"A promise made must be a promise kept." - Aristotle
4:30 PM ; Happytown, Savanna-Central...
The glass was still falling to the ground when Al touched down and lunged. Judy's dart gun came up and fired with impressive speed and precision, with Nick's only a fraction of a second behind. The enhanced predator swerved suddenly, causing the darts to miss his fur by inches. Al blurred away down a different catwalk. Judy chased after him, but by the time she made it to the turn, Al had disappeared into the choking mist pouring from the damaged pipes. The rabbit came up short, not willing to run blindly through the fog.
Nick jogged behind her, his dart gun at the ready. A quick glance told him everything he needed to know. "So, we have a savage jaguar in a low visibility environment. Ain't that just peachy," he groused, the stress in his voice apparent.
Judy didn't answer. Her long ears were up, twitching and swerving as she focused. She huffed in annoyance when all she could hear was machinery and the shouts and bangs of the raid going on below.
"No luck, huh?" Nick asked, though he didn't expect an answer. After a moment's tense silence, he continued, voice a touch pitched with fright, "W-We're going after the scary savage mob boss, aren't we?"
Judy didn't answer. She just started moving forward.
Nick sighed, but didn't hesitate to follow. He couldn't help one more quip for good measure. "If we die here, I'd just like to say that you're not as annoying as I first thought."
In spite of herself, Judy couldn't help the sardonic smirk that broke over her lips. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Slick. Now pipe down. I need to hear."
Nick complied, his mouth shutting with a click of teeth. Then they stepped into the blinding mist. By now, the scalding temperature within the clouds had reduced to a more bearable sweltering one, but visibility had not improved. If anything, the steam had only spread farther, making for more ground with less clarity. For long seconds they walked, muscles drawn tight, ready to react to any threat that might spring out at them. But it never came. Nick tried to deduce Al's location through scent, but the exhaust from the vents interfered with his nose's accuracy. His heart beat in his chest with so much force that it was almost painful. The only thing that kept him from going full-blown panic-mode was his hope in Judy's acute sense of sound.
The mist cleared a bit and they paused to look around. Pipes clogged the open space above their heads, machinery rose up to either side, and heavy vapors blocked the way forward and the way back. Claustrophobic was a strong word, but Nick thought it apt.
"Carrots-"
Judy cut him off with a raised paw. The rabbit leaned forward, squinting into the fog ahead. Something about how the mist swirled wasn't right. She readied her pistol. Nick, picking up on her queues, readied his own.
A spotted paw swiped at them from above, claws parting through the fog like knives. Nick barely ducked in time, and Judy instinctively dove forward, rolling to a halt and aiming toward the source of the attack. Al snarled at her from between the pipes that crisscrossed above their heads before he lept away to conceal himself among the vents and machinery. For such a colorful mammal, he blent in remarkably well with the environment, in no small part due to all the haze.
Lowering her dartgun, Judy tsked in annoyance before turning to Nick. The fox rose from where he'd thrown himself to the grating. With a pained hiss, he touched the top of his head and pulled away. A drop of blood glistened on his finger pad. Judy's eyes widened.
"Nick! Are you okay?!"
"Don't worry your pretty little head, Carrots," Nick dismissed her worries. "It's just a scratch is all." He wiped the blood off on his tactical vest. "Way too close," he muttered crossly. "But we've got bigger, uglier problems to worry about. You see where that cat slinked off to?"
Judy stared at Nick with worry, but forced herself to drop it to focus on the mission. "He went this way. C'mon."
She turned and led the way through the fog, Nick following close behind. The piping, ducts, and support columns that boxed around the catwalk were mazelike. Every sound seemed to echo around them, making pinpointing their origins difficult. It was times like these when Nick wished he had the ability to echolocate, like a bat. No matter how good his night-vision was, he wouldn't have an edge in this kind of environment. He only hoped that Al didn't feel more confident.
Nick couldn't resist a slight chuckle. The thought of bats made him reminisce of his battle with Vladzotz Fangpyre in the flaming halls of his manor, Castle Fangpyre. It felt like so long ago. Nick would have taken that hellscape over this one in a heartbeat. At least then, he could see his enemy, not to mention the fact that said enemy was a diminutive vampire bat, as opposed to a hulking jaguar.
The duo paused as they came to another crosswalk. The thick haze spread out in front and to the right, but the left path was relatively clear, with better visibility. They could actually see to the end of the walk, where it appeared to terminate at the warehouse wall.
A loud clang drew their attention, and the partners spun to face the left path. As they watched, a large wrench clattered to the grating. Judy's heart skipped a beat. It was a distraction!
With a savage yowl, Catpone erupted from the fog behind them. The predator lunged for Judy's back, shoulder checking Nick in the process, tossing the fox into and over the railing. Judy was turned halfway around when the jaguar reached her, jaws snapping. The rabbit threw herself back just enough to avoid the flesh rending fangs, but couldn't quite avoid the follow up swipe of his massive paw. Her tactical vest saved her from being split apart by his claws, but the sheer force of the blow threw her back to bounce down the walkway.
After he fell over the railing, Nick just managed to snap his arms out and snag the edge of the catwalk as it flew by. He jolted to a stop and gasped as a shock of pain shot through his shoulders. The clattering of his gun falling through the pipes to the hard concrete floor far below rose to his ears through the din.
When she finally skid to a halt, Judy sat up with a gasp, trying to get back the breath that had just been knocked out of her. Al was already pouncing toward her, claws extended. The rabbit kicked into a backward roll, letting the big cat's paws crash down on the grating where she'd been an instant before. The moment her feet were underneath her, Judy kicked back again, desperate to make enough room to bring her dart gun to bear. With startling speed, the jaguar made another lunge, this time with an upward backhand. The back of his paw crashed into the gun just as Judy pulled the trigger. The dart went wide and the gun flew from Judy's grip off over Al's head.
Nick was just pulling himself up when the stray dart bounced off the grating inches from his paw. With a startled curse, he fell back, barely managing to keep his grip on the edge of the walkway. Gritting his teeth with the effort, he pulled himself up again. When his chin was above the edge, his eyes widened as he spotted his partner's gun on the grating barely an arm's length away.
Now without a weapon, Judy tried to duck back again, only to be brought up short as her back hit cold brick. They were at the end of the catwalk. She only had an instant to absorb this before Catpone snapped at her again. Timing it just right, she punished him with a high kick to the bottom of his chin, snapping his jaw shut with tooth cracking force.
Expecting her opponent to be at least a little stunned from such a blow, Judy was dismayed when Al just backed off a bit, glared at her with green, bloodshot eyes, and then swiped at her again. The rabbit quickly reasoned that her foe's pain tolerance must have gone up thanks to the drug. Judy gasped, ducking under the blow and trying to scurry past him. A stomp with his hind paw brought her up short, and a lunge from his other paw forced her back. Her spine hit the cold brick for the second time.
With a grunt, Nick heaved his chest up onto the catwalk. Risking another glance Judy's way and seeing her dire situation, he reached for the dart gun that lay just on the other side of the catwalk. Though he stretched his aching arm as far as it would go, it remained tantalizingly out of reach. Grunting in annoyance, he instead gripped the grating and pulled himself a little higher up.
Down the catwalk, Catpone's ears twitched, and he spun about. Seeing Nick sprawled over the walkway, legs still dangling off the side but already reaching for the dart gun, the jaguar didn't hesitate.
Seeing the same thing, Judy cried out in warning. "Nick!"
Gaze snapping over, the fox was startled to see the big cat closing the distance between them with terrifying speed. Finally getting one knee up on the catwalk, Nick lunged for the dart gun with an outstretched paw. Rolling onto his side, he tried to bring the gun to bear, but Catpone was already on him. The big cat brought a paw down on Nick's wrist, pinning it and the gun down on the grating. Reaching down with his other paw, he tore the gun from the fox's grasp.
Nick screamed, both from the pain in his wrist and from losing his weapon. "NO!"
Judy launched herself at the jaguar's back, fully intending to capitalize on his distraction and save her partner. Unexpectedly, Catpone whirled, and the paw that gripped Judy's dart gun caught her midair with a brutal back hand. The rabbit flew away, and would have gone off the edge of the catwalk, but caught a pipe instead. With a painfully loud metallic ring, her body bounced off the pipe and crashed to the catwalk. There she lay, ears and limbs akimbo, body limp and still.
The fox squirmed beneath Al's grasp. "Judy!" He shouted, breath faltering as his partner failed to respond to his cries, laying unmoving atop the cold metal. His free paw balled into a fist, a growl of anger tore from his throat and he swung at Catpone's muzzle. The blow connected, pushing the big cat's head a little to the side, but otherwise did nothing.
Al snarled back in a deeper, deadlier pitch. Squeezing the dart gun in his paw until something gave in with a loud crack, the jaguar tossed the ruined weapon over the edge of the catwalk. Then, he snatched Nick's free arm just as the fox went for another swing. With seemingly no effort, he pinned the struggling fox to the grating. He loomed over Nick, lips pulled back, fangs on full display. Suddenly, he stopped, and his vicious snarl turned into a just as vicious grin. And then he chuckled. "Ohoho, this feels good. You're missin' out, Wilde. You could have had all this. But ya had to play the hero, huh?"
"The only one playing the hero here is you!" Nick snapped, "Pretending that you're some great leader that's going to save repressed predators from the big, bad government. You want to be a revolutionary, but all you're doing is spreading your own special brand of pain and misery around to everyone else! This is all just one long, bad joke, and you're the sorry punchline!"
The self-satisfied grin slipped from Al's maw. "Don't you tell me with a straight face that you don't wanna tear down the establishment that keeps our kind in the dirt brick by brick!" he growled, low and threatening. "You lived in this ramshackle neighborhood fo' cryin' out loud! You've seen the worst of our society! I KNOW you hate what this city has done to us! I'm only doin' what you and every other predator out there doesn't have the guts to!"
"You? Talking about guts? Mammals with real guts go out and try to make change in the open, where everyone can see. Not you, though!" In spite of the terrifying circumstance, Nick's usual mocking grin fell into place with the ease of long practice. He figured if he was going to die, he might as well go out with a smile, not to mention an insult or two for his killer. "You have to launch your pretend revolution from hiding, surrounded by your cronies, where it's safe. You know: like a coward."
Al's bloodshot eyes flashed. Suddenly, one of his paws was around Nick's throat. Nick gagged and choked, desperately fighting to draw a breath that just wouldn't come.
"Coward," Al repeated beneath his breath, voice shaking with rage. "You'd think that of me? When I've sacrificed EVERYTHING to get this far? The only coward here is you, fox." His teeth grit for a moment, and he forced his coming words so harshly that spit rained down across Nick. "And to think that I used to look up to you. But you're as close-minded as everyone else!"
Blood pounded through Nick's head as he frantically clawed at Al's arm, but the jaguar didn't even seem to notice the fresh scratches in his wrists. Nick's vision began to dim. He knew there wasn't much time left before he would pass out.
There has to be a way… There has to be. It can't… End like this, Nick thought to himself in a panic, eyes straining to acquire one last glance at Judy, still laying prone across the catwalk. He had survived every obstacle that life had put in his way, from street-life to crime-lords, all with practically just his wit and intellect. Surely there was something - anything - he could say to save his own life? To save Judy's life?
Nick's brain went into overdrive, attempting to recall everything he knew about Al. It didn't take him long to settle on the fact that he had a son. Nick didn't know how much the crime-lord cared for him, but in his desperation, he saw it as his only option.
Wait... The file that Judy pulled on him at Precinct Four… What was his name… Alberto? No, Albert! Nick remembered. And with that realization, he knew what he had to say.
"Call it cliche," Nick croaked past Al's meaty fingers. "But you're not… Gonna get away with this. This building… Is surrounded. You have… No way out… Other than pawcuffs… Or a bodybag. You kill me… And you'll never see daylight again. Never see… Albert again."
Al's pinprick-sized pupils grew ever so slightly in size, and his grip around Nick's throat slackened. Judging by the jaguar's reaction, he had gotten his son's name right after all. Mistaking it for another would have been awkward. With Al's paws loosened, it gave Nick his chance to continue.
"Do you really want your son… To remember you as a murderer?"
The jaguar stared down at his struggling prey, thoughtfully observing the light going out from his eyes. His head tilted slightly one way, then another, as though he were debating something with himself. One of the vines wrapped around the bowl of his white hat slipped loose, tickling near his ear, but if Al noticed, he didn't show it. Finally, he came to a decision, and fully released the pressure around the fox's airway.
"You're right. Killin' you won't accomplish nothin'," Al muttered as Nick gasped air into his burning lungs, coughing painfully. He paused, smiling darkly as he stood back on his hind legs and rose to his full height. Al's shredded vest and overcoat dangled from his body in tatters, blowing slightly in the prevalent ventilation, as though a breeze had found its way into that hot, dark place. "I want you to be alive to see what comes next - to see that I'm right. Today this city is gonna change forever… One way or another." His smile melted into a harsh, stony glare. "Can't have you gettin' in the way, though. Not for me, or any of the other crime-lords. No more meddling."
"S-Spots," Nick slowly croaked. "Meddling in your affairs... Is my job. Don't like it... Change industries."
Standing above him, Al sneered distastefully. "Oh, Officer Wilde. I sure hope you keep your sense of humor. You're gonna need it."
With those ominous words, the jaguar brought a foot up, and stomped down on Nick's outstretched leg. The fox's right knee gave way under Al's heel with an accompanying sound akin to wet gravel grinding.
"GAAAAHHHAH!" Nick screamed with agony, cries aching at his still-sore throat.
Across the catwalk, Judy stirred. One ear twitched as she woozily lifted her head from the grating. Vision still blurry, she focused her gaze on the blotches of color that must have been Al and Nick. It didn't take long for her sight to return, but when it did, she nearly wished it hadn't. She gasped at the sight of her beloved partner clutching painfully at his right leg, which was bent to an angle beyond natural.
Years of training and experience kicked in. Even as she rose from her prone position, Judy began to analyze the situation:
Fact: Nick was injured.
Fact: Al Catpone was responsible.
Fact: Judy had lost her weapon.
The rabbit was on her feet, already in motion, gaining speed toward Al's back. She only had a few seconds to decide on what to do next, but she could only think of doing one thing: She needed to get that murderous cat away from her husband, now.
Something caught her eye as she ran. The wrench that had distracted her earlier still lay on the catwalk. Without missing a step, she stooped and plucked the tool into her paw and, with a mighty heave, sent it spinning straight at the back of Catpone's head.
Al's ear twitched again. Just like before, he spun around and knocked the threat from the air. Just like Judy hoped. Distracted with the tool, Al didn't even notice her crouched at his feet, powerful thighs flexing with all the strength she could muster. She leapt straight upward, paws folded together in a double-fisted uppercut. Rising like a meteor, and screaming with the effort, she hammered Al in the chin hard enough to snap his head back and actually raise his hind paws off the grating.
Still in the air, Judy kicked off the big cat's chest. The two were pushed apart, Judy flying quite aways off down the catwalk, while Al went just far enough to pass over Nick, his paws landing only inches away from the fox as friction brought him to a halt.
When she landed, Judy stumbled and nearly fell, gasping with the effort. I can't keep this up, she thought. Her head was still throbbing from the knockout just minutes before, and it took a surprising amount of effort to keep her knees from wobbling. She came to the dread realization that this was a fight she couldn't win. I have to get backup. I have to get him away from Nick.
Al continued to show off his impressive constitution by snapping up immediately with a terrible yowl. However, Judy noticed his eyes were dim and unfocused. Taking the chance, she streaked towards him. The big cat swiped, but Judy easily ducked the sloppy blow and got in his guard again. She tagged him twice more before his vision finally cleared and he snapped at her.
The rabbit hopped back, grinning. She taunted, "What's the matter? Big kitty cat can't deal with a little ol' doe like me?" It was the same barb she'd used against that walrus she'd battled in Tundratown so long ago, and to her delight, it had the same effect on her target.
Head still ringing from the earlier blow and heart pumping in his chest like a diesel engine, the big cat screamed in reply, promising primal, bloody murder. Without hesitation, Judy turned and bolted away from Nick, who was watching all this in spite of his own agony, Al hot on her heels. They disappeared into the steam almost instantly, but her impressive hearing told Judy that Al was gaining ground, fast. She only had a few seconds. A frantic look around showed her nothing but more of the same industrial maze of vents, pipes and girders. There was nowhere else to run. Desperation more than good sense had her leaping from the catwalk, toward a narrow gap between two pipes. She squeezed through, but nearly flubbed the landing on the awkwardly sloped vent beyond. The distraction nearly cost her, as Al's long arm snapped towards her from the gap she'd just passed through. Judy yelped with shock, just barely avoiding his massive claws.
Even as she turned to half crawl, half slide down the length of the vent, she was able to spot the jaguar glaring between the pipes behind her, his green eyes promising untold violence, before he turned and leapt into the obscuring smog, no doubt seeking another path around. Judy didn't wait to see if he'd find his way.
"Don't think you'll get away that easily!" Al's voice emanated from somewhere out of sight.
As she scampered through the cavities in the ventilation, Judy couldn't help but wonder if the terror she felt then was the same primal terror that had fueled her ancestor's survival in the Old Times. Fleeing unarmed from a fearsome jaguar was about as terrifying as it could get. Fear kept her moving, over hot vents and through nearly too-small gaps. Hope also propelled her forward - the hope of saving Nick, and winning the day. She hated having to leave him behind, but there was little she could do. All that mattered now was putting as much distance between Al and her injured partner as possible.
She heard the jaguar roar with fury somewhere close by. His battle cry echoed dizzily, bouncing throughout the tight metal corridors again and again until it sounded as though it were coming from every direction at once. Judy had no idea where he was. She had no idea where she was, having long since abandoned the open paths of the catwalks. The staircase to the lower floors had to be around here somewhere. As far as she knew, it was her only way down.
As she took a moment to catch her breath and analyze her surroundings, the strain of her efforts began to catch up to her. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears, and her constant panting had dried her mouth to total parchedness. The ribs she had damaged in her fight with Lucy Sang ached with sharp twinges, and the blow to the head she'd suffered earlier left her scalp throbbing painfully. So many injuries in such short succession would undoubtedly take their toll on her body. But there was no time to worry about that now, and no time to rest either. Wincing with discomfort, she continued picking her way through the piping.
Somewhere above her, past a few layers of metal, Al was heaving with effort. The ringing in his head was growing louder, and his body was beginning to tremble and ache. He growled in fury as he stared down at his shaking paw and realized his dose of Apex was nearing its limit. A comment his old partner-turned victim Doug had once said found its way back to him: The adrenal glands aren't bottomless. Once the drug worked them dry, he'd revert back to normal. Al wondered if he should have kept Doug around even longer, to strengthen the formula even more, but it was too late for any of that. Why can't this strength last forever?! I need to catch that copper before it's too late.
Meanwhile, Judy had come to the realization that she couldn't escape Al in this maze of pipes. The jaguar's senses were just too keen, and he knew their layout better. As quietly as she could, she started moving down, slipping from pipe to pipe. Things were going well, until the next step down was on a vent just a little too far to check before she had to leap. Steam heated metal lanced burning agony up her paws and she couldn't help a shocked scream even as she rolled herself off onto a pipe further down.
Ears snapping up, Al's gaze shot down, pupils narrowing to pinpricks."THERE YOU ARE!" He bellowed.
With a yowl, he began to barrel his way down through the maze of metal, toward the source of the cries, not even noticing as sharp corners tore even more holes in his clothes and fur alike.
Barely clutching to the pipe she'd landed on with just her knees, Judy clung her singed paws to her chest, face squinched with pain. Her long ears shot up as the sound of Al clanging through the pipes above reached her. He was heading right for her!
Casting caution away, Judy jumped to the next pipe, and not even waiting to get a good grip, she jumped to the next, landing on her chest and knocking her breath away, but only clinging to it with her burnt paws for the instant she needed to spot her next perch and swing her legs in that direction before letting go, swiftly hopping from one platform to the next. She came down rapidly this way, though it was more controlled fall than careful descent, and she got all the bumps and bruises to go with it. But she ignored them all to stay ahead of the murderous jaguar hot on her tail. She spared a brief glance upward, and saw that Al was making his own path by tearing through any sheet-metal ventilation in his way, and dropping from one platform to the next with catlike reflexes, quickly closing the distance between them.
"YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!" He shouted down at her.
Judy pushed herself through an obscuring cloud of steam, and to her dismay, realized that Al was right: she was on the last pipe, and it was a long fall onto concrete far below. She recognized the massive room to be the depository where the raid had begun. The giant metal vats housing Al's precious drugs were glimmering in the sun beaming through the boarded windows, and the floor glistened with the spilled Nighthowlers that had turned so many of Judy's fellow officers into savages earlier. The fighting had ceased, with bundles of criminals lying in dazed heaps, and cuffed together. Officers tended to the wounded on both sides of the conflict, and a few savage mammals were being corralled into a corner by a pack of mountain goats with riot shields. She could still hear gunshots deeper in the brewery, but it looked like the depository was more or less secure.
If she were in better condition, she might have risked it and jumped, trusting herself to perform an expert roll to mitigate any damage. Now, however, her legs trembled with exhaustion, her paws stung with burn, and her vision blurred as her head throbbed. No, a jump was out of the question. Looking about, Judy saw the pipe she crouched upon was connected to one of the many vats below, and she noticed it had a ladder on the side. She knew it was a long shot getting that far before Al caught up, but it was her best shot.
Pushing up on unsteady feet, she ran atop the pipe towards the vat. Above her, Al paused in his chase, covering up his exhausted panting with growls. Staring down at the fleeing rabbit, he saw which way she was running and instantly deduced her intentions. Fixing his own gaze upon the vat that was Judy's destination, he gathered himself up for one last, great leap.
Judy was just above the vat, ready to jump, when the shadow covered her. Looking up, she saw Al descending upon her, claws outstretched and ready to tear her asunder. Time seemed to slow down. Judy could see the individual muscles rippling in Al's arms, and the rage searing behind his eyes. At the last possible instant, she changed her goal from the top of the vat to the ladder on the side. The move saved her life, as Al's claws only scraped her shoulder, rather than catching her full on the back.
Judy crashed painfully into the ladder, screaming as agony in her chest threatened broken ribs, but she at least managed to cling to the metal rail. Above her, Al landed sloppily atop the vat, breaking pipes and tearing vents away as his claws scrambled to find a grip. The shock to the vat bent one of the old legs, and the whole thing began to slowly tilt under its own weight. Beneath them, cops fled from the collapsing tower, dragging tranqued criminals with them to safety.
Al tried to grab one last pipe, but the old, rusted metal just tore away beneath his grip and he slid off the top of vat to the concrete floor over a dozen feet below. He almost caught himself, landing heavily on his side, rather than his head. The landing was so hard he actually blacked out for a moment. And all the while, the vat continued its collapse, gaining momentum as the last of the pipes tore away. Al awakened just in time to look up and see the shadow of the giant metal tub swallow up his body, with the tub itself not far behind. He gasped as one more shot of adrenaline coursed through his body, giving him the strength to quickly pounce on all fours and run away. But as his weight distributed to his paws, his hind legs slipped on a puddle of his own drug that had spilled during the raid, halting his momentum for a second too long.
And that was all it took.
The vat collided with the floor in an ear-wrenching smash of steel on concrete, sending a plume of dust flying into the air, and a wave of blue froth cascading through the depository as the container cracked open like a giant metal egg. Judy barely clung to the ladder with arms and legs as it fell. A few feet from the floor, the ladder jerked to a halt, and Judy was sent rolling to a stop across the floor.
As the hot liquid rushed over her, Judy scrambled back, sputtering. While the liquid was warmer than was comfortable, what really concerned her was that it might have been completed Apex-Affluent, or some liquid form of Nighthowler. She waited, frozen with fear that she was about to lose control, but as the long seconds ticked by and she felt nothing but her expected aches and pains, she let herself relax. It must have been an incomplete formula, or maybe even some other liquid utilized for the process, stored before use. The bunny watched as Al's vine-wrapped hat floated by, carried by the flood until it came to rest at her feet.
As the dust settled and the waves trickled away, Judy stared at the impact zone. There she saw Al lying amongst the rubble, his right leg pinned beneath the crumpled husk of the vat. Even now he tried to escape, his claws digging furrows in the floor. His face was twisted in agony as he tried to free himself from his prison, but to no avail. He grit his teeth and huffed, trying to hold back, but, finally, a scream of agony and defeat tore from his maw, echoing throughout the depository. The pain in his roar was all the proof Judy needed to know that his drug had worn off. The crime-lord of the Rainforest-District slumped to the floor, pinned beneath a product of his own making.
Judy wearily rose to her feet, only to collapse to her knees with exhaustion. The battle was over, and Al Catpone was defeated. She could hardly believe it. After so many close encounters with death that day, she nearly wanted to cry with joy knowing that victory had been achieved. But she held back her tears, for there was still work to be done.
With the crime-lord defeated, there was only one thing on her mind now.
"Nick!" Judy called out despite knowing he was too far away to hear. A few officers ran to help her to her feet. "Nick… He's upstairs. He's hurt. Please… Help him."
The other officers nodded, several of them jogging off in search of Nick. As Judy found herself on her own two legs again, one arm wrapped around the thumb of a helpful tiger cop to support her weight, she stared down at Al with relief. It took her a moment to realize that this raid was actually the first time she'd ever seen him. Years of stories and blurry images had given her the impression of a monster as terrifying as the one he had briefly become. But now that the drug's effects had worn off, and Judy could analyze him without worrying about being shot or torn open, the real Al didn't look so impressive - His golden spotted fur was messy with cuts and steam scalds from the chase, his fatty abdomen rose and fell with pained, wheezing breaths, and his right leg was undoubtedly mangled beneath that massive vat.
"I'd call that karmic justice," Judy muttered, glancing at his leg. "This is the end, Al. You're under arrest. You have the right to-"
"NO!" Al bellowed halfway between a shout and an animalistic roar, causing Judy to shuffle back fearfully, rethinking her impression on his intimidation factor. A few officers pointed their dartguns at him. The jaguar clutched painfully at his thigh. "What I've started won't end with me. It's bigger than me, and it's certainly bigger than YOU!" His claws etched into the concrete floor, and he panted with strain. "You fools don't understand… I was trying to free us ALL!" He cried, voice growing more unstable and panicked with each coming word. "The t-tyrants at City-Hall… They care NOTHING for ANY of us! Predators least of all! You don't understand! I-If we don't stop them, we'll-"
The jaguar's breath suddenly hitched, halting his rant. A pained gurgle escaped Al's fangs as his muscles began to relax, causing him to slump to the floor and reveal the bright green dart that had sprouted from his neck.
As Al's head fell and his eyes fluttered shut, he briefly spotted his precious Suitopia overcoat, which had been ripped from his body by the falling vat. The once pristine fabric had been torn to shreds by his writhing claws when he had first ingested that gas, and now it was soaked with blue froth, pitifully sopping a few feet from his face. Did I… Do that? Was the last thought the jaguar manifested before he drifted into unconsciousness.
Judy turned toward the mammal who had fired the shot. She was none too surprised to see Chief Bogo entering the depository, tranquilizer hefted toward the defeated crime-lord. A new wave of SWAT officers - mostly boars with thick plating and heavy weaponry - flooded into the building at the chief's arrival, sweeping the area and driving deeper into the building to continue the fight.
"I received a backup call from Chief Latran," the cape-buffalo grunted before glancing to Al's drooling form with distaste. "Looks like I got here just in time."
"Yeah right," A new, gruffer voice grumbled. Judy turned to spot Chief Latran himself limping toward them, weight supported by Officer Wolford. "You got here just in time to smile at the film crews."
Bogo snorted indignantly, but otherwise chose to ignore the coyote's sneer. Judy looked between the two chiefs. She didn't like how Bogo had outright tranqued Al when he wasn't a real threat, but she quickly silenced her inner judgement as she recalled that she had once done the same to Iluka Rombahe's kangaroo bodyguard as a preventative measure in the middle of a raid. But still, something about Bogo's interruption made her feel uneasy.
But that unease might as well have never existed the moment she saw her partner.
Officer Grizzoli hurriedly carried Nick down the steps in his arms. The bear gingerly placed the fox on the floor once they reached the ground level, careful not to touch his broken leg. Judy immediately tore herself from the officer supporting her weight and ran toward her husband. The injuries she'd received in the battle with Al pained her terribly, but she didn't care. All she wanted in that moment was to be by Nick's side. She fell to her knees once she reached him, more from exhaustion than she would have liked to admit. Judy grasped one of his paws within her own, even though the burns she'd received from the pipes made the connection distractingly sting.
"Oh, Nick," she stifled, tears brimming at her eyes. "Your leg. I'm so-"
"No," the fox interjected, gritting his teeth as he tried to ignore the intense throbbing in his lower body. "Don't apologize. It's not… Your fault." A toothy grin managed to crack through his pained expression. "Look at you. You did it. You beat Al... All by yourself. I couldn't be… Any prouder. That's my… Dumb bun-Argh!" He croaked as his mangled leg shifted a bit.
"Don't speak, just focusing on your breathing!" Judy urged, grip tightening around his paw. Her eyes widened as his closed shut, and his head lolled to the side. "Nick! Nick!" She patted his shoulder, quickly calming down as she realized that he had just passed out from the pain.
"Medevac is on its way," Chief Latran assured. "We've got a lot of wounded, and several gone completely savage," the coyote growled beneath his breath, clutching at his vest, above where Al's bullet had struck his sternum. "We'll need all the help we can get."
Even without looking around, Chief Bogo could tell that the raid had been a total mess. And there was still more to do. "You mentioned that one of the Rainforest-Outfit's trucks had fled, in your report?" He asked of his Precinct Three counterpart. "Did you see what direction it went?"
"Negative. The darn thing booked it as soon as we kicked down the doors." Chief Latran muttered.
Bogo nodded. "I'll send a team after it. At the very least, it won't get past the Happytown exclusion zone, but we can't risk those drugs leaking into the public. Finding it is our next priority."
"I sure hope we do," Chief Latran agreed. "Everyone here could use a break after today."
It didn't take long for red and blue lights of the ambulances to begin flashing through the boarded windows. Paramedics arrived on the scene as soon as the ZPD declared the brewery to be secure. Multiple helicopters hovered above, tracking down any of Al's henchmammals that tried to escape. Many attempted, with most quick to fall in hails of darts, though some few did manage to slip through. With the premises under control, and Al Catpone defeated, there was only one task left: finding Olivia Wilde.
Judy and the other injured officers could only sit back and watch as those still able-bodied enough to work began to tear the building apart in hunt of the elder vixen. But their search was fruitless. It wasn't until the officers spread out to search the area around the building was progress truly made. Officer Wolford heard muffled shouting, and the officers followed it to the trunk of a car parked nearby. Upon cracking the vehicle open, Olivia was discovered alive and well, if not a bit rattled and dehydrated from being locked in total isolation beneath the sweltering savanna sun.
Chief Bogo and several paramedics tried leading her back to an ambulance, but she fled from them without hesitation at the sight of her unconscious son being wheeled away on a stretcher.
"Nicholas!" Olivia wailed. "Oh, what have they done to you?"
It was painful for Judy to watch as Olivia was pulled away, preventing her from even touching Nick, only able to watch as he was loaded into the back of an ambulance. The vixen cupped a paw to her face and began to cry. That's when Judy decided to finally break her gaze away. It was just too much suffering to witness.
After she averted her eyes, Judy noticed Al being placed into the back of an ambulance as well. His own leg was even more disfigured than Nick's. She stared down his dozing body right up until the EMT drove off, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dust. Judy sighed, knowing that she would likely be sent away in one of those ambulances soon as well, and then decided to do one last thing before that happened. The bunny slowly approached Olivia, and when the vixen noticed her presence, extended her arms in an offer of embrace. Olivia accepted without hesitation, pulling the smaller rabbit tight against her side.
Judy felt tempted to cry too, but she held her tears back once again. Just as she had hoped, the day had been won. But as Judy stared out over the packs of injured officers, the savage mammals being yanked with ropes into armored trucks, and the news vans encircling the site of the raid like flies to dead flesh, she could only wonder if the victory had been worth the cost.
1:00 P.M ; Three days later, Zootopia General Hospital...
The days that followed such successes as capturing an actual crime-lord were normally filled with pride and celebration. It had only happened twice before, after all, with the defeats of Shahaz the Stinger and Iluka Rombahe. But this time, the aftermath was far more somber.
Word of Al's arrest traveled swiftly around the city in the hours after the raid, thanks to the reporters that had arrived on the scene shortly after his capture, and with it, news of Nick's injury was quick to follow. Zootopia's first fox cop and one of the ZPD's most successful officers - a public figure akin to Judy herself - had broken his leg on the job, and the media was loving it. Judy had to force herself to avoid reading any articles that week after stumbling upon one speculating that her partner would never walk again. She hated how quick they were to assume.
Just as grave, dozens of officers had hospital-inducing injuries, this including those that had turned savage during the scuffle. During the first night Judy spent at the hospital awaiting Nick's return from surgery, it was impossible to sleep with the constant howling and roaring from several floors below. Thankfully, a cure had been provided the following day, allowing for officer Fangmeyer and all the others to revert to their normal selves. It was a twinge of hope in an otherwise bleak situation.
So much had been sacrificed to bring down Al, but for Judy, it made her reunion with Nick all the sweeter.
The moment she was able to enter his hospital room, she had to resist the urge to jump into his chest, instead settling for a long, hard hug over the edge of the bed. Her own injuries had been patched up over the past day, and her ribs ached from the hug, but she didn't care. This was all she wanted. Nick's broken leg was hard to ignore - set in an unsightly metal frame and suspended in a sling connected to the ceiling. Judy sighed, ears drooping to the back of her head.
"Nick… Are you okay?" She asked gently. An unsurprising chuckle broke through the fox's teeth, his chortles as genuine as could be. Just seeing her husband laugh despite the circumstances was all the reassurance Judy needed to allow herself a smile of her own.
"Well, all the best parts of me aren't broken yet," Nick replied. "My smile, my eyes, my thick-"
A sharp knocking on wood pierced through the fox's words, causing both officers to turn towards the door.
"Tail," Nick finished before clearing his throat. "Come in!"
The door swung open, and three mammals walked inside. Chief Bogo, Latran, and Myreme all lowered their heads in Nick's presence. It was a bit of a tight squeeze with so many mammals - particularly one as large as Bogo - all jammed into one medium-sized mammal's room, but they made it work.
"Wilde," Chief Bogo began slowly. "You've been a pain in my tail since the day we met, but you're among the finest officers I've ever had the privilege of working with. You didn't deserve this. I'm… Sorry."
Nick smiled, but Judy could see the pain concealed behind it. "It's no one's fault but Al's," he assured. "And hey, if all it took from me to stop that nut-job and save my mom was breaking a leg, I'm more than happy to pay that price."
Chief Myreme stepped forward, red beret wrung humbly between his curved claws. "Your efforts have saved Zootopia, officers. I shudder to think what could have transpired had Al succeeded in his scheme. It has only been a few days since the raid, but without Al to lead them, and under constant pressure from the ZPD, the Rainforest-Outfit has totally collapsed." The anteater paused, smiling proudly. "You have accomplished the goal I have dedicated my entire career to achieving. And for that you have my gratitude." His bow steepened for a moment before he refastened his cap back atop his head. "The criminal underworld has taken a major blow. This is a fantastic win for the ZPD."
"Well, I'm just glad that Hopps and I can move back into our old apartment now." Nick jested.
Judy nodded in agreement, pleased over such developments, though deep down, she couldn't help but think back to what Iluka had told her during his prison interview: how chaos bred opportunity. Lucy Sang had mentioned something similar during their fight in the rainforest. Judy could only wonder what sort of ramifications might come from the power-vacuum left behind by yet another crime-lord's toppling. But there was no sense worrying about that now. Not when there were more optimistic thoughts to appreciate.
"Yeah, but our jobs aren't done yet," Chief Latran added. "Al may be gone, but for better or worse - and I lean worse - he's left an impression on this city that it won't be forgettin' anytime soon. The media is houndin' us, as usual, and they won't stop askin' about Al's motives, and his plan."
"The ZPD has decided not to withhold any information regarding his plot," Bogo interjected. "City-Hall wasn't happy about it, but the other chiefs and I concluded that it would be better for the citizens to know what happened, and why. No more brushing things under the rug."
Nick pursed his lips, knowing exactly what Bogo referred to with that last sentence: the shock-collars blueprints that had caused them so much trouble. The fox had entered the hunt for Al knowing that his capture would leave the admittedly corrupt officials at City-Hall in power, but it was nice to hear that the ZPD had some sway over its own decisions.
Chief Latran cleared his throat. "We still haven't had any luck trackin' down that truck that escaped the brewery, but we ain't given' up yet. Thankfully, there isn't much reason to believe that any drugs it carried will be used in the kind of protests Al was hoping to inspire. The riots in Happytown have simmered down. All peaceful now. No more lootin' and fightin'."
"That's a relief," Judy said. "I would have hated for this all to have been for nothing."
"Even if more strife broke out, it wouldn't have been for nothing," Bogo claimed. "Chief Myreme is right: you two have saved the city from a terrible threat. I only hope that there is some way it can repay you for your sacrifices."
"Well, some blueberry pie wouldn't hurt." Nick muttered, earning a weary smile from Judy.
"Don't worry, Slick. I'll make sure my mom sends you as many of her homemade pies as you can eat."
Nick was about to respond when another slew of knocks emanated from the door, cutting his thought short. He smirked.
"My, aren't I popular today. Come on in, plenty of room to go around."
"Funny," Chief Latran grumbled beneath his breath, glaring at Bogo's broad shoulders as he was forced to squeeze closer with the other chiefs to accommodate the newcomers.
Nick watched the door as it opened. The russet face of Olivia Wilde peeked into the room through the crack before stepping inside. Nick weakly waved at her. The vixen immediately wiped at her moistening eyes before rushing forward and wrapping her son's shoulders in a hug, leaning over the bedside as far as she could reach.
"I'm so glad you're alive," Olivia whispered as she tightened her grip.
"Right back at ya, mom," Nick joked back. "I was willing to do whatever it took to save you, you know that. I'm so sorry you had to endure-"
He trailed off as he caught sight of the next mammal to enter the room. Nick's breath momentarily caught in his throat before he gulped his stupor back down.
"Dad… You're here."
The older todd smiled in a grin all-too similar to Nick's own, causing the graying fur around his muzzle to spread. "You didn't think your mother would be the only one to pay you a visit at the hospital, did you?" He chuckled softly before sighing through his nostrils and stepping closer. "It's been a long time. Stopping by was the least I could do."
Nick swallowed again, caught in one of those rare moments where he genuinely wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't seen his father since he and Judy had visited him to discuss their failed parent-child relationship, so long ago. The older todd was dressed more or less the same, in his ragged jeans and fraying plaid button-up. It was easy to forget that he had once been a renowned tailor and artist with such a simple style to his outfit.
Eventually, Nick decided on the only thing he could say. "Thanks, dad. I'm happy to see you."
He raised his arm in an offer of embrace. John approached to accept it, briefly squeezing his son's shoulder with one of his paws before stepping back and giving him some space. "I knew your job came with its share of risks, but I never imagined…" John began, only to trail off as his eyes scanned over Nick's leg.
"Comminuted patellar fracture. That's fancy doctor speak for a crushed kneecap. Plus a few torn tendons and muscles," Nick spoke casually, like he was commenting on something seen in a window at a mall rather than his own broken body. The fox smirked sardonically at his father. "I'll live." For as lackadaisical as his tone was, Nick knew the consequences would be serious, and potentially permanent. The doctors still had yet to confirm the details, but it didn't take a genius to know that he wouldn't be walking away from this injury unscathed.
The older todd couldn't help smiling back, though his eyes betrayed a deeper concern. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't," he joked back. "Then who would test-fit my new suits?"
Nick raised an eyebrow. "You're tailoring again?"
John barked a laugh. "I never stopped, kid. Just got extra busy with the art phase. I'm even thinking of opening a new tailor shop: Suitwopia! Get it? Because it's the second one!"
Nick cracked a grin. "How… Sequential?" He offered. His dad's jokes had always been about as impressive as any other dad's jokes. Judy, however, had to suppress a chortle.
John shrugged. "Eh, it's a working title." He glanced at Olivia, and briefly gripped her paw in his own. "I might even hire your mother back on board, like the old days."
"Well, we'll see about that." Olivia replied, stroking behind her ear. "Retirement does have its perks. And I do have a promise to keep, after all - those soup kitchens aren't going to run themselves. They'll be keeping me plenty busy."
Nick tried to hide his shock, but it was hard not to stare. He hadn't even seen his parents in the same room in over a decade, far less holding paws. His mind retrieved something his mother had told him the previous week during their phone call at Precinct Four in regards to his father: He's changed, Nicholas, he really has. And it's all thanks to you and Judy. Knowing how stubborn and cynical his father could be, Nick had to wonder how true that statement really was, but he certainly didn't doubt the renewed happiness his parents seemed to have around one another. It was a good first step, at least.
"Offer's out there." John continued nonchalantly. "I'm just happy things seem to be returning to some semblance of normal. That criminal you were chasing - Al Catpone, was it? - sure caused a stir. News wouldn't shut up about it. Glad you threw him behind bars. These past few weeks have been some real wild times."
Nick perked up. "Hey, that's it!"
"What's it?" Judy inquired.
"The name for your next tailor shop: Wilde Times!" Nick pitched with a spread of his paws.
John rubbed at his muzzle. "Huh. That's not bad. Has a nice ring." He smiled wide. "I'll go with it!"
The trio of foxes shared a laugh for the first time in years. Watching it unfold, Judy felt a warmth swell in her chest. She had always cherished family, for as exhausting as it could be sometimes, and to watch Nick - a mammal who had never had the same loving, functional family that she had - enjoy such a moment was heartwarming. Even Chief Latran was smiling at the display.
A third round of knocks spawned from the door. All three chiefs were forced to shift even closer together to make the space necessary for it to open after Nick beckoned the newcomer in with a shout. "Join the fun!"
"Gettin' real cramped now," Chief Latran muttered beneath his breath as he was sandwiched between Bogo and the wall.
Nick smiled as his new guest stepped into the room. "Don't worry, this guy doesn't take up much space."
Finnick flicked down his sunglasses and sneered. "If that's how you're gonna thank me for showin', then I'm gonna-"
"Let me guess, bite my face off?" Nick teased.
"I was gonna say walk right out," the fennec corrected. "You're messed up enough as is."
Olivia looked back and forth between the two ex-partners. "I'm sorry, who-?"
"He's an old friend," Nick was quick to inform. "Thanks for coming, pal."
Chief Myreme tapped Bogo's forearm, causing the cape buffalo to bend down to his height. "Isn't that the con-artist we've been tracking out of Sahara-Square?" He whispered.
Bogo sighed with exasperation. "Don't question it. Let's just enjoy the moment."
"Heard you got your leg snapped in two on the news," Finnick explained. "Had to see it myself. I guess this means you'll be movin' out?"
Nick smirked. "Straight to the point, as always." He briefly glanced at Judy. "That's right. Hopps and I don't have any more axes hanging over our heads, now that we know the Rainforest-Outfit is no longer a concern. We'll move back into our own apartment sometime next week."
Standing at the bedside, Judy sighed with relief, pleased that she'd finally be able to set foot in their home again after all this time away. The Rainforest-Outfit may not have been the only criminal organization to have a bone to pick with her and Nick, but at least now their safety was better assured.
"Good," Finnick replied. "Just try not to get any more targets on your back like that. Knowing you though, it'll only be a matter of time."
"Aw, I knew you cared," Nick teased. "But don't worry. After all this, I'm beginning to think that we should find a new apartment, anyways. Seems like one too many crime-lords know where we live, and I'd prefer getting that number back down to zero."
Judy nodded. "Agreed." She hadn't been present for Nick's first encounter with Al, but having personally picked up the mess Vladzotz had left behind back when he had kidnapped Nick last year, she could understand the desire to resettle.
"Wise choice," Chief Bogo added. "I can send some officers to help you move, when the time comes."
"How thoughtful," Nick mused, "Seeing as I'll be forgoing any heavy lifting for the foreseeable future, we'll happily accept your offer."
That joke put a slight damper on the demeanors of most of the mammals in the room, despite the humor behind it. Nick's ears dipped, and he could feel his mother affectionately grip his good knee with her paw. He normally didn't mind being the center of attention, but not when said attention was nothing but pity. The injured fox cleared his throat, aiming to get the conversation back on a more productive track.
"I… Want to thank you all for coming." He chuckled dryly. "I would say if only Clawhauser were here, but I'm pretty sure we're at maximum capacity in here."
"Actually, I've been out here the whole time," The buoyant voice of Clawhauser piped out from the hallway. His spotted head peeked in through the door frame, unable to proceed any farther. "Hope you get well soon!"
Nick blinked, and then let out the first true, hearty laugh he'd experienced in days on end. The other mammals in the room joined him, from his parents and superiors to his current and former partner, and in that moment, despite his shattered body, Nick felt more complete than he'd ever been. Al was right about one thing: keeping his sense of humor past all these hardships was a must.
12:30 P.M ; Three months later, Zootopia Police Academy...
Bright and sunny, the weather was perfect for the Academy's Graduation Ceremony. Fully equipped in his blue dress uniform, Nick sat amongst those in attendance, surrounded by fellow officers and spectating family members, smiling and clapping with them all as the new graduates came up and had their badges pinned by Chief Bogo on stage. The fox managed one of his wry smiles and casual two fingered salutes when Harlan O'Conall grinned at him from his place on the stage, and winked when Mary Ewever did the same. He was happy to see them both fully recovered from the incident at the academy. They had come a long way from being the wide-eyed recruits Nick had once known, particularly Mary. The sheep held herself with an almost uncharacteristic amount of confidence as her badge was pinned to her chest, and even Harlan was smiling past his typically gruff exterior.
But the real surprise came with the announcement of their assigned precincts. Chief Bogo took the stage, listing off each graduate's precinct one by one. Some were delegated to the Meadowlands, others to Tundratown, and even a few to the Nocturnal-District. Yet Harlan and Mary were the only two graduates of their class to earn the privilege of working at Precinct One. Judy had to resist the urge to jump and cheer at the announcement. Instead, she settled for clapping politely with everyone else, though not without a huge grin on her face. She could tell how proud they both were over their reactions, with Mary giving a little hop of excitement, and Harlan actually uttering a laugh of disbelief. It reminded Judy all too much of her own graduation, all those years ago.
Finally, it was Judy's turn to speak, being casted to deliver the ceremony's closing speech. She ascended to the stage and positioned herself behind the podium, staring out over the crowd. The faces of so many friends and allies stared back, filling her with the resolve she needed to begin. Down in the sea of onlookers, Nick smiled as he watched his partner climb the raised steps behind the podium. By now, her own injuries had fully healed. That hole that Lucy Sang had left in her ear had even been stitched up, leaving a small scar in its wake. Her speech reflected the same optimism and hope that her own physical recovery did. However, Nick had heard her recite it over and over so many times the last few weeks that the familiar words admittedly couldn't hold his attention for long.
His gaze wandered to the side, where a lion sat on a folding chair. Delgado, while still resplendent in his own dress blues, wasn't quite the lion Nick remembered. Too thin, for one thing, and the fur not quite as glossy, for another. Even his mane hadn't fully grown back where it had been shorn away for surgery from around his throat, the fur under his chin both shorter and lighter than the rest. The injury he had sustained during the raid on Al Catpone's compound in the Rainforest-District had taken its toll. A bullet to the neck wasn't an easy fix, after all. While he'd made terrific progress, recovery could be a long road.
Too long, sometimes.
The fox's gaze slowly slipped down to his lap. It had been three months since the injury, yet all this time later, Nick still felt like half a mammal. He ran a paw along the armrest of his wheelchair, then laid it on the cast encasing his leg with a sigh.
The sound drew Delgado's attention. He stared for a moment, taking in the fox's slumped posture and melancholic smile. He reached out a paw as though to touch Nick's shoulder, but hesitated. He didn't know what to say. Didn't know what he could say.
The lion looked to the front when he noticed Judy was wrapping up her speech. The hesitating paw finally reached out, not to touch Nick's shoulder, but to bump his arm.
"Good speech, huh? Just like your graduation." Was all he said, voice still raspy from lack of use.
Pulled from his musings, the fox jerked his head up just as everyone else rose to their feet. He even began to clap with reasonable enthusiasm, but slowly stopped, and then lowered his paws. His smile melted away. The mammals standing about had blocked his view of the stage, and, conversely, the view of those on the stage of him. Deep down, he realized that it didn't matter if he clapped or cheered or not. He might as well have been invisible.
Something in his chest twisted painfully. In that moment, Nick felt so very, very alone. A small, selfish part of him deep down wished for more - wished that his injury could have gained him something other than pity. Then he thought of Delgado, and mocked himself for thinking so highly of his own pain.
He was rescued from these dark thoughts when Judy bounced up to him, with Harlan and Mary following close behind. Nick looked up and, though the smile he managed was small, it was genuine. "Hey, kids! Congratulations!"
Mary smiled joyfully, but Harlan snorted, even as he bent down to shake Nick's paw. "Kids? What are you, our dad?" He jested, causing Judy to giggle.
"Oh, of course not. No children of mine would cause me as much trouble as you have," Nick shot back. "Judy had to dart you back at the academy just to keep you from ripping my tail off." Noticing Mary shift uncomfortably at the barb, the fox winked at her to show he didn't mean any harm. She smiled, relieved.
Harlan took it all in stride. He chuckled softly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I don't remember much, being savage and all, at the time, but I'm really glad I didn't hurt you." Releasing Nick's paw, he stood back to his full height.
"Yeah, you were a real force of nature. Might have even put me in the hospital! Glad something like that could never happen to me," Nick joked, patting his cast. He had meant it in good spirits, but the moment he noticed his friend's faces, he instantly regretted having said it.
Mary and Harlan winced. Judy looked away, expression bleak. Nick managed to hold on to his smile, but, inside, he was screaming. It grew silent around the little group, a silence highlighted by the excited chatter and congratulations of the mammals that surrounded them until it was nearly parodic.
Surprisingly, it was the usually timid Mary that broke the quietude. "About that…" her expression shifted, and she opened and closed her mouth a couple times, clearly trying to find the right words. Finally, she just waved helplessly at Nick's cast. "How bad is it? Really."
Seeing Judy's face fall, and the smile slip from Nick's face, the ewe stammered as she tried to take the question back, but Nick silenced her with a raised paw.
"No, no. It's fine," he assured her, seeing no sense in trying to prevent the conversation from happening any longer.
Just then, Judy took his paw in her own. The fox paused to look at her, and seeing her expression, he offered her a reassuring smile. Then he looked back to Mary. "Chances for full recovery are practically nil," he said glibly. He paused as Mary gasped, and even the thick-skinned Harlan looked stricken. "Even when it's all over, when the cast is off, and after all the physical therapy, which could take more than a year, chances are I'll need to walk with a cane for a little while."
Another silence descended, thicker this time. Heavier. Eventually, Harlan waved at Nick's chest, indicating his badge.
"What about…?"
Nick picked up his meaning immediately. The truth was, Nick had attended this graduation knowing it would likely be the last time he put on his ZPD uniform. Tapping his badge with a claw, he smiled with a touch more bitterness than he intended. "Early retirement."
"Nick-!" Judy went to protest, but Nick quieted her with a knowing glance.
"C'mon, Carrots. You need a partner that can keep up with you," he laughed mirthlessly. "I could barely do it before."
"But Nick," Judy paused, thinking over her words carefully. "You may not be able to stay on the force, but you could easily become a detective!"
The fox sighed through his nostrils. "I don't know, Carrots. I just don't know. I have a lot to think about. At least I'll have the time to think about it."
Mary looked even more pained. Harlan looked nearly stunned. "I'm so sorry," the wolf said, and he sounded like he really meant it.
Seeing the grief on his friends' faces, Nick rebuked himself, again, wishing he had been more tactful. "Hey, it's gonna be alright," he soothed. "I'll get better soon. It's the end of the line for me, but it's not like I didn't accomplish anything. 'Make the world a better place', right?" He squeezed Judy's paw and looked into her watery eyes. "We did it, right? Made the world a better place."
Judy opened her mouth to reply, but a lump in her throat made it difficult. Closing her mouth, she nodded instead.
"There, you see!" Nick turned back to Mary and Harlan and waved at Judy with his free paw, indicating her response. "Goal set. Goal met. Besides, it's not like I'm the last cop on the planet. Look at you two!"
Grinning, he reached forward to thump Harlan on the arm. "Big, strong wolf!" He touched Mary on the shoulder. "And the smartest sheep in the flock!" He then looked to Judy with a smile. "And the best darn cop in Zootopia to show them the ropes. I know you two are gonna do amazing things. Just promise to keep an eye on Carrots here for me when you're out on the beat, will you? She tends to get into a lot of trouble."
Mary was so moved she looked on the verge of tears. Harlan schooled his expression with the long practice shared by those that had hard lives.
"I promise," the big wolf said, as serious as ever.
"Me, too! I promise!" Mary piped up, squeaking as she forced the words through the lump in her throat.
Nick smiled at them both and nodded, like a sage giving his blessing. "Then I have nothing to worry about."
There was another, shorter silence, but this one was based more on a simple void of input, rather than gravitas. What would anyone say after something like that? For as impactful as it was, it was clear that everyone was ready to move on. Harlan spoke about the first thing that popped into his head just so it would end.
"So! Quite a speech you put on back there," the wolf complimented.
Judy wiped at her eyes before responding, voice still a little thick with emotion. "Whose speech? Mine, or Nick's?" she joked.
"I thought they were both good!" Mary laughed, glad to get the conversation moving along in a less weighty direction.
Harlan snapped his fingers, looking as though he'd been struck by an idea. "Hey, there's a thought. Nick, you're pretty good at talking. Bet you could make a career out of that."
Judy and Nick shared a glance and shared a private smile, both amused to realize the other was thinking about the time before Nick had met Judy, when he'd been a fast-talking conmammal, someone whose entire livelihood depended on being 'good at talking'.
Turning back to Harlan, Nick said with a chuckle, "I suppose you might have a good point. What do you suppose? Door-to-door sales? Motivational speaker? Life coach?"
The big wolf waved him off, smiling along with the good-natured ribbing. He decided to send some good-natured ribbing of his own right back. "Well, you're kinda sharp-tongued, and kinda famous for being deceptive. Ever consider becoming a politician?"
Judy turned away, paw over her mouth to smother a chortle. Nick put a paw on his chest, faking a hurt expression.
"Why, Harlan!" he cried in mock affront. "You don't think that lowly of me, do you?"
Mary, a little caught up in the moment, blurted out, "No, Nick couldn't be a politician. Politicians have to be popular!"
It went quiet again as the other three all turned to stare at Mary. The small sheep shrank back, her face melting in terror as she feared she had gone too far. Just as she tried to stammer an apology, Judy broke down in helpless laughter. She laughed so hard she threatened to topple over, so she turned and gripped Nick's shoulder for support. This did not soothe Mary. If anything, she just looked more terrified. Harlan snorted, smiling at the sight of it all.
Meanwhile, Nick just grinned as confidently as he always did - that half-lidded smile of his that might as well have been trademarked - enjoying the sound of his wife's laughter, and the pleasure of a peaceful moment with friends. After everything, it was the least he could ask for. Nearly losing his life time and time again had given him a higher appreciation for the little things.
If anything, being a police officer had taught him that much.
Nick glanced down at his leg once again. This time, however, he didn't feel any self-pity, or frustration. This time, he viewed it as an opportunity for change, and all that came with it. The fox had gone through many cycles in his life - the wide-eyed Junior Ranger Scout, the damaged runaway, the desperate mobster, the cynical con-artist, and the reformed police officer. And now, it was time for yet another change. Whether he wanted it or not, there was little choice. It was adapt or die, and Nick Wilde was nothing if not adaptable. If anyone abided by Gazelle's "Try Everything" mantra, it was him. The fox knew not where the future would take him with certainty, but he was certain that regardless of what he did, whatever came next would be a whole new step in his life that he would make the most of, as he had for every step before.
He thought back to what Harlan had said about becoming a politician. As he recalled, Judy had mentioned something similar during the ride to the raid at the abandoned brewery. The fox chuckled dryly, silently wondering what a future for Zootopia would look like under his guidance as a leader. His first thought was something along the lines of a smoldering crater, but as the humorous self-doubt evaporated from his mind, Nick thought back to Happytown, the Docks, and the Nocturnal-District - all those places he had been on his adventures with Judy in the past year alone where he'd seen the desolation wrought by the city's prioritization policy firsthand, letting the shining primary districts thrive while the lesser populated secondary and sub districts were left to fester with crime and corruption. He thought back to the riots that he'd witnessed in Happytown as a result of Al's plot, and that rusted playground where he'd crossed an X over his heart, promising to do what he could to truly make Zootopia a better place. Perhaps even someone like him could have some ideas worth looking into.
Nick's snapped out of his daydreaming just as Judy's laughter died down. The two of them locked eyes, smiling with joy no different than the day of Nick's own graduation, all those years ago.
"Okay, it wasn't that funny," Nick teased her.
"It kinda was."
The fox blew a stream of air through his teeth. "Do all rabbits have a sense of humor as flat as their feet?"
"Probably. I did marry you for your jokes, after all." Judy bantered right back.
The fox smirked. "Ouch. Gonna need to go back to the hospital for that one."
"We both have slept in enough hospital beds for one year, wouldn't you think?"
"Yes," Nick replied. "Yes I do."
The two officers shared a knowing smile. Something told Nick and Judy both that despite the hardships of the present, that the future would be as bright as they made it. And that was all they needed to know that the world - their world, at the very least - would become a better place.
Hey everyone!
Apologies for the wait on this chapter, but the past few months have just been smushing me into the dirt in terms of time and motivation. That and I wanted this finale to be as high quality as possible. But WIF is about to end, at least. I look forward to it. A special thanks to ADeadMissionary and J Shute Norway for their assistance with this chapter. Please feel free to let me know what you think of this finale! It's among my proudest ones. I'd love knowing your thoughts.
By the way, I'll be revealing my plans for the sequel, When Night Falls, in the epilogue's Author's Note, along with a brief non-spoiler summary of the general plot, so feel free to check that out if you're interested in seeing what I've got in store for you. I have a firm belief that it will be among my best writing yet, assuming I make it. The upcoming epilogue will be the last chapter of WIF, though. It will tie together all the remaining loose ends, square away the plot of this arc, and shine light on Nick and Judy's future, among other characters such as Al and Mr. Big! You won't want to miss it! Stay tuned to join me for the end of this massive project!
'Till next time...
Peace!