Chapter 6: Thin Ice
After the two foxes hustled all the money from those poor mammals at the bar last night, Finnick took Nick back to the Docks where the two spent the night. In the morning, the two of them loaded up the fennec fox's van with a whopping four boxes of Nick's worldly possessions. Nick imagined it would be the last time he would ever set foot in that old run down warehouse. He looked around one last time at the old dusty and time worn indoor amusement rides, broken lights, food stations, and game machines. Walking past the old fallen building signage, he ran his paw across the aging title that read Wild Times. With a lazy goodbye salute, he turned to hop into Finnick's van and they hit the road.
Now back at his new apartment, Nick stood on his patio getting a whiff of fresh air and admiring his Downtown view before heading back inside with a large cup of Snarlbucks coffee in paw. A few deliveries begun to arrive and Nick directed where he wanted his new furniture to go while leaving generous tips with the delivery mammals. The fennec fox sat on the new large and very comfortable three cushion navy sofa and looking around the living space. It looked like he could completely disappear in between the cushions and pillows.
"Damn, Nick, you moving on up. Surprised the landlord even let you in the building," he said while leaning back with his arms crossed.
"Funny you should mention that, Finn." Nick replied while bringing over a drink for his friend. "Turned out a cousin of his was one of the fourteen missing mammals from the case I helped Carrots solve. He saw me on TV and was very eager to repay me for helping to find his cousin. Didn't even ask where I got my large cash down payment from either."
"Don't ask, don't tell, huh?" Finnick said while grabbing his soda.
"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't mind having a 'celebrity cop' as a tenant. Looks good for business," Nick smirked while jumping onto the sofa to join his buddy.
"Who'da thought the boy scout thing would pay off."
The two foxes sat silently drinking their refreshments for a few minutes before Nick spoke up again. "Say Finn… I do have two rooms. You're welcome to stay here if you want."
Finnick sat quietly and pondered the offer before replying with a sarcastic grin, "Nah. I like my van. Besides, I don't like you 'that' much. I don't want to go to jail for beating up a cop in his own home."
Nick chuckled, "Hah. Oh… and before I forget..." The red fox reached into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of cash. "Here you go big guy. Your share from the game last night. Way to work that table."
Taking the cash, Finnick studied it for a moment, "Ain't that all of it?"
"That's right. It's all yours." Nick looked down at his friend with a smile.
The smaller fox eyed him for a moment, a barely visible smile of his own forming while he pocketed the money, "Yeah. You getting sappy. Save that for the bunny cop, man."
"Gee. Thanks buddy," Nick sarcastically shot back before chuckling.
Another doorbell ring caught their attention and both foxes turned to look at the door. Nick hopped off the couch and sauntered towards it.
"How much crap did you buy, Wilde?"
"Just getting started Finn." Nick replied while rubbing his paws together and opened the door.
After several more deliveries were made, the two foxes went to grab a quick bite to eat and then Finnick bid farewell to do his hustle for the day. A nice hot Sunday afternoon was always great for the pawpsicle business.
Alone in his new office room, Nick finished putting together his new work desk. He had put off fixing his father's tie and his green pawaiian shirt for awhile and now that he found the correct threads and materials, this was as good as any day to begin. Reaching down into the large box in the corner, he began to organize all of his tools onto the desk: his father's old sewing machine, a sewing box filled with several needles, threads, and thimbles, a pin cushion, a pair of scissors, a couple of shears, sewing and hem gauges, a tailor's ham, and a seam ripper. It was refreshing for him to finally have a proper place for these heirlooms.
He was going to start with the tie and placed the two torn halves onto the cutting board, grabbed the necessary tools, and began his repair. Nick was making good progress. There was a few interruptions here and there while more new home furnishings arrived, including his new fridge. Once those were squared away he was back in the room, fully concentrating on the task at hand, when his phone beeped a few times.
Pausing for a moment, he reached over and looked at his notifications. Judy had just played a word and left him a few new text messages. The fox checked the game first and raised an eyebrow. The bunny was making good on her challenge and keeping the score very close from the last several rounds. Nick had to grin that, of course, it would be Judy who could manage to be the first mammal in a long time to possibly defeat him. Studying the word board for a few minutes, while rubbing his chin, he saw a good word opportunity, tapped his choice and fired it off.
Switching over to the texts, Nick began to read the new messages.
[Judy:] Hi Nick! I hope you aren't still passed out, sleepy fox! I wanted to say that I had such a wonderful time with you and your Mom again. Tell her hi for me if you talk to her soon.
[Judy:] I am sure you will be working on your new apartment today. I can't wait to come over and see it soon!
[Judy:] My parents are trying to set me up with this one rabbit again, ugh. I am going to humor them and go meet him for some drinks today. Have a great day and I will see you at work tomorrow morning! Bye!
The fourth and final message was a heart followed by a carrot emoji. Nick was smiling till he read that third message and his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. He shouldn't let this get to him. Lightly tossing the phone to the side, he would reply a little bit later and went back to his task at hand. The fox needed this distraction now.
Judy was making her way to Hill Street located in the north part of Downtown close to the Rainforest District border. Since it was a casual meeting, she was wearing her favorite pink plaid shirt and jeans. The rabbit she was meeting, Ajay Cottonworth, had suggested an organic smoothie bar in the area called 'The Secret Garden Cafe'. He was also from Bunnyburrow and had moved to Zootopia three weeks ago. His family owned a small neighboring farm near the Hopps Family Farm and his parents were friends with Judy's parents.
Taking in the sights of the city, she felt her phone vibrate. Pausing at a street corner, she took it out and saw Nick had played another word since it was his turn again.
"Ugh. Not making it easy for me are you, Slick Nick?" she whispered to herself with a smile.
His word play gave him a nice lead again, however, Judy was determined to win. She decided to wait till later in the evening to play her round. She noticed there weren't any replies to her texts which made her ears involuntarily droop. Nick must be busy after all setting up his new place. The bunny put the phone away and continued on her way once the crosswalk turned green again.
She arrived at the smoothie bar and scanned the crowd looking for Ajay. The tall buck was already sitting at one of the high top tables, when he noticed Judy near the entrance, and waved to get her attention. Judy hopped over and climbed onto the opposite seat and used the lever to adjust the seating height for her own size.
Ajay was a brown rabbit, with really long ears, blue eyes, and was a bit heavier set. He wore a simple red collared shirt with a solid dark tie and shorts.
Judy clasped her hands together and greeted him with a perky tone, "Hi Ajay! It's nice to meet you."
"Hi Judy," came the shy meek reply while avoiding direct eye contact.
Blinking a few times but keeping a warm smile, Judy figured he might actually be a bit introverted so she tried to break the ice some more.
"So, Ajay, do you come here often? I've never been to this cafe before."
"Yeah… it's kinda close to my apartment. And it's cheap."
She slightly raised an eyebrow and continued in a friendly tone, "Well, it's good to be smart with your money. Living in Zootopia can be really expensive!"
He didn't say anything and an awkward silence settled in for a few moments. Judy was about to speak up again when Ajay piped up first while playing with his thumbs.
"I just have ten dollars to spend on this date," he declared in a fairly uninterested tone.
Judy did her best to keep her expression neutral. She was very far from being stuck up or high maintenance but she didn't know what to think about this bunny anymore. Not wanting to be mean, she decided to stick it out and see how this little outing would play out.
"That's… great! Is there anything you'd like to do?" she asked.
"I'll buy you a smoothie and we can go to this two dollar theatre down the block and see whatever is there," he suggested.
Like a trooper, Judy simply nodded, "Okay. Let's go."
She tried suggesting they could split the smoothie but Ajay refused. After getting her smoothie, the two bunnies walked towards the theatre. Judy noticed a Snarlbucks coffee shop and an appliance store along the way and it made her think of Nick. A real smile formed on her muzzle and she made a mental note to stop by the two stores on the way home.
The uneventful Monday shift came and went. Judy had already gone home while Nick was still hanging around the station. Clawhauser was still on shift and having a donut at his reception desk.
"Hey Claws, how is my favorite dispatch?" Nick asked as he walked up to the desk.
"Hey Nick! Aw, that's so nice of you to say. I'm doing great! Not hanging out with Judy tonight?" he asked while putting his chin on both paws.
"She told me she had a few errands to run tonight. I'll see her soon when I finish with my new place. It's almost all done and she is going to be my first housewarming guest," he informed the cheetah.
"Oh, that is so cute!" Clawhauser gasped before correcting himself. "Don't tell her I said that though! So tell me Nick… with all the time you two spend together and now you're inviting her to your place… are you two… mmm?" His words trailed off suggestively while he smiled with lidded eyes towards his fox co-worker.
Eyes widening at the suggestion, Nick put both paws up, "No, no, no, Claws, she's just my best friend."
Clawhauser's face instantly frowned but he had detected a slight hesitation in Nick's response. His smile returned as he remembered something, "Oh. Oh. If you aren't doing anything tonight, a bunch of us were thinking about hanging out. We haven't decided what to do yet but you're more than welcome to join us!"
The fox pondered the invitation for a moment. His mind wandered back to the poker game two nights ago and it scratched an itch to play more.
"Actually, Claws… you guys ever play cards?" he asked with a genuine smile while leaning on the desk.
"Oh! We used to play all the time, after hours, in the bullpen, but the Chief didn't like that so we had to stop."
Nick looked around and up to the fourth floor, grinning ear to ear, "Well, what the Chief doesn't know won't hurt right? I say we bring back that tradition. C'mon, what do you say, Claws?"
"I don't know, Nick…" the cheetah tried to look away.
"How bout we ask the others and see what they say? Pretty please with donuts on top?" Nick made a mock pleading expression while cupping his paws by his face.
"Oh, alright, how can I say no to that face?" Clawhauser clasped his paws together.
With very little effort needed to convince them, several officers, all dressed in their casual ZPD shirts and leggings, were gathered around one of the corners of the bullpen. They made a makeshift table and pulled up chairs. The motley crew consisted of Fangmeyer, Clawhauser, Grizzoli, Wolfard, McHorn, Delgato, Snarlof, and finally Nick. Delgato went and bought some beers and everyone took a bottle except for Clawhauser.
The fox had volunteered to deal first. He was dexterously shuffling the cards and placed the deck to be cut by Fangmeyer who was sitting to his right.
"Ladies first," he said with a charming smirk.
Fangmeyer smiled and cut the deck. She never knew any foxes before Nick but his dedication, charisma, and snark was growing on her and the rest of the bullpen of Precinct One. They all were beginning to admire the levity he brought to any situation. Nick finished the cut by taking the bottom portion and placed it on top, artfully squaring the deck, and began to deal the cards.
As the game began, Nick employed his usual strategy when playing poker with unfamiliar opponents. He would purposely lose for a while to size them up and try to gather anything he could on their general strategy and tells. This often added the benefit of his opposition underestimating him as well. After almost an hour it was time to get his game on.
Delgato became the first victim as he took lead and played what he thought was a winning bluff with a low three of a kind after the others had folded mid-play except for Nick and Wolfard. Wolfard only had a pair of jacks in his hand and tossed his cards down.
"You know Wilde, I was worried that you might be quite the card shark. Sorry if that comes across as a fox bias," the lion said.
Nick took no offense keeping his usual lidded eyes and a smug grin while resting an elbow on the table, "No harm, no foul, Del."
Just as Delgato looked ready to grab his winnings, Nick put down his cards displaying a full house.
The lion paused as his eyes went wide, "Damn… well played. Looks like you broke your losing streak there."
"I do hang around a lucky rabbit most days. Some of it has to wear off on me eventually," he quipped as he gathered the cash.
The rest of the table chuckled. Little did they know what they were in for. As the night proceeded, more jokes and stories were shared and everyone was having a good time. Nick was now playing in full force and winning back all of the money. Luckily, for them they had decided on low stakes, but that didn't stop the fox from cleaning house with several hundred dollars now in his pot.
"I hate to say it guys, but I think we were just hustled," Grizzoli laughed and slapped Nick across the back. "Good show Wilde."
"Yeah, I think I'm officially terrified of playing against you again, Nick," said Fangmeyer as she took a swig of her beer and winked at him.
"Judy is right when she calls him a clever fox," Clawhauser complimented.
"When's that? I only ever hear 'dumb fox' all the time. And I sit next to them every morning," McHorn deadpanned.
Despite losing all their money, the officers were in good spirits and the table shared a laugh together at the ribbing. Nick was shuffling the cards again with a big silly grin on his face. He had always wanted to become part of a pack since before the Junior Ranger Scout incident and now he may have finally found it in the ZPD. He was thinking of giving everyone their money back once they finished. Just as Nick was about to say something, a loud angry shout echoed throughout the room.
"WHAT. IS. GOING. ON. HERE!?"
The officers started and turned their heads in terror towards the source of those words. There stood Chief Bogo, in his off duty ZPD clothes, glaring at the table with his hooves balled into fists.
"I thought I had made it perfectly clear that there will be no drinking and gambling at anytime in this precinct!"
Clawhauser tried to speak up, "Chief, we just wanted to…"
"Shut it!" came the immediate bellow.
"Sir, this was all my doing. Punish me if you have to," Nick said loudly as he lept from his chair and stood in front of Bogo at attention with paws behind his back meeting his chief's furious gaze.
The rest of the officers stared silently at their fox co-worker for a moment. Suddenly they began to protest but Nick silenced them with a raised paw before returning his attention to Chief Bogo.
"Is that so?" the Chief snorted in his direction and then walked past him to gather the pot sitting on the table and then returned to face Nick with cash in hoof. "Then the 'Save The Kits Foundation' will be thanking you for your generous donation, Officer Wilde."
The fox stood his ground while maintaining direct eye contact with the cape buffalo glaring just inches from his snout, "Yes, Sir."
Bogo raised his head to look at all of the officers in the room before continuing, "I expect you all to go home immediately and sleep this off." Then he turned to Nick. "Especially you Wilde. You better be here bright and early for roll call tomorrow. NOW CLEAN THIS UP AND GET OUT OF HERE!"
The group immediately jumped into action cleaning up the bullpen and exited the station.
Judy entered the bullpen the following morning and saw Nick already sitting in their shared seat. She jumped up and greeted him with a cheerful smile, "Morning Slick!"
"Hey Carrots," came the quiet reply as Nick simply stared ahead at the front wall, back straight, both paws curling and uncurling on the counter.
His partner blinked and raised an eyebrow. This behavior was really unusual. She also noticed he had no coffee either. Glancing around the room, Judy noticed several other officers shared that same nervous stare including Fangmeyer and McHorn who were seated next to Nick.
She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Nick, what's going on?"
The bunny never got a reply as the bullpen riled up when Bogo entered the room a few minutes earlier than usual and ordered everyone quiet. Everyone else received their assignments for the day, leaving the fox and rabbit pair for last.
"Hopps. You will be patrolling Downtown today."
Her ears perked up in surprise when she only heard her name and a confused look appeared on her face. Bogo simply paused to let it sink in as he turned to Nick and savored the moment with a smug glare of his own. Nick simply sat with his jaw clamped shut, a neutral expression on his face.
"Wilde, parking duty. Dismissed."
The Chief removed his glasses and immediately exited the room before Judy could protest. Judy's jaw dropped as she just stood staring at the door and looked back to Nick.
"Nick…WHAT. DID. YOU. DO!?"
"I can't believe you Nick!" Judy admonished him while following her partner down to the equipment room where he needed to pick up his vest and handheld ticketer. "Even after Clawhauser warned you? You still thought it would be a good idea to play cards and drink booze in the bullpen?" She was waving her paws furiously in the air.
Her partner had to stop for a moment to rub his temples, "Look Carrots, I had an itch to play and I actually had fun getting to know some of the guys, okay? And the Chief is giving all the money to some charity for orphaned kits. What's done is done. I won't do it again."
Judy suddenly felt bad for exploding at him. The bunny was acting a bit selfish. She reached over to put her paw on his arm, "I'm sorry, Nick. I just never thought I'd be going out on the beat without you. And I'm happy you're getting along with all the other officers. That means a lot to me."
The both of them deflated and shared a small smile. Going into the equipment room, he grabbed the ticketer and the orange meter vest and haphazardly put it on with a sigh," Hello, my very own clown vest."
The bunny bit her lip and wanted to lighten the mood. "Oh, Nick..." she said to his back in a very sweet teasing tone. "I think you forgot something."
The fox turned around and his eyes widened in horror at what Judy was spinning around in her paw, "Oh no. No. No. I am NOT putting that on!" He insisted while making a cross sweeping gesture with both arms.
"Oh yes you are! Come here, silly fox," she playfully advanced towards him.
Nick tried to run but he knew it was completely futile. There was no outrunning Judy Hopps. Ever. His partner caught up to him with lightning speed and jumped up onto back, paws around his neck, bringing him to a slow and plopped the meter maid hat right onto his head.
Before Nick had the chance to rip the thing off his head he heard a shutter 'click' sound and turned to Judy in terror. She managed to have her phone ready and snapped the most comical photo of him with his full meter maid outfit.
"Oh, I love it! This is going to be my new contact photo for you," she said making an evil grin while inspecting her handiwork.
"Carrots. Give me the phone please," he demanded while holding a paw out.
"Nuh uh," she smirked in his direction.
Her partner sighed and walked over to her. Judy kept an eye on his movements incase he was going to try something funny but instead he casually took the hat off and placed it on her head.
"Looks cuter on you anyway," he said while making a mocking face and waving a finger at her. "That's right. I said the C-word!"
"I'll let you have that one because I still have this photo," she replied in a low teasing tone while putting her phone away and waving her own finger towards him.
"Well, I better get to it, before Chief Buffalo-Butt makes me do this all week long," he began to saunter towards the vehicle lot when Judy caught his paw in her paw and made him stop.
Without saying a word she reached up to his officer's tie and pulled him closer to her. She readjusted the tie, re-buttoned his hastily fastened orange vest, smoothened out his shirt, and met his eyes with a warm smile. Nick couldn't help but look back and returned a happy smirk of his own. He grabbed the hat back, placed it on his head, turned around, and headed out.
"See you at the end of the shift, Officer Fluff," he called without looking back.
"Okay, Officer Toot-Toot," she sing-songed to him.
Nick made a toot-toot gesture with his right arm before turning the corner.
Chief Bogo had them back together again the next day to patrol several high schools in the Savanna Central school district that reported an increase in minor school gang fights. Judy was driving from school to school hoping that their presence alone would deter any kits from getting rowdy. Fangmeyer and Grizzoli were also assigned to patrol the school districts and the four officers coordinated their route to maximize their coverage.
They were parked across the street from the Savanna Central South County High School. Nick had his window rolled down while leaning on his paw keeping his eyes on the schoolyard. He had finished checking some texts where the other officers from the poker game apologized and thanked him for his actions and that they were all going to make it up to him later. A small smile formed on his snout.
"So Slick, how many tickets did you end up writing?" Judy asked breaking the reverie.
"Four hundred," came the quick reply.
"You make that sound oddly specific, Nick." Judy leaned over with a questioning look.
"That's exactly how much was in the pot. I'll see if the Chief notices," Nick said while grinning devilishly to himself.
"Do I dare ask how you managed four hundred tickets in one day?" she teased him.
The fox turned to the bunny and wiggled his fingers, "A true magician never reveals his secrets, Carrots."
"Yup. I don't want to know," she laughed.
A comfortable silence fell between the two for a few minutes before Nick decided to ask a question that has been on the back his mind for awhile, "How did your Sunday date go?"
Judy was caught slightly off guard, "Oh. It was okay…"
"Just okay?" Nick prodded but a part of him was feeling relieved. He suddenly felt selfish for having that thought.
The bunny took a deep breath and answered, "He just seemed like he was really shy and… well, when I met him at the smoothie bar, he bluntly told me that he just had ten dollars to spend on me so he bought one smoothie and we went to some two dollar theatre to watch some old boring movie that was playing. Afterwards, he told me thanks and that he had to go. He even tried to kiss me on the mouth but I had turned my head away in time and got a sloppy wet cheek instead. It was… very awkward."
By this point, Nick had turned to fully face Judy with eyes wide open and ears up, completely stunned at what he was hearing, "Wow. First off, he sounds incredibly rude. Second, you don't deserve to be treated like that."
"Nick, don't be mean. I kinda felt bad for him," Judy said quietly while making eye contact.
"Are you seriously defending this guy?" he asked with arms raised up.
"He was probably just forced into meeting me by his parents just like I was. Our parents are still pretty old fashioned and can become incredibly naggy, especially as their kits get older and aren't settled down yet. I don't think he was even that interested in me to begin with, Nick."
"Even after spending time with you?" Nick asked with an incredulous tone and sighed. "What a dumb bunny. His loss." He turned to look back out the window at the school.
His last sets of words gave Judy pause and she blinked a few times while feeling a small blush on her cheeks. She was about to comment when their speaker com suddenly blared and interrupted her. It was Clawhauser.
"All Units in the Southern Savanna Central area, we have a 10-57, hit-and-run, suspects are in a white sports coupe heading east on Baobab Blvd towards Sahara Square."
Judy grabbed the wheel and turned the ignition, "Nick that's right near us!"
"Way ahead of you, Carrots," he said as he picked up the com and punched the siren and lights. "Dispatch, this is Z-240, Wilde speaking, we are en route. Over."
Fangmeyer's voice also responded to the call telling them that she and Grizzoli were also on the way to intercept.
The white coupe raced down the large six-lane avenue weaving between traffic with several police cruisers on their tail. Nick and Judy were right behind the vehicle, leading the squad cars, in hot pursuit. Nick attempted to order them to stop and pull over through the cruiser loudspeaker without success.
Soon the car was clear of the main avenue traffic and heading towards the Riverside Tunnel that crosses over into Sahara Square. A police helicopter now joined in the chase, keeping eyes on the car while relaying information to all units.
Chief Bogo entered the main communications room with a clipboard in hand so that he could personally monitor the high speed chase. He grabbed a headset and was speaking to Clawhauser. Turning to the monitor he saw several cruisers keeping pace with the white coupe.
He looked down to the Comms Tech. "Which squad cars are those?" he ordered while pointing to the monitor.
"Cars Z-143, Z-198, and Z-240 in the lead, Chief."
Bogo whispered to himself, "Z-240… Hopps and Wilde." He ordered Clawhauser to connect him to their cruiser and spoke again, "Hopps. Wilde. I just received a report from the ZTA that the Riverside Tunnel is currently shut down for maintenance and is closed at the Sahara Square junction. There is a large marathon race passing through Vornoy Plaza on the other side. We are attempting to evacuate the citizens from the street for their safety but it is proving difficult. You have a small window of opportunity before you may need to back off. We don't want to chase them right into all of those innocent bystanders. There isn't enough time and room to set up a tire spike barricade."
Officer Wilde's voice came through the headset, "Copy that, Sir."
The fox placed the radio com back onto its cradle, "You catch all that, Carrots?"
"Yes, Nick, we need to stop them before they get to that tunnel," she said, eyes trained ahead with a tight grip on the steering.
Judy was flooring it but it was not enough speed to overtake the sports car quickly. Soon they rounded the final turn that lead to a short straight line into the tunnel. She could see the tunnel rapidly approaching in the distance. The interior tunnel lights were completely shut off and there was a small construction barricade with road closed signs at the entrance. The other car was not slowing down at all.
The bunny scowled, nose twitching, and issued an order, "Nick. Switch with me!"
Her partner looked at her momentarily dumbfounded, "I know that look, Carrots! Whatever you're thinking it can't be good!"
"Nick!" she hissed.
He grunted and immediately unbuckled his seatbelt while she did the same. On the count of three they swapped as he slid over and Judy hopped over his lap and traded positions. The cruiser momentarily slowed down till Nick regained control and pushed the pedal back down. Judy rolled down her window.
"What are you doing?" he yelled while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Cut the lights and siren and try to get alongside them! I see their windows are down." she ordered while getting positioned at the car door.
"What!?"
"Nick, you'll still be able to see inside the tunnel. It might be our only chance. I know you can do it!"
Nick began to swear under his breath, doing what he was told and buckled himself back in. He closed his eyes for a split second and mumbled to himself, "Alright, Flash old buddy, let's see if those tricks you taught me come in handy."
Reaching over, he downshifted the gears, to cause the cruiser to redline hard. Z-240's engine roared to life and began to quickly gain top speed. He did his best to keep it steady with an iron grip on the wheel.
The sports car plowed through the signs and entered the tunnel with the cruiser following behind them.
Watching the screen, the cars disappeared into the tunnel and the helicopter lost visual. Bogo took up the mic again, "Hopps. Wilde. I need you to back off. This is becoming too dangerous and I do not want to endanger those citizens if these mammals refuse to stop!"
This time it was Officer Hopps who spoke through the com, "We can get them, Sir! Just need another minute."
"Hopps. This is a direct order. Stand down!"
Judy was trying to reply but her com was cutting out into static.
"Hopps? Hopps? Dammit!" Bogo slammed a fist down and switched to back to Dispatch. "Clawhauser tell the helicopter to get to the other side immediately and warn the officers at the Vornoy Plaza. Get them to make some kind of makeshift barricade with tire spikes. Do it now!"
Nick could hear the engine rattling as he pushed it to its limit. Swerving into the empty left lane he was able to pull up along side the car without the other driver noticing. Glancing over he could see a raccoon driving and a skunk in the passenger seat.
Judy was ready with a tranq gun in paw. Her heart was beating like crazy and her nose twitched uncontrollably while she braced herself, "Steady Nick. Almost… almost… just a bit further up..."
The end of the tunnel was coming up too quickly, Nick made a split second decision, he reached over and grabbed Judy and pushed her back into the seat, "Carrots, strap yourself in, quick!"
"Nick! Why did you…?" she began to protest.
"JUDY, JUST DO IT! And hold on." he ordered. At the sound of her name, the bunny obeyed by slamming her belt buckle in and gripped the strap staring wide eyed at Nick.
He let off the gas to line up the front right portion of his cruiser with the back left portion of the coupe just behind the tire and rammed into it. The white sports car suddenly lost traction as it began to skid and spin out of control into the left lane while Nick guided their cruiser to the right. Unfortunately at such high speeds and small space, the coupe careened hard into opposite wall of the tunnel, Nick tried to bring his cruiser back under control and veered back to the left. He could feel the traction slipping and with the tunnel exit quickly approaching, Nick did the only thing he could think of.
"Oh, No, no, no. Hold on!" He ordered and rammed the driver side of the coupe with the front of their vehicle into the wall.
The sounds of metal hitting and screeching against concrete reverberated throughout. Both cars deployed airbags and slid along the wall before coming to a stop. Smoke began to escape from Z-240's hood.
Jabbing at the airbag with his predator claws, Nick quickly deflated it out of his face and looked over to Judy, "Carrots?"
"I'm okay, I think… ugh," she grunted while unbuckled herself and slipped out from under her airbag rubbing her right arm.
There was barely any light inside except for the illuminations of the headlights and the rays of sun off in the distance peeking through the Sahara Square exit. In the distance, they could hear the sounds of the police copter and sirens of the other cruisers. The two cruisers, Z-143 and Z-198, that were ordered to break pursuit earlier, were now coming up the tunnel from the Savanna Central direction.
Judy's ears shot up at the sounds of breaking glass, followed by angry swearing as they both looked up to see the suspects crawling out of their vehicle through the broken windshield. They were now able to see the hateful bloodshot eyes and ragged breathing on both suspects. It looked like they might be high on some type of drug.
The two officers opened their doors and got out with weapons drawn. Judy shouted at the two mammals, "ZPD! Paws up now!"
The skunk and raccoon were raising their paws but the skunk reached behind and produced a firearm and opened fire on Judy. The bunny yelped as she quickly ducked behind her car door for cover. With no hesitation Nick trained his aim off the raccoon and shot the skunk directly in the chest. However, that gave his accomplice time to charge Nick and he slammed into the cruiser door and wedged Nick in the frame with a crunch. Undeterred by the low light, the rampaging coon began to slash and bite at Nick who was trying to protect himself as best he could with his free left arm.
Loud sounds of tires screeching to a halt echoed in the tunnel as the other officers quickly arrived and exited their vehicles. The large raccoon was so focused on Nick that he didn't react in time as several paws grabbed him from behind and slammed him into the ground. Fangmeyer held him down with a knee into his back and her forearm pressed into the nape of his neck while Grizzoli cuffed the perp. They put a muzzle on him and then threw him into the back of their cruiser.
Meanwhile, Delgato and Wolfard rushed over to check on Nick and Judy. Delgato leaned down to open the door off Nick and helped him to his feet.
"Wilde, you alright?" he asked his fellow officer.
"Yeah, just some scratches and bruises. Gonna have some nice raspberries under the fur later." Nick tried to look around to the other side of the cruiser. "What about Officer Hopps?"
"She's okay, Wilde," answered Wolfard. "But it looks like she got grazed by a bullet in the arm. Nothing too serious. I'll call in the medical bus and update the Chief that it's over."
Judy was breathing a little heavy while clutching her right arm. Wolfard let her know he was going with a nod and stood up to make the call into his police radio. Nick asked Delgato to help him over to Judy and the lion eased the fox down to the ground next to his partner. Afterwards, Delgato went to cuff and move the unconscious skunk into their cruiser.
Nick slipped his paw around Judy and gently pulled her closer. "I'm here, Carrots," he whispered.
"I know, I'll be alright," she smiled while tilting her head to rest on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Nick?"
"You're worried about me? I'm not the one who just got a red badge of courage. Brave bunny." he teased and gave her a light squeeze.
Judy closed her eyes and chuckled, "Nick, where did you learn those maneuvers?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that Flash has been teaching me some tricks off duty? He offered me some driving lessons when we let him go on those light charges," he leaned back against the car and closed his eyes too and then patted their cruiser. "Though I think I went a little too rough on the ol' Hareraiser back there."
"I shouldn't be surprised. And don't call her that."
"Oh, it's a 'her' now?"
The bunny lightly elbowed her partner in the ribs.
"Ow, ow, ow, Carrots, I'm actually hurting there," he yelped.
"Oh sorry… I'm sorry!" she whispered while trying to gently rub the pain away.
More officers and the medical bus arrived flooding the tunnel with flashes of blue and red flickering lights. The EMTs came rushing over to take a look at the the fox and bunny's injuries.
After having their minor wounds dressed and bandaged, Nick and Judy found themselves in Chief Bogo's office once they were back at the station and finished their reports. They were sharing the large seat in front of the cape buffalo who was glaring at them with the closed case file in hoof.
"Tell me, Hopps, Wilde. What am I supposed to do with you two? You caught two mammals who committed an involuntary mammalslaughter through a hit and run, recklessly endangered civilians on the road, were found in abuse and possession of methamphetamine, possession of an illegal firearm, and finally, attempted murder on two of my officers."
Bogo paused for effect and let them squirm for a moment. He almost felt bad reprimanding them while seeing them beat up and bandaged as they were. Almost.
The Chief took his glasses off and continued, "But you disobeyed a direct order and wrecked your cruiser like it was in some kind of demolition derby! It will take almost a week to repair your vehicle. What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Judy was the first to speak up, "Sir, I know we got a little ahead of ourselves but we had to stop the bad guys before they could hurt anyone else."
"Hopps, let me be frank," Bogo began in a low deep tone. "You may be one of my best officers in this precinct but I need to remind you of one thing." He raised his voice to drive the point home while drumming a hoof into his desk. "It's not about how badly you want something, it's about what you are capable of! And today that could have been capable of disaster!"
"But, Sir!..." Judy tried to stand so should lean up onto his desk.
"Enough! I still have to reprimand you both. One week paid suspension," he ordered.
The bunny tried to speak up one more time but this time it was Nick who interrupted her. He slid off the chair and stood straight with both paws behind his back, even though it caused him some discomfort from his bruising.
"Permission to speak, Chief," he requested.
Both the bunny and the cape buffalo turned their eyes to him. There was no jest or snark in his voice. No smirk or smug grin on his snout. Nick wore a serious expression that caught both of them off guard.
Chief Bogo narrowed his eyes, "Go ahead, Wilde."
"Sir, as it states in my report, at the time of your withdrawal order, I was behind the wheel and I made the decision to stay in pursuit. It was also my decision to ram the suspect's vehicle in order to disable it before they reached the tunnel exit. It is my fault that put us at risk when the skunk drew his weapon. Do not punish Officer Hopps for my poor judgement," when he finished Nick reached down to unhook his badge and placed it on the desk in front of Bogo.
Judy simply stood there completely stunned and speechless staring at Nick. He avoided her gaze while keeping his own eyes trained onto Bogo's who had to blink a few times himself to believe what he was hearing. The buffalo looked down at the badge and then back up to Nick before frowning and pointed a hoof at the fox.
"Very well, Officer Wilde. But let me make this clear. You too are becoming one of my best officers but you are really skating on thin ice this week. I will accept this request not because you want it but because I choose it. Dismissed."
"Thank you, Sir," came the calm and polite reply and Nick immediately turned around and sauntered out of the office with both hands in his pockets.
Finally finding her voice, Judy turned back to Bogo, "Chief, this isn't right, I…"
Slamming a fist down to silence her, Bogo gave one last order, "Hopps. Not another word. Do not bother to come to roll call the rest of this week. You will be on parking duty. You. Are. Dismissed. Now!"
Her ears fell and eyes cast towards the floor. "Yes, Sir," came the meek reply and she exited the office.
Closing the door softly, she saw Nick a little ways down the hall and ran after him. She quickly caught up to him and blocked his path, forcing him to stop and look at her.
"Nick! What in the carrot flakes was that?" she demanded visibly upset.
"There was no reason for both of us to be suspended, Fluff. I know how much being here means to you," came the quiet reply while he tried to avoid looking into those soul piercing violet eyes.
"And you think that's okay for you to be the martyr? That this is what I would want instead? That I want to be here without my partner? Without you?" Judy was almost screaming. "You… dumb… dumb fox… where is the solidarity in that? If you aren't here, I shouldn't be here! We should be taking this… together..."
His partner's voice suddenly cracked at the very end and he looked down to see wetness building in her eyes. Nick felt like a complete ass. He quickly kneeled down and reached out to Judy.
"Carrots…" the fox opened his arms and the bunny walked forward and slumped her head against his shoulder. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I should have considered how you would really feel about it. I'm sorry."
"Of course, I forgive you Slick," she whispered into his ear and fully embraced him. "Don't do this again."
"I won't."
They stayed that way for a long time in the hallway, not caring who saw them. Nick eventually pulled away and looked her in the eyes, "Tell ya what, I'm pretty much done setting up my apartment. Come over after your shift tomorrow and I'll make you dinner. How's that sound?"
"I'd love that," she replied with a sweet smile.
A thought entered Nick's head and he couldn't leave it at just that. "Actually, how about on one condition?"
Hints of annoyance and curiosity creeped into Judy's voice, "Nick…"
"You have to get four hundred and one tickets tomorrow," he teased her with a wink.
Judy was tempted to smack him but instead she looked at him with lidded eyes, a nonplussed expression, and accepted his challenge, "Fine. I will make it four hundred and two. BEFORE my shift is done!"
Agent Edward Coltson was sitting at his desk typing away on his computer when his phone rang and he picked it up immediately.
"Coltson speaking. Yes. Yes, Sir. I am waiting for the list right now. Sir, I will have it on your desk first thing tomorrow. Yes, Sir I will be contacting Chief Bogo soon. Thank you, Sir… Goodnight."
He put the phone away and another agent walked into his office and handed him several documents. Coltson thanked the agent and waved him away. The clydesdale found the list in question he was waiting for. It contained all of the names of the ZPD officers that the MBI would be recruiting for his upcoming undercover operation.
Leaning back in his seat, he double checked the names:
Judith L. Hopps, 25, Female, Oryctolagus cuniculus
Nicholas P. Wilde, 33, Male, Vulpes vulpes
Brian N. Ardwulf, 28, Male, Canis lupus lycaon
Gregory M. Wolfard, 29, Male, Canis lupus occidentalis
Stephanie L. Fangmeyer, 30, Female, Panthera tigris
Scott E. McHorn, 40, Male, Ceratotherium simum
Francine A. Trunkaby, 36, Female, Loxodonta africana
Placing the document down on his desk, Coltson leaned back and stared at the ceiling, whispering to himself, "Soon Felisky… you will be ours."
