Nick started to clean up the table with Judy. He told her that she didn't have to, but she helped anyway. It was one of the thousands of little ways that she said 'thank you' every day. The kits had already been excused from the table and were now either online or watching a movie or something. Nick gave Judy a playful stare as he put the dishes in the sink and then passed them to her to put into the washing machine. She caught his eye and furrowed her brow, she knew he was up to something but she wasn't sure what.

"What are you up to slick-" Nick squeezed his paws together under the water, turning his paws into a makeshift water cannon and caught her in the face.

"Hey!" She splashed some of the dishwater back at him. Nick pretended to overreact to the water as the dishwater got on him.

"Oh no, I have been splashed. I wonder if this means I can skip out of a shower tonight?"

"Ha! No way! Now, before we have any more fun let's finish pushing these dishes away."

Setting the dishes in the dishwasher Nick and Judy wandered over to where Marcus was watching some program on the large television in the living room. It was some sort of show for young mammals about the importance of friendship and working together. Nick remembered watching similar shows when he was a kit, though whether or not he had ever taken their advice seriously was a matter of debate. Nick sat with Judy on the couch, letting her lean into his side as he pretended to watch the program with Marcus. The end of the program arrived soon enough and Nick decided that it was now time to put Marcus, Jessica and Nicole to bed. Gathering them up one by one he made sure that they all brushed their teeth and together, with Judy, tucked them all in.

After closing the door to the girls' room Nick walked back with Judy to the couch and sat down to turn on the news. He immediately regretted that decision. Right there, underlined with scrolling text was footage from the protest earlier that day. He felt Judy tense up at the sight and tried to switch the channel, but she put her paw on his before he could change it.

"I want to hear what they have to say." Nick lowered the remote and turned up the volume slightly. He didn't like where this was going but he didn't have much choice about it either.

"Several hundred residents of the Canidae neighborhood went to the streets today to try and protest what they claim is the illegal demolition plans put forward by the real estate mogul Santiago Ramirez. Mr. Ramirez had this to say in response to the protesters allegations."

The screen now switched from helicopter footage of the protest covered in a fog of tear gas to a recording made in what looked like a high rise office. The puma behind the desk wore a clean white suit which seemed to be seeking to constrain his massive strength rather than exaggerate what was there. His golden yellow eyes were piercing, but he looked friendly and conversational at the same time. Opening his maw, he spoke with a cool Spanish accent that warmed itself to your ears like warm tea. Both at once intimidating, but friendly.

"What do I think of their claims? Well, they are mere allegations, baseless accusations without a shred of evidence. If they wish to challenge me, then they may do so through the legal resources that our fine city offers all citizens. However, I can't help but note the irony of the fact that these residents claim that I have broken the law, while they openly flout it. Then again, it was what I have come to expect from such wretched neighborhoods. The Canidae neighborhood is a den of thieves and con-artists and nothing more. I promise you this, in ten years Zootopia will be thanking me for ridding the city of this blemish upon its visage."

"So you're not going to change your plans to demolish the neighborhood? Doesn't that seem like a risky bet giving the current political climate?"

"Ha! I only make bets that I know I can win."

Nick felt a wave of anger and frustration crash over him as his ears retreated backwards and his eyes narrowed. Judy sat and watched impassively, he knew that she wasn't listening to the puma on screen. No, she was listening for something far more important to her. Criticism.

"That was the developer Santiago Ramirez, for more on this story we turn to our moose on the streets for the local view."

Judy seemed to relax as the moose went on to interview various locals and passersby's about the protest from earlier that day. It seemed that they weren't going mention her management of the situation at all. Nick knew what was coming but he knew that the most important thing was to make sure that she didn't blame herself.

"Judy, you know that it's a rough neighborhood. No matter how hard you tried to de-escalate that situation it would have spiraled out of control anyway." Judy responded in a cool but somewhat distant voice. It was the voice that she used whenever she felt that she had been beaten and it always left Nick feeling like he had been punched in the gut.

"How do you know that? We train our officers to deal with all forms –"

"Of psychological, physiological and all other relevant contingencies. Judy, I was a cop too, you don't need to talk to me like you would a reporter. I am telling this from experience, I was born and raised in that neighborhood you know." Judy nuzzled up next to him and looked up at him from his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. Is that why you were there today?" Nick flinched as if he had been poked by a hot iron. He knew that this conversation was coming.

"Yup."

"You were putting yourself in danger Nick. What if you had been caught in the tear gas? What if you had gotten trampled?" Nick sighed a little bit. She was right after all; he had taken a risk. But he had come out no worse for it.

"Well I had to go, I needed to support the others in the neighborhood. I can't just let an entire neighborhood go silently into the night." Judy shook her head not understanding.

"Why? You know that neighborhood is a rough place, you said so yourself. What if Santiago is right and that Zootopia really will be better off without it." Nick's temper flared a little at this, his tail giving an aggravated twitch.

"Yeah, well that would only be because none of them would be able to find anywhere else in the city to live carrots. Sure, these people might not be the best citizens in our fair city but it's not like they have much of a choice." It was now Judy's turn to be a little annoyed.

"There's always a choice Nick!" Nick almost shouted at her, he was letting his emotions get the better of him.

"No there isn't! I became a popsicle hustler not because I wanted to, but because it was the only way to make money! I couldn't get into college, or even a trade school for that matter, with the education that I got in that school district! In Canidae Judy nobody ever believed that anybody would become anything more than what they ought to be. Whether that be a sly fox, or a bootlegging weasel." Judy shook her head, resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going to win this argument.

"Well, in any case, what's important is that you could have been hurt. I know that every day you have to worry about whether or not I will make it back home. Do you really want to do the same to me? To the kits?" Nick rubbed his eyes with his paws and let out a long sigh.

"Well I didn't, and I won't do it again if it makes you so nervous okay?" Judy squeezed his arm more tightly.

"Nick listen to me, I want you to promise me that no matter how this whole thing with the Canidae neighborhood works out that you won't put yourself in any danger for it. Promise?" Nick bent low and looked Judy in the eyes, speaking softly so that only she could hear.

"I promise." Judy pulled Nick in close and buried her head in his chest as Nick moved his paw around behind her head so as to cradle her.

Shattering the silence, Nick's phone began to let out an off-color set of rap lyrics as an image if Finnick greeted him on its screen. Judy let go of Nick as he laughed a little at the poor timing of it all. Judy mused on the situation as Nick let the phone ring for a bit.

"Do you think his girlfriend dumped him again?"

"Likely."

"Go give him a shoulder to cry on Nick."

Judy turned back towards the television and switched to a series that she had been meaning to catch up on with Nick at some point. Answering the phone Nick fully expected to hear Finnick choking back tears of rage, which were of course meant to hide his tears of sadness. Instead, he got a hushed urgent voice that most definitely did not sound like the Finnick that Nick knew as his part time babysitter.

"Hey, Nick. We need to talk." Nick was still sitting next to Judy and was one hundred percent confident that given her sense of hearing that she was listening to every word that they were exchanging.

"Well, I'm listening. How's the girl Casanova?" Nick gave a wink to Judy who had to stifle a giggle to keep her presence a secret.

"That's not what I'm calling about Nick, though thanks for asking, things are going really well on that front. Look, meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes. I want to have a chat with you, alone, that means you Judy." Judy turned around and grabbed the phone.

"Hey!" Finnick's deep laugh could be heard through the phone clear as day.

"Case and point Judy girl! I know you can hear a pin drop from across town. Don't worry, I won't keep Nick out past curfew." Judy pouted at the phone as Nick just shrugged in response.

"Make sure you don't."

"Great, meet me downstairs in fifteen Nick!" The connection closed with a click as Judy looked towards Nick.

"Do you believe him about the girl?" Nick gave a sly grin.

"Not a chance. Don't worry, I'll make sure that he gets me back before midnight."

He gave Judy a kiss on the forehead and put on a jacket as he headed out the front door. Judy made herself comfortable in front of the television, getting ready to watch an episode or two before she had to go to sleep herself.

Nick made his way down the staircase of the apartment building and headed out the front door into the crisp night air. He was suspicious as a sleek black van with red racing stripes came rolling towards him. It wasn't until the driver rolled down his window that Nick realized that it was Finnick.

"Get in Nick!" Nick shrugged and did as he asked. Closing the door behind him and taking a look around the spacious interior of the van.

"Nice van Finnick!"

"Thanks man, bought with the money that I'm making from my new business." Nick's eyes narrowed and he gave Finnick a suspicious look.

"What kind of business?" Finnick seemed offended by Nick's distrust, and made that loud and clear.

"Ah come on man! You know I wasn't the one who came up with our hustles! I was never clever enough for that. Nah man, I bought this car with the money from my new auto body shop. I figured that once you became a cop that I needed a new form of income, so I started painting cars." Nick relaxed.

"Oh, sorry. I just assumed –"

"Assumed what? That'd I'd do the same things as you? Ha! Nick I am a lot of things, but I am not you." Nick smiled weakly at Finnick.

"So, what's with the cloak and dagger? Why did you have to drag me out of my apartment to have a talk?" Finnick's mood went from friendly to serious in a heartbeat.

"It's about Canidae Nick. Something stinks and I need your help to find out." Nick recoiled a little bit at this. It seemed that he just couldn't get away from the consequences of his decision to participate in some light civil disobedience today.

"Whoa now, I'm not a cop anymore! Besides, I have to take care of my kits!" Finnick pulled the car into an empty lot near the bay and stopped suddenly. He turned towards Nick and gave him a deadly stare.

"Listen here Nick. I am not asking you as a friend. I am asking you as a member of your family from way back when. Back when our fathers left. Back when all we had was each other and our mothers. You may have a 'real' family now, but what we had back then was just as 'real' in my opinion. So, will you at least hear me out before you refuse?" Nick looked down at the carpet, unwilling to meet Finnick's stern gaze. He knew he was right. He knew that back then he was the closest thing that he had to a brother.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll hear you out." Finnick nodded sharply and unlocked the cars doors.

"Good. Get out and follow me." Nick got out of the van and closed his door. He looked around and tried to get a bearing on where exactly he was.

"Where are we?"

"It's a secret. Just follow me alright."

Nick shrugged and followed the little fox away from the cracked up parking lot and towards a massive warehouse that sat forlornly by the bay. Trees and tall grass grew up all around it, and it even seemed to have a few saplings poking through where the roof had once been. Whatever this place was, it didn't look like it had seen any use in decades. Finnick just kept walking towards it though, following a path through the thick grass and vines that only he seemed to be aware of. He held up one paw to tell Nick to stop as they stood in front of what looked like a solid wall of vines and overgrowth. Nick mused on the state of the building to Finnick with a sarcastic tone.

"You know; this place might need more than a weed whacker to clean up the front yard."

"Quiet Nick."

Finnick reached out to the tangle of vines and other detritus and carefully pulled on one of them. A slide opened up behind the wall of vines and a pair of eyes shone through the narrow slit. A thick Russian accent laughed jovially from behind the wall.

"Ha! It is Finnick! And you have brought friend!" Finnick snapped angrily at the voice behind the slit.

"Boris! The password man! You're supposed to ask for the password!"

"Oh, sorry. Let me try again. Password!"

"Jumbo Pop!"

"Da, that is right, you may enter."

There was a pause after the slit was thrown shut, then the wall began to move as Nick heard wheels squealing and the unmistakable sound of grinding metal. As the wall behind the vines shifted out of the way Nick saw that it wasn't being moved by some sort of mechanical system, but by Boris. An absolutely massive bear who was wearing an oil stained t-shirt and jeans. After entering the building Boris immediately began to move the rolling wall back into position. It seemed to Nick that he was standing in what used to be the loading dock of an old warehouse, though the partially disassembled cars and oil pans seemed to suggest that it had been turned into a makeshift garage. Finnick followed Nick's gaze and brightened up a little as he got ready to explain what was before him.

"Let me be the first to welcome you Nick to the Tragic Pack!" Nick rolled his eyes.

"You guys have a name?" Finnick looked slightly miffed at the lack of respect that Nick was giving him.

"Yeah, you got a better one? Don't answer that, you've probably got five. Anyway, this is the garage where our mechanic Boris works. Best mechanic in the whole Canidae neighborhood. Boris, this is Nick, you remember him right?"

"Da, I remember you tricking me into buying faulty spark plugs." Nick shifted uneasily as the bear stood over him.

"All water under the bridge, right big guy?" The bear nodded slowly, turning away from Nick to grab one of his tools.

"Da, we have bigger problems now anyway than cheap spark plugs. My job is to fix cars good. Santiago though, I fix for free." He said while brandishing a wrench menacingly.

"His code name is Camshaft. Don't ask him to explain it."

"But is clever!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever big guy."

Finnick led Nick past the renovated loading dock and into the main building of the warehouse. Inside, the main floor had been divided up into different sections, each apparently meant for some specific job. It was like walking into the middle of a secret government agency. Except, the biggest secret of that agency was that it was flat broke. Finnick led him over to the nearest station. Several steel shelving units sat packed full of old computers, all of the lights from the various machines working together to create a star-scape of different colored lights. Sitting at a desk was a pig wearing shorts, a t-shirt and glasses as she sat in front of a computer monitor with a cup of coffee in one hoof.

"This is Mabel, code name Whiz. Mabel, this is-"- Mabel didn't even bother to look away from her screen as she addressed Nick.

"Nick Wilde, former ZPD Police Officer and Popsicle Hustler. Married to Assistant Superintendent Judy Wilde and father to three kits. Currently works full time as a stay at home dad. That all right?" Nick looked a little shocked at how much she knew about him.

"How did you-"

"The internet, it's a thing okay. I used to work as a security consultant, but now I am planning to trash the systems that I helped make. Kind of funny that. For once I am hoping that they didn't update the dang firewall." Nick just stood there, more than a little concerned that all it took was a mirthless pig with a keyboard to learn his entire life history. Finnick grabbed Nick's paw and took him to the next station.

Next there was a set of long tables with paper and various powders of different colors strewn across it. Working at a mortar and pestle was a large panda bear who turned around to greet them as they approached.

"Nick, this is Yao Ming, code name fuse. He is our resident explosives expert." The bear reached out a paw and shook Nick's graciously.

"It is very nice to meet you Mr. Wilde; I remember that I used to sell fireworks to you when you were little. Tell me, what did you do with all of them?" Nick rubbed the back of his neck and kicked the floor a little.

"Nothing good I assure you." Ming let out a long laugh and let go of Nick's paw and got back to work.

Nick followed Finnick as he walked to an area that was covered in training mats from a martial arts school. Standing on the mat was a sika deer in full karate robes, practicing her moves in slow motion.

"This is Kiku Yamashita, code name sensei. She will hopefully be teaching you how to do some basic martial arts. You know, just in case. Kiku, this is Nick Wilde" She bowed gracefully towards Nick.

"A pleasure to meet you." Nick was caught off guard by the bow and fumbled to try and return the gesture. She laughed a little at this before holding out a hoof for Nick to shake.

Finnick now led him towards a cluster of filing cabinets and bookshelves. Hidden behind the wall of books and mountains of paper Nick could see the antlers of a moose peeking through.

"This is Mike Hanson, code name book worm. Right now he's trained as a lawyer and is the guy running this show. How's it going boss?" The moose stood up from behind the desk to get a better look at Nick and Finnick, adjusting his glasses accordingly. He brightened up as he looked at Nick.

"Ah, the Nicholas Wilde! Good to see you! Thank you Finnick for bringing him here tonight. Mr. Wilde, I am sure you have some questions at this point so please, ask away." Nick looked around the desk, inspecting some random pieces of paper and the books on the shelves.

"Yeah, I've got some questions. For starters, where did you guys get all this stuff?"

"Our homes and businesses Nick."

"You thought it was necessary to move everything to an abandoned warehouse by the bay simply because you were planning to protest the demolition of Canidae?" The moose gave Nick a sad stare as he removed his glasses.

"We were evicted. We didn't have much of choice really. So, instead of selling off everything and leaving the city, we decided that we would set up shop here with our remaining funds and try and prove that Santiago is indeed a criminal. Or at the very least, a menace to society." Nick looked a little sad at hearing all of this, but there was something that was still bothering him.

"Right, about that. What evidence do you have that Santiago is actually doing anything criminal?" Mike lowered his head a bit in concentration before bringing it back up to address Nick.

"In a word? None. As far as we can tell he has done nothing illegal. We have a few videos of his thugs trying to intimidate land lords, but other than that we have nothing. What we do have is evidence that his paws are all over the city council." He motioned for Nick to come over to his side of the desk so that he could show him his laptop screen.

"Before Santiago started buying up all the property in Canidae, he heavily supported Lion Heart's re-election campaign as well as those of several other prominent members of city hall. After getting elected they immediately changed the regulations regarding building code in Zootopia, making it so that if a building was found to be not up to code, and couldn't be brought up to code by the owner within one month, that it would be condemned." Nick nodded, starting to understand the situation a little bit better now.

"Right… And with all the old buildings in the Canidae neighborhood, the chances of actually bringing them up to code was nil."

"Exactly, meaning that the landlords and residents had two choices. Accept the bid from Santiago's company, or have a building inspector serendipitously arrive the very next day to condemn the property."

"A classic lose, lose situation."

"But legal." Nick snorted at that.

"Yeah, legal, just like all of my hustles." The others had all circled around the desk by this point, all of them sharing anxious looks as Nick seemed to think over the situation.

"That's why we need you Nick. You're the only one that has the necessary skills, and the training, to help us bring to light what's been going on. We might not be able to take him to court, but we can show the good citizens of Zootopia that we're the victims of an injustice." Nick furrowed his brow as he stared at the ceiling, trying to make out the few stars that managed to peek through the broken roof.

"What would I be doing?"

"You would be our leader! You would be, The Scarlet Rogue! The hero of the Canidae neighborhood!" Nick grinned a little at this.

"Seriously? Alright, I have to ask now. What is with these campy code names?" The moose turned around slightly embarrassed.

"I thought that it would make us more… Marketable… We needed some sort of identity, and I figured that code names and a bit of theater would be of use. Besides, I had to find some way to make use of my English degree!"

"Alright, fair enough. So, what am I supposed to dress up as? A fox in tights and a green jacket?"

"Actually, we had something a bit different in mind."

Kiku went to an old trunk and carefully pulled out a set of black robes with a red wolf kabuki mask sitting on top. She brought over to Nick, bowing a little as she passed it to him. Nick looked at the robe and the mask that were now sitting in his arms. He set the robes down on the desk and lifted the mask up to eye level to look it in its empty eyes. Finnick tugged at the side of his shirt to get his attention.

"Look man, we need you. But, it's okay to say no. I know that you have a family and everything, and I know how much they mean to you. But we wouldn't be asking this of you unless we really needed you, okay?"

Nick shook his head and took out his phone. His home screen was a picture of him and his new family. His new life. He then looked around at everyone surrounding him and closed his eyes, lest anyone see the tears that he was trying to hold back.

"No… I'll do it… I'll be the Scarlet Rogue."

The others gathered around him, cheering in unison. Setting the mask back down on top of the robes Nick took out his notepad and made a note. Writing at the top of the page 'Liar Score' he underlined it and added a tally mark below. Flipping back one page remembered that he had forgotten something very important. Taking out his phone he checked the time.

"Crackers! I need to get home Finnick!"

"Aw… Come on man! This is a big deal, let's celebrate a little!"

"Nope, have to be home before curfew. You promised too." Finnick cocked a questioning eyebrow.

"Really? What are you, some kind of princess?"

"You promised." Crossing his arms in annoyance he reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. I'll take you back home!"

"Thanks, oh and can we make a stop by the grocery store?"

"Why!?"

"Have to buy a dozen eggs."

Authors Note:

Hi y'all! I am glad that you are enjoying this story and I encourage all of you to share it and post it anywhere and everywhere. There is nothing better in my opinion than to see my work take off in one way or another. Anyway, I plan to update in Monday's from now on so stay tuned for the next chapter next week.