Chapter 10: Palm Hotel & Casino Royale - Part 3
"ZPD team, what is your status?"
Attempting to keep calm, Nick squinted his eyes, trying to quickly adjust to the sudden darkness and grabbed Judy's paw to keep her nearby while they were surrounded by a frightened drove of large mammals scurrying about. Judy instinctively assumed a defensive posture with ears up but the loud racket of panicked mammals made it harder to distinguish individual sounds. She could tell by the size and texture of the larger paw that clutched her's that it belonged to Nick as he tried to lead them to a safer location.
Brian, who was still at the bar, crouched near the edge of the countertop, nose rapidly sniffing, and answered Coltson, "Sir, I lost visual on Felisky, but I can smell him in the room. The lights are still off and there is a lot of panic among the guests. I last saw Officers Hopps and Wilde near the game table among the crowd." The gray timberwolf reached for his MBI issued burner smartphone and turned on the camera light to help him see better.
Wolfard replied as well, "Confirming Officer Ardwulf's observation. No visual on target or Hopps and Wilde."
"Your priority is to stay on Felisky. Do not let him escape, trackers!" came the blunt command.
"This is Officer McHorn, I'm moving forward into the lobby reception desk to keep visual on the elevators and stairway exits."
Still stuck in the crowd, Nick and Judy tried to squeeze their way through but it was futile. They were constantly being bumped and smushed by several larger mammals. A few hotel employees managed to turn on their phones to help provide some light in the darkness and calm the guests but their erratic movements provided little visual assistance. With his eyes fully adjusted, the fox tried to reach for his own phone while scanning around the room quickly, and suddenly noticed the tiger, who harassed Judy at the booth, attempting to reach for her from behind. Without hesitation, Nick pushed his partner away, stepping in her place, and felt the powerful grasp of the giant feline's claws around him.
The gentle shove surprised Judy and she face planted into another mammal several feet away. She felt Nick's paw yanked from her's and heard a snarling grunt from his last position. Nose twitching, she called out to him, staying in character, paws waving around the darkness frantically, "Daniel? Daniel!"
A yelp was the only reply she heard as he was forcibly pulled away.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the double doors, Fangmeyer and Trunkaby heard the sudden radio chatter and chaotic commotion from inside the ballroom. The tigress pushed the doorman out of the way and grabbed the double door handles only to find the door locked.
"What's going on here?" She looked to the doorman and pointed at him, "You! Open these doors immediately."
The confused camel shook his head, "I'm… I'm sorry. I only check invitations. I don't have a key."
"Agent Coltson, this is Officer Trunkaby, the doors to the ballroom are locked. Officer Fangmeyer and I are standing by on the outside. Your orders?" the elephant reported.
Between bursts of agent radio chatter, Coltson's voice finally answered, "Get those doors open, Officer. Right now!"
"What about the target's voice ability, Sir?"
"Officer, get in there, and assist my agents. I will not repeat myself again. That's an order."
Fangmeyer looked to her fellow undercover officer. "Francine. Can you knock this down?"
The elephant tested the double doors by pushing against them a few times with her trunk and narrowed her eyes. "Move out of the way, Steph."
Back inside the ballroom, Felisky waited by the back wall near the private elevator with Maria by his side, unfazed by the darkness from his own nocturnal vision, he calmly thumbed a large silver coin in his left paw.
"Sir, what is going on?" asked the agitated capybara.
"Do not be frightened Maria. We are momentarily waiting for a 'special guest' to join us in our departure," he replied with a subtle menacing tone.
Roughly forcing their way through the crowd of mammals, all three bodyguards reappeared in front of their boss, the large tiger holding a fox squirming in his paws who was desperately trying to loosen the choke hold around his neck.
The margay looked up, eyes narrowed, and his ears flattened, "Tony. I do believe my instructions were to grab Mrs. Pawson. The rabbit. Not this vile red wretch."
The larger feline shamefully bowed his head, "My apologies Mr. Felisky, but he pushed her out of the way before I could grab her."
"No matter. He will do. Let us depart immediately."
The trained guards surrounded their boss and moved in a coordinated formation. The group attempted to summon the ballroom private elevator when suddenly the double doors were knocked down. The welcoming light flooded the ballroom entry from the hallway revealing a giant elephant standing in the doorframe with a tigress right behind her.
"Looks like we have company," the lion said.
"Change of plan, Leon. Let us make haste to the Spa parlour down the hall. Watch for any suspicious individuals and go through the main door. I will handle the rest," the margay ordered.
"Sir," Leon acknowledged.
The polar bear guard reached into his coat and flung a small canister right into the crowd. The smoke bomb detonated, creating a renewed frenzy and sheer panic amongst the mammals who attempted to stampede away while coughing from the fumes.
They ruthlessly pushed through the crowd, shoving and knocking down unsuspecting guests. Judy was finally able to see with the hallway light shining through the doorway and saw their suspect being escorted by his goons. And to her horror, she saw Nick being carried away with them.
Finding the dress too restrictive to move properly, she noticed several gleaming utensils on the floor near her from a fallen server food tray. The bunny quickly grabbed a knife, and jabbed it between her legs, cutting the expensive fabric straight down the middle on both ends. Judy didn't give a damn if her leg fur was exposed at this point or if Coltson was going to get pissed for destroying the costly attire. Before leaping into action, Judy cut two more pieces of cloth, crumpled them into smaller pieces, and shoved a piece into each ear. With her agility restored and hearing muffled, she began to hop through the panicked mammals in pursuit.
A fellow undercover MBI agent, a cheetah, attempted to stealthily approach the escaping group from behind but was spotted by the polar bear who pretended to not see him but quickly sidestepped into the suspicious mammal and slammed him into the ground. The bear deftly frisked through the fallen mammal's attire and paws and seized the agent's tranquilizer gun.
"Sir, this mammal was armed," he informed his boss.
"Excellent work, Ned. Stay vigilant," Felisky praised without looking back.
The lion and polar bear succeeded in expertly subduing several more MBI agents' surprise apprehensions and soon the group found themselves at the door with a very large and angry elephant alongside a tigress blocking their escape. The small margay was not intimidated in the least, he pushed his small secretary in front of him to use as a mammal shield, approached Francine without hesitation, a nasty grin forming on his muzzle. Large prey animals were always his favorite targets.
"Stop right there!" Fangmeyer ordered as she and Trunkaby raised their weapons.
"You. Miss Elephant. Would you kindly remove your fellow co-worker from this doorway, let us pass, and do not allow anyone else to exit this ballroom," he directed his voice at Officer Trunkaby.
Fangmeyer looked up to see her fellow officer suddenly clutching her head momentarily only to drop her forefeet to her sides and turn to look at the tigress with an angry blank stare.
"Francine?" was all she could manage to speak before a giant trunk swept through the air and knocked her back into the hallway against the wall with a loud thud.
Wolfard had joined Brian behind the bar. They had their tranq guns drawn but couldn't take any clean shots due to the innocent bystanders between them and the escaping group. Both timberwolves watched in terror as Fangmeyer was thrown backwards and slumped against the wall.
The darker timberwolf quickly reported the status into his mic, "Officer Fangmeyer is down. Repeat Fangmeyer down. Officer Trunkaby attacked her!"
"Oh no!" Judy muttered to herself, as she closed the gap. "This is Officer Hopps. You have to avoid direct contact with the margay at all costs. I repeat stay away from him," she informed into her mic.
Felisky's group exited the ballroom and began to move down the hallway in unison. At the sight of his fellow officers' predicaments, a deep guttural snarl escaped Nick's lips between strangled gasping breaths, and he began to kick at his captor and dug his claws into the tiger's large paw. Annoyed, the tiger backhanded him hard across the head, and knocked him out cold.
No one else was able to get past Officer Trunkaby as she continued to block the doorway. Judy now found herself staring down several tons of elephant between herself and saving Nick.
"Francine? Francine snap out of it! It's Judy! Please you have to stop!" she pleaded but to no avail.
Her fellow officer took a monstrous trunk swing at her and Judy dodge rolled away. The bunny had no choice, she narrowed her eyes, took a breath, and leapt forward. Artfully dodging the trunk and stomping feet, she managed to dive and roll under the elephant, and binked into the hallway. She saw poor Fangmeyer still knocked out cold against the wall. With a heavy heart, she had to ignore helping her for now, and ran down the hallway. She saw the group just up ahead. They were stopped at the Spa parlour entry that she noticed earlier and were attempting to wedge the door open.
Skidding to a stop, Judy aimed her tranq gun right at Felisky. The tiger noticed his earlier prey and flashed a ferocious grin, "Well, ain't that cute."
He stepped in front of his boss while holding an unconscious Nick out in front of him by the collar. Judy was barely able to stop her trigger pull in time. Tony casually waved his left paw's razor sharp claws and held them menacingly near the fox's throat.
Judy couldn't bear to see her partner hurt and being held captive. "Nick…" was all she could whisper to herself meekly, ears drooping, as she obediently lowered her weapon.
Felisky turned to see Mrs. Pawson, armed and with a torn dress, silently staring down the group. He placed a paw on the tiger's leg to stop him. "That will not be necessary, Tony."
"Shall we take her instead, Sir?"
The margay evaluated the situation for a moment before facing Judy to address her, "No. However, I am most curious, Elena. A fine lady such as yourself looking so improper and so dangerously armed I might add," he mused while gesturing with a paw. "That is not ladylike at all, my dear…"
The bunny's expression widened in terror. The pieces of dress fabric were not enough to completely block Felisky's commanding voice from her acute rabbit hearing. Her ears twitched. This did not go unnoticed by her target.
"You look tired. Perhaps you need a rest? Kindly draw your weapon and put yourself down," he ordered with a vicious scowl.
The lion finally opened the parlour door and signaled for the group to advance, "It's open. Move."
Felisky enjoyed one last glance at Judy's horrified expression as he disappeared into the parlour. The bunny attempted to place her left paw on her right arm to halt it but resistance was futile. Her trembling arm refused to obey her own thoughts as she slowly raised the tranq gun and aimed it right at herself. Just as she pulled the trigger, a larger gray paw swatted the gun out of her paw and the dart fired into the nearby wall, bounced, and rolled away on the floor.
"Judy! Come on, look at me Judy!" Brian said with a worried expression as he skidded to a stop and gently shook the bunny's shoulders.
The bunny blinked and shook her head as her mind raced to catch up with what just happened, "Brian… thank you… I almost..." she said in between heavy breaths before her eyes widened again. "Nick! He has Nick! We have to go after them!"
"Wait! We need some kind of plan," he tried to hold back the fidgety rabbit as she attempted to hurdle past him.
A loud gasp made both of them momentarily pause. Officer Trunkaby finally regained control, holding her forefeet at her trunk, realizing what she had done, and rushed over to Fangmeyer. Wolfard was right behind the elephant. He had distracted Francine earlier so Brian could slip by in time to help Judy.
Francine's trunk carefully darted all over the tigress to check her breathing and pulse. Thankfully, Fangmeyer seemed okay. Wolfard put a paw on his elephant co-worker to briefly comfort her as a few tears escaped escaped down her face.
The elephant's eyes narrowed and looked to her fellow officers. "You three go and stop that little piece of filth! It's too dangerous for me to go after him. I'll stay here with Steph," she managed between breaths.
Wolfard nodded, joining Judy and Brian, as the trio bolted down the hall and into the parlour. It was empty. All three of them saw the private elevator in the back of the room with the elevator light blinking downward.
"ZPD team, what is going on? Report! You better not have lost sight of our target…" Coltson was frantically yelling into the mic.
Before any of the officers could reply, they heard a shoving sound and some very explicit swearing. Coltson's unpleasant voice was replaced with a familiar and welcome gruff voice.
"You've done enough, Coltson! This is under my jurisdiction now. I am taking over this operation. Officers, report your status."
"Chief! Officer Fangmeyer is down but she's okay. Officer Trunkaby is with her. I am here with Officers Wolfard and Ardwulf. They took Officer Wilde, Sir! He has three professionally trained bodyguards with him. A lion, tiger, and a polar bear. Along with a small capybara. They took some sort of private spa elevator and are heading downstairs!" Judy immediately reported.
"Roger, Hopps. We need to proceed with caution. There are innocent bystanders in the Hotel. McHorn, do you have a visual on our target?" There was radio silence. "McHorn?"
Judy's ears perked and she could faintly hear sounds of shrieking and panic from below, "Oh, no… Sir, I think Officer McHorn might be in trouble!"
"Dammit! Get down to the lobby immediately but keep your distance. We cannot risk anyone being influenced by this feline. Get visual on Felisky and Wilde. I am calling all available units to the Hotel. Any remaining operatives on the line, do not engage directly with this mammal, reinforcements are on the way."
Judy was already sprinting out of the parlour as fast as her bunny legs allowed her towards the fire escape stairway with the timberwolves following. She dug out the ineffective dress fabric from her ears and tossed them to the floor.
"Hopps. How do we effectively suppress this persuasion technique?" the Chief asked.
Throwing the door open and leaping down the first set of stairs, Judy replied between breaths, "I was able to give Officer Wilde something else to focus on, but I think your next best bet is to wear earpieces or plugs that completely block all sound, Sir."
"Affirmative, Officer."
Wolfard and Brian skipped down the stairs, holding onto the railing, tailing Judy. Both wolves were amazed at the bunny's incredible speed and parkour. She was already at the exit door and flung it open. The muffled panic of frantic hotel guests now flooded their ears as they all entered the lobby. The three officers now saw the source of the panic. There was McHorn, rampaging among the crowd with a blank expression, several security staff and undercover agents knocked unconscious at his feet.
"Oh, no…" Judy gasped.
Wolfard growled with bared fangs, "That damn margay… we can't just ignore this. We need to help him!"
"Do you think we can talk him out of it?" Brian asked.
They could hear Wolfard swear as he checked his tranquilizer gun and sighed, "We may not have time. We have to put him to sleep before someone might get seriously hurt or worse… I'll do it. Just.. distract him, please."
Judy frowned and placed a paw on Wolfard's arm. She knew they were close friends. "I'm sorry, Greg."
"Thanks, Judy. C'mon, we can't let them get away," he offered a weak smile to the smaller police officer.
Judy and Brian sprinted at McHorn, waving their paws in the air, and shouted to gain his attention. The rhino looked over and began to charge and swing his fists as the two smaller mammals ducked away from the attack. With his back to the other timberwolf, Wolfard snuck up and took aim. A clean shot to the neck. Within moments the large rhino teetered, his movements sluggish, and tipped over onto the floor into a deep sleep.
Wolfard kneeled next to his sleeping friend, "Officer Ardwulf, your nose is better than mine. I'll stay here, report to Bogo, and attempt to calm the crowd. Go after them you two. Get Wilde back."
The bunny and smaller timberwolf nodded. Brian was already sniffing the air and his head immediately snapped to the lobby restaurant, "They ran in there Judy!" He pointed to the fancy bistro.
Watching them continue pursuit, Wolfard lowered his muzzle to speak into his mic, "Chief Bogo, this is Officer Wolfard, Officer McHorn is down. The target made him attack several agents and security staff in the lobby. I had to tranq him, Sir. I am with him and will try to calm the civilians. We need immediate medical assistance. Officers Hopps and Ardwulf are in pursuit of Felisky. They appear to have escaped into the hotel restaurant on the west side of the building."
"Roger, Wolfard. Backup and Medical Buses are on their way. Check the wounded and do what you can to restore order until help arrives."
A scuffle could be heard in the earpiece as Colston's voice barely came through, "Chief Bogo, we need Wolfard in pursuit of the target not placating hotel guests!"
"You will shut it right now, Agent! I am responsible for the well being of my precinct's officers and my city's civilians."
The timberwolf stood with a growl and proceeded to follow his Chief's orders.
Judy and Brian entered the restaurant, to find an antelope waiter, throwing food and shouting incoherently at any mammals that remained in the dining area. Another victim of the margay's persuasion. With an exchange of glances, the bunny grabbed a nearby table cloth, spooling it in her paws, and began to circle beneath the tables, while her timberwolf friend distracted the antelope. Judy knocked the waiter down from behind and quickly tied his hooves behind his back with Brian holding him down. She then followed Brian into the kitchen where frightened kitchen staff huddled in various cubbies or behind the counters.
"Did anyone see which direction a group of six well dressed mammals went? They had a fox with them," Judy gently asked the cowering mammals.
A chubby bear, in a chef's uniform, stood from behind the counter and pointed a shaky finger to the back.
"Thank you, Sir." Judy smiled.
She ran down the remaining length of the kitchen towards the food storage area, with Brian in tow, and found an open back door that exited into an alley that contained all of the hotel's trash dumpsters. Brian's nose wrinkled at the terrible odors of the garbage but he continued to hunt the scent. He followed it down the alleyway and made a turn into another adjacent empty alley where the two officers skidded to a stop.
A large black sedan's doors were slamming shut, engine roaring, and the vehicle peeled out. The duo watched it disappear onto the street, cutting off traffic, and speeding away.
"No!" Judy shrieked and gritted her teeth. She quickly spoke into her mic, "This is Officer Hopps. Suspects are escaping in a large black sedan with tinted windows and no plate. They are on Palm St. heading north towards Agave Avenue! They still have Officer Wilde..."
"Roger, Hopps. Relaying information to Clawhauser," Bogo answered. She heard a short pause as he switched to another set of comms to reach the ZPD dispatch. "Clawhauser, get all available ground and air units to Sahara Square immediately. Our primary suspect is in an unmarked black sedan heading north to Agave Avenue. I want roadblocks on every major exit from the borough and the city. Tell all units to proceed with caution, they have Officer Wilde captive. Do not let them escape!"
Despite the Chief taking control of the situation, Judy couldn't just stand around to wait with Nick taken. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him. She grabbed and tugged on Brian's shirt sleeve, "Brian, we need to get a car and go after them!"
"What? How?" he asked in surprise.
"We have the authority to commandeer a vehicle from a civilian if necessary. Section 150 of the Zootopia penal code. I don't care if we have to steal one at this point!" she pleaded.
Just as they were about to head to the street, Brian took a few more sniffs, and paused. He abruptly grabbed the bunny, "Judy, wait!"
She looked at him in confusion, "What it is Brian? We don't have time!"
"Something isn't right. There's another faint trail to the scent here. I can barely smell it… in this other direction," his nose pointed them in the opposite direction of the street.
"Are you sure? That's a dead end. No one is here and we saw the car!" the bunny gestured with both paws out.
The small gray timberwolf didn't reply and moved in full concentration to the back of the alley. His nose lead him to look down at a bunch of overturned trash at his feet. Brian kneeled down, continuing to sniff closer, and pushed all the garbage bags out of the way. Hidden underneath was a large sewer grate. He tugged at the edges and felt that it was recently moved. Judy joined his side and looked down with wide eyes.
Brian met her gaze and pointed to the grate, "Nick isn't in that car. They took him down here…"
The uncomfortable bobbing motion and foul stench eventually woke Nick. The left side of his face felt like he decided to make out with a moving truck. Sounds of running and dripping water, along with splashing steps echoed in his ears. He slowly opened his eyes. It was dark, damp, and he saw sludgy water below him. His night vision kicked in and he found himself slung over the giant tiger's shoulder like a burlap sack. A voice broke his thoughts and he quickly closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep again.
"I never fathomed I would find myself wading through such filth again," Felisky mused. "Are you positive no one will track us down here, Tony?"
"Yes, Sir. This is the best scent blocker money can buy," the tiger answered. "It would take one hell of a nose to find us."
Nick secretly smirked. He knew someone with a hell of a nose. Hopefully his friend would be able to track them down into the sewer. His thoughts then returned to his fellow police officers. He hoped they were all okay.
"Good. Just to be on the safe side, please check our dear Mr. Pawson for any hidden surprises."
At the sound of that command, Nick's heart momentarily skipped a beat. The fox quickly attempted to slow his breathing and tried to appear limp and motionless. The tiger stopped, began to pat him down, and fished out Nick's concealed tranquilizer gun. He continued to dig around inside all of Nick's pockets and found the carrot pen with an amused grin. He placed the goofy looking item into his own pants pocket. Finding the handkerchief, the tiger inspected the red piece of cloth, and found some leftover blueberries, a few of which spilled out into the water. Rolling his eyes, he stuffed the fabric back into Nick's pocket. Tony then removed Mr. Pawson's wallet, phone, and he found the MBI mic inside the suit jacket lining.
Still suspicious, Tony began to comb through Nick's bushy tail. Not finding anything, he jabbed a claw into both of Nick's ears. It took tremendous effort to not fidget or make an aggravated face as the tiger roughly scratched around his tail and the sensitive insides of his ears. After a few moments of searching, he managed to scoop out the tiny specialized MBI earpiece. The tiger slumped his captive back over his right shoulder.
"Sir. This one was armed too. And I think I found how his little bunny was helping him. These are serious pieces of tech here," he said while holding out his fingertip to show the devices to his boss.
The margay looked over at the earpiece and mic set, "It seems Mrs. Pawson was warning him after all. I have never met another mammal who could directly detect my gift. In the future, I will need to exercise better caution around lagomorphs."
They continued with a brisk pace as the tiger smashed the MBI equipment incase it contained any GPS tracking components.
"Was there anything else?" Felisky inquired.
"No, Sir. Just his phone, wallet, a red handkerchief, and a stupid looking carrot pen. Probably his wife's."
"If… she is even his wife," The smaller feline speculated with paws behind his back. "Check the phone and disable it."
"Sir," Tony nodded and went checking the burner smartphone for information.
There was no unlock screen. Navigating the menus, everything appearing to be expertly set up, including fake contacts, call logs, messages, email, and even some photos. Satisfied with his search, the tiger opened the back panel, removed the battery, and stuffed both items into his other pocket. He began to thumb through Mr. Pawson's wallet. Again, he found nothing overtly suspicious. All of the fake credit cards, receipts, bank cards, and the driver's license appeared authentic. There was a large amount of cash in the wallet. The tiger grinned and helped himself to the money.
As the tiger was busying himself with Mr. Pawson's belongings, Nick opened his eyes to look around again. There was nothing to identify his location or which direction they were headed. Checking his captor's suit, he noticed Judy's pen partially protruding from the tiger's pant pocket right below him. It was sitting just out of his dangling paw's reach. Doing his best to be discrete, Nick tried to reach for the brightly colored orange device. Not enough. He tried again. Failed.
Suddenly, the tiger rolled his stiff shoulder and stretched, causing Nick to dip forward. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the fox used his expert ex-con fingers and deftly pickpocketed the pen. He rolled the pen in the palm of his paw, slid it part way up his sleeve, and readied his thumb over the record button.
"Everything on the phone and wallet checks out to one Daniel R. Pawson, Sir."
The margay's response was a quiet huff and a dismissive paw wave. After several long minutes of silent walking through the dimly lit and aging tunnel, the trio arrived at a four way junction. Felisky stopped and waited for his bodyguard to pause behind him.
"Which way to this safe location, Tony?" the smaller feline asked.
Nick silently tapped the record button.
"Down this tunnel, Sir. It descends further at another fork and leads to the Nocturnal District. I know of an old warehouse we can hide in until your contacts can extract us."
Felisky nodded and walked forward. His bodyguard fell in step behind him. As they entered the tunnel, Nick's sly fox mind raced for an idea to leave behind a clue, confident that Brian would lead the rest of the ZPD team down here. Time was running out as they stepped further from the tunnel entry, so Nick did one of the few things he was always an expert in. Be a smug nuisance.
As he suddenly began to speak, he fidgeted, and attempted to kick the tiger in the face with his right leg, "Whoa, hey now! I didn't know I ordered the VIP service. You fellas know how to really pamper a mammal, don't you?"
The two felines started slightly at the sudden exclamation while Tony had to lean away from the sudden knee that came swinging towards his muzzle. The large burly tiger grunted, viciously grabbed the squirming fox on his shoulder, and slammed him against the tunnel wall.
"Great. The annoying son of a vixen is finally awake. Took you long enough, huh princess?" the tiger snarled in the fox's face.
"What can I say? I couldn't keep away from my prince charming."
The tiger growled with flattened ears.
You know you missed me, Frosted Flakes," Nick defiantly smirked.
"You little piece of…" he didn't finish his sentence before giving Nick a good smack across the snout.
"I know a bunny that can hit harder than you," the fox spat to the side.
"Is that so, Pawson? I didn't know you and your rabbit had that type of kinky relationship?" the tiger shot back.
"Jealous?"
Just as Tony was ready to strike again, Felisky interrupted the small feud, "That is enough, Tony. Do not let his crass and misguided bravado get to you. His manners are those of an uneducated boor."
"Really Art? I always thought of myself as a puckish rogue," the fox smirked towards the margay.
Felisky had enough and flattened his ears, "Yes. Charming. Kindly shut your foul mouth and obediently follow in silence."
A few moments passed before the smug grin disappeared and a rather uncharacteristically neutral expression formed on Nick's face. The tiger let him go and sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Sir. I can't stand foxes. Especially ones like this piece of work," Tony said placing a paw back on Nick's shoulder.
"Indeed. Let us go," came the curt and annoyed order.
The tiger nudged the fox forward and the three predators continued their trek further into the dull tunnel heading north. Moments later, unknownst to the tiger and the margay, Nick stole a glance backwards and secretly smirked to himself.
After Judy radioed in to Chief Bogo about their suspicions and received the go ahead, she and Brian descended the metal ladder once the timberwolf slid the sewer grate open. They found themselves standing in a dimly lit, drab tunnel, filled with running dirty ankle high water, and a putrid stench. Brian was really suffering from the disgusting odors but he pushed through the discomfort. He had a friend to find. Right now they only had two ways to go. The timberwolf took out his smartphone and turned on the flashlight feature before handing it to Judy. Able to see a little bit in the dark, he knew the bunny would need the light more than himself.
"Which way Brian?" she asked.
Bracing himself, he sniffed the damp air, wrinkled his nose, and pointed, "This way."
The bunny just about started to run when her fellow officer grabbed her arm, "Judy, wait! We don't know how far ahead they are. If we make too much noise or alert them to our presence, we will lose our element of surprise."
She sighed and her ears drooped, "I'm sorry Brian. You're right. I'm just so worried about Nick…"
Brian gave her a small comforting smile. He remembered how Nick taped that photo of himself with Judy above his bunk at the Academy. Naturally, Nick never openly admitted it, but the timberwolf knew how much of an inspiration that photo was to the fox during his toughest training days. The fox did it for her. "It's okay, I understand. I know how much Nick means to you. We'll get him back."
"Thank you," Judy smiled back.
The pair cautiously waded through the water, attempting to stay as silent as possible. Judy only turned on the camera light when necessary and never pointed it too far down the tunnel. She kept her ears perked, listening for any chance she might hear the other group. So far, much to her disappointment, there was nothing.
Some time passed as they navigated through the small maze of tunnels and Brian whispered to Judy, "I may have lost the scent, Judy. It was really weak to begin with and this… stink down here is really making it tough to pick up a fresh trail."
"I know you're doing your best, Brian. We have to keep moving forward," she quietly replied.
Judy felt something tiny bump her exposed leg and pointed the phone light down. A blueberry was floating next to her ankle in the dirty viscous water.
She happily gasped, "Brian, look! It's a blueberry! Nick brought some from home and was snacking on them earlier. At least we know we're heading the right way!"
Brian gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up and they marched on. Before long they arrived at the same junction that Nick, Tony, and Felisky came to. The bunny found her spirits diminish as she stared down each tunnel.
"No!..." Judy's shoulders slumped in frustration and she felt a small pang in her heart.
Brian frowned, his own ears drooped, and he walked up to Judy and placed a paw on her shoulder, "Let me try to find it again, Judy."
The bunny followed the timberwolf as he began sniffing down each tunnel, going from the left and working his way clockwise. As Brian would leave to test the next adjacent tunnel, Judy remained and walked a bit further in, casting the camera light all along the tunnel walls and floor, looking and hoping for a clue. Nothing. There was nothing. Placing a paw on the tunnel wall for support, she looked absolutely devastated. Brian quietly left to check the tunnels a second time.
Judy's mind raced through the possibilities. There were three tunnels to choose from. Even if she and Brian each took a different tunnel, there was no guarantee that either one would be the correct path without a scent or clue. And if they separated, it would be easier for Felisky and his bodyguard to subdue them individually, if either of them caught up to the fleeing group.
After a moment of wallowing in near defeat, Judy scowled and grit her teeth. She was not going to give up, and began looking around the tunnels again, stepping further inside each one. She came around full circle once more with no luck. Her ears drooped once again and she told herself to suck it up. Going even further in, her tenacity was rewarded. In the north facing tunnel, her camera light revealed a large orange object lying against the curved tunnel wall, just outside the edge of the running water.
"Brian!" she squealed. "It's my carrot pen!"
The timberwolf came splashing over, as Judy bent down to pick up the welcome plastic orange device. She thanked the heavens it was still dry. Double checking for any other sounds further down the tunnel and deducing no one was within earshot range, she eagerly pressed the rewind button and hit play.
"Down this tunnel, Sir. It descends further at another fork and leads to the Nocturnal District. I know of an old warehouse we can hide in until your contacts can extract us."
Gasping, she recognized the tiger's voice, the same bodyguard who harassed her in the booth and threatened Nick with his claws. Despite that, she breathed a sigh of relief confirming Nick was conscious again, and dropping them breadcrumbs to follow. "Clever fox," she whispered to herself.
"So they're headed to the Nocturnal District," Brian thought out loud.
"And he said Sir. So we know Felisky is with him for sure. That's at least three mammals, counting Nick," Judy added.
"Right. Let me see the pen," Brian said while holding a paw out.
Judy handed it over and he began to sniff it profusely before handing it back, "I can barely get a whiff of Nick from it. They must have sprayed him down too just to be safe. Let's get going. We should radio in to Bogo."
The bunny nodded and craned her neck towards her hidden mic, "Chief Bogo. This is Officer Hopps. Do you copy, Sir?" There was no response. "Chief? Can you hear me?" Nothing but silence answered her. Judy checked the phone. There was no signal as well.
"We'll try again later," Brian offered softly.
"Right. Come on," Judy moved with renewed energy down the watery tunnel.
Descending down the northwest tunnel at the fork, the predators marched on for a couple miles in relative silence with just the echoes of running sludge and dripping water to distract their minds from the monotonous hike. Soon they began to pass by several metal ladders leading up to the streets.
Nick knew this wasn't good. He was going to need to leave another clue behind once they arrived at whichever exit his captors were planning to use. Sauntering behind the margay, he placed his paws in his pockets. To his surprise, he felt his handkerchief and a few remaining blueberries, still inside. A small smile curled at the tips of his lips. The fox managed to secretly roll a single blueberry out of his pocket at the same time he splashed water with one of his feet and pretended to yawn.
"Shut up," came the gruff voice behind him as he felt a sudden rough shove that nearly made him stumble forward.
"Easy there, Stars and Stripes," he goaded the tiger.
"That will be enough from both of you," came the accented voice from the lead.
"He started it," Nick childishly egged on.
Felisky glared over his shoulder and Nick simply shut his mouth while smirking in usual foxy fashion. They arrived at their destination. The tiger handed his boss Nick's confiscated tranquilizer gun, climbed the ladder so that he could open the sewer grate, and survey the streetside surroundings.
"All clear," he said after a few moments.
Nick felt the jab of the gun barrel in his back, "Please, after you, Daniel."
Before he grabbed the metal bars, Nick with paws still in his pockets, scrunched up his red handkerchief into the palm of his right paw, and then began to climb the ladder. "So polite. You're such a gentlemammal after all, Art," he harassed his captor.
"You will stop calling me that. And we shall see how long that silver tongue of yours will last the night, my friend," came the very annoyed reply.
Part way up the ladder, Nick casually slowed his ascent, watching Felisky step closer as he waited for the fox to climb up. Glancing back up, the tiger was momentarily checking the street again. This was his chance. Nick stopped and swished his tail right across the margay's face, causing him to stumble and look away, while simultaneously flicking his wrist downward to release the bunched up handkerchief down the ladder and onto the tunnel floor, and resumed climbing.
"Why you uncouth red filth…" came the insult that never finished as the margay recomposed himself and glared at Nick.
"Whoopsie," was all Nick managed to say before he yelped as the tiger grabbed his collar and yanked him up the rest of the way.
"You really don't know when to quit do you, Pawson?" Tony snarled, held Nick up, and curled his free paw menacingly.
Nick's eyes widened, "Now, now, let's not get too excited…"
With a roar, the tiger slashed him across the lower half of his snout with his dirtied claws.
The fox yipped as he felt small stinging traces of blood begin to flow against his fur. Nick shook it off and didn't want to give the tiger the satisfaction of his intimidation despite his racing heartbeat, "Careful now, I might just get an infection."
Before it escalated any further, Felisky climbed out of the sewer, and stood facing the two predators, "That's enough, Tony! Control yourself. Do you not see this fox is trying to irritate you and draw attention to us? Now close this grate and take us to the warehouse."
The tiger obeyed and dropped Nick on the floor like he was a sack of potatoes.
"And you, Daniel, will once again kindly shut that obnoxious mouth of yours until we are inside."
Tony closed the grate and pulled out his phone to double check their GPS coordinates, "It's just down this block, Sir."
"Lead the way," Felisky ordered as he handed the tranq gun back to his bodyguard, prodded a silent Nick forward, and the three briskly walked towards several old abandoned buildings.
Meanwhile, Judy and Brian were not too far behind. They came upon the fork and knew to take the lower northwestern route according to the recording. After some time, they hurried their pace when Judy couldn't hear any signs of the other three predators ahead of them. Soon enough, they began to see the metal ladders that lead to the streets above.
Staring down the long dark tunnel, Judy furrowed her brow in determination, and turned to Brian, "Can you smell anything, Brian?"
"Sorry, Judy, it's too faint again," he replied with downcast eyes.
She placed a paw on his arm, "It's okay. I'm sure Nick left another clue somewhere."
He nodded and they continued their way. Brian kept his eyes on the ceiling and walls while continuing to sniff the foul air. Judy illuminated the sludge and floor with the phone. The battery was beginning to get very low.
Passing several more exits, she found another blueberry floating about, "Brian, look! Another blueberry. Okay, keep an eye out for any clues."
"Got it."
The pair trudged along the tunnel slowly inspecting their surroundings more closely. Judy was searching up ahead when Brian paused next to a ladder and his nose alerted him to a smell he recognized. He followed it down the cold metal wall and found a piece of red fabric hidden next to a ladder. Picking it up, he held it up to his nose and took several long sniffs.
"Judy! I think I found something. This has to be the exit!" he whispered excitedly.
The bunny rushed over to see what was in his paw. Despite being ecstatic for a clue, her ears instantly fell, "Oh, no…" she meekly whispered back as she gently took the red handkerchief and clutched it to her chest. "Nick never goes anywhere without this."
"Then let's go get our friend back, so you can return it to him. I have a faint scent again. And it definitely goes right up this ladder. I'll go first," Brian said while pointing above.
Judy nodded and tucked the red fabric safely away. With some effort, Brian budged the mammalhole cover, slid the grate open, and climbed up. The bunny quickly joined him and they found themselves on an empty service road inside a huge expansive cavern.
Hundreds if not thousands of mixed rich calcite, dolomite, and limestone stalactites hung over their heads forming a wondrous yet dangerous looking environment. Large deposits of clear blue celestite crystals adorned the cavern walls. The lights from the nearby street lamps and distant natural rock buildings created a soft glow that reflected from the crystals and bathed the surrounding area in a beautiful blue light, like a permanent moonglow on a clear country night sky. Judy would be in greater awe if it wasn't for their dire situation. There was a small nearby street sign identifying the service road as Gneiss Road and another showing Slab Road.
Looking down at her phone, she saw it was ready to die at only 2% power left, however, something else caught her attention. There were sticky red blots beneath her feet.
"Brian!" she pointed at the ground.
He kneeled down, traced a finger on the red liquid, and sniffed it. His expression turned grim, "Blood. Fox blood."
"Can you follow it?" Judy asked biting her lip trying to keep her emotions in check.
"Yes. The scent is going towards those old looking buildings over there down the block," he pointed with his snout.
"Okay. We gotta try to call the Chief first," she suggested. Judy turned to her MBI mic, "Chief Bogo, can you hear me? Come in, Sir. This is Officer Hopps." Radio silence. Sighing, she looked at the burner phone. 1% battery left and only one signal bar for reception. She had to try. The bunny punched in the direct ZPD Dispatch number, that she memorized by heart, clenching a fist in frustration, as she brought the phone to her ear.
"ZPD… Dispatch, how… I help… you?" came the barely audible but friendly voice of Clawhauser.
"Clawhauser! Listen to me, Officer Ardwulf and I are in the Nocturnal District, in a large blue crystal cavern full of abandoned warehouses! They have Nick here! We are on the corner of Gneiss and Slab. Tell Chief Bogo. We need backup immediately," Judy rifled off the information. "Clawhauser?"
There was static as the cheetah attempted to reply. Before she could relay the information again the phone died. Judy looked at the blank screen and rapidly jabbed the power button in frustration. "Oh… no, no, no…" The bunny wanted to scream.
"We have to hope they got that, Judy. But for now, it looks like we're on our own," Brian sighed with a reserved huff.
The bunny took a deep breath, "Then we can't waste anymore time." She pushed past Brian and headed in the direction he pointed to earlier.
Back at the station, Clawhauser strained his ears to scribble down Judy's frantic and static filled information as it cut in and out, "Clawhauser… to me… Ardwulf… I… Nocturnal District… cavern… warehouses… Nick… We… Gneiss… Bogo… backup immediately…"
"Hopps? Hopps?" It was futile. The connection had died. He attempted a callback to the number but it went straight to a generic voicemail.
The worried cheetah quickly contacted Chief Bogo who was monitoring the situation from a remote location with Agent Coltson, "Chief! I just got an update from Officer Hopps!"
"Go ahead Clawhauser."
"I couldn't hear much Chief but she and Officer Ardwulf tracked Officer Wilde into the Nocturnal District. All I could make out were the words: cavern, warehouses, Gneiss, and they need backup before we lost contact."
"The Nocturnal District!? Dammit. Gneiss sounds like a possible road or street name. Get the techs to do everything they can to pinpoint a location that matches Hopps' description and send all possible units not in pursuit of that getaway vehicle to the District immediately! I will contact the Chief of Precinct Eight for assistance. Bogo out."
"Yes, Chief," Clawhauser answered in a serious tone and jumped to his task.
The cape buffalo angrily turned to the clydesdale sitting next to him and jabbed a hoof in his face, "Coltson, you are responsible for this mess. You and your men failed to contain your target after we did our part. So, you better use every resource you have to help us narrow down this location, right now!"
"Don't threaten me, Chief Bogo" came the hostile snort.
"I can and I will! I better not find out you withheld any vital information about this Felisky from us. Those are my officers being put on the line. And so help me if any further harm comes to them because of this operation…" Bogo's nostrils flared and he picked up his headpiece again, speaking to a different agent. "This is Chief Bogo. Connect me to Precinct Eight. Do it now!"
The three predators found themselves inside of a rickety, dusty, dirty, and old cricket packaging warehouse. Bugs scurried about as they made their way further into the interior, past rotting stacks of crates and shipping materials. They came to an old office with a rusty metal desk, ancient electronic equipment, torn papers, and a broken desk lamp. A single elevated small window cast a cone of bluish light against the far wall. The tiger dusted off the squeaky office chair for his boss before he tied Nick's paws to a nearby wall pipe with a rope he found in the main storage area.
Felisky reached into his coat to produce his phone, unlocked it, and held it up for his bodyguard, "Tony. Contact Reginald and inform him of our situation. We will need to be extracted as quickly as possible."
"Sir," the tiger replied as he took the phone and headed outside to get better reception.
Felisky took a seat while Nick leaned against the wall as comfortably as he could. The fox and margay sat in silence. After looking around the office, Nick watched as the small feline reached into his suit jacket and took out a fairly large silver coin and began to thumb it around in his left paw like he did with the poker chips earlier in the night. Pondering his current situation, Nick decided to try a different approach with his target. His conning days had taught him how to warm up other mammals when going in for a hustle.
"Keepsake?" Nick asked in a surprisingly non smug and curious voice.
The fox's genuine tone caught the margay off guard for a moment, "What would it be to you, Daniel?"
"I have a few of my own. Looks like we have something in common, Arthur," he replied.
"I highly doubt that," came the curt snarl.
"Try me."
The margay stopped thumbing the coin and crossed his arms, "Very well. Tell me Daniel. Do you know what it is like to be so impoverished that filthy water and rotting food was considered a blessing on a fortunate day? To know what it is like to watch your own family helplessly suffer? To know what it is like to be spit on and ignored by other mammals who perceive you as beneath them? Do you?"
Nick frowned with flattened ears as some of those points hit a little close to home.
"Actually, I do. Foxes around here aren't exactly highly regarded." He mixed in his honest answers with the fake information of his undercover alias. "I lived on the streets for a few years because I ran away from home in my youth. I've had other mammals view me as only sly and untrustworthy. Doors and opportunities were closed before even speaking to me. Just one look and I was reduced to less than the dirt most mammals walked on. So yeah, I became exactly what they expected of me. I learned to hustle and take their money. That's how I stayed alive before returning to the farm. Then I took those valuable lessons and applied them to business."
Felisky raised his chin in contemplation and a brief empathetic glimmer flashed in his eyes. Nick caught on to the change in his expression and body language. There was a scoff before the feline addressed him again, "And you decided to help these same mammals that would not have given even a toss if you never existed?"
The fox almost snickered at the question that surprisingly paralleled his own real life and new career choice, "That's right. I never wanted to harm anyone in my hustles. Even had a goal in mind but it wasn't the right goal. Not until I met her…"
"Ah, yes. Your darling pretty little rabbit. A prey mammal." Those words rolled off his tongue in disgust. "What makes her so different?"
"And here I thought you liked her? No? And she is different. Elena genuinely loves other mammals and wants to help everyone she meets. Big or small. Predator or Prey. I wouldn't be the same mammal I am now if it wasn't for her," Nick insisted with a reverent tone.
Felisky slid off the noisy chair and walked right up to Nick. He jabbed a claw into the fox's dress shirt, "How touching. Those were merely superficial pleasantries at the hotel. And unfortunately, that is where our similarities end, Daniel. We do not share the same view of this world nor the same desire to help it. And this is proof of that." The small feline flashed the meticulously polished and shiny silver coin in front of the fox. "The first dollar I ever earned when I learned about my gift and a promise I made..."
The tiger bodyguard finally returned to the office and stood in the doorway eavesdropping at the exchange happening in front of him. Felisky abruptly ended his speech upon seeing Tony return. Nick followed his gaze and caught sight of his tiger buddy and greeted him.
"Hey, Frosted Flakes. Thought you might have gotten lost. You know I have to go to the little kit's room. Think you could lend me a paw?"
Once again the tiger seethed in annoyance at this damn fox's running mouth before ignoring him and spoke to his boss while returning the margay's phone, "Sir. The extraction crew is on it's way. They will be here soon."
"Good. Go wait by the entrance and keep an eye out."
"Gladly, Sir." Tony nodded and left.
Felisky dropped the conversation and returned to thumbing his coin while staring at Nick with baleful eyes. Several long minutes ticked by in silence.
A small movement caught Nick's attention in the tiny window high above the desk. His eyes momentarily gleamed. Nick knew he wasn't going to get anywhere else with this feline but decided to keep prodding him, "Well, Art… you could've really done something with this gift of yours. Helped other mammals. Made the world a better place. It's a bummer."
The captive fox watched him turn away and pocket the keepsake.
"And there is that boorish language and nonsensical idealism again. Now, I did not get this far by being such a trusting or naive gentlemammal, Daniel Pawson. If that is in fact your real name," Felisky alluded.
This was it. Nick had been anticipating this question most of the night once they discovered this ferocious little feline's unique ability. He was more surprised it took this long before an interrogation happened, however, the fox found himself thankful it was not sooner. Nick closed his eyes for a moment.
"What is your real name?" the margay asked.
A brief pause hung in the air between both predators before Nick answered, "Daniel Ryan Pawson."
With eyebrows raised, the small feline blinked at the answer. He decided to try again. "Tell me your wife's real name."
"Carrots," the fox replied with a smirk.
All the margay could manage to do was return a blank stare, "Carrots?"
Before Felisky could say more, a small mammal kicked the dirty window open, gracefully landed near him, rolled onto the floor between himself and his captive, wearing a completely ragged and dirty purple dress, angry green eyes, wavy white hair bouncing against her brow, and assumed a fighting stance.
Judy and Brian quietly treaded among the sides of the warehouses. The timberwolf took point while the bunny followed closely behind.
"The scent is getting stronger," Brian said referring to the blood. "I think it's that run-down two story building over there."
He was eyeing the old cricket packaging warehouse at the end of the no longer functioning commercial cul de sac that looked ready to fall apart. The signage outside was so worn that the name and logo were faded and unreadable.
Kneeling down, Brian faced Judy with a question, "Judy, how are we going to stop them? If we get spotted, you said all it takes is him speaking to either of us and it could be over."
"I'm not sure," she pondered. "We don't have any ear plugs with us. I tried stuffing pieces of my dress in my ears at the Hotel but it didn't muffle my hearing enough. I was able to help Nick by having him listen to my voice instead but I don't think that'll work for us. And there's that large tiger with him too." Before she could say more, her ears shot up at some strange flapping sounds she had never heard before above their heads. "What's that? Is somebody there?"
The bunny and wolf looked above their heads and noticed a small silhouette glide among the rooftops.
Brian spooked and drew his tranq gun, "Something or someone is up there."
Judy put a paw on his arm to lower the weapon and spoke softly to the sky, "Hello? Is anyone there?"
To their surprise a small head peeked over the edge of the rusty gutter. Judy was startled but also fascinated by the sight in front of her. It was a brown furry mammal with dark eyes, large orange scleras, and black bushy eyebrows. The overall size and shape of the mammal reminded her of Finnick with the tiny body, large head, and even larger ears. It had no arms, only leathery wings, with a single claw for a thumb. She had never seen a bat before.
The bat scampered to the edge of the gutter, gripped it, and hung himself upside down. He blinked rapidly at the two mammals below him before speaking in a youthful sounding high pitched voice, "Who're you?"
Judy waved a paw and continued to speak softly, "Hi. My name is Judy. And this is Brian. What's your name?"
"Timothy. But my friends call me Timmy," came the shy reply.
"It's nice to meet you Timothy. What are you doing out here?"
The small bat looked around, "Promise you won't tell my parents?"
Judy smiled, "I promise."
"Okay… they tell us to stay away from this old area but I just like to come here sometimes with my friends and play."
"That sounds like a lot of fun. But it's also good to listen to your parents. You never know what could happen out here," Judy spoke gently with clasped paws.
"Are you playing with your friends too? I saw three other mammals go to the old warehouse at the end. They were kinda funny looking," the bat asked warming up to the friendly rabbit.
Judy and Brian exchanged glances. Now they had confirmation that it was just Nick, Felisky, and the tiger. Suddenly, the little bat dropped from the roof and slowly fluttered to the ground right in front of Judy. He looked up at her with curious eyes, having never seen a real rabbit before either.
"Do you want to play?" he asked the bunny and spread his wings. Judy suddenly noticed a small blue music player clipped onto his navy shirt with a pair of headphones. Her eyes widened with a new revelation.
"Sure Timmy! Say, are we friends?" she bent down, placing her paws on her knees, and smiled.
He pondered the question for a moment, "Of course."
"That's great! Do you have a phone by chance?" Judy asked.
"No, just this music player I got for my birthday," he replied.
It was a long shot but Judy posed a question to the little guy, "Well, can I ask you for a really big favor, Timmy? You see, our friends and I, are playing cops and bullies and two of them are pretending to bully my friend. And, as bullies, they have to say really mean words. But, I don't like really mean words. If I could borrow your music player, I could listen to your music so I can help my friend! What do you say? Please?"
Timmy stared at the ground for a moment and unhooked the small device and held it up, "Okay."
The bunny gasped in happiness as she took the music player and hugged the little bat, "Thank you so much, Timmy. I promise to give it right back. Could you stay back here and be our lookout? You can be an honorary Junior ZPD Officer! Okay?"
"Sure thing, Miss Judy," he said excitedly while hopping on his tiny feet.
"Great!" she happily said while standing up and clipping the player beneath her torn dress, ran the tiny headphones along the inside of the ruined dress, and into her ears.
They waved goodbye as the little mammal flew back up to the rooftops.
"Real smooth thinking there, Judy," the timberwolf complimented.
Judy smiled and they creeped towards the side of the warehouse. They peeked around the corner and saw the tiger pacing around the main entryway in the low blue light of the cavern crystals.
"Nick and Felisky must be inside. What's the plan, Judy?" Brian asked.
"Do you think you can take on that tiger, Brian?" she asked with a hint of concern for his safety.
"I'll manage it. I won't be able to do anything about the margay anyway. That's all you Judy," he smiled.
"Okay. Lift me up to the second floor. I saw a window over there," she said.
Brian lifted her up while turning his head away to maintain a level of proper decency. Judy hopped up the remaining distance and stalked her way towards the small office window. The timberwolf drew his tranquilizer gun and grabbed some gravel. Taking a deep breath, he threw the tiny rocks against the side, creating a small commotion that caught the tiger's attention. The timberwolf saw him draw his own weapon and cautiously approach his location. Brian backed up to better position himself for the ambush.
Judy tip-toed lightly, reaching the dirty office window, and peeked inside. She gasped when she spotted Nick tied to a wall pipe. The blue light revealed the caked blood on his snout and his face looked bruised under his ruffled fur. Felisky was sitting right in front of him, engaged in conversation with the fox. If a bunny could ever snarl, Judy came close, as her ears fell back and she glared at the small feline below her.
Regaining some composure she perked her ears to listen to their conversation while waiting for an opportunity to strike. She then noticed Nick lock eyes with her before returning his gaze to Felisky. Judy readied herself and waited. Her ears twitched.
"What is your real name?"
"Daniel Ryan Pawson."
"Tell me your wife's real name."
"Carrots."
"Carrots?"
The bunny punched the music player on and cranked the volume up. The earsplitting music was painful but it drowned out all outside noise around her. She kicked the window, dove in, gracefully landing into a roll, positioning herself in front of Nick, and assumed a fighting stance.
With her back turned to Nick, the fox noticed a small square bulge underneath her dress, right above her tail, and the headphones wire that ran up the back of her neck. A wicked smirk formed on his lips. "Sly bunny," he whispered to himself.
Felisky momentarily froze at the sudden appearance of a furious Elena Pawson bobbing and weaving towards him. Not noticing the headphones because Judy lowered her ears behind her head, he snarled at the bunny, "How in...? Stop right where you are, Elena!"
Judy's reply was a dash followed by a clean right straight into the margay's sensitive nose which caused him to stumble backwards and cause his eyes to tear up. Not hesitating with a follow up, she was already back in his face, with a superb left kick to his exposed gut which slammed him into the desk. The bunny finished the combo with a right hook knocking the feline onto the cold dusty floor.
Even Nick was a little bit taken back watching the one sided brawl with wide eyes. He made a mental note to himself to never make Judy this angry. Felisky quickly recovered, removed his suit jacket, and threw it to the ground. Catching his breath as he wiped away blood flowing down his muzzle, the margay bared his tiny fangs and spread his sharp claws.
"Do you think I have never had to fend for my own life, rabbit? I will show you how we grapple in the South," he growled.
The bunny watched his mouth move but couldn't lip read. All she knew, was that this feline was tougher than he looked, and she readied herself. The two small mammals circled around one another in the small office space, testing the other's reaction with feints and provoking gestures.
The frustrated feline attempted to stop the bunny in her tracks again, "Kindly drop your guard and stop this nonsense, Elena."
No response to his persuasion. Judy continued to circle and dance, her eyes full of focus and determination. A duck here and a weave there, one of them reached too far, and the exchange of punches and kicks recommenced.
While he had full confidence in Judy, Nick couldn't stand being unable to help. He painfully tugged at the ropes binding his paws to the pipe. With a growl of his own, he decided the hell with it, and began biting on the dirty rope, attempting to chew his way through. The rope was too thick. Realizing Judy wouldn't be able to hear him and get distracted, it was back to using his best weapon, his silver tongued fox mouth.
As the fight continued, each mammal landed strikes against the other, Judy took a hook to the cheek and returned the favor with a straight left jab to his chin. A scratch connected to her left arm as she blocked. The margay swatted away a kick. They came in close and Felisky attempted a bite, only to be met with a neck roll and a headbutt from Judy.
"Oh… she got you good there, Art. You should try this thing called ducking. I hear it works wonders."
Felisky grit his fangs trying not to listen to the foul fox pinned to the wall. A mix of adrenaline and rage took over, leading to more furious striking between the small predator and prey mammals.
"Seriously, who taught you to throw a punch? My grandma could fight better than you! Did you know she made a real mean clam chowder?"
The angered margay attempted a lunge but Judy rolled backwards, double kicked him over her, and sent him flying into the wall near Nick. Seeing an opportunity, Nick stretched out and kicked the back of the feline's leg as he stood, causing him to buckle on one knee, while Judy swung in with a high left kick and sent Felisky flying towards the open office doorway.
"Did that hurt? That one looked like it hurt!"
Grunting and clutching his face, the margay attempted to drag himself up and staggered towards the large dark storage space where he might get a better advantage. Judy hopped in pursuit and double kicked him in the back, sending him flying even further face down against the concrete floor.
The bunny cautiously approached her target, ready to subdue him, when he turned to his elbows and looked past her. Felisky began to laugh. This caused Judy to momentarily pause. Nick was straining against the rope, trying to watch from inside the office when he suddenly saw the situation, "Elena! Carrots! Turn around! Carrots!"
With the music still blocking all sound, Judy was unaware of the tiger, as he grabbed her with both large paws. She yelped in surprise as he lifted her effortlessly off the ground and she tried to struggle out of his grasp.
"Two against one is not so sportsmanlike is it, Elena? How the tables have turned. Now, let us see just how ugly we can make that pretty face of yours," the margay grinned as he attempted to stand.
Now it was Felisky's turn to be shocked again as a bloodied gray timberwolf suddenly leapt out of the shadows at the larger tiger and placed Tony into a brutal choke hold. Refusing to let Judy go, his grasp loosened enough, allowing her to squirm and turn herself around and violently kick the large feline in the gut and then as she was released, the bunny kicked him in the groin. All three mammals toppled onto the floor in a furry pile. With the air knocked out of the tiger's lungs, Brian choked harder, and managed to subdue Tony into complete submission.
The timberwolf and bunny attempted to stand together when she suddenly noticed Brian freeze up. A blank stare appeared on his face. Judy realized what was happening. She attempted to lunge at Felisky, only to be seized once again, this time by the throat.
Nick watched in horror as he continued to yank on the rope, "Nose, buddy… snap out of it! Come on Nose! Listen to my voice!" It wasn't working. "C'mon pal, focus on anything else… something important to you! Nose!"
"Hmm. The bartender? No matter." The margay observed and then looked towards the office, glaring at Nick through the doorway. "Your rabbit is quite the fighter, my friend." Felisky finally noticed the earbuds when Judy's ear's lifted from panic. "How clever of you Elena. But tonight you both lose. I hope you enjoy watching this, Daniel. Nose, is it? Would you kindly rip her throat out," Felisky ordered.
"Oh, no… no… no!" Nick yelled.
Just as Brian's bared fangs were moving closer to Judy's neck, he stopped, and his ears shot up.
There was only one thing Nick could think to do. He howled.
The margay turned in disbelief towards the office again, "What are you doing?"
The fox continued to howl again as loudly as his voice allowed. Suddenly, Brian let go of Judy and went into a howl of his own. As she fell, the bunny pushed off the gray timberwolf, landed on all fours, and leapt straight at the unsuspecting margay. Before Felisky could turn to face the approaching rabbit, Judy jumped with all the strength her strong bunny legs could muster and roundhoused the offending small feline square in the jaw with a roaring grunt, dislocating it, and sent him flying.
Before her adrenaline wore off, she immediately shredded two more strips of her poor dress off, kneeled down, and proceeded to bind and gag their target, before finally breathing a heavy sigh of relief. She turned off the music player and pulled out the headphones.
"Arthur Elliott Felisky, please exercise the right to remain silent," Judy hissed.
Brian finally stopped his howl and came to his senses, his mind catching up and becoming horrified at what could have happened, "Oh my god, are you okay? I'm so sorry… I'm…" He raised his paws up to his gasping mouth with a horrified and tearful expression.
The bunny quickly hugged her friend to calm him, "Hey… It's okay. We did it. Thanks to our clever fox."
"Yeah," he spoke quietly and hugged this impressive little mammal back. "Speaking of said fox, he's waiting. Go on, I'll check on our tiger friend over there."
Judy hopped quickly back into the office and leapt on top of Nick. She squeezed her partner so hard he felt his ribs ache. Nick enjoyed a hearty victory laugh as he hunched over, closed his eyes, and placed his chin between her ears, over Judy's fake little fluffy white hair wig.
She lightly sobbed some tears of joy into his neck and whispered, "Oh, Nick… I was so worried… I thought the worst… you, dumb, crazy, clever, fox…"
"Oh, you bunnies. Are you trying to take advantage of me while I'm all tied up? Is that what this is?" the fox teased his partner.
Nick heard Judy laugh and everything in his world was right again.
Brian found some rope and binded Tony's paws behind his back. Searching the tiger's pockets, he found Nick's phone and reinserted the battery. He called Precinct Two's Dispatch and reported their status and location. Turning to the office, he saw Nick and Judy embraced. A joyous smile formed on his bloodied snout.
Within minutes, blaring sirens were heard and flashing lights lit up the cavern as police cruisers and MBI vehicles spilled into the abandoned commercial block. Coltson and Bogo arrived on the scene along with medical buses for the injured mammals.
Arthur Elliott Felisky and Tony Kot were rounded up and properly detained. A special type of muzzle was placed on the margay. After the EMT's cleared him of his injuries, the MBI agents moved their apprehended suspects, supervised by Coltson, to a special unmarked van and drove off.
The three heroic officers were sitting in their own bus as medical staff treated their cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Judy was given a comfy blanket to cover herself with. Chief Bogo soon appeared alongside them.
"Officers. How are you three holding up?" Bogo asked with a rare softness to his voice.
"Happy we made it, Chief. We got the bad guy," Judy smiled with pride while glancing between the fox and timberwolf to her left and right.
"Doing better now, Sir. Thank you," Brian replied.
"I always knew you did care, Sir," came the snarky comment from Nick.
Chief Bogo put a hoof to his forehead, listening to the snickers of several other officers behind him, before running his hoof down his face. He pretended to glare at Nick and decided to have a bit of fun at his expense, "Hopps. Since I doubt Wilde will listen to me, tell your lesser half to save the commentary for one night."
Judy slightly blushed at the mention of lesser half and gently nudged Nick with her elbow. Nick's eyes widened for a moment before becoming quiet.
"I also want to inform you that Fangmeyer, Trunkaby, Wolfard, and McHorn are okay and recovering. We also apprehended the other three accomplices and intercepted another unmarked vehicle that was enroute to this location," the Chief continued.
They were overjoyed to hear the news about their fellow officers and that none of the other suspects escaped.
"Officer Ardwulf. I want to thank you for your exemplary assistance in this case. We could not have done this without you. I will be sure to put in a good word to your Chief and the Mayor. Precinct Two should be proud to have an officer such as yourself," the cape buffalo praised.
"Thank you, Chief Bogo," Brian saluted.
"And you two." Bogo addressed his smallest two officers and actually smiled. "We cannot publicly discuss this classified case but you both will be given outstanding marks and commendations for your service. I will personally inform the Mayor and speak with the Director of the MBI." Bogo paused for a moment and crossed his arms. "Now don't let this go to your heads either. I expect nothing less from either of you. Good work, Officers."
The fox and bunny exchanged glances. Everyone sat in shocked silence at the rare praise. But not Nick. He just had to try to be a dumb fox.
"Sir, I would just like to say for the record that..." he began with a pointed finger.
"You will shut it right now, Wilde!" Bogo interrupted.
"Yup… shutting up, right now."
The brief exchange allowed some laughter amongst the group before it was broken up by the presence of Agent Coltson approaching the medical bus. All eyes shot unfriendly glances in his direction.
He turned to specifically address Nick and Judy, "I must say good work, Officers Hopps and Wilde. This operation could have gone smoother but I'll take what I can get. I also hope that Officer Hopps didn't permanently injure our target. We still need to extract valuable information from him. But no matter, he will never see the light of day or speak directly to another mammal ever again. I guarantee that. Regardless..."
Judy's mouth hung open while Nick actually glared at the offensive horse. Brian sat frowning with flattened ears. Before any of them could speak up, Chief Bogo cut off the pompous clydesdale.
"Shut your big mouth, Coltson! Is this how you thank the Officers, whom you recruited, who risked their lives to bring in a suspect that you and your agency were incapable of doing yourselves? I don't want to hear another word out of you," Bogo attacked with flared nostrils and a nasty scowl.
"Chief Bogo, as the agent in charge of this operation, if you insist on this belligerent attitude, I will report you to the Director and the Mayor…"
Coltson never got to finish his statement before Bogo slammed a fist into the door of the medical bus and got right into the horse's face, glaring down just inches from his eyes.
He replied with a low menacing tone, "I look forward to hearing from your Director, Coltson, so I can send him my own report about you." The cape buffalo paused and jabbed a hoof right into the clydesdale's chest. "And for the record. You will do everything in your power to safeguard my Officer's identities and information. Because if any harm comes to them, due to any retaliation or negligence on your part, I will make sure you personally pay. You will also compensate all medical expenses of every innocent civilian who was injured during this mission. Do I make myself clear?"
There was a brief silence. Coltson was sweating and Nick even noticed him tremble for a moment. "Crystal clear," he replied with a gulp.
Satisfied, Chief Bogo backed away, placed his hooves behind his back, and addressed the group. "Good. We are done here officers. Reports can wait till tomorrow. Get some rest. Let's go."
The horse quickly trotted away.
"Wow, what a jerk," Brian said as he leaned forward to watch Coltson leave with his tail between his hind legs.
"Speaking of jerks," Nick began. "Sorry for making you howl back there, Nose. I didn't know what else to do. And thanks for finding me, buddy. I owe you a month's supply of Hopps Family Farm blueberries."
Brian chuckled, "Wow, really? I finally get to try some? In that case, how about two month's worth?"
Nick crossed his arms and smirked, "Now you're just milking it."
Judy simply rolled her eyes at the boys and smiled, "Don't worry Brian, I'll make sure this stingy fox shares the next batch with you."
The fox pretended to look offended while the timberwolf gave a big smirk of his own.
She hopped down from the bus. The bunny had caught sight of little Timmy, still hanging around the rooftops, mesmerized by all of the real police activity.
"Hey, where are you going Officer Fluff?" Nick called out after her.
The bunny turned around waving the small music player in her paw, "I have to go return this to a friend!"
The morning came and the seven officers arrived at Precinct One to finish their case reports for the mission. There was a mix of emotions as they began to recover and heal from the ordeal. After finishing with their reports and meeting with Chief Bogo, the small group enjoyed a long lunch together, feeling much better from the support of each other's camaraderie and solidarity for this crazy case they shared, before everyone departed to get more rest. Chief's orders.
Judy happily exchanged contact information with Brian, thrilled to have made a new friend. The fox and bunny waved goodbye to the small gray timberwolf as he departed for Precinct Two. They remained at the station for a while longer. Coltson actually managed to send them special commendations of service from the Director of the MBI, along with Nina and Wilbur's styling teams, to help begin removing their fake appearances. Once they finished, Nick and Judy headed back to Nick's apartment for the remainder of the afternoon.
Nick stepped onto the floor built fur dryer after finishing his shower. The warm air tickled through his red fur while he toweled his head, snout, and ears. He was thankful to change back into his usual attire, dressing himself in his green pawaiian collared shirt and the violet tie. Lazily tossing the towel on his bed, his eyes fell onto the new shiny object lying on his nightstand.
Picking up the polished foreign silver coin he pickpocketed from Felisky's coat before the evidence crew had swept the warehouse, he thumbed it a few times in his paw. The front had an interesting coat of arms: two paws shaking hands before a rising sun surrounded by a wreath.
The fox wasn't sure why he took it. Perhaps because he was able to understand the ugly place the margay came from. A place he had seen himself. Flipping it over once more, he noticed there was a finely scratched name on the backside of the coin. It read 'Olivia'. The fox mulled over who that might be and what kind of promise Felisky made with this coin. He held it up, made a new promise with it, and set it back down.
Picking up his freshly washed red handkerchief, he caressed the old fabric with his thumb, before stuffing it into his right pocket and returning to the living room.
The bunny had been sitting unusually quiet at the end of the large navy sofa, chin on one paw, contemplating everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours while staring out at the downtown buildings through the sliding glass patio door. Her original fur color wasn't completely restored yet. It would take a few more showers before the remaining dye would disappear.
"Boy, am I sure glad to look like me again," Nick said stepping out of his bedroom before noticing Judy's solemn expression. She briefly eyed the fox for a moment with a small smile then stared at nothing in particular in front of her.
He quietly frowned and sauntered over to her. "Carrots, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," came the meek reply.
Scanning her face, he saw how she kept her eyes downcast and her ears were drooped. Nick nudged the coffee table off to the side, kneeled down, and leaned on his elbow in front of her so they could be more eye level. He normally wouldn't pry but it pained him to see her like this.
"Carrots."
She closed her eyes and sighed, "I just can't help but feel how lucky we got this time, Nick. So many of us could have been badly hurt or killed last night. All those innocent civilians, Fangmeyer, McHorn, Brian… you. How can a mammal like him exist and commit such terrible acts with no remorse?
Her partner continued to listen while looking at her sullen expression.
Judy paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm sorry Nick. I'm just being a dumb emotional bunny right now. You were the one who pushed me out of the way and got taken instead. How are you holding up? Are you really okay? I can't imagine what you went through…" she reached out to hold his paw.
The fox's heart ached from watching her suffer. Not once did she mention herself in any of this. Her heart cared for her fellow officers, for all those mammals who suffered from Felisky's actions, and for him. He would be damned if he was going to sit here and let her brightness dim. Not even for a second.
"I've had my share of hairy situations in the past. And I don't mean my old rug business," he joked.
The lighthearted humor managed to produce a small, weak chuckle from Judy, but ultimately didn't shift her current mood.
"Fluff." He tried again while lowering his face further to meet her eyes.
His partner's eyes continued to avoid his.
"Judy," he spoke again softly.
Her large eyes suddenly met his. She was still amazed how strongly she always responded when Nick would speak her actual name. There was something special about it. The face in front of her spoke volumes with his kind thoughtful bright eyes and wonderful smile.
"Can the world be an ugly place? Yes. Yes, it can. But that's why the world needs someone like you… to believe in it and make it better. And you did that by stopping that terrible feline. He'll never hurt anyone ever again." Nick paused for a moment, drew a little closer, and whispered in her ear, "And you're not a dumb bunny… don't ever lose what makes you special."
There had been no hint of snark, con talk, or typical Nick Wilde attitude, his tone was gentle and sincere.
Judy's eyes lit up and she pushed herself off the couch straight into Nick, knocking him over with that deceptive strength of her's, while she buried her head into his chest and wrapped her arms around his scruffy neck. Nick simply smirked, placing one large paw around her petite back, and the other behind her lowered ears. The fox and bunny shared the comforting embrace for several quiet moments.
There was no where else Judy wanted to be. Those kindhearted words melted away her moment of sorrow. She squeezed Nick even tighter.
The bunny looked up at the fox with renewed lively eyes, "I'll try. But only if I have you by my side."
With a tender smile and a reassuring nod, Nick rolled both of them forward, off the floor, and loosened his hold on Judy, helping her stand. He sat cross legged and leaned forward on his legs.
"So… I was thinking… how about we go load up on some ice cream from that really fancy new creamery down the street and rent a bunch of bad movies today? Sound like fun?" came the suggestion followed by the trademark smirk.
Judy pondered the idea, "That sounds wonderful. But I get to pick the movies."
"Are you questioning my taste in bad films?" he said playing the mock offended card.
"Just like I question your taste in bad clothes," she teased him.
The fox smiked while he got off the floor, and grabbed his keys. Once they were outside in the hallway, he locked his door, and leaned against the wall.
"How about a bet?" he asked in a mischievous tone.
"I know that smirk, Slick… what kind of bet?" she dared him with crossed arms.
"Well, how about if we…" and suddenly he jerked his head to his right, eyes wide, as if he spotted something on the wall.
Judy instinctively followed his gaze and turned her head in the same direction, looking around the wall in confusion. Her ears perked at the sounds of frantic and fading footsteps. Growling at the fact that she fell for this trickery again, she immediately pivoted on her foot.
Nick sprinted down the hallway as fast as he could run. "Last one there has to buy the ice cream!" His tail vanished out of sight, down the flight of stairs.
"Hey! You rascal! You are not going to win!" yelled the gullible bunny as she bolted after that sly fox.
Author's Note: The longest chapter written so far! And I was worried it might end up short when I started, lol. Readers, I hope you enjoy the finale of this crazy case and find it satisfactory. (so many dialogue and section rewrites!) Also Agro-Bun is the best bun. Do not stand between a determined and angry bunny and her fox!
We will now return to our regularly scheduled WildeHopps slow burn. Chapter 11 is going to contain all kinds of goodies and a few surprises.
Spoiler Alert: I think we all know who really ends up paying for that ice cream. :P
