Hey folks, I'd like to apologize for not getting this up sooner. I had to rewrite because my PC died ):
[In accordance with feedback, I've been fixing my dialogue punctuation. Oh what a mess I've found myself in, it's like mowing an entire lawn without realizing there's not a bag on the mower.]
The lithe Judy Hopps darted through the silent streets, her jet black garb blending seamlessly into the shadows. Judy's radio earpiece crackled.
"Birdwatchers to ZPD units. We have visual on Deliverer One, over," said a voice over the radio.
Making her way another half a block, Judy began to climb a drainpipe on the side of the building. With a heave, the rabbit stood up on the building's roof.
Judy said into her radio, "I've reached the target building, over."
"Copy that, Deliverer One," was the response.
The target building was once upon a time a busy rec centre. The facility ran out of funding and was subsequently abandoned. Since then it had gradually become the den of crime it is today.
Tonight's mission was all about intel gathering. According to informants, something big was happening, someone going about hiring the city's scum.
"This is Deliverer Actual. All units sound off," Said Chief Bogo over the radio.
"Birdwatchers checking in," said a faceless voice.
"Deliverer One on standby," said Judy.
"Janitor Bravo leader checking in."
"Janitor Alpha leader here, staying on station," said Major Pearce.
"Red Five checking in," said someone.
"Damn it, Wilde!" roared Bogo, frightening poor Clawhauser, who sat beside him.
Nick sighed, "Deliverer Two checking in," said Nick over the radio, sounding a tad deflated.
Judy asked, "Deliverer One to Deliverer Two. What's your location?"
"I'm just about at the target building… Just picking a window to climb in," Nick explained.
Nick Wilde was at the South end of the complex, Judy was on the roof at the North end. Once inside, the fox would make his way to a spacious atrium in the East wing, observed from the vents by the fly on the wall, Deliverer One - Judy.
"I'm entering the target building now… Here goes nothing," said Nick as he flopped into an open window.
"Good. Deliverer One to Birdwatchers. If so much as a mouse car enters the area, I want to know," said judy with a commanding tone.
"Solid Copy, Talking Carrot," said the 'Birdwatchers'.
Unable to stifle her irritation, Judy said, "Wha… What did you just call me?"
"That's your callsign isn't it?" said the 'Birdwatchers', sounding confused.
"No. My callsign is Deliverer One, not whatever you just said," explained Judy.
"Our apologies, ma'am. We were given a note from Deliverer Two that explicitly stated you wished to be referred to as 'Talking Carrot'."
Despite the importance of tonight's little 'mission', Nick Wilde could not keep himself from being a prat - it was just too much fun.
In fact, it was so much fun, he had to mute his earpiece so stop himself from laughing.
"Attention Deliver One. This Birdwatchers, we've spotted Deliverer Two entering the target building. Repeat, Pawpsicle is in the cup."
"Deliverer Actual to Deliverer One, Deliverer Two's eyes are on. We can see and hear everything he can," said Clawhauser.
"Roger," said Judy.
Judy quickly and quietly stepped over to a vent on the roof. Brandishing an electric screwdriver, she worked away until all four screws that held the cover on tinked at her feet. She wasted no time entering the crawlspace.
Flopping over a window sill, Nick stood up and found himself face-to-face with a dishevelled ram that looked suitably unimpressed about being disturbed.
"Oi! What are you looking at!" grumbled the ram.
"I'm looking at you!" said Nick.
The ram was visibly unsure how to respond, opting to gently swirl the contents the paper cup he held, sipping at it a few times.
The creature said, "Oh, okay. Sorry to have wasted your time…" after a long pause.
"No problem, friendo," said Nick, waving as he went through a nearby door.
Through that very door was a tall, surprisingly well-lit hallway, filled with various tiers and varieties of scum. After two years of the straight and narrow, Nick found this once-familiar atmosphere to be cold and unwelcoming.
"Deliverer Actual to all units. Deliverer Two is making his way to the Atrium," said Bogo, then asking, "Birdwatchers, any activity?"
"Negative, negative. No noise, Deliverer Actual."
Major Pearce checked his weapon for the tenth time. It was always in perfect condition. His teammates were in a banterous circle at one end of the truck.
"So, there's a lynx sittin' at a bar. Then a bunny, a jackal and a panda walk in. So the lynx says, 'oh you have cat to be kitten me right meow. Is this some kinda joke?'" says one.
Silence.
"That is about the shittiest joke I have ever heard," said another.
Pearce's ears flicked. And flicked again. He had that feeling, the kind one gets when a mosquito is buzzing around one ear.
'My gut tells me something is wrong. My gut is always right,' thought the Major.
"You think that was bad? You know what they say: jokes about Prussanian sausages… Are the wurst,'" said the earlier jokester.
"Shut up!" yelled Pearce suddenly.
"You've done it now, you pissed off the Major."
"I said be quiet!" growled Pearce.
Silence.
"...roaching the compound, over," said a voice over the radio.
"Alpha Leader to Birdwatchers, please repeat," said Pearce.
"Copy that. Multiple vehicles approaching the target building. Repeat, multiple vehicles on approach," they said.
Pearce muttered,"Shit."
In the aforementioned target building, Nick had just entered the East atrium. Up in the vents, Judy watched from above.
"Deliverer One, be advised, multiple unidentified animals are entering the target building, Northeast," explained the 'birdwatchers'.
"Ten-four," Judy said, before saying to Nick, "you're about to have company."
There was no indication Nick had heard her.
From her vantage point, Judy spotted a particular mammal heading straight for Nick - someone who could identify him easily, disguise or no disguise.
"Nick! Look out behind you!" cried Judy into her mouthpiece, as loud yet also as quiet as she possibly could.
"It's no use, Hopps. I-I think he's muted his ear-piece," said Clawhauser shakily.
The attention of the whole space was drawn to the Northern doors of the atrium as two tranq wielding rams entered, followed by the looming figure of a large ungulate. A squat, brown bear came forward and put down a chair behind the newcomer - just in time for him to sit upon it.
"Oh, don't mind me…" he said dismissively, in a distinctive deep voice.
It was a voice that anyone and everyone would find familiar yet couldn't match a face or name to.
'That must be him… The one Carrots was talking about…' thought Nick, cautiously edging closer for a better look.
Nick got the fright of his life when his hidden-camera glasses were taken off his head from behind. He whipped around and was taken aback by the culprit.
"Hiya there, Nick. Or should I say… Officer Wilde?" sneered a literally weaselly voice.
Nick's eyes darted this way and that. Luckily, all the other animals in the room were still focused on the large creature that had entered earlier.
"Weaselton... You should be in jail!" cried Nick, incredulously.
"That's Duke Weaselton to you!" sneered Weaselton angrily.
The weasel dropped the glasses and crushed them, they fizzled as he stomped down. Next, he forcefully turned Nick around and began pushing him through the sparse crowd in the direction of the newcomer.
Nick remained submissive, fighting back now would not end well.
"This is Deliverer Actual, we've lost our eyes. What on Earth is going on?" cried Bogo.
"It's Weaselton, sir. Spotted Nick immediately," explained Judy.
Bogo bellowed, "Damn!" Judy could hear the sound of him thumping a surface through the radio.
Judy had to fight hard to keep the panic from growing any stronger. The voices of Chief Bogo, Clawhauser and others rang in her ear as they tried to dissect the situation from their perspective.
"Janitor Leader to Deliverer One. Tell us what's happening, tell us what to do," said Pearce, his calm voice winning over the din that filled the radio space.
"Deliverer Two is compromised. We need to abort. I need your teams to come in and sweep up, just as planned. How quickly can you get here?" said Judy, taking full advantage of the sudden clarity of her mind.
"Give us sixty seconds," said the Major.
"Ten-four," she said.
The soldiers' trucks roared into life and sped hastily to the old rec complex, cutting corners and ducking in and out of alleys.
"This is Janitor Bravo leader, Deliverer One be advised, add another thirty seconds. It'll take that long to get to the atrium once we breach."
'I don't have that kind of time.' thought Judy, watching Weaselton pushed Nick ever closer to the large creature that sat in darkness at the North end.
Soon enough, the two would be directly underneath the vent grating that Judy peered through. She wasted no time bringing out the screwdriver and loosening the vent cover. Judy glanced at her belt.
'Good.' she thought, feeling decidedly glad she brought along a single shot tranq pistol.
Nick asked, "So, what now?" desperately hoping some sort of rescue was near.
"Well, that big guy over there? He's one who busted me out. But there's a lot of quid pro quo. I just felt I should introduce ya is all," explained Duke, seeming quite proud of himself.
"Hopps, what is going on?" asked Bogo.
"Nick is reuniting with old friends, the soldiers are doing their jobs and I'm about to buy some time," said Judy.
"Ten-four," said Bogo curtly.
'Once more unto the breach,' thought the rabbit just as the weasel and the fox were perfectly positioned.
Judy brought one heel down hard, sending the vent cover to the floor with a loud, attention drawing clatter. Equipping her tranquilizer gun, she deftly dropped down, landing a heartbeat later.
Looking forward, Judy could see at least a dozen or so mammals still caught amidst their reactions to her sudden appearance. Nick was among them. Weaselton was not.
Seeing the armed rams begin to ready their weapons caused Judy to act on impulse and discharge her weapon - striking one in the shoulder and filling his bloodstream with fentanyl.
The other ram didn't fire, he instead grabbed the mysterious visitor by the arm and lead him back from whence he came.
Before she could say anything to Nick, Weaselton leapt from the shadows, tackling the fox to the ground and winding him. Judy stepped forward and took aim.
She boldly said, "Gig's up, Duke."
Judy pulled the trigger, it rolled back and forth limply in the trigger guard, 'Oh… Right. Single shot,' she thought.
"What's wrong, Flopsie? Forget to reload?" sneered Weaselton, standing up and seeming to forget about Nick entirely.
The weasel stepped toward Judy with a confident swagger, she simply smacked him upside the head with the unloaded pistol, laying him out.
Judy rushed over to Nick and pulled him up by the arm.
"Nice of you to drop in," he said, still catching his breath.
"Somebody had to save your sorry ass," she said.
"Well we can talk about how grateful my sorry ass is once we're out of here!" said Nick, pointing out the mass of armed animals that had emerged from the North end of the atrium during the confrontation with the weasel.
"Right," said Judy.
The two ducked behind a pillar. Before their assailants could chase them down, soldiers of the Continental Defense Force filed in from the East and South entrances.
"This way," said Nick, taking a low stance and leading Judy toward the South door, all the while, a tranquilizer firefight raged around them.
"Next time, you can be the undercover guy," said Nick saltily.
"If there's a next time, sure. I'd like to see you try fit in a ventilation system," retorted Judy.
"Oh ho, there is no try, sweetheart. Only do or do not. After this, let's find a vent system. Fifty bucks says I can not only get in the vents but also get out - without going backwards."
Judy didn't respond.
"What, fifty isn't enough?" asked Nick, stopping to look back at the rabbit.
"N-nick…" she said, softy.
A huge dart hung from the small creature's shoulder. Nick lunged forward and pulled it out, discarding it after a short glance. When Judy had begun to go limp, Nick had to stop her from falling.
"Come on, Carrots, stay with me!" Nick said, giving her a shake. Her eyes rolled into head.
"Hopps! Judy!" cried Nick.
The fox's knees gave way and he kneeled, in the open, holding Judy in his arms, her head hanging over his elbow.
End Notes
This is the third time I've written this chapter. I actually feel like this has been my best version yet.
This chapter's name is both a play on words and a reference to HλLF-LIFE(1998)
The Continental Defense Force (CDF for short) is the military of the country that Zootopia is part of, a country I have named Continentia. The CRC or Central Regions of Continentia is this AU's version of our real-world USA often referred to simply as 'Continentia' in the same way the US are referred to as 'America', North Continentia is an analogue for Canada. Prussania is my analogue for Germany.