Bob_Johnson_ZPD: Hate your coworkers? Try getting trapped in a sewer with all of them. ALL OF THEM.
Bob_Johnson_ZPD: I'm so over being a cop I'm quitting the second we get out. IF we get out. My nephew makes money playing video games online how hard can that $*& be

"Oh my god I just realized how stupid this is."

Nick rubbed his eyes. Not just because of the bright morning sun.

They were ready. As ready as anyone could be for a plan like this. Nick's breakfast had gone down well. He and Judy were joined by Bentley and Murray, still steady and alert despite the night's work; by Fox, cheerful as ever as the tiredness slowly left his eyes; and by Sly and Carmelita, who seemed to be in high spirits. And a bit dishevelled.

But after a lovely meal surprisingly light on tactical discussion, it was time to get moving. Somehow.

"I mean, I already knew it was stupid. It was patently obvious that the whole thing was stupid. But actually seeing it in front of me…"

"It's, uh…"

Judy stood next to him on the tarmac, and together they took in the fruits of the overnight labour. There was a fighter jet. There was a lot of sturdy-looking rigging attached to the fighter jet. And the rigging was attaching the jet to a big, blocky van.

"It sure is something," she said, lacking anything else to say.

"Like…" Nick gestured vaguely with one hand. "I think if this works, part of me is going to be angry. If I get to go to space, in a van towed by a very fast airplane, I'm just going to be… upset."

"Then don't."

They both jumped. Carmelita's time among thieves showed. She had appeared behind them silently.

"Um, sorry to startle you." After a brief lapse, she slipped her businesslike Inspector Fox face back on. "But I'm serious. You've both been a big help so far. But you can leave at any point. You realize that, don't you?"

"And go where?"

Judy turned to face her, arms folded.

"I want to be back in Zootopia," she said bluntly. "That's where Nick and I should be. But we aren't. And it looks like we're locked out. Right now, my options are either go home and stay in my childhood bedroom…"

"Bringing me with her, I guess," said Nick, "since my childhood bedroom is off-limits…"

"Or actually do something, here, with you." Judy's stance was firm. "That's no choice at all."

"Besides," said Nick, carefully nonchalant. "If you guys get there, and it turns out the only way to stop the bad guys is with a last-minute, two-person improv comedy routine, you're gonna be really embarrassed you didn't bring me and Carrots along. That's our whole thing, y'know."

"Oh, you provide a little more than that." Carmelita was smiling now, though her folded arms were solid. "Still. This is going to be extremely dangerous. We haven't even found you decent weapons."

"Pssh. Like that's ever stopped us. Need I remind you our defining victory involved a blueberry, a novelty pen, and nothing else? We'll take a page out of Sly's book. We'll see what weird science junk is there, and use it against him."

"The only two weapons I need," added Judy, planting her fists on her hips, "are right here."

Carmelita nodded. "Well then. I'm… Let me just say I'm glad you're here."

"Feeling's mutual," said Judy warmly.

"Yeah," said Nick. "It really is."

"Hi, guys!"

Before things could get any mushier - to Nick and Carmelita's relief, and Judy's mild disappointment - their pilot joined them.

"How are you all doing?"

"Just fine, Fox." Carmelita turned her attention to him. "And you? This is a huge ask, even for a pilot of your skill. Nervous?"

"Not at all! I'm excited to get started!"

Fox looked as bright and vivid as ever, refreshed and grinning. His green eyes shone.

"I know this is going to be hard. But I'm sure I can do it. After all…" He beamed. "It's not rocket science!"

"Hooray! Fox made a joke!" Nick matched his grin. Briefly. "That was a joke, right?"

"Yes!"

"Hooray! Fox made a joke!" Nick matched his grin. "I'm genuinely proud of you, buddy. And now I know a fellow comedian is handling this, I'm suddenly much more at ease."

About eight seconds later, Nick had entered the Van.

"I am no longer at ease!"

Four more seats had been welded into place in a rough circle. This included makeshift seatbelts, seemingly involving as much rigging as there was between the Van and the plane. Ironically, for all the high-speed chases it had weathered back here, Bentley's wheelchair couldn't be safely secured for the trip. The vibration alone threatened to rattle it apart, so it had been folded away, ready for a quick assembly on the other side. Bentley himself sat in the Van's actual passenger seat, alongside Murray. Their seatbelts had been similarly enhanced, and it looked similarly horrifying.

Sly stood near his brothers, turning to give the newcomers a smile. "Come on in. Ready to go?"

"No," said Nick. "God, no. Not remotely. Not ever. But I guess it's time."

"Boy, that's the spirit…"

Carmelita strode for a seat and began to strap herself in, trying to set an example. "Let's get started. Sly, can you make sure I've got this right?"

"Gladly~."

Murray watched them over his shoulder. Carmelita, Nick and Judy were soon secured, Sly tending to himself last. "Okay! Everyone comfortable?"

There was a vague chorus.

"Alright!" said Murray. "And don't worry about a thing. In case this doesn't work, Fox let me install the parachute from his jet into the Van. We can get back down no problem."

"You took the… parachute?" said Nick. "For the pilot?"

"No, silly. There was another, bigger parachute. For the whole plane!"

"The whole plane."

"Yeah."

"The whole small, sleek fighter jet. Instead of the big blocky van."

"Yeah!"

Nick decided he didn't want to pull on this thread.

Carmelita cut across him anyway. "Bentley? Are you ready?"

"Almost…"

He sat there, his laptop at the ready.

"Although I could swear I'm forgetting something…"

"Oh, that's good to hear," said Sly lightly.

"Try to focus," said Carmelita. If she was nervous, she didn't show it. "I'm sure a lot of preparation went into this, but I trust you wouldn't let us on until you were ready."

"Yeah," said Bentley. "Right."

Like Murray, he turned in his seat to address them.

"It's normally my job to bring up the unpleasant realities. I need to stress… We could die."

He spoke slowly.

"We could all be dead in a few minutes. Everyone needs to understand that. There's no shame in leaving, so… Does anyone want to get out?"

Silence.

"Everyone's willing to come along?"

Another chorus. This one without a hint of vagueness.

"Alright. With that out of the way…"

He returned to his laptop.

"I'm commencing the sequence."

Fox's voice crackled over their earpieces. "Beginning take-off procedures here! Are you guys ready?"

"We're all secured," answered Carmelita. "Fox?"

"Yes?"

"Please - try to be gentle."

"Copy that!"

About thirty seconds passed in near silence. The only sound was Bentley's rapid typing in the front seat.

"…Hey, Carrots?"

"Nick?"

"I ever mention how I'm deathly afraid of rollercoasters?"

"Oh n-!"

A roar cut the air.

The Van was many things, but it was not soundproof. As Fox's jet engines ramped up, a wall of noise rolled back.

Sly grinned. It seemed genuine. "Great start!"

They could see the jet through the front window, steadily and purposefully coming to life. And then, without preamble, it began to roll forward.

The Van stayed still for a moment, and then it began to trundle after it.

Murray - silently thankful he had remembered to leave the handbrake off - gave the barest amount of acceleration. With the steady pull of the jet, there really wasn't much point having the engine on. But that comforting modicum of control made Murray feel better, and he tried to spread that calmness to the others.

They were picking up speed. Fast.

The jet was speeding down the runway and the Van matched it, tyres sturdy. There was a minimum of wobbling. So far. And Fox smoothly began to bank up.

His wheels left the ground. And so did theirs.

There was a lurch, and everyone tensed. But the rigging held. The Van was flying.

"It's working!" Fox's smile was obvious in his voice. "I'll up the speed!"

Nick's sarcastic comment didn't make it past his throat.

Above them, the jet roared, merry and bestial. Fox was, as ever, a professional. Despite the awkward bulk of the Van weighing him down, he ascended smoothly, cleanly. A steadily sharper upward angle. The engines strained, but they held. And the airbase disappeared into the distance. They rose higher and higher into the endless winter sky.

Nick was worryingly still and Judy was joyously kicking her little legs and everyone else fell somewhere in between. Murray's fingers drummed along the steering wheel. His voice stayed firm despite the vibration. "How's it going, Bentley?"

"Exactly as I hoped!" Bentley's hands were fast and relentless. "Thanks to Sly and Judy's work with the signal boosters, I've established a direct link with Andross' accelerator!"

Carmelita gritted her teeth, assailed by nausea and sudden doubt. "What if - he just - turns it - off?!"

"Not to worry. I have full control of the system - even a power outage can't stop us if we time this right." Bentley pressed a finger to his ear. "Fox!"

"Hello!"

"We'll make the jump in just a few seconds - are you ready?"

"Always!"

The Van lurched, again, harder. Their seatbelts held, but Carmelita thought hers was suddenly looser.

"Just in time," added Fox. "I don't think the engines can hold…!"

Bentley's glasses shone. "I won't delay."

Judy grinned, lost in the moment - but felt something touching her. Nick's paw, desperately searching for hers. Without hesitation, she held his hand, squeezing tightly-

and in that moment, it happened.

It was sudden. That only made sense, given what they had already seen. Still, Sly had expected more pomp and circumstance. Bright lights. Loud noise. A building crescendo, appropriate for such blatant disrespect of the laws of physics.

Instead, it was mostly physical. One second, they were rattling and juddering as the jet increasingly struggled with their weight. The next, there was no movement. And, for that matter, no weight.

Sly felt his long tail drift upwards. His hat lazily wandered from his head. And, despite the circumstances, his soul felt just as light.

They all had to blink, because the change in lighting had been so drastic. It had been a bright morning, and it still was. Below them. But now, they were engulfed by darkness. With the exception of countless glittering lights and the very large space station in front of them, of course. Blocky, with an odd sphere dominating its centre. Exactly like the blueprints.

At the bottom - or, at least, at the part nearest the calm globe beneath them - a hangar door sat open.

They were silent. As silent as the glittering void around them. For the first time in its long and storied career, the Van felt fragile. A little bubble in a deep, dark ocean.

But Murray's work paid off. They were safe. At least for as long as it took for Fox's engines to politely cough themselves back to life. He tipped the jet forward, and it gently drifted inside.

It kept drifting, the Van drifting along with it, through the hangar doors. In moments, they had fully entered Bolse Defence Outpost. The weightless feeling left them, ending abruptly like an interrupted daydream. Artificial gravity.

The hangar was white and pristine. The business end of the accelerator loomed above, a huge black circle built into the ceiling. It was the only splash of colour… aside from the grim gray angles of the Clockwerk Jet. Seeing that ghastly monster immediately soured the moment. But just as suddenly, their mood reversed again, as Fox slowed the engines to almost nothing. Gently, with the touch of an artisan, he lowered the Van. The tyres hit the floor. Solid.

Then, with a similarly light touch, he set his plane down in the gap between them and the Jet. The engines whirred to a stop, the sound fading to silence. Behind them, the airlock closed.

They had made it.

Judy cheered first, but it spread instantly, their fear and anxiety boiling over immediately into sheer joy. Against the odds, they had made it. Their ridiculous, probably fatal plan had actually worked. They were in space.

Carmelita let them savour the moment for as long as she felt was appropriate. But they still had a mission, and soon, her voice caught their attention. Back down to earth, so to speak. "Is everyone okay? No injuries?"

There was a general murmur affirming the group's health.

"What about equipment?" she pressed. "Did anything break?"

"It all seems fine, Carmelita…" Bentley pressed a finger to his ear. He frowned, tried again, and frowned harder. "Except our communications."

"My phone's down, too…" reported Judy.

"Possibly caused by our proximity to the Global Nullifier. Or maybe because we're now on the wrong side of major satellites."

"Whatever the cause…" Carmelita was already freeing herself from her seat. "Well. I was going to say 'let's try not to split up', but I don't want to limit our tactical options. We need to get our hands on Andross. Whatever it takes."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," murmured Nick.

"You shouldn't. But remember our goal." Carmelita readied her pistol with two short, sharp motions. "Wolf and Penelope are extremely dangerous, but they're both just here for a paycheque. Andross is the priority. We find him, we corner him, and we take him down."

Sly met her gaze. "And when you say 'take him down'…"

"I mean take him down. Arrest him and break his inventions."

"We'll see," he said.

"Nothing fancy, right?" said Nick, cutting in quickly. "In terms of strategy?"

"We can expect heavy resistance," said Carmelita, "but it's hard to say what kind. Just remember: we outnumber Andross. That's our advantage."

Judy's ears perked. "Speaking of heavy resistance-!"

They soon heard it too. A welcoming committee burst through the huge doors leading out of the hangar. Drones. Dozens.

"On me!" yelled Carmelita, leading Sly and Judy and Nick out of the Van.

"Wait, buy us some time!" said Murray. "We gotta stick Bentley's wheelchair back together first-!"

Carmelita kept her pistol up, but the drones didn't come for them. They swept around, filling the edges of the room. Encircling them. The other three stuck close, watching every angle. Beside them, the jet's cockpit sprang open, and Fox dropped down next to them.

"Hello!"

"Great flying, Fox," said Carmelita, "but we've got no time to celebrate. Be ready." Fox nodded, drawing his own pistol.

"Should we try to make a run for the-?" Sly cut himself off, watching the only exit - aside from the airlock back out to space, of course - closing shut again. "Nevermind. Step one is opening that door."

"I think," said Carmelita, her eyes never leaving the drones, "that's step two."

The drones surrounded them. They hovered there for a moment, long enough for Bentley to emerge from the Van, his wheelchair reassembled. He and Murray joined the others in their huddle.

A screen above the door lit up. Andross looked down at them. And all seven of them groaned.

"Hello to you too."

Andross seemed a bit bleary, as though he had recently woken up. He did his utmost to muster his usual tones.

"You continue to be a truly impressive nuisance. You can't imagine my surprise when my precious accelerator began powering up by itself." He forced a grin. "Naturally, in the spirit of fair play, I ensured the hangar doors would be open for you."

Bentley was unimpressed. "Hardly. You just knew that if the accelerator activated while the doors were closed, the supercharge would blow a hole straight through the station and kill us and you."

Andross' grin froze, corpse-like, as he failed to form a reply.

Carmelita, meanwhile, turned very slowly to Bentley. "Why," she said, "are we only hearing this now?"

Bentley shrugged. "I did say we might all die. Either way, mission accomplished, right?"

"Ha ha," said Sly, "you're terrifying, Bentley."

"Enough."

Andross' expression had soured.

"You are here because I deigned it, but you will go no further. I have ample means to end your little crusade right here. I suggest you show some tact; I still haven't decided whether or not I'll allow your names to actually enter the history books." His smile was forced and spiteful. "After all, 'Emperor Andross was wholly unconcerned when six fools tried to stop him' sounds more than sufficient, wouldn't you say?"

Judy stared. "…Six?"

"Yes. Six," said Andross, as she glanced around. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you can't even count. At least Officer Wilde was smart enough to bow out gracefully. Out of all of you, he is clearly the onl-"

Fox's jet suddenly roared to life. And its standard-issue machine guns tore through the drones in front of it.

That was all the incentive the rest needed. Carmelita screamed a command, drowned out by the gunfire, but they didn't need to hear it to follow it. They broke, destroying as many drones as possible before they could react. Avoiding the front of the jet, of course.

Fox and Carmelita fired at different angles as Sly and Judy went in low, distracting drones and dodging their attacks. Bentley had brought as many bombs as he could, but it was still a finite amount, so he kept a careful eye out for opportunities when several targets grouped together. Murray was in his element. Drone after drone found that out fist-first.

In the jet, Nick kept his thumb on the firing mechanism. This was the same make and model as the one he had briefly shared with Sly, so he already knew the basic layout. His main concern with firing the machine guns was that their position was fixed. Thankfully, the drones were very dumb, and kept flying directly into them.

Then the stream of bullets was abruptly replaced with a stream of quiet clicks, and Nick had a new concern.

Instantly, he was swarmed. Drones crowded the glass, battering at it, trying to worm their claws inside. Nick reached for a lever he dearly hoped he wasn't misinterpreting and pulled hard. The cockpit popped open, catapulting drones in every direction. Nick laughed.

Drones kept rushing in and now there was no protective glass surrounding him so the laugh didn't last long.

He threw himself out of the jet, staying low. All he had to do was come up with another great idea. And not get torn in half.

"Nick, heads up!"

Judy flew in, grabbing at a drone that was coming for him. She wrapped herself around its eyes, blinding it.

"You're doing great!"

"Uh, thanks!" He blinked. "How are you?!"

"Honestly-"

The drone shrieked and flew straight upwards.

She had time to process Nick's face, eyes wide, and then she was high above the battle. The drone wasn't slowing an inch. She panicked and threw herself off, seconds before it crashed into the ceiling.

Instinctively, Judy angled for the shortest drop, landing on a little ledge above the huge doors. Safe. She glanced around the battlefield, scanning for orange. There was Nick, and there was a drone swiping at him, and there was Murray punching the drone so hard it spun. Situation contained.

Before she could work out a way back down, someone spoke behind her. "Officer Hopps!"

She yelled, turning. The screen was still on. And Andross, his face stretched and far too close, was his usual self.

"Please, listen to reason. I know how much you value peace and order. The sooner we end this needless fighting, the sooner I can restore your beloved city!"

"I do value peace." Her eyes narrowed. "But not as much as I value justice."

He rolled his eyes.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said. "Why are you so convinced you can reason with us after you kidnapped my partner?"

"As I explained," he growled, "that was an unfortunate error, not an intentional act of aggression. If you would just-"

"You attacked City Hall with explosives!" she snapped. "You could've killed the mayor, or worse, her young son!"

"That was a symbolic gesture, and it would have functioned as such if the Lionheart administration had actually maintained the structure as the official paperwork claims they did. Which, might I add, is precisely the kind of-"

"And now," she yelled, indicating earthward with one hand, "my 'beloved city' is under your thumb! Your violent, ugly robots are terrorising people, and you still think you have the high ground!"

"Because I do! This is all for their benefit! It's not my fault if the populace is too emotionally-"

"No." Judy met his gaze, her eyes purple fire. "That right there? That's your exact problem."

Even with the battle raging under her, Judy's voice was clear. Unbending.

"I have done," she said, "some awful things. I went on live television and passed off my personal prejudice as science. I've mishandled too much police work, and… and I've taken my best friend for granted more times than I can count. I've made mistakes."

He sniffed. "You and I are not the same."

"Apparently not. But it's not a matter of who's smarter. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has moments where they succumb to anger or doubt or just a lapse in judgement. But those are the moments we grow. When I did those terrible things, I was forced to realize what I had done. To feel that guilt, that shame, and promise myself I would do better next time."

She was resolute, drawing on every fibre of authority she had.

"You're so convinced you're always right. But life is about being wrong."

Andross paused for a second - just to draw breath for a heavy scoff. "Mindless platitudes. Nothing more."

Judy rolled her eyes. She saw Murray punch another drone - which caught sight of her as it realigned itself. It flew towards her with a shriek.

She glanced back to Andross, undaunted.

"Look, buddy, if you're gonna keep talking but never try listening, do everyone a favour and just shut up."

At the last possible second, she casually leaned out of the way of those deadly claws - and watched with satisfaction as Andross flinched, caught off guard. The drone slammed into the screen, destroying it, and was left firmly embedded in the wall.

"Glad that trick still works." Satisfied it was stuck, Judy slid down the length of the drone, straight onto another's head.

She was happy to abandon the civil discourse for something she always had far more passion for; throwing herself recklessly into a fight.