Chapter 6: Bomb

"When I first met you, it was love. I cannot comprehend my love for you."

Underneath a large cement pavilion, cheery decorations hang around various pillars supporting the cement roof. Underneath this roof, a large crowd stirs about below a stage. This crowd wears a variety of formal wear, including tuxedos and dresses. On the stage overlooking the crowd, two mammals – one wearing a beautiful white dress and the other sporting a tuxedo – stand dreamily.

"You may kiss the bride."

The stereotypical phrase. Two are getting married - classic for those who love one another deeply. One loves the other, and the other loves the one. They choose to arrange a huge party for themselves, of which the family or the couple arrange. Usually, it involves toasts, kissing, and vows, or in some sort of order of that. Music is also involved - creating the perfect environment to join a couple for some to believe "till death do you part" or sometimes "for time and all eternity." No matter the religion or belief, the marriage is the fundamental portion of a couple's lives.

Nick and Judy stand – in the audience. In fact, it is Jack Wilde and some other vixen participating as the groom and bride.

Nick closes his eyes, fighting the urge to watch the kiss of his brother and his wife. Internally, he wishes he can just scamper out of that wedding and leave. Forever. Life rationalizes with him that simply weddings do not work that way. And manners.

After a moment, the entire hall erupts in cheers, glasses clinking. Nick barely notices an unknown vixen carrying a sizable bouquet of flowers in the audience, while multiple mammals climb around her to attempt to retrieve it. Screams, shouts, and playful laughter echo the pavilion, making Nick's stress headache amplify. He sets his head down on the table and rubs his head back and forth on the surface, dragging and rumpling the pink plastic tablecloth atop the table.

Nick opens his eyes and grudgingly clinks his glass of water against Judy's cup after lifting his head up. They both sip, and the reception breaks out as the couple walks off the stage.

Judy starts to get up. "You want some cake, Nick?"

He shakes his head, which surprises Judy. "Okay, something's wrong. I can tell," she says, looking both directions before looking at him. "You're lucky we're in public, or I'd really try and get it out of you."

He sighs and smiles, resting his arms on the table. "Now you have feeling detecting powers? Where'd that come from?"

She frowns. "C'mon, Nick. I need you to tell me," she walks up to him and rubs his head. "Please?"

He nods, taking his head off the table, and she retreats her hand to her side. He sighs. "I couldn't thank you enough. Now, please stop making commotion. I don't want to file you with a PDA."

She furrows her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He smiles, rolling his eyes. "What? A PDA?"

She shakes her head. "No, silly. I meant the "I couldn't thank you enough."

He grins and looks off at the stage, now crowding with family members. "You really don't remember? You–"

Jack walks up to Nick and Judy, stopping him mid-sentence. Jack looks at his brother and smiles. "Hey, bro. Sorry for leaving, but my wife," he leads her up, his hand on her back. "Her name is Crystal," he points at Nick. "This is my brother I've been talking about. Name's Nick."

She smiles, holding out her hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

He rolls his eyes. "Hi," he mutters, shaking it.

Jack continues, pointing at Judy. "This is his girlfriend, Judy."

Judy bites her lip. "Um, we're not actually, um, partners – well, not in that way. We are at the ZPD. We're both police officers," she says, points at Nick and herself.

Crystal frowns. "I see. Anyway," she holds out her hand, a smile returning to her face. "Nice to meet you, too."

Judy takes it. "You too."

"I gotta go to my parents now," Jack says, walking away, placing his arm around his wife's back. He turns his head to Nick. "But it was a nice talk."

Judy looks back at Nick. "Aren't you going to see your parents?"

He shakes his head. "Heck, no. I've been avoiding them all day. They'd be mad to even see me, and if they saw you, well, then I'd have a better chance of surviving in a shark infested sea for a month then having my mom slapping me in public."

Judy laughs. "Fine, you win. But let us at least go back to the conversation from earlier, before your brother interrupted us."

He nods. "As I was saying," he taps his head, then shrugs. "What was I saying?"

Judy chuckles. "You were talking about how you couldn't thank me enough? Something about that..."

He smiles. "That's right. You–"

A bloodcurdling scream encompasses the outdoor hall, forcing Nick to stop mid-sentence and speedily push off the table and sit erect, his head pointing toward the sound. He stands and quickly trots toward the sound, trying as politely as possible to push frantic wedding attendants out of the way. He flips open his badge, holding it in one paw and slowly showing it to the crowd. "ZPD – coming through," he chants. Toward the middle of the pavilion, Nick manages to locate the cause of the scream: a masked perpetrator holding a black remote with a red button. Nick frowns. "Couldn't this guy think of another plan, besides holding a black remote with a red button, I mean, seriously. It's fake."

Judy looks at him, her eyes wide, and an exaggerated face of seriousness plasters on it. "No," she shakes her head. "There's a bomb in here. My gut is telling me that. Plus, he's holding a button."

Nick smiles. "C'mon. You set this up, didn't you? C'mon. Tell me that you–"

Judy places her finger on her mouth. "Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick! Can't you learn to shut up? I did not set this up," she hisses at him, glancing her eyes about the room.

Nick frowns. "Fine. I'll lead everyone away from the building. I guess that's appropriate enough."

Judy spins around from trying to listen for the bomb. "That is a terrible idea!" She finds him gone. "Nick?"

Nick sprints past all the frantic guests, sliding under tables and dodging heads and arms. He jumps out from a crowd of guests, his 22-caliber pistol in hand. "Hey," he yells. The entire hall goes quiet.

The gaze of the perpetrator shifts to Nick. "Oh, a tiny fox holding a pistol," he waves his hands in the air. "Help me!" he yells, a heavy sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Hardy-har," Nick says, adjusting the gun in his hand. "First, you're only a foot taller than me, but that doesn't mean that I am 'tiny,' I am simply a different species," he cocks the gun. "Second, drop the controller and put your hands behind your back!"

He scoffs. "What, are you a police officer or something, I don't see your badge."

Nick takes the badge out of his back pocket and shows it to the perpetrator. He smirks and puts on a fake worried face. "Oh, what a coincidence. Officer Wilde, ZPD," he puts the badge back in his pocket and puts both hands on the gun, his face returning to normal. "Now, I need you to get on the ground, and drop the controller."

The perpetrator begins to speak when Judy emerges from behind him, stealing the small controller from his hand. Judy waves her badge in his face and retreats to the ground, controller in hand. She takes out her pistol, holding it to him just as Nick is.

The perpetrator stands there, slowly backing up. "What are you going to do now, blow up the dining hall? I hid the bomb in there, so you'll never find it."

Judy shakes her head. "I did find it, and I hid it somewhere where you'll never find it."

The perpetrator shrugs, and starts to walk away, facing the two officers. "That's it, then?"

Nick hardens his lips and stares at the perpetrator. "Stay there. Turn around, and put your paws behind your head!"

When the perpetrator turns around, a small circular object appears plastered to his back. Nick doesn't think much of it, so he faces his partner. "Where did you put it, anyway?"

Judy smirks. "You'll see," she places her two hands over her mouth. "Hey," she yells.

The perpetrator, now a few feet away from where he is, turns around. "What?"

She smiles. "Do you want to know where I put the bomb?"

He starts to walk forward. "Where?"

She waves forward. "Backup about twenty feet, and I'll show you."

Nick's eyes widen. "You didn't..." he slowly blinks, thinking. "No, you couldn't. You wouldn't."

Judy puts her finger to her mouth and turns back to the perpetrator, detonator in hand. "Ready? 3, 2, 1," she presses the button.

Nothing.

Seconds pass. Nothing. Maybe the bomb had already blown up. Judy shrugs and tosses the detonator to the ground, crushing it to smithereens with her tiny foot.

Yet another ten seconds pass.

It occurs very quickly: an enormous explosion fills the small field, covering the entire park in smoke. A tolerable scent of a barbecue fills the field, like burnt wood. A stench fills the air suddenly, one of intolerable, rancid meat. The smoke carries both the scent and the stench and remains in the air for several minutes. Nick stands in the middle of this cloud, pain searing through his head as if someone plunges ice picks into both of his ears simultaneously. The pain travels upward to his forehead and remains there for several minutes.

Gradually, the nimbus of smoke, dust, and steam dissipates. No remnant of the perpetrator remains, and to replace him is a huge gaping hole in the field – a fifty-foot diameter hole. After a moment, he takes a deep breath and stares at Judy, his eyes seem to burn right through her skull. She puts both hands in the air. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

Deep in the pit of his stomach, resentment starts – as if a little bit of kindling ignites. Now, the hypothetical kindling begins to flare up, and gradually, larger sticks replace the burning mass, burning with the intense heat. Every time a hypothetical log enters, he begins to feel rage.

He clenches his fists and then takes a deep breath. "Stay calm," he mutters under his breath. He releases his fists and rubs his forehead. "Okay," he snaps, biting his lip. "Why in the heck would you detonate a bomb? I mean, can't you have any mercy? You aren't supposed to detonate the bomb," he puts his hand out in front of himself and slaps Judy firmly across the cheek. "You're supposed to wait for the bomb officers! I mean, what were you thinking?" he yells. "That was clearly the dumbest and most idiotic decision you have ever done! Are you not yourself today? You're stupid! What's going to happen now? You'll be charged for murder, or worse!"

Judy rubs her cheek. Her mouth lay slightly gaping, and she stands there, breathing heavily. "All I wanted to do was get rid of it," the words barely escape her mouth. Slowly, she lowers her head and begins to cry because of the abundance of insulting comments.

Nick opens his mouth to speak, but stops himself. He again takes in another breath, and spins around, and angrily stops off.

Twenty minutes following the disaster, a couple of farewells from Nick's parents, and the early adjournment of the wedding, Judy retreats to an unharmed park bench, which faces the large, gaping hole in the field. Judy closes her eyes, trying to talk to Chief Bogo, who him and her both sit on a bench in the park, watching over a dump truck carefully back into the hole to release dirt into it.

Bogo sighs, his hand on his forehead, then retreats it to his lap as he crosses his right leg over his left knee. "Alright, Hopps. I need a good explanation or there is going to be grave consequences," he stares blankly at the large-sized hole as dirt begins to fall into it from a nearby dump truck.

Judy nods. "Yes. The reason I blew up the bomb is to get rid of the weapon. I don't know what I was thinking... I just..."

Bogo slams his fist on the bench. "Hopps! The bomb squad easily could have taken over," he snaps, returning his fist to his lap.

Judy nods and frowns. "Yes, but where could I put it after I found it? I didn't want the robber to steal the bomb so he could threaten someone else with it. I had probable cause to detonate it."

Bogo rolls his eyes. "That's what you're not telling me! What probable cause did you have to detonate that bomb? You murdered a citizen who easily could have been taken to custody for his actions. Taking such extreme measures are strictly, and I mean strictly, prohibited, unless we authorize it."

"Well, Chief, about the probable cause – the robber was threatening everybody. He hid the bomb somewhere, so I had to find it. Nick tried to evacuate the dining hall, but we took care of the robber. Then I strapped the bomb to his back and blew it up. Nick got mad and stormed away."

Bogo nods, rubbing his calf. "Okay. Go talk to Wilde, then come back with him. We'll decide on your consequences then."

Judy nods, saluting weakly before mentally retracing the steps, then following the direction where Nick had stormed off. She strolls, turning right to the nearest park, a small grass field and a playground with two lone swings, in which one Nick is sitting on.

Down where Nick remains, cool air sweeps the area, decreasing the intensity of the daylight. He feels a sudden urge to pant. He looks ahead of him, and he locates Judy, walking slowly up to him.

How does she apologize for this? She committed murder. Her job, her friendships, and her life are at stake now.

As she approaches, he leans his head down, looking at his lap. He stuffs his paws into his pockets, pushing off the ground again to propel himself lightly. The sound her paws stepping through the soft sand permits him to lift his head. He sports an emotionless gaze straight at her, moving as she approaches the swing next to him.

Judy finally gathers the courage to say something after two minutes of swinging. "I'm s–"

Nick stops her, putting his finger in the air. "Judy, I was already angry at you, but that doesn't compare to the fear I have for you. I don't think you understand the severity of what you just did."

"Yes, I do."

"Trust me, you don't. By detonating that bomb, you put one-hundred-and-fifty people in danger. You put a hole in the park. You even kill somebody. We both easily compromised him, and you still decided to kill him. You know what that's called, right?" before she has time to answer, he stops her. "Murder."

Her eyes widen as she stares at the ground. "I'm a murderer?"

"Yes, you are!" he yells, staring at her. "I don't think even I understand, Judy. There are so many unresolved consequences that result from this. Look – the maximum sentence for a threatening is five years in jail. You killed him instead. You'll lose your job, go to jail, and then you'll lose your record. You won't be able to apply for a job anymore."

"You at least got to give it a chance," Judy says, looking up from the swing. "There's been cases when police officers were let go for murdering others. Maybe that'll be my case."

"I dunno, Carrots," he looks down at the ground for a moment, then he reaches his arm up to her and massages between her ears. "Mmm," he says, massaging around her ears. "Your fur feels good."

Judy smiles. "You don't know how good it feels for the one being massaged."

Nick takes his hand off her head, and she frowns. "C'mon, do it more," she demands, gripping his paw, attempting to pull it back to her.

Nick shakes his head and tugs at his wrist, pulling it free. "No thanks, Carrots. I don't want it to get too romantic."

Judy frowns. "Can I at least rub your head, now?"

He sighs, bending down to her. She squeals in excitement, pulling her paws up and lightly massaging his ears. The light, short fur of his head tickles her paw. She rubs her paw up and down his head. Nick places his foot on the ground, the ball of his foot supporting the foot, and his foot rapidly bounces from the ball of his foot at a rapid pace. "How does your fur feel so fluffy?" Judy asks, and at the sight of his reaction to the massage, she begins to bounce the ends of her fingers off his head.

He smiles, still bent down to her. "I shower every day. I use fur moisturizers and enhancers. How can it get any better?" he catches the sight of her fur. "Maybe I should lend you some of them. It looks like you could use some of it."

Judy cradles her head in between his ears. "Maybe - and that feels even better than massaging you."

Nick chuckles, quickly ducking his head from her. "Alright, that's enough. Let me guess, Chief Bogo sent you here to apologize and bring me to him."

Judy's eyes widen. "How'd you guess that?"

He taps his nose. "Smell," he stands from where he is and quietly gestures her over.

Judy repeats his action, touching his nose, and shaking her hand in the air. "Your nose is wet."

He shrugs as they turn around the corner. "Thanks for noticing, Carrots. My nose is wet only when I'm sick or really hot," he resumes his walk over to the chief.

Judy's eyes widen. "I can assume that you're not sick, and I can assume the latter, considering you have been sitting in broad daylight for the past 20 minutes."

He nods. "Yes. My fur is fluffier when it's dry, so that's not the most fluffiness of my fur. As you can tell, I've been in the sun for a bit."

She backs up slightly. "You know what, too much information, Nick," she pauses. "How about we focus on Bogo now?" They arrive in the park where the incident occurred.

"Well, speak of the devil," Nick says, pointing at Bogo as they get closer to him. "There he is now."

Judy shoots Nick a look as they walk up to Chief Bogo. He frowns at the two officers. "Alright, Wilde," he says, looking at Nick. "Was there any way you could've stopped Officer Hopps from detonating the bomb?"

Nick swallows, fiddling with his tie. He finally can muster a sentence. "No. She-" he stops himself, taking a deep breath. "She didn't tell me where it was. She said to the robber," he cups both hands over his mouth as Judy did earlier, "'hey, do you want to know where I put the bomb?'" he puts down his hands. "She counted down from 3 and deliberately pressed the button."

The chief nods, waving him away. "Nice talk, Wilde. Go sit over there," he says, pointing over to a set of tables. He takes a deep breath. "Hopps," he yells.

Judy walks up to Bogo. "Yes?"

Bogo smiles. "I have considered your consequences," his face falls. "The perpetrator did deserve consequences for his actions – maybe a five-year sentence. But death was too far, I feel. Unfortunately, I will have to arrest you before we hold the trial. Then we'll decide on your consequences."

Judy's eyes widen. "Please. No, Chief. I'll do 400 hours of community service or something, but please don't put me in jail," she pleads, shaking her head.

Bogo shrugs. "We have to let the jury decide that."

Nick puts his head off the table, eyeing Judy to see if Bogo is treating her right. He stands up at the sight of Chief Bogo putting handcuffs on her wrists. Nick runs up, standing with his mouth gaping. "What are you doing?"

Bogo shakes his head as he finishes cuffing her. "Don't you start. She is a police officer, but an animal is an animal, so anyone can commit a major crime," he says, leading Judy away. "I'm going to assign trial at 11:00 tomorrow, Wilde."

Nick runs up to Bogo. "Wait one second. Can I please say goodbye to Judy?"

Bogo sighs and releases the cuffs on Nick's partner. She runs up to Nick and jumps into his arms, allowing her to snuggle in between his neck. She squeezes him one more time before jumping off, back to Bogo.

Bogo stands there, tears forming in his eyes. Nick looks at him. "Hey,"

Bogo looks at Nick. "What, Wilde?"

Nick points at his eyes. "Don't you hate it when you forget things?" He snaps at the word 'forget.' Nick continues. "I mean, it's just like you know something, and then you forget," he snaps his fingers at the same word.

Bogo stands there, confused. Nick looks at him. "Weren't you doing something with those?" Nick points at the handcuffs.

Bogo shakes his head. "No. I don't even know what I'm doing here. See you later, Wilde and Hopps. Work at 8:30 tomorrow morning."

Nick nods as Bogo walks away. Nick does a little fist pump, exhaling sharply. He plops down on the grass, laying on the grass. Judy jumps on top of him. "What did you do?"

Nick shrugs. "First, you're stepping on my spleen," he points at his stomach and Judy jumps off, allowing him to stand up. "Second, I've been taking these free hypnosis courses online to make people forget stuff. That was my second time attempting that."

Judy's jaw drops. "You hypnotized him?"

Nick nods. "Yep."

Judy walks forward, squeezing Nick's torso. He returns the hug. "Well, that seems like the end."

Judy shakes her head. "This is not some fairy tale."

Nick nods. "I guess it isn't. Anyway, how about we go home and I'll teach you some hypnosis?"

Judy shrugs. "Alright. I just don't want to cause permanent damage."