"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect." - Vince Lambardi
7:00 A.M
If there were one thing that Nick wished he could learn from his wife, Judy, it would have been how to wake up feeling energized.
She had many admirable qualities, such as her unbreakable determination, fiery resolve for justice, and terrifyingly skillful fighting skills, yet past that, Nick found her ability to wake up prepared to take on the day to perhaps be her most impressive trait. He just didn't know how she could do it: How she could rise from her peaceful slumber, and practically be fully-dressed and out the door within a matter of mere minutes after setting foot out of bed. It virtually took Nick the same amount of time just to open his eyes.
And all the while, Judy would be egging him to rise and shine, pick up the pace, and shake off the chains of sloth. Talk about a harrowing morning routine.
Years of living in Finnick's rusty old van, lazily awaiting for the morning sun to shine through the windshield had molded the red fox's sleep schedule into that of one used to slow, nonchalant mornings filled with extra time for rest. Once Nick had joined the ZPD alongside Judy, however, it became clear that some habits did, in fact, die hard.
In the present, rubbing tenderly at his emerald eyes, Nick's vision blurred as he let out a yawn of weariness.
"So remind me again, what exactly's goin' on?" He asked, pinching at his brow.
"Major Friedkin wants to tell us... Something." Judy muttered aloud. "She didn't clarify, but she summoned us to her office to talk."
Nick shrugged nonchalantly. "It'd better be important, considering the time." He grumbled. "The next lesson isn't supposed to start for another hour."
"Whatever it is, if she wanted us to come and speak with her personally, it must be something important." The bunny officer concluded.
"Let's find out, shall we?"
The fox stifled another yawn just as his previous words left his mouth, ultimately causing Judy to repeat the action with a weary inhalation of her own.
"Stop that!" She chided after quickly recomposing herself. "You're making me do it."
"Aw, I knew you were really tired after all." Nick teased. "I mean, honestly, no one can be that energetic in the morning, right?"
Chuckling to herself, the rabbit officer simply rolled her eyes, choosing not to retort as she gestured to the office at the far end of the hallway.
Nick nodded, stroking at his chin. "Yeah, I remember this place-" He made a picture frame at the office with his fingers. "-Like it was yesterday."
"How so?"
"Last time I was here, it was during my first run through the academy. I was getting chewed out by the Major for pocketing coins from the vending machine."
"That was you?" Judy choked, suddenly stopping in her tracks altogether.
"Don't you know who you're talking to by now?"
Judy couldn't help but grin. "Sometimes a little too much, honestly." She quipped.
"Oh, you know you love me."
"Do I know that?" The rabbit stated with a sarcastic undertone to her words.
"I think I already know the answer to this one."
The two mammals held their smiling gazes with one another for a few flirtatious seconds; eyes opposing, yet boring into one another with unabated sympathy. As it turned out, all it took was a little teasing to wake Nick up proper. Soon recomposing themselves for the coming endeavor, the bunny and fox both promptly made their way down the remainder of the hallway before reaching the front door of the Major's office. It was a hefty door, at that, and they knew they wouldn't be able to open it together, but not long after knocking upon it, their problems were taken care of as Major Friedkin herself swung open the door, and beckoned the two of them inside with one of her big black claws.
Following their superior inside without a word to be said, Nick and Judy made their way over to one of the chairs that was situated near Friedkin's large desk. The chair itself was sizable enough to comfortably accommodate the both of them at the same time. Unlike Chief Bogo's office, which was unremarkably bland, the Major's place of work was decorated like a little home away from home, even despite her spending more time out in the field training her recruits than doing paperwork in here. The cream-colored walls were lined with hanging multicolored T-shirts, likely of various college sporting teams, and there was an entire wall dedicated to framed pictures. Each one displayed a large pack of varying mammals standing in lines on a steel bleacher: Classes of academy recruits from the past. Some went so far back that they were blemished with age, and grainy in quality. Judy even managed to spot the frame from her own year at the academy, and could see her own framed replica smiling back at her amongst the crowd of recruits.
She also managed to pick out officer McHorn, Delgado, and others of similar stature. Directly to the right of her own classes's frame, the rabbit singled out the one from Nick's time at the academy, just one year after hers. She didn't get to know many of the other recruits in that class, when she went there to help out Nick in his run through, but still smiled warmly in reminiscence of the many fun memories she had garnered from her time there, such as throwing fresh blueberries into Nick's mouth whenever he completed a pull-up, and assisting him with the dreaded obstacle course. In the picture, she could easily make out her own form standing beside Nick, both mammals saluting the camera.
The sight of it all was enough to make Judy let out a dreamy sigh of content.
Her mnemonic indulgence didn't last long, however, as Major Friedkin soon demanded her full attention with a throaty cough into her balled-up first.
"I'm sure you're both wondering why I called you in." The polar-bear began.
"Yeah, that's for sure." Nick replied. "Waking up this early in the morning just for a meeting is downright cruel."
"What my partner means to say," Judy quickly interjected, glaring at her husband. "Is that we're both very curious as to the reasoning behind this summons."
The polar-bear nodded, and plucked up a mug of coffee before seating herself in her office chair on the opposing side of the desk.
"Chief Bogo called in again. Apparently, late last night, he received some info that he thinks is related to the spy here at the academy." Friedkin explained.
"Really? Well, what'd he say?" The fox inquired, his interests suddenly piqued.
Grimacing with discomfort, the polar-bear took a long and silent sip from her coffee-mug before finally answering;
"Just the other day, some of Precinct Three's officers intercepted a shipment of narcotics from the Rainforest-District: A whole batch of Night-Howlers."
"What?" Judy interjected. "Night-Howlers? Are you sure?"
"Yes, that's what he told me. Chief Bogo said that they found a bunch of those uh, little blue orb things that were used as bullets by Mayor Bellwether and her minions in their scheme. They were taken to a forensics lab, and tested positive as Night-Howlers: The first ones seen in over four years. I was instructed to notify you two immediately."
Choosing to let that statement sink in, Major Friedkin leaned back in her office chair as she took another brief drink from her coffee-mug.
"Who could be behind this?" Judy asked warily, breaking the previous silence.
Friedkin shrugged. "Bogo believes that it might be Al Catpone's doing."
"Makes sense." Nick added. "From what I've heard, Catpone practically controls Zootopia's illegal drug market. But how could he be making Night-Howlers?"
The Major shook her head from side to side.
"I don't know. Bogo failed to disclose his thoughts on that question, so we can only guess. But in the end, it doesn't matter. He didn't call to explain all the details: He called to warn us, and to remind us to stay alert for anything suspicious, here. That's our job, alongside training the recruits. We need to keep our eyes peeled. You understand?"
"Yes sir." Judy claimed. "But... Is there anything else can we do to keep an eye out for the spy?"
Friedkin seemed to consider this for a moment; stroking at her chin in thought as her eyes darted to the ground. After a few moments of pondering, she had her answer.
"I think there might be a few ways we can up our game. We don't know what the spy is planning, or when, if at all, they intend on enacting this plan, but we can take some extra countermeasures to minimize the chances of something hazardous happening on our watch. Keeping on the lookout for suspicious activity is one thing, but another possibility we can pursue is to make better use of the security cameras. I've got them on at all times, trained in every direction in every hallway and room in this complex."
"Every room?" Nick asked nervously.
"Well, no, not every room." The Major clarified, sighing in exasperation. "You know what I meant! It's not like I'm spying on mammals in the restrooms."
"Good, because that'd just be weird."
"Are you done?" Friedkin grumbled.
"Major, I think this begs the question," Judy quickly interjected, if only to prevent her husband from making things even more awkward. "Have you seen anything?"
The polar-bear turned towards the bunny with raised eyebrows. "Anything suspicious? Not yet, no. Just the occasional cadet sneaking out past curfew to get snacks from the vending machines. Always made sure to chew them out later. Nothing worrisome, though I'm keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might qualify. I've still got more footage to roll through, from the past few days, and I'm gonna stay up all night tonight scanning over it."
Judy nodded. "Okay. So the cameras haven't caught anything... Yet... But they'll definitely be our best way of tracking any sketchy activity, though."
Friedkin nodded in agreement.
"That's right. And I'll be sure to notify you if something comes up. Aside from keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, and utilizing the cameras, another way that you two can keep yourselves one step ahead of the spy is to ask around. You've already warmed up to a lot of the recruits, but you can always try to get a better read on them. Schmooze up to the recruits, if you have to. Build a profile for them. Learn everything you can about them, while not giving away anything about yourselves. Like being undercover."
Nick snorted. "Yeah, I remember our last undercover excursion. Definitely one for the books."
"So long as you keep to your teaching duties, and don't blow your cover to the spy, then I don't care you how do it. Just be careful out there."
"Aw, don't you worry, Major." The fox promised with a playful salute. "We'll make you proud, yet."
Friedkin allowed herself a minuscule smile. "That'd be a first for you, Wilde." She teased, to which Nick chuckled to himself.
"Now you're just being hurtful."
"So, Major," Judy piped out, hoping to keep her husband from verbally painting them into a corner. "What's the lesson going to be today, anyways?"
"I'm glad you asked, Sergeant Hopps!" Friedkin claimed before grinning mischievously. "We'll be working on marksmanship."
"Sounds fun!"
"Yeah, reminds me of that time I accidentally shot you in the leg with a dart-gun, remember?" Nick added, nudging his wife with his elbow.
"I try not to." The rabbit grumbled.
She then momentarily shook her head before turning her attention back to her superior.
"Will the recruits be using dart-guns or real ones?"
"Darts, of course." The polar bear responded. "We'll save the real ones for another lesson. Perhaps later this week."
"Now that sounds terrifying." Nick muttered.
Friedkin then replied back as she rose from her chair;
"Only as terrifying as you make it, officers. You'll be helping to teach them how to shoot, after all. Meet me down at the new range in an hour. Got it?"
"Yes sir." Vulpine and lapin spoke in unison.
The Major nodded, pleased with her efforts.
"Good. Until then, you're both dismissed."
Nick and Judy unseated themselves from their oversized chair; dropping to the ground before looking up at their superior.
"Now wait just a second, before we go..." The fox mused. "Did you just say new range?"
Upon seeing Major Friedkin's near-sadistic grin, Nick almost wished that he hadn't asked in the first place.
"Yup! Like I told you before, the ZPA's gotten all kinds of new upgrades since you two last set foot here. We still have the classic shooting range, but the budget for our last, eh, modification, so to say, managed to throw in a brand new one. Indoors, like the first, but completely mechanical, with moving targets and immersive sound effects."
"That sounds so cool!" Judy exclaimed, her ears shooting up in excitement. "I can't wait to try it out."
The polar bear chuckled heartily.
"I'm sure you can't. One hour's time, building five, room two-sixty-two. Don't be late!"
8:00 A.M
Together, Nick and Judy spent the next hour of their morning preparing for the lesson ahead of them.
Both mammals knew that it would be an important one. Out there in the real world, past the security and guidance of the academy, there were plenty of hidden dangers in need of swift takedowns, and because of that, a police officer could never be too careful when on the beat. There were plenty of times when Nick and Judy have had to think fast, and act even faster in order to protect themselves and their comrades on the force. To be able to help teach the academy recruits those same skills was an experience that both bunny and fox alike keenly anticipated. The two of them both vividly remembered their own first lessons with marksmanship, during their own respective runs through the Zootopia Police Academy, all those years ago. Dart guns were especially fun to work with, as their incapacitating power was greater than that of even real firearms, all with minimal potential for injury, though being properly trained in the usage of both types was an important lesson to behold for any up and coming ZPD officer.
Having a steady aim could be just as important as having a strong body, deep intellect, or sharp wit, when it came to keeping order as an officer of the law, after all.
Nick and Judy took the time to fill themselves up with a hearty breakfast at the mess-hall before setting out to the rendezvous point with Major Friedkin and the other recruits. The fox himself was happy to be able to eat more than usual, knowing that today's lesson didn't come with the chance of vomiting it all back up, unlike the athletic-related lessons such as running and combat, and even Major Friedkin's terrifyingly boring Power-Point lectures, which were enough to make any mammal lose their lunch.
With their bodies fueled-up and minds clear, the two officers set out toward the new indoor shooting range where the latest lesson was taking place. Last time they had checked, the academy had had only a simple target range for marksmanship training, but if the Major's claims about a brand new mechanical range were to be believed, then it was apparent that Nick and Judy had yet another new activity to try out with their subordinates. Judy herself was especially excited to bare witness to the coming event.
After a few minutes of meandering through the barren, milky-gray halls of the academy's West-Wing, vulpine and lapin alike eventually came across a set of large double-doors at the end of a connective hallway. The words Shooting Range were plastered just above the door in bold black letters, identifying the room within as their final destination. Steeling themselves for what was to come, Nick and Judy immediately pushed upon the doors, and entered the room. Within, their twin sets of eyes flitted around the sight of a massive white and gray hall, flanked by rows of ranges on each side. At the far end of the hall stood Major Friedkin, along with all of the ZPA cadets.
As they approached the shooting range itself, Nick and Judy began to notice the finer details of the place. This was no ordinary shooting range: It was a shooting simulation, complete with gray-brick walls and hallways, open windows, and automated metal doors. Nick suspected that those doors would swing open to reveal targets, and that said targets would also pop up in other various places throughout the range, such as around corners and behind windowsills. Neither bunny nor fox had had the privilege of training on such a high-tech simulation during their own respective runs through the police academy, in the past, but being able to experience it now was definitely something to look forward to, they anticipated. Surrounding the range's end, all of the recruits were milling around in droves, awaiting orders from Major Friedkin, who stood nearby, watching Nick and Judy as they drew closer to the vicinity. She politely nodded their way, smiling wide, before turning her attention elsewhere, and then pacing off.
Near the edge of the course was a large dashboard choked full of colorful buttons and levers, no doubt the controlling force behind the simulation. Positioned directly beside the dashboard was a table piled up with several dozen tranquilizer guns. Major Friedkin selected one for herself before clearing her throat with enough force to break ice.
"Alright listen up, new-bloods!" She bellowed. "Today, you're gonna be doin' some practice with tranquilizers."
Nodding and shuffling amongst themselves with anticipation, the class of recruits almost seemed a little too ready to get their paws on some weapons. Likewise, both Nick and Judy perked up at the notion of the Major's latest assignment. Getting to witness the recruits train with firearms would be fun. Friedkin then went on to explain the lesson;
"If you want to become a police officer, you need to learn how to handle yourself around a ranged weapon. The ZPD utilizes two types: The tranquilizer kind, and the bullet kind. Today you'll be workin' with the tranquilizer kind, because I don't trust the half of you not to blow holes in your squad-mate's ears! Most standard crime scenarios out in the streets involve officers usin' the dart-guns, anyways, so we'll leave training with real firearms for another time. Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after. You got all that?"
"Yes sir!" The class shouted out in unison, causing the Major to grin with amusement before gesturing to the course behind her.
"This street simulator is designed to evaluate your ability to assess when, and when not to use incapacitating force! You'll be usin' your tranq-guns to shoot at our life-like target dummies. Some are depicted as harmless civilians - the kind of mammals you don't want to shoot with a paralyzing dart - while others..."
Purposefully trailing off as she pressed a button on the dashboard, the Major turned around and took aim down the range as one of the aforementioned target dummies - a wooden cutout in the shape of an antelope with a knife in its grip - popped out of a doorway on metal hinges. Without words, Major Friedkin then casually shot the dummy with her tranquilizer gun; all of the recruits watching with awe as the green-feathered dart impaled itself directly on the antelope's neck with an audible thwick noise.
It was a perfect shot, yet none of the recruits bothered saying anything as the Major proceeded to turn around and concluded her previous statement;
"Need to get dropped!"
Some of the recruits nodded in agreement and excitement. One lanky hare at the front of the pack leaned over to one of the other recruits and whispered;
"I wonder what the highest score on this game is."
A few snickers ensued, that was, until Major Friedkin marched over and glowered down at the jesting hare with enough intensity to melt stone.
"We got a joker, huh? Well, since you like showin' off so much, I'm sure you won't mind bein' the first one to give it a shot! Literally!"
The Major then reloaded her tranquilizer gun with a fresh batch of darts before tossing the item to the hare, who caught it between fumbling fingers.
"Go on, then." The polar-bear beckoned, gesturing to the edge of the shooting range. "Step on up and show us what you got, Joker."
"Uh, y-yes sir."
Swallowing nervously, the hare slowly approached the point of assignment before planting his feet and pointing the dart-gun down range, ready to fire.
"Watch and learn, cadets! We got a master marksman at the plate!" Major Friedkin shouted sarcastically, causing many of the other recruits to laugh.
She then continued;
"You all need to be able to learn how to assess your situation fast, and shoot even faster! Or guess what? You'll be dead!"
At that, the Major turned to her dashboard before clicking on a few buttons, causing the contraption to whir to life. The class watched with silent intent, and both Nick and Judy took note of the hare's trembling wrists. Clearly inexperienced with a firearm, he kept his elbows weak and grip far from firm, though if Friedkin noticed anything, she didn't point it out in correction. Instead, she grinned mischievously, watching closely at the hare as he timidly readied himself.
The hare gulped, glancing nervously between the various open spaces around him, trying to predict where his target would appear. There was a slight grinding sound, and without thinking, the hare shrieked in fear before shooting one of his darts directly into the smiling face of a cutout bear cub holding a strawberry ice-cream cone.
He exhaled pitifully, defeated in his efforts.
"What's the matter with you, Joker?!" Major Friedkin shouted from across the range. "You just skewered an innocent child!"
Nick couldn't help but crack a smile. The Major had definitely succeeded in getting her point across. Plucking the tranquilizer gun away from the hare before sending him back in line, Friedkin then tossed the item back onto the nearby table along with all of the other dart-guns before turning her attention toward the crowd in front of her.
"Each of you new-bloods needs to keep your head clear, and stay focused on your shooting! Otherwise, you may end up missing your intended target, or even worse; dartin' an innocent bystander. And that just makes more paperwork for everyone, so make the most use of this simulation while you can, before you hit the streets."
"Yes sir!" The chorus of cadets rang out.
"Get to it, then!" Major Friedkin ordered, pointing at the table piled high with tranquilizers.
Once the words left her mouth, the pack of recruits then descended upon the table, with each one selecting a fresh tranquilizer gun before making their way on over to the start of the simulation, and lining up to wait their turn. A few even tripped over themselves in excitement as they rushed to the start of the course. While Major Friedkin made sure the simulation was in working order, and Judy skirt along the edge of the crowd, trying to keep the recruits from dog-piling eachother, Nick took the time to spot out Harlan and Mary amongst the crowd. He considered the idea of talking with them some more, as aside from Judy and Friedkin herself, they were the only other two mammals at the academy that Nick had truly gotten to know, these past few weeks. Then again, as he thought back to what the Major had instructed him and Judy to do - to build a profile for the recruits - he began to figure that it might be best to broaden his approach, and learn more about some of the other cadets, to help narrow down the field of search.
He didn't exactly figure Mary nor Harlan to be spy material, anyways.
Scanning over the crowd, Nick caught sight of the lean hare that Major Friedkin had berated earlier standing at the back of the line, far behind his fellow recruits, holding his assigned tranquilizer gun dejectedly as if it were a third-place trophy from a three-person competition. Clearly, he was still feeling rather humiliated from before.
The fox smiled to himself, now knowing exactly where to start.
As he approached the recruit from behind, he took note of the hare's light beige fur, and slovenly posture. He had ears even larger than Judy's, and stood just about an inch shorter than Nick himself. His gray and blue ZPA gym uniform was wrinkled, as though it hadn't gotten a good cleaning in a few days. From what Nick had heard in the past, hares apparently took offense at being compared to bunnies, not too different from how bunnies took offense to being called cute, and so, the fox made himself a mental note not to step on the hare's toes too much, especially after that vicious verbal beatdown from Major Friedkin that he had just suffered through. He could use a bit of a break.
Nick sauntered up to the hare's side. "What's up?" He asked in a nonchalant tone of voice.
Despite all of the suave effort and charm he put into his introduction, the hare still jumped ever-so slightly at the sound of the fox's voice.
"Oh! Hi! Uh, n-nothing much." He stammered. "Just... Just watching the others."
The hare trailed off, his gaze flitting around the pack of mammals standing before him, with his eyes seemingly resting on Friedkin a millisecond longer than the rest.
"There's no need to be too intimidated by her, you know." Nick claimed.
Swallowing nervously, the hare tried his best not to appear flustered. "You mean the Major? Oh, well, I'm not intimidated by her!"
The fox raised an eyebrow pointedly.
"Alright, fine." The hare muttered before sighing in distress. "You're right. She's kind of scary."
Together, Nick and his new associate silently watched as the Major chewed out another recruit for accidentally shooting an elderly cutout cheetah in the face.
"You're dead, maggot!" The Major yelled. "Dead!"
"Scary." Nick repeated. "Yeah, that's putting it lightly." He said flatly, gesturing to the scene before him.
To his surprise, the hare actually chuckled, and with it, Nick found himself smiling too.
"But you don't have to be afraid of her." He added, turning toward and locking eyes with the hare. "It's just her job, after all. She's tough, but it's a tough love."
The hare nodded, his own smile growing warmer by the second. "Yeah... I understand. Thanks for the advice, officer Wilde."
Nick shrugged. "Just doin' my job." He claimed. "What's your name, anyways?"
"Harold." The hare stated as he reached out with one of his paws. "Harold McCoy."
Donning his trademark half-lidded grin (all the while resisting the urge to comment on the hare's all-too fitting first name), Nick promptly took hold of the recruit's paw within his own before administering a firm shake. Nick had always considered himself as a mammal with decent social skills, so to be able to add another name to his mental list of buddies was definitely a gratifying thought. Still, the fox knew that he shouldn't warm up to the recruits too much. One of them was a potential criminal spy, after all.
At that thought, Nick took a brief glance up and down the hare's lanky body, using another skill that he had personally perfected throughout his years on the streets: Analyzing other mammals. With his wiry body, timid personality, and slacking posture, Harold didn't exactly strike the fox as someone capable of performing complex tasks, especially while under the guise of a false identity. He just didn't seem like the spying type. Then again, looks could be deceiving, after all: When Nick had first met Judy, spotting her out with that ridiculous meter-maid (aka clown vest) outfit of hers, he never could have guessed that she had such lightning-speed reflexes, resolute determination, or a kick capable of knocking out mammals twice her size. Sometimes, trying to deduce a mammal's motivations and personality just by appearance alone was a doomed effort.
Still, it was difficult to imagine Harold as a threat to anything other than cutout bear cubs. Nick let go of the hare's paw before letting out a sigh of content.
"C'mon, let's go and get you a spot in the line, Joker." He teased, intent on making that nickname stick. "We'll work on those shooting skills of yours."
Harold chuckled, this time not bothered by the fox's approach. "Right then! Let's get to it." He stated with renewed enthusiasm before jumping into the line.
With the memory of his first encounter with his beloved mate fresh on his mind, Nick found himself searching for her amongst the crowd of recruits. He paced alongside Harold, and after a few seconds of careful scanning, spotted Judy at the front of the pack, helping one of the cadets - a sleek male otter - reload their tranquilizer gun. Judy looked up from her work, and momentarily locked eyes with Nick, smiling, before turning her attention back to the recruit, who had somehow accidentally gotten one of their fingers jammed into the gun's loading compartment. Around them, the other recruits were beginning to fan out; taking advantage of the additional shooting courses and simulations, rather than just waiting for their turn at the one that Major Friedkin had demonstrated at. Thankfully, it seemed that with a flick of the button on the Major's control console, all of the different simulations were able to simultaneously provide the same experience to the recruits who used them. The room was buzzing with the sounds of darts being fired, wooden cutouts grinding into position, cursing mammals, and the occasional voice of Major Friedkin shouting "Dead, dead, dead!" at some poor recruit nearby.
Truly a marvel of modern-day crime-simulation engineering.
After watching a few other recruits try their turn at one of the shooting ranges, together, Nick and Harold approached the start of the course, ready to give it a shot of their own. The fox stood directly by his new friend's side, and pulled out a tranquilizer gun of his own before holding it up and clearing his throat to Harold. He started;
"Alright, Joker, I'm gonna teach ya a few things about marksmanship. Three things, to be specific. First things first; always keep the safety on when you're not actively using this thing. Doesn't matter if it's a dart gun or a real one. Like the Major said, the last thing you want is to accidentally shoot someone else. Rule number two: Do not point your weapon at anything that isn't a threat, or a target. Whether the safety's on or not, you need to refrain from acting rash. And rule number three, just for keeps: When you get out there on the streets, always expect something to go wrong, eventually. Dart guns are one-shot take-downs, but you'd be surprised how often they fail. Always!"
"Always?" Harold repeated skeptically.
"Always." Nick grumbled, glancing off to the side. "It's remarkable just how little these things work when you actually need them to."
"What do you mean?"
"Nevermind." The fox muttered, waving the question aside with his left paw. "Just don't expect things to go your way one-hundred percent of the time. Make sense?"
"Uh, yes sir." Harold stated with a steadfast salute, to which Nick simply chuckled.
"Don't worry, you don't have to salute me." He claimed. "I'm just a guy doin' his job."
The hare smiled, seemingly grateful for his superior's lackadaisical nature. "Sure thing."
"Alright, you ready to try this out again?"
"Yeah! Let's do this."
Nodding in approval, Nick then assumed a readied shooting stance; with arms raised, elbows straightened out, and gun pointed downrange. Harold mimicked his pose.
"Now, I may not be the best runner, fighter, or lifter on the force, but I've always considered myself a pretty decent shot." The fox added. "Watch my form."
Staring carefully at the range before him, Nick analyzed all of the potential spots for targets to appear - Gray alleys, open windows, manholes, and even dumpsters. One could never be too careful. He kept a steady aim and a firm grip on his gun all the while, and maintained his fortified posture while awaiting for a potential target to show itself. In a flash, one of the doorways suddenly swung open, and a hulking rhino cutout pushed its way forward. Within milliseconds, Nick deduced the target to be harmless: The rhino was large, covered in tattoos, and had a brutish face complete with a scarily long horn jutting out from his nose, but he standing still, and was empty-handed, save for a bag full of groceries held against his side. Just a civilian. The fox grinned, pleased with himself for not darting a false target. That would have just been embarrassing.
After a few short seconds, the rhino cutout was pulled back into the door, which slammed itself shut as though a ghost had just passed through it. Nick continued scanning the environment before him, and immediately, another potential target came into view, though this time, there were two: One ferret cutout on metal hinges being pushed out from behind the corner of an alley, and a grizzled platypus with a gun clutched in his paws peeking out through an open window. With two potential threats, Nick's instincts kicked into high-gear. He knew he'd have to choose a single target to dart first, and that meant identifying which one of the two was the greatest threat. Taking a closer look at the ferret standing in the alley, Nick took note of his extended claws and snarling expression, indicating aggression, but lack of true weapons. The platypus in the window, on the other hand, had a cutout gun that was pointing straight at Nick. All of this was registered in an instant. Without hesitation, the fox shot at the platypus with a dart square to the shoulder. A fleeting ding echoed from somewhere above, likely as an indicator of a successful shot, and then both targets were withdrawn back into their hiding places.
"Still got it." Nick gloated, pulling the end of his gun away from the range and then blowing a stream of air at the tip of the gun for dramatic effect.
"That was awesome!" Harold praised from the side, causing the fox to grin to himself as he turned toward and locked eyes with the beige-colored hare.
"Thanks." He stated in gratitude. "In situations like that, ya gotta know how to act fast."
"Okay, okay." The hare muttered in anticipation before resuming his shooting stance. "Ready!"
"Show 'em whatcha got, Joker." Nick said as he stepped back, giving his shooting partner some extra room, just in case.
He watched Harold as he stared down the range with renewed zeal. The hare's posture was now much better than his previous attempt from before, and Nick didn't spot any problems worth addressing with it. His paws were no longer shaking, his stance was solid, and his grip appeared as firm as ever.
Nodding in approval, the fox then took note of one new trait that had suddenly caught his attention: Harold was holding his breath.
"Hold up for a second." Nick interjected. "There's no need to be starving yourself of oxygen, you know. Just breath in, and keep it steady."
Harold exhaled the breath of air that he had been holding in. "Steady, yeah." He panted before taking in another swift slew of breaths as he recomposed himself.
"The best time to shoot at a still target is just after the exhale, and before the proceeding inhale." Nick added, to which Harold shook his head in understanding.
At that, Harold took in another slow, steady breath, momentarily closing his eyes before opening them with determination. He said no words, but as he stared down the range, Nick could tell that he was still feeling somewhat anxious, even if his confidence had bolstered, simultaneously. For a fleeting moment, Nick considered grabbing the hare's shoulders and yelling out, "Boo!", but he figured that that would be in bad taste, even for his standards. Instead, he pushed that thought from his mind, and simply grinned to himself as he eyed over Harold's form. Down the range, a garbage can propped-up next to a fake car suddenly popped open. Nick realized too late that it was a ploy.
With no time to spare, Harold shot his dart, and it sailed across the open space in front of him before impaling itself in the eye of an unarmed, smiling cutout raccoon child, who must have been curiously snooping around the garbage. Harold let out a groan of disappointment, and his posture slackened once again. Nick sighed, but soon found himself smiling as he pat his subordinate on the back in a gesture of reassurance. The hare slowly raised his head and looked up at his superior with a defeated gaze.
"Don't worry about it, Joker." Nick said. "We'll make you that master marksman, yet."
Harold's shoulders straightened themselves out a little. "You really think so, sir?"
The fox shrugged. "Well, you know what they say," He began easily. "Practice makes perfect."
As soon as the word's reached his large ears, the hare allowed himself a simple smile.
"Yeah, I suppose it does."
Meanwhile, from across the hall, Judy smiled wide, proud of her husband's efforts to teach and reassure one of his subordinates. She had been watching the two of them for the past few minutes; sparing occasional glances towards them whenever she wasn't busy with her own tutelage. The bunny was pleased with Nick for doing his best, and had a feeling that Harold would hone his skills in no time. Nonetheless, Judy herself had her own problems to attend to. After helping a skunk recruit pull out a dart that had somehow gotten tangled up in the fur on his bushy tail, the rabbit officer excused herself to pace around the length of the range, and spot out other recruits in need of aid.
Most of the cadets had things handled well enough on their own, even though there was still a lot of cursing and blaring mechanical noises as darts hit their unintended targets, not to mention Major Friedkin's not-so infrequent tirades, which echoed around the space of the shooting hall like an avalanche. She spotted Harlan and Mary practicing on a range together, with the larger wolf pointing down at one of the targets, instructing his sheep friend to show some confidence and give it her all. Judy smiled, pleased to see that those two were getting along nicely. She made herself a mental note to check-in with them later on, after the lesson was over.
At the far end of the hall, Judy noticed a lone mole recruit practicing by himself with one of the ranges. The bunny promptly set towards him, intent on seeing his progress firsthand, and prepared to offer some advice. As she approached him from behind, she deduced this particular recruit to be a common mole species, standing about a foot and a half shorter than herself. He was stout and pudgy, and had no remarkable features save for a tiny scar on his left cheek, and a pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose. He reminded Judy of that star-nosed mole police chief from the city-council meeting a few months back, Bertolt Condy, she remembered his name to be, the chief of the ZPD's Precinct Six branch down in the Nocturnal-District.
Thankfully, though, this common mole didn't have any disgusting tentacles sprouting from his nostrils, and was clean-shaven around the face. He looked so simple and unremarkable that it was almost hard for Judy to believe her own two eyes as she stared down his range of practice and took in the sight of his handiwork.
Each target that he fired upon had multiple darts sticking out of vital areas such as the neck, shoulders, and thighs; soft-tissue targets perfect for clean take-downs with tranq darts. The mole calmly reloaded his dart gun before aiming downrange and firing another shot directly into the throat of a cutout black-bear. Judy spared a glance back at the other ranges and recruits that she had witnessed that day. None of them compared to the level of precision that this mole had, save for Nick himself.
She took it upon herself to take the time to congratulate this lone mole in his efforts.
"You're a pretty good shot!" Judy exclaimed, beaming with pride. "What's your name?"
The mole turned around and eyed Judy over with swift and beady black eyes. He smiled politely.
"Thank you! You can call me Eugene. It's an honor to speak with you, Lieutenant Hopps!" He said before turning his gaze back to the range.
Judy's long ears perked up even more.
Guess the mole already knows who I am. No need for introductions, then. Her mind told itself.
"The honor's all mine." She stated with pride. "It's been a pleasure to help train the next batch of ZPD recruits."
"And you've been doing a truly marvelous job with that." Eugene complimented, his eyes still trained on the targets in front of him.
Watching her subordinate as he scanned over the simulation before him, Judy took an even closer look at the mole's sturdy posture and solid hold on the tranquilizer gun. His beady eyes were aligned perfectly with the sights on the gun, and when another hostile target came into view - a leopard with a baseball bat - he fired the dart effortlessly into the offending target's neck. He reloaded the gun with swift paws, and trained it back downrange just in time for another threatening cutout to rear around the corner of a stack of oil-drums, only to get nailed right in the thigh with Eugene's next dart. His accuracy with the tranquilizer gun rivaled that of her husband, Nick.
"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" The rabbit found herself asking.
Eugene shrugged. "Just a talent, I guess." He muttered as he reloaded his magazine.
Judy begged to differ, as precision like that rarely came from anything less than weeks of practice.
The rabbit felt a sly grin begin to grow upon her face. "You've been coming here to practice at night, haven't you? Using the range before everyone else."
At that accusation, Eugene glanced up from his gun and simply winked at Judy, confirming her suspicions.
"Just after the lessons are over, when everyone else is showering." He clarified. "I haven't been doing anything here that'd get me in trouble, I think."
Judy planted her paws on her hips as she explained;
"I don't have anything against you fitting in some extra practice, but sneaking around past curfew can be risky."
Judy bit back the urge to add that it was risky because a potential criminal spy was afoot, but apparently, Eugene must have assumed her to be referring to Friedkin.
"Don't worry ma'am, I'm sure my sharpshooting will keep me safe from the Major, if she ever finds out!" He joked with a slight chuckle as he hefted his gun.
The bunny allowed herself a laugh of her own.
"Yeah, right." She murmured softly, momentarily glancing to the side before snapping her attention back to the mole. "Just try not to do it anymore, alright?"
Eugene grinned. "Alright, alright, I won't. I promise. Don't you worry."
Judy nodded in approval, pleased with her efforts. "Good. No more rule-breaking. Keep up the good work, though!" She exclaimed with a dual pair of thumbs-up.
The mole returned the gesture good-naturedly.
Smiling to herself, Judy then paced off, intent on checking-in with her husband, all the while pondering over what she had just witnessed. It seemed that there was a surprising amount of diverse talent abound in this class of recruits. It was just like Friedkin had said when her and Nick had first arrived, all those weeks ago: This class truly did have a lot of potential. The bunny was beyond proud to play a part in their training, and to help teach this next generation of police officers how to be the best cops they could.
And that, if anything, was a personal cause worth cherishing, to Judy Hopps.
Hey everyone!
I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of ours! It was fun to write, and I'd love to know your thoughts on it in the form of a review! :)
Not too much happened in this chapter, but it was still fun to write, nonetheless. The idea of Nick and Judy doing some further teaching at the academy with their subordinates in the fine art of marksmanship was something I always wanted to try out, but lacked the proper ideas to make happen, that was, until I figured I could try to make the thing as zany as the obstacle course, and thus, we now have the ZPD shooting simulation, complete with life-like cutouts! However, I still wish to thank WolfofAvalon for helping to provide me with the ideas and motivation needed to conjure up that particular contraption. Your insight has proved helpful, and I hope you found the scene to be an amusing one. Thanks!
Next up for announcements, I'd just like you all to know that I have finally finished going back and revising every last chapter of WIF; Omitting crude scened, rewriting others, fixing (most) grammar mistakes and typos, etc. I think the first half of this story is now a lot better than it was, say, six months ago. I also did the same for the AO3 version of the story over on Archive of Own, too! Glad I got all that over with. I still wouldn't call the first half of this story as good as the second half, but now, I am much more at ease with it. Just thought I'd let you know.
Lastly, I'll have you know that the next chapter will not only be covering more academy stuff with Nick and Judy and company (we'll be learning a bit more about some other characters, while we're at it), but will also feature a new plot-driving scene with Chief Bogo as he pieces together things behind the scenes back at Precinct Once. You'll be learning some more about the other recruits, further broadening suspicion for who the spy truly could be. You'll be seeing a few old forgotten plot-points brought back up, new answers provided, and new questions arisen, all the while still being given that Nick/Judy content that you all just love so much. It'll be a very fun chapter! Stay tuned!
Past that, I don't have much else to say, aside from the fact that my tumblr and DeviantArt accounts have gotten some cool new fan-art on it, including the likes of Chief Latran, Lucy, and even Ivar the walrus. More character pieces, but all still fun to see. Feel free to check them out, if you'd like!
Thanks a lot for reading, and do stay tuned for the next chapter! I can't wait to release it, but until then, do please leave a review!
'Till next time...
Peace!