"Chief, you have to stop him."

"It's under advisement, Hopps." Bogo's voice was resolute.

"They're going to kill him! Both of them have active hits out on him!"

A sigh. "I wish Wilde didn't know you well enough to know you'd call me. I'm aware of the details. So is he."

"What?!" Judy couldn't believe this. Nick knew they had promised to kill him? How could he still walk in to that?

"He had some words for you. 'Trust me and my judgement. It's what got us this far.' You know the same as I what type of animal he is. You know what he can survive."

Judy pulled over on the side of the road. She couldn't see through her tears. The armadillo tried to touch her but she waved him off. This wasn't right.

"You shouldn't have allowed it."

"I didn't want to. His reasoning and resolve told me it was best to."

Judy hated it. She hated Bogo for allowing it. She hated Nick for choosing to go. She hated what he was going through and that she wasn't with him.

"Chief, I request permission-"

"Denied, Hopps. I know what you're going to ask. Right now you're compromised. And those are his words, not mine." Judy cried at the response. "Your task is to continue with your assignment. If you've talked to the dealer at Tundratown, head to Horney's house in the Marshlands. You want to be useful to this investigation? That's what you need to do."

She didn't want that response. It was logical, calculated, and correct in reasoning. They needed more details, to find every connection they could. "But Chief, please!"

"He claimed you were both compromised, Hopps. You understand what he's saying." She hiccupped into the phone; he'd acted so closed around her after everything, yet his actions had said otherwise. At least she knew where Nick stood. "Do your job. That's the best way to useful to the investigation and to be useful to Wilde."

She took a few deep breaths. This wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she knew it was what she needed to. "Yes, Chief."

"Contact me if you get any information. Wilde's wire just went online. I'm monitoring the situation." With that, the phone went dead. Judy wanted to curl up into a ball. Instead, she put the car in gear and started driving again.

"Do you… want to talk about it, Officer Hopps?" Kasen's voice was unsteady as he tested the waters.

Judy just shook her head. "No, I want to work. If I can't stop Nick and his stupidity, I want to make sure to protect him." She looked over at the armadillo. "My paws are busy. Find out everything about K. Horney in the Marshlands District."

He nodded and pulled out the standard police laptop that came in each patrol vehicle. The police used to use a small, built in device to run cards and information if Judy remembered right from the Academy. She'd even learned how to use it, despite them being out of commission for over two years. The laptops were faster and easier to quiet. They could also be used for other functions if needed.

She just drove south as fast as the limit allowed. Her mind was focused on one animal and how absurdly stupid he was being.

"So, find anything on Horney?"

The armadillo shook his head. "She has one parking violation, but that's it. Apparently she was born to an upper end family. She's seen as one of the uppers of the Rhino community. She's out of town a lot."

"Any reason why Clefts would target her vehicle?"

"It's a black SUV. About 4 years old. It blends into the city scene and makes it hard to track. Other than that, nothing. She's so busy with her lifestyle that hitting her while she was out of town would be easy."

Judy groaned. They were still about 20 minutes out, but that didn't help. She wanted to do something, but there was only so much she could do while driving. She asked the armadillo to call Horney on the phone. He agreed and put it on speaker, waiting as it rang.

"You've reached the resident of Ms. Kasey Horney, entrepreneur and spokesperson for the Rhino community. How can she aide you today?" Judy sighed; she was afraid it'd be automated. Luckily it wasn't.

"My name is Judy Hopps of the ZPD. I would like to speak to Ms. Horney in person about the recent theft of her vehicle for some final questions."

"She is busy this afternoon, and cannot accompany your request, Officer Hopps. Might I suggest putting down an appointment? I believe she can squeeze you in in a day or two."

This wasn't going to work. Normally Judy could deal with bureaucratic yellow tape, but today was different. "Have you kept up with the news?"

"Excuse me, Officer, but what does that have to do with your request?" The gentle voice on the phone sounded confused. Judy felt horrible for what she was about to do, but she wasn't playing nice today.

"That ZPD coordinated attack? Three Precincts at once? Guess whose vehicle was one of the three mobile explosives? I don't have time for her schedule to wait; the clock is ticking and there appears to be indicators of another attack. I need information from her to find out who is being targeted to prevent another attack. You want to make me get an appointment, or tell me where to drive to when I arrive in about 20 minutes?"

There was silence on the other side as the voice called someone else. Less than a minute later the voice came back. "Officer, she'll be at a professional meeting until at least 30 minutes from now. I can give you the address, but please don't interrupt the meeting. We've already informed her of the request."

Now she was getting somewhere. "That's fine. Thank you for your cooperation. I'll take that address."

A minute and a half later and with an address in paw for a large building, Judy was aiming for the edge of the district. The address would put her within a few blocks of the wall to Downtown. Once she got done with Horney, she was going back to Precinct 1. If she was right, Nick would be there. Or she'd at least get some information on him.

"There's no impending attack, Officer Hopps," Kasen reminded her. "Why would you tell her that?"

"Impending fear that you're hindering a major attack or that you can help prevent another is a strong motivator."

"But that's not exactly legal. It's pretty shady, and not the best thing for the face of the ZPD to do." He looked at her as if betrayed.

"I never asked to be the face of the ZPD. And right now, my partner has already walked headfirst into a death trap. For all I know, he's dead or injured. So I'm doing everything I can to get all the information I can because I'm not allowed to be next to him right now." She glared at the armadillo. "Is that such a problem?"

He shook his head. "I thought it was funny this morning, but there's something between you two, isn't there?"

"Enough to be confusing." She pressed on the gas as she passed a slightly larger vehicle. She was in a hurry.

After an hour drive, Judy was still being forced to wait. She was sitting in a chair outside the meeting room where Horney was inside. Kasen sat next to her in the same chair. Neither said anything, but Kasen already had his pen and notebook out. Judy realized that Horney may be busy and wouldn't give them much time. Either way, she could ruin the rhino's schedule if she had to. She wasn't getting anywhere and she had a bad feeling about Nick. She couldn't shake it.

The door opened and a few animals filed out. Mostly larger mammals, like giraffes and an elephant. A tiger with a huge mane came out next; Judy felt herself reminded of Mayor Lionheart. She jumped out of the chair and moved to the door, peering in.

Four rhinos were standing around a chair, murmuring. There was a bison on the other side, waving his cloven hooves around as if to make a point. Judy backed away from the door; she wasn't getting into politics today. She'd had enough of it already.

"You need to calm down," came Kasen's voice. "I know you're worried about Officer Wilde, but he knows what he's doing."

Judy turned to the armadillo. "You haven't been partnered with him before. He makes stupid mistakes and misjudges the situation. He always lets me take the lead and makes sure the suspect can't escape. He's stubborn, sometimes is too cautious, and even falls asleep on the job!" She had her ears in her paws by this point. She wasn't screaming, but she was definitely ranting.

"So where does that make him unreliable?" She looked at the armadillo from under her ears. "It sounds like he's trying to keep you safe by watching your back."

"I know that! You think I don't? You think I haven't told him I can protect myself? He doesn't listen. He may always have my back, but he's always guarding me and making sure I don't get into something too big for us to handle. He's always there. And…" She shook her head. "Now I should be protecting him and I'm forced to be here and wait on all of this." She waved her paws at the huge building.

The armadillo moved forward and touched her arm. "Take a breath, and then let's get to work." He walked into the room and knocked on the door. "Excuse me? I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm Officer Kasen…"

Judy slapped her cheeks. Kasen was right; she was too worked up. Nick had made his choice. He was doing what he had to. They were both cops, she shouldn't be second guessing his decisions. She entered the room behind the armadillo.

The bison was staring at them. "This is a private matter, Officers. I'm sorry, but could you please give us a moment?"

Judy looked at the bison. "I don't mean to be rude here, but Ms. Horney's vehicle was part of the multi-pronged attack on the ZPD. There's a high chance of another attack, and we need to find out if she has any relevant information."

The bison just stared at her. "We're dealing with time sensitive matters here. There's some major fundraising to be done, and we have to get political support for senate runs. I don't think you understand how important this is."

"Has the senate ever come collapsing down on you, sir?" Judy looked over at Kasen. He was bright and bubbly, but apparently he also had some gall when the situation called for it. "As far as I'm aware, protests are your biggest problem and the ZPD helps keep you protected. Would you like to see it take another blow because you'd rather focus on a single candidate? That'd be a campaign ender if someone found out."

The bison's eyes widened and his nostrils flaired. He looked across the table at Horney and her assistants. "I'd appreciate if you'd get back to me immediately."

She nodded. "Of course. In fact, as soon as these officer's finish with their questions, I was going to continue our conversation. The meeting was cut short, so I have a gap in my schedule."

The bison sighed. "Thank god. You're too busy." He stood up and walked to the door, looking down at the two officers. "I'm not going to hinder a police investigation. Please make sure that's on file." He left the room.

Kasen immediately smiled and walked towards the posse in front of him. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but time is of the essence. May I ask which one of you is Miss Horney?"

The group parted and a smaller-than-average rhino stared at the officers. Her horn had been polished to a white sheen and her eyes were a spectacular shade of blue. She had put on a bit too much makeup for Judy's taste, but she was pretty simple.

"That would be me. How can I help you today, Officer…"

"Kasen. John Kasen. This is Officer Judy Hopps." He waved back at Judy, who had made her way forward. Judy nodded at the group. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about your stolen vehicle. Do you remember when it was taken?"

The rhino shook her head. "I was out of town on a business trip. I got back to find it missing. I'd been gone a week, so it could have happened any time before then."

Judy spoke up. "Do you know anyone who might have taken it?"

Another shake of the head. "Not really. I try not to make enemies, although that causes a scheduling nightmare. As far as I know I'm not on bad terms with any mammals."

Kasen was looking at his notepad. "Your vehicle was found empty of everything. Was there anything in it when it went missing?"

She looked to her assistant. "I'm not sure. Marcus would know more."

A burly rhino with thick skin, Marcus shrugged. "A few bags in the far back with some immediately cosmetics for rushed trips. A few bits of protective gear in the glove box."

Judy immediate disliked his answer. "Define protective gear."

He raised his large toed feet. "Calm down, officer. We're all trained and have licenses to carry tranquilizer weapons for defense thanks to our jobs. We're assistants and bodyguards rolled into one. Horney is more than just a bureaucrat and a face."

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

Horney sighed. "I'm a Javan. One of the few remaining in the world. We're smaller, but we still have strong structures. Some predators in less civilized countries think our horns make great medicine. So I need protection as well as assistants."

Kasen marked it down. "May I ask where this trip was to, Miss Horney?" he asked.

"We went into Carnivalis, one of the major cities in the south. It's not as civilized as Zootopia, but that's why I had to go."

Judy nodded. She'd heard of the city. Most of what she'd heard wasn't good. She was trying to think if anything else was relevant. "Miss Horney, have you ever heard of Clefts?"

"Facial features, Officer. Unless you mean something else?"

"That's a no, then." Kasen nodded to her.

Horney waved her feet in the air. "I'm not trying to sound ignorant. I really don't know. I just know I left on a trip. I come back, and my vehicle is gone. I call the police, they investigate and can't find it. Now you're telling me that it was used in a bombing. I don't know how I can help you since I don't know anything."

She seemed truthful and sincere. "Miss Horney, thank you. You've given us more information to help us try to narrow down our search. We're combing through traffic cameras to track the thieves. You've been a big help. If we have any other questions, we'll contact you."

Kasen headed for the door. Judy followed, and then stopped. She realized she'd forgotten to ask something.

"Miss Horney, when'd you leave on your trip?"

The rhinoceros looked at her. "The 11th."

"And when did your event happen in Carnivalis?"

"The 16th."

"With your busy schedule, that seems like a large time gap. Why leave so early?"

Horney looked at her foot. "I have family down there I wanted to visit. Also, I received troubling news that things were getting bad down for some of the other Javen. I wanted to protect them."

Judy nodded. "Thanks again for your time." She shuffled out the door, passing by the bison as he went back into the room. The door shut behind him. Kasen tried to say something, but she shook her head. They went to the staircase and worked their way down three flights of large stairs to get to the parking garage.

Kasen was winded. "So… Why did you… want to know about… when she left?"

She turned to the armadillo. "Carnivalis isn't the best of places, and she put herself there for longer? It'd be in the news if things were getting bad. Either something is going on down south, or she was lured out early to give Clefts easier access to her vehicle."

"So she was set up?"

"Maybe." Judy led the way to the cruiser. "Either way, it's something to look into. I'm heading back to Precinct 1 to see if I can find out anything about Nick and get some lunch. You okay with that plan?"

"Sure," he said. He stood up straight and took a deep breath to hide his panting. "What're the food options?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, here's another entry into this saga. Turns out I'm surprising myself with how it's turning out. I'm hoping you'll all enjoy the next chapter even more!

Jay AKA Pyre