This chapter was a tricky one to write, and I bumped up the rating from T to M because of it. There is violence, and interrogation. Continue at your own discretion, you've been warned.

~ óÓÒò ~

"The rabbit's out cold."

"Take her, too."

Nick groaned, pain filling his whole body. Glass covered his right side, and he could feel a bruise forming on his hip. His vision was filled with black, save one tiny pinprick of light at the end. He focused, straining to not lose it.

"What about the other fox?"

"He's in terrible shape. Leave him."

Nick turned his head slightly, watching as a jaguar in blue and black opened the passenger side door and pulled out an unconscious Judy.

Judy, thought the fox. Or did he mutter it? It was hard to tell at the moment. No, don't take Judy!

Nick reached out in an attempt to grab her, but his arm didn't respond beyond raising up slightly.

"Hey, he's doing something."

Alarm spread through Nick. Were they talking about him? A faint, pained grunt told him the answer was 'no'. His vision was clearing up slightly, however, letting him see a green and black clothed wolf kneel outside his back passenger door. He growled something inaudible, before bringing a fist down and out of sight.

Nick's mind was racing, trying to formulate a plan on what to do. He tried moving his right arm again, this time feeling it respond better as it lifted. His gaze fell to Judy's phone, sitting in the center of the passenger seat. With a groan of effort, he reached over and tugged it to his paw, flipping over the screen and unlocking the phone. He knew her password, had seen her punch it in countless times, and he immediately went to her camera app. The screen was, somehow, barely even scratched as he set the phone to record, and began trying to lift it to catch his surroundings.

The fox angled the phone over to where the wolf had been, and hoped the video wasn't just catching the now-ruined seat beside him. The wolf was lifting Dust up and dragging him around the wrecked car, the black-clad fox limp and eyes shut. The silver briefcase was in his other paw. The van that had rammed his car came to life with a dull rumble, and he turned the phone to catch video of it as it drove off moments later.

Ending the video, Nick blinked his eyes open more. He tried to sit up, only to feel pain shoot through his side, making him let out a yelp.

Help, get help. The police.
You are the police, idiot.
I'm off-duty, he argued with himself, thumb running over the buttons of the phone as he dialed for the paramedics. Feelings beyond pain were starting to enter his mind, and he realized that his left side felt like it was on fire, and the seat beneath him felt warm.

When the operator answered – someone at the ZPD whom Nick never met, nor did he really hear the name – he spoke over them. "This is officer Wilde of the ZPD, my car has been hit. We're on the southern end of Savannah Central, I need medical help."

Nick's voice became slurred partway through the message, and he hoped it had all come out properly. There was something of affirmation said, but Nick couldn't pay attention to it, feeling a bit of cold entering his side. He looked down, and saw the source: glass from his window had been sent into his arm, leg, and side, leading him to have trickles of blood going down his fur and stain his seat.

That's not good, he thought. He could faintly hear the operator calling his name as his head rested against his arm, the phone slipping from his grasp. The black was beginning to fill his vision again, a final thought going through his head as it overtook him.

Don't worry, Judy. I'm gonna come get you.

~ óÓÒò ~

Dust coughed in pain, head bowing as he stared at the ground. He took deep breaths, despite the pain that filled his chest whenever he did so. A small splatter of blood was at his feet – his blood. His left cheek was sore, and he could've sworn a tooth was now loose. His paws were cuffed behind his chair, and he had been stripped of his jackets and other gear, leaving him in just his pants, shirt, and boots.

His surroundings were... Unexpected, to say the least. Not the normal concrete walls one would expect of an interrogation room, but instead a cheap plywood, the kind used as temporary walls during construction. It seemed warped and flimsy from weather damage. The glow of sunlight poked over the walls where they didn't quite meet the ceiling, illuminating the area before him.

In one corner stood a ferret, navy blue and black uniform on as he leaned against a wall, arms folded. He stared on with a grim expression, dark blue eyes briefly meeting the fox's indigo ones. There was a flash of regret, before it was replaced with a somber yet steely determination. His black vest had a small chunk of white text that read "Savannah Central S.W.A.T." over his chest. He wore full black gloves not unlike Dust's, knee pads, and had a small pistol visible in a hip holster. His kevlar vest had multiple pouches, which were empty, and a few rings for grenades of various types.

Dust's gaze was torn away by the sound of a door opening to his left, the brown wolf entering. He wore a simple holster, with a slot for a knife and a pistol, black SWAT plants and an olive green turtle neck shirt covering him. He wore similar black gloves, and the green beret on his head was set at an angle.

"Lucas," he said, voice heavy with an accent that made the fox think of frozen land and vodka.

The ferret looked up sharply, glaring at the wolf. "What do you want?" he asked, poison practically dripping from his words.

"Have they said anything?" The wolf said, gesturing to Dust and Judy. The ferret, Lucas, shook his head.

Dust's eyes widened as he looked to his right. Judy! Is she alright?

The rabbit was hunched over in her seat, paws bound behind her back with cuffs and ears hanging limply. Her clothes had various small cuts from glass and a few larger ones from what Dust had assumed was a claw, some small specks of blood visible on her far side. Her eyes were barely open and she was breathing heavily, nose twitching furiously. She cast a glance to Dust, quiet and asking for help or a plan.

She's hurt. Cuts, probably bruises. Something might be broken. Scared. Yeah, she's just fine.
Fuck off or be useful.
Just told you the state she's in. That's useful.
Obvious, not useful.
Alright, fine. Where's your watch? Coat? What do you even have on you?

Dust looked over himself. Pants and shirt were torn, he had his own set of cuts. Pain was still all over his body, making it painful to move more than a little bit. Each breath was cut short with pain. His watch was absent, likely with his gloves, coat, and the rest of his belongings. When he shifted in his seat, his pockets felt empty.

Nothing.
You set the tracker, right?
I hope.
Hold out until they get here.

Dust looked up as the wolf walked forward, a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"My snova vstretilis, Krasnyy." 'We meet again, Red.'

"Lesnitsky," he growled back. The wolf took out the cigarette and flicked off the ash, and Dust could feel all the eyes in the room on him.

"You know him?" Judy hissed.

Lesnitsky laughed. "Know me? We were practically brat'ya once, brothers. Of course, until this ublyodok turned on me during a courier run."

Dust turned to see the rabbit giving him a questioning look. He sighed, and looked up a bit, meeting gazes with the wolf. "Yey ne nuzhno znat' eto." 'She did not need to know this.'

Lesnitsky laughed, before taking a drag on the cigarette. "Your Russian is still rusty, Krasnyy." He blew the smoke into the fox's face, chuckling as he flinched and pulled away from it. "What secrets are you trying to hide from her, then?"

"You shouldn't have tried to deliver that 'package'," Dust spat. "Other mammals are not objects to be sold!"

The wolf crouched down, a threatening growl coming from him as he spoke. "It was the last job for that client, and we were getting enough information to put him in jail as it was. You didn't need to crash the truck and let them out when you did."

Dust growled back, flinching at each bit of smoke that flew into his face when the wolf spoke. The wolf chuckled at his defiance before pulling away, taking out the cigarette and asking a question before putting it back in his muzzle."Gde vasha komanda?" 'Where is your team?'

"Khranenyine krovati vashey materi teplo." 'Keeping your mother's bed warm.'

The wolf chuckled and nodded, looking over to Judy. "Very funny, lisa." Then he drew the cigarette from his mouth, stepped closer to Dust, and pressed it into his shoulder. Judy gave an audible, sharp intake of breath. The fox let out a yelp and tried pulling away, but the wolf's other paw held him still as he ground the burning end into his fur. The smell of burning fur and flesh drifted over his nose, Dust groaning heavily before the wolf stepped away. Head bowed, he glared up at Lesnitsky, noting that Lucas was averting his gaze.

"Davayte poprubuyem eto snova." 'Let's try this again,' he said. "Where is your team?"

"Poydite sprosite vashu sestru," Dust hissed back. 'Go ask your sister.'

The retaliation this time was a punch to his jaw, sending Dust and his chair to the ground. He coughed and spat out a combination of saliva and blood. Lesnitsky stood over him, growling as he picked up the chair and fox, setting the chair upright before punching the fox in the stomach. The reynard coughed and groaned, leaning forward in his seat as a phone began to ring fromt the wolf's pocket. With a grunt of disapproval, he walked out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Judy asked. Dust looked over at Judy, meeting her worried amethyst gaze before nodding. She nodded slightly and turned to Lucas, staring at him with curiousity and distaste. "You're one of the leaders for the Savannah Central SWAT. Why are you letting this happen?"

Lucas tried to ignore her, but between both her and Dust's gaze, he sighed. "Do you two know what you've gotten into?" he asked. Both nodded, and the ferret shook his head. "I don't think you do. They can get to everyone, at any time. I'm not helping them by choice," he said.

"There's always a choice," Judy argued. "You don't have to help them."

"And let her die?" Lucas hissed. "No. I can't."

"You could help us, instead," Dust said. "We can get her back."

Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself off as the door opened up again. Dust perked his ears as Lesnitsky walked inside the room and shut the door. He held a combat knife in his paw, running it through his fingers as he looked at Dust and Judy. Ash fell from the re-lit cigarette in his mouth, looking between their captives.

"The boss wants us to hurry up and get the information. We can blow the building when we're done," he said, putting out the cigarette by rubbing it against the knife.

"And leave them in it?" Lucas asked, expression growing slightly surprised at the nod he was given.

"Net svideteley," the wolf said. "No witnesses."

Dust looked to his right, Judy's eyes a bit wider and the smell of fear and alarm coming off of her. Lesnitsky caught the smell too, and grinned. "The rabbit is scared," he said. Lucas just grunted, looking away. The fox looked up as Lesnitsky neared him again, holding the knife delicately. "Ne slishkom pozdno," he said. 'Not too late.' "Vy mozhete umeret' bystro. Prosto skazhite nam, chto nam nuzhno." 'You can die quickly. Just tell us what we need to know.'

"Gde zabava v etom?" 'Where's the fun in that?' he replied.

The canid nodded, a small, malicious smile on his lips as he lunged forward and punched the fox, making him lean back in pain before his eyes went wide and he let out a cry of pain. The knife Lesnitsky had been holding had cut along his left side, blood welling and staining the chair beneath him. He heard Judy let out a shocked gasp, and heard her wrestle against the pawcuffs that held her to the chair.

The fox grit his teeth and looked up, spitting at the wolf. Red stained the green of his shirt, and the wolf growled again before stepping back and kicking the reynard in his chest, sending his chair falling backwards with a loud crack and a yelp. He let out another yelp of pain, and stared upwards. His arms felt... Looser. He wriggled and writhed, feeling the center pillar of wood on the back of his chair give slightly. A small tug later, and he had freed himself from the chair.

Don't give it away yet. Stay down.
I know, I'm not an idiot.
Uh-huh, right.

The fox growled as Lesnitsky walked around him, kneeling down to wipe the blade on the smaller canid's pant leg, staining it crimson. He got a good glimpse of the knife, seeing that it was a simple design. Straight, single edged, with a sharp yet curved point that gleamed a pale red in the light.

"Last chance, Red. Ili, mozhet byt' , my dolzhny sprosit' krolika?" 'Or maybe we should ask the rabbit?'

"Don't touch her," he hissed. Lesnitsky laughed and crouched down.

"Or what? Is the real Red gonna come back, finally? It's been a while since we saw him," he said. "I was thinking you'd give by now." Lestnitsky rose and gave the fox a light kick to the side, before walking over to Judy. "Now, are you going to cooperate better than your friend here?" he asked.

"According to you, we aren't leaving one way or another. So do your worst," She hissed back, voice filled with resolve. "You don't scare me."

Wait for it...

"Mm. How unfortunate," The wolf said, twisting the knife around in his grip and raising his arm.

Now.

Dust rolled from the chair and pushed himself back with his legs, curling up and bringing his arms down to bring his feet over them. With his arms now on his front, he rushed for Lesnitsky as he brought the knife down to Judy. Her eyes widened, droplets of red meeting her fur and clothes as Dust let out another cry of pain. Fire burned in his side, as a new pain filled one of his arms.

The end of the knife was showing through his left forearm, crimson dripping from it and to the floor as he grunted. Lesnitsky grunted and pulled the knife out, shoving Dust to the floor, leaving him to cradle his arm and groan in pain.

Movement caught the fox's eye, leading him to turn his gaze to the door. It was opened slightly, a familiar black-furred face showing through the crack. He looked over to Lucas, seeing his head turned to stare at the wall, and nodded almost imperceptibly. The panther nodded and shut the door, the wolf's ears perking as a new, unfamiliar smell hit his nose.

"Alright, alright," Dust said. "I'll tell you." Judy looked down at him with wide eyes, hissing for him to stop.

"What you do," he said as he forced himself upright. "Is, you go to the local pharmacy..." He brought himself to his knees. "You ask them for a little somethin' called 'viagra'," he stood up, watching as the brown wolf gave him a confused look. "And it'll help you go fuck yourself!"

As if on cue, the wood beside Lucas shattered, a combat gloved fist reaching over and grabbing the ferret before pulling him back through the plywood. The SWAT officer didn't even have time to shout before he had disappeared, making Lesnitsky turn around, hackles raised. Dust took the opportunity to jump for his back making the wolf stumble forward as a massive grizzly bear burst through the door, grabbing the wolf by the head, and slamming him through the wall.

King rushed into the room, grinning as he lifted his a paw and stuck out the middle finger to Dust. He jubilantly returned the gesture, both saying a quick "Fuck you" - their traditional greeting. "Took you long enough," Dust said, taking a step forward before his legs shook and nearly gave way under him.

"Well sorry, but taking out a half dozen SWAT members and about twenty of Phraxus' guys isn't a quick feat," the panther replied, walking over. The black handle of a revolver showed in his hip holster as he kneeled down to the fox, setting a paw on his shoulder. Something jingled on his back, and Dust looked up to see him wearing a black backpack. "You look like hammered shit. Can't tell if they've roughed you up yet or not."

"Feel like it," Dust replied, letting the insult slide. He turned to Judy, who was giving them a dumbfounded look. "Are you good to walk?" he asked.

"I am, but you aren't," she said. King walked behind her and began pulling at the pillar on the chair that held her in place, falling backwards once it gave way in his paws.

The bear walked back in, wiping his nose with a gloved paw. He wore a white tank top with a green windbreaker and blue jeans, a deep grunt sounding as he stepped into the room. "Wolf's down," he said, walking over to Judy and easily snapping the chain links of the pawcuffs.

"Did he make it through the wall?" King asked, grinning more as the bear nodded. "Five bucks for me!" he said, tail flicking in satisfaction as the bear groaned.

Dust chuckled. "Thanks, Li," he said, taking another step forward. He realized his mistake immediately, eyes widening as his legs buckled and he fell to the ground. "Shit, we gotta get you to a hospital," King said, reaching down to lift him to his feet.

"I'm fine," he argued. The panther scoffed.

"'Fine' my ass," he replied. "We're getting you help. You're not doing this again."

Li walked over and picked Dust up by his shirt after breaking his cuffs, the fox being too tired to protest. "Did you at least get my gear?" he asked, giving a soft smile as the panther nodded and pat the backpack he wore. "And the hard drive?" he asked. "It was in the silver suitcase."

"It was empty," Li said as he walked out of the door. Dust cursed and looked around, frowning at seeing the various mammals laying on the floor. Most were facing the ground, paws or hooves behind their backs with their own pawcuffs or several zip ties.

"Don't worry," the panther said, catching up to them. Judy was following after, Li turning around and picking her up to set on his shoulder once she stumbled and let out a pained grunt. "They're just sleeping. No real shots fired."

"Good," Dust said, his vision growing fuzzy.

"Hey, don't you leave us from this," Li said, bumping Dust as he cradled him. He widened his eyes and tried sitting up, but the pain in his side kept him from getting very far. His vision swam slightly, and he looked up at the ceiling, watching it rush past as he was carried away.

"Dust?" Judy asked.

"I'm okay," he replied. Or did he? She called out his name again, but it seemed so distant.

"Mm 'kay... Is just a flsh woond.."

His vision faded to black.