Chapter 12.
The SWAT van crested the hill lit by pre-dawn light. Ahead lay the Rusty Tower and nearly twenty hostages waiting to be rescued. Choppers circled the tenement block while two dozen SWAT vans and twenty police cruisers converged on the compound from all directions. Judy was in the vanguard along with Wolford, Higgins, Grizzoli, Delgato, Fangmeyer, Schwartz and Buckton. Bogo was set up in a command centre commandeered from a willing stoat family across the street. He had views from the snipers' nests, helicopter cameras and body cameras throughout the operation.
"Rhino One pulling up," announced McHorn, their driver. "Ram ready."
"Roger Rhino One," responded Bogo. "Wait for my command."
"Remember Officers," Bogo broadcast. "We're not just rescuing one of our own today. We're rescuing over fifteen hostages and putting an end to one of the deadliest terrorist groups Zootopia has ever known. I want everyone safe home on this one. Look out for each other, look out for yourselves and bring our boy home!"
There was no raucous cheering. The officers all looked at one another and nodded. They were all armed to the teeth and wore bulletproof body armour. Only Buckton went without a helmet, his antlers prohibited it. They were parked in an alley within easy reach of the Rusty Tower's walls. The night watch was changing for the morning shift. It was nearly time.
"Internal Affairs are gonna have a field day when this is all over," stated Fangmeyer, a rueful smile on his face.
"Tomorrow's theirs," replied McHorn. "Today's ours."
Judy breathed deeply and checked her helmet and armour. It was built to allow her to avoid fire rather than absorb it. Weapons carried by Rhinos had a greater hit than those carried by Rabbits. One shot would punch through her armour but Judy was fast, really fast. The radio crackled as Chief Bogo ordered all units to check in. One by one the SWAT vans, observation copters and cruisers reported in.
"All units Operation Zebra Hunt is a go," said Bogo. "Move in."
The van roared to life as McHorn put it in drive. A huge plough lowered in front of the van's grill as it powered toward the sheet metal gate. Cries of surprise and fear rang out from the walls. Bullets pinged off the armoured vehicle as it tore through the gate. Corrugated iron flew in all directions and an Arctic Fox fell from the wall. Different vans burst through the concrete wall in different areas. McHorn spun the wheel so that the back doors were facing the entrance. He hopped in the back and grabbed an enormous steel plated riot shield.
"Form up," he bellowed as Buckton opened the doors. The huge rhino barrelled out of the van, trampling a weasel with a machine pistol in the process. All nine began to run toward the entrance as the other teams levelled covering fire on the walls. Within minutes the courtyard was secure and the SWAT were advancing on the tower.
Most of the rooms on the first floor were sealed off and the gang members had retreated to the upper floors. The Swat teams moved up except for one that went to check the rooms. All floors up to the fifth were clear. Lieutenant Bungo, also carrying a shield, stumbled back as heavy bullets pelted the shield. They stalled on the stairs as the heavy machine gun continued to fire.
"Tear gas now!" ordered Buckton. "Masks on!"
Six canisters of white gas bounced down the hallway. They hissed as the debilitating gas poured into the hall. The machine gun continued to boom until eventually it sputtered to a stop. Mammals began to cry and cough as the SWAT team raced down the corridor firing as they went. Judy bounded at the head of the pack towards the machine gunner. It was the skunk from before. One of the Monochrome Gang.
With one paw, she grabbed and slammed him into the ground. He coughed, tears streaming down his face. He struggled with the pistol at his belt but Judy got there first. She grabbed it and pointed it at his skull. She bounced his head off the floor, anger roaring in her veins.
"Where's Nick?" she yelled. "Where's my partner?!"
A hit to the ribs doubled the skunk up. His stink glands voided themselves and Judy thanked her lucky stars for the gas mask.
"Where's Nick!" It wasn't a question this time. She fired the pistol by his head, shattering a floor tile. The skunk recoiled and pointed upwards.
"What floor!"
"Eight… teen," he coughed. "Floor eighteen."
Judy slapped a pair of cuffs on the skunk and marched on. The Rusty Fur gang were in full retreat now. They were no match for the near military strength of the ZPD. Snipers blanketed the balconies with a storm of lead while the SWAT members used their weapons to full effect. Shooters in the choppers covered any escape attempts from the roof. The ZPD didn't have it all their own way however.
A lion officer from precinct ten went down under three foxes. He took two with him. Buckton's antlers were blown clear off his head before he picked them up and used them to gore the offending goat. Delgado was hit in the shoulder and retreated with Officer Higgins' aid. Detective Lucy Schwartz was separated in the tear gas on floor ten and took on a snow leopard paw-to-paw. She was victorious but still stretchered out of the tower with severe claw wounds.
On the seventeenth floor Judy saw him. Jackson Crossing kicked Fangmeyer back down the stairs before Judy, Wolford and Grizzoli bounded after him.
"In pursuit of Crossing," Judy radioed briefly, her rage still burning. "Have the body bags ready."
FLOOR EIGHTEEN. RUSTY TOWER.
The door slammed open as Nick dropped the cuffs to the floor. He had heard the shots and was ready. Red mist drifted across his vision and time slowed. Need a weapon. Toilet cistern. Kill Crossing. The zebra had a pistol. Easily remedied. The cistern lid hit the zebra's hoof and the revolver went off with a bang. The bullet clipped Nick's calf and blood flowed. The fox barely felt it.
He kicked Crossing in the muzzle and the zebra stumbled back. His right hoof was broken but he drew a knife from his boot with his left. He began to circle Nick, his mouth moving but Nick heard no words only the blood pounding in his ears. Nick was fast but so was the zebra. Paws and hooves moved in a blur. A series of strikes and blocks that the naked eye could easily miss. They broke as Crossing uppercut Nick sending him reeling against the bed. He looked down and saw blood on the mattress. The white fur on his chest was dyed red and his uniform shirt was torn to ribbons. The pounding in his ears drifted far away replaced with distant gunshots and racing pawsteps.
"I'm going to kill you Wilde," snarled Crossing, the shards of the cistern lid jammed deep in his neck. "And then I'll kill your little bunny bitch and the rest of this pathetic city."
Synapses fired in Nick's brain. His behaviour was beastly, animalistic. He couldn't remember what had happened last night but he knew Jackson was responsible. Nick growled and licked blood from his teeth. Kill Crossing. Save Judy. Prove self. The old Nick was in there somewhere directing the fearsome machine Nick was now but he was weak and couldn't hold on much more. Luckily, he didn't have to.
A polar bear smashed through the wall, a very disorientated weasel in his paws. The door was shattered by gunfire and a wolf and rabbit stepped through. Nick felt soothed by the rabbit's presence though he did not know why. Memory and sensation were fading fast. The zebra he hated raised a foot and spun slamming Nick back. With a wet crack his head hit the wall.
"Give it to me quick Hopps," said Bogo in a very tired voice. "What happened?"
The rabbit looked smaller than she ever had in the water buffalo's eyes. Small, scared and alone. He bent down and put a large hoof on her shoulder. The rabbit looked up from a Styrofoam cup of tea. They were in the back of an ambulance. Her violet eyes stared up at him. They brimmed with uncertainty and fear. Bogo remembered when he'd been in a similar position many, many years ago.
"Officers Grizzoli, Wolford and myself burst in on Officer Wilde and Jackson Crossing engaged in paw-to-paw combat," she explained, her voice trembling. "Upon seeing us enter Officer Wilde was momentarily distracted and Crossing kicked him into the wall. We responded with deadly force. We… We- Oh Chief it's all my fault, isn't it?!"
Chief Bogo was not a hugger. Never really had been but this occasion called for it. He wrapped Judy in a gentle embrace and whispered assurances to her. He knew it wasn't her fault but she would have come to terms with it herself. It would take time just like Nick's recovery. The question was: how much time and what would the results be?
A/N: Multiple apologies for the lack of updates but you know how life is. Anyway, hope you liked the big action scene and I hope you guys are prepared for a dark journey into the psyches of Nick, Judy and multiple ZPD officers. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!