After being unceremoniously dropped into the ZPD Savage and Frost found themselves having an uncomfortable conversation with Chief Bogo, both agents couldn't help staring at the large buffalo with disdain, his scolding face and imposing frame didn't face them in the slightest. In their eyes he was only a traitor to his country that chose to work for the criminal element, using his authority to cover up for the mafia's schemes.

They had been escorted into an interrogation room right after their unexpected arrival, but before they could be questioned they disclosed their identities and the ZIA was all too quick to confirm their status as agents on a top secret mission, that meant they could not be asked any information about their involvement with the mafia.

Since the ZPD was working for the mob it was likely that their already flimsy covers were completely blown, by now surely the cops snitched on them to the Wildes. Either way it was useless at this point to try to maintain their cover since their mission had failed spectacularly at soon as it started, if the conversations they heard on their second bag ride were true the war for the command of the family had already begun and soon their targets would be either dead or too powerful to be stopped. Still they were trapped in a sterile large interrogation room where they waited dejectedly until all the bureaucracy between the government agencies was sorted out, the small dull place certainly didn't help with their sour mood, the walls were painted with calk worn white and the spartan furniture was made of metal. To them it felt like a constrictive cage that forced them to wallow on their own failure.

For his part Chief Bogo didn't care about the directives of the ZIA, yet another mob war was about to explode on his city and he was highly suspicious that the two mammals in front of him might be to blame. He was no idiot and he knew that regardless of their good intentions the agency had a knack for clumsily making everything worse with their excessive use of force and unbidden paranoia, as of now he needed answers and he didn't care whether he was authorized to get them or not

-"May I ask agent Savage, how did you end up meddled with the Tundratown mafia?"- The large water buffalo spoke calm, only a tinge of irritation in his voice.

Jack had grown tired of the protocols and secrecy as well, he should tell him he wasn't authorized to share such information, knowing the chief would have no choice to complain, but he had finally given up on playing by the rules -"I should ask you the same, my superiors are aware that you collaborated with them during the anti-pred conspiracy."-

Raising a smug eyebrow the buffalo wasn't shaken by the blunt accusation -"Given what was at stake could you blame me? I did what was necessary to stop the attacks, even when that meant I had to work with less than honorable organizations, but in the end we brought peace over the city"-

The hare was tired, bruised and on the verge of yet another existential crisis and he no longer had the energy to keep the blank cool façade that was expected from him -"Peace? Is that what you called it? Your lies might have fooled the media but we both know it was the mafia that caused the conspiracy and you helped them for your personal gain. What did they give you chief? How did they buy you off?"-

In a fit of righteous rage Bogo banged his fist on the metal table that separated him from the agents.

-"They gave me thirteen missing mammals and the end of a pred-prey conflict. THAT was my only prize. Now, either you are lying or de ZIA has the worst informants in history. Everyone knows it was the prey supremacists that were behind the conspiracy not the mafia, and we have solid evidence that proves it"-

-"Chief, with all due respect, you're full of shit."- Skye purred, her blue eyes turned into suspicious slits. She didn't know why Savage was breaking every single protocol but she thought it would be best to play along for now, confronting your enemy might reveal useful information, even at the cost of your own data –"We were informed it was Wilde who created the entire conflict just so he could rise the ranks on the family among the chaos"-

With a petulant sneer the chief tapped the two way mirror on the cell, probably addressing whoever officer was behind it –"Delgato, would you mind bringing our dear ZIA friends all the files and evidence about the anti-pred conspiracy?"-

An hour later the fox and hare stared wide eyed at the files in front of them, sure the cops could falsify reports and coerce confessions but they could not alter the videos and several documents that were presented to them. He had never felt more like an idiot in his whole life.

The media had been right, the police had been right; it was the ZIA that had been wrong.

No, the ZIA wasn't wrong; a fucking intelligence agency couldn't make these kinds of errors. This false information wasn't given to them by mistake, it would've been too simple just to ask for cooperation with the police, and seeing how easily the chief gave them the evidence Jack was sure that the ZIA had the same access to the documents as he had.

That meant one thing, and one thing only, the agency had lied to him. He had been nothing but a pawn in the cloak and dagger games his bosses loved to play, for what agenda he did not know, but if it had been something righteous he wouldn't have been lied to do so. It was like the fiasco with Riviera all over again, he believed he was the hero but in truth he was nothing but a criminal with a government paycheck.

-"Have you contacted the ZIA yet?"- Jack asked losing all the spunk he had preciously with the chief, now regaining a more respectful demeanor

-"We did check your credentials with the agency once you told us who you were, and they asked us not to probe into your mission. But as you can see I care very little about your bosses' opinion"- Bogo's voice sounded respectful but his eyes were openly confrontational

-"Don't tell them that I know about their lies, please. As for our involvement we were sent to investigate the family, yet I'm afraid you have better intel on them than we do. If you please give us all you have on them I promise we will be very cooperative in the future."- Jack pleaded while Skye frowned beside him, the vixen could tell her partner was onto something, yet she didn't know whether it would be a genius solution or an impulsive mistake that might end in disaster.

-"Nothing would make me happier than to leave your useless agency out of our case, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. But if you are considering to work outside of the ZIA let me warn you: if you think that bringing the mafia down is hard, boycotting your agency is impossible"-

-"I will worry about that chief; just give me all you have and I give you my word the ZPD will be on the clear"-

…..

Two hours later the hare and the vixen were at their hotel, packing their belongings, his handler had contacted them and a private meeting was supposed to take place in a few hours.

-"Jack I know you're planning something but if you don't tell me what it is I won't be able to help you"- Skye told her partner concerned, he had been acting very aloof and distant ever since they left the ZPD.

-"I really don't know what to do just yet, but I won't let the ZIA run unchecked and cause more damage than good. We were sent to fight dangerous mammals with nothing but false intel, we also were expected to flirt with established mates and there was no single warning about the coup from Happytown, because of that now our targets might be the owners of the entire city. This whole thing reeks of tampering and I'm done with this shit"- For a single second his voice broke at the last words, his blue eyes watered and his nose twitched, every protective instinct within Skye flared as she had to fight the urge to hold that cute rabbit and give him comfort.

-"Are you actually considering to go rogue?"- Her sad voice held the same warm motherly quality M usually had, but unlike with his handler in this case he could tell the concern was sincere.

Jack lowered his head and shrugged –"Not unless I absolutely have to. But now I realize that following orders and doing the right thing are completely different issues, so for once I'm doing what's right, if the ZIA is acting rightfully then we're all on the same side."-

-"And if they aren't?"- She feared the answer.

Savage sighed, he felt like he had aged a decade in the last few months, M was right he was no little kit anymore –"I'll do what needs to be done, whether they support me or not"-

-"Rabbit do you know what would happen if, or actually when, they catch you? You could be trialed for treason and be executed of imprisoned at Guanfaunamo! Besides what are you doing to do? What do you think is the ZIA up to?"- Her tail lashed in her apprehension, she knew that bunny was probably suicidal. It wasn't that rare of a reaction actually, for some agents the daily stress and social isolation were too much to handle and they had a mental breakdown, belatedly she realized that Jack by being so emphatic and good natured he was probably more susceptible to the harsh realities of the espionage world.

-"I don't know but I'll find out. And yes I'm aware of the risks but I don't really care about it anymore, I'll recommend that you be removed from this mission, don't worry agent Frost I won't drag you with me on this one"- His eyes lit up with fierce determination, for a prey mammal he sure could look predatory when angered.

Somehow the picture of that small heartbroken hare fighting not only the mob but the agency as well, throwing himself right into the crossfire like a kamikaze warrior, broke her heart. She was again invaded by a surge of protectiveness she never questioned or tried to control. That rabbit was hers to keep and nobody would harm him while she was alive.

-"You're not gonna get rid of me little bun, this is my mission as well"- She told him with a lopsided grin, the confidence on her smile never reached her eyes.

He gave her a sad chuckle -"Frost you do realize that whatever the ZIA might do to me for disobeying orders, will be a spa day compared to what the KGB would do to you, right?"-

Skye hid her trepidation with a smug smirk as she petted the top of the hare's head. Somewhere in her mind the logical part of her brain kept screaming at her to dump the dumb rabbit and run for the hills before his stupid plan backfires and drags her down as well –"Don't worry your soft fluffy head Savage, I always land on my feet. So what's the plan?"-

-"First I need to know what the ZIA really wants. When we meet with M I'll see what information we can get from her, once I know what they're up to I'll just do whatever needs to be done to bring down the mafia and whatever those freaks from Happytown were onto. If I need any backup I could ask for help from the police, apparently they might be out of all this mess"-

For the first time in years he actually felt he was being the true hero, it was then that he understood that being a savior wasn't about following the rules, it was about following your own moral compass and do what you have to do without caring about the cost.

…

They met M in a boring inconspicuous office building right across Savannah's main square, its architecture specifically designed to be ignored by the thousand trespassers that crowd the city. Bland corridors and blander doors led to their final destination: a boring looking room with no windows and large computer screens, looking at them was the closest thing Jack had to an actual friend for over a decade, which now he realized was extremely pathetic. M, his trusted handler grunted a few curt formalities and invited them to sit in the boring plastic chairs across her desk, that cow didn't seem pleased.

-"Way to go Savage, the Wildes are now the supreme leaders of the Zootopia underworld, as of now there are dozens of heads from former leaders and mobsters piling up on the Tundratown manor like a twisted sacrifice pile from the dark ages."-

-"Maybe if you had a single clue about a fox's mating customs you wouldn't have sent me from such a useless approach, all I achieved was to make Nicholas jealous and angry. It would also been useful to know there was a war within the mafia for a dangerous drug. How is it possible that we only found out about the Russian roulette when a group of delinquents shot the crap out of us while tripping on it?"- Savage spat, he wasn't in a friendly mood either.

The cow sighed –"The Russian roulette was my bad, on that I take responsibility. We did hear about it but the description of the symptoms was so outrageous we thought it was a myth, now that we know what it can do I fear is much worse than we thought.

On the mating customs we are as shocked as you are, if anything agent Frost should have given us a heads up on the possibility for a fox to imprint on a prey."- Her accusing eyes turned on the blushing vixen

Skye scoffed and rolled her eyes, hiding her panic behind a mask of sass –"Right because being a vixen automatically turns me into a behavioral sexology expert when it comes to the entire vulpine species."-

-"We can all agree that there's not enough information on interspecies relationships in general, being a taboo issue and all that."- Jack said dismissive and eager to move on to another topic, there were more important issues to deal with.

In the meantime Skye fought hard to hide her own embarrassment, cursing herself for the butterflies the rabbit behind her were stirring inside her belly.

There was a poised strength in the way he acted, he fazed the danger ahead with nothing but a cold determination and a stiff upper lip, whether that was because of bravery or a desire of self destruction she didn't know. All she knew was that that striped fluffball would be her ruin.

M said rolling her eyes –"There's nothing we can do about the mafia now, they have got too big to fall, but when the Russian Roulette hits the general population we are in for lots of chaos on the street. Our best chance is to form a bridge with the Wildes to keep its distribution to a minimum and buffer the impact."-

-"Wait aren't we even gonna try to get this drug out BEFORE it hits the streets?"- Frost exclaimed outraged

-"Frost for an allegedly seasoned agent you sure seem too naïve, the moment an effective drug is created it cannot be erased, you can't put that genie back into the bottle. The most we can hope right now is that when it does get into the open it doesn't strike on too big a part of the populace, for that we need to do some serious damage control and that might require the help of the underworld. So you guys have a second chance to redeem yourselves, if the Wildes didn't kill you after the attack on the restaurant then they might not hate you too much, strike a deal with the mafia with the distribution of the drug and make sure it stays contained"-

-"Yeah contained only to the poorer areas and away from the gentrified ones right? Maybe it will be sold mostly to predators?"- Skye said with a snarl

Before M could respond Jack dragged her out of the office.

Jack could feel the pieces of the puzzle falling into his head, if only because he had witnessed that same modus operandi several times during his career.

Just like in Tropicalia, what the ZIA wants is to exercise control over the drug in the hopes of containing it, and the only way they know how to achieve that is by gaining connections and influence with their creators and distributors. Their motto is: Destroy your enemies before they get too big, if you fail then negotiate before they realize it's possible for them to destroy you.

There is another perk about this plan, the best way to access information from the criminal element is to commerce with it through the drug traffic route. Not to mention the many terrorist cells that can be spotted through international traffic since most terrorists organizations gain funding by drug trade. One of the reasons the war on drugs has failed so badly is because in the last decade the ZIA chose to prioritize the detention of foreign threats over the general safety of the same mammals within the nation they're supposed to be protecting.

Should they actually make a deal with the Wildes, access to a mafia so powerful would grant the agency an unlimited amount of data on the underworld, something far more valuable to them than the crime spike the Russian Roulette will cause on the poorer areas of Zootopia.

It was always the issue with the ZIA, by its shifty nature it was necessary for agents to trade information with the criminal element, so it's perfectly natural for them to move in grey areas rather than in the black and white of good versus evil. So he had spent his whole life stepping on grey lines, until one day he realized he had fallen on the dark side.

He would end this all: the mafia, the Russian roulette, everything, he had nothing else to lose. All of them would die; he was determined to reap chaos on his wake.

Skye on the other paw wasn't haunted by the same issues as Jack, to her the impending doom brought on by their possible desertion wasn't as pressing as her biological urge to mate. In her culture it is the vixen that chooses the male, and once she has set up her mind the only thing that can stop her from taking her mate is another vixen. Nowadays tods have campaigned for decades to have more saying on who they are supposed to bond for the rest of their lives, but the instincts of reproduction are much harder to suppress than the urge to hunt.

She followed him to his apartment, he lives close to Savannah's Main Square and they're supposed to wait in there until they can determine their course of action. The rabbit was so lost in his inner musings that he failed to notice the dangerous glint in the vixen's eyes, or the menacing posture she exhibits over him.

When they stepped inside his "bachelor pad" style apartment, Savage didn't know that once he closed the door he sealed his fate.

-"Would you like something to drink? I have soda on the frr.."- the rabbit was unable to finish the sentence for he was swiftly thrown over his kitchen table, the strong body of the vixen he had considered an ally until a few seconds prior was pinning him in place.

He had been trained to deal with a situation just like this, when your ally becomes foe in a blink of an eye, after all backstabbing is basically listed within his job description. On any other day he would have gotten her off him with a few jiu-jitsu moves and she would be shot dead within minutes, but not only did she caught him off guard, she had managed to get under his skin. He had considered her a friend and a much needed support as his own world was falling apart, her attack hurt much more than a stab wound on his chest.

-"Why did you betray me? At least answer me that!"- He said not on the verge of tears, but with eyes damp and pitiful.

Skye was confused for a second until she understood how her rash actions might look to the poor bunny beneath her, another fox would have smelled her arousal pheromones and understood her true intentions, but all Jack knew was that she had attacked him.

She should do the rational thing and get away from the frightened bunny alleging a bout of insanity, but the instincts she suppressed her entire life regarding sexual urges and the need for affection burst through the dam and could never be held back again. Forcing herself on a non consensual partner was wrong, especially with someone who didn't understand the biological and cultural reasons behind her actions, had he been a fox he would have interpreted this as an aggressive flirt and nothing more. But backing out wasn't possible either, so she would have to settle for a middle ground. The crazed vixen wouldn't force her chosen mate, but she could flirt with him in order to get his consent.

Her muzzle came closer to his, had she known how to have even a basic social interaction with a loved one she would have known what to say, instead all she could come up with was to give him a passionate kiss.