Hitmammals: Chapter 5: A Final Solution
Written by eng050599
Edited by Cimar
"They've taken the bait, Nick," Judy said simply, as she read the text message on her phone while resting in their living room. It was now just past eight o'clock, and they would need to move quickly to get into position. "They're going to be armed, but we don't know exactly what they'll be packing."
Nick rubbed his chin and leaned back into the couch as he considered the possibilities while idly reaching down to stroke his mates ears as she rested her head on his lap. Judy sighed contentedly, and leaned into his touch.
"This may very well be our last day together…although we'll both do our best to make sure is isn't" Judy thought to herself with conviction, but she knew from experience that they both needed to treasure the time that they had all the more fiercely because of how quickly everything could be lost.
"It's not going to be anything big," Nick said after a moment looking down into Judy's eyes, "They can't be seen toting around any big guns, and with their size, even handgun options are going to be limited."
Judy nodded in agreement as she considered their own counter against Jack and Skye. The irony being the two hitmammals would need to keep all their responses on the right side of the law, while the ZPD officers had free rein. That fact was not lost on the doe, and she gave a slight chuckle at the threads of fate that had led them here.
"Semi-formal dress for tonight then?" she asked after a moment, and Nick nodded in reply before motioning for her to sit up, which she did after a minor grunt of annoyance.
"That's going to be the best option," Nick said as he made his way to the master bedroom, and their wardrobe. Opening the door, a vast array of clothing options were on display, but Nick moved and picked out two conservative black suits for Judy and him.
Although of a modern style, there was more to these suits than meets the eye. They were lined with carbon nanotube and Kevlar armor layers, and should resist whatever firepower Savage and Winters would be packing. They couldn't do anything to protect their heads without giving themselves away, but most ZPD training involved aiming for the body's center mass, so the suits should be enough.
The pair quickly changed into their formal attire, and spent several minutes making sure that all the concealed plates and fabrics were in place. These suits cost a small fortune, but were also completely legal, and were mainly used by business moguls who needed discreet protection. Even Mr. Big himself made use of them from time to time, although for a mammal his size, the kinetic impact of any bullet would almost certainly be lethal.
That was what Koslov was for after all.
Once they were satisfied, they made their way out of the penthouse, this time using the normal entrance.
After all, they wanted the ZPD to know where they were going.
"Got them!" Skye said, as she spotted the two hitmammals leaving the casino. Although she and Jack had officially been suspended, they login accounts still gave them access to the surveillance and traffic cameras around the city. The two had been glued to their laptop screens since they had left the precinct and headed home to prepare.
"Any idea where they're going?" Jack asked as he looked up from his own laptop. His injuries were still painful, but they had receded to a dull ache, and didn't impede him any longer.
Skye shook her head in reply, "I can't be sure just yet. They're heading out of Tundratown, and if I had to guess, I'd say they're going to Sahara Square."
Jack looked over to the map of Zootopia that the pair had hung when they had first started tracking the two assassins. Mr. Big's enterprises extended to every district in the city, and there were several possible destinations where Wilde and Hopps could be heading. The very fact that they had seen the pair leave probably meant that they were not heading out on a hit, but were just engaging in personal business or recreation.
They followed the two of them on the cameras as they made their way downtown, where they stopped in front of an Italian restaurant and made their way inside.
"They're eating again?" Jack said in surprise. It had only been a few hours since the two had been at the sushi restaurant, but it would appear that the two would be having a late supper.
Skye looked over the surroundings and then pointed to an alley just across the street from the restaurant. "There, that's where we'll hide. Once they come out, we move in and attack." She looked over to her mate. "We move fast, and take them out before they have a chance to react."
Jack nodded, and then reached into the satchel, retrieving the pistols and holsters, already loaded with extra magazines. He passed one to Skye, while he donned the shoulder rig, and then drew the pistol to chamber a round. The metallic sound of the action quietly echoing in the room.
Sky repeated the procedure for her own equipment, and the pair shared a knowing glance at each other before moving together in an embrace, with Skye leaning down to share a passionate kiss with her mate. Even if they succeeded, the odds are that they would be headed to jail, and it could be decades before they saw each other again in the flesh, but this was the cost to save Zootopia, and although it was a heavy price, they would gladly pay it. They had taken a vow to protect the citizens of the city.
After a quiet moment, the two headed out after putting on light coats to conceal their weapons, quickly making the drive to the restaurant. After parking a block away, the two jogged over to the alley, and took up position behind a mid-sized dumpster. They didn't know how long their prey would remain in the restaurant, but it didn't matter.
"We're going to finish this tonight," Jack whispered to his mate, and he nodded in response, squeezing his shoulder affectionately before returning her attention to the restaurant's entrance.
Inside the restaurant, Judy and Nick were idly nibbling on a shared tiramisu. Their being at the restaurant had little to do with food, and it was more the location that was a necessary part of their plan. They had received a notification that Savage and Winters had arrived on scene a few minutes ago, and now they just needed to give the pair time to get in position.
The two hitmammals knew there were three possible ambush locations that could be used just outside the restaurant. The most obvious one was the alley across the street, and the pair had guessed that this would be the best avenue to use. They had parked their car strategically to partially block a direct line of sight and to provide cover during the initial confrontation if that was the chosen locale of the two barred ZPD officers.
The other two locations were less optimal, but had also been carefully prepared. The sidewalk sign announcing the daily specials just outside the door was made out of the same material as the trauma plates used in ballistic vests, and could be used for cover if the former ZPD officers chose to use the doorway of the adjacent building as a hiding place. In the other direction, a public mailbox had been surreptitiously moved earlier that day to provide cover if the two chose to hide in the small park next door.
If Jack and Skye chose that ambush location, things would become more complicated, as Nick and Judy needed to go through that park to proceed to the final location of their trap. They had to lure their attackers through the small copse of trees, which would also provide additional cover in order for their plan to work.
After several minutes, Judy looked up at her mate and a familiar smile spread across her face. "Are you ready to start the festivities, Nick?" she asked as she hopped down from her seat and started towards the entrance.
"Am I ready, Carrots? Yes, yes I am," he replied as he placed a generous amount of cash on the table to pay for their snack…as well as help cover the probable damage that was about to befall the poor business.
Nick stretched out his limbs, as he knew that both Judy and he would need to move fast once things started. There was a good chance that their suits would stop whatever firepower Jack and Skye had, but being mobile and not getting hit at all was a much better alternative.
The two reached the door, and calmly exited the building. They needed for their surprise to appear real, so they acted as normally as they could, while at the same time scanning the exterior, looking for any sign of their attackers.
Across the street, Jack's ears stood up ramrod straight as the door to the restaurant opened. Both he and Skye started moving as soon as they saw their targets exit. The two drew their pistols and made to cross the street, crouching low, so as to conceal their approach behind the hitmammal's car.
They'd made it halfway across when they heard Hopps' voice cry out in alarm, "GUN!" and they saw the pair bolt to the left, abandoning their vehicle, and making a beeline for a nearby park.
Jack and Skye wasted no time, and fired off a rapid series of shots at the retreating pair. The two hitmammals moved in a chaotic pattern, juking from side to side randomly, and moving to interpose any object they could between themselves and their attackers.
Sky was sure that she hit Wilde at least once, having seen the other fox stumble and fall, only to roll to his feet in a fluid motion and continue running. Skye smiled as she heard a cry of pain from Judy, but the doe didn't stop her panicked dash, and the two made it out of effective range at a sprint.
Jack and Skye chased after the two, swapping out magazines as they ran. They wouldn't be able to shoot accurately at a run, but they did fire sporadically to hary their prey.
The two hitmammals weaved in and out of the trees, mindful of each other's location, and using the sound of their pursuers' footfalls, and occasional gunshots, to try and gage their distance from the pair. This was a chase, but it wasn't one that Nick and Judy wanted to escape from.
Judy winced in pain as she ran, a bullet having grazed her left ear during the initial volley. She couldn't tell how bad the damage was, but it felt like a minor wound and certainly wasn't going to slow her down. She stumbled slightly as she felt something strike her back like a clenched hoof, some of the wind knocked from her lungs as she fell forward.
Two strong paws grasped her, halting her descent, and lifting her into the air. Nick cradled his mate in his arms as he continued to sprint. Sparing a single glance down to wink one eye at her as they broke through to the other side of the park. They could see their destination only a pawful of strides away, and Nick leaned forward, sprinting as fast as he could towards the Spring Breeze Laundromat and Dry Cleaning, another one of Mr. Big's 'legitimate' business ventures.
They had taken the time to prepare everything leading up to this moment, and Nick didn't pause in his stride when he reached the door, seeing puffs of mortar pepper the wall as Jack and Skye continued to fire on the two hitmammals. At the last moment, Nick leapt towards the glass door, curling his form protectively around Judy as he did so, and he smashed through the specially prepared safety glass, the door shattering into thousands of small fragments.
An alarm went off at the destruction of the door, but Nick paid it no heed as he rolled to his feet, releasing Judy as he did so. The two of them quickly ran to the rear of the facility, each one grabbing a black case from the front counter as they did before disappearing into a maze of conveyors, vats, and machines, all laden with a variety of garments. As she passed by a control panel, Judy flipped a switch, the conveyors coming to life, cycling the hanging garments in an endless pattern, while creating both a visual and auditory distraction. The lights were oddly bright in the back room, but this was all part of the plan.
"The trap is set; now all we need is our guests to arrive," Nick said with a smirk, as he and Judy opened the cases and put on the night vision goggles. His own night vision was very good, but they needed every advantage they could muster.
Judy's gaze swept over her mate, searching for any injuries. She knew that he had been hit at least once during their flight.
Nick paused when he noticed that he was the focus of Judy's attention, and he waved a paw dismissively.
"Don't worry, Hopps. The armor caught it." He said with as much confidence as he could muster, then motioned towards Judy's ear. "I'll be sore tomorrow, but unlike you, I'm not going to be making any new fashion statements with stylish piercings."
"Har, har, wiseguy." Judy said before self consciously reaching up to touch her injured ear. Nick was exaggerating, and she was relieved that it truly was just a graze; an angry but already scabbing line of red just running along the back of her ear.
The two hunkered down and waited. They knew it wouldn't be long, but the ball was in Jack and Skye's paws now.
"Damn it!" Jack cursed as he saw Wilde leap through the door of the dry cleaners.
"Would it be asking too much that the glass kills him?" Skye asked breathlessly as she sprinted alongside her partner.
Jack gave a short bark of laughter at the thought. "Karma's not that kind to us love. Let's finish this."
The two stopped when they reached the front door, each one taking up position on either side of it. They shared a glance before Jack spun into the building, his pistol held in a two pawed grip. Skye followed behind him, using her larger stature to keep Jack out of her line of fire. The two scanned the lobby, not seeing any sign of their quarry except for a small patch of blood halfway towards a doorway leading to the rear of the facility. They could hear the sound of machinery working back there, but were unable to make out many details from here.
Skye padded her way forward, scanning every corner and washing machine for any sign of the two hitmammals. When she reached the spot of blood she leaned over and sniffed it before moving on.
"Hopps has been hit," she whispered to her partner, glad to have at least inflicted some damage on the assassin. "Not much blood, but at least we've hurt them."
The two reached the doorway, and once again Jack took the lead, entering into what was obviously the dry-cleaning portion of the business. Garments were traveling along a series of overhead conveyors, creating a constant barrage of movement and noise. Jack scanned the room moving cautiously, focusing on the right side of the room, and trusting Skye to cover the left.
A flash of movement drew his attention, and he instinctively aimed and fired, seeing a spark erupt from where the round smashed into some kind of control console. He cursed quietly, and continued deeper into the facility.
"Do you see anything?" Skye asked, as she scanned her side of the room, trying to make out anything in the whirling mass of fabrics.
"Nothing." Jack replied succinctly. "Do you think they ran out the back?" he asked, but Skye had no chance to reply as suddenly all the lights went out, and the room was plunged into almost complete darkness.
Jack and Skye whirled around, trying to gauge both where each other was, as well as to prepare for what was obviously about to be an attack. They didn't have to wait long, as Jack felt someone strike his paws, coming from above and below his firearm, expertly hitting the pressure points in his wrist, disarming him in an instant. He had no time to react before an elbow thundered into his temple, and he stood there dazed for a minute before a foot drove into his midsection sending him crashing to the floor.
Skye was similarly disarmed, although her assailant settled for simply using a hip throw to drive her into the ground before a hind paw to her head left her reeling on the floor beside her mate.
The two were jolted back to reality when they were unceremoniously doused with frigid water, then some kind of powder that made both their eyes sting. The lights came back on, as a sudden commotion came from the front of the store. The sound of sirens filtered into Jack and Skye's ears as the realized that they were now covered in a soapy mass of detergent as the two struggled to rise.
They blinked, clearing their eyes to see the two hitmammals, calmly seated on one of the large industrial vats, both mammal's faces plastered with a knowing smirk. Their expression didn't change when the cries of "ZPD! Everybody put your hands up now!" came from the entrance way, and Jack saw Officers Wolford and Snarlov move in, their tranq guns aimed squarely on the two hitmammals, but both of them sharing confused glances when they saw Jack and Skye laying on the ground, drenched and covered with suds.
"Stripes, you better have a good explanation for this," Wolford said as he proceeded to zipcuff the two hitmammals.
"Those two tried to kill us!" Judy shrieked as she was placed in restraints. "Look at my ear, they shot me!"
Snarlov took one look at the wound, and then his gaze was drawn to the pistols laying a few feet away. Bending down, he recognized them as being standard issue ZPD .22's. He looked up at his partner in shock.
"You better radio this in to the chief," he said before grabbing another two sets of zipcuffs and moving towards his two former colleagues.
Bogo arrived on scene shortly after the call was made, his temple once again throbbing with each beat of his heart. He already expected the worst, but what he didn't expect was to see the two suspended officers kneeling in a puddle covered in soap with their paws zipcuffed behind their backs.
His gaze traveled to the two hitmammals, who had once again managed to avoid their well-deserved fate. The two of them both had smiles on their muzzles, as they were questioned by officer Wolford, and Bogo was sorely tempted to finish off the two of them right then and there, but the arrival of a ZNN truck just prior to his made that an impossibility.
He had just reached where Jack and Skye were kneeling, the two of them hanging their heads in defeat. He was about to speak when he clearly heard Wilde's voice call out. "Yes officer, my mate and I would like to press charges."
Consciousness filtered back into Judy's mind as the PIXAR machine released her from its generated dreams. The doe took a moment to collect herself before sitting up and removing the helmet, looking over to where Nick was also waking.
"Well that was certainly different," Judy said once Nick removed his own helmet. The details of the event were becoming hazy, as they always did, but some moments still stood out in sharp contrast, as she reached out to grasp her left ear, where a phantom pain from the dream still remained.
Nick gave a small chuckle at Judy's reaction, as he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "You know, for hitmammals, we had a very low body count," he said once he had recovered.
"That one was enough for me, Slick," Judy replied, shuddering slightly at her actions in the simulation. "I almost feel like we need to treat Jack and Skye to dinner or something just for experiencing that."
"It would be an excuse to see them again, and we should tell them about this place," Nick said as he hopped down from the recliner, offering a paw to Judy to help her down. "Then again, the two of them probably have enough wild adventures with the ZIA as is."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Wilde," a familiar voice called out from the adjacent booth. A pair of white furred paws, parted the curtain of their booth, and Nick and Judy both recognized the forms of Jack and Skye, the latter still rubbing the sleep from her eyes…and a thoroughly unimpressed expression on her muzzle.
Nick looked aghast between the PIXAR beds in their booth and then to the ones Jack and Skye had been using. "Wait! That was really you two?" he asked after a moment, a deep sense of regret filling him for what he and Judy had inadvertently inflicted on the pair.
Skye nodded her head in reply, before slipping down to the floor. "I think so…unless there's another fox and rabbit couple in here that wanted to see what it was like to be on the other side of the law." She motioned towards the PIXAR units with a paw before making her way over to stand with Jack. "I think the system recognized that our two scenarios were compatible, and kinda…melded the two together."
Judy looked horrified, and looked towards Jack, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Jack, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was really you, and the PIXAR just makes things so…different."
The buck laughed lightly, and made his way over to Judy, placing a paw on her shoulder. "Hey now, you couldn't know, and you acted exactly according to how you set up the scenario."
He stepped back and motioned to his striped visage, "See, no real harm." He paused briefly and thought back on the fading memories. "I did learn that I need to book a few more sessions with Latrans," he said before laughing at the experience.
Skye joined in and walked over to embrace her mate before looking Judy over from top to bottom. "Judy, I have to ask. Are you really that good, or was that the PIXAR?" She shook her head, and tried to grasp at the details of the fight. "Jack's no slouch at paw to paw, and you took him apart."
Nick gave a laugh and wrapped an arm around Judy before looking at Jack. "Sorry, Stripes, Winters, but that part was accurate. Hopps is just that good," he said as Judy sheepishly looked up at him. "She's the terror of Precinct One, and some officers have been known to call in sick if they're scheduled to spar with her."
The two couples laughed at the admission, and started to make their way out of the arcade. Skye lightly punched nick in the arm as they approached the door. "And we accept Judy's offer of dinner as a way of apologizing, Wilde," she said and pulled out her smartphone to make a note. "Does tonight work for you two? After all our shifts are over, of course?"
"That sounds nice, Skye," Judy said, after sharing a glance with Nick. "Where did you want to meet up?"
Skye smiled with an expression that was equally friendly and predatory, but there was pure amusement in her eyes when she spoke. "I just so happen to know a great sushi restaurant in Tundratown."
Jack and Skye continued out the door, the arctic fox looking back over her shoulder towards the slightly stunned pair of ZPD officers. "I'll send you the address in a few minutes. See you at sevenish."
The sound of laughter filtered in through the closing door, and Judy shook her head at the ZIA agents.
Nick gave a small chuckle at their recent events, and looked down at his mate. "If they both go for the omakase, we're going to be eating instant noodles for a month," he said, but there was no malice in his tone.
Judy gave herself a shake, before briefly checking the time on her phone, Judy motioned towards the door, passing by a pair of sheep waiting for their turn in the PIXAR. Reaching for her radio, Judy called in, "Dispatch, this is three two seven, Hopps and Wilde are 10-8.
"Roger that, three two seven," Clawhauser's voice replied after a moment.
"Come on, Nick, let's go and make the world a better place," Judy said as she made her way back to the cruiser.
"So, what do you think, Carrots?" Nick asked as he walked around to the passenger side of the cruiser. "Should we indulge our darker fantasies again tomorrow?"
Judy considered if for a moment, and then shrugged in reply. "That depends on how much the bill for tonight's going to be, but no, I think something different is in order," she said as she started the car. "We've been back in time, but I think we should look forward a bit."
Nick looked at her quizzically, "Oh, what are you thinking?"
"You'll just have to wait until tomorrow," Judy said as she pulled into traffic, and they once again returned to trying to keep Zootopia safe.
Notes:
And so the Hitmammal arc comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed the story, and that you'll continue to be enthralled by the other arcs that are included in this project. There are so many amazing writers who are contributing to this series, and it has truly been an honor to be counted among their numbers.
One additional note that came up as part of chapter 4. I had a reader ask what a zygomatic arch was, and I realized that it wasn't included in the end notes, so here's a brief explanation. The zygomatic arch, sometimes called the cheek bone. If you feel just under your eye, and follow the bone that's located there all the way back to the temple. That's the zygomatic arch. As the name implies, it forms an arch structure, due to several of the jaw muscles, anchoring to the skull beneath it.
In the fight, Jack twisted his head to avoid taking a knee directly on his muzzle, but the blow broke this rather thin bone. In a fight, it would be painful, but nowhere near debilitating.
I'll close things off here by once again mentioning my main story, Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, which is available on FanFiction and AO3. As I mentioned in the first chapter of Hitmammals, it's a medical drama/tragedy set at a maternity clinic, specializing in interspecies couples and the hybrids that can result from their unions. Unfortunately, genetics is not kind, and all too often these couplings bring with them only sorrow. This is a story about the mammals who dedicate their lives to trying to help these mammals bring new life into the world...and to console them when they are all too often unable to do so.
It's not a happy story, but it is a realistic take on what would be a very real issue in Zootopian society. Be sure to read the endnotes where I have a chance to really dig into the underlying science, and also give some insight into the kinds of research that's being done in present times.
A final thank you to Cimar and the other authors who are working to put together the What If series, and I look forward to reading the forthcoming chapters.
All the best,
eng050599
AN: Hey there, this is Cimar! I wanted to thank Eng for writing this amazing story, as well as changing up the ending here as a reviewer provided a hilarious way for this to end and when asked, Eng rewrote the ending bit to match that scene. So thank you so much for that Eng, I think it turned out amazing! And please, go check out his story, Lost Causes and Broken Dreams as even though it is sad, it is such a beautifully written story! So go check it out!