Nick Wilde couldn't believe his luck. The other day, he had coned a bunny named Judy, a Jedi Knight no less, thereby allowing him and his long-time partner Finnick to make a small bundle reselling the jumbo pop as pawsicles. He felt good about himself... right up until the rabbit Jedi used her strange powers to take back the money she spent on the giant ice cream. Then the following day, that same bunny asked him questions about some otter he didn't remember, and when he dismissed Judy. She revealed that she had recorded his comment about making about two-hundred dollars a day, every day since he was twelve years. On a novelty carrot pen that had a recorder. And was going to use her deduction that he owes the Federal government roughly one-million four-hundred sixty-thousand dollars in taxes, as justification for arresting him if Nick didn't help Judy.
Finnick laughed his tail off over Judy's successful hustle. "Start talking slick," Judy said with a serious look on her face.
"I didn't know the guy personally... though I think I saw him go into Mystic Springs Oasis," Nick said. "Although... it's on the other side of town, and my car is in the shop so-"
"So we'll take my ride," Judy said as she pressed a button on her wrist, summoning a speeder bike. "We'll be there before you know it." She said as she mounted the hover-bike.
Nick looked bewildered. "Okay... that is awesome," Nick said in awe of the alien bike. "I was thinking it was going to be one of those three-wheeled joke mobile-"
"Sir, shut up, and get on the speeder," Judy said curtly. Nick obeyed, and indeed. They were at the Mystic Spring Oasis quicker then he imagined. "And here we are." She said as she disembarked the speeder, as did Nick... who went to vomit in a nearby trashcan.
"Okay... I think I'm good." Nick said when he finished throwing up, they went inside.
"Excuse me!" Judy said to a yak behind a desk. "We're looking for an Emit Otterton, can you help us?"
Eventually, the yak woke up. "Welcome to Mystic Springs Oasis! Can I help you dudes with anything?"
Judy was annoyed that he wasn't listening before. "Emit Otterton, he's missing. Do you know where he is?"
"Emit Otterton... yeah... I think a little otter dude comes by here. I think our yoga instructor Nangi would know more. I'll take you to her man." The yak said as he went to a door... completely naked, and he revealed that they were naturalists.
"Yeah, you know how they say that 'Anyone can be anything' in Zootopia? These guys... they wanna be naked." Nick said smugly, as Judy recoiled in disgust and surprise. "So if you want to-"
"No! No, I'm not giving up!" Judy said as she determinedly waded through the naked Mammals. Towards an Indian elephant teaching yoga. "Excuse me, but can you tell me anything about Emit Otterton?" Judy said, averting her eyes from the nudity around her.
"Who?" The female Indian elephant asked.
"Come on Nangi, you remember Emit." The yak said. "He's been attending your class for six years."
"I have no memory of any beaver."
"No he was an otter," the yak corrected. As he rattled off the details regarding Emit and the last time he saw Mr. Otterton. Judy started taking notes on everything the yak said.
XXXX
"So this guy can run the number plate?" Judy said when she and Nick arrived at a DMV building.
"Yep... Flash is the fastest guy that works there." Nick said, feeling queasy, but keeping his composure better than the last stop.
They went inside. "Again, I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't in the ZPD computer system. It'd be impossible to run the plate number without... your... help." Judy then noticed that every booth was staffed by a sloth. Each one slowly performing their duties... at a pace that Judy knew from experience that even the most patient and long-lived alien races would find exasperating. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
"What? I am shocked, shocked I say! That a Jedi Knight could be so prejudiced against sloths!" Nick said mockingly. "Now this guy can run a plate number like that!" He said snapping his fingers as he and Judy approached one of the booths. "Flash, Flash hundred yard dash!"
"Nick... it's good... to see you... I... have not seen you... since... track... in High School... who is... your friend?" Flash said slowly.
"I'm Judy Hopps, Jedi Knight. How are you doing?" Judy said friendly.
"I... am fine..."
"Well, I-"
"-as well... as I... can..."
"... well-"
"-be..." Flash finished.
Judy was apprehensive, waiting for Flash to say something else. "I need you to run a license plate number. We're in kind of in a hurry."
"Of... course... what is... the number..." Flash said.
"2-9-T-"
"On... the plate?" Flash finished.
"... 2-9-T-H-D-0-3." Judy said Flash typed slowly while she anxiously repeated the letters. Then right as Flash got to the last number.
"Hey Flash, wanna hear a joke?"
XXXX
The following night, Nick and Judy were at an impound lot in Tundra Town, Zootopia's winter district. To her annoyance, she found that it was locked. "You did that on purpose." She said indignantly to Nick. "You caused Flash and every other sloth at the DMV to be derailed on purpose. Just to get back at me for blackmailing you."
"Well, that sort of thing does sour impressions," Nick said mockingly.
"Wilde... this is a serious case. A Mammal's life could be at stake, I only have forty-eight hours to find him. And your deliberately wasting my time!" Judy said angrily. "And before you even ask... I can't use my lightsabers to break the lock or cut up the fence, because I'm already on thin ice with Cheif Bogo as it is. AND I can't get a warrant on such short notice anyway" She said irately.
Nick didn't take note of the mad bunny. "So... since it seems you no longer need me. May I have that pen?" Nick said, Judy then proceded to give the carrot pen to Nick... and then with a smug look on her face used the Force to send the pen flying through the chainlink fence. "Okay, that's just childish," Nick said in disbelief. "I mean, I'm grateful you haven't tried chopping me up with your sabers." He said as he climbed over the fence. "But still," he said as he went further in and found the pen. "I wish I could have helped more."
"Actually you're helping me quite a bit Mr. Wilde," Judy said, catching Nick off guard. "See, I can still investigate suspicious behavior without a warrant... like say a shifty sly fox breaking into an impound lot." She said with a sly smirk on her face as she took the carrot pen. "That's not technically legal... but I'm trying my hardest to not lose my temper with your shenanigans." Eventually, they found the car with the corresponding plate, a limo. "This limo... the Force is telling me something."
"Is it a blueberry pie recipe?... I'm not even joking, I'd kill for some good pie right now." Nick said as he looked through the car.
"No... it's... it's fear... and something primal." Judy said regarding the ominous feeling that she was sensing, she then noticed some polar bear hair, the upholstery clawed up, and Emit Otterton's wallet. Then Nick found a Jerry Vole CD.
"I mean... don't you guys have more advanced stuff out there?" Nick said in disbelief at the CD, then he found a shot glass with a letter 'B' on it. "Oh no..."
"What's wrong Nick?" Judy asked in concern as Nick put the glass back in place.
"This car belongs to Mr. Big! The most feared crime boss in Tundra Town and he hates me!" Nick said in a terrified panic.
"Well, then I can protect you!" Judy said.
"Not against his goo-" Nick then opened the door, and on the other side were two scowling polar bears. "-ood friends! Raymond, and Gary! We were just talking about you."
XXXX
Eventually, Nick and Judy were brought before Mr. Big, an arctic shrew, to Judy's surprise. "Nicky... you have some nerve, coming unannounced on the day of my daughter's wedding."
"Oh... Fru Fur is tying the knot? I didn't know... or was invited... and the last time we talked. You more than made it clear that I wasn't welcome here anymore... something that didn't occur to Raymond and Gary apparently." Nick said.
"Nicky... I trusted you, allowed you my home. Koslov even gave you and that deep-throated friend of yours. Lessons on how to perform basic surgery... Grandmama even made you one of her famous cannoli's, and how do you repay my hospitality and kindness? A skunk butt rug." Mr. Big said in disgust. "And my men find you, rooting around my property with your... wait..." He said turning his attention to Judy. Specifically, her Jedi robes, and the metallic cylinders at her waist. "A Jedi?"
"Yes, I am a Knight of the Jedi Order," Judy said. "And I'm looking for Emit Otterton, and all evidence is pointing to foul play. In YOUR car." She said authoritatively to Mr. Big. "And buddy... I've put Hutts in there place. Have you ever seen one of those big guys?"
"Yes, and before you make any rash assumptions... Koslov if you would." Mr. Big said, then Koslov opened a curtain. Showing a frozen Hutt's corpse on display. "We had that big girl iced when she offered me a king's ransom for allowing Cartel slavers to operate with impunity in Tundra Town... I keep it around in case other Hutts try to bribe me like that again-"
"Daddy!" Said Mr. Big's daughter as she ran up to her father. "It's time for our dance!" She then noticed the Hutt corpse. "Daddy! What did I say about leaving that... THING uncovered at my wedding."
"Sweety, daddy is in the middle of something. I only had it revealed to illustrate a point." Mr. Big said.
"Oh don't tell me you're going to ice people on my wedding night!" Fru Fru said indignantly, she then recognized Judy. "Wait... you're the Jedi who saved my life! You remember me telling you that daddy? From that giant donut?"
"Love your dress!" Judy said.
"Well... it seems you've found yourself a stay of execution Nickolas." Mr. Big said. "Seeing as your friend saved the life of a member of my family, I shall pay this kindness forward. Come... consider yourselves invited, and we shall discuss the circumstances surrounding Emit Ottertons disappearance."
XXXX
Eventually, Nick and Judy arrived at the home of Mr. Big's limo driver Renato Manchas in the Rainforest District. Manchas answered the door. "What do you want?"
"I'm Judy Hopps, I'm a Jedi and we need to know about what happened to Emit Otterton," Judy said.
"What happened to him?... What happened to me is the better question!" Manchas said showing his clawed and bruised eye. "It... there was no warning. All he did was go on and on about Night Howlers... then when I heard a noise, I checked and there he was... on all four legs, tearing up the upholstery... then he attacked me, forcing the limo off the road. I haven't seen him since... but that look of blind... SAVAGERY... I've barely slept since then."
"Oh... well it's funny that you mention Night Howlers. Because we know about Night Howlers." Nick said lying through his teeth.
"Uh... yes, if you'll just let us in. We'll compare notes on Night Howlers." Judy said, Manchas then went to fully unlock the door. Then sounds came from inside, followed by Manchas pouncing through the door. "RUN!" Judy shouted as the two mammals ran from the inexplicably feral Predator.
"CAN'T YOU USE YOUR LIGHT SABERS?!" Nick yelled in panic.
"AND RISK KILLING HIM?! MY FIRST DUTY AS A JEDI IS TO PROTECT LIFE, AND ONLY TAKE IT AS A LAST RESORT!" Judy yelled back, she then took out her communicator. "MASTER TANO!"
"Judy, what's wrong?" Ahsoka asked in concern.
"I AM BEING PURSUED BY A SAVAGE JAGUAR IN THE RAINFOREST DISTRICT, VINE, AND TUDJUNGA!"
"IT'S PRONOUNCED TUJUNGA!" Nick yelled back.
"I'll make my way to your location! Just hold on!" Ahsoka said.
It was intense as the two mammals kept one step ahead of Manchas. But eventually, Judy handcuffed the savage jaguar to a pole, and the two of them were tangled up in vines just over street level. Just in time for Ahsoka to arrive with the ZPD and Bogo in tow. "Oh thank the Force your alright!" Ahsoka said, relieved that her padawan was alive. Judy then led them to where Manchas was... only to find that he wasn't there.
"This... how did he get out?" Judy said in disbelief.
"And of course the country bunny would see a Pred as savage," Bogo said dismissively.
"I-I have a witness!" Judy said desperately. "Nick tell him what you saw!"
"You seriously expect me to take the word of a fox?" Bogo said dismissively. "I gave you your chance, you've blown it. I want the both of you off Mammalia-"
"No!" Nick said. Bogo looked bewildered at the fox. "Oh right... context. No, the ladies here aren't going anywhere. Believe it or not, since this morning. Judy here made more progress on this case, with the only lead she had being me and some ice cream, and none of your guys lifting a paw or a hoof or whatever to help her. Then your best guys have in two weeks. No idea what her master has been doing exactly, and I'm too invested in Carrots to care." He said. "You gave her forty-eight hours, and we've got about... ten hours? That sound about right to you Carrots?" He asked Judy checked a device that she was using to keep track of the time passed, and gave him a thumbs up. "Right, so if you'll excuse us... we've got a lead to work with." He said as he boarded a nearby gondola. "Ms. Hopps?"
Judy went aboard after him. "I expected better from you Bogo," Ahsoka said sternly to the cape buffalo. "But right now, I see that Judy's suspicions regarding your biases are true. I'll be continuing my own investigation... without your help." Ahsoka then Force jumped into the canopy.
"Thank you... you're a good man Nick," Judy said.
"Never let 'em see that they get to you," Nick said, then Nick explained to Judy the origins of his jaded outlook. Basically, when Nick was a kitt, he tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. Instead of being allowed in, he was muzzled by the other children. From then, he decided that if people were only going to see him as shifty and untrustworthy just for being a fox, he was going to be a shifty and untrustworthy fox, and not to allow any to see that they got to him.
"Nick... you can be so much more than that," Judy said, sympathetically putting her paw on Nick's.
Nick then pulled back. "Uh... Boy, look at that traffic down there. How about we go up to Chuck in traffic central? Chuck, how're things looking on the jam-cams?"
"Wait... Nick, you're a genius!" Judy said happily.
"You thought I wasn't?" Nick said in confusion.
XXXX
Eventually, Nick and Judy arrived at the Zootopia Capital Building. And got Dawn Bellwether, Judy's former classmate as a Jedi and President Lionhearts assistant. "So... you're a Jedi, but your not a Jedi?" Nick asked.
"It's a long story... one that I don't know you well enough to go into any details," Dawn said as she brought up the cities traffic camera system. "And there we are. Now you've got full access to the-"
"SMELLWETHER!" Lionheart roared (figuratively) over an intercom.
"Oh... you guys just look through the recordings from last night," Dawn said nervously. "I need to address this." She said as she left her office, which was basically a janitors closet.
"So is it normal for Jedi to drop out of the order and become a glorified secretary?" Nick asked.
"No, no it's not that simple... it's a long and personal story and we're on a very strict timetable." Judy said as she sat down at the computer, and proceded to look through the relevant footage. Showing a pair of wolves capturing Manchas, putting him into a van, and driving off. "Oh thank goodness, there not Trandoshans. If it was them, I'd be good odds he'd be turned into a rug or a trophy or some crime lord." She said in relief as she used the cameras to track the van... right up until it stopped showing up in the next logical place.
"You know... I'm not saying I've done this. But if I wanted to avoid surveillance because I did anything illegal. I'd go through a maintenance tunnel." Nick said as he accessed a camera feed at the opposite end of the appropriate tunnel.
"Well, I'll be..." Judy said in amazement. "You'd probably make a good law enforcement officer."
XXXX
Eventually, Nick and Judy arrived at an abandoned asylum outside of Zootopia's city limits and found not only Emit Otterton but every other Mammal that had gone missing. "But why were they brought here? Who brought them?" Judy asked.
"Can't the Force just tell you?" Nick asked.
"The Force isn't some kind of cheat code... though it is telling me that we need to hide in that empty cell!" Judy said as she dragged Nick into a cell, and into the block came in a badger in a lab coat, and President Leon Lionheart himself. "Nick, your phone!" She whispered.
Nick caught on and began recording. "Damn it, Madge! All I've heard from you for the last two weeks have been excuses!" Lionheart said angrily.
"My team is doing the best they can." The badger said.
"Really? Because we have over a dozen mammals in here that are completely out of there gourds. And even with all the resources, I've basically had to buy from off-world, your no closer to figuring out WHY there snarling savages!" Lionheart said irately.
"Sir... I think it might be time to take their biology into account." The badger said.
"What does that even mean?" Lionheart asked.
"Well... all of the patients are Predators." The badger said nervously.
"Your point being?" Lionheart asked.
"Well... we have to come clean to the public that-"
"Honey Badger... you do realize that we're both Predators? Don't say anything, just nod and shake as is appropriate." Lionheart said, Dr. Honey Badger nodded. "So what do you think the public's reaction to this? Considering that, you know. It's taken centuries for Predators and Prey to get along, that we only achieved world unity a little over twenty years ago and encountered the Galactic Republic, Prey species outnumber Predators by a ten to one margin. So in short, Madge Honey Badger... revealing this to the public might not only cause severe chaos. BUT IT WILL THROW MY POLITICAL CAREER IN THE TOILET!"
"W-What about Cheif Bogo?" Madge asked.
"That glorified traffic cop doesn't know either! And we're not going to tell him, or the Jedi!" Lionheart said, then Nick's phone went off with a call from Finnick. "Wait... security! Someone's in here!" Lionheart said, hearing the ringtone. He and the badger then left the cell block.
"Please tell me you have an idea," Nick said anxiously.
Judy looked at the toilet in the cell. "I do..." She said as she pulled out a pair of rebreathers and gave one to Nick. "But you're going to hate it." She said opening a bag for Nick's phone.
XXXX
At ZPD Precinct 1. Bogo was playing around on the Gazelle app on his phone in his office. Then without warning, Ahsoka entered his office from the window. "Cheif Bogo-"
Bogo then screamed in surprise. "USE THE DOOR!" Bogo said incredulously.
"Cheif Bogo," Ahsoka said when he calmed down. "I just wanted to let you know, that my former Padawan has found Emit Otterton... and the rest of the missing mammals."
An impressed looked appeared on Bogo's face. "I'm impressed." The Gazelle app said.
"Just... just get some men, from what Judy said she and Nick escaped through... less than dignified means," Ahsoka said as she went back out the window.
