Squeaky trolley wheels and creaking metal broke up the sound of pawsteps as two canids, one pushing a cage, down a long, dank hallway. Machinery whirred endlessly, creating a constant and irritating vibration.

The two dogs epitomized the concept of opposites; fat and skinny, tolerable and hideous.

Inside the cage, Judy awoke, cold, uncomfortable and sore. Unable to hear her own thoughts for all the noise pollution, she grunted with the effort needed to sit up.

A nearby voice caught her attention, saying "Huh? Oh, you're awake."

The voice belonged to the skinny, bedraggled creature that bore just enough of the traits needed to be classified as a wolf.

"Who are you and where are you taking me?!" Judy demanded croakily.

"Now, now. Don't get your panties in a knot," said the wolf, adding, "just a little trip to the doctor."

"Doctor? What Doctor? What kind of operation are you running here?"

"Sheesh. So many questions. The Doc's 'patients' normally ain't this chatty."

"I dunno, I think it's a nice change," said the other, plumper wolf, "the others were always so quiet."

Skinny wolf sighed, "That would be because they were sedated, you dolt."

"Oh yeah."

The cage finally reached the door at the end of the hall, skinny wolf approached to open it. From behind, Judy watched him closely, he hesitated, after a notable grimace he reluctantly turned the handle and pushed through.

Unpleasant scents of chemicals, drool, musk and alcohol bombarded Judy's nose as the cage passed the threshold of the door.

"Doc? Hey Doc! Got yer latest er… Toy," yelled skinny wolf.

The sound of a chair scraping broke through the background noise enough to herald the creature that emerged from behind a divider panel. It plodded toward the two wolves and the cage, with a clipboard under one arm, still obscured by shadows.

"Please, have more respect - these are living beings, after all," said the Doctor.

Skinny wolf scoffed, "You almost had me believing you gave half a damn."

"You will find," said the Doctor, as he stepped into the glow of a ceiling light, "that I do care, and a great deal at that."

Thick, clumpy, matted fur surrounded the Cat Doctor's bespectacled face. He wore a crumpled lab coat covered in stains of all sorts over a set of clothes that looked as though they'd never been washed, ever. He stunk, too.

Apathetically, Skinny wolf said, "Whatever, creeper. Alrighty then, Miss bunny. It's time you met the other long term residents of the happytown hotel."

"No! No. This one has a far greater purpose, and I cannot guarantee her safety in the pens," said the Doctor, "she will stay here in the lab, under my direct supervision."

"Well… Ok then. On that note, I'm leaving. Ba-bye now," said Skinny wolf, muttering "freak" under his breath as he left, Plump wolf following closely.

The Doctor quietly wandered over to his desk and sat down to write in a notebook. Judy never took his eyes off him. After a time, he stood and walked with purpose right up to the cage, peering in at Judy.

"So. What are you going to do with me?" dared Judy.

The Doctor continued his inspection, noting his findings on the scuffed and faded clipboard in his stained grey paws.

"Are you waiting for me to break? Ready to pounce when I'm most vulnerable?"

The Cat huffed in frustration and stood back, taking a moment to compose himself, lest he rudely retort.

"Do stop being so preposterous," he said, turning away, "It is already plenty troublesome getting science done in this cesspool."

Judy wasn't finished asking questions: "Who are you anyway?"

"You don't remember me? I must say, I expected more from you, Judith. Everyone speaks so highly of you."

"Wha… Don't you call me Judith," retorted Judy with a puzzled look.

"That is your name though, is it not? I do object to the obtuse shortening of given names," explained the Doctor.

Though he looked as though he had a lot more to say, the Doctor clammed up when another visitor entered the space.

"Do try not to divulge literally everything to our prisoners," said the newcomer, his deep, booming voice revealing it to be Ezra Bisonhower himself, adding "unless you're talking to yourself again."

"Ah, Mr Bisonhower. So far it seems as though Gamma is the one," said Doctor, to which Ezra nodded dismissively, "additionally, I believe I'm close to a breakthrough in my research! You see I've…"

Bisonhower cut him off: "Doctor, please. I'm not here for your hobbies. Is… She here?"

"Hopps, Judith Laverne? Certainly. She just arrived."

"Is she secure?"

"See for yourself, sir. She's right beside you," said Doctor, pointing out the cage by the door.

Ezra turned and, on seeing the caged Judy Hopps, leapt out of his skin and lurched backward.

"Don't do that!" He yelped at the Doctor.

The bison stood firm, straightened his suit and left, slamming the door behind him.

The Doctor stepped beside the cage and watched the door furtively, very deep in thought. He lifted a dictaphone to his mouth and began recording:

"Subject 027. Hopps, Judith L. Oryctolagus Cuniculus. Female. 26 years of age. Mostly gray pelt, pink skin. Underweight, though this is corroborated by her medical records. Notable features include purple irises, black tipped ears, and particular lack of inhibition when compared with others of her species."

Standing in the rain, Nick paused to check the time before crossing the road to reach Isaac's house.

08:57 AM.

Being in the low rent part of South Savanna Central, the Katzendale household had something of a 'homely poverty' look that reminded Nick Wilde of his own childhood home.

Nick stepped up to the faded red door and gave it a firm knock. Sounds of shuffling could be heard until a sickly looking female feline pulled open the door.

"Hello? What do you want at this hour?" she said, in an accent Nick couldn't quite place.

"Good morning ma'am. Does an Isaac Katzendale live here, by any chance?" asked Nick, cautiously.

"Yes. I'm his mother."

Nick hesitated before speaking again. This creature's slumped posture and wizened eyes led Nick to assume Isaac's grandmother had answered the door.

"Ah, I see," said Nick, adding "I had arranged to meet with him, can you let him know I'm here?"

"I don't know, can I?" she asked, snidely, "of course I can. He's just doing some washing. Y'know, laundry. Come in, have a cuppa."

"Oh no, that won't be necessary, I don't want to impose. I'll just-"

"Nonsense, it's not imposing, come in, it's pissing down out there," interrupted Isaac's Mom.

Nick relented and went through the door. Isaac's Mom lead him down a dimly lit hallway full of discolored wallpaper that curled at the corners. Stopping at a junction, she turned into a small yet well laid out living room.

"I'll just let Iggles know you're here," she said, wandering into the next room and yelling: "Isaac! Your friend is here!"

"Who?"

Isaac's Mom returned to the living room, saying, "Excuse me, your face looks familiar but I can't put a name to it. Who are you?"

Nick hesitated. He decided to take advantage of the fact that she didn't know who he was.

"Jim. I'm Jim… Kirk."

"Nice to meet you Jim," said Isaac's Mom, shaking Nick's paw, "my name's Āwhina."

She waddled back out, "Jim's here! Jim Kirk!"

"Wait, what? Did you say Jim Kirk?"

"Yes!"

After some clunking, crashing,and bashing, Nick heard rapid pawsteps come from somewhere in the house, on carpet, tiles, until Isaac ultimately appeared in a doorway.

"Mom, haven't I told you before? James T. Kirk is from…" Isaac stopped dead when he saw Nick Wilde standing in the living room.

"What the Hell is he doing in here? You let him in?" cried Isaac.

Āwhina hit him up the back of the head and scolded him, "That is no way to treat a guest! Boy, you get in that kitchen and make your sick mother some espresso! Don't forget the vanilla shot!"

"But…"

"No buts! And make Mr Kirk one of those awesome lattes."

As Isaac skulked away Nick said, "My apologies, but I don't know if we have the time to sit and have coffee."

"We've got takeaway cups," said Āwhina, adding, "take a seat while you wait."

Nick sat down on the surprisingly comfortable couch that clearly had not been moved in many years. Āwhina too sat down, however on a recliner so new and fresh looking it appeared out of place next everything else.

Before thoughts could build up in Nick's mind, Āwhina spoke yet again: "Such a shame about that bunny cop."

"How do you mean?" asked nick.

"I like to listen to the radio but recently it's been full of those nutters harping on about freedom from oppression. Anyways, this morning they were saying 'the fugitive officer Hopps has been neutralized' or something like that."

"Meaning what?"

"Iggles reckons it's a good thing!" said Āwhina, shaking her head.

"I can hear you guys!" Isaac called out.

"Good for you! Why can't I hear any milk being steamed?"

Silence from the kitchen, followed by the sharp gurgle of frothing milk.

Nick dared to ask, "What do you think? About Hopps?"

"She is a breath of fresh air. Such a sweet girl. One day, at this busy intersection, the lights went on the fritz. She drives her golf cart to the middle and climbs up top and starts directing traffic! If that wasn't enough, she stopped everything just to help little old me get to the chemist."

Nick listened contentedly until Isaac returned, presumably from the kitchen, with freshly made espresso.

"Thank you son," said Āwhina with a warm smile as she took hold of her frothy cappuccino with both paws.

"Shall we be off then?" asked Isaac, holding out a steaming to-go cup for Nick to grab.

Nick nodded as stood, taking the cup as he headed for the room's exit. Before leaving though, he turned and said, "Thank you for your time, Mrs Katzendale."

Isaac's Mom nodded happily as both Nick and her son left the living room. As she heard the door close, her expression turned from pleased to one of deep concern for her child.

Nick got settled in the passenger seat of Isaac's coupe while the cat performed an obsessive compulsive pre-drive check. Nick finished a long sip from his coffee as Isaac turned the key and brought the vehicle to life.

"Oh. My. God," said Nick, drawing the cup away from his muzzle, adding, "this is without a doubt, the best damn latte I have ever had."

Isaac just shot him a disdainful look and said, "That's great. Fantastic. Positively fabulous."

Nick rolled his eyes and gathered his thoughts for a moment before looking at the cat in the eye, "You know, the sarcastic cynicism thing just doesn't work for you."

Isaac looked ready to shoot back a retort but Nick cut him off.

"Nuh-uh. Hear me out. The voice, yeah it's okay. But then I look at your face - little chubby cheeks under that soft fuzz - and it's gone. It also doesn't help that this car smells like it belongs to a checkout chick. Is that lavender?"

"No," frowned Isaac, "it's frangipani. And hey, are we gonna do this or what? All you've done so far is roast me."

"Alright alright. Police station. Any one will do, I just need to get into the network."

Nick didn't bother talking to Isaac while he drove, he seemed to already be plenty tense. Admittedly though, he may have been a little hard on the kid. Nick had to dismiss his thoughts as Isaac discreetly pulled up to the station belonging to third precinct.

"Coast looks clear," said Nick, "come on, kid."

The two predators approached warily. Inside, they had to step over upturned furniture and scattered paperwork.

"It's… It's like, deserted," Isaac said nervously.

"Hmph. The way I figure it, big bad Bisonhower still has a grip on the city - over there! A computer, looks like it still works!"

Nick hurried over and started mashing buttons in the hopes it would start up. Isaac scurried over and merely hit the power button.

"Right. Thanks."

"Okay, fill me in. What are we doing here?" Asked Isaac, quizzically watching Nick navigate to the traffic camera feed.

"Pulling a leaf out my old playbook; hitting up the jam cams," explained Nick.

Nick pulled up the camera overlooking the entrance to ZPD HQ, tensing up as he watched himself get hit by a van in third person.

Nick switched feeds as the vehicle left the frame. The feed suddenly stopped before Nick could see where it went next, he narrowed his eyes and flicked through adjacent feeds to find it.

"What's up?" asked Isaac.

"Every time I spot the van," started Nick, "the camera that shows it gets taken out."

"Check the maintenance view," said Isaac flatly.

"The what?"

"Security systems always usually have a screen that shows the status of every alarm or camera in a group, though I take it you didn't know that," Isaac explained.

Nick looked at him blankly, "Achieving what?"

After an exasperated huff, Isaac said "Only certain cameras have gone down, right? Like, as opposed to the whole network."

"Yup. So it seems."

Isaac continued, "So, if you load up the maintenance screen, it'll show which specific cameras are running and which ones aren't."

"Showing us the path they took through the city?" asked Nick.

Isaac nodded, "I guess so."

After a furtive glance, Nick stood up and said, "Show me."

Isaac said nothing as he took the helm. With a few clicks and a bit of typing, he brought up a simplified map of the city's entire network of traffic cameras, each represented by colored dots. Nick leaned in and followed a trail of red dots with one claw, tracing all the way as it snaked across the city.

"So they went around HQ, headed North a ways, then hung a sharp turn to the West, skirting the edges of the Rainforest District."

"So what now?"

"Well, we still don't know where Ezra's hiding, but at least we narrowed down our search. Come on kid, let's go find us a bison," said Nick excitably.

Isaac reluctantly stepped down from the chair saying, "As riveting as that sounds . . . I can't. I have to work tonight."

"Well," started Nick, his posture deflating and ears drooping.

Isaac, stepping over and looking quite conflicted, finally huffed and said, "Look here. I'm not working at all tomorrow, I just have to go with Mom to an appointment. So let's say, we meet after that, and continue your blackmail-ridden wild goose chase then?"

Nick nodded dejectedly and followed the cat back to his car, only said cat kept walking, so Nick idly followed.

"Where'ya going?" asked Nick.

"I'm hungry. It's time for lunch. I'm going to get lunch."

"Sorry I asked. You know, I'm beginning to think your attitude problem is just you. Know what I mean, Izzy?" said Nick.

No response came. After a few steps Nick stopped and turned about only to find Isaac had disappeared into thin air. Turning back again, Nick found a young female feline with deep amber eyes standing right across from him.

"Hi!" she said.

"Hello there," said Nick.

"Sorry to bother you, mister. But have you seen a cat like me around? Not exactly like me, though. A little taller, icy blue eyes, cute chubby cheeks? Oh, and I should probably mention that he is a he. A boy. you know, a tomcat."

Nick had to process a moment to respond, "Er, no. I have not."

The pouty look that overtook her features almost broke Nick's little fox heart.

"But tell you what," Nick said, "I think I know him. If I do see him, I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"Oh thank you, mister! Oh, by the way, my name is Chloe. Oh my God, you handled that well, some random girl comes up asking if you've seen somebody . . . Yikes!"

Nick said nothing else as Chloe fluttered away, throwing a bubbly wave over her shoulder.

Isaac's sudden reappearance from a nearby alley interrupted Nick's thoughts.

"That was a close one. Good save, fox," said Isaac, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

"You're welcome . . . I guess,"

"No joke, not even kidding, she is absolutely insufferable," explained Isaac.

Nick shook his head saying, "So are you, besides, she seems kinda cute."

Isaac stepped up and defensively retorted, "Hey, watch your mouth!"

Nick had to let out a hearty chuckle as he went back in his mind to younger days, "I'll see you tomorrow, kid," he said as he turned and walked away.

Isaac watched Nick all the way with a confused expression clouding his features.

End Notes

This one is long overdue, I know. I'd meant to finish it before I went on holiday two weeks ago. Instead, I finished it while I was away and wrote most of the next chapter!

For reference, Isaac's mother's name, Āwhina, is a Māori word which, as a noun, means 'support' or 'assistance' et al.