This was needed so I can progress with my other stories. Luckily it will be have the same number of chapters as the first game.
December 18
A lone police cruiser rode to its destination: a mansion situated on the border between the Rainforest District and Downtown, built in the early days of Zootopia. When the district borders were drawn, the property owners and the city agreed that the building could remain in its current location while still abiding city regulations. Recently, a wealthy pig family, the Swintons, took ownership of the mansion after the original owner passed.
"I'm telling you," Nick said. "The owners and the city go way back for this to happen."
"Oh? You don't think they have any connections to the mobs?" Judy inquired.
"Carrots, the place partially resides in Downtown where it's too close to the right authorities."
Judy could only shake her head and quickly shut down that discussion. "While I love to debate this, we have more pressing matters. Like that call that came from the mansion."
"You think Chief Buffalo Butt would send more than us for a cut off frantic call for help."
"He has reinforcements from our Precinct and the Rainforest District on standby. They're waiting for our signal."
The cruiser continued up the road until the mansion was in sight. The sky was cloudy due to one of the scheduled rains, and there was a light mist as a result. Upon crossing onto the property, a large wall with spikes on the top surrounded the area, blocking the officers' view of the mansion. This forced the officers to drive around in search of the entrance.
"This is giving off medieval vibes." Nick remarked.
"Maybe the previous owners liked the style, and the Swintons are respecting their last wishes not to change it."
"Or it costs too much to renovate the entire thing."
"That's possible."
They followed the wall for a few minutes before finally discovering an entrance. The police cruiser parked at the opening, and Judy notified Bogo of their arrival.
"This is Unit 275. We arrived at our destination and are moving to investigate."
Bogo responded a few moments later. "Roger that Hopps. Keep us posted."
The officers took a moment to turn on their body cameras and put on their raincoats before exiting the cruiser. The moment they opened the doors, a cry emanated from the other side.
"Oh no!"
Alarmed, the officers charged in with their tranquilizers drawn. Around the corner, they discovered a horrifying sight. A beaver ran on all fours for the exit, but their attention was on two mammals before them. A panther held an otter in its grip. The latter let out a cry of pain as the panther bit into its neck.
The officers watched in horror and disgust as the panther dropped the otter and turned its sight on them, mouth covered in blood and bits of flesh visible. Its eyes were completely blank and devoid of life. It's body appeared to be deteriorating with some parts exposed. The sequence brought back terrible memories of the night Manchas went savage, only this time, the circumstances were direr.
The bloodied panther groaned and started stumbling towards Nick and Judy. This was enough to shock the officers out of their stupor and raise their tranquilizers.
"Freeze, or we will shoot!" Judy ordered.
But the panther continued in their direction, and it appeared to increase its speed. Nick and Judy took a step back and kept their tranquilizers on the mammal.
"I said, don't move!" Judy warned.
The groaning panther didn't stop, and the officers continued to move back towards the entrance.
"This is your last warning!"
"No response, Carrots! We'll have to take him down."
Judy let out a frustrated sigh from the failure at talks, but their lives were in immediate danger.
Just when the mammal came in reach and tried to make a swipe, the officers jumped back and fired, hitting the panther's chest and causing the predator to halt. Nick and Judy stood cautiously and waited for the tranquilizer to take effect. But then a moment later, the panther began walking towards the officers as if nothing happened. They gasped in horror and tried again, but even four shots did not affect the predator.
"Uh, Carrots?! Tranqs aren't working!"
Judy quickly reached for her utility belt. "Tasers then!"
The officers replaced their weapons and aimed the tasers at the panther. They set the voltage low, knowing a higher voltage could be fatal with the amount of does in the mammal. Nick and Judy reluctantly moved in range and fired. The needles hit their mark, and the officers squeezed the trigger. To their horror, the panther appeared unfazed despite parts of the body convulsing from the voltage.
They decided to risk increasing the power in the hopes of finally bringing down the mammal. Despite the number of doses and voltage, the panther harmlessly continued to pursue the officers. Nick and Judy had to relinquish the tasers because the panther came in range and nearly swiped at them again. The weapons fell helplessly to the floor and were dragged by the predator.
"Great!" Nick yelled. "What do we do now?"
Judy knew the only other option, and she was hesitant to implement it. But everything else had failed, and they were running out of time. "We got to use lethal."
The ZPD always kept lethal in their cruisers as a last resort when faced with hostiles with thick armor. And right now, the officers encountered a mammal that seems to be impervious to less lethal methods. After Judy gave the order, she and Nick scrambled back to their cruiser and slammed the doors shut for protection. Judy reached for the center console and nearly tore the lid off opening it while Nick watched for the panther.
In the center console were their service pistols and several magazines. Their paws knocked into each other as they went to grab the items. A few moments of arguing later, Nick and Judy had their pistols loaded and rushed back to the entrance, just in time to see that the mammal had closed the distance. The officers got into their stances, aiming the pistols at the approaching panther.
"Last chance!" Judy cried. "Stop where you are, or we will fire!"
The panther only responded with a groan and did not obey the officers.
"Okay buddy, you asked for it!" Nick said.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Nick and Judy implemented synchronized shooting since their target doubled their size. Their eyes widened in horror because, while the shots hit their mark and the mammal began bleeding profusely, it was still alive.
"How is he surviving all that?" Nick cried.
"I don't know! Just keep shooting!"
Nothing else mattered except neutralizing the threat. The bullets eventually blew both arms off. Seeing that only the head remained undamaged and knowing the mammal had zero chance of survival at this point, Nick and Judy realized what they needed to do.
They fired their remaining bullets at the head until it too exploded from the projectiles. What remained of the panther suddenly came to a standstill. Nick and Judy started to wonder if the legs were going to move on their own. But their answer came when the legs fell to the knees and fell backwards.
The sounds of clicking could be heard from the officers despite the threat neutralized and the pistols empty, in shock at what just transpired. Only the sound of another groan snapped the officers snapped out of their daze. Worried that it was another threat, Nick and Judy searched around the immediate area before realizing that the noise was coming from the wounded otter.
"Nick, call for an ambulance!" Judy rushed over to assess and treat the injuries.
"On it!" The fox sprinted back to their cruiser.
When Judy inspected the otter, the predator lay motionless. The rabbit carefully shook the mammal, trying to stir him awake. "Hang on! Help is on the way!"
Another groan came from the mammal as he turned his head. The rabbit nearly threw up from seeing the neck wound and the bleeding. "It's too late for me…"
The words shook Judy out of her stupor. "No, it's not!" She tried applying pressure to the wound, desperately wanting to save the mammal.
"Others are still inside…save them…" The otter then closed his eyes and went limp.
Refusing to give up hope, Judy placed her ears on the body for any signs of life, but she could not detect a heartbeat. "No! Stay with us!" She pleaded as tears started to form in her eyes.
"He's gone Carrots." Judy turned to see a solemn Nick standing next to her. "Nothing we can do for him now. You heard what he said. We need to rescue the others." The fox gave Judy the rest of the pistol ammo. "I called for backup. They'll be here in ten minutes."
Judy slowly nodded and wiped away the tears. The rabbit stood up, and she and Nick reloaded their pistols. It only dawned on them that the otter wasn't the only victim. Another rabbit and a gopher lay dead in their pool of blood. The officers noticed that all three, including the beaver, wore what appeared to be lab attire. The mammals must have been researchers.
The two started to ponder their next actions, wondering the severity of the situation, when their ears perked up from another cry.
"Help! Help!"
Nick and Judy turned in the direction and saw that it came from around the corners. They sprinted, hoping to avoid the fatal encounter with the otter, and discovered a jackal and a sheep being chased by an ibex and a buck deer. The officers became horrified at not only the horned mammals having the same conditions but also wielding axes in their hooves.
Now armed with the knowledge of the threats, Nick and Judy shot at the attackers, careful not to accidentally hit the researchers. This time, the officers were successful, but before they could question the researchers, two horses attacked. The jackal and the sheep quickly thanked the officers and reminded them of more inside before running off. Once out of their line of sight, the officers promptly dispatched the creatures.
"Up ahead!" Judy ran forward when Nick grabbed her shoulder. The rabbit became angry at him. "What are you doing?!"
"Are you crazy? The place is crawling with these things, and we don't have enough firepower! We need to wait for backup!"
"I'm not going to let innocent mammals die because we were waiting around and doing nothing! If you want to wait for backup, be my guest!"
Judy wrestled herself free from his grip and proceeded ahead, leaving an exasperated Nick behind. The fox let out a loud groan and quickly followed, muttering dumb bunny under his breath.
Up ahead, Judy saw a badger lying near the fountain, appearing unharmed but unconscious. Before she could investigate, two growls came from the side, and the rabbit turned to see two canine creatures hop over the stone wall. The sight of seeing bat wings on the canines and their quadruped stance made Judy pause. What are these things?!
Nick caught up just in time to see the scene play out. "Judy!" He fired at the canines and gave his partner enough time to respond. The two canines let out a dying growl as they fell to the ground.
Before Judy could thank her partner, Nick pointed behind her and screamed. "Behind you!"
She turned around to see a third winged canine, ready to attack. On instinct, she fired the rest of her clip into the creature. Nick caught up to Judy, and they took a moment to switch magazines.
"Thanks, Slick."
"You're welcome, Fluff. Wouldn't do any good leaving you to die."
Judy rolled her eyes. "Har. Har."
The officers approached the badger near the fountain, and Judy went to check on the mammal while Nick stood guard for any more creatures. The fox grimaced at the sight of a goat and a ram laying in pools of blood.
The rabbit knelt by the mammal and saw the badger was female. She carefully shook her with one paw. "Ma'am. Are you alright?"
A groan came from the badger, and she slowly stirred. Her eyes opened to the sight of police officers. A look of relief and joy overcame her. Judy carefully moved the badger into a sitting position against the fountain.
"Thank you for coming!"
Judy smiled and nodded, happy that they rescued another mammal. Knowing her condition, the badger could not move on her own to the exit. The rabbit stood up and carefully helped the badger up. As she put an arm around her, a loud cry came from Nick.
"Look out!"
The ladies looked at the fox and saw him pointing above them. All of a sudden, Judy felt a strong force push her towards Nick and heard a shriek emanated from above. The rabbit rolled onto her back and recovered in time to see a horrifying sight. A large bat-like creature was flying above them. But while having the typical wings and eyes, this bat creature was many times the normal size. Judy then finally noticed that the badger was now in the bat's grip.
The creature emitted a small laugh. "Nobody leaves here alive!" The bat then proceeded to fly away with its hostage.
"Get back here!" Angered, Judy raised her pistol, ready to fire, until Nick seized her arms.
"Don't waste your bullets. We'll get him."
Judy let out a frustrated sigh and reluctantly lowered her weapon but still staring off in the direction in which the badger was taken. Just then, her ears picked up the sound of bubbles coming from the fountain, and she looked down to investigate. Moments later, a green creature emerged from the waters and leaped into the air.
"Nick, watch out!"
The fox had no time to react as the green creature pounced on him, and they both landed on the ground. The attack caused Nick to lose possession of his pistol. As he struggled to remove the creature with his paws, it sunk its teeth into the fox's shoulder, causing him to shriek in pain.
"Get it off me! Get it off me!"
Judy was on her partner in an instant but faced fierce resistance from the creature and her partner. She finally managed to wrestle control by placing one foot on Nick to hold him down. She then grabbed the creature's neck with one paw and placed the pistol to its head with the other.
"Cover your ears!"
Nick obeyed and closed his eyes as Judy followed suit and pulled the trigger twice.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire and a mushy explosion rang out. The green creature went limp, allowing Nick to push it off. The fox slowly got up while grabbing his injured area and picked up his weapon.
Judy gasped when seeing the extent of the damage, and her eyes began to tear up. "Nick, I'm sorry! I should have been quicker!" The rabbit scrambled to find something to patch the wound, debating if she should tear part of her uniform off to make a bandage.
Her partner could only give a weak smile. "It's alright, Judy."
"No! No!"
They turned in the direction of the cries to see a tiger carrying a deer. However, the two were on a bridge, and it appeared that the tiger wanted to throw the deer over.
"Save him! I'll catch up!" Nick cried.
Judy nodded and used the fountain as a boost, jumping off the ledge and flipping in the air to give her more distance. She landed on her feet, a few steps away from the bridge. The rabbit got into her stance and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The tiger's head blew apart, dropping the deer in the process. Judy rushed to the mammal's aid as Nick ran up to the two, still clutching his arm.
"You're safe now!" Judy exclaimed. "Are you hurt?"
The deer got up and checked himself for any injuries. Finding none, he smiled at the officers. "Thank you!" His joy then turned to shock at seeing Nick's injury. "You're hurt!" He then reached into his lab coat, searching for something.
Nick waved dismissively with his good arm. "It's only a flesh wound. I can still fight."
The deer ignored the fox and brought out a small medical kit. "Take this. You need it more than I do."
While thankful for the assistance, Nick wondered why the researcher had the item. "You all carry one?"
The deer nodded. "Our work is dangerous, so we keep an emergency kit until proper treatment can be administered."
Nick nodded and fixed his injury. The kit contained a vial of medicine and a roll of bandages. The fox promptly injected himself with the vial, feeling the pain slowly disappear.
"Thank you for the assistance," Judy said. "Get yourself to safety now. We cleared out most of the path to the exit." While the rabbit wanted to ask more questions, she would have plenty of time once the survivors were rescued.
The deer nodded and ran for the entrance. Around the same time, Nick finished patching himself up, standing up and letting out a sigh of relief as he flexed the injured shoulder.
"Much better."
"Can you still shoot?"
Nick peered over the rabbit, noticing something behind her. "Only one way to find out."
Judy turned around, and she and Nick saw a pierced body in the middle of the bridge. Worm-like creatures feasted on the body.
Nick moved in closer and then aimed his pistol at the parasites with both paws. He managed to kill them with only minor difficulty. His eyes then caught sight of a goat standing at the mansion doors. The creature did the same and proceeded to raise its arms, revealing an axe in each of them. Nick realized the imminent danger and fired his pistol. The goat lost its head as the rest of the body fell to the ground, and the axes came loose.
"That was close," Nick rotated his bandaged shoulder. "Meds work like a charm."
"Alright, let's move." Judy proceeded to cross the bridge.
"Wait!" Nick followed after her and stopped the rabbit at the top of the stairs.
Judy was about to test the doors when she felt Nick's paw on her shoulder. The rabbit turned to give her partner an indignant look. "What?! You know there are mammals inside!"
"Can we at least make a plan before charging in? We don't have enough bullets to kill every creature and rescue the mammals. Let's ask Bogo for his ETA before we do anything else. Please?"
Judy let out a heavy sigh and relaxed, still upset at them wasting time and putting mammals in grave danger. "You're right." She reached for her radio. "This is Officer Hopps, what's the ETA of our backup?"
Bogo came on almost immediately. "We're five minutes out."
Judy keyed the radio again, nearly crushing it in her grip. "No good sir! Mammals are dying. We're pushing forward until you arrive."
"Hopps, no!"
Judy paid no attention as she placed the radio back and prepared to enter the mansion. Nick sighed as he checked his ammo.
"Help!"
The cry ended any attempts for further conversation, causing Judy to back up from the doors. Nick knew what would transpire next and quickly stepped to the side. He watched as Judy charged forward and leaped in the air with her feet facing forward. The doors nearly broke under the force of rabbit feet, but they would debate over the damages later.
The officers saw a red panda hanging off the second-floor rail and about to be attacked by two sloth-like creatures. They also heard growls coming from their right and turned to see three wolves stepping towards them.
"Get the wolves by the stairs! I'll save the scientist!" Judy ordered.
"Got it!"
Judy dashed for the stairs and up to the second floor. She focused on the attacking sloths, firing a couple of shots while being careful to avoid hitting the red panda. Upon hearing the shots, the red panda closed her eyes and held on tight, not daring to open them. Something then grabbed her paws, and she began to cry. The red panda thought this was the end until she suddenly felt herself pulled up. Meanwhile, Nick leaped back and fired at the three approaching wolves.
Once safely on the second floor, the red panda wrapped Judy in a tight hug while in tears. "Thank you!"
As much as she wanted to comfort the mammal, the rabbit understood this was neither the time nor place. "You're welcome. Now get out of here. The medics will be at the exit to treat you."
The red panda broke from the hug and wiped her tears. "Okay." The two descended the stairs together and split from there. The red panda proceeded out of the mansion while Judy reunited with her partner.
"All clear Nick?"
"I'm clear," Nick observed the dead sloths that fell from the second floor. "They moved awfully fast. If they weren't trying to kill us, I would ask the scientists how this was possible."
"Between that and the winged canines, I'd rather not find out."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of wood breaking. The officer looked in that direction and saw axes penetrating through the doors. Then, they were kicked down, revealing another goat wielding axes. On instinct, Nick and Judy fired at the head and killed the creature before it could attack.
"Not to mention that they can use weapons too." Nick remarked.
"Please let it be only axes!"
The rabbit proceeded through the damaged doors with her partner following behind. The officers entered a hallway and carefully walked, ready for a possible ambush. A couple of steps in, the path before them suddenly collapsed. The officers reacted in time before they fell through the hole.
"Okay, we're not heading that way." Nick remarked.
They turned around to go back when two sloths crashed through the window. Nick managed to avoid one, but the other landed on Judy. Unfortunately, the way the sloth landed pinned her feet underneath the body, leaving only her arms free.
"Judy!" He quickly dispatched his threat before assisting Judy. "Cover your ears!" The rabbit forced the ears behind her head with her paws as Nick grabbed the sloth's neck. Two shots to the head and the creature was dead.
The fox pushed the corpse off and gasped. "Carrots, your shoulder…"
"I know…" Judy got up and checked the wound. "We need to find a scientist for their med kit."
Nick couldn't resist a smirk and a sarcastic comment, wanting to lighten the situation. "For shame Fluff, rescuing for your own benefit."
Judy rolled her eyes. "Shut up." The rabbit looked ahead and then back. "We can't go forward, and we can't go back." She turned her attention to the nearest door. "Let's try that way."
Nick nodded and approached the door. The two stood at opposite ends, and Judy gave the signal. With one arm on the knob, Nick carefully opened the door, keeping his gun pointed forward and checking for any creatures. While he couldn't see anything, he did hear more cries.
"Help!"
The officers charged in and looked around for the source. Turning to their left, the two gasped. At the other end, a male raccoon and a female skunk were locked behind a gate. Adding to the danger was an axe-wielding goat locked with them.
Nick ran to their rescue. "Hold on! We'll get you out!" The fox stopped at the gate and raised his gun, deciding to eliminate the threat before rescuing the scientists. "Get down!" The mammals immediately fell to the floor with the paws behind their heads. Nick safely killed the goat with two shots to the head.
"Clear!"
The two scientists lifted their heads and looked back to see the headless goat on the floor. They breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
"Thank you! Now get us out!" The skunk cried.
"Hold on." Nick saw a padlock next to the gate. "Do you know the code?"
The two shook their heads.
"Alright then, there's only one option." Nick took a few steps back and raised his pistol at the padlock. He fired three shots, and the machine exploded, freeing the scientists.
They burst into tears and rushed forward to Nick, enveloping the fox and a hug. Judy managed to arrive on the scene despite her injury.
"Oh thank you! Thank you!" The raccoon blurted. "I thought we were dead!"
When the skunk broke from the hug, she saw Judy's injury and promptly reached into her lab coat. The rabbit knew what she was doing. "Here, take this."
The rabbit accepted the medical kit. "Thank you. The police and ambulance will be here soon. It should be safe for now if you hurry."
The two civilians proceeded with their escape.
"Heal yourself Carrots," Nick said. "I'll keep watch."
His partner wasted no time patching up her wound. Judy let out a sigh of relief when feeling her strength return. "Much better."
"We need to be more careful unless you want to start looting medical kits from dead civilians."
The rabbit sent a death glare at the fox. "Absolutely not!"
But before she could respond further, a chainsaw rang through the room. The officers turned in the direction of the sound to see a polar bear pacing to them while wielding a chainsaw.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me!" Nick exclaimed.
"Sweet cheese and crackers! Run!"
The officers dodged the incoming attack and darted for the first door they saw. Upon opening it, they found themselves outside and saw two bridges connected them to the other side. Not only that, but four wolves also greeted them. The chainsaw bear was quickly catching up to them, and the officers had to make a decision fast.
"To the other side!" Judy ordered.
She and Nick bolted across the bridge, dodging pass the wolves. They only stopped when their current path lead nowhere. Then the two encountered the leech creatures on the bridge and quickly disposed of them. Hearing the chainsaw, they turned around to see the bear slashing wildly, inadvertently killing the wolves pursuing them. The sight caused Nick to flinch and trip on his footing.
"Wah!" The fox fell backwards into the glass window and ended up breaking into the hallway.
"Nick!" Judy jumped through after her partner and checked on his status.
"I'm okay," The fox managed to sit before gasping. "Behind you!"
Judy turned around to see the chainsaw bear jumping through the window. She and Nick jumped back and ran to the end of the hall.
"We gotta kill it now before we're trapped!" Nick cried.
"Then we do it here! Get ready!"
They did a quick check of their ammo before aiming their pistols at the polar bear. A barrage of bullets hit the metal blade of the chainsaw and the creature itself. Finally, the chainsaw fell to the ground, and the corpse of the bear followed. Nick and Judy remained still, taking deep breaths after another brush with death.
A still shaking Nick finally lowered his pistol. "Something tells me that this isn't even the worse that we'll see in this mansion."
Judy followed suit. "My question is how long this has been going on. I would ask where to go next, but all we've been doing is following the cries for help."
As if to prove the rabbit correct, "No!"
Nick couldn't help but chuckle. "Right on cue."
The two officers got up and burst through the doors to see a female leopard slowly backing away. The doors opening caught her attention, and upon seeing the officers, she rushed to their safety. With the scientist safe, the officers focused on the threats: another panther and another axe-wielding elk. Nick and Judy neutralized the creatures with shots to the head.
The scientist breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!" She then reached into her lab coat.
"We're not hurt," Judy said. "But we appreciate it anyways."
"It's not that." The leopard brought out a small booklet. "I'm an assistant to the head scientist here, so I know what you'll be up against. This will help you destroy them."
"Oh thank you!" Judy took the booklet, and at that moment, her ears perked. "Run!"
A barrel crashes in between the mammals. The scientist ran while the officers looked up to see two lions carry barrels over their heads. At the same time, they heard a window break and looked to see two sloths crashing through the window.
"Oh great! An ambush!" Nick exclaimed.
"Take the lions! I'll take the sloths!"
Nick nodded and began firing at the lions on the second floor while Judy moved to intercept the sloths. The fox had to dodge the incoming barrels but was able to neutralize the threat. The bunny jumped around to avoid the sloths from getting close. Then when face to face, she allowed them to come close one at a time to allow for headshots.
"Clear!"
"Clear!" Judy then headed for the nearest door. "We can't stay here!" She entered through, and Nick followed, quickly closing the doors behind them.
"Where is our backup?!" Nick complained. "We won't make it far if they ambush again!"
"I'm starting to wonder too." Judy went to grab her radio when her ears shot up.
"Another scientist?" While Nick had no issue rescuing mammals, he was starting to become concerned about their ability to rescue them.
"I think so."
Nick followed his partner as she honed in the location of the voice.
Judy finally stopped at a door near a corner and waited for him to catch up. "Check your ammo. It may be a trap."
"Who did you hear?" Nick loaded a new magazine into the pistol.
She breached the doors to the room, and the officers discovered it was the badger lying on the floor.
"It's you! I knew it!" Judy said. The rabbit immediately tended to the badger while Nick closed the doors and kept watch. "Ma'am, wake up."
The badger stirred and opened her eyes. She gasped at the sight of the rabbit and sat up quickly, also seeing the fox guarding the door.
"It's alright. You're safe now. Are you hurt?"
The badger began patting her body. "I don't think so."
Judy's radio suddenly came to life, and a loud booming voice echoed throughout the room.
"HOPPS! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
It was enough to cause all three mammals to jump: Nick fumbling with his gun momentarily, and the badger discovering where her injuries were.
Judy fumbled with the radio before responding to her boss. "We're inside the mansion, sir."
"I thought I told you to stay put!"
"Sorry, Chief. There were mammals in immediate danger, and we had to intervene."
The three mammals heard a loud groan emanating from the radio. "Where are you now?"
"I don't know the exact location, but we are in a room with another scientist. She's injured and needs to be evacuated."
Nick then chimed in. "Follow our trail of dead things and rescued scientists. They'll point the way. Oh, we need ammunition too."
There was a brief radio silence before Bogo responded. "I'm sending in a team with a package to your location. ETA: five minutes. DO NOT MOVE!"
"Roger Chief." Judy said.
"Why is it always five or ten minutes?" Nick griped. "Is it a favorite number for rescue forces?"
"We can complain about it later." Judy turned her attention to the badger. "Can you tell us what happened? What are these things?"
"Experiments."
"Please don't tell you used live mammals." Nick said.
The badger gasped and frantically shook her head and waved her arms. "No! Never! We arrange for the bodies with the city morgue! It's all carefully regulated!"
"What were you experimenting on?" Judy asked.
"I can't say. It's not meant for the public yet."
"Can you at least explain why these experiments are roaming the mansion and killing everyone?"
"It was Swinton. For some reason, she decided to unleash them without warning the staff."
"You better hope none of these things escape the property," Nick said. "Do the other scientists know to keep this a secret?"
"Yes, we all signed a nondisclosure agreement when joining the project."
"What do you know about Swinton?" Judy asked. "Is she going to cause trouble when we confront her?"
"All I know is that she is obsessed with this project. It was supposed to help mammals. Instead, it slowly drove her insane. We all saw the signs, but never realized the extent of it. The project showed promise which is why we pushed forward. Her last words were, "You shall all DIE!" and then she unleashed the experiments."
A loud boom sounded from the ceiling, and the three mammals looked up to investigate. The officers noticed the glass ceiling and the broken hole they assumed where the bat creature dropped the badger.
"What was that?" Nick asked, panic slowly rising.
The badger gasped and immediately pushed Judy away from her.
The shocked rabbit stumbled forward onto the crowd and recovered a few moments later. "What?"
A loud crash occurred, and suddenly a gigantic creature fell from the ceiling, right behind the badger. The officers scrambled back in shock while the badger curled into a fetal position to protect herself. The officers only now just registered the gigantic axe the creature wielded.
"Look out!" Nick cried.
But it was too late. The giant creature swung the axe right into the badger. Luckily, none of the sharp edges touched the mammal. But the carnivore soared through the air, letting out a shriek, until slamming into a corner of the room. The officers watched helplessly as the badger landed hard on the floor. The creature's roar recaptured their attention, finally giving them a chance to determine what stood before them.
The creature wore full armor, making exact species unknown. It then stared down at the officers and began to swing the axe around while stepping towards them. On instinct, the officers unloaded their pistol at the creature, but despite their effort, the bullets bounced off the armor. Their attempt nearly cost them dearly as the creature swung the axe, missing the officers by the skin of their teeth.
An angry Nick growled. "This is just great! He's bulletproof!"
"Maybe not!" Judy reached into her pocket and pulled out the booklet given to her earlier by the scientist. "It may have information that we need! Can you distract it?"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Why do I always have to be a distraction?" He leaped away from Judy and waved his arms. "Hey, buddy over here!"
"Let's see…" Judy looks through the pages while checking to see if the creature was attacking her.
Meanwhile, Nick carefully fired shots to keep its attention on him. He allowed the creature to come close while swinging the axes and jumped out of the way at the last second. Sometimes, this led the axe to be stuck in the wall, buying the officers precious time to figure out a weakness and for reinforcements to arrive.
Judy finally found one that matched the appearance. "Chariot: Type 27." She saw a spot circled on the body that indicated a weak point. "Nick! Can you see a red spot on his chest?"
The fox narrowed his eyes on the location. "I see it!"
"That's its weakness! Shoot it!"
"My pleasure!" Nick fired off a few shots at the red spot, causing green fluid to leak out, but also causing the Chariot to stumble. "It's working!"
With the confirmation, Judy joined him and returned fire just as the Chariot recovered and prepared for another attack. This kept going until the creature suddenly began shaking.
"Did we kill it?" Judy asked.
The armor sprung off the creature, revealing a furless unidentified mammal underneath.
"Guess not!" Nick answered. "Boy does that thing look ugly! Where do we shoot now?"
"Everywhere!"
The officers reloaded their pistols and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the now exposed Chariot, tearing away at the muscle and revealing the bone. This kept going until the creature grabbed its head and let out a loud pained groan. Nick and Judy ceased fire and watched as the Chariot fell to the ground. They kept their pistols ready, but the creature did not move.
"Please tell me that it's dead." Nick pleaded.
Judy focused her hearing. "I don't hear anything."
The officers visibly relaxed and then checked on the badger. Judy placed her paw on her neck.
"How is she?" Nick asked.
That rabbit breathed a sigh of relief when feeling a pulse. "She's alive, but she won't survive without treatment."
Nick growled in frustration. "Argh! That backup better be here soon!"
The doors busted open, and the officers quickly got into a shooting stance, expecting more creatures. Instead, they saw a wolf, a tiger, an elephant, and a rhino in police tactical gear and holding automatic weapons.
Nick threw his paws in the air. "About time you showed up!"
"Just be glad we're here now," Fangmeyer said as she and Wolfard carefully approached the corpse of the Chariot. "How's the civilian?"
Judy joined her partner. "She needs medical attention immediately."
Wolford nodded and motioned Francine and McHorn. "Get this mammal out of here!"
The large mammals walked over to the injured badger where they brought out a foldable stretcher and carefully moved the badger onto it. They secured the mammal and began to carry her away when the badger stirred.
"Wait."
Francine and McHorn stopped while Judy moved closer to the badger.
"You must stop Swinton…before something terrible happens."
"What happens?" Judy asked.
The badger fainted before she could say anything else.
Nick placed a paw on Judy's shoulder. "She can explain more after being treated. She's no good to us dead."
Judy clenched her free paw before relaxing and sighing deeply. "You're right."
They watched Francine and McHorn carry the wounded badger away, leaving Judy, Nick, Wolfard, and Fangmeyer alone in the room. The two larger predators finished confirming that the Chariot was indeed dead.
"Where's Bogo?" Judy asked.
"He's coordinating with the Rainforest District Precinct." The tigress said. "He sent us in first to make sure you two didn't get yourselves killed."
Wolfard brought out a duffel bag from behind him. "Bogo also wanted you back for a debriefing and to check for injuries but reconsidered because of the circumstances." The wolf tossed the bag at their feet.
"Get yourselves armed," Fangmeyer said. "You two lead the way once you're changed."
"Thanks." Nick said.
Wolfard and Fangmeyer exited the room and guarded the door, leaving Nick and Judy alone. The two smaller officers unzipped the bag, revealing two sets of tactical gear, two submachine guns, and multiple magazines for them and their pistols. Nick and Judy first took the tactical gear and went to opposite corners of the room to change. Once in proper protection, the officers grabbed a submachine gun and loaded a magazine. They also grabbed a few more and some for their pistols, keeping the rest in the bag to take with them.
Wolfard and Fangmeyer heard the doors open behind them and turned to see Nick and Judy properly dressed and armed. The two larger predators smiled.
"Ready?" Fangemeyer asked.
Nick smiled as he raised his weapons. "I hope you are."
Wolfard chuckled. "Knowing you two, I expect no less."
Judy then took the lead. "Alright mammals, let's move."