom.

Perfectly timed, Judy walked into the room just as he was finished sending the picture. "You look happy," Judy smiled as she sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm guessing she slept soundly then?"

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm smiling really."

Judy looked at him curiously, urging him to continue.

"I just talked to my mom, and she said she'll come to our wedding," he grinned.

"That's great news," Judy replied happily before opening her mouth and yawning big.

Very carefully, Nick picked up his daughter and his fiancé in each arm and carried them both over to the bed, then set them down gently together. He turned off the lights for them and stripped down to his nighttime basketball shorts, then slipped into bed next to them, dodging the articles of clothing Judy was haphazardly throwing to the floor.

John Wilde had all of his possessions of value tucked safely away in his covered truck bed, locked tightly. He was sure he wouldn't be followed for some time at least, but he didn't have much time to spare. He'd even bought a new phone as to not be tracked by his ex-employer. The upgrade was admittedly nice, as it wirelessly synced with his truck much better than his old one. His GPS occasionally chimed through the music to tell him he was headed the right way; he had to get to his ex-wife as fast as he could. He just prayed she would hear him out now, when it really mattered.