This story takes place between Chapters 20 and 23 of Dax0042's story, lesson's in Love.
The Big house was leveled.
Firefighters and paramedics were there, along with the ZPD and MI6. Of course, Max Fray left to keep everyone in the dark about him being alive. Chief Bogo looked over at his fellow officers, Fangmeyer, Delgato and Wolford, who were sitting by an ambulance smoking and chatting about who tried to blow them up.
As for Jack and Nick, they were being examined by a group of paramedics, but Nick kept insisting that he was fine and was more concerned about his mother.
"Alright, I've had it up to here with all these terrorist attacks," Bogo said with growl as he approached the two agents. Both Jack and Nick looked at the big buffalo.
"Every time someone dies in Zootopia, you two are always there."
Nick pointed at himself and asked, "You think I have something to do with this?"
Bogo didn't answer, but the fox could clearly see that the chief was indeed at his wits end. Before he could say another word, Raymond and Kevin walked past and made their way toward their boss. The two polar bears talked to their boss in secret, but then left.
But before Nick could follow them and inquire about the secrecy, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Fishing it out with an aggravated sign, Nick looked at the caller I.D., only for his eyes to go wide to see a name and number he hadn't seen since his days in Mr. Big's group.
"Fay?" he said under his breath before briefly excusing himself from jack and Bogo, the two casting each other a confused gaze as Nick move to amore secluded spot away from all the chaos that was happening before answering the phone.
"Hey Bud," Nick said with rather fond tone of voice, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke to the caller at the other end of the line, "It's been a while."
There was a brief pause. And for Nick, even though it was only five seconds, the silence seemed like an eternity as his heart pounded in his chest. But, luckily for him, the silence ended as a gentle Irish-laden voice sounded in his ear.
"Bout fifteen years," the caller said with a light chuckle.
"How ya been, Nicky?"
Nick laughed a bit before he responded.
"Hanging in there."
The response that came did not sit well with Nick, but the fox just counted himself lucky that the caller could see him stiffen up. And given the fact that the infamous Faolahd, the most efficient mole…and most ruthless Irish hitman could see him now, he would have smirked…which he was.
"So I've heard."
Looking around, Nick took a moment to make sure no one was watching as he slipped into the darkness of a nearby alley between two of the neighboring homes.
"So, you've been keeping tabs on me?" he said in half-concern/half-accusation, a scowl forming on his lips.
"I may be out of the game, Nicky…but I still have my sources."
"In your current line of work," Nick said after swallowing a lump in his throat, "it's good to have sources."
Another long moment of silence passed. But before long, Nick found himself chuckling with Faolahd, or Fay as many called him, the two old friends enjoying a moment over the phone as they had done in person. It just went to show how close the two were. In fact, Nick was pretty much the only one that Faolahd had divulged his true identity to, the hitman up until that point always having a hood over his head and his muzzle covered. And if he had a tail, he always made sure to keep it tucked away.
"How YOU been, Sammy?" Nick asked with an affectionate tone.
"Hangin' in there," the former hitman responded with a chuckle, once again making Nick roll his eyes before the fox continued.
"Terra and the Kids…how are they?"
"Terra's great…so are the kids, Anna just turned thirteen and Liam is turning nine in about a week."
"They grow so fast," Nick said with a laugh, which was joined by Sam at the other end. But, as Nick observed, Sam's tone seemed to shift to one of slight sorrow, laced with concern.
"They do," he said, before stalling in his speech, which did not go unnoticed by Nick.
"But I'm assuming you didn't just call to catch up," Nick said, more as a statement than a question. And of course, he was right, as Sam let out a low sigh over the phone before relaying some information that made Nick listen…intently.
"I can't talk much longer Nicky. I'm using a secure line, but I'm not taking any risks."
"Sam, you're starting to scare me," Nick said, only to be promptly answered by Sam.
"There's a storm coming, Nicky…and it's bigger than what you or I could even imagine."
"What are you talking about, Sam?" Nick inquired, looking around to make sure he was still alone.
"The Lords of Prey," Sam continued, "Mr. Big, King Bear…they're all puppets Nicky. Pawns by someone that up until recently I was only certain were a myth."
"Who Sam, tell me who," Nick whispered urgently into the phone, only for his ears to pick the sound of a knock from Sam's end.
"DAD!" a young, feminine voice sounded, "MOM SAYS DINNER'S READY!"
"Alright Sweetie," Sam lowly called back, "tell your mother I'll be down in a minute!"
Another pause before Nick heard Sam address him again.
"I got to go Nicky, but remember this…"
Nick listened closely.
"Their name...is Axis."
With that, the line went dead, and Nick was left to process this information, unaware that a storm was coming faster than he had thought...than what he and Sam both thought.