[AN

Hey guys! New chapter is there. Did someone miss me?

*** Crickets chirping ***

Sniff.

Anyway, sorry for the very long delay, but I'm working on four other projects. Yep. Four. My brain has decided I did not have the right to focus on this story, and kept sending me ideas and ideas. So only one way to get rid of them: write them. And guess what?

It doesn't work.

I'm still struggling between all my ideas, but I managed to force myself to go on with this one. I don't really know what to think of this chapter to be honest…

Hope you enjoy anyway!

AN]

The computer was mocking Nick, or so it seemed. Not only did it required twelve minutes – twelve whole minutes, phone in paw! – to finally be operational, but he had crashed thrice now. The past two hours had brought Nick nothing but a headache and the will to bring this stone-age machinery to Bogo's desk and demand for a replacement. Which was out of the question of course, as facing Bogo now would not be a good idea, his blood still running hot in his veins after his unwanted session of eavesdropping. That, and explaining what he was doing in archives could be rather touchy.

Still, looking around and eyeing the rows and rows of boxes on the shelves, waiting to be open one by one until he found one particular case file, was not something he was looking forward to. Sighing, he went back to staring at the screen while the computer struggled to turn on once again.

Once it did, he opened the records and started looking again. Using keywords, he had started with Red, but seeing more than fifty thousand matches, understood it was pointless without more data. Adding criminal, mafia, boss or other words used in cop language didn't help a bit. Changing his approach, he opted for Bogo. For the last hour, he had read everything about the buffalo, from his very first day to his nomination as chief of police, from his greatest success to his less appreciated decision.

All for naught.

Nothing indicated any duplicity in his resume. He had been an exemplar cop throughout his entire career, and if he had any bad side hidden somewhere behind this stern and cold attitude, it was extremely well hidden. And just when he was about to open the last file, the one he dreaded the most, the raid when Judy was killed, the computer crashed again.

While waiting for the dinosaur to reboot, Nick took a piece of paper, a pen, and began trying to organize his thoughts. Basic functioning of the cop machine: gather evidence, analyze them, then make assumptions.

"So, what am I sure of? Big is scared." And he wrote that sentence down. "Surely it means something, as the guy is powerful enough that even the ZPD doesn't like being involved in his business. Then, he thinks my father is back. BUT, there's no proof of that. Hmmmmm." He decided to write anyway, but with a big question mark at the end.

"Then, there's the shipments. These are real for sure, or at least the drug ones are." Another item to the list.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand… that's all I got. Sweet cheese…" He then traced a line that split the sheet in two.

"All right, keep your cool, Wilde. Let's try the other one. Irina. Bunny, assassin, supposedly dead for years. Back from the dead." As soon as he had written those words, he crossed them.

"Nope, don't jump to conclusions. Just a murder with her signature. Raymond Frostshard. Big's enforcer." He wrote this down, thought for a while, and put the pen down.

"And nothing. Absolutely nothing." He put his head in his paws, elbows resting on the desk, and tried to make his headache disappear. When it was no more than an annoying disturbance in the back of his skull, he noticed the computer was ready to be used once again. For how long though, he didn't know. Immediately looking for the file on the raid where his partner had died, he took his time to read every line and everything in between. One detail caught his attention. One he knew, but had never cared about before.

"He took her. Bogo was the one to get her to the ambulance." Dread engulfed his heart. Could he have known? Did he expect it? Or worse, was he…

Nick shook his head. Once again, it wasn't time to jump to conclusions. He wrote the info down, but it didn't bring him anything new so he let it aside for now. His next search was for Irina. He didn't find much, as Wolfard had made a very thorough job when explaining them his case. He took only two notes: nobody knew how she was picking her victims, and her body was never found. Sighing, he knew what was next.

"And here comes the fun part." He then entered the words fox, red, boss and pressed enter. As before, the results numbered by thousands. Scrolling through the reports' titles, he picked a few that proved completely useless, before finding his first useful one. He began reading it out loud, unconsciously.

"Hmm. A shooting between polar bears and a pack of wolves. Three on three, no victims, lots of damage only. Location: Tundratown. Could be Big's guys then. Too bad the few pictures taken by bystanders were so dark and blurry. Let's try another one."

This went on for another hour, with little success. Cars or warehouses burnt for no apparent reasons, some shootings, anonymous tips to the ZPD that led to drug busting and mammal arresting. Taken individually, each case was innocuous, but to the cop they could be all linked. The more he read, the more he was convinced. Big had told the truth. That's when his brain finally decided to help him.

"Of course! Stupid brain, couldn't you give me the hint sooner?" Opening a single internet browsing page, he entered the words "fox limo company" and pressed enter. A couple minutes later, he was looking at a young red fox, in his early twenties, wearing a complete tuxedo, smiling brightly in front of a big limo. The article indicated "Grand opening today: Wild Ride limo service".

Wild. The word caught Nick's attention. It couldn't be a coincidence. He focused his attention on the fox and all concept of time vanished. His mother had never talked about his father, nor had she kept any picture of him. For the first time in his life, Nick was looking at his genitor. The mammal responsible for everything that had gone south in his life. His mother barely surviving day after day, her getting sick with no one to care about her, his years on the streets, his years working for Big. Even now, there was a possibility that he was back and bent on resuming his old life as a crime lord. It could even be his warehouse they had raided months ago. It could be his fault if she was gone. If that was the case…

Hearing a loud crack, he noticed that his fist was clenched so hard it had damaged the mouse. Breathing deeply several times to calm himself, he understood it was useless and exited the room, desperate for fresh air. He even ignored Clawhauser's calls on reaching the main hall. This was getting too much once again. He was losing it. And this only infuriated him more. For twenty years he had managed to keep his cool no matter the situation, and everything had gone south in only half a year. Now, he was facing emotional breakdowns on a regular basis. So much for not letting others get to him.

Pacing back and forth between the main door and the stairs, breathing hard, the fox did his best to get a hold on himself and his raging emotions. A lost battle it seemed, as ten minutes flew without the slightest sign of improvement. This was when someone cleared his throat behind him.

"Hum, you ok there Nick?" Clawhauser was looking at him with anxiety. Nick sighed, and stopped in his tracks.

"I'm fine, Ben." An obvious lie.

"You don't seem fine. Maybe I can help? You know, it's been a long time since I've done field work, but for Higgins, I could get back to it." Nick looked at the cheetah and he saw the fear in his eyes. Not for the fox, but for his friend. That's when he realized how selfish he had been. His only concern had been his father all along. His outburst, the reason for his presence there, was his own problems, while the rest of the precinct was worried sick for the missing hippo. Something broke in him, and a memory came back in full force.

A warm summer day. His brand new uniform. A badge pined on his chest for the first time. His friend looking at him with undisguised pride. And later that evening, her promise. You'll never be alone anymore. The fox had to fight back the tears. She had been right. For three years she had been there. But she was not the only one. He had already called his colleagues his family in blue, but the words had always been empty. A façade to blend in and make them smile, to make his integration easier. But on that very moment, close to reaching rock bottom, he finally understood that there was more to this.

He really wasn't alone. He had friends. Friends ready to change their habits and put themselves in danger to help him. Friends ready to bear the weight of the job with him. Clawhauser was one of those friends. This was time. Time for him to be worthy of their friendship.

"Ben, I need you to come with me." The cheetah seemed a bit uneasy, but nodded anyway. And so the fox led the feline to the archives. Taking a deep breath, he showed him the picture. Ben stared at it for a while, but his timid smile was proof he didn't really know what he was supposed to see. Sighing, the fox spoke in a low voice.

"Ben, this is my father. You may have known him as Red, Mr. Big's rival years ago." Ben's eyes open wide, and for several minutes neither dared disturbed the silence that had settled. Until…

"Red? THE Red?" Nick couldn't answer, so he just nodded. Ben went silent again, his mind trying to process all the implications.

"You're his son?" Another nod.

"Ben, I need you to tell me everything you know about him. What he did to the city. Who he worked with. Who was on the case, how the investigation was led, and how you busted him. Everything. I'll explain why, but I need to know. Please."

But Ben wasn't looking at him. He had his eyes focused on the screen. When he spoke, his voice was but a whisper.

"This cannot be. This is not Red." Nick frowned. He couldn't be wrong. The mammal, the limo, the name of the company. It all pointed to it.

"Ben, what is it?" But Ben wasn't listening. He kept muttering "this cannot be" again and again, eyes glued to the screen, oblivious to his colleague.

"Ben? BEN!" Finally, the cheetah blinked and seemed to remember he was not alone in the room.

"Ben, what is it?"

"You're wrong Nick. This isn't Red." Nick frowned again. It HAD to be him.

"How can you be so sure? All I've found so far point to this mammal, this red fox, being Red."

"NICK, THIS CAN'T BE HIM, OKAY?" The sudden anger took the fox by surprise and he took several steps back. He had already seen the cheetah sweat, but only after getting off his chair and climbing the stairs. But this level of anger and anxiety? This was a first, and Nick clearly didn't like it.

"Ben, buddy, what's wrong? I need you to tell me, please." Ben started shaking from head to toe, ears twitching, the fur of his tail on edge.

"You must be wrong Nick. You must." He was back to staring at the screen.

"Do you know this guy?" The feline shook his head.

"Not him. HER!" he shouted, pointing at the screen. Under his chubby digit was a black panther. A female it seemed, her facial features too soft to be a male according to Nick. She was on the corner of the picture, staring at the fox with something in her look. Maybe affection? She was a bit too far behind for the fox to be sure, but it could be it. Zooming proved useless, as the image became blurry and completely inoperable.

"Who's she?" At first, Ben only resumed his "this cannot be" mantra, but the fox was losing patience.

"BEN!" The shout got the feline's attention.

"I swear I will explain everything buddy, but I need you right now. Who is she? Why are you so surprise, so scared, that this fox could be Red?"

"But-but… th-th-that's…" Ben's jaw was now trembling so hard his teeth rattled. Nick was getting sweaty too. What was happening with the usually overly jovial cheetah? Finally, Ben closed his eyes and took a long, very long, breath.

"That's Patricia." Nick's jaw dropped. Patricia? He had heard this name no long ago. This very day in fact. The mammal Bogo was speaking on the phone with was named Patricia. Could it be the same mammal?

"Who's she? Ben?"

"She's the one who helped Bogo become chief. She's a former cop, and now she's head of the ZBI."

Nick froze. So she could be the one who was talking with Bogo. It was logical that the ZPD and ZBI work together from times to times, and as chiefs they were sure to know each other, at least professionally speaking. They had the same job in the end. But if that was the case… If she knew Red… and their conversation earlier… Nick's mind went blank at the implications. Silence filled the room, each cop focused on themselves. It was Nick who managed to snap out of it first, though he was still shaking.

"Ben, I could go for a snack. You coming?" Ben nodded absently. Nick made sure to turn close the browser, erase the traces of his presence, then turned the computer off. Maybe he was letting paranoia take control, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. As if he was right…

The two friends escaped the oppressing building the ZPD headquarters had become and made their way to their favorite cafe, a bit further down the road. The fox ordered two big coffee, and when he offered the cheetah to buy donuts, he was shocked to hear a refusal. That scared him more than everything that had happened this day. They took seats at the far end of the cafe, where they could talk more privately. It was time to be careless.

"So Ben, how do you know her? This Patricia?"

"Told you. Former cop. Still come once in a while to work with Bogo." Nick winced internally. Now his friend was not even making full sentences. Things were about to get ugly, he thought. So he decided to change his tactics.

"All right Ben, listen to me. I'll tell you everything I've gathered so far on the case, then why I told you this and showed you the picture. In return, I need you to focus, and when I'm done you'll tell me what you know. Works for you, buddy?" Ben nodded, but Nick still saw the cheetah wasn't thrilled by the events. Still, he had promised. So he explained everything, twisting the truth here and there to keep the most dangerous details to himself. Mr. Big was never mentioned for example, replaced by "an old contact of mine". But he said it all. The word spreading of Red's comeback, the drugs, the robberies, the weapons. Ben easily made the link with the successful raid and the catch of the year, and much to the fox's unease, the raid where Judy was killed.

"So, you think he's back. Okay. You also think he hired Irina to kill Mr. Frostshard, as a message to Mr. Big. So far, it's plausible, though it seems you're lacking solid proof. How about Higgins then? Was it a kind of vengeance for the bust?"

"Could be. Don't you find it strange that it happens the very same evening?"

"Maybe. But the raid was already late at night. How could he organize Higgins' kidnapping on such short notice? Even Big isn't that powerful, not talking about being stupid enough to attack us like this. If Red is only starting his business, it doesn't add up." Nick remained silent. And for the first time, he expressed his fears.

"Patricia." Ben froze.

OoO

"WHAT?" The shout echoed in the cafe, and Nick had to shush the cheetah. A hard look at the other customers and a sign towards his badge got him the privacy he required. But Ben wasn't done.

"Are you insane?" even when whispering, Ben's voice was much too loud for the fox.

"Ben, please. Calm down." Ben shook his head, and left. No words. No signs. One second he was staring at the fox, the next he was making its way towards the counter. He came back after a few minutes, carrying a tray full of donuts, cakes and other sweet treats. He also put another cup of coffee, elephant-sized, in front of Nick's face.

"You got some explaining to do Nick. And you better not be pulling my leg on this one." Nick paused, making sure his ideas were as coherent as possible, then began.

"I overheard Bogo earlier. He was on the phone with someone named Patricia. He said that he knew how to deal with me, that everything was going according to the plan, things like this. That's why I went to archives. I needed to think it through." Ben stuffed a donut in his mouth, chomped noisily, then spoke, his mouth still half-full.

"Cho what, you chink the chief ich involved?" He stopped and gulped his food, pretty much like a duck. "Sorry. You think the chief is involved? Are you really going nuts? We all saw what losing Judy did to you, but Nick, this is madness! You can't be serious!" Nick frowned. Something in him wanted his friend to be right, badly. Still, the more he was learning, the more he had his doubts.

"Ben. I don't know what kind of plan he was talking about, but that can't be a coincidence. Keep an eye on me? Why me? I'm not the best, Wolfard is. I'm not the most ancient, Higgins is. I'm not the last either, there are others who joined us. Why me specifically, if not for what happened to her?" Ben noticed how Nick didn't dare say her name out loud.

"And now you tell me Patricia could be the one you know, chief of the ZBI. AND that she could have known Red? What am I supposed to make with that?" Clawhauser stopped dead, his mouth open on a spoon of cake. He remained immobile for seconds, before finally putting the spoon down.

"I-I-…. I don't know, Nick. I don't. Wh-Wh-What if I'm wrong? Huh? What if the panther I saw on the picture wasn't her? What if the fox isn't Red? What you're implying… It's just… it's… it just can't be!"

"And what if we're both correct?" Ben was panicking. The fox didn't really know why, but there was something off with his friend. Silence befell the duo, with only some chomping from Ben to disturb them, or the occasional slip of coffee. It was Ben who spoke first.

"Let's say it's them. You think Patricia helped him? Or worst, did it by herself?" Nick sighed.

"I don't know. I know nothing about her."

"How about Irina then? What's the link?" Nick thought again on how to formulate his theory.

"Well, if what Wolfard told us is true, and I'm sure it is, she was a gun-for-hire. If she's alive, maybe she never stopped. Maybe she just left Zootopia, as did Red. He could have kept contact with her the whole time, or just knew how to contact her. Or used his old network to find her."

Ben thought for a while, stuffing another donut in his mouth. To Nick, he was evacuating some of the pressure by chomping on the treats, and a part of him felt bad for inflicting this to his friend.

"It doesn't add up. If Patricia knew and was involved with Red, she would have told him, and the truck would have been delayed, or empty, or his cargo replaced or something. Red would not have left such a large amount of drugs fall into our hands, not if he wants to build an empire and rival Big again. Waiting for us to bust his shipment and then kidnap Higgins makes no sense. Kidnapping Higgins makes no sense in itself! Why attack us directly? Why now?"

"That's what's bothering me, buddy. I don't understand either. I'm as lost as you. And this is driving me crazy. Especially if Red really is my father." Ben nearly choked on his coffee.

"What do you mean if he really is? You don't even know that? Nick, you're chasing ghosts! Do you sleep well? When was the last time you took a break?" Nick frowned.

"I'm doing all right, Ben. This is just a tough case, nothing more."

"Nick, you have absolutely nothing and you're accusing Bogo of being responsible for Judy's death with the help of the ZBI! How all right does it sound to you?" Nick was at a loss for words. Ben was right. Maybe he wasn't done mourning Judy and was trying desperately to find leads. For the umptieth time, he wondered if he was losing it for good.

"Maybe you're right Ben." He then took his head in his paws, and sighed heavily. Ben looked at him with sympathy.

"Here, take a bite. You're gonna need sugar." Nick stared at the cake the cheetah was offering him, but politely refused it. He didn't feel like eating anything.

"Thanks, but no thanks Ben. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Your loss" answered the cheetah, finishing the last piece of cake on the tray.

OoO

The two stayed at the cafe for another hour. Ben didn't know a lot about the Red case. Or more precisely, he knew a lot that wasn't useful.

"This guy was more slippery than a weasel. Every time we thought we had something, he proved us wrong. Even our CIs became useless, as most of the time even they were wrong. For example, we received a tip saying Red's crew was about to ambush Big's bears by blocking a road and shoot their limo. So we put Big's mansion under surveillance. And in the middle of the afternoon, a limo drove through the gates. We followed it with an unmarked vehicle, and guess what? Nothing! Nothing happened. The bears went to different buildings, sometimes with bags, sometimes just by themselves, and went home after a three hour ride. Three hours lost! Worst part is, when we get back to the ZPD, we learn that a bank, one working for Big if the suspicions were right, had been blown up! More than fifty mammals died in the explosion!"

Nick was listening very closely, and this shocked him.

"Sure the CI tried to defend himself, but Bogo put him in a cell for seven days, visiting him nearly every two hours. Regular like a metronome for a whole week! The poor guy ended up in tears! But he kept repeating he didn't know what had happened, that he had been sure of his intel, that it wasn't his fault, etcetera. Not once in the week did he change his story, so we believed him in the end. Never saw Bogo more enraged than the days that followed."

Nick believed the cheetah. This would have driven any cop crazy, and Bogo had never been renowned for his patience.

"Here's another one. One day, an undercover cop informs us of a shipment coming by sea and carrying weapons for Red. One hour later, the ZBI calls us and gives us the exact same info. So naturally the chiefs organized a double operation. And what do we discover? Food and clothes for a charity helping homeless mammals!" Nick gasped. This was one big mistake.

"We checked all the boats that berthed that day and the three following ones, but nothing. That's when…" Ben froze. Nick raised his brows.

"Hum. That's… hummmm."

"Ben? You okay there?" Ben shook his head and smiled timidly.

"Yeah, yeah I am. As I was saying, after this fiasco, the head of the ZBI resigned, and Patricia took his place."

It was Nick's turn to freeze, jaw ajar.

"Wait wait wait. You're telling me that you were misled day after day, and that Patricia took advantage of it?"

"Well, I don't know about taking advantage, but …"

"… in the end the result was the same" Nick cut him short. "And Bogo?"

"He wasn't chief of police yet. He got his place after finally disbanding Red's empire."

"How did he do it?"

Ben began fidgeting with his paws.

"Hum, we don't really know." Nick stopped and looked at the cheetah questioningly. But then he remembered what Big had told him. He had scared Red into making mistakes.

"He became careless." He said out loud, more to himself, he gaze lost in front of him. Then he looked at his friend. "Red. He made mistakes, didn't he?" Ben nodded.

"I don't know if he made mistakes, but one of the CIs finally gave us a worthy intel, and we caught a dozen of his crew with illegal weapons. The following week, he tried to make up for it by bringing in a huge shipment, the biggest until now. Thing is, it was way too big to be discreet, so we busted it and put behind bars more than forty mammals." Then Ben lowered his head.

"We lost six good cops that night. Amongst them… Chuck, my partner." The last words had been whispered, and Nick felt his heart hurt and his head spin. Ben's partner? The cheetah was on the field? Sure he had said "we" the whole time but he was actually including himself?

"This was my last day on the field. I gave up after that, and when Bogo became chief he asked me not to resign. I agreed, but never left the lobby since."

"Hold on a sec! This happened… what? Twenty something years ago?"

"Thirty-four." Nick thought about it. He was one at the time. No wonder he doesn't remember anything. Then another thought crossed his mind.

"Ben. How old are you?" Ben frowned.

"Fifty-eight. You didn't know?" Nick's jaw dropped. The bubbly cheetah was already that old? For the second time this day shame submerged him. After three years on the force, he hadn't taken the time at least once to know his friends. To really know them. When this whole mess is over, Nick swore he would make up for his selfishness. First thing, he would ask Ben everything about his years on the streets and his partner.

Then it struck Nick. If Patricia and Bogo had been involved with Red, then they were responsible for said partner's death. No wonder why he was so shocked by Nick's theory. The fox was really getting sick, his stomach revolting against the very idea of corruption rooted so deeply into the police force, and for so long. He was glad he hadn't eaten anything the cheetah has bought, as right now he knew he wouldn't have been able to keep it inside.

"Ben, listen closely" he said, leaning forward, and watching the cheetah straight in the eyes. "I don't know what's happening, but I will find out. But right now, I need this to stay between us. I'll tell Wolfard when I feel he needs to know, but that's all. And more importantly, Bogo must never learn about any of this. Do you hear me?"

Ben was crying. It had been years since his partner, an African giraffe, had been killed, and he had gotten used to it. Whenever he evoked him with Bogo or some other colleagues and friends, he could do so with a smile, keeping only the good times with him. But right now, the idea of the police chief being involved was too much for the emotional and bubbly feline.

"Ben, please. I will get to the bottom of this. And if anything happened to your partner or mine, I swear the mammals behind it will pay! You hear me? They'll pay! But you need to keep it to yourself until I have proofs. Can you do that, please?"

Ben nodded with a smile. He liked Nick, and knew he was a good cop. Hearing the determination in his voice was enough for the cheetah to know he was telling the truth and had what it required to keep to his word. Judy could be involved after all, and that was something he knew Nick would never let go of until either he caught the culprits or he died trying.

"All right, Nick. No one will know. Mouth shut." And with that he mimicked zipping is lips. Nick smiled. Then the both of them looked at the time. They had been away for two hours now. Quickly, they made their way back to the ZPD. No one was looking for them, and there was no missed calls on Clawhauser's phone, so they hoped nobody had noticed their absence. Or at least, no one that came by several times those last two hours.

Nick made his way back to the archives, a newly found resolution burning in his veins. He had a new purpose, and nothing would stand in his way.