Chapter Eight - The Deadline

"Okay Nick, what was that all about?" Judy said in a dead tone manner while stripping down and getting her belt while moving it as how one would use a whip resulting in Nick sweating heavily and taking down a gulp.

'Oh shit.'

"Uh, Fluff. That was fifteen years ago." Nick tried to reason, only resulting in Judy to continue her advance carrying her heavy utility belt.

"I don't care when it how long it has been. Spill. The. Beans." She continued, pressuring the fox to speak.

"Okay, let me sit down first, you won't like it though." Nick began to sit down at the desk, with Judy sitting down in front of him.

Flashback…

"It was fifteen years ago when I was 17 years old."

"I was still a stupid young Tod back then, never really thought about life, never cared if I passed or not, but one day during class, there was a new transferee named Skye Zenith Winter. I thought she was just another arctic fox, slightly shorter than me, has pure white fur, and a cheering personality. It turns out that she is a good and honest student, however, stereotypes played another role and as a result, she got paired up with the only other fox in the room, me." Nick said, fighting back his emotions that ran through his veins.

"She introduced herself as Skye and said that she lives in Tundratown, but her accent made it obvious that she was from Italy, and her love of Ferrari's made it clear that she was from Maranello, the center of Ferrari cars. I always get annoyed by her during that time, she is cheerful, and likes to act silly while I was pessimistic and serious."

"She changed my life really, I became much more open to other mammals when she came, she convinced me to think of life in a positive way, which was ironically, not the kind of Nick that you met during our first encounter."

"During one of the lunch breaks at school, I saw her getting picked on by a group of Timberwolves, they thought that Skye stole their money after losing them somewhere at the canteen, it was given to them later after everything that happened but before that, they pushed her to the ground, I saw this and rushed to her aid and in return I got beaten up so bad that the Dean was so kind to let me recuperate for a week and the Timberwolves were expelled."

"After that incident, I became much more loving, caring, and protective to her, no one knew that I loved her at that point, they only assumed that us foxes were just sticking together and getting each other out of trouble. And every day progressed at a slow rate, first were a few hugs then quick pecks at the cheeks and the farthest we got were kissing by the muzzle because, as you know, foxes mate for life."

"When classes ended, we both excelled in computer engineering, we were approached by an ISA recruiter and told us that they needed new 'workers' for their 'company', when we asked him how much is out entrance payment and our monthly salary and we were shocked by the numbers, so we instantly applied and went through their grueling eight-month course on physical exercise and mental preparedness. They even included a physical course where all recruits had to be nude, needless to say that I got a very shameful situation during that course as it was a co-ed kind of a course."

"Anyways, after that we all went dark, even I can't tell you the kind of operations we took, but I can tell you this, me and Skye were the most efficient team at the ISA and if our missions weren't too secret we could have gotten the medal of honor."

"So why did you drop out?" Judy inserted

"There was a Capture and Interrogate mission on a Downtown Mafia Boss for his involvement of selling drugs, underground fighting rings, and hits on other mammals lives. When we captured him, it was all too easy, we were at the back of an armored truck with him chained and muzzled, but what we did not know was that his comrades placed a bomb on the road, as a result a trainee agent and five other agents were killed. I could never forgive myself for that, I caused the deaths of six agents in total. I was so motivated by capturing him that I forgot about myself and the other agents, instead of taking the safe and cleared route. I instructed them to use the fastest way to the ISA."

"Why were you so rushed in capturing him?" Judy asked again.

"Have you heard of the July 27 attacks?" Nick asked, sadness and fear evident in his voice.

"Yeah the attack at the festival at Deerbrooke County." Judy recalled.

"Well, my mom and I were visiting the county at that time, when the bomb went off, she was a bit too near to the blast and ended up in a coma. Three weeks in the ICU and released two months later after intensive rehabilitation. That's why I wanted to get him to justice as fast as possible."

"Anyways, after that failed mission, I immediately resigned as Senior Special Agent in the ISA, I cited the facts that my personal life was affecting my work and could possibly endanger the lives of other agents. I can't let my own incompetence fail me or others again. When I resigned I severed all relations with the ISA, including Skye. She was promoted to a Senior agent and Jack - another promising agent - was the Junior. And I actually did not have any tax evasion cases because I was a former member of the ISA and we are all tax exempted whether you are still in the ISA or not."

"Then why did you help me?" Judy interrupted again, but Nick didn't mind.

"Because I thought that if a bunny cop tried to corner me with tax evasion, it must be because of either she really needed my help or she was actually that sly. Anyways, you made me miss my old life as an ISA agent so I decided to accept that applicant form that you gave me."

"So after my resignation, I paired up with Finnick, and started small time hustles, oh and by the way, that Junior Ranger Scouts thing was actually true. The only cover I had was 200 bucks a day 365 days a year since I was 12. Which would make sense because of the foxes' stereotypes and prejudices that exist all around Zootopia."

"Then why did they let you join the ISA?" Judy threw another question.

"Because at the ISA anyone can be anything." Nick grinned, using Lionheart's words to break the ice.

"Har har slick, seriously though, why?" Judy tried to play along.

"Jack was recruited because of his size, speed, and quick reflexes. Skye was recruited because of her camouflage due to her white fur, computer skills and intellect. I was recruited because of the same thing with Skye with additional aspects."

"So?" Judy asked, confused by his words.

"In short, the Internal Security Agency recruits' mammals because of their traits and skills. Not because of their stereotypes. Foxes are intelligent by nature and rabbits are fast, then again, by nature, so every team specializes in something. Jack and Skye are the first mixed species all-purpose team in the ISA."

"Okay Fluff, time to sleep, we still need to meet the deadline by morning."

"Good Night Nick." Judy said, yawning in the process.

"I love you Judy." Nick said while Judy froze, not expecting the words that came out of Nick's muzzle.

"I love you too Nick, sweet dreams." Judy replied.

The Next Day…

"Wake up Nick!" Judy yelled beside his ears, deafening him foe a good few seconds.

"What is it Carrots? I wanna sleep." Nick said like a little toddler that did not want to go to school.

"It's the deadline today. Remember? By the way, Skye has been waiting for you." Nick glanced at Judy, who headed straight to the door. 'What did I get myself into?' Nick thought as he rushed to the briefing room, with Chief Bogo, Skye, Jack, and Judy sitting with the rest of the officers.

"Okay everyone pay attention; our intel shows that Max Michaels will exchange Five billion dollars for a crate of antidotes. He explained over the radio that the exchange will go like this. We drop it by the alley next to Jerry Jumbeaux Jr.'s, Ice Cream Parlor and we get the crates at Mole Harbor, well that is not going to happen as the treasury is on lockdown and we do not have the code for the vault if we ever manage to get inside their facility." Nick announced, creating murmurs in the group.

"However, I want to bluff them into thinking that we have the ransom money and hereby exchanging the crate at the Harbor before they realize that it is a dupe. So I want radio tapping teams to report to the command center and search the airwaves for their frequency. I want Hopps, Savage, and all fast small to medium sized mammals to report at Hangar One and Chief Bogo and all large class mammals to Hangar Two. Chief Bogo, Winter, Savage, Hopps, remain here, all other mammals, gear up and report to your Hangars in fifteen minutes." After this, all mammals left to gear up and left five mammals in the room.

"Okay Chief Bogo, your heavy forces will block the entrances and exits of Mole Harbor, just be ready to respond to anything that might happen." Bogo then nodded and left the room.

"Hopps, your forces will encircle the alley at the ice cream shop, make sur no one comes out." And Judy left to muster her team.

"Savage, I want you to run operations here at the base, prep all of the drones and be ready to respond to any situation in less than ten minutes." Jack left the room and heads towards the command center.

"Winter, I want you to encircle the drop site at the Harbor, inform me immediately of any suspicious mammals in the area." Skye gave him a confused look. "What, is it your first time taking orders from me?" Nick questioned her.

"No Nick, it's just that, it's been so long since I saw you like this." Skye stammered.

"Well it will probably be the last time you will see me like this. Now go!" Nick bellowed, a highly unnatural behavior for the fox that everyone knew that was a smooth talker and a simple pawpsicle hustler.

Once at the Hangar, everyone was waiting for the instruction that came from Nick. After five minutes of relaying orders, they mounted up on the APC's and each team drove to their respective locations.

Once on site, they set up sniper cover, assault teams created barricades and the APC's blocked every exit they might try to use, and a small covered supply truck was wheeled into the alley in the hopes of fooling them.

Wolford approached the alley after the truck was parked there. He was approaching them unarmed when he was shot in the arm, cursing in pain. And was approached by a badger.

"Is the money in there?" The badger asked him to which Wolford nodded, he was held at gunpoint when the badger warned him. "I will shoot you if it's not there." When the badger checked the truck, Wolford saw and opening and wrestled the pistol off of his paws and shot at both of his legs.

"Who else are waiting here you prick!" Wolford kicked him in the crotch and after a long scream of pain the badger replied.

"It's me! It's only me! Please! Don't shoot!" he begged for his life. To which Wolford replied,

"Don't worry, we will only rough you up." Wolford hits him with the grip of the pistol knocking him out instantly.

"Hopps, we got the suspect." Wolford radioed Judy.

"Savage, this is Hopps, we got the suspect, how is Mole Harbor?"

Meanwhile at Mole Harbor…

"I want Sniper cover here, here, and here, Chief Bogo, you block exits A and B. Winter, I want you to be ready to reinforce once things go south. My group will encircle the whole harbor; anyone must be able to reach any point in the harbor in less than two minutes." Nick ordered, apparently getting back to his Senior Special Agent years where he is used to order people around.

"Okay so to clarify things, we are all spread out into a thin force so that they could not escape?" Bogo asked.

"Savage, this is Piberius. I want an Avenger in the area in 5 minutes." Nick radioed to Jack in the command center.

"Copy that Piberius, Avenger callsign is Reaper 2-6." Jack replied, and with reinforcements on the way, the mission was set in motion, the whole Harbor was swept from the exits to the center and with no enemy in sight, they advanced with caution. Just as a crane in the opposite side of the harbor was cleared, a firefight ensued at the harbor, with a crane getting a crate and tries to drop it off the harbor.

"Fuck! Winter sabotage the crane! Savage, where is that damn air support!? We're dying here!" Nick yelled into the radio, once again finding himself in a dire situation with his men and his life, after a few minutes, he makes up his mind and directs Bogo to reinforce his men. "Chief, we need you to leave your post and reinforce our team, we are being slaughtered out here!"

"They could escape Wilde!" Chief Bogo argued, trying to reason out that they could slip right through the madness.

"Piberius, this is savage, Reaper 2-6 is ready for servicing for 15 mikes." Jack informed Nick about the much needed air support.

"Target all tangos' at our north! Watch out for that…" Nick was cut off as radio interference jammed their airwaves. "FUCK!"

"Mis..le o… .he ..il" Nick heard Jack say, to a casual officer, this is just another garbled transmission. But to Nick, who is a field hardened elite agent, recognizes this as 'Missile off the rail.' A common warning used by air support pilots to warn the ground forces that their strike was inbound.

The missile from the avenger was a heavy AGM-158 JASSM and took out the cement flooring of the pier, the heavy concrete was not strong enough to resist a 1,000-pound missile that headed straight towards it.

"No, No NO NOO!" Nick yelled as the shockwave from the impact blew the crane carrying the crate off balance, toppling over the side of the harbor and plunging into the harbor.

"I want divers on the scene…"

"Nick! Stop!" Nick was interrupted by Skye, who went to Nick to inform him about the crate.

"Want do you want Winter?" Nick bared his teeth at her, enraged being interrupted during his time of agitation and confusion.

"The crate, it is not the antidote!" she explained, getting a small vial that supposedly broke free from the crate before toppling over and reading the contents.

'Midni um Holi ias' was scribbled at the vial, although this one was broken, a few vials were floating in the surface all of which are intact, and contained a green liquid instead of the violet liquid that was the common color of the original Night Howlers.

"Get those bottles and put them in a sealed container." Nick told Skye, only for her to object.

"We don't have any equipment to process these vials." Skye replied to Nick, "The CDC was overrun and Cliffside was raided, how on earth are you going to make a cure for this?"

"We go to Shady Place." Nick muttered.

"Shady Place? Our intel puts them at the Rainforest District!" Skye argued.

"Are you questioning my orders JUNIOR Special Agent Skye?" Nick snarled.

"You don't have jurisdiction over me Nick." Skye brushed him off when a familiar silhouette.

"Actually he does, Special Agent Winter, he was your former superior, a lieutenant in the ZPD and he is the overall in-charge for operations. He reports to me and me only. Everyone that is here right now is under my command, and everyone under my command is in Lieutenant Wilde's command, are we clear?" Chief Bogo said with power behind his voice.

"But sir…"

"Are you disobeying a direct order from a four-star police chief?" Bogo bellowed, silencing the vixen.

"No sir." Skye meekly replied.

"Do we have any more problems?" asked Bogo.

"No, Sir!" Nick and Skye responded in unison.


Post A/N: As you have noticed, it took me a long time to write another chapter due to my studies, expect weekend updates starting today because I have a target grade to hit.

Until next time!

- Nicholas Phillips