The mood At the Hopps' dinner table was at best, forcefully cheerful, and at worst, downright awkward.
Once the shotgun and the other cast iron implement of death had been put up, and an ice pack had been slapped on a decent black eye already forming on Stu, Judy had hastily introduced everyone as friends from work and came up with an explanation that she and Nick had been offered some time off, which she had decided to spend peacefully out of the city with some friends. As for their arrival at such an ungodly hour, she sheepishly blamed it on car trouble. Bonnie had skeptically accepted all that, but was still giving Judy the stink eye as she set about preparing a pot of tea.
"Well it still would've been nice of you to call first," She said over her shoulder, "Or for you to call us at all! It's no wonder they gave you time off, what with all that craziness in the city! We have the news you know, we've been worried sick!"
Judy winced at the admonishment, trying not to look too guilty. It was true, she hadn't been very good about communicating with her family recently. With everything going on, she had barely managed a few texts to confirm she was alright, and the news hadn't even been reporting the worst of it.
"I know Mom, but it's honestly been a crazy time. I've barely had time for anything recently. I'll do better with it, I promise." She said sincerely.
Bonnie just replied with a huff as she set steaming mugs in front of her guests who sheepishly thanked the bunny. Tice in particular looked almost fearful as he took the mug from the tiny rabbit. Judy wasn't sure if his pride had fully recovered from being ambushed by a rabbit in a nightgown.
"Well we're just glad you're here now Jude!" Stu called over cheerfully. "I just wish you'd gotten here earlier so we could see some more of you!"
It had already been discussed that the Hopps would be getting a ride back to the farm early tomorrow. They had been dropped off to spend a few rare days alone together, while one of the elder Hopps children took the truck back to Bunnyburrow to maintain the family farm, hence the empty driveway. Of course it had been just Judy's luck that they picked this weekend to visit.
"Sorry again about hitting you like that Mr. Hopps." Tice mumbled as Stu slid into the bench seat, still holding an ice pack over his eye.
"Now I already told you son, don't worry about it. Just all that ZPD training kickin' in." He said with a grin. "Besides, I've had worse when I was on the boxing team, and I'm just glad Jude's got some friends who'll have her back in a scrap!"
Tice forced a laugh and drank deeply from his mug of tea. There was a brief awkward silence before Judy's parents started up with the usual small talk questions. The group generally gave some shady answers to questions such as, 'How's the city?', 'How long are you staying?' And 'What've you got planned?'. Jack blanked especially hard when Stu mentioned not knowing the ZPD had hired another rabbit, when Skye helpfully informed that he was a civilian, working a more behind the scenes role.
Eventually as the small talk ran out, it became obvious that the elder Hopps we're pretty tired, and had actually already been in bed when they heard everyone come in. Judy and her friends certainly weren't faring much better, and as the adrenaline fizzled out they all looked dead on their feet. Bonnie apparently knew how to read the room, as she stood and placed her mug in the sink.
"Well I can tell everyone's pretty pooped. We've got plenty of beds but I didn't bother making any of them up. I'll go get some sheets for...seven?" She asked, quickly counting the group.
"Actually, six should be fine." Nick said in a monotone. Judy jumped, surprised by how bold he was.
"Nick!" She hissed, shooting him a glare that he actually shot right back at her. I'm going to have to talk to that fox, Judy thought. "Seven beds will be fine mom."
"Well actually...maybe keep it at six." Jack said, getting a few surprised looks. "Unless..." he trailed off, looking expectantly down the table and Tice and Charlie, who both stared back like deer in headlights.
"What?" Tice said, flicking his eyes around nervously.
"Okaaaaay..." Bonnie, said drawing the word out. "How about I just make up seven and let you all figure it out."
With that, she walked off down the side hallway, muttering to herself as she went. Stu watched her leave and sipped his tea for a moment before leaning over to Judy.
"Hey Jude, can I steal you for a minute?"
Judy nodded and followed him out to the front porch, bracing herself for an ear full. She shut the door behind herself and walked over to lean against the railing next to her dad. He took a long sip of his tea before reaching into a pocket of pajama pants. Judy was less than surprised when he pulled out one of his "secret" cigars that his mother despised so much.
"So I'll make you a deal, Jude. You don't tell your mom about this, and I won't tell her anything you tell me out here. Sound okay?"
Judy relaxed and smiled a little as she nodded. This was an old tactic her father used, and she had come to understand that these conversations were never a yelling session, just an honest, open conversation. Her nose wrinkled from the pungent smell of tobacco as he lit the cigar and took a long puff, standing silently for a moment after he let it go.
"So, a lot of new friends here, huh? Tough ones too, it looks like. That vixen, she seems like a sweetheart, but that coyote sure packs a punch, and even that hare looks like no slouch. Must be some pretty top notch cops."
Judy couldn't find any tone of accusation in his voice, but the implication was there. Her dad might play up the 'simple country bunny' persona, and rightfully so, but he definitely wasn't a dummy. Judy sighed as she tried to find the right way to go about this.
"Yeah they're...a special branch. Skye is too actually, believe it or not. I can't get too much into it though." She finished lamely. Stu nodded sagely, taking another drag.
"Now, they wouldn't have anything to do with that nasty business back in the city would they?"
Judy grimaced, looking away, before Stu cut her off before she could speak.
"Alright, alright, I won't press too much. Just promise me you'll be safe Jude. It seems like they've got your back, but it makes me nervous that they have to."
Judy was a little taken aback at that but nodded along.
"I promise dad, I'll be as safe as I can. And I really will get better about telling you guys what's going on. I know mom's pretty pissed about that." She finished, looking crestfallen. Her dad clicked his tongue, nudging her with an elbow.
"Aww Jude, you know how your mom is. She just wants to know your safe, we both do. But more than that we just want to hear from you. It's good to just talk, to hear about your life out in there in the big city, your job, friends...boyfriends." He finished with a sidelong look that made Judy's ears redden.
"Okay let's not get ahead of ourselves here! You know Nick, he's just kidding around, you know, just being a...a joker."
"Now don't you go lying to me Judith Hopps. You never were any good at it." Steve said sternly, wagging his cigar at her. "And plus, Nick didn't seem like he was in a very joking mood."
He had her there, Judy had to admit. Nick has been off the whole ride there, and had barely said a word besides his little comment about the bed situation. She still was a little miffed about all that, but that faded straight away when she remembered what had gone down in the weight room. Nick had killed someone. She had barely had time to even address that fact, she had been so keyed up since they left the safehouse. Now she felt a pit of guilt in her stomach as she realized he was probably going through hell and just reacting to some emotions he didn't even know to process, and all the while she had been sniping away at him. The thought left her emotionally drained, and swept away all her fight and indignation at what her dad was asking.
"Okay you caught me. Me and Nick are together. It just happened, I mean you guys knew we were so close, and with everything going on he was always there for me and it just...happened. Don't freak out, please." She begged. As her guilt at practically abandoning Nick mixed with her dread of her Dad's reaction mixed, she actually felt a tear roll down her cheek. She couldn't have been more surprised when he reached out and gently wiped the tear off her cheek.
"Oh jeez Jude," he said speaking softly, "You can't really think I'd be mad about that right?" Judy looked up, confused to see a warm smile on his face.
"Jude I just want you to be happy. And Nick seems like a real good guy. Does he make you happy?"
Judy nodded with a watery smile.
"Well that's all that matters then. That's all we've wanted for a long time, hell, that's all we've ever wanted, your mother and I both."
"So, you don't think she'll lose it when she finds out I'm dating a fox?" This got a bark of laughter from Stu.
"Are you kidding? She's been rooting for that boy! Figured he was her best chance of you marrying someone besides that badge." Judy blushed at that laughing a little. Knowing her parents would approve at least took some of the weight off her mind.
"God, that's so good to hear dad. Really, just...thank you."
She wrapped her dad in a hug, which he returned as enthusiastically as possible without burning her with the cherry of his cigar. As he held her tight, he spoke into her ear.
"But don't think that won't stop me from putting some bird shot in the red, furry ass if I catch any funny business going on tonight."
"Dad!" Judy exclaimed, laughing as she pushed out of his embrace. She settled back against the railing, looking up through the trees at the night sky, the two of them spending a couple minutes in comfortable silence.
"Well, I might as well be heading in." Stu said, crushing his cigar on the railing before throwing it as far from the porch as he could. "Bradley will be here real early to pick us up, you guys want us to wake you before we go?"
"Yeah you might as well, we've probably got a big day ahead of us." Judy said. "Actually...I need to make a phone call real quick. You can head in without me."
Stu obliged, hugging Judy again before heading in. Judy waited until she was sure he was gone before pulling out her phone and dialing a contact she had just entered in a few days ago. The phone had barely finished dialing before she heard a breathless answer on the other end.
"Hello? Hopps?" Chief Bogo asked, sounding more stressed than Judy thought she'd ever heard.
"Yeah, it's me Chief."
"Thank god. Are you alright? Is everyone?"
"Yeah we're all okay," Judy answered before pausing for a moment, thinking. There was no way Bogo could've already known what happened to them. "Why would you think we aren't? Who told you anything?"
"No one's told me anything, but things have gotten bad here in the city, and I assumed the worst. I'll explain later, but first What's happened to you?"
Judy quickly explained about the firefight at the safehouse, but when she tried to explain where they were now, Bogo cut her off.
"Don't tell me Hopps, I don't know if this line is secure."
"Sir, what do you mean, secure? Who could be listening?"
"The situation has changed Hopps. The ZIA is compromised, and Hopps...Director Stagg has been killed."
Judy felt icy fear creep down her spine as their worst fears were confirmed, and then some.
"What? What happened sir?"
"I'm not going to get into it now Hopps. Just meet me tomorrow, ten o'clock, where you and Wilde cracked your first case. And be careful!"
With that, the line clicked dead. Judy stood, staring in shock at her phone. As her mind finally began to process what she'd just heard, she burst back through the front door to find her friends waiting expectantly. Apparently they had been waiting since Stu had said She was on the phone, and they could clearly tell it wasn't good news. Judy darted to the hall to make sure her parents door was fully closed before returning and breathlessly explaining everything she had just been told.
The news was clearly devastating to the ZIA agents. From everything they'd said, even if Stagg was kind of an jerk, he had also been a legend at the ZIA and a huge mentor to the both of them. The look of shock and sadness on Skye's face nearly broke Judy's heart, but the look on Jack's pretty much terrified her.
"I know something like this would happen, we never should have left! We need to get back to the city. We're going to make these assholes pay!" He growled.
"Jack just stop." Skye said, seeming close to tears. "I know your pissed, I am too but we need to think clearly. Bogo must have some kind of plan. Where we supposed to meet him?"
"He said where me and Nick cracked our first case, he must mean the Natural History Museum." Judy answered. Even though technically, neither of them had been cops at the time, that was where they had blown the whole Bellwether conspiracy wide open.
"Well that's where we need to be then. It's a couple hours back to the city, so we'll
Need to get out of here early. We should probably all at least try to get some rest." Skye answered.
Judy could tell she was working hard to push down her emotions, and understood that trying to take back a little bit of control over the situation would help with that. No one seemed too inclined to argue at this point, everyone was completely exhausted and too emotionally drained to do much of anything else. As everyone began to trudge off to their rooms, Judy internally groaned as she realized her night was nowhere near from over.
If she was ever going to try to figure out what was going on with Nick, now would have to be the time. If something like this was left to fester it would only get worse. The hits just keep coming she thought as she followed him into one of the bedrooms that had been made up for them. Nick simply walked in, sat down on the bed and started to undress, not even looking at her.
"Nick..." she said softly.
"What?" He said, not even bothering to look up.
"Nick, look at me." She pleaded. Nick heaved a sigh and stopped what he was doing, fixing her with a tired, frustrated look.
"What, Judy?"
She fought hard to not let his sharp tone sting as much as it did.
"Nick, we need to talk. You need to talk. You've been acting strange all night and...Nick you killed someone tonight."
"So? Who cares? There's nothing to talk about." He deadpanned and went back to getting ready for bed. Judy stood stunned for a moment before approaching him, trying to put herself directly in front of him.
"Nick, you can't mean that, I know you can't. You're...sensitive, you try to hide it but I know it's eating at you."
"So what if it is?" He said, finally giving up the pretense of acting busy. "It's over. It happened. No sense in talking about it."
"But Nick you have to understand, you had to do it-"
"I know I had to!" He cut in angrily, "He had you by the ears, he was going to kill you and honestly I just...it was like I blacked out. I think I remember picking up the bar but then the next thing I knew I was standing over him and there just this...hole, like, this mess where his face should've been, and I knew I did it and I knew it should've felt awful but for some reason, I didn't feel...anything. And honestly, I would do it again if I had to, I know that I could, and I would."
Judy felt the anger start to bleed out of him, but she could see was just replaced with a cold, empty look in his eye. That spark that was so uniquely Nick just wasn't there. He stared at his paws for a second before looking up at her with those hollow eyes.
"What does that make me Judy? Am
I some kind of...monster or something? You were shattered after, I should be distraught, just torn up inside right? Instead I'm just...not." He finished, looking at her for some kind of answer.
"Nick, no. That doesn't make you a monster. My situation and yours aren't even comparable. He was going to kill me, Nick. If you'd waited even a second he would've for sure. I'm pretty sure that's a justifiable reaction. The fact that you would even react like this shows that you have more heart than most."
She could tell her words weren't really hitting home, so she tried a different angle.
"Nick, if anyone tried to hurt you like that, I would do the same in a heartbeat and not even flinch."
Nick pulled a face, shaking his head.
"Judy I know you'd have my back whenever, that's not the point. I just didn't even know I was capable of something like that."
"Any mammal is capable of defending the one they love." She shot back. "I promise you Nick, you just did what you had to. You have to see that. And if you can't find a reason to feel sorry for it, then don't. But either way you need to find a way to push past it because we're going to need you Nick. I'm going to need you."
It felt kinda bad playing that card, but she knew Nick. If nothing else, he wanted to help others, and if that's what he needed to drag him out of this, then that's what she would use.
"I know Judy. And I remember what you said Skye told you, that it's up to me to get over this, and I will, but just give me a little bit okay?"
"Okay." Judy said, feeling relieved. "Can I stay with you tonight?"
"Of course." Nick said, moving over to give Judy room for slide in next to him as he clicked off the light.
XXXXXXXX
Morning at the Hopps cabin pretty much flew by as far as Judy was concerned. Her parents were barely out the door before everyone was piling back into van to head back to the city. It was a little hard for everyone to hide their anxiety during breakfast with the elder Hopps, but they managed. She also couldn't help notice that her mother seemed to cheerier this morning, especially towards Nick. She wondered how much of her conversation with her dad had gotten relayed to her.
The only thing that really mattered to Judy was that Nick seemed at least close to being back to regular Nick. As far as she could tell, he wasn't hiding anything from her, so that was a good sign.
Now, with everyone loaded into the van, they found themselves doing a slow cruise past the museum of natural history just before their scheduled ten o'clock meeting with the chief. Skye pulled the van to a stop in a parking lot just across the street.
"So...what now?" Nick asked.
It was a question that they were all thinking. No one disagreed that this was supposed to be the meeting spot, that was pretty obvious, but that was also what made them so nervous. As far as 'secret meeting spots' went, it certainly wasn't the best, and if anyone was listening in like Bogo was afraid of, it wouldn't be terribly hard to figure out where he had meant. No one really wanted to get out and start wandering the museum, but sitting on the side of the road didn't seem like a great plan either.
Just then, a car drove by, slowing down as it passed. Everyone in the van tensed, but then relaxed as they saw Bogo lean forward in the front seat to give them a pointed look, before accelerating off.
"Follow him!" Judy called from the back, and Skye stepped on it.
The chief took a winding, seemingly random route through the city. He frequently stopped in parking lots, waiting for a minute before pulling out and taking off again. Finally after nearly half an hour of weaving through the city, he started to take a more direct route, heading away from the city center out towards the more suburban Meadowlands district. After about another twenty minutes, he pulled into the driveway of a modest looking little house on a side street. As they pulled in, the garage door opened, revealing an empty spot. Taking the hint, they pulled their van in. As the door rattled shut behind them, they saw the Cape buffalo duck under.
The back door of the van popped open, and Bogo leaned his huge head in.
"Sorry about the ride, I had to ensure you weren't followed. Quickly, come inside."
He opened a door into the house and allowed everyone in. Inside, the place was a nice, clean, modestly furnished home designed for a larger mammal.
"Where are we?" Skye asked, looking around. "Is this some kind of safehouse?"
"No, this is my home." Bogo answered. Judy looked around. The spartan furniture, the immaculate tidiness. It certainly fit the chief's style. "Come on, down into the basement."
Bogo opened another door revealing a staircase down into a basement level. Downstairs was something that seemed like a cross between an office and a lounge, with both comfortable furniture and a desk piled high with paperwork.
"Have a seat, and tell me everything." Bogo said.
Everyone quickly relayed everything that had happened at the safe house, each putting in their own piece. As soon as the story was over Jack spoke up.
"Great, the debrief is over. Now tell us what the hell happened to Director Stagg!"
Bogo heaved a sigh and lowered himself into a seat behind the desk.
"Well now that I hear your story, it lines up pretty close to what happened back here. Stagg was killed in a drive by shooting. He had just gotten home from work apparently, and witnesses said a van pulled by and let loose with an automatic weapon. Ballistics showed it was something high-caliber, military grade. The media is having a field day with it, there was no chance for us to try to contain it. Now knowing what I know now, it sounds like that bear was sent in to sweep up and wipe out all the key players in this investigation."
"Are you sure that you're safe sir? Are we safe here?" Judy asked anxiously.
"We should be. It sounds like you lot took care of a lot of his muscle and I doubt he would try anything alone and wounded. Although, an attack like this shows that the group is clearly either getting extremely angry, desperate or both."
"So where does this leave us sir?" Wolfard asked. "I mean, Stagg was running point on this thing, and now we're stuck here with no leads and no plan, not to mention we can't assume the ZIA isn't still compromised, we don't know who their inside man was."
"Fortunately, I have answers to those questions, but you may not like them. Yesterday morning, I met with Director Stagg. He shared with me his own suspicions, specifically about Assistant Director Fetterworth."
Jack and Skye nodded gravely. The evidence had pointed to it being either Stagg or Fetterworth, and with Stagg gone it really only left one option.
"So when are we going to go bust him?" Jack asked eagerly.
"We aren't." Bogo replied flatly. "ZPD got a warrant to search his apartment. Inside we found an unreasonably large amount of cash, a one-way ticket to Pawnama, and a lot of blood. My assumption is that we will likely never find the body."
Jack cursed under his breath as everyone considered the implication of their one and only lead being gone, and assumed dead.
"The other product of my meeting with Stagg was this." Bogo continued as he lifted a large brief case onto his desk. He cracked the lid to expose its contents. Everyone crowded around the case to see what was inside.
"What is this?" Judy asked, holding up a rubber banded stack of Pawnamanian bills and a stack of what looked like passports.
"This is Stagg's plan. All our leads in Zootopia have gone cold, but the threat is still here. It's going to have to be eliminated at the source. You're going to Pawnama."
XXXXXXXX
Hours later under the cover of darkness, an unmarked ZPD car and a nondescript van pulled into a warehouse in the dock district. It wasn't the kind of place anyone would bother trying to loot, but the cargo bay door still only opened after a code was entered on a keypad. Inside, there was nothing besides a dingy looking, locked shipping container tucked away in a shadowy corner. As the cars parked and the occupants dismounted, Jack quickly padded over to the container producing a key. He unlocked the thick, heavy padlock and threw open the doors.
"Wow, you just leave all this here?" Nick asked as a light clicked on inside the shipping container. Along the walls were pegboard walls lined with fire arms. Skye passed by, dragging thier heavy gear bag which she began to unload out onto the ground as she spoke.
"Well this is actually kind of me and Jack's stash. Every field agent team has one, it's actually meant for a situation kind of like what we're in."
"And lucky for all you, we're willing to share. Tice you carry an M4, Colt Arms standard right?" Tice nodded and Jack quickly stripped the firing pin out of an identical model on the wall, tossing it to Tice to replace his own sabotaged one.
"Nick, Judy, come here." Skye called over her shoulder, looking critically at the wall of weapons. As her friends walked up, she selected a few off the wall, an SG 552 carbine for nick and an even smaller MP5 for Judy, with an appropriately sized handgun for both of them.
"How does those feel?" She asked. She chuckled as their nervous looks answered for them. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
As various holsters and pieces of body armor were loaded into the bag, Judy noticed Bogo standing off to the side, watching with an uneasy look. He caught her eye and motioned for her to come off to the side, and to bring Nick and Wolfard. They went to the back of the van, where Bogo sat down heavily on the tailgate. He wiped a weary paw down his face, covering his eyes as he spoke to her.
"So I assume there's no way to talk you lot out of this." He asked.
"Sir...we have to go." Judy said.
"You really don't, Hopps. I don't mean any offense but I think two soldiers and two ZIA agents might be able to handle themselves."
"Sir, it's not about that. They're our friends, we can't just abandon them now!" Judy answered, less offended but more shocked that Bogo didn't understand.
"I know. I figured you would say all this but I figured I had to try anyways. I assume that she speaks for all of you then?" Nick and Wolfard nodded their solidarity.
Bogo leaned in, his voice softening.
"Well then for the love of God, be careful. All of you. I can promise you, this city will be a much darker place without you. And I hope you know, I can't think of a single officer outside of you three who would be willing to risk this much for this city. So go catch these bastards and come back here in one piece."
With that, he rose up to his full height, towering over his officers and reverting to his usual gruff tone.
"As this is going to take you far outside of the ZPD's jurisdiction, I'm going to put you all in the system as being on paid leave for the next two weeks, and will not that you will return after that time. Do not make me a liar."
With those cheery parting words, he turned and got back into his car. The engine rumbled as he pulled back into the night air and drove off.
"Got a little pep talk?" Charlie asked as the officers walked up.
"Something like that." Wolfard grumbled. He grunted as he helped Tice heave their now heavily loaded gear bag on top of their luggage in the van. It was a tight fit, but the team managed to squeeze next to the bags. It was barely a ten minute ride to where they would meet their transportation, so it hardly mattered.
"So you're sure you'll be able to find this guy?" Skye called back to Tice.
"Yeah, I remember him. Scott Underhill, that was our inside man for the first Golden Orchid operation, he was some low level pit boss. Stagg's file didn't have much info, but it at least confirmed he still works at the Orchid, though I guess he's at one of the clubs now. Either way, Stagg apparently thought he had some kind of connection, so I'll find him."
The van cruised to a stop at the start of a long dock. As they unloaded the van, they watched a rusting, ancient looking boat ride out of the night time fog toward them.
"Is that seriously our transportation?" Charlie asked dubiously.
"Well, it's not like we could book a flight with the company card." Jack replied as he tossed the keys in the driver seat, hefted his bag over his shoulder and walked down the dock.
After a brief haggling session with the gruff sea otter captain, a portion of their Zootopian cash exchanged hands, and they loaded their gear. As the boat shuddered and got underway, they all gathered along the front bow of the boat. They stared forwards, peering through the fog until suddenly, Wolfard broke the silence.
"So we're all in agreement that this is fucking insane right?"
"Absolutely, 100%" Nick deadpanned.
"Sure is!" Judy chirped.
"Well...yeah, a little." Skye admitted.
"We should've just worked in cyber, stayed in the office." Jack said distantly.
"Hell, I should've just stayed in College, I could have a master's by now." Charlie laughed.
After a moment, they all looked expectantly at Tice, who seemed completely oblivious, staring forwards into the fog. Finally he felt the six sets of eyes on him and looked around self consciously.
"Oh! Yeah, this is totally...okay gonna be honest guys, this is kind of par for the course for me."
That only earned him groans and grumbles as the boat quietly slid through the night.
Author's Notes
Hey everyone. So obviously this update has been an insanely long time coming. Real life got in the way, and this story just kind of fell off my radar. I thought of it the other day and then really started kicking myself over it, because if there's anyone who thinks this is worth reading then I owe it to them to finish it, so this is me trying to make good on that.
This chapter was more of a filler chapter, I really just needed to use this to set the scene for the final act. I think I've got about four, maybe five chapters left in me, and I promise they'll be a lot more entertaining than this. So stick around, and if you've been reading since Chapter One dropped just know that I appreciate you!
