Chapter 23
Author's Note:
This chapter and the next one are partly based off of a Walker Texas Ranger episode I saw where Walker went undercover to take a drug lord out. That show is Chuck Norris' best in my opinion.
Nick woke up early in the morning. He heard the steady tap of water on his window and thought it was raining. He rolled over and opened his eyes and saw a different room from his bedroom. Needless to say, he was still half asleep and didn't remember what had happened. He looked behind him, expecting to find Judy, but he saw no one. Nick started getting scared, but he stopped and suddenly remembered where he was and why he was there. Nick got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he jumped when he saw his reflection, then remembered he had dyed his fur grey. "This is not my best morning," Nick mumbled to himself. Nick got dressed and went to the kitchen, and he saw Judy cooking. "Good morning, Carrots," Nick said as he walked in and opened a cabinet, looking for the cereal. "Get out of my kitchen!" Judy said, looking at Nick. "Why, Love?" Nick asked, pulling the cereal out. "I'm the maid, and you are a wealthy drug lord who gets served by me!" Judy said, shoving Nick out, and taking the cereal away from him. "Hey!" Nick said as Judy shut the door. Nick walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Nick turned the tv on and started watching the news. Brittney came out several minutes later and sat on the other end of the couch from Nick. "Come get your breakfast!" Judy yelled from the doorway to the dining room. Nick and Brittney got up and walked into the dining room. Nick saw blueberry waffles and a large bowl of mixed fruits. Nick sat down and started eating. Brittney sat next to him and started eating too. Jag and Frost walked in before they finished eating. "We've got a large supply of various drugs for your stock. You are going to sell them to the 'Candyman' later today. We have a fix on his establishment, but it is heavily guarded," Jag said after he sat down to eat. "You are going to go there with Brittney and us as chauffer and bodyguard to get contact with him," Frost said. Nick continued eating. "I just want to know who this guy is. All we know is he's an ocelot," Nick said. Judy came in and took the plates that they were done with back to the kitchen. Nick watched her the whole time. Judy noticed and blew him a kiss before she went to the kitchen. Nick put his head in his paws. "I don't like this 'have someone I've only known for a month be my girlfriend' thing," Nick said. "Neither do I, but we have to do it for the safety of Zootopia," Brittney said. Nick sighed. "I know. I've done lots of things I don't like before," Nick said. Nick got up and walked out. Nick walked out onto the back porch and looked out at the canopy of trees, and felt the misty rain on his fur. Nick closed his eyes and just felt the world around him for a moment. Nick breathed deep and accepted the fact that his life so far was rough, and it will continue to be rough. He accepted that he is going to have to do things he doesn't like, but there will always be a way to do it. Nick went back inside. "I'm ready," Nick said.
Jag drove Nick, Brittney, and Frost to the mansion of the 'Candyman.' Nick looked over the house and noted possible escape routes from the outside. Jag opened the door for Nick and Brittney and drove the car off, leaving Frost with them. Nick walked to the gate and pressed the intercom ring button. "Hello. Do you have an appointment?" came a gruff voice from the intercom. "Hello, this is Pedro Raposa. I have some supply that the landlord might be interested in," Nick said, in his Latin-Spanish accent. "Welcome to the Castle of the Candyman," said the voice, then the gates opened. Brittney took Nick's arm and they walked to the door, with Frost following. When they got to the door, it was opened by a big leopard. The cops walked inside, and looked around. A smaller fox, who was a real grey fox walked up to Nick. "The master is in the study. He is waiting for you. He would love to talk business," the fox said, who Nick guessed was the butler. "Gracias," Nick replied. Nick followed the smaller fox into a big hallway, into large double doors. The butler opened the doors and held them open for Nick, Brittney, and Frost. Nick sat on a chair, and Brittney sat on the chair next to his. There was a fire in the fireplace, and that was the only light in the room. A door opened and two leopards walked out. "I guess since Mr. Big has polar bears, the Candyman has leopards," Nick thought to himself. An ocelot walked in behind them. The ocelot walked in, and Nick almost fell out of his chair when he saw the ocelot. It was Oscar Felix! Nick caught himself and regained his composure. Nick hoped Oscar didn't recognize him. "Welcome to my castle, Pedro! I hope you have plenty of supply. The government down in South America has strengthened their smuggling police the last few years. I've been running out. But animals like you are helping me come back into business," Oscar said. "I hope I can help you as much as possible, and we can come to a mutual agreement that could benefit us both," Nick said, in Latin-Spanish accent. Oscar laughed. "Everyone does, my friend," he said. "Who's this lovely lady friend you have here?" Oscar asked, pointing to Brittney. "She is Ruth Lobo. She is my compaƱera," Nick said. "I'm glad I know some Spanish because of having to communicate with you Latin Americans a lot in this line of work," Oscar said. Nick and Brittney laughed, and Oscar laughed too. "What kind of supply do you have?" Oscar asked after laughing. "Here is the list of my stock. You can fill this form out to get my shipment," Nick said, handing Oscar a piece of paper he had in his pocket. Oscar looked it over. "This will do nicely. Give me all of it!" Oscar said. "I'm sorry compadre, but I can't do that. I have other customers too, you know," Nick said. Oscar stared at Nick. "I don't think so," he said. Nick felt large paws grab him and pick him up. Nick looked around. He saw the other leopard had Brittney too. Oscar pulled a gun out and pointed it at Brittney. "I think you will give me what I want, Pedro, or the pretty wolf gets it!" Oscar said. Nick laughed. "You drive a hard bargain, my amigo. I think I can arrange for you to receive all you want," Nick said. Oscar smiled an evil smile. "How's one to pay for all this?" Nick asked. "Nimitz!" Oscar yelled. The fox butler came in. "You called, Sir?" he asked. "Yes. Get the case out of the safe," Oscar said. Nimitz walked off and the leopards let Nick and Brittney down. Nimitz came back with a large suitcase and handed it to Oscar. Oscar opened it where Nick couldn't see the contents. Oscar smiled evilly. "Will fifty million be sufficient?" Oscar turned the case around and Nick saw it was filled to the brim with $100 bills. Nick stared wide-eyed and reached out to touch it. "You have yourself a deal, my friend," Nick said. Oscar pushed the case to Nick, and he closed it and set it beside his chair. "I hope you can get me the shipment by Tuesday. In the meanwhile, you are invited to a party here tomorrow. There you can meet some of the important people around here," Oscar said. "I would be very delighted to come, my friend," Nick said, standing up. "We should be leaving now. We will be seeing you tomorrow, I suppose?" Nick said, taking Brittney's arm. "Yes, and thank you for your cooperation, Pedro. I will do business with you often," Oscar said as they left. Nick walked out the room, into the hallway, and out the door. "Where's Jack?" Nick asked Jag after he got back in the driver's seat after letting them in the car. "I thought he was with you!" Walter said. "He disappeared soon after we got in there!" Brittney said. "You noticed him missing before we left?" Nick asked. "Yes, but I didn't see him leave," Brittney explained. Walter took a deep breath. "He'll show up. Let's wait thirty minutes, and if he doesn't show up, we'll head back. He knows where to go," Walter said. "Sounds good," Nick said. While they were sitting, Nick noticed his sweat was causing some dye to come off. "Oh, come on!" Nick exclaimed silently when he discovered it. "What's wrong?" Brittney asked. "The dye is coming off on my arms from my sweat!" Nick said, showing her his arms, and that they were much less grey than before. "I don't think that dye was completely meant for a male fox. It was probably meant for a female feline, or something like that," Brittney said. "Great. We have the wrong dye. With how much I sweat, I'll be out of my costume within ten minutes," Nick said. "I can modify the dye if we have the right things back at the house. We can reapply it tonight," Brittney said. "He hasn't come back yet. Let's head back and hope he can make it back," Walter said as he started the car and drove off. When they got back, Nick walked in the door first and Judy ran up and hugged him as soon as he came in. "I missed you, Nick," Judy said. "I was only gone for a few hours, Carrots," Nick said, hugging back. Judy pulled away. She looked confused. "Weren't you greyer than that?" Judy asked. "The dye wasn't the right dye, and Nick's sweat caused it to come off," Brittney said. "Where's Jack?" Judy asked. "We don't know. He disappeared while they were inside," Walter said. Judy looked worried. "Where could he have gone?" Judy asked. "We don't know, but we think he got in a fight," Nick said. "Is there any moldy onions in here?" Brittney asked from the kitchen. "Does that bring back memories," Judy said, slipping into reverie. "Where are they?" Brittney said, Snapping Judy out of her reverie. "We have some in the cabinet over here," Judy said as she went to the kitchen. Brittney soon got all the ingredients, and mixed them with the rest of the dye that was leftover. Nick thought it smelled repulsive. "After the dye has dried on you, you need to take a shower, and the smell should go away," Brittney said. Nick stood still while Brittney removed and reapplied the dye, but Nick did his legs, chest and back by himself, so Judy didn't get mad. "Will this stay on when I get wet, and will it stay with my sweat?" Nick asked, while he was looking at himself in the mirror. "It will only come off with this special dye remover," Brittney said, holding up a bottle of a clear liquid. Nick took the bottle and looked at it. Nick handed it back to Brittney. "Get out," Nick said, pushing Brittney out of the bathroom. "I need to take a shower now," Nick said, shutting the door. Nick felt better after the shower, and the smell went away like she said. Nick went to bed after that, but he was worried about Jack. Nick didn't sleep well that night, but he finally fell asleep for a while. He got up, got dressed in a white t-shirt and a button-up shirt, unbuttoned, and kakis. Nick went to the living room and looked around. Jack was nowhere to be found. Nick sat on the couch and put his face in his paws. Nick didn't hear Brittney come in and sit next to him. He looked up when he felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked over to see Brittney smiling tiredly at him. "I'm worried about Jack. I have no idea where he is, or if he is even alive," Nick said. "Don't say that, Nick! We'll find him. Or he'll find us," Brittney said, smiling. Nick put his head back in his paws. "It's my fault," Nick said quietly. "No it's not! Quit breaking yourself down!" Brittney said to Nick. Nick sighed. Nick pulled the cover off his prosthetic paw. "You see this?" Nick asked, pointing to his left paw. Brittney nodded. "It's my fault I lost two fingers, then the whole paw. If I had payed attention, and not have walked home in the middle of the night, I would have two good paws today," Nick said, then started crying. "My life is too rough sometimes. Sometimes it feels like I have more responsibility than I can handle," Nick said quietly. Brittney looked at Nick. "I'll let you have some time alone," she said as she left. Nick just sat there, softly crying. Nick sat there for a while, until Judy came in. "Nick?" Judy asked softly as she entered. Nick looked up, his eyes all red and watery, but he smiled weakly when he saw his wife. "Hi, Carrots," Nick said. Judy sat next to him and hugged him. "Brittney told me you thought Jack's disappearance was your fault," Judy said, still hugging him. "It is. If I had payed attention, I would have known where he went," Nick said. Judy sighed. "Nick, it's not your fault. We are dealing with an enemy that we are not familiar with. He will have tricks we don't know about," Judy said, looking Nick in the eyes now. Nick closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to see Judy's big, compassionate, purple eyes. "Walter told me that you need to leave to go to a party at Oscar's," Judy said. Nick suddenly remembered. "How could Oscar do that? Why would he be a drug dealer?" Nick wondered to himself. Nick stood up and went to the bedroom to freshen up. Nick looked at himself in the mirror. "I've got to do this," Nick thought. Nick walked out to the front door, where Brittney was waiting in the car for him. Nick got in and Jag drove them to the mansion. "You need to search the building to find Jack, Nick," Walter told Nick while they were driving there. "Got it," Nick said. When they got there, Nick walked Brittney by the arm to the back gate. Oscar was there, as well as many other animals, all sitting, standing, dancing, around the pool. Oscar walked over to Nick. "Welcome, Pedro!" Oscar said as he shook Nick's paw. "Ola, my friend," Nick said, in his Latin-Spanish accent. "Would you like some refreshments?" Oscar asked. "Shure," Nick replied. Oscar showed Nick where the refreshment table was, and Nick grabbed a few blueberries, and Brittney grabbed a truffle. "May I have a dance with your lady friend?" Oscar asked. "Of course," Nick replied, and let Oscar take Brittney. Nick stood by the refreshment table for a few seconds, then walked out the side gate by the table. Nick looked up at the wall of the house. Nick saw some bushes and outcroppings on the wall he could climb, and he started climbing. Nick leaped over to a balcony and looked in the window. He saw a chair with Jack tied up in it. Nick looked around the rest of the room and saw nobody. Nick slowly opened the door and stepped in. Nick tiptoed to Jack. Jack looked up and smiled. "I knew you'd find me!" Jack said in a very tiny whisper. "I can't get you out right now, but I'll be back tomorrow to rescue you," Nick said in a tiny whisper too. Jack nodded and Nick heard someone coming. Nick bolted out the door and shut it. Nick quickly crawled down the wall and went through the gate, to right where he was before, just as they were finishing the song. Oscar looked over to where Nick was and couldn't see him. He looked closer, but an elephant walked in his way. When the elephant passed, Nick was right where he was before. Oscar walked over with Brittney. "Your lady friend is very talented at dancing," Oscar said. "Oh, yes. We go dancing quite often, and she used to be a professional dancer," Nick said. Nick talked with Oscar the rest of the time, but they left before many others had left. When they got back into the car, Nick couldn't hold it in any longer. "Jack is being held in a bedroom on the second floor!" Nick said once the doors where shut. "We'll get him tomorrow," Walter said, smiling.
