Charlie looked around, the hotel room he was staying in unusually comfortable. He didn't know how to feel about being paid, and then forced to thrown out of the compound. At least he got to keep the van. And the sizable paycheck would hold him over for a long while, even if he spent it lavishly like he did. But he couldn't get over the feeling that something was very wrong. He hadn't gotten to see either of the foxes as he was shooed out, and as he left he could've sworn…
"Bah, I guess it doesn't matter now. Which sucks, I kind of liked that guy. I just hope nothing too bad happens to 'em."
Nick looked over his drop suit, the military outfit he was supposed to have put on 10 minutes ago. Yet a nagging feeling had stopped him, some idea in the recesses of his mind screaming at him just how wrong all of this was. Something was very much off; he, a fox, was both heir to nobility and now about to embark on a special ops strike force with a bunny mate as ZPD detectives? When put in such direct terms like that, it all seemed impossible. As if it was not his current reality, but some short sighted narrative of what some teenage fan thought his story should be. As he sat staring at the stitching, running a singular claw over the black neoprene suit. The feeling kept building, begging him to drop everything, ditch his badge in the waste bin, and back into hiding, avoiding all the weights and problems of the past he had been dodging for decades. He could do it, let them know just how close he was to breaking by doing so. But just as the idea unrooted him from his seat, the quiet quote rang through his head again,dispelling the notion.
'Never let them see that they get to you.' Lucia's childish voice rang through his head. The concept had been leading his life for over 20 years, and only twice had he briefly let go of the mantra. However, the influence it still held was obvious, and in this case, was impeccable advice. He had a job to do, and obligations to uphold. Not to mention that grey ball of fluff would track him down where ever he fled and make him realize just how foolish he was being if he tried to leave. Carrots was nothing if not persistent. And on that note, Nick chuckled to himself, swallowed his anxiety, and finally got ready, slipping into the flight suit, loading up his gear in all the specified pockets, grabbing the specialized helmet, and double checking everything to make sure it was all in order, before walking out of the locker room, intent on seeing his fears wrong.
When he finally got out to the staging area, he met up with the similarly dressed mammals waiting by the airships. Luckily for him, two of them, one of which the officers, including Judy, Nick, and Pawtorias, were still being loaded up. When he got next to Judy, the bunny looked up at him, an intense glare on her face. Had it not been for that, he would've gazed over her, as the flightgear did nothing but accentuate the curves and physique that he so adored about her.
"Nicholas Pib-"
"Please don't use my middle name."
"-erius Wilde, what have you been doing? You are 13 minutes late! If one of the forklifts hadn't broken down we might've left without you. Then Who was going to watch my back? Hmm? I would've had to ask Wolford at that point." She berated him, dropping the comment about the wolf, knowing how easily he goes from watching to gawking, much to Nick's annoyance.
"Don't worry Carrots, I'll be the only watching your back. I'll make sure of it." He responded, his head still mostly entangled in his own thoughts, his eyes looking around as the main column of attack cycles and Scorpion class armoured trucks moved out, the battle ground apparently heating up. Just then, Pawtorias ordered for everyone to load up, and as Nick and Judy did so, the grey wolf motioned for them to put on and seal up their helmets. When they did, the HUD lit up, and the radio crackled to life.
"Wilde, Hopps, we're going to be dropping in 20. I just wanted to let you know that the fight down there has been quite erratic. Early reports are that there might be less defenders than originally estimated, but automated defenses are as numerous as first thought. Casualties are low right now, but even the armoured units are having a trouble making a dent. We're assuming only assuming that the AA guns will be down by the time we get into range, and we can't hold on take off any longer." Pawtorias said, his voice playing in the speakers in the headgear.
"So what you're saying is we might just be blown out of the sky before we even get there? Great. I've always wanted to be a new star, even if only for a moment." Nick responded, the dark joke on the bright explosion they would make getting a noticeable head shake from the bunny next to him.
"Really Nick? Can you try to not be so dark? Especially when we're going be ten thousand feet up and jumping out to drop like rocks?" The rabbit chastised him, an even more noticeable shiver going down her spine. Chuckling to himself, Nick glanced at her again, never expecting this.
"Don't tell me, the fearless ever brave Judith Lav-"
"If I can't use yours you can't use mine."
"-erne Hopps is afraid of flying? Why, that's insanity. You eagerly fight Rhinos but a short plane ride and a little jump scares you?" He giggled, teasing her with a nudge. Despite her tinted visor, he knew she was glaring at the wall.
"It's not a 'little jump'. It's TEN THOUSAND FEET. That's terminal velocity heights. That's landing and turning into a chunking salsa height. That's-"
"Shut it Hopps. While I'm sure you have more apt descriptions, now is not the time. We've just been giving confirmation that all AA batteries are down, and we're just outside of the drop zone." Motioning for everyone to put on their helmets, he turned his radio to an open channel, talking to everyone once they got their headpiece into place.
"Alright everyone, we'll be entering the drop zone in just a few minutes. Remember, no heroics, no big risks. We land, secure the building, and wait out the fighting. Stay in the main complex, and do not under any circumstance put yourself at risk. This whole mission relies on us locking down that central building, got it?" Pawtorias said, making sure they all understood. The 43 troops, split up into five groups, all gave their O.K. signal, except for himself, Nick, and Judy, who comprised the final group.
"Squad leads, remember; Detective Wilde, Hopps, and myself are field CO's, regardless of your rank. Once we're down their, communication with HQ will be impractical. Orders will come from one of us. Understood?" Again, his HUD lit up with the O.K. signals from the four squad commanders. As they entered the drop zone, another voice came over the open channel. Nick recognized it as the same marygay from the briefing, and wondered which ship she was piloting.
"We've entered the drop zone. Give 'em hell, boys. And a little extra for me too." Her comment got a hoo-rah from the troops, raising spirits just a tad. But it was enough. As Nick looked down at Judy, he caught a glimpse of her face through the tint, and saw the anxious excitement. Before he could say anything, she ran towards the door, shouting back to everyone through the radio.
"Last one down buys the beer!" Before disappearing into the sky. Soon after the air above the complex was filled with diving mammals, and below them the havoc of an open battlefield. As Nick fell, he tried to get a good look at what was going on; the outer wall was still completely intact, the light vehicles that swarmed around it unable to really punch through. The mercenaries and defenders were few, but they were well equipped; Pawtorias hadn't been lying about the rocketry and heavy weapons. Several wrecked jeeps and armoured cars littered the ground. But the vast majority of the damage was obviously inside the compound. Several of the peripheral buildings had collapsed from mortar and artillery shelling, and the smoke from the anti-air guns was billowing up at least a thousand feet. All in all, it was mayhem.
It only took them a minute to hit the ground, with Nick, Judy, Sif, and several others right on the mark, landing feet first on the roof of the main complex. Throwing off the parachute, Pawtorias immediately began barking orders.
"Squads one, three, and four, secure the perimeter of the building. I don't want any of those guys on the walls to get back in. Squad two, I want you to to rendezvous with squad five in the north side, top floor. Got it?" The lights of recognition flickered in his helmet, and he nodded. Looking over to Nick and Judy, he saw that they had already armed themselves, and were ready to move out, just as he expected. Let's do this…
Arkous sat, listening, watching the battle unfold. He hadn't expected this, to be caught off guard, completely unprepared. He knew they were coming, but he was labouring under the delusion that they were going to take a couple days. He thought he had a week. But it was obvious that he didn't. Thankfully, he wasn't without his backup plans.
Pressing the button on the desk next to him, he gave a single order, knowing it would be followed regardless of whatever chaos was ensuing outside.
"Move the girl and her brother to the Final Flight. Have Boris sent to my office ASAP." His command held an authority that was not to be questioned, and so it wasn't. It hadn't even been 2 minutes before the black bear opened the door, irritated because of being called away from overseeing the defence of his property.
"What could you possibly want, Arkous? Is my hospitality not suitable? Are you so blasted needy that you don't even care that the MILITARY is knocking down my goddamn door?!" He shouted, his anger boiling over. He was completely blindsided by what happened next. Arkous didn't say anything; not a word, as he lifted his left hand, aimed Eleazar's hand cannon at the black bear, and pulled the trigger, downing the carnivore in one shot. But leaving him alive. Getting up, he grabbed his cane and walked over to the mammal, who was now choking on his own blood.
"Oh, Boris. How sad. Did you really think I didn't know it was you behind the assassination attempts, the attack on the city, and the bounty on my foxes' heads? Did you really think me a fool? I thought about letting you live, I really did. You company and hospitality have been much appreciated, but this…" Savage waved the gun around, indicating the battle raging around them, "... is a failure I cannot forgive. You've put my plan, myself, and my most prized possessions at risk, all because you couldn't clean up after yourself. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Anywho, So long, and thanks for all the fish. It really was a delightful stay." The wolf walked out, back the same way Boris had come from, letting the bear bleed out behind him.
When he got outside, he saw the small building that housed the specially made escape jet. The light artillery bombardment had damaged the outside structure, but he was certain that the small plane inside was fine. Carefully making his way to the building, he looked over the grunt workers as they readied the aircraft for its get away.
Pawtorias ran from room to room, having searched the area now for the third time. Much to is dismay, Nick, Judy, and the several others that he had put on search and recover all signed in, all negative. They weren't in the building anymore. Cursing his inadequacy, he began to think of where the damn wolf could be hiding. Switching to an open channel between all the squads on the ground, he began asking questions.
"How many independent structures are still standing?" After a brief moment, the response came back.
"Squad one has eyes on two standing structures. A sniper tower and vehicle depot."
"Squad three has eyes on a mostly intact storage depot."
"Squad four is insight of both another sniper's nest and an unmarked building. Believe it's a hangar." Shit. Of course, he's going to make a get away…
"Squad four, where's the unmarked building?" Pawtorias shouted, heading toward the outside.
"South of the main complex. It's the only one still standing on that side." The soldier responded quickly, and Pawtorias immediately turned to that direction. However, as he ran towards the doorway and the mammals defending it, another voice came on the channel.
"Sif, do not go out there. You remember your own orders; stay inside the main complex. DO NOT GO OUT THERE." Nick hollered, hoping to snap the larger canine out of the rash decision he was about to make. Switching channels to a direct line to HQ, he ordered a halt on any strikes hitting the hangar, and before Nick or Judy or even Commander Lobes could question him, he yanked off the helmet, dropped it on the floor, and ran across the yard. I'm not letting him get away again.
Breaking open the locked door leading into the building, Pawtorias wasted no time dispatching the few guards in the room he just busted into, his pistol firing with a deadly accuracy. He didn't bother looking around. From the outside, the building looked small enough. He would gladly waste the time tearing apart the entire thing to find the grey wolf hiding here. In front of him were some rickety metal stairs, and throwing caution to the wind, he ran for them, prepared to gun down nearly anyone he saw. Except for the one person he actually did. At the very top, and a wide, spacious observatory, stood Arkous Savage. Before PAwtorias could compose himself, the crippled wolf turned and fired several shots. Sif barely managed to dive off the top of the stair and onto the floor before the creaking metal collapsed, the bullets hitting in just the right places to dislodge the entire thing from its anchors and cause it to fall to the ground.
As he got back to back to his feet, Arkous lowered the gun, speaking instead of shooting.
"Ahh. Long time no see eh, brother?"
"Sif? Sif! Respond!" Nick kept screaming into the mic in his headset. The lack of a response unnerved him. Damnit…
"He must've gone to the hangar…" Judy said, placing her paw on his arm, collecting calmer thoughts. Getting on the radio, she contacted squad 2.
"Lieutenant, do you have eyes on Agent Pawtorias?" His reply came after a second of static.
"Negative, Detective Hopps. He removed his headset and ran to the other building. Orders to pursue?" His question was met with silence, as Nick and Judy glanced at each other, wonder what exactly to do next. Knowing fully well they couldn't let him go it alone, Judy answered, declining.
"No. Wilde and I will be there in a moment. Make sure we have a clear run to the hangar. Then keep this building locked up tight." The affirmative from the officer barely registered with either Nick or Judy, as they quickly made their way to the same threshold Sif had just been at. A quick glance at each other was all the reassurance they needed, as they darted out and through the same door Sif had just broke open. As they got into the room, they noticed the dust settling around the collapsed stairs in front of them. Looking up, they focused their hearing and made out the conversation on the higher level.
"... brother. I've been wondering when we would see each other again. I had hoped it would be soon. It looks like dreams do come true." A sickeningly sarcastic voice spoke. They waited just a second before they heard Pawtorias's response.
"Don't you dare call me that. After all you've done, be glad I'm not gunning you down right where you stand."
"What I've done? You're the monster who crippled his younger brother! You turned my own son against me, then made me watch his death. That was on you!" Arkous lashed back.
"He turned against you after you killed his mother! After you threatened his siblings, and stole his childhood; I only gave him the chance at freedom and redemption. You're the one who turned him."
"How dare you…" the discussion made the two smaller mammals stop, the realization hitting hard. But they couldn't be stopped for long, as they looked for another way up. Going through a door to the side, they looked around the hangar, taking note of the small, unique looking plane towards one side. It lay on a raised platform, which had a rather wide gap between it and the rest of the floor. Peering into it, they looked down into the basement, noting the placement. The animals that had loaded up the plane were gone,and there were no more guards around. In the center of the overhang that was the upper floor, there was another set of stairs, which Nick and Judy immediately ran to, intent on backing Pawtorias up.
"He turned against you after you killed his mother! After you threatened his siblings, and stole his childhood; I only gave him the chance at freedom and redemption. You're the one who turned him." Pawtorias shouted back. The accusations weren't going to get them anywhere, but they had to be made. But with his last shout, Arkous seemed to simmer, unable to retort, and knowing that Pawtorias had the ultimate trump card in that little match.
"It doesn't matter now. You're under arrest. You have no means of escape, and I don't plan on letting you try." He made a step to the smaller wolf, only for Savage to stop him.
"Eh eh eh. I wouldn't do that if I were you. See that computer there? You cross the line in front of the door way, and it blows, launching you over those stairs filled with microchip shrapnel. And while I would like to see that, I would prefer to save it for them." The smirk on his snout got a quizzical response from the agent, until it dawned on him, as he heard the hurried foot steps up the stairs, and just barely saw the top of Nick's helmet when he heard a loud beeping coming from the computer. For a second, he thought of slamming against the wall, moving out of the way of the explosion, ensuring his own safety, following orders for once in his life. But the idea of following orders never really sat well with him. Springing into action, he jumped into the threshold as the beeping stopped, and the computer erupted. The concussive force picked him off his feet, sending him sprawling into his smaller compatriots, and they all fell back down the stairs, tumbling into the gap between the plane's platform and the floor, and into the basement beneath.
Soreness was the first thing that greeted Nick as he snapped out of the dizzying pseudo consciousness he had been in. The second thing was a loud ringing coming from his helmet's broken speakers, and the roar of the engines of the jet above them. The flames filled the upper level, but left them alone, as if unaware of their presence. And after only a couple seconds of it, the plane took flight, it's passengers gone with the wind. As the air settled, Nick finally yanked off the damaged headpiece, tossing it aside.
"Carrots? Judy!" His call got a muffled response. Blinking and rubbing his still unadjusted eyes, they finally got used to the dark, giving him back his excellent vision. Looking in the direction of the quieted words, he saw her struggling to get her helmet off. However, as if his sight was all the assistance she needed, she managed to break free of it before he could make his way to her.
"I'm fine, just this thing went insane. What the heck happened? One moment we were heading up the stairs, and the next there's a loud boom and you're hitting me and we were falling back down them." She asked, unaware of the missing factor. Trying to remember for a second, Nick stopped, and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before it came to him; the large wolf flinging himself in front of the fox, and then the the explosion throwing them down the stairs again.
"Pawtorias… SIF!" As the name dropped from his lips, Judy lit up with recognition, and looked around the room with the red fox. When Nick spotted the grey fur and black coat, he ran over, terrified of what he would find. The wolf was slumped over a box, his head down. He was motionless. Nick and Judy worked together, pulling him off the container, laying him flat on his back, only to reveal the damage. The grey canine's chest was filled with metal shards, fragments of computer chips, and plastic spikes. Hit with the unmoving, stilled nightmare, all they could do was gawk, at the realization.
Hey guys. No AN on the last chapter because I knew I would be releasing this one super fast-like. I've also been sitting on this one, as I sort of wrote it ahead of some of the others, to try and get the ideas down. The next ones will be coming out rather quickly, as I've now gotten through the least enjoyable (and hence shortest) parts for me.
Please review. Thanks for being patient with me.