"Great heroes carry the journey's burden not on their shoulders, but in their hearts." - Unknown
To confront the root of all things malicious to oneself, you must first identify what it means to you, before identifying what it means for itself.
Though the vile feeling of guilt, melancholy, and even regret had been eating away at the fox's mental foundations for quite some time at this point, it was only just recently that he truly realized the error of his ways, and the extent that it had corrupted him so. For years upon years, Nicholas Wilde had trained himself in the ways of deception and charm, honing his skills until he was able to craft an emotional facade around his true thoughts, that translated itself into a physical bout of confidence and ignorance, respectively.
Meeting his beloved Carrots, however, helped to some degree: She taught him that hiding your true emotions was unhealthy, and in the end, would only lead to more pain.
Nick thought of himself as cured. As it turned out, that was only what he wanted to think, and not actually so: Deep down, the fox still maintained and harbored his desire to blend in effectively, and to appear as charismatic and emotionless to the outside world. Over time, these festering feelings bubbled up to the surface, but it was his recent encounter with Grygorri Ratsputin that at last caused them to burst forth and drown his consciousness in a sea of ill-tempered thoughts, behaviors, and ideologies as well.
At last, perhaps, may the fox be rid of his old ways, and welcome in the new, for the final confrontation was upon him and his mate, and with it, the bitter truth...
They would at last come face to face with the mysterious documents; The wretched state-secrets leftover from the tragic Night-Howler case all those years ago.
With the evidence in their possession, they stood a much higher chance of bringing down Grygorri Ratsputin once and for all, or at the very least, thwarting his current plan of obtaining the documents for him and him alone. Under the watchful eye and esteemed protection of the ZPD, they would surely be safe.
Or at least, that is what they hoped for.
11:59 A.M
Consider it the day of reckoning, if you will: To them, it was the long awaited day of triumph.
After clocking in at the ZPD Head-Quarters, both Nick and Judy alike made their way to chief Bogo's office, where they intended on meeting with him to fulfill his summoning of them: The water-buffalo (via Clawhauser's receptions line) had called the two tiny officers forth to his own work place, no doubt to tell them of something important, of course.
Seeing as they had nothing else to do at the moment, the two of them instantaneously set out for their rather cranky superior's place of work.
Upon reaching it, they promptly let themselves in and closed the door behind them, save for the twin set of knocks that they both administered in unison onto the hard wooden surface of the office's door.
Turning toward chief Bogo, they took in the sight of his hulking form digging around through one of the multiple filing cabinets stashed in the corner of the office space.
"Afternoon, officers..." He greeted calmly, his gaze no less averted from the papers that he sifted through with his hooves. "I'll be sure to keep this rather brief."
"We're listening." The fox claimed, all the while shoving both of his paws deep into the pockets on his navy blue colored trousers.
"For some reason, the mayor has personally rescheduled the meeting to an hour earlier than what was planned: You two will be leaving immediately to arrive on time."
12:10 P.M
Time for the final confrontation with the mayor.
With city-hall in their sights, the bunny and the fox set out towards the towering building; Casually strolling across the park pasture that separated the ZPD Head-Quarters from the Grand Central Station, city hall itself, and a number of other prominent buildings of influence and power.
Admittedly, both Nick and Judy respectively were somewhat suspicious and slightly confused as to why the mayor so suddenly decided to reschedule their aforementioned meeting, which had been firmly and appropriately set in stone no more than twenty four hours past, at this point in time. Soon enough, the two partners set foot in the building and both then promptly made their way towards the elevators, which led them to the floor of the mayor's office.
As the two of them entered the small-sized receptions lobby that connected to their final destination, being the mayor's office itself, the fox couldn't help but notice that the receptionist herself, the vixen, Megan Fawkes, wasn't at her usual post behind the desk's counter, leaving entire towers of paper all by themselves. Though at first thinking the sight as rather peculiar, Nick quickly shrugged off the thought in its entirety, thinking that she must've perhaps been on break, or something of that sort.
The lobby itself was completely empty, with the only souls in the entire room being the bunny and fox cops themselves, who made their way down the length of the hall-way that led up to the large oaken doors that separated the mayor's office from the receptions lobby. Pushing against the sizable door, the two police officers entered at last.
Setting foot inside the office, all the while ensuring that the door was firmly shut behind them to prevent any unwanted contributions, both Nick and Judy alike faced down the sight of the mayor's office, with its velvety red carpet floors and cozy, tranquil atmosphere. Behind the large office desk positioned on the far side of the room, directly in front of the floor to ceiling windows that lined the corresponding wall, the black-padded seat of power was facing the sky-line, its occupant silent and unmoving, but clearly noticeable.
"Afternoon, Mayor Lyncoln!" The female bunny called out excitedly, her tone quite jovial. "It's us, officers Hopps and Wilde! From the ZPD!"
Silence.
Nothing but pure, unrestricted silence.
"Mayor Lyncoln?" Judy murmured in question.
The figure behind the chair chuckled lowly, the bass in the source's chords causing Nick's russet-colored fur to stand on end in apprehension.
That was definitely not the mayor.
"Mayor Lyncoln?" She repeated, her voice much softer and more cautious than before.
The black-padded chair behind the office desk slowly swiveled around until it was facing the group of officers, who gasped aloud as the chair's occupant presented himself to the room. Sitting comfortably with a lengthy ball-top cane lain across his lap, a large rat stared down the bunny and fox with a pair of cold, calculating eyes: His piercing gaze burning harsh into their respective forms. A devious sort of half-smirk played across the rat's lips, causing two rows of pointed teeth to reveal themselves, each tooth as white as snow.
"Oh, how good of you to join me, officers!" Grygorri Ratsputin hissed. "I've been expecting you, but I have a slight feeling that you weren't expecting me! Isn't that strange?"
"Ratsputin!" Nick growled, putting a paw on his utility belt. "What did you do with the mayor?" He asked, to which the rat snickered audibly before responding aloud;
"The mayor? Ah, I presume that you're referring to that despicable bobcat, no? Don't worry, she's perfectly safe, out enjoying some brunch in the lobby cafe, as a matter of fact."
"What?" The fox questioned, his head jerking back in sudden confusion.
"Don't tell me that you actually thought it was the mayor herself who rescheduled this meeting? Heh... Don't you dare! Ha!" Ratsputin cackled gleefully, smiling all the while.
"What the heck is going on, Ratsputin?" Nick snarled, pulling out his tranquilizer gun and pointing it directly at the rat, who simply grinned even wider than before.
"Is it not obvious? I'm just here to speak with you, of course! That's all there is to it, I assure you." Grygorri claimed.
"Speak with us? We're supposed to be seeing Mayor Lyncoln!" The fox stated loudly. "We're here to talk to her about those documents you're after! They belong to us!"
For a brief moment, Nick could have sworn that he detected a trace amount of fear in Ratsputin's eyes, as though something Nick said bothered him. He quickly masked it.
"Hmm... I see." The rat mused lowly. "Unfortunately for you, the mayor won't return here for another forty five minutes, so you best make yourselves at home, I suppose."
Nick ground his jaws and teeth together broodingly. This was all just another step of Ratsputin's twisted plan: He had somehow managed to rearrange their appointment with the mayor so that he could get a few words of his own in before they spoke with her face to face themselves. And now, here he was sitting casually in the highest seat of the land. The fox watched with contempt as the rat pushed the chair once again, causing it to swivel around in one full revolution before refacing the front of the desk, like a bored child playing a game. Because the seat was outfitted for a mammal larger than him, he was rather small for it, but still large enough to prevent it from being too comical.
"That isn't your chair, Ratsputin, and we aren't going to listen to you!" Judy began. "This office belongs to the mayor of Zootopia, not you!"
The rat simply smirked, all the while shifting his weight in the chair as he kicked up his bony legs onto the desk in front of him, crossing them at the ankle.
"But, this is my office." He claimed, his oil-black eyes staring unblinking and cold into Judy's own violet orbs. "I'm the one that pulls the strings around here."
Judy growled and took a slight step forward, but halted in her tracks when Nick put a paw in front of his mate, and locked eyes with her. His expression was stern, but cautious.
The female rabbit stepped back, while the fox returned his attention to Ratsputin.
"What is it that you want?" He grumbled aloud. "Why go through all of this effort just to speak with us, huh? We have a land-line, ya know!"
"Good question, Nicholas... Why. Thing is, I don't need a reason why. If I want something, I get it. And right now, I want you, fox..."
"Slow down, pal, I'm already married."
Ratsputin cackled humorously, his dry-sounding chortles echoing around the space of the office.
"Your wit is something I've always appreciated... However, I'm afraid that your first statement falls utterly short of the problem at hand, here." He stated darkly.
"Which would be?" The fox asked.
"Your assistance to me, of course."
"What? You're crazy if you think that we'll help you!" Judy piped out, causing the rat to glare harshly toward her likeness.
"Oh, but I think not. Leverage is a very powerful tool, officer Hopps..."
The rat frowned, momentarily trailing off. He then pointed a crooked finger at Judy before muttering;
"Say, I believe that this is our first time truly meeting in person, is it not, Judith?"
"I guess it is." She mumbled. "Don't expect me to shake your paw."
"Frankly, I'm not here for trivial greetings." Grygorri stated in a matter-of-fact sort of tone. "My only purpose is business: Nothing more, nothing less... Just business."
"Business, huh? You're gonna need a better reason than that to keep me from tranquing that smug look right off of your ugly mug!" Nick growled, gripping his weapon firmly.
"Hmm... Very well." Ratsputin mumbled in agreement as he reached into the inside of his court-suit. "Would this count as a better reason, Nicholas?"
The fox seized up as his emerald-colored eyes locked onto the glimmering surface of a silver-coated locket, dangling hypnotically between Ratsputin's gnarled fingertips.
"Hahh... H-how did you get that?" Nick stammered breathily.
"As I've told you before, a magician never reveals his secrets." Grygorri stated wickedly. "It matters not how I obtained it... What matters is what it is capable of."
"Nick... Is that...?" Judy muttered softy, to which the fox nodded his head in confirmation, causing the rat to smile from across the room. He spoke out loud;
"So you both recognize it. Excellent, excellent. I have a feeling that the three of us will make a wonderful team, wouldn't you agree?"
"Team? What are you getting at, rat?" Nick asked irritably.
"So daft as you are, to not see what is so clearly presented..." Ratsputin snarled. "This is my move, Nicholas... And you're going to be a part of it."
"If you really believe that that little piece of metal is enough to make us help you in any way, then you're sorely mistaken." The fox retorted.
"Oh, but that's not all! This pendant has seen much over its life, being over three hundred years old, but I'm afraid that it's only the beginning of your own problems."
"What do you mean?" Judy piped out from beside her foxy mate.
"Ugh, I despise those four words..." Ratsputin claimed, rubbing at his sinuses. "I hate having to explain myself to others. However..."
He reached out and pushed against the computer monitor atop the surface of the office desk, twisting the screen around until it faced the two officers.
"I reckon that this explains more than enough on its own."
Nick and Judy's twin sets of eyes widened at the sight of the security camera footage, which displayed a dark and burning mansion as it fell to the ground, a tiny, digital version of Nick running away from the scene with his clothes soaked in gasoline and caked in ash and dust: It was from the night that he had burned Vlad's mansion to the ground. Watching over that accident from so many years ago, the fox felt a pang of guilt swell in his chest. Working with Mr. Big had been a terrible mistake. His biggest regret.
"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers." Judy murmured.
"Mayor Lyncoln is such a stubborn soul. She refuses to bend to my whims. She simply doesn't trust me." Ratsputin snarled lowly. "You, on the other paw..."
The rat smiled wide as he eyed over the two officers. He continued;
"You are favorable in her eyes. I cannot get the documents myself, yet she is willing to entrust them upon you; an arsonist and a crooked cop... Isn't that funny?"
Judy seized up upon hearing Grygorri's previous statement.
"Yes, I know all about you, Judith..." He chuckled. "Every last little detail. Your cooperation with Mr. Big may very well be considered as treasonous to the ZPD."
"We needed his help for the case!" Judy shouted back. "If he hadn't helped us, Mayor Bellwether would have gotten away with her plot!"
"So, you're patting yourself on the back for working alongside a crime-lord, bravo." Ratsputin grumbled.
"Shut up!" The fox shouted to the rat, who glared at him irritably. "Just stop talking!"
Unimpressed, Ratsputin leaned back in his chair.
"So you see, Nicholas, every mammal has a price that he is willing to accept, even for what he hoped never to sell. Now your cause belongs to me."
He smirked triumphantly and narrowed his beady black eyes.
"You will bring the documents to my private estate in Tundra-Town no more than three hours from now. You both will come alone, and will be compliant to my whims."
"And if we don't?" Nick spat back bitterly. "What if we just arrest you right now? The public is on our side!"
The rat growled and shot to his feet, his back pushing against the chair behind him and causing it to topple over and fall to the ground. Though his head just barely reached over the top of the desk (which Nick would have found funny in just about any other scenario), Ratsputin still handled himself and his words with confidence and much vigor.
"The public? The public?!" He thundered menacingly. "You're even more absent-minded than I thought!"
Grygorri jabbed one of his crooked fingers at Nick, and twisted it around slowly, as if imagining his claw piercing through the fox's heart.
"I own the press! I own the media! So I own the public's opinion! I can ruin you, fox! I can completely overturn your world in an instant!"
Ratsputin roared, slamming his fist down on the wooden surface of the desk in front of him, causing a nearby glass of water to shake and nearly topple over.
"And when I do..." Ratsputin hissed harshly, his pointed white teeth bared menacingly. "I will be there to kick you while you're down!"
Silence enveloped the room to the count of five, every second of which the rat slowly breathed in and out, recomposing himself over time.
"You want us to bring you the documents, instead of taking them back to the ZPD..." Judy mumbled, breaking the previous silence. "But what happens after that?"
The rat seemed to think over the bunny's question; Staying silent for a few short seconds before eyeing her with a sense of contempt as he gave her his answer.
"The two of you are only ever a means to an end. Once I'm through with you both, we will part ways once and for all, as if nothing ever happened."
Nick nodded slowly, almost trance-like, seeing no clear way out of this one. He didn't see how the rat's scheme could possibly work, but he had a bad feeling that it was just another step in his master plan. The fox made himself a mental note to think up a plan of his own to get him and Judy out of this situation as soon as they were away from Ratsputin. An idea began to tug at his thoughts, but it left him as he noticed Ratsputin's movements: His glazed green eyes watched the rat as he tucked his paw into a pocket and pulled out a small, golden pocket watch, of which he glanced at momentarily before irritably shoving the tiny item back into its proper place within his archaic court-suit.
"You've served me well, officers." He stated. "I hate to leave you so soon, but I'd rather prefer to not deal with the nuisance that is the mayor's return."
"Yeah, pleasure doing business with you." Nick grumbled sarcastically, to which the rat smiled darkly.
"Then I most humbly take my leave. Goodbye for now, officers." He nodded his head. "For both our sakes, I do hope that you perform as instructed..."
Ratsputin then paced off in the direction of the wooden double doors, one of which he opened upon reaching. As the rat stepped into the door frame itself, he momentarily halted and glared harshly over his right shoulder; One coal-black eye locking directly with the fox's emerald colored orbs on the complete other side of the room. Grygorri pulled out the silver-coated amulet and wrung it around in his bony knuckles, making sure to keep the item within Nick's line of vision for every second that passed by. He spoke out;
"We wouldn't want anyone to know about our little secret, now would we?"
The rat's lips pulled apart in a cruel and maniacal smile. He kissed the metal surface of the locket before slipping it back into one of the pockets on the interior of his court suit.
"Remember this moment, lest you go from being an ally to an adversary... And that, dear officers, would only cause you pain."
Without another word to spare, the rat then closed the door shut firmly; His long and whip-like tail slipping through the door frame and just barely making it through without getting smashed between the closing slabs of wood. Anxious silence filled the room to the very brim. After all, just what was there to say after an experience like that one?
Nick and Judy were cornered: In his mind, the fox saw mental pictures of an army of shadowy black chess pieces surrounding a single, white colored king.
Check.
Hey everyone!
Despite the rather shorter chapter than usual, I assure you that the coming few chapters are gonna be much longer, and far more filled, with chapter 66 being the second part of the bonus chapter mini-series, Bats in the Belfry, which will follow up on the series of events that were concluded in the previous chapter some time ago! I already have most of it lain out, so it shouldn't be too long before it arrives!
Alongside the 66th chapter, the second part of Bats in the Belfry, the 67th chapter is in the works as well! Checkmate, the very final chapter of the Ratsputin arc. At long last, the longest and most complex arc of 'When Instinct Falls' thus far will be concluded in one, massive chapter, far longer than this one, and even the next one, too! The whole 5th story arc was designed to be this story's culmination of Nick and Judy's mistakes, with Ratsputin being the instigator. You'll finally learn every last detail of the rat's motivations and his master plan, and what it means for Nick and Judy, and the city of Zootopia as a whole. Once the puzzle pieces come together, it'll all make sense, I promise. I'm especially looking forward to writing about how Nick and Judy use their wits to save the day. I'm super excited to reveal the concluding chapter of this arc to you all, and I certainly hope that you're all excited for it as well!
Don't fret though, my friends: I have the majority of both the 6th, and 7th arcs respectively already planned out! Plenty more content to come, I promise!
I'm very much lookin' forward to the 66th chapter, though: It's so fun writing about Vladzotz and Lucy, and contrasting them properly.
That being said, I only have one final announcement before I bid you all adieu for now: We have just recently been gifted with a whole new slew of cool art contributions! One of them is an incredibly detailed sketch of Grygorri Ratsputin in his hidden personal archive, as depicted back in chapter 62. This one is very detailed as it is, and I think that it provides a brilliant insight into how the character himself looks and thinks!
Secondly, in honor of the previous chapter, we've also got ourselves an art-piece of Lucy Sang herself! This one is also fantastically detailed, and very well done! If you'd like to take a look at any of these wonderful works of art (Which quite frankly, I highly recommend), then you can find them on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically as this one here on fanfiction: upplet
I just love it when the community contributes itself to a project! Always so invigorating! :)
Lastly, do feel free to explain your thoughts on the previous, present, and coming chapters in a nice review! I would absolutely adore knowing what you all think of this project of ours, especially of the last bonus chapter, which I think is one of my very own personal favorite chapters thus far!
But regardless, I thank you all so very much for reading!
Well, that's pretty much all that I have for you lot at the moment, my friends! Do stay tuned for the coming chapters, of course! :)
'Till next time...
Peace!