Chapter I - Changes

Zootopia – ZPD HQ – September 3rd, 2035

Nick closed the door of the police cruiser a little harder than necessary, it's sound echoed throughout the parking garage. He and Judy's shift was nearing its end, and they were on the cusp of capturing a rather elusive criminal who's been quite active within the past few months. With charges such as grand theft auto, street racing, and reckless driving, it was imperative that he be caught soon. What angered Nick so much was the fact that he was able to corner him in an alley, but wasn't able to make the arrest. As he was exiting the car, the culprit had already hopped the fence and disappeared deeper into the city.

"Want me to do the write up?" asked Judy, following close behind Nick. He shook his head.

"No, I'll do it. I'm pretty sure I have most of the important details. The car was a 1990 Nissan 200SX, heavily modified with carbon fiber hood and a massive turbocharger, a large wing on the back, and race tires. On the rear was a badge displaying the word 'Demon' and color..." Nick pondered for a moment. "...fire-engine red." The duo arrived at the exit and walked through the open door. They crossed an empty lot before arriving in the main building of the Zootopia Police Department.

"Well, better get that report in, it's ten to five," Judy said, pointing at the clock in the main hall. Nick glanced over to see that she was right.

"Yeah, I got it. Should only take me about five minutes anyway. What're your plans for the evening?" Nick asked as they entered the offices. Judy shrugged her shoulders.

"A quiet night at home I think," Judy replied. Nick chuckled, nodding his head.

"Yeah, after today, I need some time to relax." Nick sat down at one of the empty computers and logged into his network account. Judy watched as his paws moved swiftly across the keyboard. He filled in all of the required blanks before moving on to the larger boxes of the form. As Nick continued to type, Judy heard footsteps approaching them from behind. She turned her head to see who was coming their way; it was none other than the Chief himself. He had a stern expression on his face and was clutching a sheet of paper in his hooves. He passed them both without saying anything.

Judy continued to watch the Chief as he made his way to the other end of the room. He arrived at the end of the row of cubicles and stopped in front of the office's notice board. There, he pressed the sheet of paper he was holding to the board and tacked it on in all four corners. He took a step back, making sure it was aligned, before turning and walking back toward where she and Nick were stationed. When he was about to pass them on his way back, Judy spoke.

"What was that you put on the board?" she asked. Bogo glanced down at the rabbit.

"Something's come up and I need to speak with every officer in this building. I've also sent out an email to remind of the meeting time," he said coolly.

"What's this about?" she asked again. Bogo shook his head.

"More info will be revealed tomorrow, so be at this meeting. Your jobs depend on it." he looked over at Nick, who was finishing his report. "Right, Wilde?" he added. Without turning around, Nick gave an answer.

"Yep."

"Good," said Bogo before walking away, leaving Nick and Judy alone. Nick finalized his report and hit send. He quickly logged off and hopped out of the desk chair.

"Done, and I am out of here." Both Nick and Judy left the offices at the same time. They passed through the main hall, waving to Ben as they left. They descended the stairs and walked to the staff parking lots. It was there where they said their goodbyes to each other and entered their respective vehicles. After pulling out of the parking lot, they went their separate ways. Judy lived in the south end of Savannah central in a sizable family home, while Nick lived deeper downtown in a high-rise apartment complex.

Although her workplace and home were separated by about twenty kilometers, the drive still took nearly an hour to complete. This was because of the highways heading into and leading out of the city were completely inundated with traffic; bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see. Judy, of course, was no stranger to this, and when she saw the lineup draw nearer she rolled up her window and turned the radio on.

Once she saw her exit, she sighed a sigh of relief, as she no longer had to endure the repetitive nature of Top 50 songs. Her neighborhood was a quiet one, and if you could see through the thick foliage you could catch a glance of the towering structures in the Entertainment and Financial districts of Zootopia's heart. After driving past a multitude of cul-de-sac she found the one where she had been living for the last ten years: Dannielsson street. She pulled into the driveway of the third house on the right, number 411, and cut the power to the engine. After exiting the car she was greeted with silence, just as the suburbs should be. No sounds to be heard except for the occasional power tool and the distant hum of the interstate.

The silence followed her into the house as well, catching her off guard. Typically, there was at least one voice echoing through the house, or at the very least someone left the TV on. She crossed the landing and climbed the stairs into the living room. The kitchen light was on. She crossed the space and looked into the dining room, and there she saw a small bunny, sharing her violet eyes, staring down at a piece of paper with a pencil in his right paw. She smiled. In addition to sharing her eye color, the young bunny shared coat colors as well, although Judy's was a visibly lighter gray than his. He was no older than ten.

"Hi, Soren!" she said. The younger bunny looked up, smiling at the sight of his mother.

"Hi," he replied quietly before looking back down at his paper. Judy walked around the table and stood behind him to see what he was working on.

"How was school today?" she added. Soren shrugged.

"Well they already gave me homework, so not good." Judy took another look at the sheet of paper. It was a multiplication practice sheet, and Soren was already nearing the end.

"It's only multiplication dear, and you're pretty good at all this math right? How long have you been working on this?" Soren put his pencil down and glanced at the clock on the wall behind him.

"Ten minutes, probably," he replied, picking the pencil back up. "I didn't check when I started." Judy chuckled.

"Wow, you're quick! You're almost done too. I was never that good at math when I was in school." Soren flipped the paper over and pointed at it.

"There's another side," he stated.

"That's not a problem for you, now is it?" Judy said, raising an eyebrow. Soren looked over the page, making note of all the duplicate problems.

"No..." he admitted. Judy patted him on the head. Soren giggled.

"Good. So where's Dad?" Judy asked Soren. He pointed through the kitchen at the hallway.

"He's in his office. He said he was gonna be busy." Judy nodded before following his finger. Soren returned to his worksheet. She walked through the kitchen and down the hall. Of the doors that populated the walls, only one of them was closed. On the way she passed Soren's room. The door had the typical ten year old boy décor: a piece of paper with the phrase 'Soren's Room, Keep Out!' taped to it. Judy smiled before knocking on the door across from it. There was no immediate response, but she was able to hear keyboard clicks as well as a voice. She knocked again before opening.

"Hello? I'm home," Judy said with a wave. A gray rabbit peered over the top of one of his monitors to see who had just opened the door. As quickly as he looked, he returned to his computer and finished whatever sentence he was working on. With a firm tap of the enter key, he got up from his chair to greet Judy properly.

"Hey Sweetie, how was your day?" he asked, giving Judy a hug. Judy sighed.

"I don't know. We almost caught that street racer today but he gave us the slip. I think Nick's more bummed about that than I am though. Also, Bogo scheduled a last minute meeting for tomorrow. I asked him what about but he told me everything would be explained in the meeting," Judy replied. "So anyway, anything happen today, Tom?" He shook his head.

"Well I spent the day working on this," he pointed at his computer, "then I picked up Soren from school, he asked me what was for dinner, and I told him to ask you when you got home. Did he?" Judy giggled.

"Slow day, huh? And no, he didn't He was working on homework when I walked in the door." Tom smiled.

"Always on top of things, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Good work ethic and real clever, just like his father," said Judy with a wink.

"And independent just like his mother." Judy gave Tom a peck on the cheek as she turned to leave the room.

"Hey, what is for dinner?" shouted Tom as Judy passed through the door. Judy turned around, shrugging her shoulders.

"The fridge is pretty full...Leftovers?" she asked. Tom nodded.

"Fair enough," he said as he disappeared behind his monitors again.

"Hear that, Soren?" Judy called through the house. A second passed.

"What?" he replied.

"Leftovers tonight!"

"Kay!" Shouted Soren.

Zootopia – Wilde Home – Same Day

Across town, a white Toyota Tundra pulled into the parking garage of one of Zootopia's many condominium complexes. After pulling into it's assigned space, Nick Wilde, wearing police clothes and aviator sunglasses, hopped out, pressing the lock button on his remote starter. He whistled as he crossed the garage and entered the elevator, pressing the number 17 as he entered. The ride was swift, as he had arrived on his floor within seconds. Stepping out of the elevator he began fiddling with his key chain, searching for the key that would unlock his door. He found the one he was looking for right as he stopped in front of Condo 1707 of the Tamarack Building. Before he could insert the key into the lock however, the door swung open and a smaller fox, about waist height, was standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Dad!" said the smaller fox, eyes glistening in the light. Nick smiled.

"Hey there, Scarlett. How was your day?" Nick asked, kneeling down to embrace his daughter.

Despite being his daughter, they didn't share coat colours. Scarlett resembled her mother more closely in that regard, with Scarlett's being light grey when compared to her mother's pristine white. They did however share eye colors, the same bright emerald green that glistened in the light. Nick let go of Scarlett and closed the door behind him. Scarlett ran down the hall and turned the corner into the kitchen. He followed. Inside, he saw Scarlett standing next to another fox, one with ice blue eyes and white fur stained with what looked like engine oil. On her coveralls above her left breast was a name tag reading 'Skye.' She turned her chair from the kitchen table and stared at Nick, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"Er, what's this about?" Nick asked. The white fox glanced at the counter behind her, which was empty. Nick followed her gaze, causing him to remember something important. He gasped. "I...forgot to take dinner out of the freezer," he said dejectedly. Skye nodded.

"Yeah, so what are we doing tonight? Scar's starving," she said. Nick remained silent as he thought of a last minute dinner plan. Skye left her seat and approached Nick. "You have until I get out of the shower to decide." Nick smiled.

"That's good, I would have needed a minute regardless." Skye giggled.

"I'm sure Scarlett'll help you choose," Skye replied, giving Nick a peck on the cheek before leaving the room. Nick looked down at Scarlett, who had just taken her mother's seat at the table. Nick walked across the kitchen and sat down next to her.

"Alright, Princess. We were supposed to have salmon tonight, but that's gonna have to be pushed back to tomorrow. So would you be able to help me decide what to have tonight before Mom gets out of the shower?" Nick asked. Scarlett nodded. "Good. So what were you thinking?"

"Takeout!" shouted Scarlett. Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I thought you were gonna say burgers or something." Scarlett shook her head.

"We have those all the time. We need to go to that place downtown. It's been forever!" Nick knew what she was suggesting. There was a small place not too far from the condo complex that had great food, but since they had fallen into a sort of routine, they hadn't had much reason to go. Nick thought of the last time they went as a family, and was shocked when he couldn't remember.

"You're right. It's been so long I can't remember what I even ordered there." Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Guess it's settled then."

"Awesome!" added Scarlett, jumping out of her seat. "I'll go tell mom!" As she started off toward the bathroom, Nick put a paw on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Ah, Mom's in the shower, we'll tell her after she gets out, okay?" Scarlett's smile disappeared.

"Aw, okay..." she replied. Nick nodded.

"You still didn't tell me what you did today? How was school today?" Nick asked. Scarlett groaned as she sat back down at the table.

"Bad. It's so hard, and the teacher already gave me homework! It's only been one day!" Scarlett complained. Nick rubbed his chin.

"Well yeah fourth grade is gonna be a little harder than third, that's how school works, and what did you get for homework?" Scarlett pointed to the table behind him. Nick turned his head to see that she was pointing at a piece of paper. Upon closer inspection he was able to make out the equations on the page. "Math huh? Well that's easy enough, this is the stuff you were doing last year."

"It's multiplication, and it's not easy. I forgot the answers and the teacher said we can't use a calculator," Scarlett said.

"It's just a matter of remembering how to do it, Sweetie. Once you get a few done, everything will come flooding back." Nick gave a weak smile as he glanced over at Scarlett. She seemed unconvinced.

"Tell you what, let's not worry about this now. Once we're back from dinner I'll help you with the first few, after that you're on your own, sound good?" Nick asked. It took a moment, but Scarlett finally agreed. "Good, now we just wait for Mom to finish her shower..."

For the next twenty minutes, Nick and Scarlett sat in the kitchen waiting for Skye's return. During that time, Nick tried to convince Scarlett to take a look over her homework with him, but Scarlett insisted that they wait until after dinner. The rest of the time was spent talking about Scarlett's first day back at school. The majority of it was typical first day stuff, but there was a particularly worrying bit where she and Soren witnessed a fight between two sixth graders.

"You told the teachers right?" Nick asked, sounding concerned. Scarlett nodded, bringing Nick's anxiety down.

"Yeah. No way I was gonna be able to stop them. They were so much bigger than both of us." Nick sighed.

"Good. I don't know what I would have done if you'd gotten hurt trying to step in." At that moment, Skye returned to the kitchen. No longer in her work clothes and wearing something a little more comfortable, she leaned against the archway.

"What's the verdict?" she asked. Both gave the vixen a confident stare.

"Remember that one place not too far from here? We used to go there all the time?" Nick asked. Skye pondered for a moment. Shortly after, her eyes lit up.

"Ivan's? I love Ivan's! Gosh, it's been so long..." she replied, lifting a paw to her face. Nick left his seat.

"Yeah, that's what I said. I never would have thought of Ivan's, I didn't even remember the name." he glanced over at the small fox still at the table. "We have Scarlett to thank for that." Scarlett beamed.

"Sweet. Shall we go?" Skye asked, pointing toward the door. Scarlett hopped out of her chair and ran past both foxes.

"Alright!" she shouted.

"Yeah, just lemme put some real clothes on first," Nick added.

Zootopia – ZPD HQ – September 4th, 2035

The atmosphere at the station felt...different. Judy couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different, but she knew for certain that something was. She sensed her colleagues' unease as well. Their usual chipper attitudes toward each other were gone, replaced with the same worry Judy felt in her gut. Everyone was looking at each other differently. It was like the headquarters had suffered a loss, but from what Judy knew, everyone was still accounted for. She was sitting at the front of the building when Nick appeared. She hoped his usual antics would help lift the collective spirit of the force, but even he seemed a little out of it.

The two exchanged greetings but said nothing else before entering the building. Judy looked up to catch a glimpse of Nick's eyes. They were still the same emerald green as always, but perhaps the slightest bit duller than normal. It didn't help that fluorescent light cast an unnatural sheen over them, and it certainly didn't help that it was helplessly overcast outside.

From the highest level of the building, Bogo watched over his employees. He knew they felt it, just as he did. The only difference was he knew the cause. The meeting he had called the day before was nearly upon them, the first of three. He had spent his entire evening preparing everything to be as straight and to the point as possible. He knew what was coming would send shockwaves, not only through the ZPD, but through the entire emergency service industry as a whole. He bit his lip nervously as he glanced at the large clock hanging above the front doors. He sighed softly before retreating to the largest board room the facility had to offer.

Nick observed Bogo leave the balcony railing. He then glanced over at Judy, who was staring at her phone screen, scrolling absentmindedly. Nick flipped his arm over to glance at his watch, which read '8:57.'

"Bogo's on the move. Should we head to the bullpen now?" Nick asked, leaning back against the wall. Judy stopped her scrolling suddenly and turned the display off. She looked up at Nick and shook her head.

"Not yet. The meeting was pretty broad, calling for all staff. I doubt we'll fit everyone in there," she replied. Nick thought about it for a moment before agreeing.

"Right. It's probably going to be in that one room we hold the Christmas party in. I hope he remembered to take down the tinsel," Nick said, a small smile forming on his face. Judy chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sure he did. What I'm worried about is that twenty-foot Christmas tree. Every time we have the party I see a little bit more dust on those branches," Judy added. Nick rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch again. It read nine o'clock even. Right on cue, they heard Bogo's voice over the P.A.

Would all staff in the building please head to board room 1A for a mandatory meeting. That is board room 1A. Thank you.

Nick and Judy looked at each other before they left the bench. As the passed the service desk, they met up with Ben Clawhauser, an old friend of theirs. The three walked in silence before joining with other officers and staff members in the large hallway before their destinations. Nick attempted to see what was causing the hold up, but he couldn't see over anyone in front of him. He chalked it up to everyone trying to get through at once, causing a bottleneck.

"What do you think it's about?" asked Ben, speaking over the murmurs of others. Judy shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure, I wish he told us in that email. Maybe then we'd all be a little less jittery about it. Everyone was so tense this morning. I felt it as soon as I walked in," Ben's eyes widened.

"So did I! Maybe it was the way Chief was acting. Usually he's so sure of himself, but today his expression said 'I'm a little lost,'" Ben replied as he too tried to see what was keeping them from advancing. As time went on, the faculty slowly poured into the board room. Once inside, they saw the rows of chairs in front of the small platform at the end of the room. They glanced around, looking for vacant seats. They spotted three near the left wall of the room and claimed them as quickly as possible. The room had the same atmosphere as the rest of the building that day, only amplified. Amusingly, the tinsel was still hanging below the ceiling trim, bringing a little bit of cheer to the room. The tree, however, was nowhere to be seen. The doors to the room closed with a thud and the lights dimmed. Whispers spread throughout the crowd. The stage lights flickered on and Bogo stepped out from the left hand side. Shortly after, a screen rolled down from the ceiling above him. The whispers stopped and everyone turned their focus to the stage.

"So, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered everyone here on such short notice." There were a few murmurs of agreement throughout the crowd. "Well, I wish it were to celebrate something positive, but that's not the case. I'm sure you could all feel it when you walked in this morning. Your unease isn't unwarranted, and I felt it as well. As you know very well, technology is woven into the fabric of life at this point. One cannot succeed without it. It's everywhere we look: In the office, on the streets, and even on our person. If these words sound familiar, then you may follow the work of Mr. Atlas Rhodes of the Sinewave Corporation." Nick raised an eyebrow

"Never heard of him," he whispered. Judy shushed him.

"Pay attention, he's trying to tell us who he is," Judy replied.

"Mr. Rhodes loved technology, but was frustrated with the technology industry's plateau from the mid 2010s to the early 2020s. So, using the company credit card, he began prototyping something that would bring technology even closer to us. Something in the form of replacement limbs. Mr. Rhodes famously cut off his own arm to test his prototypes, as nobody else would do it. After presenting his working prosthetic to Lotus Bank investors, Sinewave Co. has become one of the most valuable companies in Zootopia, nearing three trillion dollars in net worth. They've coined the term 'neuroprosthetic,' meaning a prosthetic that uses existing living nerve endings to power a prosthetic limb, be it an arm, a leg, or otherwise."

"In 2030, Sinewave proposed to the Animalian Armed Forces that all current personnel, as well as all future personnel have their arms at legs replaced with these neuroprosthetics, as they were proven to be stronger, faster, and last longer than any organic counterpart. This was met with relentless backlash from the Armed Forces, as well as the media when it was leaked to them. Regardless, the motion carried and now all of our soldiers possess what they like to call 'cybernetic enhancements.'" Nick raised his arm stood up on his chair.

"Why are you telling us all this? Why didn't you just put this info in the email so we don't have to waste our time?" Nick shouted. Bogo, understandably, was infuriated at the vulpine's interruption.

"Nicholas Wilde I should fire you just for saying that, but that wouldn't do any good. The reason I gathered you all here is because Sinewave is pulling a similar stunt with all of Animalia's emergency services. There's no vote on it, it's already been passed. It's called the Emergency Service Cybernetic Enhancement Implementation Plan, referred to as ESCEI from now on." More chatter emanated from the crowd as the information was revealed. Nick furrowed his brow and slowly lowered himself back into his seat.

"They can't do this to us... it's a violation of our rights..." Nick said breathlessly.

"This is just ludicrous. How're they gonna get everyone to comply with this?" Judy asked aloud.

"They can't," added Ben. The talking grew louder to near intolerable volumes. Bogo attempted to shout over the crowd, but no one would listen. Fed up, he unclipped his microphone and held it in front of the speakers. A loud screech echoed throughout the room, silencing everyone immediately as they blocked their ears. Bogo pulled the mic away from the speakers and reattached it to the collar of his shirt.

"Thank you. Now, this sounds bad. It is bad, but not as bad as you think. To clear things up right away, I do not support this movement. However, the implementation will be a bit different from the one tried in the Armed Forces. For starters, all current emergency workers will not be forced into the plan, meaning that if you are employed by any emergency service center in Animalia before the end of 2035, you will not have to get your limbs replaced." Bogo waited a moment to allow the crowd to discuss, however everyone kept their mouths shut. "All current employees will be able to opt into the program if they so wish."

"Second, officers working in the field will still be able to do so for a while longer. Until the end of the year 2040, all officers who have opted out of the cybernetic enhancement plan will still be able to operate as normal. Once this period ends, they have the option to either opt in and receive the enhancements, or opt out once again and lose the ability to serve and protect in the streets." After hearing this, Judy's shifted to one of dread.

"So for those of us who don't want to have our limbs chopped off, we only have five years left to be officers?" shouted one of the crowd members. Bogo looked on with a frown.

"Put simply, and bluntly, yes. You'll still be able to work for the ZPD, but you won't be permitted to go out on patrols and respond to 9-1-1 calls."

"So some of us will be reduced to office jockeys on no fault of our own, then." shouted another. Bogo was growing impatient.

"Of course not, you can always quit," he retorted, a scowl forming on his face. The crowd was growing restless, and shouts of frustration and discontent reverberated through the room,

"How is that fair to us?" shouted Judy. Bogo snapped.

"It's not fair. I know that, okay? They should have considered our point of view on this, but they didn't. At least be glad they gave you the option to say no. When they did this with the AAF, those who didn't comply were discharged. I'd ask you to check it out online, but I'm certain you won't like what you'll find. Be grateful there's a five year grace period before the start of the plan. Be grateful that you won't lose your job. I, as well as thousands of other police chiefs are trying to get this reversed as we speak, so you could all be worrying for nothing. So I suggest you quit your crying, hold you head high, and be proud of who you are, because you are ZPD officers and you fear nothing. Not criminals, not terrorists, and certainly not change. In short, you'll live. Dismissed." Bogo concluded. He headed toward the steps to the left of the stage but stopped halfway. "I know this is a lot to process, so take an extra hour of lunch today," he added.

The confused and irritable crowd began rising from their seats and heading toward the exit. Since they were at the back of the room, Judy, Nick, and Ben were among the first to leave. Ben took his usual position at the front desk, while Nick and Judy headed toward the cruiser lot, having already received their assignments for the day.

Hours later came their lunch break, normally thirty minutes. Nick and Judy, instead of going out, decided to return to the HQ after wanting to talk more with other faculty members about such a dramatic change in the policing ecosystem. They navigated the hallways, making their way to the break room. It was a large open room with tile flooring and large wooden tables filling the middle. There were a few vending machines lining the walls, as well as a mini kitchen complete with refrigerator, toaster oven, and a kettle. Nick and Judy scouted Ben at the counter next to the fridge as they sat down at a vacant table. Once they made eye contact, they beckoned him over.

"Whatcha got there, Spots?" asked Nick as Ben set his plate down on the table.

"Ah, just a little somthin' I whipped up yesterday," he replied. Nick looked over the plate. There were a plethora of different vegetables as well as what looked to be salmon pieces sprinkled throughout.

"I see...So, about the whole ESCEI thing..." Nick began. Ben was about to take a bite of his meal, but stopped halfway through.

"Oh! Right, well, I don't exactly know how to feel about it. I don't normally do field work, so, you know, it doesn't really affect me. I'll still be able to operate reception as I normally would." Nick nodded.

"Well, Nick and I spent our entire patrol, and mean entire patrol talking about it. We came up with positives, like efficiency and the obvious benefits of increased speed and strength. We'd be able to do more in one day than ever before."

"Having supercharged cops is a pretty good deterrent for would-be criminals," added Nick.

"But then, there are the drawbacks. The initial surgery, the months upon months of recovery and rehabilitation, the possibility of having to go through training again, and most of all, our families..."

"I was originally willing to do this, but then I thought about how Scar and Skye would see me differently. Becoming this...cyborg would be such a huge change for them, too."

"That's the deciding factor. If I had nothing to lose at home, then I'd be first to sign up. But I'm not the same officer I was all those years ago. I have a family to provide for, and I have to keep them in mind when making this decision." Judy said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. A small smile formed at the corner of Nick's mouth.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Carrots,"

"So you two are opting out?" Ben asked.

"That's how it's gotta be. Some things just aren't worth the risk," replied Judy.

"Besides, we've been out there for years, maybe it's time to let some of the younger officers have the spotlight. The future is now, Ben. Maybe our replacements will be of the cyborg variety, who knows?" added Nick. Ben sighed.

"So here ends the super crime fighting duo of Hopps and Wilde, huh? It's a shame really." Judy chuckled.

"Hey, we still have five years left," said Nick

"And after this long, a cushy desk job doesn't sound half bad compared to all the crap we've been subjected to out there," added Judy. Ben smiled and rolled his eyes.

"What happened to you two? You used to love catching crooks," Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Having a kid changes you, Ben. You realize there's more to life than just work," said Nick. The cheetah smirked.

"I get it...you've gone soft!" he accused. Nick sat up straight and pointed a finger at Ben

"Now you listen here pal, the only thing here that's soft here is your gut!" Ben gasped.

"Yeah? Well you...you..." Ben lightly slammed a closed fist on the table's surface "You win," Nick and Judy both burst out laughing. Ben smiled as he watched them.


~A Quick Author's Note~

I wasn't sure if I should post this separately, because this is only one fifth of the stuff I have planned. Once I saw the word count of this part, I figured I would split it for two reasons, one being it was already quite long, and second, because I haven't posted in a while. This is the first time I've really been invested in writing something, as I have gotten bored with other projects rather quickly compared to this one. I know, it's just the beginning, but so much more effort has already gone into fleshing this one out.

This was originally going to be a massive addon to the prologue part of the story, as the story I want to tell involves the seldom mentioned characters of Soren and Scarlett. I didn't want to just toss them into the story and say 'these are Hopps and Wilde's kids,' I wanted to give them an identity beforehand. These coming chapters will develop these characters to the versions I originally created, and will allow me to tell the story I want to tell.

Finally, to the few who have already read the first chapter before the release of this one, I thank you for your time. -Prince