Chapter 6
Judy heard Nick say the oath to the gang boss, but she knew he was probably crossing his gut so it wouldn't be morally legal. She almost fainted when she heard Nick's painful yelp. Then she heard a lot more grunts and yells from Nick. She started to cry because she knew that Nick was in pain and she couldn't help him. Jag saw she was crying and put his paw on her shoulder, making her jump. "It's ok. Nick will be fine." "But why are they beating him up?" "That's just how gangs work. They beat up new members so they would know what would happen if they didn't do as they were told." Judy just put her face in her paws and started crying as she heard Nick's cries for them to stop beating him up.
Nick thought he was going to die. They had already given him a black eye, several bruised bones, and a broken arm. After what seemed like an eternity, Nick didn't feel the punches anymore. He opened his eye and looked. They weren't beating him up anymore. Nick struggled to stand up. He looked at the lion. The lion walked closer to Nick and hugged him. Then the others came and got in a big group hug. "You are our brother now, Hunt," said the lion. "Clark! Get Hunt over to Quarson!" yelled the boss. A panther walked over to Nick and picked him up. The panther carried Nick down the hallway a little further than before and opened another door. The panther set Nick down on a bed and walked off, closing the door behind him. The lights went on and the room looked a little like a makeshift doctor's office. A tiger walked into the room and started patching Nick up. Nick didn't even know that this gang had its own doctor! The doctor put a splint on Nick's arm, and bandages on his cuts, and applied a cream to his bruises. This gang is so confusing.
Jag was watching the tracking beacon come closer to their location. Judy heard Nick drive up to them. Judy opened the door to the van as soon as Nick started walking up to her. Judy ran up to him and gave him a huge hug and started crying. "Thank goodness you're fine!" "Oh, bunnies. You're so emotional," Nick said. Nick started laughing and Judy laughed too, but Nick's laughter soon turned to tears as he started sobbing. "It's so scary there, and they keep beating me up!" "Be brave Nick!" Nick calmed down and wiped his eyes. He walked into the van. When Jag and Frost saw Nick all beat up, their eyes grew huge. "I don't know if I want to go again," said Nick. Jag sighed. "Nick, you are now going to have to stay there 24/7. You come here and you'll give us a status update once a week. Got it?" Nick nodded. "Frost has something he wants to show you, Nick," Jag said. Nick opened the door and walked to Frost, who was at the front of the van. Jag turned to Judy. "I hope you can stay strong, Judy. This is going to be hard for you and Nick both. Not to mention me and Frost," said Jag. "I'll be as strong as I can," said Judy. "Oh, and Judy? You can call me Walter when we're talking as friends like this." "Ok, Walter.
Nick walked to Frost, who had a case in his hands. Nick was a little confused. Frost opened the case and took the contents out. A pair of finger-less gloves and a large knife with a belt sheath. "What's these for?" asked Nick. "These are some equipment you'll be using. The gloves have an encrypted two way radio that connects to your ear implant, and the knife is, well, a big knife," said Frost. "Thanks!" Nick put the gloves on and the knife sheath on his belt. "Nick?" asked Frost. "This mission from here on out is going to be dangerous, and scary. But you need to be strong. I know this is going to be hard on you, but it's going to be hard for Judy, me, and Jag." "I know." "And Nick? Whenever we're taking as friends, call me Jack." "Whatever you say, Jack." Nick smirked and Jack smiled and patted Nick on the back. "You're the best fox on the force," Jack said. "I'm the one and only," Nick said.
For the next month, Nick helped the gang do a few robberies, and taking a walk through the park with machine guns drawn. Nick thought that that last one was just pointless, but he didn't want to get beat up, so he kept his muzzle shut. Throughout the weeks, Nick discovered that the gang, and all the other gangs in Zootopia, where running out of drugs. The supply was running low everywhere. He kept it hidden from the gang, but Nick was very glad that it was running low, but he also found out that all the gangs and druggies where buying as much as possible. That was why Flash had a huge gallon freezer bag of it. "Nick. We've finally got Flash to talk. His dealer is an ocelot in the Rainforest District. His doesn't know his dealer's name, he just goes by 'Candyman.' We are sending men to locate him now," said Frost's voice through Nick's ear implant while he was sitting around the warehouse one day. "I've gotten a new gun, Hunt!" said the weasel that was sitting next to Nick. Nick put his paw over his eyes and bumped the glove radio button with his nose. "That's great!" Nick said while rubbing his saw that Nick's voice came from the radio. "Sly move there, Wilde," came Jag's voice from the implant. Nick's arm was still in a splint, but most of the bruises where healed. Nick was glad it was his left forearm that was broken, so he could still bend his arm and use his hand a little bit. That night, the gang boss sent Nick and some others to get some drugs. They were headed to the Rainforest District, most likely to the "Candyman" Frost told him about. When they got to there, the alleyway was empty. The dealer was nowhere to be found. "What'll we tell the boss? He gets cranky when he doesn't get his candy," said the leopard who came. "Are we almost out?" came the voice of the honey badger. "Yup," replied the leopard. Nick looked around. His detective skills where kicking in. He sniffed around and looked closely at the scene. He deduced that the ZPD had taken him in. "I think one of his associates ratted him out," said Nick, standing up to face the two gangsters. They looked at each other, then at Nick. "This isn't safe now!" the honey badger said. "Peace! I'm going back," said the leopard. "I'm going with both of you," said Nick. When they got back, Nick heard one of the other gangsters talking about how the "Candyman" was the boss' only contact outside of the gang. Nick tried to sneak away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears to report this. "The boss has ordered all gangsters to come to an assembly tomorrow night. And, I found his only contact outside of the gang was arrested recently," Nick said quietly to the glove radio. "Good job, Nick. This plan is moving much faster than anticipated. We'll surround the place with Razorback SWAT at 11pm, and we'll strike at midnight," said Jag. "Sounds good. Wilde out," Nick said.
Judy was waiting in the back of the SWAT truck for the assault to begin. She was given an extra kevlar vest, but was told to not exit the vehicle unless given a direct order by Bogo. The razorbacks had arrived on the location about an hour ago, and Judy had to sit in the truck the whole time. She was pacing around the inside and was worried about Nick. She couldn't stop thinking about him or that he could possibly get hurt. Did she love him? He asked if she did soon after he joined the force, but he was just being funny. Or was he? Judy knew he was her best friend, and she knew Nick knew that. But he took her on a date, he gave her his innermost secrets. She had kissed him while he was unconscious, but he never knew. Judy finally realized the truth. She loved Nick Wilde. Judy sat down on the chair and felt something jab at her hip. She pulled a pawpsicle stick out from her pocket. This was the stick Nick gave her back when he was a hustler and she was trying to arrest him for selling food without a permit, transporting undeclared commerce across borough lines, and false advertising. Judy laughed when she remembered that day. That was her first day on the job, and she was much more naive back then. Just then she heard a gunshot, followed by many more gunshots.
The Razorback SWAT was advancing toward the building. They quietly opened the doors and walked inside. They tackled a few gangsters and handcuffed them. Then one gangster walked around a corner and shot at them. His aim was way off and he got shot in the arm and was tackled. Then they threw smoke bombs, flash bangs, and dummy grenades in the room with all of the gangsters. The gangsters started to run around the room, freaking out. The SWAT came in and started tackling anyone and everyone. They killed any who shot at them if they couldn't take them alive. Nick used the confusion to slip out unnoticed. He was told earlier to head to the parking lot where he had parked his car. There would be a SWAT truck waiting for him. He was to get in the back and get a vest, helmet, and gun. When Nick got there, he opened the doors and saw Judy sitting there. "Carrots!" Nick said as he saw her. "Nick!" Judy said as she hugged his neck. (She was standing on the edge of the door frame, while Nick was standing outside.) "I missed seeing you, Nick!" Judy said, still hugging him. "I missed you too, Carrots," Nick said. Nick started to cry and Judy joined him. Soon Nick was sobbing, while Judy was crying. Nick would only cry when he and Judy where alone. It made him feel better when he cried with Judy, but crying with anyone else made him feel weak. "I am so glad that is over. I had a nightmare of them killing me in my sleep almost every night," Nick said. Nick didn't tell her that when he wasn't having a nightmare of them killing him, he dreamed of Judy. "Nick, I have something I want to say," said Judy, pulling away from Nick to look him in the eye. "Yes?" asked Nick. "I-" "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Chief Bogo, who had just walked over. For a large animal, he shure can move silently. "Oh, no, Chief. We were just talking about what happened," said Nick. "Get your equipment, Wilde. We need you out there," Bogo said, handing Nick the equipment. Nick took them and put the vest and helmet on. Nick ran over to the building and burst in. He saw several gangsters over in a corner, hiding. "I thought you guys where braver than this?" Nick said as he trapped them. "Odysseus?" one of the gangsters said as he saw Nick. "Nope. I'm your friendly neighborhood cop," Nick said as he handcuffed them. Nick got his radio. "I've got three more here," Nick said as he left to go get more. Nick got several more gangsters caught within fifteen minutes. When all was said and done, Nick was sitting in the back of the truck with Judy. "Nick?" Judy asked. "Yes, Carrots?" "I just wanted to tell you that," Bogo walked up and interrupted Judy. "I just came to tell you both, that you both did a great job, and you might find a bonus in your paychecks next week. And you both get the next two days off. Good job." Nick smirked. Bogo truly does care for his officers, he just doesn't want to show it. "Oh, and Wilde. You're going to the hospital right now to get you checked up." "Yes, Sir," Nick said rolling his eyes. Nick would probably sleep all day tomorrow. He didn't get much sleep during the last month. Nick looked at Judy, who was smiling. "I'll tell you later," said Judy as she sat down on a chair in the truck. A razorback walked over and shut the doors to the truck and drove off, leaving Nick there by himself. An ambulance pulled up and a caribou got out and opened the back and pulled a stretcher out. "You Officer Wilde?" the caribou asked. "In the flesh," said Nick as he laid down on the stretcher. The caribou looked a little surprised as he lifted the gurney into the ambulance and shut the doors behind him as he got inside. Nick was checked out by the paramedic and he asked Nick some questions relating to his injuries. Nick eventually passed out from exhaustion.
