Ch. 9: The Folly of Fools

Judy scrambled for her dart gun but realized it had fallen off her belt when she had been slammed to the ground. Her eyes darted around, finding it on the ground but out of reach.

She forced herself to meet the lioness's eyes; if she couldn't fight she would at least show she wasn't afraid…even if she was.

"Lucy Lionheart," she snapped.

Ironclaw's eyes lit up with surprise, an arrogant grin revealing her teeth, "You did your homework. Too bad I can't be bothered to be impressed."

"I know how you feel, sister," Nick grinned nastily. "I was expecting Ironclaw to be taller, and with better fashion sense."

She laughed, the sound rasped over Judy and she fought back another shudder. "Suck cheek, just what I expected from you, Officer Wilde."

Nick couldn't hide his surprise and Ironclaw's grin widened. "I may have lived on a rock for thirteen years, but I have a knack for getting information. I've heard how you and your little bunny saved this detestable town and I find the whole thing…disgusting." The last word was said in a vicious snarl.

Judy frowned; Ironclaw's hatred was like a wave of heat.

Nick spoke again, "Boo hoo. Sorry honey but no one really cared about your opinion when we became cops."

"You are annoying me," she flicked her tail.

Nick let out a yelp as the tiger put more pressure on his spine.

"Stop!" Judy yelled and Ironclaw's eyes snapped to her.

"My friend Arachnid told me about you," she growled. "You stopped two good for nothing wolves from killing each other and ruined what would've been a marvelous train wreck. That upset me."

"You need to stop Lucy, you-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Her roar nearly caused the walls to shake.

Judy tried to calm her racing heart, "Then what should I call you?"

"You don't have to call me anything." She lifted her paw, her abnormally long claws that appeared to have been dipped in iron, glinted in the sunlight. "The dead don't talk."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Judy continued, hoping she sounded confident. "We called in back up who should be here any minute now. And killing us isn't going to shorten your time when you get back to prison."

"Oh, dearest me," she mockingly moaned. "Then I guess I have no choice but to wait until they arrive."

Causal she strolled over to one of the dusty boxes and pried it open with her bare claws.

"Oh, look at that," she said with mild delight, reaching inside to pick up a dog-like skull.

Judy snuck a glance at Nick, seeing he was already staring at her. His eyes flickered to her belt and she followed his gaze. She saw her spray…

"It must be from an old anatomy class," Ironclaw went on, examining the skull. "That was my favorite class you know, it told me what body parts would make the best scratching post."

Judy's paw slowly slid to her belt.

"I wonder if this skull is real, oh wouldn't that be marvelous," Ironclaw purred, running her claws over the snout and leaving grooves.

The two officers stayed silent.

Ironclaw slowly turned her head to them. "I bet this animal was just like you two, all optimistic and full of hope. This is Zootopia, where anyone can be anything. But slowly it came to realize that was all a lie, and so just like its dreams and hopes…" She crushed the skull to jagged fragments between her large paws. "It crumbled."

"Well I hate to burst your bubble," Judy spoke up. "But we won't be joining it."

She sprayed Claude directly into his eyes and the tiger released them with a pain-filled roar, pawing his face. Judy and Nick wasted no time in dashing past him and out of the warehouse, jumping in the patrol car they were so happy they had brought.

Judy started the engine and sped away just as Ironclaw appeared at the edge of her vision, nearly slicing at the tires before Judy drove out of her reach.

"She's still following us," Nick panicked, staring behind them, "And she is really fast!"

"We'll have to lose her in traffic," Judy decided pulling into the main road, angry drivers honking at her for appearing out of nowhere.

Judy drove for a few frantic seconds before daring to speak again, "Is she gone?"

"I don't see her," Nick answered, his teeth grinding together.

Judy tried to be comforted by his words but she couldn't help but feel the lioness's eyes on her. Into her. Knowing exactly who she was and laughing at her for thinking she could possibly stop her.

"Judy, watch out!" Nick's voice brought her out of her daze and she swerved, missing the car she had nearly slammed into only to end up crashing into the railing of the bridge they were on instead.

"Oh, Bogo is so killing us for that," Nick declared before the two stepped out to assess the damage. Then the bridge started to shake.

Judy looked around, her eyes landed at the river bank below, there was Ironclaw. And she was smiling.

The bridge shook again and when Judy looked back the lioness was gone.

"Judy, the bridge is collapsing!"

As if on cue she felt the bridge quake and drop several feet, she stared at the cords that kept the bridge upright and realized some were missing.

"She did this!"

Panic ensued as the mammals on the bridge jumped out of their vehicles and ran for land on either side.

"We need to help!" Judy said, running farther onto the bridge, Ironclaw's smile still in her head.

She picked up a rodent-sized car where a mother gerbil was trying to comfort her screaming babies, all too many for her to carry herself.

She gave Judy a look of sincere gratitude when she placed the car safely on land; she gave a quick nod before hurrying back on the bridge. She saw Nick help an elderly beaver to the other side of the bridge, the only two animals left was a wolf stuck between two abandoned cars and a hippo already making his way off the bridge. Judy hurried to the wolf and helped him navigate between the two cars. When he was free he quickly thanked her and fled to land. The bridge shuddered again and she could feel it sinking at a faster rate.

"Carrots, duck!"

Judy followed Nick's order immediately just as she felt something whiz by her ear. It was one of the severed cable cords of the bridge and it was headed toward the hippo that still hadn't made it to safety.

"Look out," Judy cried too late. The cable smacked into the hippo's face unbalancing him and with a yell he fell over the edge of the bridge. Judy made it just in time to see the hippo's head hit a rock in the water, knocking him out cold as he slowly started to sink.

There was a splash and Nick was in the water, paddling to the hippo. Judy jumped over the bridge, cold water slammed into her and buried her before she kicked out and her head broke surface. The hippo was almost completely submerged when she and Nick reached his side. They both dove under water, swimming under him and tried to lift him back up, but it didn't take long for Judy to realize that this hippo was simply too heavy for them to carry back up to the surface.

They swam back to the surface and desperately looked around for something to help as the hippo continued to sink. Hippos could hold their breath for a long time but Judy knew they couldn't waste a second.

"Look," Nick pointed and Judy saw an old crane at the bank, its wrecking ball had been removed but the long chain was still intact.

"Hope you're good at knots," Nick said then started to swim with all his might to the bank. Judy watched as he climbed up into the driver seat and started to fiddle with the controls. Judy could tell by his face that he was completely winging this. But miraculously the neck of the crane started to move, the chain sliding from the sandy bank and splashed into the water. Wasting no time Judy grabbed it and plunged under water, the hippo was completely submerged by now. As fast as possible she wrapped the chain around his wide belly but ended up trapping her leg as well, too concerned for the hippo she finished the knot and gave the chain a yank, it started to rise and Judy started to struggle to get her leg. It came free and Judy let out a soundless cry as pain shot up her leg and she couldn't move it. Panic and lack of oxygen started to kick in and she tried to swim up to grab the hippo and be carried to the surface, but he was out of reach and with only her arms and one leg she couldn't make it, she could only flounder as the pressure built on her lungs and the edge of her vision turned black.

One thought flitted through her mind: Nick.

And then she was falling…falling…drowning.

.

Nick placed the hippo safely onto the bank and jumped out of the crane. He could hear sirens in the distance, the cavalry was coming a little too late.

The bridge had collapsed as they had rescued the drowning hippo (he would've laughed had it been appropriate); cars were lost but no lives so it was a victory.

He stood at the edge of the water, waiting for his partner to break the surface and swim to him, grinning from ear to ear because they were heroes.

Only she didn't.

Fear started to pump through his veins. "Carrots," he called. Nothing broke the surface. The water was utterly peaceful, and it terrified him.

"JUDY!" Nick waded into the water and dove, scanning the murky depths, his terror had adrenaline rushing through his body, making him swim faster. If his lungs needed air he couldn't tell.

There! A small gray figure was drifting down to the water's bed; he lunged down, his heart hammering. He felt a moment of relief when he finally grabbed her and turned to swim up to the surface, one arm wrapped around her.
He gritted his teeth, with the extra weight and the use of only one arm he was swimming too slowly. They wouldn't make it before he'd black out too and then what use would he be?

Nick grabbed her scruff with his teeth, careful not to break skin, freeing his other arm to help him paddle. His speed only rose slightly but he'd have to make it work. He kicked his throbbing legs, his eyes on the surface, Judy's limp body leaning against his chest.

He had to save her. She wasn't going to die like this, her cold, drowned corpse fished out of the water like trash. He could imagine she would find it an honor to die during duty, saving a life. But Nick refused to let that happen. She was going to die an old, retired bunny surrounded by her large family and friends who loved and cherished her.

He finally broke the surface, breathing in air through his nose at an alarming rate, trying to feed his starving lungs while still holding Judy between his teeth. He saw police cars and imagined he made quite the sight, his eyes wide, nostrils flaring, fur a mess, with an unconscious bunny in his mouth, he noticed a couple of ambulances, the unconscious hippo being placed in one. He forced his aching limbs to move and started to paddle to land. A couple of officers had waded up to their legs and were waiting for them. The elephant, Francine, stretched her trunk out to wrap around Nick's body and lifted him out of the water. Nick wrapped her arms around Judy, releasing her scruff. His entire, soaking wet body went limp except for his arms as they carried him to safety.

When he was placed on the ground he dropped to his knees and laid Judy down, he was then forced away as paramedics surrounded her.

Nick's heart went to his throat and he struggled to get back to her side, "Judy! Judy! Let me through! I have to stay with her!"

The officers held him back as he struggled and Judy was out of his sight.

"Get away!" Nick didn't know who he was snarling at. The police for holding him back or the paramedics who were surrounding her and not letting him see her.

"I said get away!"

"Wilde!"

Bogo was suddenly there, grabbing Nick's shoulders, forcing him to look at him. "You need to tell me what happened."

He saw Judy being carried into an ambulance, and he tried to struggle out of Bogo's grip. He needed to go with her, they had to stay together, otherwise something terrible would happen and he'd never see her again.

"Wilde," Bogo shook him and Nick glared up at him. "Tell me what happened today."

What happened today? He was losing his partner! His best friend! All because…

"Ironclaw," he growled the name.

Bogo's eyes widened, "What?"

"Ironclaw…we met her, she did something to the bridge…she tried to kill us. Judy…"

The ambulance was driving away and panic had him trying to squirm out of the chief's grip again. But she was gone. She could be done. He couldn't save her.

"She'll be fine," Bogo assured, "Let's go."

Nick might as well have been deaf, no words said were processing. He was led to the patrol car but kept his eyes on the ground. He couldn't meet anyone's eyes. He knew they were all staring at him and he knew they all shared the same thought. The exact same thought running through his own head, over and over, like a mantra:

This is all your fault…